Alyssa's Autumn Affair

by Tabetha Waite

  Lady Fremont lifted her chin defiantly. “Be that as it may, Lord Lockley is still the gel’s closest male relative. It is his choice how to handle the situation and he has confirmed that the best thing for Lady Alyssa is to be committed at once.” She turned to Mr. Graves who continued to hold the manacles. “Come along. We don’t have all day. Restrain the gel before she becomes unruly.”

  Alyssa could tell he wavered between doing his duty and crossing a duke. Even if Gabriel wasn’t in charge of her welfare, he likely realized such a high-ranking peer could make things very difficult for him.

  However, in the end, he broke down under Lady Fremont’s direct stare. He moved forward and clapped one of the manacles around Alyssa’s wrist, but before he could attach the second, Lord Trenton’s irate voice rippled throughout the room.

  “What the devil is going on in my house?”

  ***

  Travell waited for the former maid to speak, high tension flowing through his veins. When she continued to remain silent, her head lowered to the clasped hands in her lap, he expelled a heavy sigh and prompted, “You realize that you aren’t leaving this room until I find out what I want to know.” As she remained silent, he added, “My father has returned to Rosewood with the declaration that he was in love with you and that you were with child, and yet, in the next breath, he claims that you were a spy and he’s never loved anyone but Lady Trenton. So which one is the truth? Exactly what was your purpose for being at Rosewood?”

  Sophie lifted her eyes, but instead of the contrite manner he might have expected, there was an obstinate glint in her gaze. “I will not hang for another’s misdeeds. I left that house intending to spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins, but I refuse to take full responsibility for what happened there.”

  Travell had to admire her recalcitrance. It was rather bold of her when she only held a few cards, whereas he could have her arrested and sent to gaol with the snap of his fingers. “I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure that your cooperation is duly noted, but I can’t promise that there will be no repercussions until I’ve heard the entire accounting. Do you understand?”

  She gave a brief nod of her head.

  “Good, now let’s—”

  A sudden commotion caught his attention, voices raised in command, and he blew out a frustrated breath. Of all the times for my mother to return.

  He stood and walked over to Logan. “Make sure she doesn’t move.”

  The agent nodded. “Upon my honor.”

  Travell wrenched open the door and stalked out of the room. He found Lady Trenton in the foyer with several traveling items surrounding her, proving that she had just returned from an extended trip. She had just removed her bonnet and gloves when Travell snapped, “Where have you been?”

  She removed her cloak and handed it over to a waiting footman. “Is that any way to greet your mother after a long absence?” she scolded. “Truly, Travell, I expected more from you.”

  He ground his teeth together, but managed to say, “I hope that you’re well.”

  “That’s better.” She gave a satisfied nod and patted the bun at the nape of her neck, and then walked over to him as the servants began to take her belongings upstairs. “To answer your question, I’ve had the most lovely time in Brighton. A few other matrons and I took it upon ourselves to have a brief ladies’ holiday.”

  “Brief?” Travell snorted. “I’ve been trying to reach you for the past fortnight or more!”

  She frowned slightly. “Whatever for? Most of the time you’re closeted in your study and don’t even realize I’m in the house. What could have possibly changed?” But then she abruptly stilled. “Has something happened with Triana?”

  He set his hands on his hips. “No. The Duke and Duchess of Chiltern are perfectly well. They returned from Italy a few days ago and came to call upon me at Rosewood.”

  “Rosewood?” His mother’s brows rose. “I’m surprised you were able to tear yourself away from London long enough to greet them,” she said dryly.

  Again, he clamped his jaw. His mother never made things easy. “I’m afraid that’s not all.” He paused to make sure he had her full attention. “Father has returned.” While she was still recovering from the shock of that revelation, he added, “And I found Sophie. She’s sitting in my study as we speak.”

