by Vikki Vaught
The houseguests began to arrive, and the first person to get there was Aunt Miriam. Melody was so pleased she was able to come that she started crying and rushed into her aunt’s loving arms. “Oh my darling girl, I’m so happy to see you again. It’s been far too long. My goodness, how slim you are! Have you been taking care of yourself?”
Melody was thrilled to see her aunt again. It had been far too long indeed. She smiled and said, “I lost quite a bit of weight when I was ill last spring, but believe me I’ve put enough of it back on again. I’m sure that by the time the Christmas holiday ends, I’ll have gained it all back! I’m so happy you were able to come. We must make time to catch up on everything, and I want to hear all about your travels. Come with me, and I’ll show you to your room, so you can freshen up.”
Melody took her aunt to the rose bedchamber but could not linger and chat, because other guests would be arriving soon. By the time Melody made it back downstairs, some of the family was already arriving. Thank goodness for Helen and Kathryn. They helped Melody with the names of all the family, since she had only met most of them once at Christmas four years ago. She did surprise herself, for she remembered them better than she expected. Henry was gracious as always and was a tremendous help. By teatime, most of the family had arrived that would be staying in residence.
Everyone met in the drawing room at four o’clock for tea. Melody was extremely nervous about serving tea to so many people, and Henry’s mother refused to help her. Once she got started, she was fine, and soon everyone was chatting and drinking their tea. The footmen were there to replenish the sandwiches and biscuits, so that they did not run out. Henry came over to her and kissed her on the cheek as he said, “My dear, I’m so proud of you. You’re every bit as gracious of a hostess as I knew you would be. Let me know if there’s anything you need me to do.” This thrilled Melody and helped to boost her sense of self greatly. After tea ended, everyone adjourned to his or her room to get ready for dinner.
Melody took Aunt Miriam up to the nursery so she could meet the children. This was the first time her aunt had ever seen them. The children were shy, but soon they had warmed up to her aunt, and she had them giggling and smiling in no time. Then Melody and Aunt Miriam went to her sitting room so they could talk.
As they took a seat, Aunt Miriam said, “I’ve never been to Sanderford Park before, and it’s simply beautiful. I’m sure you enjoy living here. I know that we’ve been writing to each other, but there’s only so much one can put in a letter. How are you doing?”
Melody smiled over at her aunt as she replied, “I know what you really want to know about … How is my relationship with Henry? We’re not as close as we were before he went away. Aunt Miriam, he was so hurt that I got married when I thought he was dead. I’m not sure he can ever get over it and completely move past it. He hasn’t told me he loves me since we got back together. I feel so confused about it all, and I’m not sure how to get through to him. It’s wretched to love and feel that your love is not returned.”
Lady Helton looked at Melody as she said, “Melody, I think you’re wrong. If you could see the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching, then you would know that he loves you very much. Have you asked him if he loves you?”
Melody shook her head and said, “No, I’m afraid of the answer. I couldn’t bear to have him tell me no. I couldn’t stay with him if I knew he didn’t love me. I had thought about seeking a legal separation once I gave him an heir, but then I decided that I would fight for his love.”
“Good for you. Don’t give up on him. Just give him more time and make sure that he remembers all the reasons why he fell in love with you, to begin with,” she said.
“I love him too much to quit trying to gain back his love. My goodness, look at the time. We need to get ready for dinner.” Melody kissed her aunt’s cheek and then Aunt Miriam left to go back to her room.
Dinner went well. Conversation flowed freely, and there was much laughing and joking. Every course was superb, and she would make sure she let Cook know how much everyone enjoyed the dinner. It seemed so strange to be sitting at the end of the table, but Henry had insisted that it was her right, because she was his duchess and deserved to be treated as such. Melody stood up and led all the ladies out of the dining room, so the men could enjoy their port and cigars.
The gentlemen did not spend very long over their port and cigars, because they soon entered the drawing room. Melody noticed that Mary was mingling with the family, and it pleased her. Finally, she seemed to be doing much better at handling her grief. After thirty minutes, Melody ordered tea, and soon everyone was drinking their tea and conversation continued.
Henry came over to her and said, “You’ve done a splendid job of organizing all of this. I always knew you would be an excellent duchess.”
“I have to admit, it isn’t as difficult as I had expected. Of course, this is only family, not the ton. We’ll see how I handle all those stuffy matrons and the dragons of the ton that lord it over everyone, when we go to London in the spring.” Then thinking of Kathryn, she asked, “Have you noticed how quiet Kathryn has been this evening? She seemed to be coming out of her shell, but she’s withdrawn again. What do you think has changed?”
Henry looked frustrated, and she knew he was worried about Kathryn as he said, “I’ll try to get her alone and ask her if something is bothering her. She’s been so excited about getting to go to town in the spring for her come out, that I’m surprised she has crawled back into her shell. She appears to be watching the door as if she expects someone to arrive, but all the family is here in this room, so that can’t be it … Wait a minute! Uncle Theodore didn’t make it here today. He’s due to arrive tomorrow. Do you think that could be what’s causing her to be anxious? You know she’s afraid of him.”
