“Tell me, dear child, were you?”
Agnes feared that if her mother listened carefully, she would hear the wild, non-rhythmic beating of her heart. Memories of the last private moment she shared with Alan flashed through her mind. His hands cupping her pert bosom, his fingers rough against her delicate feminine folds. She suddenly felt flushed and hurriedly she pushed the memories away before her cheeks developed too much colour, obvious for her mother to see. Victoria must never find out such happened between her and Alan. So, through her teeth, she lied.
“Alan has never had such intimate knowledge of me, Mother. Of this, I assure you.”
“Graciousness! I had hoped so. Well, in that case, there is remedy for this malady, yet. Bless the Stamfords for they would be your salvation. I am afraid, Agnes. There is more. Heart-breaking news; I do hope it does not shatter you.”
Agnes’s curiosity was piqued again, even as a part of her wondered why her mother was being unusually calm about this. Finding her voice and her courage for she had vowed never to cower before her mother, she cleared her throat. Though she had come close to doing just that; cowering, it was enough consolation that she had recovered just in time.
“Will I have to plead this news out of you, as well?”
Victoria sent a haughty look away but made no comment about her manners. “No. You wouldn’t. Nevertheless, you shall have to see for yourself.”
Agnes looked down at the parchment her mother now held out to her and took it. As soon as she had it in her hands, she loosened the rope that held it bound, confusion written over her face. What did this parchment of documents have to do with the conversation at hand?
“What is this?”
“Why don’t you take a look, yourself?”
She did. Flipping open the first page, she adjusted her eye to read what was written. The first thing she caught was the name of Alan’s enterprise. Then, there was her father’s name. This was clearly some sort of business record between the two enterprises. Eager to learn more, she flipped the second page. There, she found ledgers, recording transactions between her father and Sheldon, profits from joint business ventures and so on. She could not understand. Why was her mother showing her this? She looked up, the question in her eyes.
“I am not quite certain of the implication of this, Mother. These are records between Alan and Father, are they not?”
“Indeed, they are. After learning of your liaison, I pondered for days over why you two would do such a formidable thing. I eventually concluded that you must love Alan. Still, I could not trust that these feelings were mutual or sincere, on his part. I surmised that he must have something to gain, so I proceeded to do some digging. This, is just one of the things I was able to discover about your dearest Alan. These are records I acquired from a trustworthy staff in his firm. According to these, that merchant has been conning your father. Inflation, deflation, he has done it all to rip your father off profits of ventures that he was entitled to. Alan has been lying to us all. To think that we welcomed him into our home. It is such a saddening thought.”
Disbelief was what Agnes felt. There ought to be some sort of explanation for this. This could not possibly be true. She began to flip through the pages with the speed of wind, taking in all she could on each page. When she was done, she began again, and again, and again, unable to trust what her eyes saw. Yet, no matter how many times she flipped through, nothing changed. The figures remained the same, told an equivalent story.
Alan had betrayed her love, her trust. She felt a searing pain in her chest as her heart tore into two. Her head suddenly felt heavy, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She looked at her mother, eyes searching for the slightest hint of a smile. This had to be a lie. This had to be some sort of forgery. Her mother’s way of punishing her, for how could the man she had thought she knew do this evil deed?
“I know what you are thinking about, Agnes. I assure you, I was quite shocked to learn of this, myself – as was your father. He too could not believe his eyes.”
“Father knows of this?”
“Oh, but of course. I told him right away. It is his business after all, he ought to know. However, I did not tell him of your affair. I thought it would be best to keep that particular truth between us.”
Agnes sighed. A myriad of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, pull her under. This was too much at once. Much more than she could handle. Why did life have to be so cruel?
“What was Father’s verdict?” Her voice sounded broken, even to her. She feared she may never recover from this. Yet, she willed herself to remain strong. What if this was untrue? She could not put this past her mother, and she owed it to Alan to seek explanations from him. Tonight, she would write to him and request that he come to her. One last time, just to be certain so that this memory of him would not scar her forever.
“Your father as you know, is a very kind man. Too kind for his own good I’ve always retained. As you can imagine, he was devastated by the news. Alan was like the son he never had. He had no other option than to sever every tie with him. Alan is no longer welcome in this household, business-wise or otherwise. He has been banned.”
As anyone else in his shoes would do. She could not blame her father. The evidence was damning. If Alan was innocent, then she must find a way to prove it. Sighing, she handed the parchment back to her mother. She had no use for it.
“He had left with this, you see. Thankfully, I had the sense to have a clergy make a copy.”
Agnes said nothing; she simply nodded at her mother’s words. Right now, she would like to be left alone.
