Rose nodded, and said, “Perhaps the asylum is closed?”
Esther thought for a moment. The place was certainly eerily quiet, which was unusual for an asylum for girls. Typically, these buildings were bursting with energy. “It is very quiet,” Esther replied. “I am going to knock one more time.”
Taking a step forward, Esther went to knock for a third time, but before she could make contact with the wooden door, it opened, and an elderly woman was standing before them.
She just stared at Esther for a brief moment and didn’t speak. Esther wasn’t sure what to say, but finally said, “Tabitha?”
The old woman nodded, but still didn’t speak. “You are Tabitha?” Esther asked again.
“Yes,” the old woman whispered. “You are Lady Esther.”
Esther nodded. “Yes,” she replied. “How did you know that?”
“I know many things, My Lady,” Tabitha replied. “I can tell you where Julia is, and I have news of Miss Sophia.”
Esther gasped. Tabitha really did know many things. “I’m confused, though,” Ester replied. “Where did you get this information?”
Tabitha stepped out into the courtyard and looked around. She then turned to Esther. “We can’t talk here. Please, come inside.” The old woman stepped back into the doorway and held the large wooden door open for Esther and Ruth. They stepped in, and Esther could see that a hallway, which was illuminated by a single candle, led away from the door.
“Please, follow me,” Tabitha said, and she began walking down the hallway. At the end, there was a door, which Tabitha opened, and Esther followed closely behind. The smell was not as bad indoors, but Esther would never call this place pleasant.
The three continued walking into another hallway, which was also lit by a single candle. “People are listening,” Tabitha said without turning her body.
“Who?” said Esther. “Who is listening?”
“The people,” Tabitha said. “That’s all you have to know.”
Esther was certainly puzzled by this, but she kept following the old woman through the hallway. After turning a corner, the woman came to another door. She knocked and listened before walking in. Esther followed and couldn’t believe what she was saw.
Laying in a bed in the center of the room was Sophia. She was very frail looking, and though she had a smile on her face, Esther could tell that she was suffering.
“Miss Sophia!” she said, as she walked to the side of the bed. “What happened to you?”
“Lady Esther,” Sophia replied so quietly that Esther had to lean in to hear her better. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t protect us.”
“What?” Esther asked. “I don’t understand.”
“Please, sit down, My Lady,” Tabitha said, bringing a chair over next to Sophia’s bed. Esther sat, and then Tabitha pulled a chair over for Rose, and then for herself. The three of them were now sitting in a circle surrounding Sophia.
“We will explain everything,” Tabitha said. “I have been caring for Sophia since she was removed from the orphanage. As you can see, she is ailing.”
Esther nodded. She then looked at Sophia. “What happened?”
Sophia looked very sad. “It is Mr. Smith. He is very power hungry, and he won’t stand for anyone going against his wishes. I defied him and he sent me away. I am very sick, and I don’t think I am long for this world. Before I die, though, I needed to make sure that you knew everything.”
Esther listened intently as Sophia continued to speak in a loud whisper. “Mr. Smith is an evil man. He plans to sell the remaining orphans to workhouses and…worse. Julia is one of the children who will face the worst situation possible. I don’t know exactly where she is, but she is to be sold very soon, and whomever buys her…well, I don’t have to tell you what might happen.”
“No,” Esther said defiantly. “This cannot happen. I have heard of these things before, but we have to stop it. Julia cannot be subject to this. We have to do something.”
“I don’t know what can be done, My Lady,” Tabitha said. “We are two old women and you are a spinster without a husband. We have no power in this situation. With no powerful man to help us, I don’t know what else we can do.”
Allan.
“I can talk to my father, again, but he doesn’t have the means,” Esther said. “However, he might have another idea. I also might have someone who would care enough to step in. But I don’t know when I will see him again. How much time do we have?”
Sophia’s face fell. “We might only have a few days to a week or so. I understand that Mr. Smith typically can find a buyer for these children in a matter of weeks, and at least a fortnight has passed since we found out his plans.”
“This is terrible,” Esther said. “I will speak to my father this evening, and in the meantime, I will also get in touch with my sister, Mary. She is the Duchess of Daftwood, and she can speak with the Duke. I also will ask her to get in touch with another man I know who has expressed interest in helping orphans. He may still be.”
“Please, My Lady,” Sophia said. “Please, act quickly.”
“I will,” Esther said as she rose from her seat. “Thank you for informing me of all of this. I will contact you again as soon as possible.”
Chapter 22
Allan was pacing back and forth in the library. Edward was sitting in a chaise and sipping wine. Both men were silent as they waited for Bridget and Mrs. Dunn to arrive.