“That could be it, Henry. She detests the man, and I don’t blame her. He’s a thoroughly unpleasant individual, and I wish we didn’t have to invite him. I understand that he’s your mother’s brother, but, nonetheless, I still wish we could have excluded him,” she said with a worried expression on her sweet face.
Several of the young people came over to Melody and asked if they could go to the ballroom and dance, and since Melody did not see a problem with it, they all moved to the ballroom. Mary offered to play so that everyone could dance. Soon, everyone was dancing and having a marvelous time. Before they knew it, it was time to end the evening, and everyone went upstairs to their rooms.
Uncle Theodore showed up the next afternoon, just as everyone was going to the drawing room for tea. Melody watched Kathryn, and it was obvious that she was extremely nervous. As soon as she saw her uncle, she immediately stiffened her body as if she were afraid of an attack. Melody looked for Henry and spied him over by the mantle in a discussion with his cousin Harold. She tried to get his attention, but was unsuccessful. Helen walked by, and Melody asked her to get Henry for her. Henry came over and asked, “You wanted me, my dear? Is there something that you need?”
“Kathryn is very anxious. As soon as your uncle walked into the room, she looked frightened to death. Henry, do you think he’s continued to bother her?” she asked. “Neither one of us have been here to make sure he behaved himself. Do you think he might have hurt her in someway? I know she’s been having nightmares recently, and I even found her sleepwalking again the other evening. I didn’t say anything to you about it, because Kathryn begged me not to.”
Henry looked over at Kathryn and said, “Last evening, I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t tell me. Maybe she’ll talk to you. I certainly hope he hasn’t done anything to her, because if he has hurt her in any way at all, he’s a dead man!”
The next morning, Melody went to Kathryn’s room to talk to her. “Are you all right, Kathryn? I noticed you became very anxious yesterday when Uncle Theodore arrived. Did he continue to bother you when Henry wasn’t here to protect you?”
Kathryn hesitantly answered, “It’s been difficult to
be around him each year. The Christmas after Henry supposedly died, he started trying to bother me again. I was able to get away from him and I told Nelson what had transpired, so Nelson had it out with him, and he hasn’t bothered me since. I’m just afraid he’ll try something, so I’m constantly on my guard when he’s around. I don’t want you and Henry to worry about me. I’ll come to you immediately if he so much as looks at me the wrong way. Thank you for being concerned, but I’ll be fine. I’ll just make sure that I’m never alone with him.”
Melody found Henry in the library and told him what Kathryn had said. He wanted to confront his uncle, but Melody convinced him to leave well enough alone, since Kathryn said he hadn’t bothered her since Nelson had handled it for her.
The party went off beautifully. Everyone danced, laughed, and had a good time. Helen practiced flirting with all her male cousins. She told Melody that she had to keep her skills sharp, since they would be going to town for the season in the spring. The next several days were exceptionally busy. There were games and activities everyday to entertain their guests. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, but Melody found it all very taxing on her nerves. Christmas day was enjoyable. Henry finally gave Melody the pearls, and she was thrilled with them. Melody turned around so Henry could put them on her, and they looked lovely against her creamy white skin. They had agreed to have another small party for New Years, just inviting a few of the neighbors along with the family.
The New Year’s party was a wonderful idea, and everyone was having a superb time as they all sang in the New Year together. Melody noticed that Kathryn was not in the room and went to look for her. She could not find her, so she asked Henry to look with her. They checked all the usual places downstairs, but she was not in any of those rooms. Melody had already checked to see if she had gone to her bedchamber, but she was not there either. They became very worried, especially when they realized that Uncle Theodore was also missing. They went upstairs to Theodore’s room, and as they approached, they heard what sounded like a muffled scream, and it was coming from Theodore’s room. Henry tried the door, but it was locked. He backed up and hit the door hard with all his weight and the door flew back. They rushed into the room and saw that Theodore had Kathryn pinned to the bed. Her gown was pushed up to her waist, and Theodore’s breeches were down around his ankles. Kathryn was trying to fight him off, but he was just too big. Henry grabbed his uncle and threw him against the wall. Theodore hit his head and fell to the floor. Kathryn was crying hysterically and shaking all over. Melody went to her and tried to help her cover up. Her gown had been ripped, shoved down to her waist, and her breasts were exposed. Henry grabbed his uncle and turned him over. He started to pound his fists into his face. Melody was afraid that Henry was going to kill him, so she yelled, “Henry, please stop. He’s not worth going to gaol over.” Through a blind haze of anger, Henry heard her and stopped hitting the bastard. Melody wrapped a blanket around Kathryn. Henry checked his uncle and found that he was still breathing. He walked out of the room, found a footman, and had him go get his cousin Harold, and then he walked back into the room. Harold arrived and could immediately see what had happened. He looked shocked, but agreed to make sure that Theodore did not try to leave. Henry gathered Kathryn in his arms and took her to her room. Melody went ahead and opened the door for him. He went into the room and lay Kathryn on her bed.