“Mother, thank you for bringing this to me. If you would not mind, I would rather be left to myself at this moment.”
“Oh, of course. In time. You see, there is one more thing you should know.”
What sorcery was this? Had she not heard enough? What more could her mother have to say? “And what might that be? He is an impostor? The real Alan died in the shipwreck that took his father away?”
“Gracious! That would make for an excellent screenplay. Unfortunately, no. He is truly the Alan Sheldon, and as we speak, he prepares to leave London with his mistress. You see, your father isn’t the only one Alan has been conning. He has done the same to all his business associates, and it is only a matter of time now before his dubious ways are discovered by all of them. In shame and for fear, he has decided to leave London. I think more appropriate words would be – run away from London.” Victoria paused as she put a hand to her chest, stared into the distance, and shook her head. “It’s all so saddening.”
She swiftly returned her gaze to Agnes and took her hands in hers. “I am terribly sorry, my dear. After learning of all of this, I could only imagine the pain it would cause you, so I made a vow that I shall not be too hard on you. Certainly, you too will agree that this is punishment enough for your indiscretions. However, look on the bright side! You have the future Duke of Yorkshire, and very soon, you shall be his wife. The way I see it, you win in the end. I would say, good riddance to bad rubbish! I am here for whenever you need me, sweetheart. Now, I shall hearken to your request and take my leave.”
She released Agnes’s hands then, but not before giving her an affectionate kiss. Then with empathy in her eyes, she rose up, gave her cheeks a warm caress, and left.
Agnes remained, staring into space. Those emotions that had threatened to overwhelm her, now did. She felt as though she was lost in them, trapped, and no matter the number of times she tried to get out, she only ended up flailing, helpless and hopeless. Her mother’s words kept resounding in her ears.
Alan … a mistress? Leaving town? Without alerting her? How? Why? Why would he do such wickedness to her? The love they shared, it was true, it was pure, and while she knew her mother was evil, there had to be a limit to how far she would go. Surely, her mother could not have cooked up such tales. For what reason? Yet, this Alan she had just described sounded so much different from the Alan she knew. The Alan that had told h
er he loved her, so many times, in so many ways. That man who had held her in his embrace and whispered sweet nothings in reassurance. How could she reconcile both men who were complete opposites?
A tear dropped from her eye then, and it seemed to be the release she needed. Immediately, she snapped out of her dazed state and jumped to action. She could think clearly now, and before her mind got muddled again, she knew she had to act. Reaching for her drawers, she took out a piece of paper and went to sit by her vanity, where her quill and ink rested. As soon as her buttocks hit the wooden chair, she began to write.
_
Victoria was immensely pleased with herself. Although, it had been discomforting to see her daughter and husband so devastated, she justified her actions by telling herself it was all for a good cause. No one would ever know the truth as long as she played her pawns well. This was a game of chess, and the best woman, would win. By the time she was done, Alan Sheldon would be out of their lives, Agnes would regret ever giving her heart to a mere merchant, and in due time, she would be the mother of a Duchess. Ahh yes indeed, the end would justify the means.
All through the day, she kept her eyes open, for she knew Agnes, and she knew her daughter would not give up so easily. Somehow, her daughter and Alan had managed to correspond all these years. She knew it was by the help of a servant in this household. Someone who had Agnes’s trust and felt no loyalty towards her. She had no guesses who it could be, so she kept her eyes open. The answer came when a few minutes later Leandro was summoned to Agnes’s room. She waited until he exited before intercepting him.
“I know of your arrangement with my daughter. If you love to remain in services to this household, you will do as I say. Hand over whatever your lady has asked you to deliver, and I shall spare your employment here with the Birminghams. Deliver a package of my own, and I shall consider giving you a raise.”
Leandro was a young man who had a mother and sisters to take care of. Victoria trusted he would make the right choice. Employment like the one he had in this household did not come on a platter of gold. No one would be foolish enough to lose it. A brilliant, victorious smile stole across her face as he handed over an envelope. She hurriedly tore it open and unfolded the letter to read its contents. As she had guessed, it was a summons for Alan to meet up with her and confirm the tales Victoria had spun.
The smile was still on her face when Leandro returned to Agnes’s chambers later that evening, with a letter, confessing his guilt.
Chapter 28
“Now, I know why your mother is feared in the society. She truly makes a formidable enemy.”
