Chapter 27

'Helen,' Ralph said when he reached her, 'my darling, Helen.' He took her in his arms and held her tightly against him.

'Ralph,' she said, as her arms twisted around his neck.

Their lips met in a brief kiss. He had been watching the scene in the courtyard unfold and had been powerless to do anything about it. He had been full of admiration for her spirit when he had seen her level the pistol at Hepworth. However, when Haverstock had arrived, and she had been threatened by Hepworth, he had felt like his world was about to end.

'I thought he was going to kill you,' Ralph said, still holding her tightly. He did not want to let her go just in case he lost her again.

She looked up at him and smiled. 'I'm very much alive,' she said, looking into his eyes. 'Thanks to Rachel.'

Ralph let go of Helen and turned around. He saw Rachel a few yards away, still holding the pistol by her side. She was staring at Hepworth with a look of contempt burning brightly in her dark brown eyes.

'Damn it,' Haverstock said. He was still standing over Hepworth's lifeless body. 'I wanted him alive.'

Ralph took Helen's hand and walked over to Haverstock, who was crouching over Hepworth. He had closed his open eyes with his hand so that they no longer stared blankly at them. 'I suppose, at the very least, we've taken another one down,' he said as he stood up and looked around.

Helen was still standing next to Ralph, and he could sense her shivering with cold. She was wearing Rachel's jacket, but the dress underneath was tattered and dirty. It now only came to her knees, and he could see where it had been ripped. He also noticed that her legs had been splattered from the mud on the stable courtyard floor.

Ralph began to shrug off the jacket he had been wearing, but before he could take it off, Haverstock had pre-empted him. In an uncharacteristic act of chivalry on Haverstock's part, he had taken off his greatcoat and had given it to Helen.

'Thank you, Helena,' he said, showing his usual lack of emotion. 'Without your help, I would never have been able to identify Hepworth as Le Renard.'

Ralph looked over at Haverstock. He was bristling with anger. As far as he was concerned, Helen's life should never have been put into danger.

'You are going to release her from that promise,' Ralph said to Haverstock stiffly. 'She has kept her end of the bargain and has helped you identify Le Renard.'

Haverstock nodded. 'I am a man of my word,' he said, staring at Ralph coldly. 'She will become the sole guardian of her son when Brentford dies.

'You better stick to your word,' Ralph said through gritted teeth.

As they were talking, Alex, Deveraux and Rachel had now joined them, and they were now standing in a group looking down at the body. 'It's a shame he's dead,' Alex said his face bloodied and bruised from the fighting. 'I would have liked to interrogate him.'

'You wouldn't have got much out of him,' Haverstock replied. 'Men like him maybe evil bastards, but they're always loyal to their cause. Even if that loyalty is misplaced.'

'We did get these,' Rachel said as she handed over her notebook to Haverstock. 'It's a list of names I copied from a document we found in the safe. I don't know how useful they are to you.'

Haverstock took the notebook from Rachel and scanned down the list of names. A smile slowly played on his lips. 'Tonight hasn't been a complete waste of time after all,' he said as he continued to look down the list. 'I've been waiting for this list for some time,' he said, putting the notebook in his jacket pocket.

Rachel nodded. 'Melrose won't even suspect that we have been in his office,' she said, looking at Haverstock. 'Alex and I made sure everything was back in the same place.'

'Good,' he said emphatically. 'Please, don't mention the list to anyone else,' he then added. 'I don't want Melrose to even suspect that we have the names.'

An hour later, Ralph was in a carriage with Helen, travelling back towards the capital. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, and her head was leaning against his chest. She was no longer wearing her torn satin dress or Haverstock's greatcoat. One of the maids, who worked in the kitchen, had found her a clean maid's dress and a pair of sturdy boots. They had also found her a woollen cloak that she had tightly wrapped around herself.

