by Vikki Vaught
“Oh my god! How can this be? This is incredible. Are you sure that it is Henry?” her father asked.
With excitement in her voice, Helen said, “Come follow me, and I’ll take you to him.”
Everyone went down to the morning room and could not believe their eyes. It was indeed Henry come back from the dead. Kathryn was crying, and even his mother had tears in her eyes. His father bowed his head and then looked up and said, “Henry, I am so glad that you are alive. Did Helen tell you about Nelson? He is upstairs in his room, and he is too weak to leave his bed. I will go up to him and tell him you have returned to us. He will be so relieved. His wife is with him. You met her. He married Mrs. Harrison over two years ago, and they have a little girl. Come with me.”
They went upstairs to Nelson’s rooms. His father seemed changed. He looked very tired, and Henry could tell he had been under quite a bit of distress. The lines on his face were much deeper, and he looked twenty years older. The duke went into Nelson’s room, and Henry waited outside to give his father a chance to tell Nelson he was alive. His father opened the door and motioned for him to come in. Henry was shocked when he saw Nelson. There was no doubt about it; Nelson was dying.
Nelson tried to sit up as he said, “Henry! Thank God, you’re alive! Come here so I can see you better.”
Henry walked over to the bed and said, “Hello, old friend, it’s so good to see you again. I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well. I understand congratulations are in order. I wish I could have been there when you got married. I told you that you would like her, did I not? Well, I don’t want to tire you, so I’ll come back and see you later this evening, all right?”
Nelson smiled, and he looked relieved; then he closed his eyes. Henry and his father left the room. He did not know what to say to his father. It was obvious he was in a great deal of pain over Nelson.
As they walked away from Nelson’s room, his father said, “Henry, please come with me to my study so we can talk. We have a great deal that we need to discuss.”
Henry was shocked. He could not remember a time when his father had ever said please. He followed his father to his study. It was always a room he had hated as a child. Probably because he was only there when he was being raked over the coals about something he had done wrong.
His father sighed and said, “Sit down, Henry. I am so thankful that you are alive. I thought all was lost, what with you dead and Nelson dying with no heir in sight. It would have been the end of our line when I died. Now I can rest easy, knowing that you will continue it on. I have much to make up for with you, Henry. I have not treated you well, and it was because you reminded me of myself when I was young. I thought I needed to be hard on you so you would grow up to be a strong man. I was wrong. Instead, I alienated you. I want you to know that I was proud of you and of what you were able to accomplish in the army. When I found out you had been killed, I realized that I had never told you that. I am so sorry … I hope you can forgive me. I am not a well man, so I need you to take over running the ducal holdings. Things have been very difficult since Nelson became so ill. Can I count on you, Son?”
With poignancy in his voice, Henry replied, “All I have ever wanted from you was to know that you were proud of me. I never could understand why you were so hard on me. Now maybe we can start afresh. I’m more than willing to do whatever you need. I do need to ask you one thing. Why did you let Melody leave and then not keep track of her?”
“You do not understand how hard your death hit all of us. Your wife was devastated when we received the news of your death. Nelson tried to get her to stay, but she refused. She insisted that she be taken home to her parents,” he said, as he sighed deeply and looked so distressed that Henry wanted to take his pain away, but he knew he could not. “I admit that I did not treat her well, because she was not my choice as a wife for you. Helen continued to write her for over a year even after your wife stopped writing back. We finally felt she had her reasons for breaking off communication, and we knew she was safe with her parents.”
Henry sighed deeply, then he stood up and began to pace the room in agitation as he said, “Well, I need to go find her. She’s my wife, and I want her back.” Then, with a look of bewilderment, he continued, “I suppose I can understand why she wanted to be with her parents but to break off all communication baffles me.”
Henry’s father looked at him and said, “I understand that you want to go get her, but all I ask is that you wait a little while longer. Nelson will not make it much longer, and he needs you, Henry. You have always been so close. I also need to show you all that is involved with the ducal holdings. Please come here tomorrow morning, and I will start showing you everything.”
“I know that I need to stay with Nelson, until the end, but then I’ll go get my wife!” he said with exasperation in his voice.
His father looked at him with relief in his eyes as he said, “I appreciate your willingness to put off going to get your wife until after Nelson is gone. I know that it will be difficult to wait, but Nelson does need you.”
Henry left his father in his study and went to his rooms. When he walked into the sitting room, all the memories of Melody came flooding back. In his mind, he could see her sitting on the couch reading a book. How was he going to have the patience to put off going to her? Melody meant everything to him, but so did his brother. What a conundrum! Would Melody have moved on with her life? Could she have met someone else? Why would she have stopped writing to Helen? He knew how much she loved his sisters. Well, as hard as it would be to wait, he really could not leave Nelson.
That evening, dinner was the most pleasant meal he could ever remember having in this house. His father was so different, and it seemed as if his mother had softened up also. Helen truly was a beauty, and my god, she was twenty years old. She had had her first season back in 1815, but she obviously did not marry. Kathryn had changed so much, and she was so pretty. It was hard to imagine that she was sixteen now. After dinner, they elected to forgo their port and cigars and went with the ladies to the drawing room instead.
