My tears had dried up. Henry was long gone. I had yet another dirty dress at the Castilla house, and it was raining.

When I arrived with Henry, Bella immediately shooed him away and hooked me up with some jasmine-flavored ice cream and several Regency romance novels.

"Buh I didn bweak up wif-" *sniff* "-wif anyone."

Bella hugged me. "I know, I know, darling but you need happiness right now."

I stuffed another spoon of the funny-tasting ice cream in my mouth and nodded. Bella scooted closer to me and we began to read.

"Nooooo," I groaned after a few hours of reading. "Don't fall in love with him. Men are scum-" *cough* "-I think the ice is getting to my head."

"Huh, you think so?"

I hugged Bella. "It's not fair what they do to women, you know? I have to spend my life learning to please a man from the day I start walking."

Bella stroked my hair. "I get what you're saying. It's the reason I haven't married. I'm too old anyway. Twenty-seven and unmarried-" Bella chuckled. "-The suitors have long since stopped coming. I don't care. I have everything I need right here."

I hugged Bella tighter. "I wish my mother was like you. Then, she wouldn't invite a man to my house to have intercourse with me."

"She did what?" Bella exclaimed and pulled back. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't told Bella what had happened that morning. By the time I was done, Bella was fuming and I was wiping a new batch of tears.

"That witch. How dare she? You just made your debut in society. Did she not think of the consequences if the Earl's wives and friends found out?" Bella took me in her arms again. "Oh, you poor girl. No wonder you were so upset."

"What's going on?"

Bella and I turned to the doorway to see Lincoln standing there, soaked to the bone. His eyes glanced between his sister and me before stopping on mine and zeroing in on my cheeks wet with tears.

He dropped his coat, hat, and shoes by the door and walked briskly to me. He stopped in front of the couch and leaned down to my height. "Why are you crying again, Miss Danbury?"

I don't know whether it was because of the mild look of concern in his blue eyes or the fact that he seemed like a pillar that could support the weight of my distress, but I fell into his arms and let out the worst of my tears that day.

Lincoln remained still for a few seconds before his arms slowly curled around me. He sat on the floor and moved me beside him so that I could easily reach around his neck. I buried my face in his chest, ignoring the wetness. His hands stroked cautiously and gently through my hair in a steady rhythm that made me sleepy.

The lump in my chest I always had after I suffered anxiety attacks cleared. I could feel myself truly relaxing for the first time since I got to 1807. I soon drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

***

"I didn't know it was that bad. How could Mother do that?"

"I don't wish to try to under that thought process of that woman but Imelda is not safe there anymore. I want her to start living with me."

"Harold, your wife just birthed twins. You don't need any more stress. Let Imelda stay with me."

I tried to open my eyes to see who was talking.

"Henry, you're working on the new case. You'd be busier than ever to look after Immy."

My eyes opened. I was in Bella's bedroom—I sat up and looked at myself—with my clothes on.

"Katherine needs as much help as she can get, taking care of the twins."

I followed the voices down the stairs and stopped at the doorway to the front room, staring at the four men sitting there. Common sense immediately told me that they were Imelda's brothers. Henry was sitting beside a man who looked exactly like him, a man with Antoinette's eyes, and the last one was wearing a priest cassock–the only one Lincoln had given me a description.

Now, for their names.

"Why don't we ask Immy where she wants to stay?" the one with Antoinette's eyes said.

"Great idea, Louis," Henry said.

Two down, two to go.

I tried to stealthily move out of the room then ran into a metal pot. The clang was loud enough to alert the men. I smiled awkwardly in the hallway.

The Henry lookalike ran to me. "Imelda, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I should have been there."

"It's alright. I'm safe now," I replied with a reassuring smile.

"I know. I just think about the horrible things those men have done to you."

Henry reached up and patted his brother's back. "Harry, she's safe now."

Come on. One more.

Just then, my saving grace embodied in Bella Castilla came into the room. "Father Victor, here's your warm water."

Score!!!

I smiled widely, causing Henry and Harry to smile as well.

"Why are you smiling?" Harry asked.

"I'm just so happy to see all of you. I'm glad you're my big brothers."

"That's my baby sister." Louis pushed Harry out of the way and lifted me in a hug. "Saying that she loves her big brother Louis."

"Louis, she said she loved all of us," Father Victor said.

"That's not what I heard, Victor," Louis replied and threw his arms over her shoulder.

They started bickering. I laughed. 

Who knows how long I've wanted siblings like this? The four Taylor children could not sit in a room for one hour without someone yelling, crying, or throwing heavy items to send the other person to the hospital. The last time we were together, Derek, the oldest, had had to go to the ER because he kissed Andrew's baseball bat, courtesy of yours truly.

"I'm her favorite brother," Henry said. Now, the four of them were in on the argument.

"Imelda doesn't pick favorites and if she did, we all know who it would be," Victor replied.

