by Abby Ayles
The young boy was brushing down the legs of one of the horses. When he stood up straight, he caught sight of them and cried out softly.
“Oh! I apologize! I did not see you come in.”
Annabelle smiled at him. “I am sorry to frighten you, Christopher. Have you seen Joanna?”
“Yes, she took Dreamcatcher for a ride. She said she would be back in an hour or two.”
“How long ago was that?” Julia asked.
“I would say about twenty minutes, my Lady,” Christopher replied.
“Thank you. Prepare two of the horses for us. We will also be taking rides.”
“Yes, my Lady.” Christopher said, bowing at the waist. He left the stall he was in and readied two of the horses for them.
“Where do you suggest we go first?” Julia asked.
“I want to go to your house first. If she needed comfort, she might find it there. And she would be away from the questions.”
“She may have gone for a ride in the woods. If so, we might not find her. She will have to come back to us.”
“We know she will eventually. We will check the house first.”
Julia nodded. “All right.”
They mounted the horses and rode away from the house in silence. Unsurprisingly, what they were thinking was quite similar.
Annabelle felt disappointment in her friend, though the behavior was somewhat expected. She felt sorry for Joanna. The girl just did not seem to have herself together.
It made Annabelle want to take the girl in hand and give her some guidance. But since they were the same age and given Joanna’s stubborn attitude, it would not surprise her if her advice fell on deaf ears.
She glanced at Julia, stifling a sigh. Her friend’s face was so downhearted, so sad. It made Annabelle’s heart hurt. The thought that the Lords Balfour may have violated her sister was giving her a great deal of angst.
“Everything is going to be all right, Julia,” she said softly. “Do not worry. We will find her and we will set things to right.”
Julia gave her a grateful look but the worry did not leave her face.
Chapter 29
The two girls did not find Joanna at the Rickman mansion. The housekeeper informed them that no one had seen Joanna all day. They turned their horses around and went back to Norrend.
Instead of going inside, they passed the mansion and went to the woods, following a path they knew Joanna would take if she were going for a ride.
As they rode past the stables, Annabelle called to Christopher, who came out rubbing his hands on a cloth.
“Yes, my Lady?”
“Has Joanna returned?”
“No, my Lady.”
Annabelle nodded and urged her horse toward the path through the woods. Riding down the path had always been one of her favorite things to do. It was beautiful land. When the sun was shining and the birds were singing, it was magical.
Julia was still very quiet. Annabelle wondered what was going through her mind. It was not good thoughts, she was sure of that.
After riding for ten minutes, Annabelle saw someone approaching from the opposite direction. To her relief, it was Joanna. They would not have to search any longer and maybe they would get the answers they were looking for.
When she saw them, Joanna stopped her horse and looked dismayed. She did not turn and run, which Annabelle was grateful for. It would have been silly to chase her friend down and how would they stop her? Jump on her horse?
The thought amused Annabelle but a smile did not come to her lips. She looked at Julia, who glanced back at her.
“I see her,” Julia said.
“She sees us, as well. Stay calm. We will get our answers.”
Julia looked guilty and sad at the same time.
“You must not worry, Julia,” Annabelle said. “ Joanna knows we love her. We only want what’s best for her.”
“We know that,” Julia replied. “But does she? It does not appear so. If she thought we loved her, she would have come to us, would she not?”
Annabelle shook her head. “I do not know. It is doubtful, in my mind.”
The two girls reached Joanna and stopped their horses a few feet away from her.
“We have been searching for you everywhere, Joanna,” Annabelle said gently. “Are you all right?”
Joanna looked surprised by the question. “I… I do not feel all right,” she replied.
“Shall we find a place to sit and talk? Or would you like to come back to Norrend and talk there?”
Joanna looked past them down the path that would take them to the house.
“I do not want to go back yet. I was riding slowly to help the time pass. I know the dukes are angry with me.”
“They are not as angry as they are confused,” Annabelle said.
“Please can we find somewhere to talk? Perhaps we can go back to the garden.”
“The circle benches are just past here,” Julia suggested.
“Shall we go there?”
“That is a good idea,” Annabelle said, hurriedly. She urged the horse to go past Joanna and the two sisters followed her.
“I have been so worried about you,” Julia said to her sister. “Why have you been behaving so strangely? Surely you are not acting on the orders of the Balfours.”
“I do not act on anyone’s orders.” Joanna sounded offended.
“I do what is in my mind, what I feel like doing.”
Julia shook her head. “I do not believe that. You are my sister. How can you not see that what you are doing is wrong?”
“I do not want to talk about it.”
Julia frowned.
“You must talk about it, Joanna. We need to know what is going through your mind so that we might be better able to understand what you are doing and why. We cannot help you if you do not open yourself to us.”
“I do not need help.”
Annabelle looked over her shoulder at her friend. “You are mistaken. You do need help. And only those who love you can help you.”
Joanna snorted in an unladylike fashion. “I do not need anyone’s help.”
