by Rosie Wynter
“Yes. Yes, I did,” Rosalie answered eagerly.
Claire nodded. “Excellent. As near as I can tell, it was Dr. Farrell himself who helped deliver the infant. The child was even born in his home, if you can believe it.”
Rosalie clapped her hands and then hugged her sister tightly. “You are a wonder, Claire, you really are.” As she drew away from her, Rosalie bit her lip as she considered their next move. “But where do we go from here? I put so much time into considering how to learn the name of Mr Farrell’s mysterious woman that I scarcely even put a thought into what we should do after we discovered it.”
Claire’s smile held, and her chest seemed to swell with even greater pride. “I believe that should not be too great a problem. I was most thorough when looking through the records. After finding Harriet Donne’s birth, it occurred to me to check the register of deaths, too. As grim as it may be to say, her father’s death was a boon for our endeavour as the register of deaths also records home parishes for the deceased and gives Mr Donne’s home address outside of London. Assuming that the Donne family still live in that part of the country, it is possible that we will either find Harriet or else suitable directions to her location from there.”
Rosalie was awestruck by her sister’s attention to detail, and she hugged Claire once again. As she held her tightly, she spoke into her ear. “So where does Harriet live, exactly?”
Claire took a step back. “That is the best news of all. Their family home is in a small Sussex village, not more than ten miles out from Lord Wareham’s estate, I should think.”
Rosalie could hardly believe her ears. That the person with all the answers to her questions regarding Mr Farrell should live so close to her fiancé’s estate was a coincidence that bordered on the miraculous. “That is incredible. About the only thing I can think would account for such a stroke of fate is that Mr Farrell’s family were once close to Lord Wareham. It is conceivable that old Dr. Farrell sourced his steward with help from Wareham’s father.”
Claire shrugged. “Difficult to say, and not important to your overall purpose. If you want to find out the truth of Mr Farrell’s past from this woman, we must now consider how we are going to spirit you away from Lord Wareham’s estate without his knowing. We must also consider just how you intend to approach her, should you be fortunate enough to find her there.”
Rosalie tried to rein in her excitement and nodded, as she once again committed herself to her purpose. “You are right. For now, the best we can do is get back before we are greatly missed. I do not think our excursion here was noted by anyone, but it is best if we do not tarry here.”
After having secured what they needed to find Mr Farrell’s mysterious servant, there was nothing to be done but to await the journey down to Lord Wareham’s estate in Sussex.
All three sisters were forced to show politeness towards Lord Wareham and to behave externally as though nothing at all were wrong. There could be no indication that Rosalie had doubts regarding her engagement to the man, nor that she was looking for proof to exonerate Mr Farrell from his crimes so that she might be permitted to transfer all of her affection to him, as she so desperately wished to do.
The three of them bided their time. Grace was able to demonstrate to both Rosalie and Claire Lord Wareham’s worrisome tendency towards overfamiliarity and his flirtatious manners in a way which settled, once and for all in Rosalie’s mind, her feelings for the man. Despite his promises to her and his belief that he was doing nothing wrong, he seemed incapable of changing his stripes. With Grace, he was very liberal with his compliments, and on more than one occasion, actually tried to talk to her in some measure of privacy. He did not seem to realise that all he said to her was being faithfully relayed to her sisters, and his unguarded comments to her were not at all pleasing for Rosalie to hear. She determined that, regardless of the outcome of her meeting with Harriet Donne, her relationship with the Marquess would have to end. She could not permit herself to marry a man who seemed unable to devote himself fully to her and who seemed to justify his behaviour by the fact that he had never been caught doing anything wrong in society’s eyes. It would be a blow for her parents and would likely see an end to the patronage she had received from Lady Lynch, but that did not matter. As long as her sisters continued to love and support her, Rosalie was willing to defy anyone and everyone in pursuit of her own happiness.
When the Curtis family took the journey down to Sussex and the seat of Lord Wareham’s father, Rosalie was forced to take the journey in her fiancé’s carriage unaccompanied. Lord Wareham was once again attentive to her and traded the kind of pleasing words and comments that had once drawn Rosalie to him. Throughout the journey, she listened to those words and considered how they all seemed so rehearsed and generic in quality. She had never noticed it before, but she could see now how his compliments on her wit or her beauty could be so easily applied to any girl. She wondered, privately, if he could even give specifics or evidence to support the praise he gave her. She did not care to test her theory. Rosalie had to accept that her heart and mind belonged to another man, and there was little point to her trying now to admonish Lord Wareham for his ways. After all, was not her crime as bad as his? She was now travelling to Wareham’s home to meet with his parents, on the pretence of becoming family to them, knowing full well that she fully intended to reject him. Were it not for the simple fact that Lord Wareham coincidentally lived very close to the mysterious Harriet Donne, she would have been sure to have broken off the engagement ahead of this visit.
