The Marquess’ Temptation

by Bennett, Jessie

  “Yes, my Lady.”

  Abigail could tell that Jackson had turned around and was headed back to the front door. She wanted to be at that meeting. She wanted to hear what William had to say for himself.

  She waited until she could no longer hear footsteps before slowly opening the door and peeking out. The hallway was empty. She moved out and down to the right on soft feet. She wanted to hear what was being said and knew the perfect place to go.

  Thankfully, the library was empty. She went straight to a small bookshelf on the right. It was pushed up against the wall, and looked somewhat out of place, even though books were piled on top of it, they were dusty. Abigail found herself annoyed with that fact. It made it seem like she and the other maids were not doing their jobs. She pushed the feeling aside and reached out to place her fingers on the bottom of the second shelf. With a gentle squeeze, she pulled the shelf out just a bit. She heard a small click and leaned against the side of the bookshelf.

  It slid to the side easily, revealing a dark corridor. Abigail picked up a candle from the table nearby and lit it with a matchstick. She crept through the small opening and hurried toward the door at the end of the corridor. She had used this passageway only once before and only because she had inadvertently discovered it while cleaning. She knew it would lead to an opening into the study. She wondered if she could manage to hear what was being said without having to open the door.

  Taking a chance, she pushed open the door to the study just a crack and peeked through. She could see her mistress on the other side of the room. She was sitting on a couch that put her back to Abigail.

  Abigail’s heart pounded in her chest. She could stay right here and not be seen. She sat on the small stoop at the bottom of the door and snuffed out the candle. She was in turmoil, her heart pounding so hard she feared it might come out of her chest.

  It was only be a five-minute wait before the door to the study swung open and Jackson entered.

  “Lord Montgomery here to see you, my Lady.” He said, stepping to the side to allow Abe to enter. Abigail sucked in a sharp breath. She was grateful she was on the other side of the room. She hadn’t been expecting Abe. She shook her head and frowned, chastising herself for thinking it would be William that would come. Her hopes were completely dashed as she realized that William would be true to his word. He was not going to leave his wife for her. He was not going to help her raise the baby, sweeping her off her feet and taking her far away from here. It was only a dream that she knew would never come to fruition.

  “Thank you for coming, Lord Montgomery.” The Duchess stood up to greet Abe. He bowed and kissed the top of her hand.

  “It is my pleasure to see you again, my Lady.”

  “Do you have news about the situation at hand?”

  “I do. I have spoken with William and he will not help out in any way. He has a history of being unreliable in these types of matters, any type of matter, to be honest with you, my Lady. Allow me to express my gratitude for your patience and cooperation.”

  “You are welcome, Abe. We do not want anyone in this matter hurt more than is necessary.”

  “I agree.”

  “You are your brother’s saving grace, you know.”

  “I don’t feel that way, my Lady. I would rather this not have happened at all.”

  “It has happened, though, and now we must deal with it.”

  “Yes.”

  “So what have you to say?”

  She sat back down and lifted one hand to indicate he should sit across from her in one of the chairs facing her. He did so, resting his elbows on the armrests and lacing his fingers together in front of him.

  “I have been speaking with Nigel Huntington as I mentioned before. He has offered his assistance, as well.”

  Abigail searched through her mind for a Lord Huntington. She didn’t remember ever having heard of the man.

  “Why has he offered his assistance in a matter that does not concern him?”

  “Nigel is a man who offers help regardless of the situation. If he can do something, he will. And his part will be fairly small. He has offered to employ the child when it comes of age. We thought that perhaps we would, that is my family, the Montgomery’s, would take care of the financial part of the birth and raising of the child. She or he will not want for anything. Do you plan to keep Abigail in your employ, even after she has the child?”

  “I have discussed it with the Duke. We have agreed that we will care for Abigail while she is pregnant.”

  “Have you given thought to sending her to another location while she is pregnant, so that no rumors are started? People will speculate who the father is.”

  “We thought about it, yes. We do plan to send her abroad in a month or so, when she begins to show. After the birth, she and the baby will return, she will be in our employ and the baby will stay in the home of another couple who are willing to raise the child.”

  Abigail’s heart sank. The decisions were being made for her. She would not be able to keep the baby with her. She would not watch it grow into a vibrant young man or woman. She lowered her head to her hands and quietly sobbed. The night of passion with William Montgomery had completely changed her life.

  Her heart was shattered.

  14

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  “Hello, brother.” William looked from him to the Duchess and back. “Lady Worthington, I must speak openly with you.”

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  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  WILLIAM SAYS HIS PIECE

  Still seated on the small stoop, Abigail continued to listen to their conversation. Abe was asking that the Duke continue his good relationship with the Montgomery family, knowing that William had very little to do with it.