"I'm the oldest. Naturally, she likes me most," Harry said, staring down his brothers.

"I'm the closest to her age. I understand her best," Louis said.

Suddenly, they turned to me. In unison, they asked, "Who's your favorite sibling?"

I froze. I didn't even know them well enough to pick favorites. "Uh...um..."

A movement in the corner of my eyes caught my attention. The Castilla siblings had come out of the back room to set dinner on the small table. By how they walked as far as possible from Imelda's brothers, they had heard the conversation. Then I suddenly got an idea.

I walked towards Lincoln to hold his arm. He sent me a side glare. I changed course for Bella.

I pulled Bella close to me and smiled. "Bella's my favorite sibling."

As expected, the protests began immediately.

"I changed your diaper when you were little."

"I took you to your first play."

"I dealt with all the boys who bothered you."

"I set Mother's clothes on fire."

We all turned to Louis in confusion.

He sniffed indignantly. "Well, I haven't done it yet but I will as soon as we leave here. Trust me."

Harry laughed. "We definitely do. Remember when he switched Elizabeth Grange's perfume with aerosol then chased her halfway across town with a lighter?"

"Or when he wanted to sneak into the academy and faked gunshots to scare the guards away," Henry said.

"Or when he gave Knight Diggory's wife a bowl of worms because it fit her slimy personality," Victor said.

"I don't do those silly tricks anymore," Louis protested.

"The Diggory one was last week, Louis," Victor said. I covered my mouth to muffle my laughter.

So it was possible to feel happy like this with men even in the heart of patriarchy.

Louis shrugged. "I'm still setting Mother's clothes on fire."

"We would expect no-"

A knock interrupted Louis.

Bella frowned. "I have no visitors for this evening. Who could that be?"

When she opened the door, she paused, confused. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Is there a Lincoln Castilla in this house?"

The man's voice reminded me of one of the sergeants dispatched to my location when I was in the military. Looking at his posture closely, it was clear that the stranger at the door had some military background.

"Yes, he is my brother," Bella replied.

The man raised a paper that caused Bella to suck in her lips. "My name is Joseph Huntsman. I'm with law enforcement. We received a report that he has been keeping an Imelda Danbury against her wishes. Can I come in and speak to the man in question?"

Lincoln glanced at me then straightened as the officer entered properly into the room. "I am Lincoln Castilla."

"May we step into a more private area to speak?"

"There's no need for that." I walked closer to Lincoln. "I am Imelda Danbury and I can assure you  I'm not here against my wishes. My brothers can testify."

Just then, the officer noticed the four other inhabitants of the room drilling holes into his skull.

His eyes stopped on Harry and widened. "Sir, you're here."

"I am, Joseph. Now, could you elaborate on your claims?"

Joseph glanced at the rest of us in the room. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Speak, Joseph. Nothing you say would leave this room," Henry said.

"It was signed in as a private investigation by Lord Edward Baines and Mrs Antoinette Danbury. Your mother reported that Miss Danbury had been taken away from home and Lord Baines, who happened to be visiting the magistrate said he had seen Miss Danbury enter the Castilla residence. Hence, a search warrant was issued."

"That blithering idiot." I placed the length of the room. "He knew that his word would go to lengths to ensure Lincoln had gotten into trouble. If I had been here alone when the officer came, Lincoln would have been taken into custody on the account that my mother, my legal custodian did not know where I was. If I hadn't been here, it would be termed a kidnapping until they found me, which would be especially terrible because I'm not going home tonight. Either way, Lincoln would spend a few hours in a cell. And to think it's because I told him to get lost."

"Lincoln? You call him Lincoln?"

"You've met the Marquess's son?"

"You told him to get lost?"

"When did you get so smart-ow, what was that for, Victor?"

"Quiet." When everyone fell silent, Harry continued. "You have a point, Immy, but why Mr. Castilla?"

Lincoln looked at me with a raised eyebrow, waiting for me to respond. I bit my tongue, forgetting I should not have casually revealed that tiny incident where Lord Baines caught Lincoln and I pressed closely together. This was the 19th century; no relationship between a man and a woman could ever be done in small measure.

"Well, yesterday afternoon. Lord Baines cau...saw Lincoln and I...talking and assumed I needed the...er...company, yes, company...of a man to exist in society. When he offered, I declined not very politely."

Although I somewhat stumbled through the explanation, I knew I had passed on the message.

"By company, I don't suppose he possibly meant innocent friendship," Louis said.

"Of course not," Victor replied casually.

"Just checking." Louis sighed loudly. "Great. They've reduced my sister to a common whore."

"So Lord Baines did that because you rejected his company for Lincoln's? That won't make you like him."

Henry's words made sense. It wouldn't. It would even cause spite.

The room went silent as everyone thought. Suddenly, Bella snapped her fingers.

"Aha!" she exclaimed. "He's trying to please your mother. He wants to marry you."