by Lucy Langton
“I can’t go, Denver. This is my home. Why is this happening?” Catherine wept as the carriage rocked back and forth as it rolled across the lane.
“Shush now, Catherine. You must calm yourself or you’re going to be sick,” Denver said, coming to sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder for what felt like hours.
“I know that one day everything will be well. We’ll go home to Sedgwick Manor and you’ll see that things will get better,” Denver told her at one point.
“But I love him, Denver. He’s my husband and she is my daughter,” Catherine said, her body weak from all the crying.
“What are you talking about, Catherine? What daughter?” Denver asked.
“We have a daughter together,” she confessed. “He sent me away from my daughter.” She heard Denver gasp, but did not care if he knew their secret. And though Beth wasn’t from her womb, she would always consider her to be her own.
Chapter 19
Marcus wasn’t sure how much time had passed since his heart had begun to throb in pain. Had it been three hours, three days, or three weeks? As he sat in his study, a single candle lit on his desk and a glass of brandy in his hand, Marcus no longer cared. He just didn’t want to feel like this anymore. Yet, he didn’t know how to make all the pain go away. No matter how much he drank or the number of times he fainted from consumption, the pain really never went away.
He was barely aware of those around him any longer. He knew that Aunt Daniella remained at the manor, giving him comfort in knowing that Beth was being well cared for between the widow and the maids. He felt like he wasn’t needed any longer, that time would continue to go on without him. Yet, his mind never stopped racing and never stopped reliving the terrible moment when his perfect life had to crashed down around him.
By the time the ball guests had learned what had happened, Catherine was already gone with her brother, and Lord Whetstone had made a speedy departure as well. Marcus’ reputation had been tarnished by the spreading of the news from his home to Town. There was no doubt that the guests would take the news of his wife sleeping with another back to their townhouses and the social groups that they frequented.
Despite all his best efforts, his reputation and the family name had been ruined in the end after all. No amount of quick decisions or weeks spent hiding away in the country seemed to help him prevent what seemed to be the inevitable. He was doomed to be miserable the remainder of his life with no family to call his own. And though he wouldn’t divorce Catherine, he couldn’t stand to look at her or hear her lies anymore.
Marcus wasn’t sure what was happening, but suddenly an enormous amount of sunlight flooded his study, causing him to hunch over as the bright light stung his eyes. Marcus shielded his eyes with his hand as he tried to look around his study and determine what had happened to cause such pain.
That was when he saw Aunt Daniella coming to stand in front of his desk, her cane firmly in her hand as she wore a lovely dark blue gown. But the colour was lighter than the dark blues of her eyes as she stared down at him with displeasure clearly written upon her face.
“Enough of this, Marcus. You are making of fool of yourself, hiding away in your study day and night, drinking yourself to death. Do you really want to leave Beth parentless again?” she said, her voice just loud enough to cause his ears pain from all the drinking he had been doing.
“But if I do, Catherine will inherit all the wealth. Then the two of you could do as you please,” Marcus reasoned. He knocked back the rest of his drink and went to grab the bottle again, but Aunt Daniella was faster, even in her old age. She grabbed the bottle and threw it into the fireplace, sending shards of glass spraying across the wooden floors.
“You know, someone is going to have to clean that up,” Marcus said as he stared at the mess. “And I shall order for more brandy.”
“No more, Marcus. It’s time you get your head back on your shoulders and take care of your family,” Aunt Daniella said as she pounded her cane on the floor, the sound hurting his ears.
“What family?” Marcus asked as he stood, stumbling a bit as he grabbed onto the desk for support. “Catherine betrayed me, remember.”
“Oh yes, I remember how you sent away a scared girl who had no understanding of what had transpired. If you had taken the time to speak to your staff, like I had, you might have learned of another story.”
“I saw them with my own two eyes, Aunt Daniella. There is no covering that up,” Marcus said, his voice becoming weak. He was so tired of going over this again and again. He already spent too much time as it was chastising his own self. He didn’t need it from his aunt as well.
“If you wanted to sleep with a woman who refused you, how would you do it?” Lady Evergreen asked then.
“What do you mean? I would never do such a thing,” Marcus remarked.
“Indeed, you wouldn’t. But there are other men out there in the world. Dark, evil men who will stop at nothing to get what they want. My husband was very good at it,” she said, her voice becoming quite stern and strained.
“I suppose a man would need to use force, then,” Marcus replied.
“Catherine and I became very close during her time as my companion. We told each other all sorts of things. And what she had told me about Lord Whetstone is that he’d tried to force himself upon her once before. She thankfully was able to get away, and ruined his name when she told others why her gown had been slashed to pieces.”