Allan didn’t know if Bridget would be bringing the child or not. What was important was that he and his cousin would have to get to the bottom of this before things got too out of hand. Though Allan had always wanted to be a father, this certainly wasn’t what he had in mind.
“She will be here soon,” Edward said. “What is our plan?”
Allan stopped pacing and looked at his cousin. “I think we have to get more details about her claims. I was so stunned when she broke the news, I didn’t even get all of the information I should have.”
“Fine,” Edward said. “The shock is over, and I am here, so we should be able to get the story.”
Allan nodded and began to pace again. A lot of thoughts were swimming through his mind. Was the child really his? Did the child exist at all? If the girl was his daughter, should he marry Bridget?
“My Lord,” Clark said as he walked into the library. Allan’s heart felt as though it would jump out of his chest. “Miss Bridget Crampton has arrived. She is in the drawing room.”
Allan nodded again. “Thank you, Clark. Is she alone?”
“She is with her chaperone, Mrs. Dunn,” Clark replied. “There is also a small child.”
Allan’s heart skipped a beat and he turned to look at Edward. He looked determined to get answers.
“Thank you,” Allan uttered. “Please tell her that I will see her shortly.”
“Yes, My Lord,” Clark replied. He turned and walked out of the door.
“Are you ready, Allan?” Edward said.
Allan again nodded, and then he said, “Yes, we have to get this done.”
“Remember,” Edward said. “I’m here, and we don’t know if she is being truthful. If she is, we will deal with that. If she is not, we must make it known. The news of this child might already be out there…and of course, you want to make sure certain people know that there is no truth to it.”
Like Esther.
“Let’s go and get this over with,” Edward said. Allan was thankful that his cousin was there to help him through this.
Allan nodded at Edward and he walked through the library and out into the hallway. Edward was close behind. When the men got to the drawing room, Clark opened the door, Allan took a deep breath, and then they walked in.
* * *
“Father, you must help me with this,” Esther pleaded.
She had spent the past ten minutes at the breakfast table explaining what she had learned about Mr. Smith from Sophia and Tabitha. Though her father had compassion for the situation, it seemed he was unabl
e to help.
“Esther, please,” he said. “I have explained our situation. A man like Mr. Smith only wants one thing…money. That’s something that I simply don’t have to give.”
Esther knew that her father was facing a crisis. Not only was he struggling before, but Ruth had finally revealed her secret engagement to the family, and now her father had to prepare a marriage settlement.
“I understand,” she said quietly. Her heart was broken, though.
“Perhaps Mary and Edward can help you,” her father suggested. “But I, unfortunately, cannot.”
“I understand,” Esther replied. She had already started writing a letter to Mary about the situation, but she was hoping that she wouldn’t have to send it and that her father would be in a better position. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.
“I will write to them to find out,” Esther said. She looked at the plate with her half-eaten toast sitting on it and knew she wouldn’t finish her meal. She had no appetite, and she knew that she was taking a big chance asking Mary and Edward to stand up for this cause. But she didn’t have any other choice if she wanted to save Julia from this terrible fate.
* * *
As Allan walked into the drawing room, he came face to face with Bridget and Mrs. Dunn, who were sitting side by side on the sofa facing the door. Sitting between them was a young girl with dark blonde hair and green eyes, just as Bridget had described. Allan knew in a moment that this was not his child.
“Allan,” Bridget said as she stood. She was smiling widely at him. “It’s so wonderful to see you.” She was acting as though everything was perfect between them.
“Please sit down, Bridget,” he said firmly. Her face fell and she sat. “Thank you for coming. There are things we have to discuss.”
Bridget sat up tall, and she looked defiant. “I hope the first part of this discussion is to meet your daughter.”
“This is not my child,” Allan said with certainty.
Bridget stood once again. “She most certainly is,” she exclaimed loudly.
“Stop, stop,” Edward said, stepping between Allan and Bridget. “Please, Miss Crampton. Sit.”
“Who are you?” she said loudly.
“I am the Duke of Daftwood and Allan’s cousin,” Edward replied. Allan noticed that Bridget’s facial expression changed once again. Almost as if she recognized him suddenly, but he didn’t know how that would be possible.
“I am sorry, Your Grace,” she said quietly and sat down.
“Now,” Edward said to her. “Please tell me whose child this is.”
“Allan is her father,” Bridget replied.
“That is not true,” Edward said. “And I will not accept lies, nor false claims. I know you are lying, but I want to know your story.”
Allan looked at Edward. He was puzzled. How did Edward know that Bridget was lying? Did he know something that Allan didn’t?
Bridget sighed. “This is between Allan and I.”
