“Are you responsible for this?” Harrison demanded.
“Whatever happened? You’re positively soaked! Is it raining again?” Vanessa asked innocently.
“Marie? Is this your doing?” Edward asked, hands on his hips.
“How in the world would I manage that, darling? I’m afraid my only claim to damage is poor Nessa’s fingertips. The girl can’t even thread a needle without pricking herself!” Marie held up a hoop to show him her that she was working.
“I thought you hated sewing,” Harrison growled, wiping the water from his eyes.
“Embroidery is nothing like stitching clothing. It tends to be very relaxing. You two really need to dry off, you are dripping water on Sir Landers’ precious rugs,” Marie clicked with her tongue.
Harrison looked at her suspiciously. “If I find out that you two are responsible for this, you both will be going over my knee. Hear me?”
“It’s probably just some of the local boys. You know how mischievous children can be. It’s just water, so don’t be so sensitive,” Vanessa commented, looking back down at the hoop in her lap and stabbing the cloth with her needle, yelping as it glanced across her finger. “Kiss!”
Harrison frowned again, kissed the tip of her finger and then gestured for Edward to leave. The two women bit their lips to prevent an onslaught of laughter as the water-soaked men stomped back outside to complete their chores.
“My, they are looking rather paranoid, aren’t they?” Vanessa commented as all the girls again gathered to peer out the window and watched the two men constantly look over their shoulders for another attack.
“What are you ladies up to?” Sir Landers asked from behind them.
“Um, nothing really. Just watching the men chop wood,” Marie answered, moving aside as he glanced outside.
“The rest of you, back to work.” He waited until the staff was gone and produced two slingshots. “I found these in the bushes next to the veranda. Do you have any knowledge as to how they arrived there?”
“Aren’t those Edwards?” Marie asked innocently.
“They are, and if I’m not mistaken, he kept them safe and dry in his foot locker. These are rather wet, as though they’ve been used recently to launch water bombs.”
“Are Bess’ girls here? That sound like something they would enjoy doing,” Marie asked.
Sir Landers tucked his hand around her chin. “My son is going to have his hands full with you, isn’t he? If you two are going to pull pranks, then you need to work on hiding the evidence more efficiently. Now leave the boys alone so that they can finish up. I want a nice pile of wood for the fire tonight.”
“Wait a moment. Didn’t you have Edward chop wood last week?” Marie asked.
“Wood goes quickly when the air is damp.”
“Yes, but you’ve always preferred using the coal stoves for heat.” Marie broke into a broad smile. “Oh, I understand! You are taking advantage of getting double the work. Very smart, Sir Landers. I’m impressed.”
“I learned that trick when the boys were young. In my day, we believed that children should learn the responsibility of chores,” he explained to Vanessa. “All our children were taught the basics in case they ever had to live on their own, including how to cook. Bess excelled at baking and is known throughout the region for her pies. You’ve tasted them, yes?”
“Actually, I haven’t had that privilege yet. Is that why Harrison knows his way around a kitchen?”
“Yes, and he’s quite accomplished if I recall. Now, if I were you, I would sit near the stove and dry your dresses and these slingshots before the boys find the evidence themselves. I fear that they will both blister your bottoms in front of the entire dinner party if they do, and I won’t stop them.”
“You won’t?”
Marie groaned, rolling her eyes. “Sir Landers views a public spanking as great entertainment. We all do, when it’s in fun, but he’s right. If Harrison and Edward thrash us in front of their parents and servants, then they will not likely be lenient.”
“You won’t tell them, will you?” Vanessa asked, eyes large and pleading.
“Never. I enjoy pranks as much as you do, especially when they are played on my uppity nephew. Now dry off as fast as you are able. If the boys finish soon, I will try to send them to gather more logs.” Kissing both on the forehead, he left the room.
“He’s going to be the most incredible father-in-law. You’re so lucky,” Vanessa said to Marie as they fluffed their skirts before the hot stove after hanging the sling-shot handles to dry. “I know it’s impolite to ask, but what happened to his wife? He’s so devoted to his family and it’s odd that he isn’t married.”
“I’ve never asked. I’ve only know rumors and it’s not nice to gossip, especially if you care about someone.”
“I promise that nothing you say will change the way I feel about him and the rest of you.”
“I don’t know if this is true,” Marie warned again, “Shortly after Edward was born, there was a ball where Sir Lander’s wife met a man who was Lady Ansley’s lover. The two ran away together and left Lady Ansley scorned and betrayed. The ladies are cousins and were also very close, so the betrayal left Lady Ansley very bitter and hateful.”
“Are you saying that Harrison’s mother was having an affair and that Edward’s mother stole her lover and disappeared?” Vanessa was shocked.
“That’s the rumor. Right after that, Sir Landers and Lord Ansley added the laws of accountability, forbade divorce, and incorporated the marriage requirements.”
“Does Harrison know any of this?”
“I’m sure he’s heard it. Remember that it’s just a rumor.”
