Sweet Awakening

by Marjorie Farrell

  “If Giles called you in, then I am sure you are the best for my daughter,” said the marquess with a sad smile. “Please spare no expense or effort.”

  “Thank you, my lord. I know a very good solicitor who will prepare the case, but he comes high. I do need some information from you.”

  “Anything.”

  “Clare’s former abigail was a woman called Martha?”

  “Ah, yes. Martha. I always wondered why she was let go. Clare was very fond of her.”

  “I would guess that Rainsborough dismissed her because she was equally fond of Clare. But I won’t know until I find her. Have you any idea how I could? Was she hired in London?”

  “She was from the city, and I think she returned here shortly after she was dismissed.”

  Andrew frowned. “Did she stay in service?”

  “I think so, but let me ask my wife’s maid. She was the one who recommended Martha to us years ago and may still be in touch with her.”

  Andrew rose. “Don’t bother to get up, my lord. I will see myself out. Please send me any information that you may obtain on Martha as soon as you can.”

  “Of course. And Mr. More?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, my lord,” replied Andrew.

  * * * *

  It took two days and a hired Runner to find Martha Barker, now working as a parlor maid in the Winston household. While he was waiting, Andrew had his solicitor interview both Peters and Liza about the status of the Rainsborough marriage. At first they were both reluctant to speak, and even when they did, clearly were of the opinion that however distressing Lord Rainsborough’s treatment of his wife had been, it had been none of their business. Indeed, any comments or interference would have meant their jobs.

  Andrew went back to the Rainsborough town house for another interview with Clare. She was beginning to look better physically: the bruises were fading, and her mouth was back to normal. She even had a little bit of color in her cheeks. But she was very subdued and unwilling to speak about her marriage. “It is all over now,” she whispered, her eyes on the floor. “Surely if I tell the coroner about that last night, it will be enough.”

  She didn’t comprehend her danger at all, thought Andrew. And he wasn’t sure he had the heart to push her so soon after her ordeal. Yet if he didn’t, he wasn’t sure he could get the coroner’s jury to acquit her. And if the case went to trial, she had even less of a chance to get off.

  On his way out, he was stopped by Sabrina, who was just coming from a morning ride. She had moved into the town house “for the duration” as she put it, not wanting Clare to be alone.

  “Andrew!” she exclaimed in surprise.

  “Good morning, Sabrina.” Sabrina looked everything that Clare didn’t: healthy, glowing, vibrant, and energetic. The severe cut of her riding habit only made her contrasting curves more noticeable, and Andrew experienced the same stirring of attraction that he always felt in her presence.

  “Will you have a cup of tea with me and tell me about your progress, Andrew?”

  Andrew hesitated and then agreed.

  “Do you mind waiting while I change?”

  “Not at all, Sabrina.”

  * * * *

  When she came back down, it was hard to keep his face blank and the appreciation out of his eyes. She was dressed in a simple round gown of deep burgundy that complemented both her complexion and her eyes.

  “Come sit down, Andrew. I will pour.” She suited action to words and handed him a cup of tea.

  “I am afraid I have not much to tell, although we have found Martha and will be calling on her this afternoon.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” said Sabrina. “She should be very helpful in your case, shouldn’t she?”

  “I hope so. Peters and Liza’s testimony will not do much for us. And Clare ...”

  “What about Clare?” Sabrina asked protectively.

  “You are like a lioness with her cub, Sabrina,” Andrew commented with appreciative humor.

  “She needs protection,” replied Sabrina.

  “Perhaps not quite so much,” Andrew said thoughtfully, after a moment. “She is a grown woman after all. She made a free choice to marry Rainsborough.”

  “You don’t understand, Andrew. Clare has always called upon my protective instincts. And Giles’s. Especially Giles’s.”

  “Well, neither you nor Giles can protect her from this, Sabrina,” said Andrew finally. “She will have to tell her story to a jury of twelve men who will be convinced that her husband was completely within his rights to chastise her. And I can’t get her to talk further about her marriage.”

