Edinburgh, United Kingdom
March 1852

Harry awoke with a start, his heart racing and his eyes open wide. He had been dreaming that he was chasing something through the woods, a doe, but just before he could reach her, he fell and was brought to consciousness again. Harry groaned as he lifted his head from the desk in front of him, bringing his hand back to rub the sore muscles in his neck. Despite being engulfed in darkness, Harry shut his eyes and tried to clear his mind of the dream he had just had. It reminded him of Jane and the chase for her that he had lost, and he didn't want to think about it anymore.

Exhausted from his late night of working, Harry stood from his chair and clumsily made his way into the hallway, where he could see the beginnings of the sunrise peeping through the curtains. He sighed knowing that he had spent most of the night asleep at a desk, as he was certain he would not have much time to sleep once Thomas woke up as well.

Ever since their rather aggressive conversation the month before, Thomas had actually become rather strict with Harry and how he spent his time. Harry himself had agreed to work for Thomas; however, in doing so, he had unintentionally surrendered all his time to him. He was to rise at a normal hour, report to Thomas when asked, and put in a full day of work regardless of his sobriety. To Harry's dismay, he was given no grace amidst a morning after drinking, and so, the occasions of such self-destruction had grown increasingly rare.

Resisting the hold alcohol had exercised over him was no easy feat. Though he knew that to lose himself in oblivion would be a mistake, Harry longed for the numbness the drink brought upon him. He longed for the darkness, the clearness of his mind, and so when given the opportunity, he did surrender himself to it.

Such occasions of surrender did not occur often, for most of the time, Harry spent his nights in the same manner as he had spent this one. He rose early in the morning, set straight to work as Thomas instructed him, and worked into the night to the point of exhaustion. There was no time for him to pursue oblivion, for it would sneak up on him and take him when he least expected it.

That, Harry supposed, was a good thing about his situation. If he couldn't find solace through means of his own choosing, at least he could do so through the requirements made of him by Thomas. Exhaustion was just another physical ailment that kept his mind off of Jane, and as long as it work in achieving that end, Harry didn't really care that he was being controlled by the man whose fault it was that Jane had been taken from him in the first place.

Harry still believed that Thomas was to blame. Despite the fact that Harry obeyed his every command, Harry regarded Thomas as a villain in his life. Though he had been right about finding useful distraction to avoid thinking of Jane, Harry still held him in contempt for ruining their plans. If not for Thomas taking Harry to see Henry on that frigid night in January, they might have been in Calais with Jane instead of the dreary city to which they were imprisoned.

Of course, Thomas was well-aware of Harry's true feelings towards him. It made him sad to think that the man who had once been like a son to him no longer wanted anything to do with him; however, he supposed that the civility that now existed between them was something to value. Better to be civil coworkers than hateful enemies.

Harry was right in supposing that Thomas would wake him up shortly after he made it to his bed to rest. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his clothes, and scarcely had he shut his eyes before the knocking came at the door. Each knock at the wood resounded in his skull, intensifying the already aggressive headache that had developed in the face of his exhaustion. He couldn't even groan as his restless sleep came to an end, and so Harry silently pushed himself up off the mattress, knowing that if he succumbed to the heaviness of his eyelids, Thomas would likely burst into his room again and douse him with water. Such a wake up call was not worth the few moments of sleep he might receive if he stayed in bed.

After changing into a clean shirt, Harry pulled on his boots and once again found himself in the hallway, this time heading towards the dining room for breakfast. When he entered the room, Thomas was already sitting at the table with a cup of tea in his hand.

"Late night?" Thomas sipped his tea then set the cup on the table. He smiled. "I hope you're ready for some meetings today. More paperwork came in this morning."

A maid came over to serve Harry his tea, but he held out his hand to stop her. "Coffee." She nodded and turned away, at which point Harry looked to Thomas, unhappy with the plans that had been set out for the day. More than anything, he wanted to rest, but it did not seem that Thomas was willing to allow him to do so.

"How about I do without the meetings and just take the paperwork instead?" Harry's voice was hopeful, thought he did not allow himself to get his hopes up. It was highly unlikely that Thomas would cater to his desires.

"Not a chance," Thomas replied curtly. "If you're going to learn anything, you need to participate in these meetings."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Why do I need to learn? This is just temporary until we're allowed to leave this godforsaken city."

A long silence fell over the room, during which Thomas was deep in thought. He contemplated whether he should tell Harry of his plans now, or wait until he initially intended. After several moments, Thomas came to a conclusion, one that would he would hopeful not come to regret.

"It doesn't have to be temporary."

Harry appeared taken aback. "What?"

"What I mean is, it's likely that I won't be returning to Calais any time soon, but you can."

"I don't understand."

"Well, Harry, I don't see myself continuing to work for my father's company for much longer. As much as we've accomplished here in Edinburgh, my father needs someone in Calais with him, and I think it should be you. You've learned a great deal since I first took you on as my student all those months ago, and I think you would be an excellent replacement for me."

Harry stared at Thomas blankly, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to take any favors from Thomas, nor did he want anything to do with him after everything settled down. But taking his job would do exactly both of those things. He had to decline.

"No." The maid returned, placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of Harry. Harry thanked her then addressed Thomas once more. "You already know where I'm going after this."

Thomas frowned, "Harry, you can't. You put Jane's reputation at risk if you go to her while her husband is gone. He could accuse her of infidelity, and–"

"Like he hasn't been unfaithful," Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes again. "I know we haven't heard anything from them, but I do know James. He is not about to change his ways just because his father made him get married. My guess is that he hates Jane so much that he probably hasn't even touched her. Even in Newcastle, he didn't show any shred of interest in her, and I don't think marriage would have changed that."

