John’s worried expression eased slightly.
Not Tom’s. “There might be a problem with that. The back gate is locked, and I thought I saw a man lurking in the alley behind the house.”
“A man?” Rourke did not like the sound of that. “Did you recognize him?”
“Not in the dark. He wasn’t very big, though. I could have taken him down, but he took off before I got close. Since you wanted me to talk to Anabelle, I figured I’d better not chase after him.”
“A small man shouldn’t be a problem,” Rourke mused.
“No, Captain, but that fence is. If the back gate’s locked, I’d guess the one between the backyard and front is too. That fence is tall. No one is going to climb over it, especially a woman.”
Rourke ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it off his forehead. Their task had just gotten a lot more difficult. “Then we’ll have to find a way to get her out.”
Poppinclerk’s offer of help came to mind. He’d claimed to have information that would give Rourke what he wanted most. Maybe he knew who was guarding the back gate. Maybe he had a key to enter the Benjamin property. On the other hand, Rourke’s first instincts might be right, and Poppinclerk would walk him straight into a trap.
By the time Elizabeth shut the door to her brother’s room, she had regained her senses. No one could force her to marry. If Mr. Finch had the audacity to announce an engagement, she would counter with a denial. She must.
“Where would you like me to wheel your chair?” she asked Charlie.
“To the desk.”
Now that she had been admitted to Charlie’s domain, she took a good look around. A large desk dominated the front half of the room, while bookshelves lined the wall.
“It looks just like Father’s study,” she said. “I had no idea you were so interested in your studies.”
“There’s not much else to do when confined to a room.”
The truth stung. “I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s a fact.”
This was neither the timid boy of years ago nor the young man who had joked with Rourke. Charles Benjamin II wielded power, even over Father. If not for the withered legs hidden beneath a blanket, his brilliant blue eyes and engaging wit would have captured many a girl’s heart. But the legs made all the difference, and he knew it. Sarcasm tinged his replies, as if he dared her to fight. She could not, for he was stuck in this state because of her mistakes.
The rest of the room served as his bedchamber. A chair and small table sat beside his bed. A pair of crutches leaned against the wall.
“Crutches? You can walk?”
“One of Father’s ideas.” His frown carried into his voice. “He wants to make me whole, but nothing can do that.”
Elizabeth shivered and wrapped her arms around her midsection. “I’m sorry.” How many times must she say it before it made any difference?
“You should be. Why would you agree to marry that fool?”
It took her a moment to grasp what he’d just said. “Mr. Finch.”
“Of course Mr. Finch. I’ve never seen a more pompous idiot, and yet you agreed to marry him.”
“I didn’t. At least not knowingly. I wasn’t paying the slightest attention. He must have thought I was nodding in agreement, but I wasn’t.”
“As I thought.” A faint smile curled his lips. “Hold the chair still.” He lifted himself onto the desk chair, then opened one of the dozen volumes stacked on the expansive desk. “I don’t like Percival Finch.”
“Neither do I.”
He lifted his head. “Then why entertain him at all?”
“Father insists.”
“And you obey everything Father says.”
“You tried the crutches, didn’t you?”
Charlie ignored the jab. “I’m not the one getting married.”
“Maybe you can get away with flaunting Father’s commands, but daughters are expected to obey and to marry.”
“Then you would marry a bore just to please him?”
It didn’t sound so noble put that way. “Not to please him.”
“Then why?”
She couldn’t mention the inheritance, for Charlie could claim no share of it. Neither would she allow security to dictate her future. “I will not marry such a man.”
He grinned. “Then you still like Rourke?”
The bald question sent heat rushing to her cheeks. She did. Oh, how she did, but he was gone. He had left her alone to fend off the pressure to marry her father’s choice of suitor. Just like Mother. The similarity hurt. “How I feel doesn’t matter.”
“That sounds like Father speaking.”
She turned away.
“Avoiding the truth won’t make it disappear,” he said.
“Rourke is leaving. Perhaps you did not hear. He is returning home for as much as a year.”
That silenced him. She felt his hurt. Rourke was the only person who visited Charlie, his sole friend. Elizabeth had received a note from Rourke. Apparently Charlie had gotten no word.