by Lucy Langton
“It is important that you hear the news from Flynt,” Ada managed to choke out as she tried to keep the sobs down. “He’s the only one who can explain what he has done.”
“Oh, Ada. Please speak to us,” Dowager White pressed. “We hate to see you so distraught.”
Ada shook her head, feeling as though she wouldn’t ever be able to speak about such things again. She felt ashamed to have been tricked into marrying a man who was already married. She felt even worse about falling in love with such a man and thinking she could actually live the life she had always dreamed about.
“I don’t have the knowledge of the situation that Flynt does,” Ada explained. “It is between him and Miss Butler. All I know is what I’ve been told today.”
“Which is what?” Dowager Statham exclaimed. But Ada only shook her head once more.
“I dare not speak of such treachery. I simply want to be alone now,” Ada said in a very soft voice, looking up at the woman she had considered a motherly figure for so long, tears falling from her eyes once more.
“I don’t know what Flynt has done this time. But you certainly don’t have to suffer because of it,” Dowager Statham replied, her own tears coming to her eyes. She then leaned down and placed a kiss to her forehead. Then, ushering her sister out of the room, Ada was finally left alone once more. A new wave of sorrow and sadness washed over her as she crumbled onto her side on the bed and let the tears and sobs come to her once more.
~*~
Once Flynt was sure that Miss Butler and all sign of her had been removed from the house, he went to his study and settled down behind the mahogany desk. He didn’t want to see his mother and aunt only to be questioned by them once more. He never wanted to speak of Miss Butler again and only hoped that the woman would leave them alone for the rest of their lives.
The more he thought about the situation, the more the image of the marriage license rose in his head. How could she have acquired such a document? He knew in his heart that he would have never married such a woman in the state that he had been in. Yet, he couldn’t deny that Miss Butler had always looked a bit familiar to him. He wasn’t sure where he had seen her before but was realistic to the idea that he had at least met her once before.
His biggest concern now was what he was to do about Ada. She was beside herself with grief, and if she decided to believe Miss Butler, she would truly be heartbroken. He was insistent on talking to her to explain to her that it couldn’t possibly be true. But he felt unable to think of the right words to console her. So, not knowing what else to do, he turned his mind to business matters.
The first thing he did was send his dear friend Lord Petersen a detailed letter explaining what had happened. He wished to receive counsel from the man and hoped that he would come immediately to his home to speak to him. Then, he wrote a similar letter to his solicitor. He didn’t want Miss Butler to harass anyone else with the fake marriage license. The woman had been in his family home long enough to know who his solicitor was and his other close business friends. It would be disastrous if she tried to speak to anyone else about their supposed marriage.
With his business matters completed far sooner than he would have appreciated, he started to over-think the situation he found himself in. He tried to think of if there was any chance he could have married someone while in a drunken stupor.
He knew he’d done plenty of wrong things while drunk and Lord Locke had always been quick to write to him or his family members about his wrongdoings. But the Earl had surely never written about such things. He would have been quick to use such leverage to ruin him long ago.
As the day started to turn to night, and Flynt realized he hadn’t eaten anything that day, he made his way into the kitchen to find some food. With the help of Cook, he made a plate of leftovers from what had been served for dinner and decided to sit down at the kitchen counter as he ate a simple dinner of broiled fish and garden greens.
“The household seems to be in an uproar,” Cook commented as she finished cleaning the dishes and putting them away.
“You seem to be without your kitchen help,” Flynt surmised as he gestured around the kitchen.
“The girls were worried after hearing how distraught Lady Statham is. So, I sent them to bed early and decided to take care of the cleaning myself,” Cook explained.
“Well, I appreciate your hard work … and for making me a plate of food,” Flynt said as he seemed to push it around with his fork more than actually eat.
“Do you want someone to talk to?” Cook asked as she hung up the last pot over the stove and turned back to Flynt.
“If my mother finds out that I talked to you and not her, she and the sister will kill me,” Flynt said with a chuckle. “No. It’s best not to speak about it any longer.”
“But keeping it bottled up inside won’t do you any good, either,” she retorted as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Perhaps there is something you can help me with,” Flynt said as he raised his eyes to the older woman. “What can you tell me about Miss Butler? About her life before my mother chose her to be her lady’s companion?”
