A Glorious Christmas of Forgiveness

by Grace Fletcher

  She heard a sudden movement behind her and gasped. Someone was inside the room with her.

  "Who is here?" she asked, her voice quivering just slightly.

  Seeing that there was no response, she rushed back towards the door, pulled it but she was met with stiffness. She tugged at the door again with greater force, but she was unable to get it open.

  She took two steps back, confused. She had entered easily through the door, and just a moment later, she was unable to make her way through the door again. She pulled again with all her might. Nothing happened.

  "Who is here?" she asked, now terrified.

  "What are you doing here?" she heard a strangely familiar voice say.

  She heard movements and moments later, light flooded the room again. She gasped when she saw a man standing a few feet away from her.

  "Who are you?" she asked again, taking careful steps towards the door.

  "Have no fear. I'm not about to harm you," she heard.

  The man walked briskly towards her, and she stood frightened and rooted to a place. The man stopped a few feet away from her, and it was then that she realized why their voice had sounded so strange yet familiar.

  She gaped at him.

  "Madam!" The man who had sat beside her and who she had spoken briefly with in the ballroom was standing right in front of her, and he also looked just as surprised as she was.

  Inese opened her mouth to talk, but she closed it almost immediately for she realized that she did not even know who the man was or what his name was.

  "I am Inese, Inese Strupule," she said.

  "I am James Wiggins, the Earl of Coventry," the man replied, his eyes roaming greedily over her.

  Inese could see the greed in his eyes, and suddenly, the panic that she had felt earlier returned. She gave a little smile, and he stared blatantly at her bosom. Appalled, Inese averted her eyes and looked away. She was feeling extremely uncomfortable, but there was no way she could get out of the room.

  "Haha!" he nodded, oblivious to her reaction, "you must be the German belle that I've heard so much about."

  "Indeed, I am German," Inese replied as she looked around the room for another way out.

  She groaned when she realized that there was no other door in the room, asides the one she had entered through.

  He laughed, then licked his lips with his tongue. "Then I guess our meeting tonight was premeditated by God. I've heard a lot about you and I've always wanted to make your acquaintance."

  Inese gave a dry but polite smile.

  "My lord, I would be happy to make your acquaintance too. However, I need to get to Freya, my friend, but the door doesn't seem to budge. Could you perhaps help me out?" she asked.

  His eyes narrowed, and his eyes went to her bosom again. She shifted uncomfortably.

  "My lady, why are you so eager to take your leave? We are just beginning to know each other, don't you think?" he said and took two steps towards her.

  Inese's heart thudded loudly in her chest. She was far away from the ballroom, and no one would ever know if the earl made improper advances. She decided to keep him at bay while she found a way out.

  "Not at all, my lord. It would be my pleasure to make your acquaintance. However, I need to leave for Freya."

  Coventry placed a hand on her shoulder suddenly and she flinched. "I'm sure Freya will understand why you are not with her."

  "I'm sorry, sir but I have to leave," she said and shifted to the right so that his hand slid off her shoulder.

  She made for the door again in haste and pulled it with a strength that surprised even her. The door, however, was unyielding.

  He was quick to get to her, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light. "The door will not be opening."

  She shrank away from him in fright and pulled at the door again.

  "The door will not be opening," he said again with a cold icy voice, "not until I am done with you."

  She turned towards him again when she saw that the door would not be opening.

  "Get away from me."

  He chuckled. "But we are all alone in the room."

  Inese's fear made her ill, and she turned to the door again, pulling it with all her might. He lunged for her suddenly, grabbing her hair and in that moment of panic, she pulled with all her might, and the door flew open. She felt her hair clip being pulled, and her hair cascading down her neck. However, she didn't give a care for all she wanted was to get as far away as possible from the man.

  What she saw as she managed to free herself and step out from the door made her blood run cold. Standing right by the door was Bedford, and he looked incredibly furious as he regarded her. She knew she probably looked a mess, especially since her hair had now been let down.

  She was about to open her mouth to tell Bedford what had happened when Coventry stepped right out of the room behind her. Inese shrank and hurried away from him. As though things couldn't get any worse, he held the clip that he had managed to pull out of her hair in his hand.

  Bedford's eyes narrowed as he stared at the hair clip before he turned his gaze right back at her disheveled hair. She need not be told, she already knew what was in his mind.

  "I am sorry if I had disturbed anything by my presence," he said, his lips set in a tight grim.

  "No, Bedford," Inese said, wanting to clear the air so there would be no misconception, "this is not as it appears."

  "I assure you, Miss Strupule, I know what this is," Bedford replied.

  His words broke her heart, and she turned frantically to the man who had caused it all. Coventry was simply leaning casually against the wall with an amused look on his face.

  "Coventry, tell him," she said. "Tell him that nothing happened between us."

  This seemed to get Bedford's attention because he also looked expectantly at Coventry.

  Coventry, on the other hand, slowly straightened up and moved towards Inese. At that moment, loud footsteps were heard across the hall. Inese saw her Freya racing down the hallway, her maid and two other people in tow.

  "Inese, I have been looking all over London for you. You scared me."

