by Rose Pearson
“Well, he has not,” Amelia murmured, reaching for her teacup. “And I am very glad for it.”
Harmonia sipped her tea thoughtfully, regarding Amelia as she did so. “Then you think yourself quite in love with him?”
“Love?” Amelia repeated, with a laugh. “I am not quite sure it is as much as all that, but I do find myself very attached to him, I must say.”
Nodding slowly, Harmonia smiled softly. “I am glad for you, Amelia. So long as you trust him, then I think him to be a very good match.”
“I do trust him,” Amelia replied at once, her own heart filled with happiness. “He told me the truth about his finances, stating that he was in some kind of difficulty but that returns of late have been good.” Her brow furrowed as she suddenly recalled the other matter he had brought to her attention. “He also stated that Mr. Ridlington had been requesting money from him for a time, and that he had been giving it.”
“Oh?”
Amelia’s frown deepened. “He did not say why he was giving money to Mr. Ridlington.”
A few minutes of silence crept by whilst both sisters lost themselves in thought.
“Did you not say that he considered Ridlington a friend?” Harmonia asked, quietly. “So then, is it not entirely possible that he gave him funds in order to help him? It mayhap only became apparent later that Ridlington was not using his funds wisely.”
A spiraling relief ran through Amelia’s core as Harmonia’s idea took hold. “Yes, that is quite possible. After all, Lord Northfell could simply have been generous with his wealth – although it is strange that he would give his funds away when he is struggling financially.”
Harmonia shrugged, pouring herself another cup of tea. “Perhaps he has an overly generous nature.”
Amelia sighed, rubbing one hand across her forehead. “It will do me no good to speculate,” she determined, firmly. “After all, that is all I have been doing of late and look how badly that has been for me thus far!”
A quiet laugh escaped from Harmonia. “You are quite right, Amelia dear. Of course, we must not speculate. Why not ask him?”
“Ask Lord Northfell?”
Harmonia smiled. “Yes, him, Amelia. After all, if you wish to have an open and honest relationship with him, then that is how you must continue.”
Amelia drank the rest of her tea and considered Harmonia’s advice. “You are quite right,” she concluded, sitting back in her chair and studying her sister. “When did you become so wise, Harmonia? I declare, you should not be wasting yourself on a man like Luke. You would be able to traverse the marriage mart with ease and be able to find a gentleman of honor with more ease than the rest of us!”
Much to Amelia’s surprise, Harmonia did not laugh. The corner of her mouth tugged up into a half smile but the look in her eyes told Amelia that all was not well with her sister.
“I have not yet decided whether to marry Luke,” Harmonia replied, after a moment or two. “I have been doing a great deal of thinking of late, Amelia, and I must say that I am struggling to decide what is best.”
“I am sorry I have not been there for you,” Amelia returned at once, guilt washing through her soul. “What can I do now?”
Harmonia’s troubled expression softened. “You are doing all that you can already, Amelia. I am quite all right, truly. I know that, whenever I need to talk, you will be there to listen.” So saying, she got to her feet and brushed down her skirts, “Now, what say you to a short walk in the gardens? I am still a little fatigued after the ball last evening and I think some fresh air would do me the world of good!”
Amelia agreed at once, glad that it was a warm day and not in the least bit cloudy and so, together, the two sisters made their way down the stairs and outside.
The gardens were truly magnificent. Flowers of every kind bloomed wherever they walked and Amelia was particularly enchanted by the rose trellises.
“I did not think the man was interested in gardening,” she murmured to herself, as she walked beside Harmonia.
“He might not be,” Harmonia replied, with a laugh. “Perhaps his gardeners are just particularly good.”
“You are quite wrong there, Lady Harmonia,” said a low, male voice, making both Harmonia and Amelia gasp in shock. “Lord Northfell cares a great deal for his gardens and can often be found out of doors.”
“Mr. Ridlington,” Amelia said, coolly, her heart only now just calming itself from the shock of hearing his voice. “You will excuse us, I think.”