Isabelle sighed at Benjamin’s words. She did not even bother to refute them. Those words were true and could not be faulted. Early that morning, Benjamin had come to call on her, in the guise of a silly romantic gesture. He had made a grand speech on how the sky was beautiful today, and how he considered it a great day to take a walk around the park in such an agreeable weather. To those who watched, he must have seemed sincere enough, for she herself had almost believed that he truly cared for her, as she read the intensity in his gaze. However, she knew better. Her heart was already at so much risk of belonging to this man, even knowing he cared little for her. If she made herself believe that that was not the case, she was afraid she would tilt over that edge and fall to her death. If there was anything she was certain of, it was that Benjamin Witherspoon would not be waiting with arms open to catch her. How many times already had he sang that song? He did not do love.
So, instinctively, she had known that his visit was not about the weather, although the sky was truly beautiful, and this outing was no ordinary one. Something had come up, and it required her attention. After the announcement at breakfast concerning Sheldon and her sister’s sudden grave illness, she had had a few deductions what this was about. Those speculations had just been confirmed as Benjamin finished his tale of the letter he had received just yesterday. She had known her mother would go to lengths to sabotage their plans, but she had not reckoned that she would stoop so low.
“Alan and Agnes have done nothing to make an enemy of her, except loved each other.”
“Ah. Yes, a forbidden love that would be sure to cause a scandal if this gets to any more ears. Although, the ruckus it would wreak would be nowhere as much as that which the affair between my dear friend and your little sister would. I must confess, it is a rather thrilling picture to imagine, but I would rather it never happened.”
“As I would.” He had spoken her mind, and when she would have remarked on how often that had been happening lately, she changed her mind and kept those words in. Instead, she said, “I cannot wait to meet up with him and hear in details what has happened. I only hope we are able to convince him to remain in London and fight. We must continue with our plans, else, this would blow up in our faces.”
“I agree,” came his thoughtful reply.
The rest of the ride to the park was made in silence, and they soon arrived. This time, it was easier to spot Alan as he had chosen the spot they had met last time. One thing was different, though, today, Regina Sheldon was with him.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Alan. Benjamin tells me he wrote a letter in return, as soon as he received your mother’s?” The pleasantries had been done with, and she was eager to begin this discussion as soon as possible. There was much to be done, and they had to act fast, now more than ever.
“I made sure he came here today. He did not want to come. I find it a pity that he had chosen to give up so easily, without a fight. Women like Victoria, they mustn’t be allowed to win.”
Isabelle smiled at the old woman. She loved her mother and knew she had a good heart; however, Regina was right. Her love for status and wealth had had her blinded for too long. Perhaps, if they won this battle, the scales would fall off her eyes, and she would see that there was more to life than title and power.
“Love always wins. I believe this would teach mother a valuable lesson. Thank you, Regina, for being on my side.”
“I only want to see my son happy. No one makes his eyes twinkle like Agnes does. After losing his father, it was her love that brought him back, sooner than he would have. If we have a chance to change this, I am willing to try. I know he is too.” She winked at Isabelle, and it was at that moment that Alan decided to join in the conversation.
“You all realise that I am right here and capable of speaking for myself.”
“Yet, you let Victoria do all the thinking for you, by planting those lies in your head.”
“Mother!” he warned, and they all chuckled at that. From the side of her eyes, she could see a small smile on Benjamin’s face. Although he was quiet, Isabelle knew they had his full attention.
This time around, they took their seats, while Leah remained at a distance, discussing with Alan’s butler.
“Tell us everything, Alan,” Benjamin prompted as they all settled down, and Alan did just that. He told them of how he had received a summons, only to arrive at the Birmingham house to receive the shock of his life. Then, he recounted the conversation with Victoria, outside their house.
All of these weighed deeply on Isabelle’s mind. She believed her mother capable of these, but she did not believe that Alan would have so quickly accepted defeat.
“Her tales should have sounded too ridiculous for you to have believed a word of them. Agnes would never go to Mother confessing your affair. She has managed to keep it a secret all these years, even from me. I am certain that Mother learned of this by accident, just as I did. You two have been very careful over the years, but surely, you must have known that it was only a matter of time before the wrong person caught you together. Moreover, if Agnes ever thought of confessing, Mother is the last person she would go to. Above all that, I can assure you that my sister is not besotted by her fiancé. She is very much taken with you, and I do not have an inkling what tales Mother spun to her. However, I am certain that they were quite terrible for she developed a grave illne
ss since last night. As we speak, she lies on her sick bed, and we can only hope that she gets better in time.”
“Agnes is unwell?” The look on Alan’s face pleased her. He looked so torn apart, and she knew that there was hope still. Alan loved and cared for Agnes. No matter the lies he made himself believe, he was not ready to let go of her. That, was what pleased Isabelle.
A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 21