He turned to Melody and whispered, “Can you take care of Kathryn? I need to go back and make sure that bastard doesn’t get away.”
She nodded her head, and Henry left the room. Melody went over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Kathryn was sobbing, but she was no longer shaking. She placed her hand on Kathryn’s shoulder and asked, “Are you up to telling me what happened? How did he hurt you, Kathryn?”
Kathryn sat up and cried, “He … he … tried to rape me I think, but I kept kicking my legs, so I think … I kept him from doing it.”
Melody checked her for bruises, and she was mottled with them. They were all over her thighs, her breasts, and there were bruises on her arms, where it looked like he had grabbed her. Her nails were broken from where she had scratched at Theodore. There was no blood, so he had not penetrated her. She helped Kathryn take off her gown, found her night rail, and put it on her. She got Kathryn to lie down, and soon she cried herself to asleep. Henry returned, and Melody told him that his uncle had not finished the rape, because they had gotten there just in time.
“Thank God, I wanted to kill the bastard, but I knew I couldn’t do it. I’m so thankful that you noticed Kathryn was missing. I’ve tied him up so he can’t get away, and Harold is still guarding him. He assured me that he wouldn’t say anything, and I put the fear of God in the footman. He won’t be telling the maids or anyone else for that matter. He knows that not only would he lose his employment, but I would rip him apart. I don’t know how we’re going to keep this quiet, but we’ll manage some way.” Henry lowered his head and looked as if there was a thousand pounds resting on his shoulders. Melody wished there was something she could do to take some of this burden away, but she knew that only time would do that. Henry looked back up and said, “I need to go find Mother and tell her what has happened. I don’t know how she will react, because she has always thought Theodore was such an upstanding gentleman and could do no wrong. She may refuse to believe that he tried to rape Kathryn. Will you stay with her, in case she wakes up? I’ll go back down to the party, and if anyone asks where you or Kathryn are, I’ll tell them that Kathryn was feeling ill and you went to help. Then I’ll get Mother alone and tell her about this.”
Henry found his mother in the drawing room. She immediately started questioning him, wanting to know where they had gone. “Mother, we need to talk, but it can’t be here. We’ll go to my study so we can talk privately.” Henry found Helen and asked that she cover for them and that he would explain to her later what was going on. His mother followed him to his study. Henry asked her to sit down, and as he went and sat behind his desk, he said, “Mother, there has been an incident. I don’t know how to tell you this gently, but your brother just tried to rape Kathryn!”
The duchess looked furious as she said, “What do you mean? There is no way that he would ever do something like that. You must be mistaken. The silly gel is probably exaggerating.”
Henry looked at his mother with disgust on his face as he replied, “First of all, Kathryn is the most levelheaded young woman in the world. You know as well as I do, she doesn’t behave like a silly girl! There is no mistake. I had to break down the door to get into the room as he was trying to rape her. I pulled him off her, just before he could do it. Your daughter was hysterical. Her gown was in shreds, and she was covered with bruises. Melody was able to calm her down and get her to go to sleep. She’s still with her now.”
The duchess folded her arms and irately said, “I will not believe it. You are lying. You have never liked Theodore, and you are just trying to cause trouble!”
Henry jumped up out of his chair, sending it back a few feet, as he answered, “If you don’t believe me, go to Kathryn’s room and look at her arms and legs. I promise you it happened, and your daughter needs to have your support. This is going to be very difficult for her to deal with. I know that you love your brother, but you have never been able to see him realistically. Everyone knows he’s a ravaging old rogue. He’s had a terrible reputation for years, and the only reason he’s accepted anywhere is because he’s your brother. Now I strongly recommend you accept that this has indeed happened and help me figure out how to keep this from becoming a scandal. The only ones that know what he tried to do are Harold, your brother, Melody, and me … oh and the footman, Melvin. I’ve made sure that none of them will say anything, and we’ve come up with a story to cover up why your brother has to leave before the holidays are over. I’ve convinced him that he needs to go abroad and stay gone for a very long time. He’ll be leaving for the coast at daybreak.”
Henry’s mother sat down and
just stared out the window. It was clear that she was in a state of shock. He went to her and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she shrugged him off. Henry left her where she was and returned to the party. Helen wanted to know what was going on, but Henry told her he would tell her after everyone went to bed. Finally, the party broke up, and they all retired for the evening.
He found Helen curled up on the couch in the library. She looked up at him as he entered the room and asked, “What’s going on? Why did you, Melody, and Kathryn disappear, and then only you showed back up?”
Henry glanced over at her with sadness in his eyes as he answered, “Sweetheart, your uncle assaulted your sister’s person tonight. She’s all right, because Melody and I found them before he could hurt her.”
“What do you mean when you say … he assaulted her? Are you saying that he … he … raped her?” she cried. “How can you say she’s all right?”
Henry sadly shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Helen. “We got to him before he could complete the job. He didn’t rape her, but it was a near miss. If we had arrived a minute later, we would have been too late. Your sister has some bruises, and of course, she’s very distraught, but other than that, she will be fine. She’ll need your help while she recovers from this ordeal.”