  “Isn’t telling them what happened the other night enough?”

  “Frankly, no. It could be seen as an aberration: ‘Doting husband becomes insanely jealous after wife’s tête-à-tête with ex-lover.’ ”

  “Giles and Clare were never lovers,” protested Sabrina, incensed by the suggestion.

  “You and I know that, Sabrina. But will the coroner’s jury believe it? No, however painful it is, Clare must give the whole history of her marriage. And it would help me enormously if you would support her in this instead of hovering over her protectively. She killed a man, my lady. However justifiable, it was a murder.”

  Sabrina’s face flushed with anger. “It is easy for you to speak so, Andrew. You are a man. You do not become someone’s property upon marrying him.”

  “Is that why you have never married, Sabrina?” he asked dryly.

  “I have never married ... it is none of your business why I have never married,” she replied, furious with him. “You do not know Clare as we do.”

  “No, I do not,” he admitted in softer tones. “Nor do I know what it would be like to be in a woman’s shoes. But despite the law, Sabrina, we both know women and men who live in very happy marriages. Your parents, for one. Mine. Yes, the law protected Justin Rainsborough, but surely he is an aberration.”

  “Perhaps. But perhaps he was an extreme example of how a man can abuse the power he has over a woman.”

  “I cannot single-handedly change the law, Sabrina. I can only work within it. But I tell you, I cannot defend Clare Rainsborough if she is not willing to speak of her last two years. I would advise you that the way to protect her, to be her friend, is to encourage her to speak.” Andrew rose. “Thank you for the tea, my lady. I am sorry that all our conversations seem to end in disagreements about Lady Rainsborough.”

  Sabrina said a cool good-bye, and Andrew left, wondering why, since their disagreements kept the desired distance between them, he felt so frustrated.

  * * * *

  After Andrew had gone, Sabrina found herself reconsidering his words. He was a most annoying man, it was true, with little or no understanding of who Clare was and what she had been through. On the other hand, he was a good friend of Giles’s, and, she must presume, a good lawyer or her brother would not have recommended him. He knew the law and the courts. Perhaps he was right about Clare. Perhaps she did have to tell the whole story of her marriage in order to prove her innocence. And if that were true, then she, Sabrina, should be encouraging her to cooperate with Andrew.

  And so, while Andrew’s solicitor was interviewing Martha, Sabrina spent the afternoon with her friend, hoping that she could discern whether Clare was strong enough to do what she had to do.

  The two women were bent over embroidery, when Sabrina looked over at Clare and said: “I spoke with Andrew More this morning. I find him annoyingly opinionated, but I do trust him. What do you think of him, Clare?”

  Clare kept her eyes on the French knot she was working and said quietly: “Giles chose him, so I must trust him. And my very life is in his hands,” she added.

  “Perhaps it is also in your own, Clare,” replied Sabrina, putting her hand on Clare’s arm. “Andrew seems to think that unless you are willing to speak of your marriage from the early days, you will not gain enough sympathy to get off. A
t first I was annoyed at him, but now I am not so sure that he is wrong. Is it so painful to tell your story, Clare?”

  Clare looked up at her friend. “There are some things I just ... I can’t imagine saying them in public.”

  “Could you tell them to me, Clare? That might be a first step.” Sabrina held her breath.

  Clare pushed her needle very carefully through the linen, completed her knot, and bit the thread off with her teeth. Reaching over for a small velvet pincushion, she disposed of her needle and folded up the small square of embroidery.

  She folded her hands just as carefully in her lap and said: “I will try, Sabrina.” She sounded composed. She looked composed unless one noticed how her hands were folded over her belly, as though to protect her most vital parts.

  “Tell me when all this started,” Sabrina asked. “You and Justin seemed so happy together.”

  “We were, at first. And even afterward, as strange as that may seem.” Slowly and haltingly, Clare began to tell Sabrina about the past two years. There were times during her story when Sabrina thought she would choke on her own horrified reaction, but she sensed that any response might silence Clare.

