Newcastle, United Kingdom
December 1851

After verifying its truth with Regina, Jane was quick to inform Thomas and Harry of the information that James has relayed to her. She was evidently distraught over the new date for her wedding, as was Harry, but true to his quiet and pensive demeanor, Thomas sat silently for several minutes before telling them of what he planned to do.

"I will write to my father, you two." Thomas began to pace in front of them, his brow furrowed in concentration as he communicated how this shortened timeframe wouldn't bring about their ruin. Thomas had an idea of how to deliver them all, but he knew that the endeavor would contain a multitude of uncertainties that would prove to be problematic to them.

He went to go stand by the fireplace of the small cabin, the light from its moving flames dancing across the harsh lines of his face. Clearing his throat, Thomas began solemnly with his eyes fixed upon the burning embers below, "All of our ships already have their trajectories set, none of which come near here until spring, but there is one that I might could acquire for us. She's old and slow, so we don't use her anymore, but I could persuade him to send her north. It would just take her a while to get here from Calais."

Harry nodded, somewhat satisfied by Thomas's solution, but he was still exceedingly distressed by the prospect of running out of time. "When would we leave?"

Thomas thought for a moment, his blue eyes shutting as he tried to work out in his head the details of their new, last-minute plan. At last, he sighed, looking at Jane who sat beside Harry on the sofa, "When do you leave for London?"

"A week into the new year," she replied, her voice small and shaky. Jane stared at her father urgently, hoping that he would somehow be able to concoct a plan that would save them all. If not, well, she would be damned to a life with James, and she couldn't stand to think of such a misfortune. At the Christmas party, he had given her a real reason to fear living under his roof, and now, she felt no guilt in leaving him at all. He deserved to be abandoned, and Jane was more than willing to accomplish it herself.

"James will be traveling there before Christmas to spend the holiday with his sick father, and I believe Regina will be going soon after him to make preparations for the wedding. I convinced Henry to allow me to stay here as long as possible, so that I might savor my last few weeks as an unmarried woman here at home. As much as he wants me to marry James, he doesn't want me to think ill of him, so he's allowing me to remain here with him until he leaves, even with the irritation of his wife."

Jane sighed sadly, worriedly looking to Harry at the mention of her marriage. Understandingly, he was none too pleased by the prospect of thinking of Jane marrying James. The mere mention of it was enough for his jaw to clench with anger.

Observing Harry's frustration, Jane smiled reassuringly at Harry and grasped his hand, despite her father's eyes on them. And to Harry's surprise, Thomas didn't seem to shocked or angered in the least by Jane's action. Turning confusedly to look between Jane and her father, Harry began to question it, but Jane just laughed softly, "He knows."

Harry gasped, his lips falling open as he looked to Jane with the gleam of childlike wonder glistening in his green eyes, "He does?" He turned his head to look at Thomas. "You do?"

"It'd be hard not to, son," Thomas chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning up against the mantel. "But yes, Jane told me, and before you distress yourself further, it's okay. You're a fine man, and if you're willing to make risks like this for her, I have no doubt that you will prove to be a fine husband."

Harry blushed fiercely, lowering his eyes to the floor and apologizing several times. Laughing, Jane squeezed his hand and shifted closer to him on the sofa, "Harry, it's alright. Don't apologize."

"Listen to her, Harry. We have more important things to discuss." Thomas walked across the dimly-lit living room and took the seat across from his daughter and his future son-in-law, both of them immediately fixing their attention on him and his words.

"We should wait until the last minute to leave. If my father does send us that ship, we need to remain here as long as possible so as not to alarm Henry of something happening. Like I said before, we cannot remain in Edinburgh for longer than necessary; I fear that Henry would find us if we did."

"How could he possibly find us?" Harry asked his friend confusedly. It was evident to both Jane and Thomas that Harry still did not have a firm grasp on just what Henry Pelham was capable of.

"He has spies everywhere," Thomas told him, and for the first time, Harry could see fear glistening in his friend's pale blue eyes. "You should see where I'm having to stay, Harry, for fear that one of his men will find me. It's worse in London and in Newcastle because he has allies there, but his grasp also reaches far into the north, even in Edinburgh. Until we are off this island, I can't be certain of our success."

