by Vikki Vaught
The next morning, Henry went to Lady Helton’s and found out that she was out of town and was not expected back for another two months. Her butler mentioned that she was on extended trip to the continent. He then went on to Lady Hastings, but she was not at home and would not be back for the rest of the day, but at least she was in town. After that, he then went to see his solicitor, because he needed to send funds to Father Francis so he could pay him back. His solicitor was in his office, so his clerk immediately showed him in. Mr. Cook looked up as Henry walked in and he said, “My lord! How can this be?”
Henry told him what had happened over the last three years, and then he said, “I need to send some money to Father Francis.” Henry handed him a slip of paper with the pertinent information on it, then asked, “When was the last time you heard from my wife?”
Mr. Cook nervously replied, “I haven’t heard from her at all, my lord. In fact, she never used any of her allowance since before you died. After you ah … supposedly died, I wrote to her at her parents’ house, but I never received any answer. Things were quite confusing, since it appeared that you had died without a will. All your assets were frozen for several months. Once everything was cleared up, I wrote her again, but I never received a response then either. Now that you are back, it will take a few days to get your funds released back to you. Your investments have continued to grow and I know you’ll be quite pleased, my lord.”
Henry said, “Well, I’m pleased hear about my investments, but I’m extremely disappointed that you didn’t try harder to contact my wife. I expect a full accounting of all my assets immediately.”
Mr. Cook went to his filing cabinet, pulled out a file and handed it to Henry, and then he said, “Everything is in here, my lord. Again, I am so sorry that I did not get in touch with your wife.”
All of this concerned Henry greatly, since he knew Melody’s parents were not well off. Why would she quit getting her allowance? Why did she not answer Mr. Cook’s letters? Well, hopefully Susan would be able to tell him what was going on with Melody. He would go to see her first thing in the morning.
When he arrived back at Sanderford House, there was a messenger from Sanderford Park. His father had had a heart attack! His mother needed him to come home immediately.
He thanked God; the weather was fair, and Henry made it to Sanderford Park in record time. He dashed up the stairs and rushed into the house. Simpson was at the door and informed Henry that her grace was upstairs with his father. He took the stairs, two at a time, and went to his father’s chamber. He entered and found his mother beside his father’s bed. His father was just lying there, not moving, and his eyes were closed. His mother stood up and motioned for Henry to step out of the room with her.
The duchess looked exhausted as she said, “Henry, your father’s condition is very grave. His doctor says he is in danger of having another heart attack at any time. He has been calling for you, but he is resting right now, so please do not wake him. Go sit with him so you can talk when he wakes up. I need to go freshen up, since I have not left his side for the last twenty-four hours.”
“Please, Mother, go and get some rest. You need to keep up your strength. You look very tired. Where are Helen and Kathryn?” Henry asked as he glanced back at his father through the crack in the door. His father looked diminished, much smaller than he usually looked and much older. He had deep lines all over his face with dark circles under his eyes. Henry was shocked to see the change in his father in just a few days.
His mother sighed deeply and replied, “I sent them to bed hours ago. They were exhausted. I will rest for a little while. Come and get me if there is any change with your father.”
Henry went back to sit by his father, and all through the night, he prayed for him. He finally woke up the next morning, but he was too weak to talk. Henry told his father that he would be there whenever he was up to talking. His father fell back to sleep, and Henry continued to watch over him. His mother came in and told Henry to go get some rest and that she would sit with his father. Everyone took turns sitting with him, but he never woke up again. The seventh Duke of Sanderford passed away on April 5.
His funeral was held two days later. Many of the ton and all of the tenant farmers and villagers attended his funeral, and he was entombed in the family mausoleum beside his son. Henry was now the eighth Duke of Sanderford.