  At one point she felt literally nauseated and had to breathe slowly and intentionally in order not to retch. There was nothing to say at the end except, “Clare, I am so sorry.” She started to put her arms around her friend, but Clare stiffened at her touch and Sabrina immediately withdrew.

  “I am sorry, Sabrina. If you do that, I may just lose my nerve. It was ... well, not good, exactly, but necessary to tell someone. Mr. More was right. It will have to be made public. I thank you for listening. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

  “No, no it wasn’t.”

  “I suppose you are wondering: why didn’t she tell someone? Why didn’t she leave? How could she have made love to him again and again after what he did to her?” Clare asked.

  “Why, no,” Sabrina stammered.

  “You never were a good liar, Sabrina. I find it difficult to explain myself. You see, when Justin was himself, he was the wonderful man I fell in love with. He truly was tender and loving and passionate. It was so easy to believe that the other Justin wouldn’t come back. Not this time. Not after his promises and tears and apologies. It is almost like living in a madhouse, I suppose.” Clare paused. “You are also probably thinking: “If only she’d married Giles.”

  “I confess I have thought that over the past few days,” Sabrina admitted.

  “It is only natural. I suppose I should have. But I only loved Giles as a friend. A dear friend,” Clare hastened to add. “Justin wakened a part of me that I hadn’t known existed. Of course,” she added bitterly, “he awakened it only to torture me for it. Anyway, Giles deserves someone who loves him the way I loved my husband.”

  “Yes, he does,” agreed Sabrina. “And I don’t think it is Lucy Kirkman.”

  “Lucy is very good at getting what she wants, Sabrina. But I am sure Giles knows that,” Clare added with a smile.

  “He does,” said Sabrina, throwing her hands up in mock despair.

  Clare sat for a moment and then turning to Sabrina, said quietly: “I think I will have Mr. More come back tomorrow morning, Sabrina. I will tell him the whole story and agree to repeat it at the inquest. Thank you for your help. And I think I will be all right alone from now on.” She laughed. “Hardly alone, I suppose, with a Runner in the house.”

  Sabrina protested, but Clare was adamant. “I would love to see you after Mr. More leaves, Sabrina, but you must not neglect your life just to be with me. You mustn’t miss another engagement.”

  “All right, Clare. But I will be over tomorrow after my ride, I promise.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Time had never gone so slowly for Giles as the last few days. All he wanted was to be with Clare, to put his arms around her, to let her cry out all her grief and fear on his shoulder. All he got was quick visits with Sabrina and Andrew, who kept telling him that Clare was doing very well. So when Sabrina returned, obviously planning to stay, he pulled her into the morning room and insisted she sit down and give him a full report.

  “You aren’t abandoning Clare, are you?” he protested.

  “Clare was very sure that she was ready to be alone, Giles,” answered his sister, “or else I wouldn’t have left. She wants me back in circulation, and she is probably right. I intend to go to the Maxwells’ tonight. What about you?”

  “I haven’t gone out since this happened, Sabrina.”

  “I know, Giles. And that means that the gossips are having a fine time with Clare’s story. And, no doubt, working you into it as well.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that. Andrew’s advice was to stay away from Clare. He didn’t add anything else to his instructions,” Giles added sarcastically.

  “Andrew More can be a most annoying man, I admit, but I think we can trust him to take Clare through this safely. I finally gave in to his advice today, and found his counsel wiser than I thought.”

  Giles looked over at her questioningly.

  “He believes that Clare must tell the whole story of her marriage in order to convince the jury of her innocence. I didn’t want him to make her dredge it all up.”

  “Indeed, she shouldn’t have to,” protested Giles. “She’s gone through enough.”

  “He pointed out that Rainsborough’s behavior could have been seen as a result of some provocation. Given the law, well, Clare needs to convince the coroner and the jury that she truly was in danger ... I listened to her whole story, Giles,” said Sabrina, her voice strained.

  “Tell me all, Brina.”

  “I can’t Giles. It is Clare’s story to tell, not mine. But it was horrible to listen to what she went through these past two years.”