“Lady Amelia!” Ridlington exclaimed, sounding hurt. “I thought after our conversation yesterday, I – ”
“My sister does not wish to speak to you, Mr. Ridlington,” Harmonia interrupted, firmly. “Good day.”
Mr. Ridlington, however, was not to be put off. He followed after them, his hands linked behind his back.
“You have spoken to Lord Northfell, then,” he said, heavily. “I see. He has told you that I am not to be trusted and, of course, you have believed him.”
Amelia made to answer, only for Harmonia to squeeze her arm. “Do not,” she whispered, out of the corner of her mouth. “Maybe we should make for the house.”
“No,” Amelia muttered, refusing to be sent indoors by the man’s presence. “I intend to enjoy my walk. I will not be sent away by him. He will learn soon enough that we are not to give him the satisfaction of listening.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Ridlington continued to talk in a sad, monotone voice, as though mourning the loss of their supposed friendship. Amelia tried her best not to listen, quickening her steps, but still Mr. Ridlington insisted on following them. Her anger grew, as did her frustration, and even though Harmonia tried her best to stop Amelia from saying a single thing, she could not help but wrench her arm away from Harmonia and turn on her heel to face him.
“That is quite enough, Mr. Ridlington,” she exclaimed, growing hot with anger and irritation. “Are we not making it clear enough that we do not wish for your presence?” She lifted one eyebrow and stared at him, her lips thinning. “Your cousin, I think, has made it quite clear that you are not welcome here and I, for one, am issuing the same sentiment. I do not wish to see you again. If you persist in following us, I shall alert one of the gardeners and ask them to remove you from our presence.”
She made to turn away, only for Mr. Ridlington’s hand to catch her arm.
“Please,” he begged, as she shook off his arm furiously. “I am only here to help.”
“No, Mr. Ridlington!” Amelia exclaimed, her hands curling into fists as she glared at him. “You are only here to look out for yourself and I will not be a part of it.”
“Then you believe all that Lord Northfell has told you.”
Amelia lifted her chin, shaking off Harmonia’s calming hand. “Whatever goes between Lord Northfell and I is our business, Mr. Ridlington, and certainly nothing to do with you.”
“You think so?” he murmured, his dark eyes glinting with malice. “Let me guess, Lady Amelia. He promised you that he is not bankrupt, that he has more than enough money to his name, but he did not tell you about Elouise.”
A cold chill ran straight through Amelia, pinning her to the ground. She stared at Mr. Ridlington, her mind working furiously as she scrambled to recall whether or not Lord Northfell had mentioned such a name before.
“Come, Amelia,” Harmonia whispered, trying to drag her away from Mr. Ridlington. “This is not worth your time.”
“He has not, has he?” Ridlington continued, a slow smile spreading across his face. “What a shame that he would not tell you about someone so precious to him.”
“You are just trying to get between us again,” Amelia replied, her voice thread and weak. “I do not know what your intentions are, Mr. Ridlington, but I can assure you that I will not take your words as truth again.”
His smile was slow and calculated, as though he knew he had her under his spell once more. “Then I suggest you ask Lord Northfell about her,” he said, softly. “Ask him who she i
s and just what she means to him. I can guarantee that he loves her more than he will ever love you.”
Ice wrapped itself around Amelia’s heart and, despite Harmonia’s gentle tug on her arm, could not move an inch.
“Elouise is more dear to Lord Northfell than any other, and he is bound to her for the rest of his life,” Mr. Ridlington continued, his words stinging fiery darts into Amelia’s very soul. “I do not think you have even a hope of taking up the same kind of affection in his heart as he has for her.”
“You have said quite enough, Mr. Ridlington.”
Harmonia, on seeing that her sister was not able to even speak to Mr. Ridlington, took the matter into her own hands and stepped directly in front of Amelia, refusing to be intimidated by the man.
Mr. Ridlington sneered down at her. “I have not finished.”
“Yes, you have,” Harmonia replied, firmly. “Now leave us.” Spotting a gardener just behind them, Harmonia hailed him over – only for Mr. Ridlington to turn on his heel and hurry away into the bushes, leaving them free of his company.