He spent the next fortnight going over everything to do with the ducal holdings with Stallings his father’s secretary. Henry was relieved to find that all the holdings were in excellent condition. He was grateful for the time he had spent with his father when he first came home. He was much more aware of the magnitude of all the ducal holdings than he would have been if he had not had that time. Henry’s mother and sisters were devastated over the loss of his father and Nelson. He did not have time to grieve because he had so much to do. He needed to travel to all the ducal holdings. Again, he was delayed in going to Melody.
It took Henry three weeks to visit all of his properties. He could not get used to being addressed as his grace. He never expected that he would have to take on the responsibilities of the dukedom. He finally made it to Doncaster, where he now owned Doncaster Stables. He saved it for last, since it was the property closest to Lincolnshire where Melody’s home was.
It was now the middle of May, and finally he was able to go to Lincolnshire to get Melody. The rains made travel excruciatingly slow. It took him twelve hours to get to Little Smythington. It was much too late to go to Melody’s house by the time he arrived there, so he spent the night at the local coaching inn. Henry had a difficult time sleeping even though he was exhausted. He kept replaying his reunion with Melody. He knew she would be shocked to see him alive. He could not wait to hold her in his arms. He finally fell asleep around three in the morning, but he dreamed that Melody did not want to see him, so needless to say, he was very anxious by morning. Henry arrived at her home the following morning, only to find out that Melody’s parents had died in the spring of 1816. The new vicar did not know where Melody had gone. All he remembered was that she had moved to a small cottage on the edge of town. Henry remembered that Susan’s family lived in the village, so he went there to see if they knew where Melody was living. Susan’s mother was amazed when she saw Henry. She could not believe that he was alive. She was very guarded about Melody, but finally she gave him an address for her, and she was now living in Doncaster! God, how frustrating! Now he had to go back to Doncaster, and he had just left there! Could his life get any more complicated!
Henry headed back to Doncaster, but, at least, this time, the weather cooperated, and he made it back to the Doncaster Stables in eight hours. At this point, he would need to wait until morning to go see Melody, so he went to bed. Again, he had a hard time sleeping, for all of his dreams were very erotic, and he woke up fully aroused. It was so painful that he had to relieve himself, which was not very satisfying, but at least he was no longer in pain. After breakfast, he left to find Melody’s house. Her house was on the edge of town, and it was a pretty cottage, but the yard was overgrown, and over all, it had an unkempt look about it. He went and knocked on the door. An older woman answered, and she had two small children with her: a beautiful little girl, who looked to be around two or three years old, and a boy child under a year.
Henry looked at her with trepidation and asked, “May I speak to Lady Montgomery, please.”
The woman looked exasperated as she said, “There’s no Lady Montgomery that lives here, only Mrs. Foster, and she’s very ill. I don’t have time to talk to you, so good day!” Then the older woman began to shut the door.
Henry put his foot in the door to keep it from closing as he yelled, “Wait, I know that Melody lives here, and I demand to see her at once!”
With a shocked expression on her face, she said, “Who are you to be demanding to see my mistress! She’s extremely ill and can’t see anyone. Who are you anyway?”
Henry folded his arms and said, “So Melody doe
s live here. Take me to her at once! I’m the Duke of Sanderford, and Melody is my wife. You will not keep me from her!”
The woman immediately curtsied and replied, “I’m so sorry, your grace, please come in.” The woman took him into the parlor, and she said, “Please take a seat. I’ll be back in a moment.” Then as she turned to leave the room she added, “I’m Mrs. Worth, by the way. It’s an honor to meet you, your grace,” and then she hurried away.
Henry started pacing and decided to follow Mrs. Worth. He went up the stairs and saw Millie coming out of a room at the end of the hall. Millie looked at him with an astonished look on her face, and then her face grew pale as Henry demanded, “Take me to Melody now! Mrs. Worth called her Mrs. Foster, and I want to know what is going on, right now!”
As Millie took a deep breath, she said, “My lord, we were told you were dead! Oh my goodness, how can this be? Your wife is very ill. I’ll take you to her at once.”