“No,” Edward said. “It’s not. You can tell the story, or you can leave.”
“If I leave, everyone will know that Allan has a child he is not taking care of,” Bridget said. Her eyes narrowed and he could see the anger on her face. “How would that be for your family’s reputation?”
“You do NOT want to do that, Miss Crampton,” Edward said. Allan had never seen his cousin look so angry. “As I said, you talk now, or you leave.”
“Fine,” Bridget said. “I will prove that this is Allan’s daughter.”
“Go on,” Edward said.
“As you know, Allan was injured in the war, and my father, a doctor, cared for him,” Bridget explained. “During that time, Allan and I developed feelings for each other, and those feelings became intense. Eventually, our relationship became physical.”
Edward just shook his head. “Impossible.”
“Excuse me?” Bridget said with a surprised look on her face. “How is that impossible?”
“First, Allan has no recollection of this,” Edward explained.
“That means nothing,” Bridget said. “He was injured and under the influence of medication. He had trauma to his head, too, which could have caused memory issues.”
“So, you are implying that the two of you had a full-blown relationship, which got physical, yet he remembers none of this?” Edward asked.
“Yes,” said Bridget, defiantly.
“Then why would he remember other things?” Edward asked. “My cousin has told me about his time convalescing, and he certainly has a memory of most of it. What you are saying, then, is that he remembers most of it except for a physical relationship with you.”
“You will have to ask Allan what he remembers and what he doesn’t,” Bridget replied.
“Allan?” Edward asked as he turned around to face him. “Do you remember any type of physical relationship with Miss Crampton?”
“No,” Allan replied. “I do not remember any physical relationship with her.”
Edward then turned back to Bridget. “He says no, and you say yes. He has a lot to lose if this child is his, and you have a lot to gain,” he said. “Personally, you haven’t said anything to convince me that your allegations are true.”
Allan could tell that Bridget was trying to think of a response. Mrs. Dunn, who was sitting right next to her, was attending to the girl who was fidgeting. Again, Allan couldn’t see any resemblance between himself and the child, other than her eyes, which were, indeed, green.
“She looks just like him,” Bridget said, gesturing to the child.
Edward had a response to that, too. “She doesn’t look anything like him at all,” he said. “They have the same color eyes, yes, but that’s where the similarities end.”
Again, Bridget was silent, as if she were trying to think of a response.
“Miss Crampton,” Edward said. “You cannot convince me that Allan is the father of your child, and here’s why…I am going to ask you a question, and then I am going to show you a passage out of a medical book. You have a bit of medical knowledge, I presume?”
Bridget nodded. Allan wasn’t sure where Edward was going with this, but he certainly wanted to find out. Edward was holding a book in his hand that Allan hadn’t seen before. He must have brought it from the library.
“What type of medication was Allan given for the pain during his recovery?” Edward asked Bridget.
“He was given opium,” Bridget replied.
“And,” Edward said, “Do you know what happens when men are given opium?”
Bridget looked deep in thought, and then she slowly shook her head.
“They become temporarily impotent, Miss Crampton,” Edward said. “Which means there is absolutely no way that Allan could be the father of your child.”
Allan’s mouth dropped open. He was free. He looked up at Edward who had a look of triumph, and then over to Bridget, who was absolutely shocked. He saw a tear roll down her cheek as she slowly shook her head.
“I…I’m sorry,” Bridget said. She looked at Allan. “I hope you can forgive me.”
He didn’t know if he should feel bad for her or if he should be angry with her.
“I think it’s time for you to leave, Miss Crampton,” Edward said. Allan could see that he was angry. Bridget stood up and motioned to Mrs. Dunn to do the same.
“Wait,” Allan said. “Why did you do this?”
She was silent for a moment, and then she said. “I shouldn’t have, I admit it. I simply wanted a better life for myself and my child. I know you cannot understand that.”
“I am not a terrible man,” Allan said, “And you took advantage of me. I never did anything to you to deserve this type of treatment from you.”
“I know,” Bridget replied. She wouldn’t look at him. “I think it is best if we leave.”
She turned to Mrs. Dunn, and said, “We need to go,” and they started walking out of the drawing room.
Allan and Edward stood and watched as they approached the doorway. Allan saw Bridge
t lean towards Mrs. Dunn and say, “He said this would work.”
“Excuse me?” Edward asked, quickly approaching them.
Bridget turned quickly to face him. “What?”
“You said, ‘He said this would work,’” Edward said. “What does that mean?”
Bridget shook her head, and quickly walked through the door away from Edward, pulling the child alongside her.
Lusting For The Broken Earl (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 20