by Alice Kirks
‘You do not think his story is true?’
‘Absolutely not. Do you know he attempted to get me to try and use leeches to alleviate the amnesia? Leeches? Really? Of all the ridiculous suggestions.’
Melinda giggled at her sister’s disgust.
‘No. I went along with it to serve a purpose Melinda. But this is our secret. No one must find out. For both our sakes. I could never marry Lord Sutton knowing you were both so deeply in love with each other, but nor could I be so cruel as to use Captain Barkley to get out of the pre-arranged marriage father is so determined to burden me with. The man has experienced enough trials and grief in his life. I could never forgive myself if I added to it.’
The sisters swore they must continue the pretence, but be aware that it would now be more difficult as both knew the entire circumstances. Knowing glances in the company of others were strictly forbidden, as were secret whispers and giggling... though the sisters did giggle as they discussed not giggling.
Chapter 9
The announcement of their marriage to the Ennis household had rather amused Robert, right up to the moment Lord Ennis had skewered him publicly and stormed out. Understandably, Katie’s father would be reticent in her marrying a man unknown to the family, but his complete lack of manners, and arrogant pride, had shown his true colours as a gentleman. Or not, as the case may be.
With the abrupt departure of her two daughters Lady Ennis, looking rather uncomfortable and apologetic, eventually excused herself, leaving himself and Lord Sutton sitting alone.
‘I feel some fresh air would be beneficial right now.’ Lord Sutton kindly offered.
Robert smiled and agreed, grateful for the support from his newfound friend, though not feeling he really needed it. In fact, it was more likely to ease Lord Sutton’s discomfort than his own. He was after all, to inherit a title of peerage. Her father may have had to swallow his words if that had been mentioned. However, unlike Lord Ennis, Robert did not need pomp or titles to elevate himself. Raised in a household where arrogance was frowned upon, a man’s character was encouraged by actions, not empty words.
The air was brisk, but refreshing and a canopy of clear, bejewelled night sky appeared to dance above them. Robert took a long draw on his cigar, feeling the relaxing effect of the toxins flowing through his bloodstream.
Lord Sutton appeared to be in some sort of discomfort, puffing his own cigar almost obsessively. Eventually, taking a deep breath, he suddenly turned to Robert.
‘I hope you do not think me rude, but I must voice how I feel. Lord Ennis was completely out of order with what he just said.’
‘Lord Sutton, please do not concern yourself. It was, I admit, a little uncomfortable for others, but frankly his opinion of me matters not.’
‘I wish I could say the same.’ The young man huffed despondently.
‘Whatever do you mean?’
Lord Sutton turned to him, looking more than a little anxious. ‘Would I be imposing on you terribly if I were to seek your advice?’
Robert smiled inwardly, for he could almost say with certainty what the younger man needed advice on. Their walks and days out together as a group had evidenced Lord Suttons feelings for Lady Melinda and in Roberts mind, a person would have to be blind not to see his affection and the attention he paid her.
Whilst most of their private discussions had been of a general nature, the undercurrent had danced around the idea of love and companionship and marriage.
‘I count you as my friend Lord Sutton, I feel no imposition of the sort.’
‘Please, call me William.’
Robert hesitated, knowing the customs of proper address. ‘I hardly think…’
‘If not in company, then surely, when we are walking alone. After all, you are to be a Duke not long from now.’
Robert, not able to argue with his reasoning, relented, and then encouraged Lord Sutton, William, to speak.
‘I think you know I am in love with Lady Ennis, Melinda.’
‘I do.’ Robert nodded as the two men walked further into the gardens.
‘I want to marry her but first, I must speak with her father and…’ He paused and spoke again in a rush. ‘Well, if I am being perfectly honest, the Lord quite intimidates me.’
‘Indeed. Lord Ennis most definitely speaks his mind, and a temper to go with it. I can comprehend your reticence in approaching him.’
‘Exactly. But if I do not…’
Robert frowned deeply as he looked at William. ‘Was this not the man that was to marry you off without any consideration for your feelings?’
‘Yes,’ Lord Sutton stammered, ‘Yes, he…he was, but…’
‘And I am mistaken in my belief, that given this situation with Lady Katherine, it has somewhat got you off the hook?’
‘It has.’
‘Then what are you waiting for man? You love Lady Melinda do you not?’
‘Of course.’
‘So then, you cannot wait. Good God, do you want to lose her entirely? For her to be married off to another man?’ Robert gestured wildly.