She opened the door to allow Henry to enter the room. He looked over at the bed and saw Melody lying there. She was so thin that he almost did not recognize her. Her beautiful hair was dull, and she had dark circles under her lovely eyes. He was extremely concerned when he saw her and he asked, “What’s wrong with her?”
Millie hesitantly answered, “The doctor says she has influenza, and she has been like this for several days. I can’t seem to get her fever down, and she can’t keep anything in her stomach. She loses everything I try to give her. I’m frightened for her life!”
Henry rushed over to Melody’s bedside and felt how hot she was. He immediately demanded some cool water and towels. He started bathing her in the cool water to try to bring her fever down. Millie told Henry that she had to go check on the children.
Henry was curious about these children, but he would worry about that later. Melody opened her eyes, looked at Henry, and started crying. Henry gathered her into his arms and told her that everything would be all right. She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. He continued to bathe her with the cool water to get her fever to break. Millie entered the room, and he asked, “When was the last time the doctor came to examine my wife?”
“He should be here soon. He comes by every morning to check on her, and he leaves us some medicine for her. In fact, we thought you were the doctor when you knocked on the door.” As Millie said this, there was a knock on the door downstairs, and shortly after, Mrs. Worth showed the doctor into the room.
Henry turned to the doctor and urgently said, “Do something for my wife. Surely, there’s something that we can do, besides just bathe her with cool water. Help me here, Doctor. I can’t lose her after having found her again.”
“It is in God’s hands now. All you can do is keep giving her the medicine and hope for the best. Who are you, by the way? And how are you married to Mrs. Foster?” the doctor asked.
“I’m Henry Montgomery, the Duke of Sanderford, and I’ve been her husband for almost four years. Why are you calling my wife Mrs. Foster?” demanded Henry, getting angry and wondering what was going on.
The doctor became very flustered as he bowed and said, “I am sorry, your grace, but I have known your wife for quite some time as Mrs. Foster. I treated her late husband when he passed away a couple of months ago. I … I do not understand. How is she your wife?”
Henry was stunned with what the doctor had just told him. He could not grasp the fact that Melody had remarried.
Millie entered the room and tried to explain to the doctor, “Mrs. Foster was married to this gentleman, but then she was told he had been killed at Waterloo. She moved back home with her parents. She found out she was with child after she got to her parents’ house.” Millie turned to Henry and continued, “My lord, she was devastated by your death. We were afraid that she would lose the baby. She was that upset. Her mother nursed her back to health, and she was able to keep the child. Your wife gave birth to your daughter on January 5, 1816, and then her parents died that spring from influenza.”
Henry interrupted and asked, “But how did she become Mrs. Foster? Surely she didn’t forget about me so quickly.”
“After her parents died, she was left with no place to live and barely any money. She had no choice but to remarry or starve,” Millie explained.
“That is simply not true! She could have contacted my parents! She would have inherited everything I owned, upon my death! My god, she was my wife, for Christ’s sake. Why didn’t she go to them or answer my solicitor’s letters?” In an agitated state, Henry began to pace back and forth.
Millie fearfully replied, “I don’t know the answer to that, my lord, but I’m sure that she had her reasons. She married Mr. Foster in the fall of 1816, and they moved here to Doncaster, where he had a teaching post. That little girl downstairs is your daughter, Mary Elizabeth, and she’s two and a half years old.”
Melody groaned, and they all looked over at her. Henry rushed to her bedside and felt her forehead. It was dampened with sweat and felt cool. Her fever had broken.
“Thank God, her fever has broken. Doctor, do you think she’ll be all right?” he asked as he looked over at him.
“She should be fine now that the fever has broken. Just get her to take plenty of fluids, and give her some gruel. And whatever you do, make sure she stays calm. She is sleeping now and will probably sleep for quite some time. I recommend that you continue your discussion downstairs so that your wife can get her rest, your grace,” the doctor replied.
