A Secret Ambition

XXVI

Every word that she read made her feel wretched, but she forced her mind to stay focused on the task at hand. Sir Richard was convinced that her father had arranged for a new location to receive the latest shipment. Wisely so, seeing as Sir Richard had a habit of illegally destroying goods and getting away with –

Lily froze.

Plymouth.

That's exactly what was written atop the letterhead. Below was a letter written by a man whose name Lily did not recognise, but it detailed the contents and capacity of the cargo that would be arriving around early May by their estimation. That was not long at all. It would take Sir Richard at least a week to travel to Plymouth, and a little while longer before he could organise men to travel there to anticipate Callan's shipment.

There was hope. If she could arrange for Callan to beat him, then there would be no reason for Sir Richard to renege on their arrangement ... or his blackmail attempt. Lily would keep her end of the bargain, and she would try her damnedest to spoil his plans.

Her heart hammered as she returned her father's desk to the state in which she had found it, and then she attempted to take a deep breath as to calm herself for the next step in her plan.

Lily pulled a piece of paper from her father's stationery and scrawled the address of the marina that had been in Adam's correspondence, before she muttered a curse over it. She folded the paper and addressed it, and then lit a candle so that she could melt some wax to seal it.

She then stole out of her father's study like a common thief, clutching the letter to her chest as the panic began to take hold of her. Lily just wanted this all to end, and in her mind, this was the only way.

When she got to the stairs, however, she was no longer alone.

Jackie was standing there, appearing to be going through several panicked thoughts of her own. She had changed, where Lily had not, and appeared very put together as callers were expected. She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Lily, however, and her brows furrowed.

"Did you not change? You know Grandmamma will throw a fit if you have not put on something entirely ostentatious at eleven o'clock in the morning. The dreaded suitors are expected soon." Jackie shuddered.

"I need to go out for a little while," Lily revealed quietly, to which Jackie's eyes widened.

"You're not going to leave me here alone, are you?" she gasped. "Without you, the gentlemen might actually want to talk to me, and I cannot stomach the thought of pretending to make polite conversation for several hours by myself."

Jackie, perhaps, had an even smaller desire to participate in the Season than Lily. But Lily could not bear to take on board any additional guilt. She would be present later to smile and flutter her fan as was expected. And the days following would be filled with all the promenades and whist parties that her grandmother wanted.

"I will be gone for an hour," promised Lily. "Please, I don't want to lie to you, but don't ask me any questions."

Jackie's green eyes narrowed. "Well, now you must tell me," she urged.

But Lily shook her head. "An hour, I promise."

Jackie pressed her lips together in an uneasy way. "Well, what do I tell Grandmamma?"

"You can tell the truth and tell her that you do not know where I have gone. But that I will return shortly. I hope she does not notice, however, and is much too busy terrorising the servants about the placements of flower vases to notice that I am not present."