“What are you doing here? You have no business being out this late. It is not safe.”
“I apologize, Your Grace, for the lateness of the hour, but I felt you should see this first.”
He took the envelope that was extending and opened it, reading the few short lines of text, his frustration growing with every word.
“Engaged?” he said, baffled.
He thought he had more time than this. He had spent all of his energy the last few days getting everything ready to make the announcement of his brother’s death. It was not as simple as he wanted it to be, and he had been met with several hiccups. Investors wanted to how Elijah had died, what Benjamin’s plans were with his assets, and where he stood on all sorts of political agendas. He still felt like it would take him another week to finish all the preparations. That was time he no longer had.
“She does not want this. She was forced into it.”
“How do you know?” He wanted to believe what his guest was saying, but he felt it was too good to be true.
“Her cries keep me up at night. She thinks no one else can hear her, but I can. I know how much she cares for you. I know more than you might think. I know all about your letters. And I know about the half a dozen she has written and refused to send, burning them in the fireplace instead. Trust me, she does not want to marry Lord Roberts.”
“What does she want?” He chose to gloss over the fact that this stranger knew about his secret correspondence with Felicity. He did not think she had told anyone about it. It was something he would have to address later; right now, it was not important.
“You must be able to do something, anything. You cannot stand by and let her go through with this. She thinks she is doing the right thing by her family, but it will only cause her a lifetime of suffering. Please, if you care at all for her, as I suspect you do, you must help her.”
Benjamin nodded firmly before saying, “I will do all that I can.”
“I must go before my absence is noted. But know this, you are the only one who can save her from this. She will not listen to anyone else.”
And with that, his mysterious midnight guest left him, taking all hints of sleep as they went. With only two days before the ball, Benjamin had to do everything he could to prepare his stewards and investors for the chaos that was about to ensue. Truthfully, he did not care about the repercussions of what he knew he had to do. That the only thing he was certain of was that he could not let Felicity sign her life away to a marriage she did not want. He would have to do something drastic if it were to work, but he knew offering her the choice of what she wanted from life would be worth it.
* * *
“You look like you are going off to battle, dear,” his mother commented from the door.
“I think I might be,” he told her.
“Is this about that lady of yours?”
He did not know how she always seemed to know exactly what was going on, but at this moment, he did not mind it.
“She is engaged.” He nodded at the invitation sitting on his dresser.
“To that horrible man?” she asked after having read the note.
“Yes, but I am going to stop it.”
“What do you mean, dear?” His mother now looked concerned as she helped him adjust his cravat.
“I have been told by a very reliable source that she is being forced into this marriage, and that this is not what she wants.”
“And what are you going to do about that?” she asked with the same arched eyebrow she used to give him as a child when he did something mischievous.
“I am going to make her father an offer he cannot refuse, and then I will give her a choice and hope she picks me.”
His mother said nothing for a moment, taking his stern expression in.
“Give me a moment,” she said finally, “and I will go with you.”
“Mother,” he began to argue, but she was already out of the room.
“I have no intention of missing my son declaring himself in front of the ton. It will be a proud moment for me. Think of me as your infantry,” she chuckled from down the hallway. “Besides, I want to meet the lady who is worth all of this effort.”
Benjamin shook his head at his mother’s antics, but he made his way downstairs to wait for her anyways. He was only halfway through his glass when she reemerged, looking especially resplendent, even in all black. He told her so, sending a soft blush to her cheeks. Seeing her smile like that made him realize how much he missed his mother’s carefree spirit. Once all of this business with Felicity was dealt with, he was determined to do whatever he could to make his mother smile more every day.