Millie stayed with Melody while Henry escorted the doctor out. After the doctor left, he went to find Mrs. Worth. She was in the kitchen watching the children. He looked at the little girl and was amazed at how much she looked like Helen. There was no doubt that this was his child. Henry turned to Mrs. Worth and asked, “Could you go relieve Millie and ask her to come here? I’ll watch the children while you’re gone.”
“Of course, your grace, I’ll go get her for you right now.” Mrs. Worth curtsied and left the room.
Henry kneeled down in front of his daughter and said, “Hello, sweetheart. I know you don’t know me, but I’m your father, and you look just like your aunt Helen. May I give you a hug?”
Mary Elizabeth looked at him with her startling blue eyes and started to cry. “You not my papa! My papa go to angewls. Mama tolded me!”
Henry was at a loss; he did not know what to say to his daughter. Obviously, she had looked at Mr. Foster as her father. Lord, what a tangle this was!
Millie hesitantly entered the kitchen and curtsied as she asked, “I understand that you’re now the Duke of Sanderford. If I may ask your grace, how did you become the duke?”
With irritation in his voice, he replied, “My brother passed away in March, and then my father died on April 5, so that’s how I became the duke. When did Melody meet Mr. Foster?”
With great trepidation, she quietly said, “I believe that she had known Mr. Foster all her life. They were childhood friends, your grace.”
Henry thought a minute and then asked, “What was Mr. Foster’s full name?”
“Mr. Brandon Alton Foster III and she started seeing him the winter after your daughter was born, your grace. He helped her find a place to live when she had to move after her parents died. He would come by a couple times a week to check on Lady Montgomery. By the end of that summer, your wife was very concerned about finding money to make ends meet,” Millie said, as she looked at him with fear in her eyes. “Mr. Foster had just accepted a position here in Doncaster. He asked her to marry him and come with him. I do know that she seemed relieved when he asked. I think she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to survive and raise Mary Elizabeth, so she married Mr. Foster.”
Henry looked very angry, and, in frustration, ran his fingers through his hair. “That is just nonsense! She should have gone to my family. She had no reason to be afraid. They would have made sure she was well taken care of, her and my daughter. She never even wrote them and told them about the child. What could she have been thinking!”
> In a trembling voice, Millie replied, “Your grace, as I said before, she must have had her reasons. I’m sure she’ll share those with you, once she’s feeling better.”
“Well, I guess I’ll have to wait to find out more. As you have said, she must have thought she had a good reason for not contacting my family. Thank you, for telling me all this, you have been very helpful. Can you watch the children, while I go up to my wife?” Henry tried to modulate his tone because he realized that he was scaring Millie and none of this was her fault. As difficult as it was, he would just have to wait for answers, until Melody was feeling better.
“Certainly, your grace,” Millie replied. “It’s time for them to take a nap anyway.”
CHAPTER 17
May 1818
MELODY SLEPT THROUGH the night, and Henry stayed by her side. The next morning she woke up, and when she saw Henry, she looked at him and whispered, “I must have died and gone to heaven, because how can you be here with me any other way.”
Henry looked at her and said, “Obviously the reports of my death were false. I’m very much alive. I’ll explain it all later. We just need to concentrate on you getting well. You have been very ill, and you need to start eating, so you can gain your strength back. I’ve never seen you so thin. Let me get you something to eat. I’ll be right back.” Melody started to cry. Henry sat down beside her and put his arm around her. “It’s all right, my love, please don’t cry. You know I can’t stand it when you cry. I’m back, and I’ll take care of you. Sweetheart, I’m going to go get you some food now, but I’ll be right back. Just rest until I return, all right?” Then Henry left the room. He returned in a few minutes, and Mrs. Worth was with him. She had some porridge, and Henry fed it to her. Melody kept looking at Henry as if she were seeing a ghost. How could Henry be alive? Where had he been for the last three years? Oh, if only she were not so weak, she would make him tell her.