Page 123 of To Know Miss May

Livvy averted her gaze. She wasn’t surprised that the rumors had begun, or that they were spiraling out of control already. That was the nature of Society. Servants overheard, details were spread, truths were warped over time, and gossips were satiated with twisted pleasure.

The same thing had happened this time. Livvy had heard Cook speaking with Sarah this morning. Apparently, the latest chatter was that Father had paid a handful of men on the Mount and off to take interest in her, since no one in their right mind would wish to do so of their own accord.

It wasn’t too far from the truth, but still, the words stung. So much so that Livvy could hardly leave her home any longer out of fear for the humiliation she’d face.

“I wish ye to know,” Emma said softly, “I don’t pay heed to these rumors.” She leaned forward in a whisper. “August spoke with Nicholas and me last night, told us o’ what occurred. I be so sorry, Livvy. I ne’er thought…” She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “I ne’er thought anythin’ like this could e’er ’appen.”

Livvy looked away, questions swirling round her mind. “So ye didn’t know ’fore…’bout the agreement ’tween ’em?” That had been her worst fear, that Emma had been in on it since the beginning, too.

But her friend shook her head at once. “No. The only thing August e’er told me was that ye be in need of a friend.”

Livvy’s cheeks burned. How humiliating this was, to have Father and August beg others to befriend the hermit of the Mount. Still, having Emma tell the truth meant a great deal to her. “Thank ye for bein’ honest with me. ’Specially when no one else ’as been.”

Emma leaned back. “Well, under the circumstances, I be glad I can be.”

Livvy nodded, then paused. “Under the circumstances. What do ye mean?”

“Well, I ain’t bein’ threatened.”

An unsettling feeling slipped beneath Livvy’s heart, and she shifted in her seat, though it did nothing to dispel her discomfort. “Who be bein’ threatened?”

Emma stared. “Well, August was. But then, ye know that…Do ye not?”

Livvy frowned, shaking her head as an ache pierced her heart.

Emma, clearly hesitant, winced again. “I-I be sorry. I thought ye knew. August said…”

Livvy’s heart was in her throat, her head spinning. “Tell me, Emma. Please, make haste.”

Emma’s eyebrows drew together, sorrow crossing her features. “August told Nicholas and me last night, after hours o’ coercin’ it out of ’im, that…that your father discovered the truth ’bout me and Nicholas. ’E threatened to expose us if August didn’t agree to go along with ’is plan to force ye to leave the Mount.”

The breath rushed from Livvy’s lungs, her heart breaking in two. For days, the man she’d known August to be had mixed with this distorted image of a person she couldn’t make sense of—a person who had hurt her for seemingly no reason.

His apology to her the day before, the humility he’d expressed, had helped to remind her of who he really was—a good man who’d made a poor choice.

But now, seeing what Father had done…

She squeezed her eyes closed, the pulsing in her forehead refusing to relent. “Why didn’t ’e tell me?” she whispered, rubbing her fingers to her brow as the realization of the gravity of the situation settled around her.

“Knowin’ August,” Emma said, “’e probably thought it be more honorable to take the blame ’imself.”

Livvy let out a breath. That was exactly why he’d kept the knowledge to himself. Because he was honorable.

And Father? Why had he not told her?

Unfortunately, she already knew the reason—and it was certainly not for honor. He’d made this decision, just like every decision, out of fear, out of the desperate desire to not make the same mistake with his daughter that he’d made with his wife.

Her mind flashed back to the conversation with August on the castle balcony.

“’E gave me no choice,” August had said.

“There always be a choice. Ye always ’ave a choice.”

He’d tried to be honest with her, he’d tried to tell her the whole truth, but she’d put an end to it with her pride.

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. Yes, August did have a choice. But was it a fair one when each choice resulted in terrible consequences no matter what he made—consequences her own father had placed upon him?

How could Father ever do such a thing?