“If it is true, I am really hurting for his mother.” Vanessa leaned against the wall. “To be so miserable in a marriage that she needed to find someone to make her happy is painful enough, but then to have your relative steal your lover and leave you alone to face the shame is even worse. I would never trust another person again for the rest of my life.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
“Marie, we need to find the truth.” She grabbed her friend’s hands. “It’s the only way we can change things for the better.”
“I like how things are, Vanessa. This is my world and I’m happy in it.”
“I know you are, but what of the others who aren’t? Bess? Jonathan? Lady Ansley? What of them?”
“But what of the rest of us? I don’t mean to sound selfish, but there are many more of us who are happy in our situation than those who are not. Why risk destroying us?”
“Not destroying, Marie, just offering alternatives for people and allow them a means of removal from an unhappy situation. Without knowing, one of our staff could end up in the same horrible position and be stuck there for the rest of her life and not be able to even protect herself.”
“I can’t partake in this.”
“What would happen if, after you were married, you discovered that Edward had the same roving eye as his mother? How would you feel?”
“I would be heartbroken. But Edward isn’t like that!”
“I don’t believe he is either, but this is hypothetical. How happy would you be if you knew he was betraying you? How content would you feel in the knowledge that you would never have the chance to be loved and valued by someone worthy of your love?”
“I would be miserable. Without Edward, I would want just to curl up and die.”
“What if you were trapped in a system that wouldn’t even allow death as an escape and forced you to relive your misery day in and day out? What would you think of a system that promotes and encourages this misery while claiming that its sole purpose is to provide a process for all citizens to be happy, healthy and content?”
“I would think that the system is filled with lies and not want to trust it. I don’t want to think about this, Vanessa. This is my world.” Tears welled in Marie’s eyes.
Vanessa felt immediate guilt. “I’m not saying that yo
ur system is doing that. As long as it has someone like Harrison in control, it won’t even go in that direction. But changes have to be made to make it even better, and I need your help. Find the truth for me. Please.”
“What will you do with it?”
“Hopefully use it to mend some broken hearts.”
Chapter 13
Vanessa hung back quietly as Harrison’s parents entered the Landers’ home. Still under the influence of the caramels, Lord Ansley presented himself in a jovial and uplifted manner while his wife didn’t so much as crack a smile.
“Father is asking for you,” Harrison declared, finding Vanessa alone in the library. “Are you well?”
“I’m fine. Please sit for a moment,” she said, patting a cushioned stool. He did as she asked and watched as she walked behind him where she began to rub his shoulders. Bringing her lips to his ear, she whispered: “You looked very handsome while chopping wood today.”
“Thank you, but what’s this about? You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Fess up, little girl, I know you better.”
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her chin on her arm. Cheek to cheek, she said. “Why is your mother so angry at the world?”
Harrison looked at her from over his shoulder. “There are several stories, none of which I want to entertain.”
“Why? What are you afraid of?” she asked gently. “I’ve shared my secrets with you.”
“I’m not afraid. Not really. It’s just that if the stories are true, that means that I’ve been supporting a law that is based on lies.”
“But if that’s true, then you have the power to change those laws, right?”
“The only way to do that is to remove my father from office. He wrote the laws and they will stay in effect until he either steps down from his position as Head of State or dies.”
“It’s that bad?”
“If what happened with my mother is true, yes.”
She squeezed him and kissed the nape of his neck. “Knowing the truth will not change the past, but it can help the future by either preventing something bad from occurring again or provide something better. Isn’t that what you desire for your country and her people?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
“We’ll talk more of this later. I’m finding myself growing very hungry.” She walked around to squat in front of him and picked up his hands in hers. His palms were rough and dry from his chores, and she kissed the center of both. “Let’s join the others. Maybe Sir Landers will provide a nice helping of fresh vegetables with our meal. Won’t that be nice?” She offered him a perky smile and twinkled her eyes.
He nodded and stood, pulling her into his arms. “You are beautiful. You also know that I should put you straight over my knee and spank your backside to a glowing ember red in front of everyone.”
“Why?”
“You have an uncanny aim with a slingshot.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Harrison.”
“I’m sure you’ve been told that I have a heightened sense of when people are telling the truth versus fibbing. I’m sure I don’t have to express how badly lying to me will turn out for you, do I?” He kissed her forward without waiting for her response. “Let’s join the party.”
While enjoying a lively conversation with Sir Landers about commerce, Vanessa shifted her feet uncomfortably as she felt the stabbing stare in her back. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught Harrison’s mother glaring straight at her. She excused herself, took in a deep breath, and walked straight to the woman.
“May I have a word in private with you, Lady Ansley? I feel it’s important that you and I have an opportunity to come to know each other better. After all, we are going to be family,” she said sweetly, but loud enough for several of the guests to overhear.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Well, madam, I have plenty of things to say to you. Please join me outside.” She gestured calmly to the veranda. She snatched a glass of wine in both hands off of a tray and offered one to the older woman. Raising her glass, she smiled. “To family.”