‘No!’
‘Then act, for heaven’s sake! You must act. You must propose to Lady Melinda or you risk losing your chance altogether. This is your future and it is up to you to map it, plan it, and conquer victoriously.’ Robert stopped abruptly and turned to the young Lord. ‘Lord Ennis is just a man William. Lady Ennis is the love of your life. Your future.’
‘Yes. Yes, you are right.’ William replied a little anxiously, though seemingly riled to action by Roberts intense motivation.
‘Then, what are you waiting for?’
Lord Sutton paused, evidently contemplating something and then took a deep breath to bolster himself. ‘You are right. On all counts Captain Barkley. I cannot be weak. I must show my strength, show Lord Ennis how much Melinda means to me and that I am willing to fight for her if necessary.’
Robert smiled down at William. ‘Good man!’
Lord Sutton turned toward the house and then suddenly, halted.
‘And what of Lady Katherine?’
The question took him a little off guard but holding his composure, Robert raised a brow, feigning confusion of the question.
‘Oh come, you do not think me blind Captain.’
Robert of course, had played his part when spending time with Lady Katherine on their days together. The family had decided on the collusion of all involved—of course with the physicians warning of the delicate situation—it was for her own well-being. He thought he had played it well enough to hide his true feelings, but evidently, that had not been the case.
‘I am found out, it would appear.’
‘You are an honest and honourable man Captain; I think it would be difficult for you to withhold much to your comfort. But I do not think I would be mistaken if I ventured that your feelings are much deeper than you are letting on.’
‘You are correct,’ Robert smiled amicably. ‘The truth of the matter being, I am in love with Lady Katherine. It had not been my intent at first, but having spent so much time with her, how could I not. Her brilliant mind and her engaging conversation, her openness and yet, innocence. Her eager desire for adventure and…’
‘She is also a beautiful woman.’ William agreed to the unspoken words.
‘Indeed. But there are complications that I fear will not make the union between us possible.’
‘I assume that you would feel it improper because of her illness. You are inferring perhaps, that you would be taking advantage of her.’
‘That is a valid point, but it is not just that alone.’
‘Surely you cannot be referring to your debt Captain. Nobody, the least of all me, would make such an assumption that you would want to marry simply for money. For it is obvious, you feel deeply for her.’
Robert did not reply immediately. There were things that Lord Sutton did not know, and under the circumstances, Robert did not feel obliged to tell him, nor would he have any inclination to in th
e future. No, he would let him believe that the reasons given were his cause for hesitation; for the complications he referred to were of a much deeper nature.
‘Well,’ Robert planted a firm hand on the younger man’s shoulder. ‘Do you not have some business of your own to attend to?’ He nodded back toward the manor.
‘I do.’ Lord Sutton agreed excitedly. And turning, he headed directly to the house.
Robert continued to wander through the gardens alone. A soft breeze nipped at his earlobes as dried leaves crunched beneath his feet. Relaxed on his stroll, he listened to the clear rushing sound through the branches of the huge trees which surrounded him, being pushed and pulled by the gentle wind.
Now with a little peace, his mind filled with thoughts of the person that never seemed to be far from his awareness. Whether he was with her or not. Lady Katherine seemed to have bewitched him, which, for someone who took little time nor interest in fraternising with women, was quite a feat.
Not that there had not been love interests in his life. He was neither a prude nor a man of innocence. But given the fact that he attempted to avoid complications—probably one of the reasons the army held such appeal—the speed in which he had fallen for her came as quite a shock.
He had not realised his affections were so explicit. Or perhaps they were only explicit to Lord Sutton as he himself, experiencing the same affections for Melinda, involuntarily recognised them in Robert. In either case, something else had been tugging at his mind. Pushing it from his thoughts up to this point, he could not now, after the conversation with Lord Sutton, ignore it any longer.
With the admittance of Lord Suttons’ feelings for Lady Melinda, Robert began to wonder if Lady Katherine had known of their secret love. The sisters were very close, surely, she was aware. It would be too difficult for Melinda to keep from her sister.
With that in mind, perhaps all was not as it seemed. Perhaps to release herself from the bounds her father had imposed upon her with this arrangement with Lord Sutton, she was not entirely as unwell as she proposed. Robert had already noted some inconsistency to her memory loss, giving way to earlier suspicions.
