Love doesn't hurt

Previously

…She knew Charles was a formidable adversary, his influence over Gerald growing with each passing year. But she also knew Arthur. He was a man of honour, a man who understood the value of true freedom. She prayed he would hear her plea. She prayed he would be the instrument of Laura’s salvation, the key that would unlock the door to a life free from the shadows that plagued the Pendleton name. The weight of her secret, the burden of her desperate plan, settled upon her, a heavy cloak she would wear until Laura was safe. The twisted claim Charles sought to impose on Laura would not be allowed to take root, not if Eleanor had anything to say about it. The fight for Laura’s freedom had begun.