As expected, there was no response. Lady Ansley placed the glass on the edge of a wall and crossed her arms. “What do you want to say to me, girl? I don’t have all night.”
“Neither do I.” She paused, carefully choosing her words. “I’ve never had a mother, you know. Yes, there was a woman who gave birth to me, but that is where it ended. I had hoped that I would find what I had been missing here and with you. I know there have been stories told about me; some might be true, but others are not. We both know how stories of both types can hurt, don’t we?”
She took advantage of the woman’s silence. “I’ve been blamed for everything from causing lightening to light a barn on fire to breaking up an engagement because I allowed a man to rape me. I was stuck in a system that gave me no means to escape, so I tried to change it. That’s how I ended up here.”
“Go on.”
“I know that everyone claims to be happy with their lives on Man, but I also know of several who are not. One was your youngest son. You must miss him.”
“He was a fool.”
“He got caught, but he was not a fool. Bess made him happy and was stuck in a loveless, colorless marriage which she would never be allowed to escape. Your son gave her life. I find it so sad that they both lost the chance of love because of a government that is ruled by the bias beliefs of just a few individuals.”
“It’s the law.”
“Laws can be changed. Tell me, Lady Ansley, if you could have changed the law so that your son would be happy and still be here, would you?”
“There are many changes I would make if I had the ability, but that is not in my power.”
“Perhaps not, but what if it were? If you had the chance to be happy, would you take it?”
“I am happy.”
Vanessa picked up the glass and handed it back to her. “Your eyes are heavy with sadness and betrayal, Lady Ansley. I’ve seen that look before. Every time I looked in the mirror, in fact. When Harrison brought me here, I watched that sorrow disappear. He’s a good man. You did an excellent job of raising him.”
“His good traits are due to his nature, not mine. I was not a doting mother to either of my sons. They needed to learn the reality of life from the minute they took their first breaths.”
“How did you teach them?”
“I allowed them to suffer the consequences of their behavior. They were not permitted to have endless hours of play or time poorly spent in daydreaming. They worked, studied and were made to be responsible for their behaviors. My husband didn’t agree with my methods.” She took a drought from her glass. “He was outraged with me because I mocked his beliefs.”
“Disagreeing with someone's beliefs do not imply that they are being mocked. I was raised with a stringent system of behavior which did not appeal to my personality, but I did receive benefit from it. Look at Harrison. Would he be such a responsible and trustworthy young man if he had been allowed to run free?”
“His present reputation is due to Her Majesty’s influence, not mine. Both my boys were smart and handsome, and they knew how to manipulate and persuade almost anyone to get what they desired. I tried to balance that, but failed.”
“I don’t think you failed. I believe that you did as you felt was best for your children. Please forgive me for saying so, but to punish you for being the best type of mother you could be was wrong.”
“It’s my fault. I married for money and power, not for love. I got what I deserved.”
“We all make mistakes. That is what youth is about. Had I known that I would be used, I would never have accepted the invitation to walk in the garden that evening.”
A moment of silence passed between them. “This academy and the disciplinary structure, all of this, is my fault,” Lady Ansley confessed, finishing her wine.
Vanessa snatched another glass and handed it to her. “Why would
you say that?”
“I had an affair and fell in love. He knew.” She gestured towards the house. “He refused to bed me unless I changed my way of raising the boys, and spent no time with me unless I promised to give up my foolish ideas. I refused.”
“As would I!”
The older woman looked up gratefully. “I’ve never told anyone this.”
“You have my word that your story will go nowhere. It will be our secret.”
Minutes later, Vanessa held a sobbing, broken woman in her arms and listened to the painful admission of the affair, betrayal and lifelong punishment of a miserable existence that she would have to endure because of her actions. She included Lord Ansley’s refusal to bed her again after polluting herself, and how he had blamed the actions of their youngest son on her. Not once did she shift the blame to him, or verbalize how manipulative and selfish he was.
“If only I had been allowed to divorce,” the lady cried. “I could have gone away with my lover and never looked back on this place. But I could not leave my boys, and he would have made it impossible to bring them with me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“If Bess had been allowed to divorce, then she and my Jonathon would have had the opportunity to be happy together. But she could not leave her children either.”
“Is that why Sir Landers is so devoted to his family? His wife left him, and her children, behind.”
“It crushed those poor babies and Ethan. Edward was still an infant, but Bess was already seven years old. She and I were close at that time, but after her mother left, I could not face anyone in that family for the longest time.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Her mother was my cousin, and their pain was my doing. I had no idea that she would abandon her children. My love wanted a wealthy woman to support him, and when I refused, he went to my cousin.”
“Does Harrison know any of this?”
“I’m sure he knows more than he lets on, but I never want any of this discussed with him. Please promise me.” She grabbed a tree trunk and slowly lowered herself onto a bench. “Oh, my, I’ve had too much wine.”
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