The journey back was not particularly long, but it was on foot so it took a couple of hours of brisk walking. Malcolm liked to walk, the countryside around him was especially beautiful, and he never tired of seeing it. Today he had an urgency in his steps. The views ignored, in his need to return home as swiftly as possible.
Soon the gates to the estate came into view and he passed through them, heading straight for his cottage. As he approached, he chided himself for being so foolish. Everything was fine; it was just an old man’s folly. Opening the door he stepped into the parlor and his face dropped. On the floor, was a crumpled pile of clothes, expensive women’s clothes, a dress he had seen the Lady of the house wear previously.
His shoulders slumped, and with a heavy heart he headed towards the stairs and climbed, making his way to his son’s bedroom.
Chapter 14
Bridget fled from the gardener’s house, in shame. She had quickly dressed, unable to look Tristan’s father in the eye. Would Malcolm say anything to her husband? She doubted it, for it would only put his own son deeper in trouble. Nonetheless, it stressed to her how very dangerous their liaison was.
After Bridget had left the house in tears, Tristan begged his father not to mention what he had seen. He doubted that his father would go running to Mathias, but his loyalty to Lord Hexley was unmovable. He wouldn’t mean to get them into trouble, but he would feel it was his duty to his Lord.
“Tis a treacherous business, the things you both do,” his father warned. “You do the Mistress no favors, my boy, unless you wish to make her life a misery.”
“No, Da, I want to make her life better, not worse, I love her,” his son pleaded.
“Then leave her be, tis safer for all if you just leave her be,” Malcolm finished and left the young man to ponder over his words.
As Bridget rushed into the kitchen entrance in her disheveled state, she ran through it to the back stairway, in the hope of getting to her room unseen by Mathias. The last thing she needed right now was a confrontation with him. Fortunately, the kitchen area was empty and the back stairs deserted, and she reached her room without being accosted. She quickly entered her room and shut the door behind her. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Where have you been, Bridget?”
The sound of Mathias’s voice made her shoulder’s jump. Looking up she saw her husband, he was still dressed in his riding outfit, riding crop in his hand.
“What are you doing here, Mathias?” she questioned, still a little breathless from her flight.
“What do you think I’m doing, Bridget?” he replied with a terrible menace in his tone.
“I cannot think why you would wish to be in my room, Mathias, does your own not serve you well?”
“It serves me fine, Bridget. It is my wife who does not serve me well enough,” he spat back at her. “Where have you been? You look a mess.”
“I have been walking and did not realize how late it was, so I rushed back to dress for dinner,” she lied.
“This stops now, do you hear?” he shouted.
“What? What stops, Mathias?” she pushed him, playing her innocence.
“Your sordid affair with a servant,” he said, no longer caring who heard, it seems that everyone in his house knew before he did.
“You talk utter nonsense, Mathias. Did you expect to find a man in my room?” she tried to sound angry, even though her own guilt was all powerful.
“Well frankly I wouldn’t have been surprised, Bridget.” he said cruelly “This will end, I assure you. I have sent for him and I will be ordering him to leave my land and never return. You have disgraced yourself and my family, I will not have it, you hear. He is leaving today,” Mathias stopped at a knock on Bridget’s bedroom door, as it opened, Mason, the butler stepped into the room.
“I have carried out your wishes, Lord,” he informed the Master of the house. “The boy awaits downstairs.”
“Good, Mason. When I’m done I want you to gather all the staff and inform them of their discretion in this matter, if they value their jobs. Do you understand, Mason?”
“Of course, my Lord, I will do as you wish,” Mason replied, bowing and looking disdainfully over at Lady Hexley, before he shut the door on his way out.
“Stop this, Mathias, this is ridiculous,” she pleaded with him, once the butler had left the room. “Wherever did you get such a notion?”
“Stop lying to me Bridget, you were seen entering the gardener’s house, hours ago. I will not allow this to go on under my roof, any longer. You are behaving like a whore, and I will not have a whore as my wife.”
Without warning he stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face, with the palm of his hand. Bridget was shocked and totally speechless. In the three years of marriage he had barely raised his voice to her, let alone struck her. She could feel the tears stinging as they ran down her cheeks, not because he had hurt her that much, but the shame of everything. It suddenly hit hard, she knew she was defeated and had brought disgrace to her husband and herself. Her affair with Tristan was over, and she would likely never see him again.
As Mathias made his way to the door she called out to him, her voice broken by sobs.
“Please, please Mathias, don’t hurt him.”
He said nothing, but shook his head with contempt and left her alone with her misery. As he slammed the door behind him, she threw herself on the bed and wept loudly. Her heart was broken, how could she ever continue to live?
Chapter 15
Bridget hated how it had all ended. Her sadness was compounded by her feeling unwell. She had put her poor health down to the vexing events of the last few months. Her appetite was much reduced and she often felt nauseous, especially when she first rose in the morning. Her husband was no help; he walked around with a solemn face whenever they bumped into each other. They spoke very little at the moment, but she felt he was softening a little and slowly things were going back to how they had been, prior to her indiscretion.
