“Of course, he did,” Ruth replied with a sniff. Then she sighed. “But last winter, I received a letter saying he had to break his promise. He did not explain why, and I’ve not heard from him since.”
“I’m sorry, my friend,” Louisa said, taking Ruth’s hand. Here she was fretting over Sir Aaron—whom she could see whenever she liked—when her friend was pining for a man she would likely never see again.
“It’s odd,” Ruth said as she stared up at the ceiling. “As angry as I am over his abrupt ending to our future, I cannot stop thinking about him. I keep hoping that, one day, he’ll return for me, yet I know the chances of that happening are slim indeed.” She shook her head. “It’s all so confusing.”
Ruth had never been one to be so forthcoming with her troubles, at least not with Louisa. What had made the ship’s captain change his mind? Had he only used Ruth to get a kiss and later regretted his actions? Or did he find and fall in love with another woman? Poor Ruth.
Well, Louisa was not going to ask those questions aloud. Let Ruth keep what little hope she had.
Ruth pulled herself up to a sitting position and took Louisa’s hand. “The reason I shared my story is because love is never easy. I’ll still wait for my captain to return, at least until summer. If he doesn’t come, I’ll leave without him. I can’t wait around for him forever, especially since he’s already said he’ll not be returning for me. But your knight is already here. I suggest you do what you must because he may just leave one day and never return.”
The thought of Sir Aaron not being in her life was strangely disconcerting and left her feeling… alone.
“I suppose you’re right,” Louisa said. “But what about the theater? I’ve heard he has set up a meeting with Mr. Barker in two days. What if Sir Aaron is able to convince him to sell?”
Ruth pursed her lips and knitted her brows in thought. “We must find a way to stop him. You say he’s arrogant, so let’s find a way to use that against him.”
With a laugh, Louisa stood. “I thought you were hungry.”
With a wave of her hand, Ruth also pulled herself from the bed. “It can wait. Your need is greater.”
Louisa smiled. “It would be quite easy to play to his sense of self-importance. But how?”
Ruth rubbed her chin, her green eyes gleaming. “He’s seeking investors, correct?”
Louisa nodded. “He is.”
“Then we’ll provide one for him. Lord Artemus!”
“Lord Artemus?” Louisa asked, confused. “Who is he and why would he wish to invest in a gentlemen’s club?”
With an aggravated click of her tongue, Ruth replied, “Must I explain everything? Do you not remember our recent history lesson? The lord from Hensworth?” Louisa gave her a blank stare. “The founder of Chatsworth.”
“But he’s been dead for hundreds of years!”
“Do you honestly believe Sir Conceited knows anything about the history of the area? Or that the Artemus marquessate died out centuries ago?” Ruth replied with a wide grin. “I’d wager he doesn’t even read. Follow me. I have an idea.”
Grabbing Louisa’s hand, Ruth pulled her out into the corridor and downstairs, stopping at Mrs. Rutley’s office. “Don’t worry,” Ruth said as she pushed open the door and headed to the headmistress’s desk. “She won’t be back for hours.”
Louisa nibbled her bottom lip and glanced at the closed door. If Mrs. Rutley or Mrs. Shepherd caught them there without permission, both of them would be in a great deal of trouble. She glanced at her hands. Just because none of the students had been forced to wash dishes as a form of punishment during her time there, that did not mean it could not happen.
“What are you doing?” she asked Ruth, who was hunched over the desk, the sound of a quill scratching parchment. “You can’t be writing on behalf of Lord Artemus! Nor his descendent.”
Ruth glanced at her with a mild look of annoyance. “Not from Lord Artemus. From Mrs. Rutley. Now be quiet, so I can think.”
The minutes that passed felt like hours. Finally, Ruth stood and blew on the page before handing it to Louisa. “You should read it before I seal it.”
Taking the letter, Louisa read it over. “This must be the cleverest idea you’ve ever devised,” she said after finishing it. “Sir Aaron is dim-witted enough to believe it!”
Laughing, Ruth took back the letter. “He is a man, after all. Were you aware that they have smaller brains than women? Mrs. Shepherd says the good Lord gave them physical strength and saved the wisdom for us women.”
Louisa nodded. She had heard Mrs. Shepherd’s thoughts on the subject before, including her belief that if women were allowed to own and run more businesses, they would be so successful that men would die of jealousy.
As Ruth used Mrs. Rutley’s stamp to seal the letter, Louisa experienced a small twinge of guilt. What they were doing was wrong, but their cause was good. Plus, Sir Aaron had to be taught a lesson.
To win this war, Louisa had to speak to Mr. Barker before Sir Aaron. Then she would allow the knight to court her.
And she had no doubt that he would ask. After proving her ability to outwit him, how could he not?