  He wasn’t sure what he might have expected his mother’s reaction to be, but when she fell to the floor in a dead faint, he couldn’t say he was surprised.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Seven pairs of eyes turned their full attention on Lord Trenton as he stood on the threshold. He was fully dressed and appeared as hale and hearty as Alyssa remembered him to be from her youth.

  Dr. Perimore appeared behind the earl and sent the Duchess of Chiltern a regretful glance. Apparently, the earl had found a way to slip past him. Gabriel moved to stand by his wife to present a united front and to give her the support she might need should Lord Trenton’s behavior suddenly become erratic. Lord and Lady Lockley moved to the other side of the room, a slight touch of fear touching Caroline’s eyes.

  Lady Fremont was the only one who stood her ground. “Lord Trenton,” she said smoothly. “How nice to see you in such good health. I daresay I had heard some rather alarming reports of late.”

  Alyssa held her breath as she waited for the earl to reply. She had heard him speak of Lord and Lady Fremont when he was lost to his mind, so she could only imagine what he might say now. When he took a menacing step forward, Alyssa put a hand to her stomach to quell the sudden nerves. “You viperous woman!” he snarled. “I should have you horsewhipped for what you’ve done!”

  The lady didn’t seem concerned by his tone. Instead, she calmly clasped her hands before her and said, “And what do you suppose I’m guilty of?”

  His face was nearly purple in his rage. “You know damned well that you kept me prisoner for the past seven years!”

  Lady Fremont sighed in obvious disregard. “Do you realize how deranged that sounds, Lord Trenton? If I didn’t know better, I might think that you are just as unhinged as Lady Alyssa.”

  “The only insane person in this house is you!” he nearly shouted. “You stole my life from me, and turned me into a villain to the only people who ever mattered.” He turned to the mesmerist. “Perimore, send for the magistrate this instant!”

  “There’s no need for all this upset,” Lady Fremont said in a soothing tone. “Perhaps if you lie down—”

  As she reached out a hand to him, he stumbled backward as if confronted with a ghost, his face turning white with alarm. “Stay away… from me!” He pointed an accusing finger at her.

  “Come now, Lord Trenton,” she cajoled further. “Stop all these hysterics so that we may converse in a normal manner—”

  “That’s enough.” The duke’s firm voice interceded as he stepped between the two adversaries, but it was Lady Fremont that he pinned with a firm glare. “This is all very upsetting to my wife and my father-in-law. For whatever reason you deem necessary, I demand that you cease baiting Lord Trenton at once. You might thrive on such disharmony, but I will not tolerate it. In fact, I suggest that you all leave.”

  Lady Trenton hesitated, but in the end, she pursed her mouth and relented. “Very well. I will not invade your hospitality any longer than it takes to secure Lady Alyssa.”

  Gabriel crossed his arms. “As I told you before, the lady isn’t going anywhere.”

  “She is a guest here, not blood relation and Lord Lockley has made his intentions perfectly clear.” Lady Fremont lifted a brow. “I suppose we could summon the magistrate to settle the matter, but you know as well as I do that I’m right.”

  Alyssa could see the indecision warring on Gabriel’s face. It was in the hard line of his jaw. She knew he was doing this for Triana, and she couldn’t live with her conscience if she allowed her presence to cause any discontent between them.

  She swallowed heavily and stepped forward to announc
e. “I’ll go with them.”

  Triana clutched her free hand, the one that wasn’t already shackled to Mr. Graves. “Oh, Aly, you can’t!” Tears welled in her blue eyes. “I can’t bear the thought of you being taken to an asylum!”

  Alyssa squeezed her hand and tried to be strong for her friend, when inside, she was quaking with nerves. “At least it’s not Bedlam.” She reached out and gave her an impulsive hug. “I’ll be fine.”

  A sob escaped Triana. “Travell will put this all to rights,” she whispered. “I’ll make sure of it.”