  Inese, who was already overwhelmed by all that had happened, was happy to see her friend.

  "Miss Strupule," Coventry said suddenly, calling her attention back to himself, "here is your hair clip," he said as he handed the clip over to her.

  Freya and her companions gasped in shock. Bedford looked hurt. Coventry didn't stride off without winking at her, a snide smile on his face. Inese had an intense urge to scratch the snide smile off his face with her fingernails.

  Inese knew what every one of them was thinking. Goodness! She would think the same too if she were in their shoes. She had just walked out of a room with Coventry, she looked ungroomed, her hair was disheveled and worse still, he handed her hair clip right in the full view of everyone present. They could never believe that she was not having an affair with Coventry.

  Inese turned her attention back to Bedford. "I was locked in the room with him. Nothing happened between us."

  Bedford's face hardened as he regarded her. "I will take my leave now."

  He didn't look back at her as he strode off.

  Inese was close to tears now. "Freya, I was on my way to you when I was locked in the room with him. I was not having an affair with him."

  "Inese," Freya said, kindly and moved towards her, "I do not blame you."

  "Really?" Inese heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, someone here was believing her. How lucky she was to have Freya as her friend.

  "Yes. It is the way of the ton. Everyone does it, don't they?" she turned to her companions, and they all nodded.

  Inese was confused, and she looked from Freya to her companions. "Do what? I don't understand."

  "Do not beat yourself up over this," Freya said kindly, "you are not the first maiden to have a tryst in London, and you would definitely not be the last."

  "I did not have a tryst with Coventry!" she snapped, angry that even her
friend refused to believe her.

  "You should have told me, Inese. You should have told me that you were interested in Coventry and I would have arranged for the two of you to be alone."

  "Freya, do you not believe me?" The tears were beginning to slip at this point.

  Freya's companions were gloating, but she did not give a care.

  "Kindly excuse us," Freya said to her maid and her companions and moments later, she was alone with Inese at the hallway.

  Freya pulled out a handkerchief and cleaned Inese's tears with it. She then pulled Inese into a bone-crushing hug.

  "I did not have a tryst with Coventry!" she whispered, exhausted from the happenings and the tears.

  "You don't need to fight it," Freya whispered back, "just admit what you have done, and it would be easy on you."

  "I did not do it!" Inese insisted.

  "You don't have to lie to me, Inese. I'm your friend, and I will make sure that this isn't hard on you," Freya said.

  "I did not do it."

  "You can trust me with the truth. I can make sure this doesn't become a full-blown scandal."

  Seeing that Freya was not going to believe her, Inese pulled away from her.

  "I would like a retiring room. Will you show me where I can find one?" Inese asked.

  "Are you sure about this?" Freya asked.

  "The retiring room?" Inese said again, "Please," she added softly.

  "This way," she said, and put her hand to Inese's elbow to lead her.

  Once she got to the room, Inese took her time to regain her composure. She was shaking all over, and it wasn't until she had stopped shaking that she finally heaved a sigh of relief. When she had calmed sufficiently, she powdered her face and straightened her shoulders.

  "I will not cower before anyone or any scandal," she muttered as she fixed her hair back into place.

  What was done was done, and there was no point crying over spilled milk. She knew that she might be the object of gossip by the next day, but she didn't give much care. When she was confident that she felt and looked better, she walked out of the retiring room.

  Inese, who had assumed that Freya would be waiting for her, was shocked when she didn't see her. Wondering what might have taken her away, Inese made her way back to the ballroom.

  The ballroom was quite livelier than she had left it, and whiskey could be seen in every corner of the room. As much as Inese looked around, she still could not catch a glimpse of Freya. Since a stream of bodies was all over the place, it was harder to see her.

  As Inese got back into the ballroom again, she realized that some men were eyeing her lewdly while several groups of women talked behind their fingers and nodded towards her. Inese was not sure if it was her imagination, but she could have sworn that everyone in the ballroom was looking at her with disdain. It was as though they all had known what had happened to her.

  Forgetting immediately all about her earlier resolve not to let the scandal get to her, Inese made for the entrance door half running. She could feel their eyes on her, but all she wanted was to get away from their prying eyes.

  It wasn't until she was well outside that she stopped. She heaved a sigh of relief as she inhaled the familiar smell of Christmas while walking towards her carriage. Nothing could bring her down, she thought to herself, not even a scandal.

  Chapter 4

  The Scandal

  She was wrong after all, Inese thought as she stood before her father. The scandal was on the verge of not only bringing her down but also ruining the happy and peaceful life that she led.

  "What on earth has come over you, Inese?" Hans asked.

  "I don't understand, Father," she replied. Of course, she did.

  Hans responded by slapping the Morning Times into her hand. "I don't suppose I have to tell you what shame you have brought to this family and to my name."

  Inese shivered as she glanced curiously at the paper. As much as she knew what she was going to find in it, she was still willing for it not to be true. She could not stand the scandal.

  "You have always been of good conduct in all your dealings, Inese. Why have you done this?"

  Inese slowly turned the pages of the paper.