They had left the others at Torrington Place. Haverstock, much to Melrose's chagrin, had broken up the ball and sent the guests home. There had been no point arresting Melrose. Haverstock did not have enough evidence against him. Any court of law, with a jury, would not convict Melrose on the evidence they had already collected. It was also likely that he would influence the members of the jury, making a guilty verdict unlikely. Melrose, and his organisation, had to be destroyed before they even thought about charging him with a crime.

Ralph had seen how tired Helen had looked and had asked if he could take her back to the capital. It was now early in the morning, and London was just beginning to stir.

'I'm taking you to Tom and Alice,' he said softly. 'Alice will look after you.'

'Yes,' she whispered as she looked up at him, her eyes misty with tears.

There was a sense of sadness in the carriage that made Ralph feel desolate. Even though Hepworth was now dead, he was still betrothed to his daughter. Haverstock was going to tell his family that the death had been an accident. However, once Haverstock had finished with Hepworth's personal affairs, his wife and daughter would be left with very few assets. Ralph had already agreed to the betrothal, and there was no way he could honourably extricate himself from it now. Anyway, it would not be fair on Miss Hepworth. She was not culpable for the sins of her father.

'Will I see you again?' she asked, still looking up into his eyes.

He shook his head. 'I have to marry Miss Hepworth,' he said as he took her hands in his. 'It's not her fault that her father is a traitor.'

Helen put her head back on his chest, and he leaned his cheek against the top of her head. 'If it could be any other way,' he said, unable to hide the sadness from his voice.

'I hope you will find happiness,' she said sadly.

They sat in silence as the carriage made its way through the cobbled streets, and he savoured for the last time the feel of her leaning against him. It was a memory that would have to last him for the rest of his life.

'Helen,' he said gently, 'even though I cannot be part of your life, I still want to be involved in the life of our child. If you don't want me to, I will completely understand and leave you alone.'

'Oh, Ralph,' she said despondently, 'every child should know its father. And my child could have no better father than you. Just because we cannot be together, does not mean you should not see your child.'

'I will acknowledge them,' he said earnestly, 'whether we have a son or a daughter, I will do everything in my power to support them. They will lack for nothing.'

'Thank you, Ralph,' she said as she kissed him chastely on the cheek. 'Your support means a lot to me.'

'Helen,' he said tenderly, as he tilted her chin upwards with the tips of his fingers. 'I want to kiss you just one more time.' He looked into her amber eyes and saw them swimming with tears. 'A goodbye kiss,' he whispered as he bent his head towards hers.

She nodded and reached towards him with her lips. At first, it was barely a touch just a gentle graze. However, as always, it created the sparks that ignited their passion. A gentle, tender kiss was never going to be enough for them.

'Oh, Ralph,' she whispered, her voice a mixture of passion and desperation. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

From the start, he had intended it to be a sweet and gentle kiss of parting. Instead, it was deep, passionate and ardent. He felt his body stir as her mouth opened, inviting him to taste her. She was unique. He had never felt this close to another person. His soul, his inner self, had found its other half. Once he let her go, he would never be whole again.

Before he was ready to let her go, the carriage drew to a standstill. He moved away from her, bringing their kiss to an untimely end. He cupped her cheeks and saw the intense look of passion misting in her eyes. 'We're here,' he said as he moved further away from her. It was the most difficult thing Ralph had ever had to do. He wanted to order the coachman to take them back to Fallbrook house. He wanted to carry her up to his bedchamber and make love to her, but that was just an impossible dream. He had promised his future to someone else.

The door of the carriage opened, but neither of them wanted to make the first move. This would be the last time they were going to be alone together, and neither of them wanted this precious moment to end.

It took all his effort to alight from the carriage. He then held out his hand and helped her down onto the pavement outside the Emely's townhouse.  'I will send my secretary over with details of the provision for our child,' he said as she stepped onto the pavement. This was how it had to be from now on. He would have to communicate with her via a third party. It was far too dangerous to talk to her directly. It would only cause them both additional heartache.

Helen nodded. 'Yes, Ralph,' she said, 'thank you.'