“All we know is that Miss Butler lost her brother during the Napoleonic war. Dowager Statham took pity on her since you also served in the Navy. She thought she could give Miss Butler a better life since her only living relative was now deceased,” Cook explained. Flynt nodded, thinking that it sounded like something his mother would certainly do. He then hurriedly finished eating and stood from the counter before thanking Cook and leaving the kitchen.
Flynt made his way upstairs, knowing there was no more for him to do. But he stopped outside the bedchamber Ada was in and knocked softly on the door. When she didn’t respond, he said, “Ada darling. I know you are upset. But you have to believe me that none of it is true.” He waited a few minutes outside her door, praying that she would open it for him. He knew that he had a key and could very well enter, but he didn’t want to distress Ada any longer.
Giving up, Flynt walked down the hallway to their own bedchamber. Entering it felt almost wrong because he knew that night, he wouldn’t be sleeping with his wife beside him. It was the first time they hadn’t been together since they had fallen in love and admitted it to one another. It wasn’t a great feeling to get ready for the night and get into the empty bed. He missed his wife instantly and felt his heart break in his chest at the idea of not being with her.
Chapter 24
Come morning, Ada knew what she had to do. She rose early as normal and summoned her lady’s maid so she could be ready quickly. Now that she had this idea in her mind, she wanted to act quickly or else she might lose her courage to do what she knew was to be right.
“Are you sure you want to do this, My Lady?” her lady’s maid asked once she had spoken her orders. Ada wasn’t mad or cross with the woman for second-guessing her, but she did turn and nod her head with a small smile on her lips. The woman curtsied before hurrying to do what she’d been instructed.
It was about thirty minutes later when Ada was deciding what clothes and things to take with her that Flynt came striding into the room, a look of complete shock upon his face. Ada carefully laid down her things in the trunk and turned to face the man she thought she loved.
“You can’t do this, Ada. If you leave now, you only give Miss Butler power over us, and she wins in her plan to separate us,” he said.
“You should honour the promises you made your first wife,” Ada responded as she folded her hands in front of her. She’d dressed in her travelling gown and brown leather boots. As soon as the carriage was prepared, she was going to leave.
“Ada, why don’t you believe me when I say that I did not marry that woman?” Flynt was quick to ask.
“We both saw the marriage license, and we both know that you did a lot of wrong things when you used to spend your nights drinking. You cannot deny that you didn’t marry the woman because you don’t have the memory to even recall that time in your life,” A
da answered.
Flynt shook his head, then ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair, and he looked away from her. Then, seeming to find the words, he turned back to her and closed the distance between them.
“I don’t know how Miss Butler was able to get my name on that document in my handwriting, but I will discover the meaning behind all of this. Just please don’t leave,” he begged. Ada stepped back, shaking her head.
“I can’t stay here any longer, Flynt. I can’t stay and pretend this didn’t happen or try to convince my heart to love you again. And, if I don’t go, Miss Butler threatened to completely ruin you. Any paper would be happy to snatch up that marriage license and write a dirty article about you,” Ada reasoned. “It’s just better if I go and you stay with your wife. I can quietly seek an annulment, and this whole mess will be over with.”
“Please, Ada. You seriously can’t be considering this or be willing to give in to this madwoman’s demands. Don’t let her break us apart,” Flynt pleaded, placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look up into his eyes. At one point, Ada would have found comfort in being so close to the man she had fallen in love with, but as she looked into the depths of his blue eyes, all she saw now was a sea of lies.
With tears in her eyes, she replied, “I had really tried for love with you, Flynt. But perhaps I had been too bold and hopefully when Dowager Statham suggested her plan to me to marry you. I had thought we could fall in love and have a wonderful marriage together. But I should have accepted my position in society and not have dreamed of something bigger.”
Ada took a deep breath as she looked at the ground before looking up at Flynt once more. “Someday I’ll be able to forgive you for what you’ve done, but for now, I need to do what’s best for this whole situation. I am sure Dowager Statham and White will be understanding in time.”
Ada pushed away from him as she returned to her task of packing her trunks. She tried her best to figure Flynt’s presence, but the longer he stood there and stared at her in disbelief, the more she felt her strength waning. She almost changed her mind until the moment Flynt finally left her room. The footmen had arrived to take her things down to the carriage. The time had finally arrived for her to leave.
Walking downstairs and into the drawing room, she found both the widowed sisters there, talking softly with one another. Their conversation came to a halt as they noticed her. Ada clenched her fists, trying to remain strong in order to stick to her plan.
