by Lucy Langton
“I… I remember so little from that night,” Catherine said, her eyes trailing off as she looked towards a rose bush with very few blooms left at the end of summer.
“You must have shared a drink with ….” Marcus tried to say, but Catherine raised her hand so suddenly to stop him that he couldn’t disobey her.
“A toast,” she said, her eyes becoming wide as she focused back on Marcus. “Denver was in my room when I entered the bedchamber. He said that he wanted to share a toast with me.”
“Your brother? He was the one that drugged you?” Marcus asked, his fears becoming reality.
“Earlier that day, I had stumbled upon Denver and Lord Whetstone talking in the entryway. They had made some sort of deal, one that would result in all his debts being paid for by the earl,” Catherine explained.
“My God,” Marcus said, covering his mouth with his hand. He was shocked to discover the truth, but also felt the weight of his guilt settling further onto his body. Not only that he had not believed Catherine that she truly did not know how it all had happened, but also that he had sent her away to live with the man who had allowed Lord Whetstone to take advantage of her.
Catherine was standing very still, her eyes seeming to move past Marcus. She was clearly shocked from the realisation, perhaps just now remembering things she had forgotten because of the drug. She had been taken advantage of, he understood that now. She had been alone with a monster when she couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Guilt flooded Marcus as he closed the distance between them and wrapped Catherine in his arms, pulling her close and holding her tight. She began to weep in his arms, and all he could think to do was embrace her. Tears of his own slipped down his face because he had been foolish to ever let her go.
“I’m so sorry, Catherine. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” he mumbled into her hair as he kissed the top of his head. “I’ll make them pay, I promise.”
“Marcus, take me away from here, please. Take me home,” Catherine said as she pushed on his chest and looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I want to go home so badly.”
“Yes, my dear. Let’s depart at once. Think nothing for your things. I promise I will provide for anything that you are forced to leave behind,” Marcus said as he took her by the hand and led her around the house to where his carriage was waiting. He didn’t want to waste a second longer and to allow Catherine to remain at her brother’s home. He wasn’t sure what she had endured since they had parted, but he was sure that Catherine could explain it to him in the carriage ride home.
It was only when Catherine was sitting next to him in the carriage and the driver was guiding the horses down the lane that he felt like he was able to relax again. He kept a secure arm around Catherine, thinking they were quite lucky that Lord Hall hadn’t been announced to his arrival. By the time he discovered what had happened, Lord Hall would more than likely come looking for his sister if he truly cared about her.
“I never thought I would get to leave there again,” Catherine said after some time, the day passing away into the late afternoon.
“I’m so terribly sorry, Catherine. I was so foolish to have not believed you. It wasn’t until Aunt Daniella talked reason into me that I finally saw the truth,” Marcus said, looking down at Catherine and feeling a wave of self-hatred.
“I had forgotten about my brother being there that night. And to think I have been living in his home these last few weeks, so close to the man who had done all of this,” Catherine said, her voice sounding raw from all the crying she had done.
“Does this mean…that Lord Whetstone?” Marcus said, fearing to say the words out loud.
“The only thing he did was sleep in the same bed as me, Marcus. He didn’t force himself upon me. He said that I was spoiled goods,” Catherine explained tearfully, causing Marcus to relax. He was at least glad that the earl hadn’t tried to rape her while she lay vulnerable and exposed. Clearly, he had taken the time to strip her out of her clothes, but it appeared as though that was the only thing he had done to her body.
“As soon as we are home, I will write to the constable. I will make sure that neither Lord Hall nor Lord Whetstone will ever be able to hurt anyone ever again,” Marcus promised, trying to think what else he could do to make this whole thing up to Catherine.
He had been utterly foolish in not believing her when she had tried to tell him how she didn’t know how it had happened. His own pride and rage at seeing them together in bed had caused him not to believe the woman he loved and who he knew loved him in return. Marcus would do all that he could to make things up to her.
~*~
Catherine wasn’t quite convinced that what was happening was actually real. She had come to accept the fact that she was to live with her brother for the rest of her days since Marcus wouldn’t divorce her. She had lost hope that Marcus would believe anything she said and would have allowed her to return home.
The fact that he had travelled the distance to bring her home and beg for her forgiveness really hadn’t settled into her mind. It wasn’t until she was walking into the nursery once more that it all seemed to become real.
Mrs. Denton was holding Beth in her arms as the child seemed to be fascinated with the hanging potted plant whose vines flowed down so that she could feel them with her little hands. Catherine crossed the room in quick strides until she was at Mrs. Denton’s side, eager to hold Beth in her arms once more.