Henry glanced lovingly over at Kathryn and asked, “Kathryn, how have you been? Are you still painting? And did you enjoy your art lessons?”
Kathryn sat down beside him on the couch and reached for his hand. “I have been doing fine, and yes, I still paint, and take art lessons. I still want to do your portrait. Will you sit for me?”
As they sat there holding hands, Henry said, “I will. However, I’m going to be very busy, what with learning about all the responsibilities that are entailed with running the ducal holdings. I’ll also be spending time with Nelson. Then I’ll be going to get Melody and bringing her home.”
Kathryn’s face lit up when he said he was going to get Melody. “Oh, Henry, please bring her back. I have really missed her. I don’t understand why she quit writing to us.”
“I don’t understand that either, but I’m sure there must have been a good reason.” Henry turned to Helen and asked, “How have you enjoyed your seasons? Did you meet anyone special?”
Helen smiled as she answered, “I had a splendid time. And no, I didn’t meet anyone special. I just wanted to have fun. I particularly enjoyed volunteering at the orphanage, and I’ve gotten to know Melody’s friend Susan well, and we have become good friends. She’s married to Viscount Hastings now, and they have a son. She was just as confused as I was when Melody stopped answering our letters.”
Henry turned to his mother and said, “Mother, you look splendid. It’s so good to see you again. I’m sure that with all that has been happening, you have had a difficult time.”
The duchess sighed as she replied, “It has been very difficult. First, we thought you were lost to us, and now we are losing Nelson. We decided to forgo the season this year because of Nelson’s illness.”
Henry gazed over at his mother and said, “Well, that makes sense. In some ways, time has stood still for me because of losing my memory. In many ways, it’s like waking up
after a long sleep and finding out that life has gone on without you. It’s going to take me a while to catch up on what has happened while I was gone.”
Soon, everyone went upstairs to bed. Henry dreaded the nights. Since he had remembered everything, he did not get much sleep, because he kept remembering Melody. He burned to see her and make love to her again. When he did sleep, his dreams were filled with erotic images of the two of them making love. He woke up every morning hard as stone. Of course, it was not just making love he missed. It was just being with her and being able to talk to her. He remembered all the wonderful times they shared, especially the time they spent in Canterbury. They had been so close. Surely, she had not forgotten him. He certainly had not forgotten her. It was such a puzzle: Why had she stopped writing to everyone? Oh well, it would serve no useful purpose worrying over it, because he could not do anything about it until Nelson died. Oh, the pain of it! Why did Nelson get this terrible disease? He hoped that he had a satisfying relationship with Mary. He would find out more when they talked tomorrow. God, he was tired; he hoped he could sleep that night without waking up thinking about Melody. Henry went into his room and went to bed.
For the next fortnight, Henry spent his mornings with his father going over all the books regarding the ducal holdings. Each afternoon, he spent time with Nelson and the evenings with the rest of the family. He got to know Mary better, and it was obvious that she was deeply in love with Nelson and that he returned her love. His niece, Angela, was delightful and so adorable; she looked just like Mary—lots of dark brown curls and big brown eyes, and she was just beginning to walk. She was such a whirlwind that she was already trying to run. Her big brother, Roderick, watched over her, and he reminded Henry of Nelson when he was a child. Of course, not in looks, since Nelson was not his father, but in personality they were very alike.
About a week after he had returned home, he went for his usual visit with Nelson, and his mother was there, but she left so they could talk privately.
Nelson looked at Henry and said, “Henry, I’m sure you’ve seen the change in Father. It started when he found out about your supposed death. It really hit him hard, and I think it opened his eyes to the fact that he had been way too hard on you. I know he’s thrilled that you’ve returned to us safely. I appreciate you staying here with me. I’m sure that it must be difficult having to wait to go get Melody.”
Henry looked at Nelson and said, “I do want to go get her, but I would never leave you until you don’t need me anymore. I know Melody would want me to stay.”
“Poor Melody! She was so lost without you, and she couldn’t stand to see me,” he said. “When I took her to her parents, she cried the whole way there, and I couldn’t get her to eat anything. She lost quite a bit of weight. I know it’s hard to understand why she stopped writing, but I think it was because she found it too difficult emotionally. I know she hasn’t forgotten you, so if you have been wondering about that, let me put your mind at ease.”
Henry leaned forward in his chair and said, “I needed to hear you tell me that because I’m so afraid she may have moved on with her life and forgotten all about me. Melody means the world to me, and I can’t wait to see her again.”
“I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for introducing me to Mary. She is the light of my life, and I have truly been blessed to have her as my wife. I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of her when I’m gone. I’m so thankful that we had Angela before I became so ill. She is the apple of my eye. I know that I can count on you to take care of my family. I’m glad we had this chance to talk. Go easy on Father, for he’s having a struggle with all of this, and he’s getting up in years. I think my illness has been particularly hard on him, and it has affected his health,” he said as he tried to sit up.