Marcus stilled as he listened to his aunt. The idea of Catherine being forced upon didn’t settle well with him at all. But if this story was true, why would she be with the man willingly now? Especially when she had appeared so frightened of him.
“This still doesn’t explain how she ended up entangled with him in her bedchamber,” Marcus said next, wanting to find solace in another glass of brandy as he came around his desk and approached the buffet. He made sure to step over the glass as he did so.
“Mrs. Denton told me how Catherine’s lady’s maid discovered two small glasses in her room. One of the glasses had a ring of white powder on the edge. It’s clear to me that Catherine was poisoned and put into a compromising position.”
“So what? Catherine lets Lord Whetstone into her bedchamber for a night cap and falls prey to the man?” Marcus said, wondering if this was just a made-up story his aunt was saying simply to get him to take Catherine back.
“Or maybe she let in someone she trusted and knew, who in turn drugged her and left her to be vulnerable to someone else,” Lady Evergreen was quick to say.
“This all sounds like fiction. It’s quite a story, I will give you that much.” Marcus pulled another bottle of brandy off the wall and began to pour his next glass, thinking he would retire to his own bedchamber for the remainder of the day.
“It’s not a story, Marcus. And if you’d take the time to listen to your staff, you’d come to the same conclusion,” Lady Evergreen pressed, pounding her cane into the floor in frustration.
“Who would gain anything from doing something to Catherine? From drugging her so that Lord Whetstone could take advantage of her?” Marcus asked as he spun on his aunt, his frustration getting the better of him.
“Perhaps a man who needed a lot of money?” Lady Evergreen replied, her eyes narrowing at Marcus.
“What...could you possibly mean…” Marcus stuttered, fear leaping into his grief-stricken heart.
“Yes. I do mean the man you sent her away with. Her brother was penniless and desperate. God knows how Catherine has been cared for ever since,” Lady Evergreen explained. “Now, if I were you, I’d sober up quickly. You have a poor maiden to rescue.”
Lady Evergreen turned from him then and walked out of the room, leaving Marcus to reel in shock. Could it really be true? Did her brother sabotage his own sister for financial gain? After all, when a man’s coffers were empty, it could lead him to do all sorts of terrible things.
Marcus set his glass aside as he stepped out into the
hallway and yelled for Mr. Burg. The butler came scurrying out of the servant’s hall, quick to come to his command.
“Do you need another bottle, My Lord?” he asked quickly, seeming to even be afraid of the man. Marcus sighed, wondering what his staff now thought of the shadow of the man he once was.
“I need to be ready to travel as soon as possible. I wish to head to Sedgewick Manor at the soonest convenience,” Marcus said.
“My Lord, are you sure you’re able to travel?” Mr. Burg asked, perplexed.
“It’s important that I try my best to be ready, Mr. Burg. I think there has been a mistake and I must go to Lady Kingston now,” Marcus said, a weight of guilt settling on his shoulders to add to the pain that was already in his heart.
“Very well, My Lord. I’ll send for your valet at once. You’re going to need a thorough bath,” Mr. Burg said with a smile.
“See to it that it’s all taken care of,” Marcus said with a nod. He then turned and made his way towards his bedchamber, his footing unsteady as the brandy still swam through his veins. If there was any truth to what his aunt had just told him, then he would be quick to discover it.
~*~
Catherine stood at the bottom of the stairs in her childhood home, seeing that the marble floors had been polished that morning. The floors on the bottom level had been remodelled to fit the trends often seen in Town. It was another testament to the wealth her brother had been able to obtain through his latest business deals.
Now, he reassured her that not only were all his debts repaid, as well as to the money lenders, but that he finally had the extra funds to remodel the home they had grown up in.
“There is no point making additions to the house if the tenants are not well cared for,” she had told him the night before over dinner. “When was the last time you actually visited with them?”
“It is not my responsibility to know such things,” he had scoffed after drinking down the rest of his wine.
“If your tenants are not faring well, then they will not be able to pay their dues and taxes. When you maintain those families, you maintain your own wealth,” Catherine had said in hopes of reasoning with him.
“The wealth of the future is in industry, factories, and shipping. I shall fund my own voyage and become a very wealthy man.”
“But you don’t know anything about sailing or shipping products,” she exclaimed, feeling as though she was talking to a wall.