  “He has never been entrusted with any sort of authority or responsibility where the business is concerned. He truly has no head for business matters.” Abe was saying.

  The door opened again and Abigail jerked her head up to peer through the crack to see who it was. Her body was covered in chills when she saw William enter the room. She lifted her hands and put them on the doorjamb and the door, pushing the door open just a little more. She pulled back in fear and was relieved to see no one had noticed. She wanted to run out there to him and throw her arms around him. She smiled and bit her lips, hoping he would come to her rescue.

  “Lord William Montgomery, madam.” Jackson announced him, the older man’s voice cracking with apparent confusion.

  Abe and the Duchess both stood up, shocked.

  “Will! What are you doing here?” Abe asked.

  “Hello, brother.” William looked from him to the Duchess and back. “Lady Worthington, I must speak openly with you.”

  “You may.” The Duchess nodded. When he didn’t start speaking immediately, she made a move to sit back down and offered another chair to William. “Please sit. I see that you have a lot on your mind.”

  “I fear that the Duke will be angry with my family.” William said. It seemed once he was sitting, he was able to open his heart to the Lady. “I have been a scoundrel in this, my lady, and I regret it.”

  In the small corridor, Abigail listened to his words, feeling wave after wave of pain flow through her. She didn’t lower her head this time but the tears flowed nonetheless. Her heart shook with agony.

  “I do wish to help take care of the child, but will do so only monetarily. I shall have nothing to do with it otherwise. I am not in a place that will allow me to take Abigail as my wife. I wish to change my behavior and will be working toward that from here on.”

  “That is good to hear.” The Duchess said, nodding.

  “It certainly is.” Abe exclaimed.

  “I do want you to know that I do care for Abigail.” William’s voice broke a little and he cleared his throat. “She is truly a woman to be admired on so many levels, regardless of her servant status.”

  “The Duke and I have always thou
ght very highly of her, William.” Lady Worthington said. “Which is why we were so surprised to find out what she had done. It is a disgrace to us all.”

  “It is.” William agreed. “And I will do whatever I can to make up for this. To you and to the child.”

  “It is not I that needs your repentance or plea for forgiveness, William. Abigail needs those things but I feel they will fall far short of what she really needs.”

  “What would that be, my lady?” William asked curiously.

  “A time machine.”

  The three chuckled softly but quickly turned back to their serious discussion. Abigail was staring at William through the crack in the door, wishing she had the courage to step out and confront them. They were in control of her life. She respected her Ladyship and Abraham Montgomery, as neither had done her wrong, but they sat in that room as comfortable as could be, discussing what her life would be like for the rest of her days as if they knew everything there was to know. They didn’t mention that she wanted to be a strong, independent woman. They didn’t mention it because they didn’t know it. None of them knew who she really was. She was just a servant and they were trying to figure out how to deal with her night of fornication without tarnishing any of their good names.

  She admonished herself silently, torn between feelings of anger and gratefulness, Anger that she could not be in control of her own life. Gratefulness that she had employers who would not allow her come to harm. They owned no slaves, they gave their servants room and board and paid them a weekly salary. They were honorable people, doing what they thought was best.

  It didn’t quell her anger. It made her want to explode. She wanted to have some control. She wanted to determine what would and wouldn’t happen.

  But she had no control. It was out of her hands. Her life was not her own.

  She rested one hand on her belly. She could feel no life there as of yet but knew the child was in there, growing day by day.

  “No matter what, child, I will always be here for you. I will give you a good life, no matter what.”

  Could she run away? She pictured her life on the streets, getting bigger every day, begging for food, sleeping in shelters or the nunnery. She shook her head. That wasn’t a viable option. She couldn’t live on the street with her baby. That would not be a life fitting for any child, especially one so new to the world.

  The Montgomery’s had pledged their support for her child. They would be able to give it the life it deserved. She would have to sacrifice her love for both the child and the father of that child, in order to have stability for them all.

  “You will remain quiet about this incident? You will not tell anyone what has happened?” Lady Worthington was saying.

  “No, my lady. I will speak of it to no one. Discretion is the only way to make sure that Abigail is safe from a lifetime of innuendos and badgering. It will keep my marriage intact and my wife stable. She is very fragile, my lady, both mentally and physically.”

  “So I have heard.” The Duchess turned her eyes to Abe, who nodded.

  “It is true,” he said.

  “When the child is old enough, she will be employed by the Huntington Estate. Nigel has pledged that she would remain working there until she is old and needs to be taken care of herself.”

  “That is very generous of him.” William sounded confused but he knew Nigel almost as well as Abe, though the two didn’t get along as well.

  “He takes extra steps to ensure the well-being and safety of children, as you know.”

  William nodded. “As a matter of fact, yes. He does do that, doesn’t he? He would save the children of the world if he had the ability.”