Thomas addressed his daughter now, "Jane, I know you have been balancing his books for some time now; is there any way for you to know just how many men he is paying off? That way we could know where to avoid."

Jane nodded hesitantly, thinking back to all the papers she had been looking over and the details concerning employment which they contained, "Yes, I think so. It would take few days, but I think I could find us some useful information."

Thomas sighed, sounding relieved as he took a seat across from Jane and Harry on the couch, "Excellent. I will ride for London tomorrow at first light, and I will be back by the New Year with word of our plans. It is safer if I go to Calais myself rather than trusting a mail carrier."

"Father," Jane interrupted him. "Why don't we just go with you? If it's so easy to get to Calais through London, wouldn't it make sense to go that way?"

Thomas smiled weakly at his daughter, trying to encourage her, "If it comes to it, we can go to London and go to Calais by means of the English Channel. But Jane, your face is well known there, as is the vast influence of your grandfather and his friends. I'm fairly certain that no one could be paid off to betray him, so it would be exceedingly dangerous for you to go through London. Also, the ride there would be hard and merciless; asking you to ride to Edinburgh is bad enough, let alone to a town that is thrice that distance."

"I could manage the ride," Jane insisted, not wishing to be the reason they don't take the easiest route. "I'm a skilled rider."

Thomas shook his head, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, "You have told me so, and I do believe you; however, it would be remarkable to anyone who happened to see us that a woman of your fine breeding should be embarking upon such a journey. Your presence alone would deem us a memorable traveling party, and Henry would most likely end up finding our trail. And if they did find out where we were going, they would take the train and beat us to the docks.

"That's why we need the ship to come to Edinburgh. We have an advantage in that they don't know I'm helping you, so if they believe you're running away with Harry, then they won't think to look for you in Edinburgh. That was what gave Victoria and I the advantage last time, so I expect it will prove to be the same now. Henry will look for you on the way to London, because that is where Harry's family is. The only other place they might try to look for the two of you is near Paris, where Harry's family used to live, but I assure you, we will be staying far from that hellhole."

With Thomas's words to them, Jane and Harry were put a little at ease. They did have an advantage over Henry and his men by having Thomas help them, and even more so when one considers that Regina would not even be in town to help Henry in the search that he would conduct in efforts to find Jane. The element of surprise was their greatest ally, and all three of them hoped it would be enough to deliver them from their predicament.

Thomas left earlier than usual that night, seeing as how he would need to rise early the next morning to begin his ride. It would be long and hard, so he needed what little rest he could manage while he still had the time.

Harry and Jane remained at the cabin for a little while following Thomas's departure, for the first time in several weeks earning a few moments alone together. After they watched Thomas clear the tree line and plunge into the darkness, Jane took Harry's hand in hers and led him back to the cabin, her heart racing with the desire to feel his lips upon her own.

The door shut, and without having to say so much as a word, Harry grasped Jane's face between his hands and kissed her deeply. The feeling of Harry's rough skin against her own brought Jane more comfort and warmth than she could possibly express, and the feeling of his lips feverishly working against her own filled her belly with a sensation that only made her want him more.

Willingly, Jane allowed Harry to press her against the door, a gasp falling from her lips as her back hit the cold, hard surface. Harry took the opportunity of her open mouth to remove his lips from hers, slipping down to her neck and gently sucking at her skin. Jane gripped his shoulders firmly, her eyes falling shut in pleasure as Harry moved down her neck and down to her collarbone. His tongue was wet and textured against her skin, and when he pulled back to blow on the place he had been focusing on, Jane felt her insides coming more and more sensitive to his every move. She wanted him, and she could sense that he wanted her as well.

Jane didn't know why she did what she did, but to her, it felt instinctual, like it was the most natural thing in the world. As Harry returned his attentions to her mouth, Jane's hands moved up to the top of her dress, her fingers moving sloppily against the laces of her bodice as she fought to reveal herself to him. Jane wanted Harry to see all of her, for in her mind, all of her was already his.

Harry, meanwhile, took notice of Jane's actions, and for the life of him, could not bring her to stop. Aside from seeing her free from the cruel rule of her grandparents, it was Harry's greatest wish to love this woman as he ought. He wanted her in every way a man could want a woman, and it brought him such indescribable pleasure at the realization that she wanted the very same thing.