“Mr. Ridlington has been talking with us,” Harmonia explained, as the gardener approached. “We are both quite distressed.”
The gardener hurried after him at once, leaving Harmonia to comfort her sister.
“Come, Amelia,” she murmured, linking her arm through her sister’s. “We need to get you back inside.”
“I cannot believe this,” Amelia whispered, tears clogging her throat. “Who is this Elouise? Another woman? A mistress?” She clung to Harmonia, hardly able to stand.
“Hush now,” Harmonia whispered, encouragingly. “It is probably nothing like that and you will discover you have tormented your heart for nothing. Remember that Ridlington is nothing more than a scoundrel, with an intention to separate you for his own ends.”
Amelia swallowed hard and nodded, stumbling just a little as Harmonia walked towards the house, arm in arm with her. She did not know what to believe anymore, her heart aching with a deep, searing pain.
Chapter 17
Arthur listened to the butler’s whispered words with a deep sense of fear growing in his heart. Ridlington had been seen on the grounds and had been stalking Lady Amelia and Lady Harmonia. Apparently a gardener had come to their rescue, and Arthur made a mental note to thank him specifically for doing so.
“It now appears that Lady Amelia and Lady Harmonia are to return home early,” the butler murmured. “The rest of their party will stay for the remainder of the week, but….” He trailed off, his expression confused. “I thought it best you know.”
“Of course, thank you,” Arthur muttered, as the butler excused himself. Turning to face the rest of his guests – most of whom were still enjoying a late luncheon and busy talking amongst themselves – he cleared his throat and, once he had their attention, excused himself to see to an urgent matter of business.
This did not seem to bother his guests in the least, for they continued with their conversations almost the moment he had finished speaking. Quitting the room, Arthur hurried towards Lady Amelia’s bedchamber, knowing that it was quite improper to do such a thing but being unable to stop himself from doing so. He had to see her. He had to speak to her, to discover what it was that Ridlington had done this time to upset her so.
Leaving? She could not be leaving him now, surely? He had thought that everything was sorted out between them, having shown her the truth about Ridlington.
Unless he told her about Elouise.
The startling thought made him pause, his hand grasping the staircase banister. He had managed to keep Elouise out of sight, leaving her in the uppermost floors with both her nurse and governess. Thankfully, her illness had been nothing more than a severe cold. His house party had been quickly planned, of course, but he had wanted to show Lady Amelia his home and had even thought about introducing her to Elouise, for he had not wanted any secrets between them. The problem had been that, when he had tried to do so, Lady Amelia had started speaking about Mr. Ridlington and he had been so furious that he had quite forgotten to tell her the truth about his daughter.
And another opportunity had not yet presented itself – and Ridlington had taken advantage of that. It was the only thing he could think that would send Lady Amelia away from his home in a hurry.
Racing up the steps two at a time, Arthur quickly made his way towards Lady Amelia’s bedchamber, knowing that he was going to have to explain all to her once again. There would be no hiding this time. She would know everything.
“Lady Amelia?” he called, rapping smartly on the door. “Lady Amelia, please. I must speak to you.”
There was nothing but silence in response. He could not even hear her footsteps moving around the room.
“Please, Lady Amelia,” he called, refusing to give up. “I do not know what Ridlington has told you this time but you must permit me a chance to either challenge or explain what he has said.”
Much to his surprise, the door swung open and a red-faced, furious-looking Lady Amelia stood before him, her finger jabbing at him.
“He told me what you did not,” she stated, her eyes narrowing. “Elouise.”
She made to slam the door in his face, but Arthur put his foot in the gap so that she could not do so, wincing at the pain. “You are right that I should have told you about Elouise,” he said, pushing his way into her room despite the knowledge that he should be doing no such thing. “But can you not understand how difficult it was for me to speak of her? You would have turned from me.”