“That does not mean that I could not learn such things. After all, I seem to be doing well, it seems. Well enough to provide for you,” he said, pointing a finger at Catherine. That was when she pushed away from the table, no longer hungry or willing to speak to her brother. With his sudden wealth had come once more the drinking and quick temper. It often caused Catherine to fear for her future and what would become of her now that she was no longer living with her husband.
Catherine pushed the last night’s events from her mind as she carefully crossed through the entryway to the sitting room. She often liked to retire there because it had a lovely view of the gardens. Sometimes she could sit for hours, watching the flowers toss in the breeze. They would often remind her of Beth, and then her heart would constrict even more.
There had been times during the last few weeks where Catherine had sat down at the writing desk, just like her mother had when she was little, and she had written Marcus a dozen letters to say once more how she didn’t understand what had happened. But after picturing him in her mind and seeing the devastated look on his face, she had tossed each one away in frustration.
Most nights Catherine cried herself to sleep. She missed Marcus and yearned to hold Beth in her arms again. She didn’t know if Marcus would ever take her back again. Even in the country, she had received the news from Lady Evergreen of the rumours that had been circulated.
People said that she had seduced Lord Whetstone. Therefore, he had fallen into temptation, yet still had been able to marry the Duke’s daughter. Just the thought of the man caused Catherine to be filled with such anger that she often didn’t know what to do with herself.
Someone had entered the sitting room, but Catherine didn’t bother looking towards them. If it was her brother, she didn’t want to speak to him after what he had said last night. If it was one of his staff members, then she was certain that they had either come to clean or bring her a tea tray. All she knew for certain is that it wouldn’t concern her and therefore she felt no need to pull her eyes away from the flowers.
“A visitor has come for you, My Lady,” said the footman. Catherine looked towards the young man, her brows furrowing as she tried to reason who would want to pay her a visit. After all, she had a tarnished reputation.
“Who is it?” Catherine asked as she stood to her feet.
“The gentleman told me not to tell you, but asked if you would meet him outside,” the footman explained.
“Is it Lord Whetstone?” Catherine asked, fear coming through her at the thought of it.
“I assure you, My Lady, that it isn’t him,” the footman said, his voice comforting. Catherine sighed, feeling a bit of relief.
“Very well, then. Lead the way,” Catherine said, curious to know what man had come to see her when it would be absolutely scandalous for her to be seen with anybody besides her brother and her husband. And since she hadn’t received a single letter from him, she was sure it couldn’t be him. At least, that’s what she thought before she stepped outside into the gardens.
Chapter 20
Marcus didn’t think he could go through with all of this. He’d had his carriage prepared and had ridden through the night to finally confront Catherine about that dreadful night. He needed to know the truth after what his aunt had said to him. He needed to understand why Catherine would do such a thing, and perhaps learn something he didn’t quite understand in the process.
Marcus knew that he would be lying to himself if he said he no longer loved Catherine. His heart still yearned for her even though it was beaten with pain. He sometimes wished that when he woken up in the morning that it had all been a nightmare and instead, he would be waking up to Catherine in his arms. But now that his mornings had been filled with hopelessness, he knew he needed to have some sort of closure so that maybe he could move on with his life.
When Marcus had arrived at Sedgwick Manor, he had envisioned walking into the house and seeing Catherine with her brother. He would have asked for a private audience and finally heard from her own mouth what had transpired that night. But when he had pulled the cord by the door to signal that he had arrived, he had lost his nerve and instead asked to meet Catherine in the gardens.
Marcus turned when he heard someone coming towards him. He saw Catherine walking his way from the house, dressed in a crème coloured gown that fit her figure perfectly. Just like before, she was truly a vision of beauty and pose. As she drew near, he could see the sunlight glistening off her blonde hair, though her face was dark as though she hadn’t slept in a long time.
“Catherine,” Marcus said as she came to stand in front of him. “It is good to see you.” He hadn’t expected to say such things, but it was truly how he felt. It was as though a soothing balm had been placed over his heart by simply being in her presence.
“Hello, Marcus,” she replied. He saw the way her hands were clenched at her sides. She was no doubt surprised to see him after weeks of them being separated.
“Aunt Daniella told me a story that I had to discover the truth of,” Marcus said as he looked down at his hands. “She had spoken with Mrs. Denton, who said your lady’s maid discovered small glasses in your bedchamber. That one of them had a white substance on the rim. She thinks you may have been drugged that night.”
“Drugged by who?” Catherine asked, her voice soft. Marcus lifted his eyes to hers, seeing how her bright blue eyes were filled with surprise.
“Do you not remember?” he asked. “You must have let someone into your bedchamber after we had parted ways.”
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