She had tried on a number of occasions to talk to the gardener, calling at the cottage, but he was never in. Once when she visited she thought she heard someone in the house, but no one answered, despite her repeatedly knocking on the door. Perhaps he was avoiding her, she could not blame him; he was another innocent victim in her foolishness. Still, she somehow had to speak to him. How else could she send money to help Tristan?
Avoiding the library had become a part of her routine, as it held memories of watching him through its large window. This day, though, she wanted to see her water feature Tristan had built for her, not simply because it reminded her of him, but it was a beautiful ornamental feature. Entering the library she felt a pang of sadness, but determined to continue as if nothing had happened, she walked over to the window and gazed out over the old pond. She felt a sudden sickness in her stomach, the feature had gone. Surely Mathias was not that mean that he would destroy it? Feeling light headed and nauseous, she groped around for a chair, sitting down heavily. Her mouth suddenly flooded with saliva as the nausea flushed up into her throat. She vomited, all over the floor. Just as she was lifting up her head, Mathias walked in.
“Goodness, Bridget, whatever ails you?” he said, pulling on the cord calling for the servants. “I did not think that you would take this that badly,” he said, pouring her a glass of water from the drinks tray. “It really had to go. Every time I looked at the damn thing, it reminded me that you loved someone else,” he said, softly.
Bridget accepted the glass of water, it was very welcome. She drank deeply of the refreshing liquid. One of the maids entered into the room, looking quite shocked at the state of her Mistress.
“Take Lady Hexley to her room, Julia,” his Lordship instructed. “She is in great need of rest, and arrange for this to be cleaned away.”
He left the maid to assist his wife, though he worried for her, he still felt anger over what she had done to him. She had hurt him; his heart had ached
at the thought of that vagabond and his wife together. He was coming to terms with it, and it helped that the gossip seemed to have been contained within the household. At least his sister, Gertrude, seemed to be unaware, and she was up on all the society gossip. He must remember to thank his butler, Mason. It would be his diligence that had kept the scandal quiet.
For some time now he had thought his wife had not looked well, and hoped she had caught anything serious. He would have asked Olivia to visit and cheer up Bridget, but she was with child and growing every day, by all accounts. This made him smile, he was going to be an uncle and he was looking forward to it. Although his older sister, Gertrude, also had children, but they were rather aloof and no fun to be around. Olivia’s children would be raised completely different; they would be a ray of sunshine whenever they visited.
He loved children and he desperately wanted his own family, but he had found out recently that he may never father a child. After speaking with a physician friend, in London, there was a possibility that a virus he caught as a child, might have rendered him infertile. Of course, he had not spoken of this to his wife, as there was no way of knowing the truth of it, but the news had worried him. He wanted an heir, and he wanted a family.
Julia led Lady Hexley to her room, which was just as well because Bridget doubted she could have got there by herself. She felt dizzy and had the most horrific headache. The maid helped her to bed before returning to the library to clear up the mess. On the way down she bumped into the house keeper, who was also the matron of the house, making her way upstairs. If anyone could help Lady Hexley, it would be her.
Esther the housekeeper felt her brow. “You do not have a fever, my Lady, I’m glad to say, so hopefully, with bed rest, it will pass by quickly,” Esther assured her. “I will arrange soup and bread to be brought up for your supper, my Lady, if you feel you can put something warm in your stomach. I do think it will help. You need to build up your strength, once again.”
“Thank you, Esther,” Bridget said, grateful that the household had such a wonderful person as Esther. “I have been unwell for some weeks now. I thought it had gone, but I just cannot seem to keep food down, especially my breakfast.”
“Your breakfast, you say, Lady Hexley?” Esther questioned, clearly with something on her mind. “Can I ask you a personal question, my Lady, one that I would ask only of a female?”
“That sounds terrible, Esther, what do you think I have?” Bridget became a little worried, Esther knew of most things so she trusted her, implicitly.
“When did you last have your monthly bleed?
Chapter 16
Bridget was shocked at the news that Esther had given her, surely not? How could this be? She was going to have a baby. She should be excited, but yet something held the delight of motherhood back. Could it be the sickness she was feeling? More likely it was the fact that she had no way of knowing who the child’s father was. She had sworn Esther to secrecy, for a short while, so she could break the news to her husband herself. Her housekeeper was more than reliable and she knew she could trust her.
Bridget decided not to inform Mathias of the pregnancy just yet. She needed a little time to think of the best way to approach this. She had no way of knowing who the father was, and how Mathias would take the news. A walk in the garden would clear her head, so wrapping up well (the days were cooler now) she headed outside.