Thomas listened to Harry carefully, but as each word fell from his lips, Thomas was made to see the walls that Harry had constructed around his heart. They were delusions, really, delusions that spared him the pain of hearing the truth. Harry was foolish to think James hadn't at least done what was necessary in the context of his relationship with Jane, but Thomas understood why Harry would want to believe what he did. It was a matter of retaining sanity, and if it worked for Harry to believe that Jane was still faithful to him, then Thomas supposed he couldn't blame him. He just feared the day that they received word from Henry, telling them they were free, because once that day came, then there would be no means of denying that Jane and her husband had engaged in relations that would produce an heir to the Hale family fortune.

Those were the conditions that Henry had left them. Either they were freed by Jane fulfilling her duty as James's wife, or they were freed at the year's end, at which point Harry could live as a free man and Thomas was allowed to go to Jane and spend the rest of his life near her if he should so choose. This was the decision that Henry had deemed to be so generous, and though Thomas felt for Harry and wished things were different for him, he could appreciate the leniency Henry showed them. In the beginning, so had Harry. He had thought that he could live with himself, knowing that at least Thomas could see Jane again, but now, that was not the case. Now, amidst his suffering and loss, not even Thomas's happiness could console him.

Truly, in bringing Jane to Edinburgh, Harry and Thomas could have been charged with kidnapping and been thrown into prison for the rest of their lives. Thus, despite the pain of his good friend Harry, Thomas could not help but be thankful that things were not worse for them. Henry had given them lives free from the consequences of their actions, and though it was a small victory, it was one that Thomas celebrated silently to himself. He just wished that his fate didn't depend on his daughter's unhappiness, for surely, if she were to bear James's child, she would not be at all happy about it.

But of course, Jane was unaware of the conditions that Henry had set upon Harry and her father, and so she lived her life believing that she would never see either of them again. Granted, that was probably true for Harry, but for Thomas, the moment he was free would initiate his time with her. It was for that reason that Harry could not stand to accept Thomas's offer; he was jealous and bitter that Thomas could see Jane again, and the last thing he wanted to do was owe the man who had ruined his life.

Sighing heavily, Thomas began to formulate a response to Harry's denial of Jane's intimate relationship with James Hale. Obviously, it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of her life, especially at breakfast, but still, Thomas needed Harry to see reason. He needed Harry to see that working for the Mercier family in France was a much more beneficial decision than following Jane wherever she went. As sad as it was, her role in Harry's life had come to end, and it was time he began to see that.

"Harry, regardless of his interest in her, you must respect their vows. Unless she seeks you out, it's best to leave her alone." Thomas could see the anger building in Harry's eyes, though he could also see that Harry had become more skilled in containing that anger. His posture was rigid as he reigned in the rage that undoubtedly fueled him, and he remained silent despite the desire he seemed to have to express his feelings. Thomas took this as a sign to continue, but he would do his best to steer the conversation away from Jane. He knew they would get nowhere if he didn't.

"And besides, what good would it do either of you? Maybe... maybe it's best to find a new goal?"

Harry scoffed, "And what would you recommend I do? Without her, I have nothing."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Thomas paused, praying for the words to come to him. And then they did, words that would benefit him as much as they would benefit Harry. "What if you could make Henry pay for what he's done to you?"

Something flickered in Harry's eyes, though he kept his expression stoic and unrevealing of his emotions. Thomas had piqued his interest.

"How?"

"I trust you know of the competition between my family's business and his?" Harry nodded. "Well, years ago, the Pelhams nearly ruined us, so we've had to rebuild much of what had been lost. It has been a dreadfully slow process to get back where we were before, but I believe that we have gotten there. But with you–" Thomas sighed, shaking his head almost as if he were in disbelief. "Harry, with you and your knowledge of the Pelham affairs, you could financially ruin him."

Silently, Harry contemplated Thomas's words. As much as he hated the idea of doing Thomas any additional favors, Harry could not deny that the prospect of making Henry Pelham pay for his crimes intrigued him. If he could cripple his source of income and reduce he and his snake of a wife to nothing more than the commoners on whom they looked down upon, then Harry believed that might be worth all the suffering he had endured. But to do so would require that he abandon Jane, and Harry couldn't think of doing that. Not yet.

"I can't," Harry said quietly, lowering his head. "I can't just give up on her."

Frowning, Thomas could see that he had lost the battle that morning. Harry was still set on reaching Jane again, and he had no intention of giving up yet. For now, Thomas would have to allow Harry time to think, only then might he come to see the value of what Thomas was offering him. If he should choose to accept the job, Harry would not only ruin Henry Pelham, but he would also receive a rather prestigious living, one that would likely never be taken from him. Such stability was not to be so simply dismissed, and so Thomas knew that eventually, Harry would change his mind. One day, he would come to see the prosperous life Thomas had offered for what it was, a kindness that Harry could not hope to easily dismiss.

"I understand." Harry looked up to Thomas in surprise. He had expected some sort of lecture of protest, but was faced with none of it. "Promise me you'll think on it though. Perhaps you'll see things differently in time."

"Alright," Harry agreed, taking up his coffee in his hand and sipping it for the first time. He sighed in pleasure as the hot drink warmed his belly, filling him with the lively sensation that only caffeine could. "I'll think on it but don't expect me to change my mind."

•••

I accidentally got a full-time job so I'll be a little busy this summer but I'm going to try my best to update regularly! :)

Thanks for reading, my loves💖
-kate💖