“Ah, here is Mama,” Mrs. Denton said in a cheerful voice as she handed Beth to her. “I tell her every day how much Mama misses her and can’t wait to be home again.”
“Thank you,” Catherine said in a weak voice as she felt tears of relief coming to her eyes. She cradled Beth in her arms, hugging her close as she giggled with happiness. The sound caused tears of joy to fall down her face as she held her daughter and relished in the feeling. Even if her relationship with Marcus never improved again, as long as she had Beth, she would be happy.
“It’s good to see you two together,” Marcus said as he came into the room. Catherine only looked towards him for a moment before settling her eyes on Beth once more.
“She has grown so much already,” Catherine commented, seeing how Beth could now hold her head up without help and felt much heavier than she did the last time she had held the child.
“I believe she will start crawling soon,” Mrs. Denton said with a chuckle. “I have already warned the staff that she will be roaming much easier in the coming months.”
“I can’t wait to see her walking,” Catherine exclaimed. Beth played with her fingers, placing them in her mouth as she made small noises. Her eyes remained on Catherine and she hoped beyond hope that Beth would still come to love her even though she’d been gone for so long.
Marcus came to stand next to her, and together they focused their attention on Beth. At one point, the child lifted her arms towards Marcus, and he accepted her into his arms. She squealed with delight as Marcus rocked her from side to side. Catherine thought it was nice to see Marcus holding Beth, but she dearly wanted the child to herself for some time. Being back at home, though, Catherine knew better than to complain when she knew how hard her life had been the last few weeks.
Together they played with Beth for the remainder of the day. Catherine was exhausted from traveling and was in need of a good meal and a hot bath. But all she wanted was to be with her daughter and feel sure that she was safe and well. It was only when Beth grew tired and hungry that they left the nursery.
“I shall send for the seamstress in the morning so you can have a new wardrobe,” Marcus said as they stepped out into the hallway together. Catherine simply nodded, thinking she would like to visit with Lady Evergreen to discover all that had happened in her absence.
“Marcus, may I have a new bedchamber? I don’t wish to remember what happened, or to sleep in that bed again,” Catherine said before he departed.
“Of course. I shall tell Mr. Burg to do away with the furniture in that room.
One of the guest rooms can be made up for you. Perhaps one closer to the nursery and Aunt Daniella’s room?”
“Yes, that would be sufficient,” she agreed. Marcus stepped towards her and planted a kiss on her head. She stiffened, unsure of how she should feel about his affections. Though her heart longed to soak up any form of affection from her husband, she was still upset that Marcus had sent her away to begin with. She felt she had lost so much time with Beth that she felt her heart was still hardened towards Marcus.
When Marcus made his way down the hallway towards the stairs, Catherine made her way towards the room that she knew that Lady Evergreen had been staying in. When she knocked softly on the door, she sighed with relief when she heard a familiar voice beckoning her inside. She opened the door to reveal Lady Evergreen siting in a wing-backed chair while sipping a fresh cup of tea.
“Catherine, my dear. Thank heavens you are home safely,” Lady Evergreen said as she set her cup aside and tried to stand to embrace her.
“Sit, Auntie. All is well,” Catherine encouraged as she came to the woman and bent down to hug her. She then sat in the chair next to her as the widow poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. Catherine sipped it lightly, thankful for the refreshment.
“Did you just return with Marcus?” she asked. Catherine nodded as she took another sip.
“I have just come from the nursery. I had to see Beth first,” she explained.
“I can only imagine how heartbroken you must have been these last few weeks. But when I finally discovered what must have happened from the servants, I made sure Marcus was made clear as to what the truth of the matter actually was,” Lady Evergreen said, her voice sounding rough as though she had been quite upset for some time.
“I honestly don’t blame him,” Catherine said as she set her cup aside. “After all, it had all been designed to appear a certain way.”
“But I was privy to the way he looked at you, Catherine. That man is absolutely in love with you. Therefore, he should have trusted you far more than he did,” Lady Evergreen said as she roughly set her teacup aside, the cup clanking against the porcelain saucer.
“Well, I am at least thankful to have been able to return. It was not a pleasant experience living with my brother, though I had my needs taken care of,” Catherine explained. “I have truly missed being here.”
“The very idea of you living there when I knew the truth didn’t settle with me at all.” Lady Evergreen stomped her cane on the floor, clearly agitated. “If only Marcus would have seen reason much sooner, this all could have been avoided.”
“Like I said, Auntie, I don’t blame him. I can only be filled with gratitude now that I am back at Ralston Manor.” Catherine finished her tea, exhaustion seeming to fill her as the tea helped her relax. She was tired from traveling and felt as though she could finally relax for the first time in weeks.