When, at last, Rosalie arrived at Lord Wareham’s family estate, she could not help but chuckle privately to herself at the sight. She remembered how repulsed she had been when she had seen the home of the other lord, and she had despaired at how garish the homes of rich landowners could be. Lord Wareham’s home was no different – far too grand, far too many rooms, the gardens far too neatly tended. As she looked on the property, Rosalie was somewhat pleased to consider that she was not at all sorry that she could not be mistress of this home. Beyond the house itself, Rosalie found herself less than enamoured with Lord Wareham’s father, the Duke of Oakham. The man had a most lecherous quality about him and, unlike his son, did not have the silver tongue or good looks that made such an attitude slightly more bearable. As Rosalie observed the man, she found him to be an absolute terror to the female staff in his home, and she reflected that Wareham’s habit of flirtatiousness had to come from watching and learning the behaviour of his own father. It allowed her to feel a little more sympathy for the man she would have to let down, but not enough to change her mind on the subject.
At dinner that night, Wareham’s father made an interesting and revelatory speech to mark the happy occasion of his meeting Rosalie. The old man rose from his chair somewhat awkwardly. He had quite a paunch and seemed a little unsteady on his feet, something Rosalie suspected stemmed from his having drunk whiskey since they had sat down at the table. The man did not have much hair, but he ran his hand through the few fine off-white strands as he cleared his throat.
“Well, friends, I must say I am delighted to have you here in my home at last and to know that my son is finally marrying.”
Lord Wareham seemed to shift his weight uncomfortably in his chair and pursed his lips. He seemed anxious to speak, or rather to prevent his father from speaking. However, he could not interrupt the man and so was forced to quietly endure this moment.
“In some small way,” the man continued, “I like to think I am responsible for bringing about this happy union. It feels like only the other day that I took my son aside and said to him firmly, ‘You must get yourself a wife. You can have no more of this dillydallying between women. Yet another season in London has gone by and you have once again allowed every eligible young girl to slip through your fingers. I told him straight that he had to put the pleasures of bachelorhood behind him and to stop tormenting all those poor young women who so desperately clamoured for his attention. I am so please
d you have taken my words to heart, boy, and that I did not have to cut off your allowance in order to make you do the right thing.”
The assembly seemed positively embarrassed by what they were hearing, and no one seemed able to look at anyone else directly for a moment. The women blushed, Mrs Curtis pursing her lips and giving her sister a pointed and disapproving look. For perhaps the first time, Lady Lynch seemed at a loss for words and unable to save the conversation through her usual clever banter and quick wit. All she could do was laugh awkwardly, to try and excuse the duke’s comments as some kind of joke or exaggeration. Rosalie, however, could well believe the duke when he said he had implied he might cut off his son were he not to choose a wife. It gave an answer to that puzzling question of why Lord Wareham had been so eager to ask for Rosalie’s hand when other women far better than her had failed to gain his interest in the past. It was not that she had any special quality the man coveted. Rosalie was simply the first woman to come along that attracted his interest after his father had laid down his ultimatum. It seemed as though Lady Lynch had been right all along: the best time to go down to London and attract a husband was out of season. It had ensured that when the Marquess was forced to seek a wife, Rosalie was unfortunate enough to be the only woman around.
Once the duke had finished giving his insensitive and embarrassing speech, the company was relieved to take their meal. Stilted conversations began to flow and with the utmost politeness. Everyone at the table seemed eager to pretend that nothing untoward had been spoken and to act as if they were all having a wonderful and pleasurable evening as new family.
It was as the hour grew very late, and Rosalie was retiring to her room, that she was stopped in the corridor by her aunt. Lady Lynch was dressed for bed and, without her usual make-up and adornments, looked surprisingly brittle and weathered. She wore a somewhat guilty expression on her face and her usually proud eyes did not meet those of her niece. Rosalie was unable to smile as she approached the woman. She did not even offer her a greeting. Instead, she waited for Lady Lynch to speak her piece.
“No doubt tonight must have been taxing for you. The duke’s words were… unfortunate, to say the least. Please remember, however, the man had been drinking, and I’m sure he would not have said such things were he in a state of full sobriety.” Lady Lynch tried to offer an encouraging smile. Even with all her artifice, she was unable to make it look sincere.
Rosalie let out a sigh. She could not tell her aunt all that she had planned with her sisters. She knew that Lady Lynch could never approve of her still holding feelings for Mr Farrell or wanting to clear his name. Even so, she knew her aunt had done what she had thought best for her, and she owed it to the woman to be honest regarding her feelings, at least as concerned the Marquess. “I know you mean well, Aunt. I know you brought me up to London in order to help me find a man you believe I deserve. It is honestly touching that you have done so much for me and wish to see me marry as well as you did. But I’m not made for your society. I do not like these grand houses. I do not like choosing friends according to their status and prioritising them according to their wealth. This world you have brought me into... it is your world, not mine. Although I truly appreciate all you have done for me, it is not the kind of world I wish to live in.”