  Alyssa fought to held back her own emotion as they parted. “Take care of my Blue Ladies.” As she allowed Mr. Graves to restrain her other wrist, she glanced down at the heavy irons, almost as if she was looking through someone else’s eyes. After such a magical night spent in Travell’s arms, it was difficult to imagine the drastic turn that her life had suddenly taken.

  “Let’s go.” Lady Fremont flounced out the door, followed by James and Caroline.

  As Alyssa came abreast of the duke, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You won’t be there long,” he vowed, and with the conviction in his silver eyes, she could almost believe it.

  She continued on, and the earl looked positively horrified as she walked passed him, while Dr. Perimore offered a compassionate nod of encouragement.

  Ives was standing at the front door, holding it open as their party filtered out into the growing dusk. She glanced at him and he offered her a respectful bow. “All will be well, my lady,” he intoned. “The master will take care of everything.”

  On that parting remark, Alyssa’s throat closed up as she climbed into the carriage.

  She looked out the window as Rosewood slowly began to recede into the distance. She thought of the day she’d ridden to the top of the hill and glanced at the sprawling estate the day Travell had arrived.

  In the midst of her heartache and grief over losing Aunt Pearl, she realized that she had always belonged there, for it held the people she cared about the most. They may not be blood, but they were her family.

  As the mansion drew out of sight, she prayed that, like Lord Trenton, she might someday return.

  ***

  Travell, along with Montgomery’s assistance, had managed to relocate Lady Trenton from the hall floor and carry her into his study. Amelia currently lay on the green settee while Sophie continued to obediently sit in her chair across from his desk.

  Logan glanced between the two women and murmured with a shrug, “At least they aren’t hysterical.”

  Travell stared at him for a full minute and then shook his head with a snort. “Not yet, anyway. But I have the feeling that’s about to change.”

  Logan winced. “In that case, I think I’ll wait in the parlor.”

  The other agent left, shutting the door behind him, as the countess groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She put a hand to her head. “What… happened?”

  “You fainted,” Travell offered.

  “What?” She looked confused. “That can’t be. I never faint.”

  Travell straightened to his full height. “Well, you did today.”

  She appeared as if she might argue further, but when she sat up and spied Sophie sitting across the room, her face bleached of all color once more. “Oh…” She clutched the back of the settee, but when Travell moved to assist her, she waved him away. “I’m… fine.” She narrowed her gaze. “But what is she doing here?”

  “She is going to give me the answers I want regarding Father’s disappearance.”

  Amelia lifted her chin. “They won’t be anything but lies! He ran off with the chit and scandalized the family name. Honestly, Travell.” She rolled her eyes. “What good can possibly come from revisiting the past?”

  He considered the best way to approach the subject, but since he could see no other way around it, he said, “I didn’t tell you everything about Father’s return.” He lowered his voice so that his next words wouldn’t travel to Sophie’s ears. “He’s… confused.”

  “I’m sure,” his mother returned sourly. “As am I!”

  “No.” He sighed. “I mean, he’s mad.”

  Amelia blinked as understanding finally dawned. She put a hand to her chest and breathed, “Dear Heavens.”

  “Indeed,” Travell concurred. “Now perhaps you will see why I need to find out what happened to him. I’ve been employing the services of a mesmerist, but—”

  Her mouth fell open. “His condition has been made public?”

  Travell set his hands on his hips. “Tell me that isn’t what concerns you the most about this entire situation.”

  “Well, I—” She broke off and tried again. “After all you did to restore the Abernathy name, I should hate to see it destroyed by your father’s abrupt resurgence.” She sniffed and Travell handed her a handkerchief. She dabbed at her eyes and added, “It isn’t as if he cares about what happens to any of us after what he’s put us through!”

  “Lord Trenton didn’t leave of his own volition.”

  Travell and his mother glanced sharply at Sophie. She was still seated in the chair by the desk, her face in profile, but now she turned to look at them. She removed her bonnet and he clenched his jaw, for she had revealed the exact shade of chestnut he’d loathed for nearly a decade.