“You like tired, child. Why don’t you rest until the evening?” Lady Evergreen said after a time. Catherine looked towards her and saw how the older woman was watching her closely.
“I’m going to lay down in the bedchamber next to yours. In case anyone comes looking for me, you’ll know where I am,” Catherine said as she stood.
“Why not return to your own bedchamber?” Lady Evergreen asked, her brows furrowed together.
“I don’t know when I’ll feel comfortable enough to return to that room, Auntie. Just the idea that it still exists does fill me with a lot of anxiety. Lord Whetstone may not have had his way with me, but he still took advantage of me. It is something I have yet to recover from.” Catherine didn’t feel proud of the words she spoke, but she knew that Lady Evergreen would always keep her secrets.
“Understandable, my dear. Go and rest now. I shall be close by,” Lady Evergreen said, her voice comforting to Catherine. In turn, Catherine nodded before leaving the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
It really hadn’t dawned on Catherine yet that she was home. As she went to the bedchamber next door to Lady Evergreen’s, she found it tidy and ready for use for any guests visiting the manor.
Catherine didn’t even bother with fully undressing as she pulled off her gown and climbed underneath the covers of the bed in her petticoats and shift. All she wanted to do was get some sleep and hopefully awake feeling refreshed and no longer fearing for her future.
Chapter 21
Marcus felt a wave of anxiety coursing through his body as he went to work on redecorating Catherine’s bedchamber. He allowed Mr. Burg to oversee the footmen in carrying out the furniture and taking all the pieces to the attic to be reused at a later time.
In return, he had a writing desk and other furniture for sitting on placed in the room so that it appeared to be more of a sitting room then a bedchamber. The drapes were removed, and carpets were placed on the wooden floors to appear more welcoming.
Though tired from the sudden trip in the night to return Catherine, he felt an urgent need to repay his wife for his mistake. Part of him wanted to challenge Lord Hall to a duel, but he knew this was foolish and that the he should allow the law to take its course. He was riddled with guilt, and knew that he needed to ensure nobody could ever harm Catherine again.
As the day wore on, Marcus became increasingly distracted by thoughts of Catherine. He wanted to know how she was faring, and after writing several letters to his solicitor and other associates in Town, he went to look for her. He was taking the stairs to the west wing when his aunt was slowly descending the stairs with her cane.
“I was just coming to find you,” she said as they stopped on the stairs together.
“And I was going up to find Catherine,” he replied.
“She’s sleeping, my dear. Let us go down to the sitting room to talk,” she said then. Marcus nodded, thinking it would be wise to finally listen to what his aunt had to say. After all, she had yet to be wrong.
Taking her free hand, he placed it on his arm and escorted his aunt downstairs to the sitting room. Once she was comfortable, and he was seated across from her, he waited patiently for her to speak whatever it was that was on her mind.
“She seems rather unsettled,” Lady Evergreen eventually said, her hands both placed upon the top of her cane. “Catherine is going to need some very special attention after all that has happened.”
“I’ve sent a footman to the village to summon the seamstress for the morning. I want Catherine to have a new wardrobe she can feel comfortable with,” Marcus was quick to say.
“Buying Catherine presents isn’t going to necessarily help her feel better, though it is a nice gesture that you are taking an interest in your wife. She will require something more special, which will be your time and no doubt your honest reaction to what has happened. Catherine needs to know you still love her.”
Marcus hung his head and nodded, guilt returning to him once more. He knew that because of what he’d done, Catherine no doubt didn’t trust him or wouldn’t believe that he still loved her. He had mistreated Catherine when she had experienced something terrible. And in return, he’d sent her away and spent weeks almost hating Catherine in his heart. He was eager to please her now, but it seemed that there might be more that his dear wife would need to recover.
“What do you suggest I do?” Marcus asked as he raised his head once more.
“My dear, I thought you’d never ask,” she said with a smile on her lips. “I plan to teach you the ways to a woman’s heart and how to be truly romantic.” Marcus couldn’t help but chuckle as his aunt started to tell him all sorts of splendid ideas that he couldn’t wait to try with Catherine.
~*~
When Catherine woke from her nap, she opened her eyes suddenly and leaned up on her elbows to peer around the room. She had to convince herself that what she was seeing was real, that she was truly back at Ralston Manor. Her panicked heart beat hard against her chest, and she had to spend several moments taking deep breaths to settle herself once more. When she felt calmer, she leaned over the side of the
bed and pulled the servant’s cord, hoping to get some assistance with being refreshed.