For example, the fact that she could remember every note of the music that she played so beautifully. That could, however, have something to do with how long she had known it, he was not a physician after all. But there were other things. The fact that she remembered all of the servants’ names without being prompted once, and there were many.
Robert resolved to watch her more closely tomorrow. He did not have medical knowledge to know the depths of her illness, but somewhere deep in his gut, he sensed that there was something not quite right. If he was honest: he had purposely ignored it, not allowing himself to consider the situation. What would that mean for him?
After some time of reflection, footsteps approached at speed toward him, bringing him back to the present moment, which secretly, he was grateful for. Even imagining Lady Katherine’s deceit, was not a pleasant exploit.
Robert turned to find an extremely ecstatic Lord William approaching. After much hand shaking and congratulations, the young lord praised him.
‘I have you alone to thank Captain Barkley.’
‘Hardly,’ Robert smiled, ‘I did not go in there and ask him for you.’
‘No. But you did give me the motivation and courage to face him and ask for what I desired. For that, I will ever be grateful to you.’
‘Was it as terrifying as you predicted?’
‘Probably more so,’ he smirked, ‘but it is over now and I cannot wait to tell Melinda. The sister’s I think, have retired but I will return in the morning and tell her the good news.’
‘Well done Lord Sutton. I am very proud of you.’
Had it been daylight, Robert imagined he may well have seen the younger man’s face colour as he dropped his head bashfully, struggling to accept the compliment.
With neither man suggesting it, they continued to walk for a little while longer around the gardens before William spoke again.
‘I cannot think how I can ever repay you for your kindness Captain Barkley but can only offer you this. I know a man of your character would not accept a payment outright, but will you permit me to loan you the money to pay off your debt? It will be nothing in comparison to my future happiness, but I feel compelled to give you something to show my gratitude.’
It was a tempting offer and would solve several problems. Alison would be appeased from worry, Winfield Manor would be safe and continue to remain in the possession of the Barkley family and, it would relieve the pressure that his aunt had put on him to find a wife and produce an heir.
However, Lord Sutton did not and, if Robert could help it, would not know of the ‘complications’ he had mentioned earlier. It would be a betrayal of his trust and their friendship and something neither Lord Sutton nor the Ennis family would approve of if it ever came to light. Lord Sutton’s friendship was enough and Robert was unwilling to lose that.
‘I thank you Lord Sutton.’
‘William.’
‘William.’ Robert corrected himself. ‘I do appreciate your gesture and accept your gratitude, but I hope I do not cause offence if I respectfully decline. Your friendship is enough for me and I would not want to jeopardise nor complicate it with owed monies. I do hope you understand my position.’
The younger man accepted his denial gracefully and mentioned something on the lines of not really being surprised. It was not long after that, he said his goodbyes and Robert retired to bed.
Mindful of his plan for tomorrow, he struggled to sleep for some time, for really, was he not looking for deception in Lady Katherine? That did not sit well with him at all. The repercussions could prove unpleasant, for either of them.
Chapter 10
Robert had watched Lord Sutton gently guide Lady Melinda out into the gardens. Though he could not hear the conversation from the terrace, he could not help but smile at the sudden squeal of delight from Lady Melinda and the tender embrace the couple shared not long afterwards.
Sleep had eventually come to him last night, but with it: night terrors that woke him in a cold sweat. Swirling snatches of gunfire, and screams of agony as those around him fell, though he could not put a face to one of them.
Suddenly, Lady Katherine lay in his arms and, with a wicked sneer, drove a dagger through his heart. At which point, he woke, heart pounding and needing to throw the blankets from his sweat covered body.
Lord Sutton had arrived after breakfast with the request to speak to Lady Melinda alone, and whilst he knew the topic of their discussion, he watched as Lady Katherine threw curious glances to her mother. Robert assumed, Lady Ennis was well aware of the reason for Lord Suttons conference, as she appeared to do her utmost to ignore her older daughter.
Shortly afterwards, Lord Ennis and the two love-birds entered the drawing room and, in his usual manner, Lord Ennis commanded everyone’s attention.
‘I have great news to announce.’ He glanced to Lord Sutton and his daughter with a broad smile, ‘Lord Sutton has asked for Melinda’s hand, and I have agreed. They are now engaged to be married.’
Lady Katherine practically jumped from her chair, and then seemed to remember her etiquette, but still, grabbed her sister in a tight embrace. Lady Ennis followed suit, congratulating Lord Sutton, and then joining her daughters in whispers of delight.