  "You have not given me a befitting response," Hans said, livid with anger.

  "My conduct has not in any way been less dignifying, Father. I assure you," she said earnestly.

  "Then how do you account for what I see in the newspaper? You know very well what you have done, Inese. And at Bradley's house too? You have brought shame upon me."

  Inese didn't have to read the news to know for certain that the incident of the previous day had managed to find its way into the newspaper. She sighed. "I assume it's the society pages?"

  "Aye!"

  She opened the newspaper and headed straight for the Society Pages.

  Yesterday, at the ball party of Lord Bradley, a certain earl who is the most notorious rake that London has known was found in a compromising state with a bird. It was noted that the bird, who seemed to be quite fond of him, is of a strange species which cannot be found in London. Perhaps, this bird's species might be better known in Germany where she was known to have blossomed.

  Inese's blood roiled. She tossed the paper aside and ran a hand through her hair. She had always known that the social scene of London was at times extremely distasteful, what she didn't know was that she would ever be a victim of their degradation.

  "I will beg you to confess and tell me the truth about everything that has happened."

  Inese flinched. She had a loving father who would do anything to make sure that she was happy and comfortable. However, his anger was just as deep as his love. Presently, he had his lips pressed tightly in a grim line as he regarded her with the most disdainful look she had ever seen him use.

  "I did not do have a tryst, Father," she said quietly. Her father was already angry, and any untoward word or actions from her might anger him even the more.

  "Inese, is the whole of London lying?"

  Inese felt the tears well up in her eyes. Even her loving father didn't believe her. How could Bedford ever believe her then?

  "Why have you brought this shame upon me, Inese?" he said in a dangerously low tone.

  "I... I... did not do it. I did not have an affair."

  "You rejected Bedford and deceived us all into believing that you were never going to take an Englishman only for you to disgrace us all by having an affair with another man."

  "Father!"

  "Tell me, Inese; who is this man that you were caught having an affair with?" he asked.

  Inese opened her mouth but closed it almost immediately. If she gave her father a name, then she had confirmed that indeed, she was having an affair.

  "TALK TO ME, INESE!" her Father snapped

  Inese shivered. "The Earl of Coventry," she said without giving it a thought.

  "The Earl of Coventry is the one you were caught having an affair with?"

  "I was not having an affair with him, Father," she was near tears again.

  "If you had fancied Coventry, you should have done the honorable thing by getting married to him. I can only imagine how devastated your mother would be when she hears what has happened."

  "Yesterday was the first time that I set my eyes upon the Earl of Coventry, and I never had a romantic interlude with him. Nobody seems to believe me, but I will always say the truth."

  "No one believes you because you are lying. Tell me, what is your excuse for what has happened?"

  "I do not have an excuse, Father. And that is because I never did it. I was on my way to meet with Freya when I entered a room. The room was dark, and there seemed to be nobody there, so I tried to get out. Alas, the door had been locked. It was then that I saw the Earl of Coventry. He made advances at me, and then I pulled the door open. I saw... "

  "Enough of this nonsense that you are saying, Inese. I cannot believe that you can stand right in front of me and lie. You have indeed grown more wayward than
I care to acknowledge."

  "Don't bother, I will announce myself."

  Inese groaned when she heard her Mother's voice, and from her tone, Inese could tell that she had already heard what had happened at the ball.

  She turned as the footman dashed ahead of her mother, bowing and announcing her presence even as she swept angrily into the room.

  "Good morning, Mother," Inese said, her heart in her mouth.

  Her mother was a woman of little words, and she was stricter than even her father.

  "What have you done, Inese?" Adelheid asked as soon as she was close enough.

  "I'm glad you have also heard about how our daughter had disgraced us," Hans said.

  "Ever since we started living in London years ago, our family has always been scandal-free. Do you know why? It is because we act in a dignifying manner at all times. You, Inese, have suddenly turned us into objects of mockery in the whole of London. I was at Lady Wilberforce's salon when I was told about what you have done. What shall we do?

  Hans gave a dry laugh. "I have already made a decision," he said with a tone of finality, and Inese's insides lurched, "Inese would leave for Germany before Christmas."

  Inese gasped. It was funny how life had just turned around to mock her. She had always wanted to go back to Germany, and she had even let her parents know several times. Instead of being ecstatic that an opportunity to return to Germany had arrived, she felt sad.

  "No, No! I cannot return to Germany, please," she shook her head frantically.

  "You will be living with my distant aunt. I will write her tonight and send the letter tomorrow to inform her that you would be living with her until further notice."

  "Please, Father," she pleaded, then turned to her mother, "Mother, please."

  Adelheid shook her head. "There is nothing that I can do. You have brought shame and scandal to us. Therefore, the only solution is for you to leave for Germany."

  "No, I don't want to go to Germany."

  She wanted to stay in London. She wanted to go skating with Bedford. She wanted to dance with him at parties and have him laugh at her jokes. She wanted to sit with Freya in her salon while Freya tells her about the latest gossip in London. She wanted more than anything to be with her parents. Being so far away from them would break her heart, and it would break theirs even more.