Lady Lynch seemed to tremble, as though cold. Her bright-blue eyes were clouded from tears that had not been permitted to spill, and her lip quivered as the faux smile she wore slipped away. Rosalie was not sure what kind of admonishment she would receive for her words and was braced for the worst. She was relieved and surprised when her aunt reached out a hand and stroked Rosalie’s cheek in a tender manner. “You really are a piece of work, my dear. When I first met you, I felt certain that your inability to find a husband after two seasons stemmed from your mother’s inability to connect you to the right people, or else it was the fault of your own shy manner. I see now there’s nothing shy in you at all. You merely have your own vision for your future, which you quietly work towards. I will not pretend I understand it or endorse it, but I must accept that I cannot control it. You really are my niece, after all. When I was your age, I knew exactly what I wanted and that was to become a true lady of society. Nothing was going to deter me from that, not my humble birth nor the expectation that society put on me. I believe no one can deter you from your chosen path, either.”
As always, Lady Lynch had proved herself a master of reading others and seemed to know that Rosalie’s heart had left the Marquess. Rosalie could not help but wonder just how much else her aunt had guessed or discovered for herself. Perhaps she knew full well that Rosalie’s heart was still with Mr Farrell. Whatever the truth, she was surrendering her control of the situation. She was not giving her blessing to Rosalie’s decision but allowing her to make it, all the same.
Rosalie took a deep breath and drew closer to her aunt, hugging her warmly for perhaps the first time. “I do not know if this will mean much, considering everything that has happened, but I am glad we have had this time together and that you have become more than the shadowy woman my mother always refused to speak of.”
As Lady Lynch returned the embrace, Rosalie could feel the tears falling from the woman’s eyes and on to her shoulder. “It means a lot,” she said. “Having no daughters of my own, you and your sisters are the most precious things in the world to me. I suppose I’m still learning how, but helping the three of you find happiness is my greatest joy. If that means my own name and standing must take a few hard knocks, then so be it.”
Rosalie drew back from her aunt, her own expression turning guilty now. “I suppose my refusing the Marquess will seem somewhat impudent of me. I really do not wish to have your name tarnished, nor to have you or my sisters suffer for it in the future.”
Lady Lynch smiled again, seeming to regain once more her proud and confident demeanour. She straightened up and lifted her chin. “My dear girl, I will have you know my good behaviour and hard work down the years has made me an almost indispensable part of London society. If they were to throw me out now, they would create a void in their parties and soirées that they could never adequately fill again. I am confident that whatever you choose to do, I will be forgiven for it. I am sure I can use some of that goodwill to aid your sisters in the future, too.” The woman turned then and began to walk up the corridor towards her room, but stopped once and looked back. “I’ve noticed for some days now that your feelings for the Marquess have cooled. Just why have you waited until now to make your decision on the matter?”
After their tender moment of honesty, Rosalie wondered if she should tell her aunt exactly why she had decided to come up to Sussex. She took a deep breath and then shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I wished to see just what I would be losing were I to turn Lord Wareham down. I know there are advantages to marrying into wealth, and there was always the possibility that I would find myself liking his family and home.”
Lady Lynch chuckled. “Well, the duke is certainly a difficult man to come to know. A friendly word of advice: if you are intent on withdrawing your acceptance of Wareham’s proposal, I would not do it here in this house.” With that last piece of advice given, Lady Lynch withdrew up the corridor.
CHAPTER 25
It was at breakfast the next morning that Grace instigated the next phase of their plan to find the elusive Harriet Donne. As the company took breakfast quietly, each one seeming eager to ignore Wareham’s father, who was obviously suffering the effects of too much fine whisky and wine, Grace quietly suggested that she wished to see the neighbouring town and perhaps do some shopping while she was there. Mrs Curtis seemed reluctant to agree to the idea at first, declaring that there was no time for such frivolities when there was a wedding to be planned. However, Lady Lynch proved useful at that moment, as she suggested that the girls be allowed some time to themselves and to become better acquainted with the area that would be their home for much of the year, in future. Once again, Rosalie found it impossible to tell if her a
unt knew just what she and her two sisters were planning. It was possible that the woman believed their eagerness to escape the house came only from a desire to put some distance between themselves and Lord Wareham, perhaps to help Rosalie prepare for the arduous task of breaking off her engagement when the time finally came.
The Marquess himself seemed somewhat dismayed at losing both his fiancé and her two sisters for the day. He even suggested that he might join them on their expedition and give the three of them a proper tour of the area. This reasonable request panicked Rosalie as she tried to think of some plausible reason to reject it. However, clever and resourceful Grace was able to keep the man at bay by suggesting the three of them wanted time together, alone, as sisters before Rosalie was snatched from their side. Wareham assured them he had no intention of stealing Rosalie from them but withdrew his offer of companionship, after extorting a promise from Grace that he could accompany them on their travels the next day.
The three girls took the journey into the village in Lady Lynch’s carriage, and as soon as they stepped out, at the entrance to the parish church, Claire was quick to give Rosalie the directions she had found to the Donne family home. Rosalie carefully memorised the route and then walked off alone, leaving her sisters to enjoy what pleasures they could in the village. Both Grace and Claire had offered to go with her all the way, and to support her when at last she confronted Harriet. Rosalie, however, would not have it. She did not know if this meeting would give her everything she wished to know regarding Mr Farrell and his past, but she felt very strongly that it was something she had to hear by herself. Certainly, if her faith in the man had been misplaced and all that was whispered about him were true, she did not wish to endure the embarrassment of having her sisters there to hear it.