They reached the circle benches and dismounted. Duke Cartwright had placed an “oasis” in the middle of the woods, creating a large clearing where he’d placed claw-footed, white iron benches in a circle in the middle.
Large flower pots were put in between each bench. The flowers blooming in the pots added beautiful colors to the scene.
Added to the beauty was a small stream running past the clearing. It was beyond the tree line but the sound of the bubbling water was comforting nonetheless.
Joanna was the first one to sit on a bench. Her sister and Annabelle sat on either side of her. Annabelle was reminded of the night Joanna was trapped in between the Balfour brothers.
“I must ask you again, Joanna,” she said. “For the truth. We must know the truth if we are to get you out of this situation.”
Joanna frowned at her. “What situation are you speaking of?”
Annabelle blinked at her.
“You must know that my father and the Duke Colbournl know that you have been lying to them. You will have to face the consequences eventually. Would it not be better to tell us what has happened so that we can defend you?”
“I have not… have not been… lying…” Joanna could barely get the words out. Her cheeks and nose were red with shame, giving her away to the other two young women.
“But we know that you have, Joanna.” Julia’s voice was slightly angry.
“Duke Colbourn did not proposition you during the croquet game. He has done nothing to merit your ire. Why are you trying to destroy his reputation by calling his honor into question? You accuse him of rudeness and then of theft. What is going through your mind to make you do this, if not the influence of the Balfour brothers?”
Joanna was quiet. Annabelle decided to give it a try.
“Do the Balfour brothers have a vendetta against Duke Colbourn?”
Joanna loo
ked at her. “I would not know.”
“You spend time with them. You talk to them. You must know what kind of men they are and what they are capable of. Did they steal the paintings? Is that why you looked surprised that they were not in Duke Colbourn’s room?”
“No. No, that is not how it is.” Joanna shook her head.
“Then please inform me. I must know. You know that the duke and I are courting. I plan to make him my husband. I will be his wife. I love him and I feel he loves me, as well. This… situation you have caused is threatening my happiness and my life with him. I must have answers.”
“Are you upset because he did not turn his eyes to you?” Julia asked.
Joanna’s face was still red. She lifted her hands and covered it, lowering her head.
“Joanna, had you not accused the Duke to begin with, you would be more trustworthy now in the eyes of the dukes. But you have accused him of theft. Of the paintings he was already planning to buy. Why would you do this?”
Joanna pressed her lips together, lowering her hands to her lap, where she kneaded her fingers together firmly.
“I… I have been…”
The two young women waited for Joanna to continue, not wanting to barrage her further with questions. Joanna swallowed visibly and looked at Annabelle.
“I feel terrible about this, Annabelle. I know I have done wrong and I do not know what to do about it.”
Annabelle felt some relief. It appeared Joanna was finally going to tell them what had happened.
“I did not accuse the duke because I wanted to. I was told it was the best thing to do to make him leave Norrend.”
Annabelle looked at her friend with a shocked face.
“Whatever do you mean? Why would you want the duke to leave?”
“I… He… It is a complicated thing.”
“No, it is not.” Julia frowned, her anger showing on her face.
“The Cartwrights have done only good for you and for me. They have helped us for many years now, since we were small. Why would you want to hurt Annabelle this way?”
Joanna pulled in a deep sigh and let it out slowly.
“Lord Gilbert told me if the duke was to marry Annabelle, her parents would no longer be interested in supporting us. He said Duke Cartwright told Reverend Stovington as much while they were talking one day. He overheard in the parlor while playing cards with his brother.”
Annabelle scowled. “That is completely untrue! Why would my parents ever decide such a thing?”
“You should know better than that, Joanna,” Julia scolded her sister. “The Duke and Duchess have always been kind to us. Whether or not Annabelle is married will make no difference.”
“If she is married, there will be no need for her to attend the balls searching for a husband. That is what we are doing. We would be left on our own.”
Annabelle shook her head.
“No. You are mistaken. I do not believe Lord Gilbert heard any such words coming from my father’s mouth. He loves you and Julia as if you are his own daughters. Why do you think you are still welcome in Norrend, even though you lied to my father’s face?”
Joanna’s face went scarlet and she dropped her eyes again.
“I believed him. He told me… he wants to court me and… I believed what he was telling me.”
“But if he wanted to court you, why would you be worried about going to the balls?” Julia asked. Joanna looked at her.
“Because you would have no one. Father has spoken about pairing you with Lord Leonard, since I am with Lord Gilbert. I told him I did not think you would want that.”
Julia lifted her eyebrows. “I am glad you told him that. I have no interest in being with Lord Leonard.”
“You must believe me,” Joanna moved her eyes from Annabelle to her sister and back.
“I did not know the Balfours would steal the paintings. They may not have. They… they were behind the hutch. I suppose a… a servant could have…”
Annabelle shook her head.
“No. If the Balfour brothers put the paintings back there and they are not there now, that means they came back and took them. We must inform my father right away.”
“I do not want to get in more trouble,” Joanna said.
