The Spells of Paradise

Chapter 18: The Bold Princess Royal

Chapter 18: The Bold Princess Royal

Days passed with James mulling over the Magistrate's words again and again. He had not consulted a single soul as to what he should do regarding the blackmail, though the answer itself was clear: marry Elizabeth Donaldson in order to spare Lucy's reputation.

Thing was, James didn't love Elizabeth. He didn't even know her that well, not that it mattered. The Magistrate was no romantic, he wanted to elevate his family, and he was going to do it by marrying his daughter to one of the wealthiest men in Hertfordshire. If it wasn't such a twisted plan, James would have regarded the madman to be a genius.

If James for it and decided to marry Elizabeth for the sake of ensuring that the Magistrate did not destroy Lucy's family name, then he wouldn't have Lucy at all, would he? She would never know what he did for her, what he had sacrificed. She would marry someone else and forget all about him and he would be stuck for the rest of his life with Elizabeth.

But if he didn't do it, even if he had Lucy, her family name would be dragged through the mud. Even if James went out of his way to stop it, the Magistrate will have succeeded in elevating his family by destroying Lucy's, so he would still win.

Either way, James was at an impasse.

He wanted to find Lucy, and figure all of this out on his own. He wanted to hear the truth from her before he made any choices. If it happened that he ended up married to Elizabeth, then so be it, but he refused to give into the Magistrate's blackmail blindly. Just one man having all the facts and secrets was no fair way to fight, James had to have facts of his own as well.

But then how would he go about finding Lucy? Perhaps she was in London, but he didn't want to travel all that way only to find that she wasn't there. That would be a waste of valuable time. Perhaps he could reach out to the servants in the Quincy house once more and see if a bit of bribery did the trick. There had to be someone in Lanfore that knew where she was, and he needed to find out who that someone was before the Magistrate decided to capitalize on his blackmail. As it was, James didn't know when that would be, he was not given a time, only a very clear threat.

Cursing, James looked out the window only to find that it was dark out. He still had Bertha Denning's invitation, but he feared that if he went to the shed now, she wouldn't be there. He wasn't even sure if she was expecting him at all, perhaps she had given up.

But she said that she knew the truth, and so perhaps she knew where Lucy had gone. James figured it was a good a start as any. If anything, if James got on good terms with Bertha, then he would have an ally in the Magistrate's house, and that was a valuable asset he did not want to pass up on.

Finally, James made up his mind and decided to go to the shed tonight. Chances were that Bertha was not there but, if she was, then at least he stood a chance in this fight.

Because, God knew, Lucy was worth every swing.

XXX

Belmoran Island

Ross was invited to dine with the Worthingtons that night, as well as the sisters from the Rutherford family. As far as Lucy knew, Leila Rutherford was the one that Samuel fancied, and the one that Eliza despised.

"She is so high and mighty, that one," Eliza scoffed and shook her head. "Giving herself airs as if she's earned them. She's about as decent as that drunk sailing brother of hers, make no mistake."

"Her brother's a sailor?" Lucy asked.

"Merchant, really. Gregory is his name," Eliza replied. "He's the captain of a ship called The Capricorn, if I recall. He won't be here tonight, thank God, last I heard of him he was leaving Charlestown and headed to Portsmouth. Tried to court me a few times, but it didn't work. He spends his days out on the docks and his nights in those silly taverns in town. I tell you this as your friend; nothing good comes from that Rutherford family. They're the black sheep of Belmoran. Best to keep your distance."