Harry continued to kiss Jane, his tongue teasing her as she continued to press herself closer to him with every passing second. It seemed as if their hearts were beating with one speed, their mouths moving with such responsive passion that neither one of them had to think about what to do next. Each bite of the lip and each tug of the hair was so natural to them both, so much so that neither of them knew how they would stop.

"Touch me," Jane gasped into Harry's mouth, reaching down to his wrist and guiding his hand up to her freed breasts. Despite his better judgement, Harry obliged her- or rather, himself- and grasped her breast firmly in his hand. He could feel his trousers growing tighter against his arousal, and when Jane moaned against him, Harry knew that if he did not stop what was happening between them now, that he would not be able to later. So, for Jane's sake, Harry forced himself to be a man of honor, though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Harry stepped away from her suddenly, his chest heaving laboriously as he tried to calm himself and did his mind of the impure thoughts that were racing through his brain. Jane stood still against the door with her mouth agape and a hunger in her eyes that Harry had scarcely seen before. Jane's breasts, still exposed to him, were rising and falling rapidly as she confusedly looked to Harry, wishing more than anything that he hadn't pulled away from her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jane asked him worriedly, quickly reaching up to cover herself again. Harry kept his eyes away from her as she worked to retie her laces, though he wished more than anything to look upon her womanly beauty once more. He couldn't though; he had to remind himself that it would be disrespectful to ogle her as he had just moments ago.

"No, not at all," Harry insisted, allowing himself to glance up at Jane whose heartbroken expression did nothing but make him wish he hadn't pulled away from her. "No, Jane, I just- I want to do this properly. You deserve for it to be done properly."

Frowning, Jane shifted her eyes away from Harry, suddenly feeling very guilty for having wanted to go further with him. She knew she shouldn't have done what she did, but she couldn't help herself. She had wanted more.

"Oh... I'm sorry if I offended you; I just- I don't know what came over me."

Harry looked up to Jane, surprised and suddenly very panicked by the apology he had unintentionally provoked from her. He hadn't meant to make her feel guilty by distancing himself from her; it was quite the opposite, actually. Harry wanted to give Jane the one thing that he had never given a woman before, and that was security in knowing that the man she was giving herself to was hers by law. He wanted to preserve her purity; he wanted to be married to her first. It was to honor her, not offend her; thus, Harry rushed towards her, stopping just a step or two in front of her before urgently taking her hands in his own.

"Jane, look at me," Harry urged her. She reluctantly obeyed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I want to, believe me. I just- I love you and want you have my name when I make love to you." Jane blushed even harder at Harry's words, her heart leaping in her chest at the thought of being Harry's wife. "I know you know there were others before you, but I just want to do something right for once. I want you to see that I can be proper husband to you- one who has the restraint to leave, at the very least, this one rule unbroken."

Although she was disappointed, Jane nonetheless understood why Harry was so insistent that he be a good man for her. He was always trying to prove himself, whether it be to her, her father, or even to Henry. In all things, Jane could see the effort Harry was making to be the man he thought he should be. He was so insecure in his past, always dwelling on the shameful things he had done nearly six years before. Harry sought to make amends for his sins in every action he took, and so, Jane understood that this was something that this was just another attempt in doing that.

"I understand," she smiled weakly to him. "It's only a month, anyway. Waiting won't be too hard."

Oh, but it will be, Harry thought to himself, knowing that he would fall asleep dreaming of the soft skin of Jane's breast against his palm. His desire went beyond lust, though. Harry loved Jane with his entire being, and he could hardly wait until he could show her just how much. And with Thomas gone, Harry just hoped he would have the self-control to keep himself in check.

***

:) ayyy y'all, how are we feeling about this? nervous? excited? I'm literally so excited for what's to come in this story, so please don't mind my enthusiasm lol

Also, I do want to say that I'll be going out of town the day after Christmas for a while and probably won't be able to write much... until then I'm going to try my best and write as much as I can, but then for like ten days, there will probably be nothing from me. Sorry about that, but ya know, Edinburgh is calling me so😂

I love you all! thanks for reading!!
-Kate🖤