“Of course I would have!” Lady Amelia exclaimed, looking about ready to pluck his eyes out with her fingers. “Who is she, Northfell? A mistress? A girl you are already engaged to?”
Arthur’s mouth fell open.
“Well?” Lady Amelia demanded, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “Who is she?”
Arthur closed his eyes, drew in a breath and steadied himself for what was to come. Opening them, he looked back into Lady Amelia’s face, seeing the hurt and pain behind the furious expression on her face.
“She is my daughter,” he said, softly. “She is not my mistress, nor someone I have promised myself to. She is my child and I love her dearly.” He saw her eyes widen, her mouth going slack for a moment as she stared at him in shock.
“I have not always been the father she needed,” he continued, guilt squeezing his heart. “I have kept her hidden from society, kept her away from even myself!” Shaking his head, he looked down at her, his words practically falling from his lips in an attempt to keep nothing from her. “In my youth, I did things I am now utterly ashamed of. One day, a baby appeared on my doorstep and, to my shame, I wanted to pretend that she was not my responsibility, thinking I could continue with my life as it was.” Swallowing hard, he dropped his gaze from Lady Amelia, knowing that his words would bring him both shame and relief. “Ridlington offered to care for her. I accepted. However, I soon realized the mistake I had made, how I was failing in my duty of care to a child who clearly was mine.” He gave a half smile, thinking fondly of his daughter. “One look at her and you would know she belonged to me.”
“And this is why you gave Ridlington money,” Lady Amelia whispered, her face milk white.
Remembering that he had told her as much before, Arthur nodded. “I gave him money to care for the child at first, but soon it became more of a demand than a requirement.” Passing a hand over his eyes, he let out a long sigh that spoke of deep regret. “Even when she was back with me, Ridlington demanded more and more money, otherwise he would tell everyone about her.”
Lady Amelia’s eyes filled with sudden tears. “That poor girl,” she whispered, blinking furiously. “Pray, how old is she?”
“She is but four years old,” he replied, shame rearing itself within him once more as he realized that Lady Amelia thought he had been paying the money to Ridlington in order to preserve his own reputation. “She is a happy, bright little thing and I hope that I still have time to undo the damage I did by
neglecting her for so long.”
Lady Amelia turned from him, walking farther into the room.
“I know I should have told you about her long ago, but you must understand that I have never breathed a word of her existence to anyone.”
“What do you intend to do with her?” Lady Amelia asked suddenly, spinning on her heel to face him. “Are you going to keep her a secret forever?”
“I – I…” Arthur’s mind went blank as he struggled to find a comprehensive answer. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I will be honest with you, Lady Amelia, as I ought to have been from the start.” He paused as he looked at her, seeing her waiting quietly. At least she was giving him the opportunity to speak. He could not have appreciated that more.
“I do not know what to do about Elouise,” he said, softly. “She is dear to me, more dear than I can express, and I want a good future for her. However, by my own actions towards her mother, she will forever be known as my illegitimate daughter. Scandal and whispers will dog her steps. That is why I have kept her a secret.” He cleared his throat and took a breath. “However,” he continued, a little more softly. “I wanted to tell you about her but did not know how to express it. I was afraid you would turn away from me but I should have trusted your kind heart and gentle nature. Forgive me for becoming anxious over that.”
Lady Amelia said nothing, her expression inscrutable.
“I wanted to tell you last evening but when you told me about what Ridlington had said, the thought quite left my mind,” he finished. “You could not know of my regret at being unable to tell you. I had thought I would have ample opportunity to do so during the rest of the house party, only for Mr. Ridlington to reach you first.”
A look of realization crossed Lady Amelia’s face as she took a few more steps towards him. “It wasn’t for her good that you kept giving money to Mr. Ridlington, was it?”
“No,” Arthur admitted, honestly. “It was not. I was – I am – ashamed of what I did, of who I was back then. I knew that there would be a huge scandal were news of Elouise to run around London and, on top of that, I….” Arthur trailed off, realizing what he was about to say and only just managing to stop himself. However, Lady Amelia was shrewd enough to know exactly what he had intended.