“Will you tell him for me?”
She was disappointed when both of them shook their heads.
“You will have to tell him, Joanna,” Annabelle said.
“This is something you will need to take responsibility for.”
Chapter 30
Joanna cried as the three women rode back to Norrend. She was sure the Balfour brothers would lie. They would deny everything and she would end up looking like the liar she had become. Annabelle could not help feeling sorry for her.
Her father was not an irrational man. But he would not accept being disrespected and lied to, especially not by someone he had been taking care of for years.
They approached the stables slowly. Christopher was standing outside the stables, looking toward the woods. As they crossed the field, he walked to them, lifting one hand to take the bridle of Annabelle’s horse.
“My Lady, your father has been asking for you.”
Annabelle nodded. “Did you tell him we went for a ride to find Joanna?”
“I told him that Joanna went for a ride earlier and you and Julia went, also. I did not tell him you were looking for Joanna.”
“Thank you, Christopher. If you will take care of the horses for us.”
The young man smiled. “That is my job, my Lady. I would be happy to, of course.”
Once they were off the horses, Julia and Annabelle hurried across the lawn to the house. Joanna moved slower, dragging behind to the point they had to turn and call to her. She reluctantly picked up her pace and went in the house behind them.
They went to the parlor first to look for their father. He, Duke Colbourn and Mr. Covington were sitting by the large window on the other side of the room. The three men stood up when the ladies entered, their eyes focusing directly on Joanna. The girl’s face was still as red as a beet and it was obvious she had been crying by her swollen, red eyes.
“Joanna.” Duke Cartwright did not greet his daughter or Julia. He took a step toward the young woman, who cowered, her face guilty.
“What is the meaning of this behavior? You have not been yourself recently.”
Joanna moved her eyes only to look up at the two dukes, keeping her head bowed to them. “I… I have not been myself recently, your grace,” she replied. “I have been… influenced by others to do things I would not otherwise do.”
“Including lying about Duke Colbourn?” Duke Cartwright sounded shocked. He stared at her, along with the other two men.
Joanna could not bring herself to answer out loud. She nodded.
“Both times?”
Again, she nodded.
“You will need to speak up, Joanna. I would like an answer. Out loud.”
“Yes, my Lord. I lied both times.”
Duke Cartwright made a sound of disappointment and shook his head.
“What has caused this behavior from you, my dear? You would never have done something like this before. Would you?”
“No, my Lord, I would not. I… I was influenced by the Lords Balfour.”
The men all looked at each other.
“Those men…” Duke Colbourn shook his head. “I did not trust them already. I do not know why I did not think of them in the first place. It might have saved us some trouble. Did you find them suspicious, my Lord?” He looked at Duke Cartwright, who just stared back at him.
Neιther of them expressed interest in Annabelle and therefore I did not pay a lot of attention to them. I suggested the Joanna seek out permission from her father.”
“Do you not think it odd that the Lords Balfour are not here today? They are here every day since they came to stay with the Reverend.” Duke Cartwright nodded as the other one spoke.
“They are frequently here,” he said. �
�Now that the paintings are missing, they are also missing. I find it strange. I will send a messenger to the Reverend, asking him to send the brothers here.”
“Will you tell him about the missing paintings, my Lord?” Duke Colbourn asked.
“I would like to speak to them in person before I do,” the Duke Cartwright replied. “Unfortunately,” His eyes fell on Joanna.
“I am still very confused about this whole situation. Joanna, I wish for you to tell me what has happened from the beginning, please. Why did you lie about Duke Colbourn and make it seem he was inappropriate with you? Is this something the Lords Balfour put in your head?”
Joanna hesitated before answering. “I… I cannot say the Lords are responsible for everything that has happened,” she said. “I was given the idea by them but it was I who decided what to say.”
“But, my Lady, why would you lie about his grace?” Mr. Covington finally spoke. The others looked at him.
“His Grace is one of the most respectable, remarkable men I have met in my life. He has never caused harm to anyone, at least not intentionally. You could have severely damaged his reputation. If you spoke to the Balfour brothers about this matter and they told anyone on the ton, his reputation would be at stake. Why would you do this to this kind gentleman?”
They all turned their eyes back to her. Her face was nearly pulsing red. She dropped her eyes to the ground once more.
“I cannot honestly say why I behaved this way, my Lords.”
“You must,” Duke Colbourn insisted.
“You must tell us. I believe it is my right to know why someone has tried to slander me. Is it because I was not receptive to your advances?”
Joanna slowly nodded.
“But my Lady, I do not recall you giving any signs that you were interested in me,” the Duke continued.
“You were interested in Annabelle,” Joanna replied in a voice so low they could barely hear her.
“Speak up, young lady,” Duke Cartwright barked. Her eyes darted to his face, fear covering her with chills.
“I am sorry, your grace. I said you were interested in Annabelle.”
“So you lied about him intentionally, even though you knew he was interested in me and I in him?” Annabelle frowned.