Henry stood up and helped Nelson with his pillows so he could get more comfortable, and then he said, “Anything you need, Nelson. You know I’m willing to do it. I appreciate you taking care of Melody for me. I’m sure that going to her parents was what was best for her. I just wish she had continued to write to our sisters so I would know that she was all right. I told you that Mary would be right for you. I can tell that you love each other very much. Melody and I used to hope you would meet someone and fall in love again. You deserved to have someone in your life like Mary, and your daughter has stolen my heart. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take good care of your whole family when the time comes. Well, I can see you’re getting tired, so I’ll take my leave of you until tomorrow, old friend!”
Nelson took a turn for the worse the next day after their conversation. The doctors had to put him on a high dosage of laudanum for the pain, so he slept most of the time. Mary never left his side except to see the children. On March 10, Nelson passed away. In some ways, it was a relief to know that he was no longer in pain, but it did not make it any easier to lose him. Poor Mary was devastated by her loss, and Roderick was lost without him, because Nelson had been the only father that he had ever known. Little Angela was too young to understand what was happening.
On the day of his funeral, it rained, and the sky was dark. Mary silently wept throughout the entire service. He was entombed in the family mausoleum, and everyone in the village and all the tenant farmers came out to show their respects. Many of the members of the ton traveled down from London to attend, and it was obvious that Nelson had been loved and respected by everyone who knew him.
CHAPTER 16
March 1818
IT TOOK A fortnight, after Nelson’s funeral, before Henry was finally able to leave to go get Melody. He decided to go to London and talk with Melody’s aunt, Lady Helton, first. She would know what was going on with Melody. It rained the entire trip, so it took eight hours instead of the normal five, and he was drenched by the time he got to London. He went straight to Sanderford House when he got in town. He called for a bath and then got out of his wet clothes. The bath arrived, and he took a long soak. While he was soaking, he made the decision to go to his club and find some of his friends. After all, it was too late to visit Lady Helton today. He got out of the tub and dressed for the evening; he then headed for his club. He wondered if his membership would still be good, since he was supposed to be dead. He also wondered what type of reaction he would get from his friends, especially Weston and Hayden. He arrived at his club at seven o’clock and went inside. The majordomo questioned his membership, and the manager of the club verified that he had been a member, so they let him in. Henry walked into the main room and looked around.
He spied Weston over against the wall, walked over, and said, “Hello, Weston, how have you been?”
Weston looked up and nearly dropped his drink. “My god, I must be seeing things! I thought you were dead! Hayden told us that he saw you fall. He even brought your body back with him. How can this be?”
Henry smiled sardonically as he said, “I don’t know whose body he brought back, but it wasn’t mine, as you can see. I was injured after the battle and was left for dead. Some Franciscan monks found me and nursed me back to health, but unfortunately, I had no memory of who I was. Almost two months ago, I was hit on the head, and my memory was restored to me. I came home as fast as possible.”
Weston grinned broadly at him as he said, “It’s great to see you, Montgomery. What an amazing story! Who else have you seen? Oh by the way, I was sorry to hear about your brother. I missed the funeral, because I arrived back from the continent the same day.”
“Thank you, Weston. Nelson will be greatly missed. As you know, we were very close. You’re the first person I’ve seen other than family and servants. I’ve come to town to speak with Melody’s aunt. Since she stopped communicating with the family, they aren’t sure what she’s doing.” Then with a worried expression on his face, he added, “All they know is that she went to her parents after I was reported dead, and then after about a year, quit writing. Have you heard anything from her?”
Weston looked over at him and said, “I just know that she wa
s completely undone when she found out you were supposedly dead and that Nelson took her to her family. I talked with Susan Wilton, who is now Lady Hastings, by the way. She indicated that Melody was at her parents and was very melancholy for a long time. Lady Hastings would just say that she was recovering and leave it at that. I got the impression that your wife wanted to cut all ties to anyone she had known here in London.”
Henry sat down across from Weston and poured himself a glass of brandy as he said, “Well, I’m counting on Lady Helton to tell me how she’s doing. Hastings’ family seat is in Kent, is it not?”
As Weston sipped on his brandy, he replied, “Yes, but I think they’ve just arrived in town. So you might want to speak with her. I get the feeling that Lady Hastings knows what is happening with Melody, but, for some reason, isn’t willing to talk about her.”
Henry sat up straight when he heard this and wondered what Susan might know about Melody. This business of her breaking off all lines of communication with everyone was deeply troubling. “I appreciate the information, and I’ll try to talk to Lady Hastings as well as Lady Helton. Do you want to go get some dinner? I haven’t eaten since this morning and I’m famished.”
As Weston adjusted his waistcoat, he said, “I was just getting ready to leave for Lady Millet’s soiree, but I would much rather spend some time with you, unless you want to go with me to Lady Millet’s.”
Henry vehemently shook his head as he answered, “I’m not ready to face the ton yet, and anyway, as you can see I’m in mourning for my brother, so that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Well, let’s go and get something to eat, and you can tell me what you’ve been doing for the last two and a half years!” Weston said, clapping Henry on the shoulder as they left their club.