“I’m going to return to the cottage in Brighton. I think it’s the best thing to do,” Ada announced.
“But why?” Dowager Statham asked as she pushed herself to her feet, her sister right behind her.
“Once Flynt tells you the whole story, I am sure both of you will come to understand why it’s so important that I leave immediately,” Ada said in a way to answer the woman.
“Ada, you can’t abandon this family. Flynt loves you dearly,” Dowager White pressed.
“Ada, if you do this, then you’re certainly not the woman I thought you were,” Dowager Statham added.
Their words cut through Ada in an instant. She was mad at Flynt for having not told them, and she was mad at herself for ever believing she could be anything more than a lady’s companion. Ada curtsied low then, unable to respond. And as she rose, she kept her eyes to the carpet and turned from them, hurrying from the room before she began crying once more.
“Ada, please,” Flynt called after her, coming down the stairs. But Ada didn’t even dare look back.
With the door being held open for her by the butler, she quickly walked out of the house that had brought her so much joy and happiness. As she stepped up into the carriage, she didn’t even bother looking back. All she wanted was relief from all the pain that was swelling up inside her chest, threatening never to release.
~*~
Flynt stood in the open doorway as he watched Ada climb into the carriage. Then, the driver flicked the reins to propel the carriage forward, taking Ada away from the townhouse. As the Countess, the household was under oath to obey her.
But he wanted to yell from the doorstep and call the driver back, to demand that the footmen bring back inside her things and detain her in her room if they must. He couldn’t the idea of Ada leaving, but as the carriage rolled out of sight, he felt as though he had lost her forever.
Eventually, Flynt stepped back inside the house and allowed the butler to close the door behind him. He walked slowly to the drawing room, hearing the fast bickering words of his mother and aunt. Flynt had a feeling he would need to console the two before they worked themselves up into a tizzy.
“Flynt, why did Ada just leave!?” Dowager Statham exclaimed as she sat upon the settee, fanning herself as though she was burning up.
“Mother, she is making a choice that she feels is the right one,” Flynt said with a deep sigh.
“But you have yet to explain to us what motivated Ada to do such a thing. She is a terrible person for leaving us all,” Dowager White said.
“Aunt Bertie, you don’t know what you speak of. We all know that Ada is the sweetest and kindest person that ever walked this Earth. Please don’t talk ill of my wife,” Flynt said, his voice a bit harsh, but his aunt seemed to get the point he was trying to make.
“I can’t help being so angry,” his mother said. “I just can’t understand why she would just leave like that.”
“Mother, please don’t worry. I’m going to try my best to discover all of what has happened so I can bring Ada home. But for now, she is going to go to Brighton to rest. And after all she’s just been through, I don’t blame her,” Flynt explained.
“It would just be better for everyone if you just told us what was going on. What did Miss Butler say that shook you two up so much?” Dowager Statham asked.
“Perhaps when I have more answers, I can let you know,” Flynt said as he stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to retire to my study.”
Flynt was thankful when his mother and aunt didn’t say anything to stop him. He made his way out of the drawing room and to his study. There, he shut the door and sat down behind his desk. Pulling open one of the drawers in the desk, he looked down at the unopened body of brandy that he had kept there as a reminder of what he was putting behind him.
However, considering what he was currently going through, he decided that it might be fitting for him to at least just have one drink to help settle the pain that was swelling in his chest. Ada was gone, and he felt as though his world was crumbling all around him.
He wasn’t sure how long he had spent staring at the bottle he’d placed on the desk or the clear crystal glass that rested beside it, but eventually, the door to his study opened. Having expected the butler to deliver him a message, he was further surprised when he saw instead Lord Peterson quickly entering the room and shutting the door behind him.
“I came as soon as I got your letter. I was able to sneak into the house without your mother and aunt discovering that I have arrived,” Lord Peterson said as he took a seat on the other side of the desk.
“Thank you for coming so soon,” Flynt said. “I truly do not know what to do.” Lord Peterson noticed the bottle of brandy on the desk and quickly snatched it up. He turned it around to see that the seal was still secure on the bottle and that he had indeed not opened it at all.
“The last thing you should be doing is drinking or falling back into bad habits,” Lord Peterson said as he set the bottle back on the desk, yet out of Flynt’s reach.
“That is why the bottle is not yet opened. I was simply looking at it, deciding if the situation was fitting for a few drinks before noon,” Flynt explained.