  Other than Alyssa’s brunette locks, which made him itch to run his fingers through her silken tresses, any other woman he encountered over the years with similar dark hair had made him cringe. It was one of the reasons he’d always preferred blond or red-haired mistresses.

  “What do you mean?” Amelia demanded. “Of course he did. He went to great lengths to tell me that he was in love with you and that you were going to have a family of your own.”

  Sophie shook her head. “It was all a lie. I made him believe that I was with child, when it wasn’t true. We’d never even had an affair, but once the poison began to take effect, it was easy enough to convince him into thinking that we had.”

  “Why did you do it?” Travell asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I had no choice.” Sophie’s lips drew into a tight line. “Lady Fremont found out about my affair with…” She swallowed heavily. “…with one of her housemaids, and threatened to turn her out if I didn’t do as she asked. I couldn’t do that to Amy.”

  Travell’s eyebrows winged upward. This certainly put a new twist on things. If Sophie was in love with another woman, then it was highly unlikely that she’d ever wished to seduce his father. “Do you know what Lady Fremont told you to give him?”

  “No. She just handed me a bottle that she’d procured from India. Each night I was instructed to put a few drops in his tea. But I believe it contained opium.”

  Travell wasn’t surprised at this. It had always been a high commodity. Doctors continued to use the highly addictive drug on their patients. But at least he knew why laudanum had been the only thing that had calmed his father.

  Even so, it still left one important question unanswered. “What makes no sense is Lady Fremont’s decision to ruin my father.”

  “She wasn’t trying to ruin him,” his mother rasped. “She wanted to strike back at me.” She put a hand to her chest and slumped back against the settee. She closed her eyes momentarily, and then opened them to look at Travell, a pleading look in her gaze. “I fear this is all my fault. When Sophie was hired as a scullery maid, I could tell that your father had an immediate interest in her. I was jealous, so one night, when I’d had a bit too much Madeira, I caught the attention of another man—” She shook her head and broke off, but Travell had a good idea of what she would reveal next. “Lord Fremont was handsome and charming and before I knew it one thing led to another and…” She waved her hand. “I’m sure I don’t have to reveal all the details, but we embarked on a short affair. It was very discreet and only lasted a few weeks.” She sobbed into her handkerchief. “I only did it to lash out at your father, but it appears I’ve done him a terrible injustice. It appears he’s pa
id the price for my misdeeds.”

  This sparked another query, and Travell looked at Sophie. “All this time I imagined that my father had absconded with you somewhere on the continent, but since that’s not the case, do you mind telling me where he’s been for the past seven years?”

  Sophie twisted her hands in her lap. “I persuaded Lord Trenton to run away with me the night of Lady Triana’s ball, saying that I would… kill our child if he didn’t leave everything. He finally acquiesced.” Her voice turned harsh. “Lady Fremont met us in the alley. Once we were there, he became irrational, demanding to know what was going on. I urged him to calm down, claiming that she was merely escorting us to the border to ensure we arrived in Scotland safely. Come morning, we had deposited him at Ticehurst.”

  Travell could feel his eye start to twitch. “You committed my father to a mental hospital?”

  Amelia instantly broke out into another round of wailing.

  “I didn’t!” Sophie cried. “It was Lady Fremont who convinced the overseer that he was her brother!”

  “They didn’t think to question her? Or gain proof of her claims?” Travell shot back.

  Sophie’s face twisted in disgust. “She had plenty of coin at her disposal so I guess they didn’t feel they had the need to do so.”

  Travell ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. He couldn’t even imagine the sort of horrors that his father had witnessed. After seven years in an asylum, there was a good chance that Lord Trenton might never fully recover. “So that’s where he’s been all these years?” He didn’t even recognize his voice, it was so jagged with the knowledge that his father had been nothing more than an innocent pawn in this sick, twisted game of revenge.

  He opened his eyes to pin Sophie with a threatening glare. “Why did you never send word to me? I could have saved him and spared my sister and me so much heartache!”