  “This is Lord Nigel Huntington, correct?” Lady Worthington asked.

  “Yes, my Lady. He is well known in Fairfield. He is one of the men who traveled to Jamaica in his youth, working on missionary trips to help the poor.”

  She nodded. “I believe I know of him. He is very young for having traveled the world so much.”

  “It was his passion. Now, his passion is to provide a loving home for his family.”

  “He is a good man, by all accounts.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “I’m sure he will take good care of Abigail’s child.”

  Abigail wished she had not extinguished the candle. She had no matches and did not want to feel her way back to the other door even though the corridor was not very long and she could see a ray of light from the other door.

  She stood up. With one last glance through the crack in the door, she gazed at William, allowing herself a few more moments of reveling in the beauty that was his face, feeling the love she had for him course through her body once more. It was almost as if she could feel her heart breaking in her chest. The pain was tremendous.

  She turned away, never to look back again.

  15

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  He’d also told Abe on several occasions how much he regretted breaking the young maid’s heart and ruining her life.

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  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

  The time went by faster than Abe had thought it would. He had nearly forgotten about the incident when he received a post from the Worthingtons. They had not communicated with him for six months. The last thing they had told him was that they were shipping Abigail overseas to America for the remainder of her pregnancy and would let him know when the child arrived.

  His heart did a flip when he saw who the post was from.

  He took the letter to his desk and stood in front of the window, using a sharp letter opener to rip the envelope open.

  He looked out the window and watched as his brother, his son and his sister-in-law walked through the garden. William had resigned himself to his married status and was treating his wife like a queen. He had reversed his previous bad behaviors and become a sober, contributing member of the family.

  He’d also told Abe on several occasions how much he regretted breaking the young maid’s heart and ruining her life. He mentally beat himself upon a regular basis. Abe was sure it would take some time before William would be able to forgive himself. He spoke of Abigail a few times, each time with a soft voice and kindness in his tone. He spoke of desiring her forgiveness and asked Abe if he thought he should approach her when she returned from America and ask for it in person.

  Abe told him it was a bad idea. Both parties had given their hearts away that night. Neither would be the same again, but they could never be together as they desired, so it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.

  He looked down at the soft paper as he pulled it out of the envelope.

  Dear Abraham, it read,

  I must inform you that Abigail has given birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces. She was given the name Anne Marie. The girl has a full head of red hair that looks to be just like her mother’s. It is with regret that we must inform you that Abigail died during delivery. The child will need shelter. If you will inform Lord Huntington of these circumstances, it would be helpful.

  We discussed having the child come here to stay with us but have decided it would not be in her best interests. Since Lord Huntington was to give the child a home regardless, we feel it is better that this be done quickly, so the child can bond with a new mother. Please send us a return letter with instructions for transportation and where the child should be sent.

  When the child is safely delivered to her new home, we will have no further communication on this matter. We will send you paper work and a certificate of birth shortly.

  Thank you for your cooperation and generous helping during this peculiar situation.

  Lady Catherine Anne Worthington

  Duchess of Fairbanks

  Chills covered Abe’s body. Abigail had died. He looked up and out the window at his brother, who was laughing with Carter about something. He looked happy on the outside but Abe knew that he was sti
ll in great pain on the inside. His regret and guilt cut him deep, down to the bone.

  Should he tell William about Abigail’s death? What would that do to his brother’s state of mind?

  Abe had a feeling he knew. William was already feeling guilty about impregnating the young maid. Her death would hit him like a tidal wave. He would feel responsible, as if he had murdered the girl. Abe knew of William’s affection. He knew their love for each other had been instant and overwhelming. Such affairs rarely ended well, it seemed.

  He folded the paper, not looking down at it. William glanced up and caught him staring down at them. His face changed from one of happiness to sadness in the blink of an eye. There was no way he could know that Abigail had died. But he could tell from the look on Abe’s face that news had come.

  Abe tapped the folded paper against one hand, still staring down at his brother.

  William stared back, wondering what Abe was thinking. He raised his eyebrows and lifted his chin, silently asking the question.

  Abe nodded, continuing to tap the paper in the palm of his hand.

  William pointed to himself and then to Abe. Abe shook his head.

  “Don’t come up here, my brother.” Abe murmured, knowing William could not see him well enough to read his lips. “You don’t want to know, I promise you.”

  William looked even sadder and dropped his eyes. He took Liza by the arm and guided her gently down the path away from the house. Carter followed them, continuing to talk to Liza, jumping up and down as he walked. Abe was amazed by the life and energy his son possessed. He didn’t remember being that way when he was eleven-going-on-twelve, but he probably had been.

  Anne Marie. Abe wondered how many times the little girl would cross his mind. He had never seen her; she was an illegitimate niece whom he would probably never get to meet in his life.