Although autumn was rapidly approaching, the garden was a riot of color, from the beautiful flowers to the leaves on the trees. As she strolled around, breathing in the fragrance, she could hear the sounds of a spade, ringing out in the cool morning air. Malcolm must be out in the garden so she went in search of him. She had already decided on her first step.
“Malcolm, good morning to you,” she said loudly, as she approached him from behind.
He stopped digging and took off his hat, “And a fresh one it is, my Lady,” he replied, a slight frown on his face. He had not seen the Lady since that day in the cottage, and he blushed slightly at the memory.
“I won’t keep you, Malcolm, I just want to speak with you awhile,” she said. “Will you walk with me and make it look as if we are discussing the garden?”
“Of course, Lady Hexley, it will be my pleasure to take a break from this task,” he said, digging his spade into the hard ground.
“I think I may be having your son’s child, Malcolm,” she dared to get the news out of the way with, straight away. “Try not to look shocked, because I am seeking your advice first.”
“Is his Lordship aware, my Lady?” he asked back, fidgeting with his hat in his hands as he walked by her side.
“You, and Esther, who has been caring for me, are the only ones who know,” she explained. “I will be breaking the news to Lord Hexley, shortly. Of course, I cannot really know who the father is.” She stopped to look at his face, waiting for his reaction
“You can count on my discretion, my Lady, if that’s what worries you,” he assured her.
“No, it isn’t, I already know that,” she smiled. “It’s how you feel I am more concerned about, Malcolm. This child could possibly be your grandchild, and I wonder at how you will live with that?”
“Don’t rightly know, my Lady, but the child will have a happy life, and that’s all that matters.”
“I cannot know how my husband will respond, but I felt it only fair to speak with you first, so you do not hear this news in rumors and gossip. You will have no say in my child’s life; you do know that, don’t you?”
“Of course, my Lady, I will keep my distance, of that you can be assured.” His thoughts were everywhere at the news. Should he inform his son? Perhaps it would be best left alone. His son was down on his luck at the moment, not getting back into the army or finding work. He did not need such complicated problems.
“Very well,” Bridget finished. “I thank you for your time and that we understand one another,” she said, “I just want to add, Malcolm, I did love your son, and he loved me. I know that it has not been easy for you, but it was for all the right reasons that we acted as we did.”
“I know my Lady; I had a long talk with Tristan before he left. He was truly in love, that’s for sure, but he will get over it in time.”
Bridget left the gardener to return to his duties, though she felt a little sorry for him. He had been very discreet when he had found her in bed, naked, with his son. That was partly why she wished to treat him respectfully. It was not his fault she had fallen in love with his son.
Now, how to tell her husband, and would this set off all the gossip once again? No doubt, it would. All things considered, it could still be Mathias’s child, surely that would override all the gossip.
Chapter 17
When Bridget did not come down for breakfast, yet again, Lord Hexley guessed she was still unwell. Mathias was genuinely worried that his wife was developing a serious illness. It had been weeks since the library incident, and she was showing no sign of improvement. He wanted to ask for a physician’s opinion, but Bridget had insisted that Esther, the housekeeper, was all she needed. Mathias was having his doubts. Leaving his half eaten breakfast he set off to his wife’s room, determined to get her to agree to see a physician, this very day.
“May I come in,” Mathias asked as he knocked quietly, and opened the door for himself. He had been unsure if any maids were in the room with Bridget. As it happened, she was alone and crying.
He left the door open, rushing to sit on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his, in an attempt to comfort her.
“Is there anything I can do, anything to lift this malaise that hangs over you? Will you let me call for the physician?” he asked, calmly.
“No, Mathias, he is not needed, but I must speak to you. Will you please shut the door?” she asked, wanting privacy, as she did not know how this news would be taken.
Mathias was puzzled by his wife’s words, and curious as to what she wanted to discuss. He closed the door and quickly returned to her side,
taking her hand once again into his.
“You do know, Bridget, that all I want is your happiness. My love for you should be unquestioned, considering how I have forgiven your indiscretion.” He hated to speak of it, but it needed to be brought out in the open.
“I am sorry for that, Mathias, truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you; I was just caught up in some foolish dream, a romantic fantasy. How can you ever forgive me?”
He smiled at her, he had already forgiven her, and he loved her that much.
“I want you listen to me, Mathias, and let me finish what I have to tell you. Can you do that without entering into a shouting fit of rage?” She knew she was overstepping the mark today, but she needed this to be a two way debate, not simply her husband deciding her future without her having any say in it.
“I am to have a baby,” there, she had said it, no messing; she had simply given him the fact.
He stood up, walked to the window, his mind in a whirl. He knew, deep down inside, that he was probably not the father, and that pained him so, but did it really matter? No one of any importance would ever know the truth, and although unlikely, it was not impossible that the child could be his.
ROMANCE: CLEAN ROMANCE: Summer Splash! (Sweet Inspirational Contemporary Romance) (New Adult Clean Fantasy Short Stories) Page 139