  “Oh, God, if only she’d never met him. If only I hadn’t waited so long to ask her to marry me.”

  “Oh, Giles, it had nothing to do with you. Clare loved Rainsborough in a way she didn’t love you, although I know this is painful to hear.”

  “I still love her, you know,” said Giles softly. “The more fool I.”

  “Oh, Giles, I know,” said his sister, reaching out her hand and clasping his. “And it can never be foolish to love someone, can it? Not that I would know,” she added humorously.

  “You have kept your heart whole, haven’t you, Brina?There has been no one whom you have wanted to share it with, has there?”

  “No, Giles. Perhaps it is because I have had you. There is such sympathy and understanding between us that I have not really felt the lack of a man in my life. I’ve had my twin,” she added with an appreciative smile.

  Giles leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “We are lucky. But you need more than a brother, Sabrina.”

  “No doubt I will settle for someone one of these days,” she said lightly. “Now, I am going up for a rest before I take on society for Clare. You will come with me to the ball tonight?”

  “Yes, my dear,” said Giles with a smile. “I will escort you into battle.”

  Indeed, Sabrina had a very militant look in her eye when they arrived at the Maxwell ball. She sought out her closest friends who were full of questions, but reluctant to ask them. Except, of course, Lucy Kirkman.

  “Is it true, Sabrina, that Clare is under a sort of house arrest? The rumors are flying so thick and fast that it is hard to tell what is the truth.”

  Lady Julia Willeford exclaimed: “Lucy!” in horror at her frankness.

  “Oh, Julia, don’t pretend you weren’t dying to ask. Come, Sabrina, tell us all you know.”

  “Lucy, you are incorrigible.” Sabrina laughed. “Clare is, in fact, confined to her house, but as much to recover from her ordeal as anything else.”

  “Did she kill Lord Rainsborough, Sabrina?” asked Lucy. “I have heard so many different versions: that she mistook him for an intruder, that she brained him with a poker, and that she shot him with his own dueling pistols.”

  Lady Julia blanched. “Luc
y, if you go on like this, I am going to become ill.”

  “Go right ahead, dear Julia,” replied Lucy. “You have heard all the same gossip I have, my dear, and seem to have survived it up until now. The most disturbing rumor, of course, is that Clare and Giles were lovers and provoked Rainsborough into a killing rage.”

  Lucy said this last as lightly as she had repeated the other rumors, but Sabrina knew that this was the one she had been leading up to, the question she really wanted answered. She was surprised that she actually felt sorry for Lucy. Sabrina knew Giles would never marry her now, although Lucy would not realize that yet.

  “Evidently Justin Rainsborough was an unreasonably, perhaps one could say an insanely jealous husband,” Sabrina replied. “He accused Clare of many things during their marriage, none of which were true. And Giles has hardly had time to spare these last few months, Lucy. After all, he has spent much of his time with you.”

  “Of course,” said Lucy, sounding complacent, but Sabrina could sense her relief. “And one could hardly suspect little Clare of infidelity anyway, could one?”

  Sabrina spent a few more minutes convincing her friends that when the truth emerged at the inquest, Clare would be completely vindicated. They were so pleased to be the first to hear the “real” story that she knew she could count on them to start a counter-wave of gossip.

  She danced several dances with her usual favorites. During her country-dance with her host, she was surprised to see Andrew More standing on the sidelines, conversing with Giles and his older brother, Lord Avery. She asked Maxwell to lead her over to them after the music stopped.

  “Good evening, Lady Sabrina,” said Lord Avery. He was a taller, slightly more refined-looking version of Andrew and someone Sabrina had never liked very much. She might find Andrew More annoying, but he was at least a stimulating companion. His brother was too concerned with the family name and his own importance for Sabrina’s liking.

  “Good evening, my lord. Good evening, Andrew. I am surprised to see you here. I thought you might be working long hours to prepare for your case.”

  “I have been working very closely with my solicitor, Sabrina, but you know the old saying: ‘All work and no play,’ ” replied Andrew insouciantly.