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CHAPTER FOURTEEN;
right where you left me
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Mr Knowles's estate was an hour's ride from London, but Daisy had convinced him to take a small detour before heading back to the vast estate. She knew he was sceptical of her errand as they pulled into the streets of Bloomsbury, but the one thing Daisy was coming to love about the man was that he was a man of very little questions, just peculiar looks and sly smiles. With her course set for the print shop, she told her new husband that she wouldn't be long.
Held firmly in her hand was a forged letter of estate. She held it close to her body as she made the trek of the carriage to the print shop, shoving the door open and escaping to the safety inside.
"Ah, we're not open, sir," The boy with the handsome face said, his back turned to her. When he heard she hadn't left, he turned, stumbling over his words as his eyes went wide. "Sorry, miss, I thought-"
"Quite alright," Daisy said, throwing her hood back, "I came to speak with you, anyways. Do you have a minute, Mr Sharpe?"
"Ah," Theo narrowed his eyes, "Have we met before?"
"We have not," Daisy smiled, setting her papers down on the ink-stained table. "But we have a mutual friend. Eloise Bridgerton?" His eyes went soft at the girl's name, which was all the confirmation Daisy needed to go through with this.
"How do you know Miss Eloise?"
"Oh, Ellie and I go way back to the beginning of the season. You know, we are alike, you and I, in her eyes. She does have a thing for inappropriate love affairs, now doesn't she?"
"I'm sorry?" Theo asked, stepping up to the table.
"Do you still love her?" Daisy asked bluntly, handing the papers over him to him. Theo stood there, dumbfounded, eyes locked on Daisy as he searched for his words.
Exhaling, Theo took a moment to compose himself. "It's as you said, it would be inappropriate".
"Inappropriate if you were as you are now. If you were a lord, with estate and income, nobody in society would bat an eye at a proposal from you to her".
"I am not a lord".
"You are now".
Glancing down at the papers, Theo skimmed it quickly, shaking his head in confusion. "I don't understand," He said, hands shaking slightly. "I don't-"
"My brother passed away some months ago now, and due to the fact that he had no living male relatives, they left the estate in my hands. I am married now, and have no use for it. A little forgery here and there, and you, Mr Theo Sharpe, are the proud new owner of a shiny title, an estate big enough for three families, and extremely deep pockets" .
"I don't understand," He said again, placing the paper down as he stared at it.
"You love Eloise," Ophelia said plainly, "And she loves you. This allows you to be together".
"Why would you do this?" He asked, tears welling in his eyes.
"Because while this is not entirely ethical, it will be swept under the rug and ignored for the rest of time. An open relationship with a woman would not be". His eyes met hers, but she held her ground. "Now would you go propose? Our girl needs to be married before the season ends, and that end is fast approaching".
"I don't even know your name," Theo said desperately, as Daisy turned for the door.
She paused, contemplating her choices. "And you shall not. You will not tell Eloise where you got this from. Simply a man gave you the deed, and the money, and then it was done. Understand?" She asked.
He nodded once, and with that confirmation, Ophelia waltzed out the door, into the cool air of freedom.
Her new life awaited her. She would not keep it waiting.
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you guys can stop harrassing me in the comments, i finished it alright
thanks to everyone who stuck around for the two years that this took though, now we can all go cry about bridgerton season three part two!
