***
“It was at that point,” Laurence was saying as he sat beside Isabel on the sofa in the drawing room, “I realized I had one of two possibilities. Either I sell the pigs or keep the land.”
“And what was your decision?” Isabel asked, intrigued by his tale.
“To keep both of them,” he replied with a laugh, which Isabel echoed. “A local man was in need of work, and to this day he runs that farm. He now has a family, who has joined him in the cottage, and they have been wonderful tenants ever since.”
“How amusing,” she said. “I do wonder, however…”
Her thoughts were broken off as the door opened and Weber entered, Nancy following behind him.
“Your Graces,” Weber said, bowing his head as Nancy curtsied, “forgive my intrusion and rudeness, but I thought it imperative I speak with you.”
Laurence sat up and placed his glass on the table. “What is it?”
Isabel wondered why Nancy wrung her hands. “What is the matter?” she asked as she hurried to her lady’s maid. “Nancy?”
“I am sorry, Your Grace,” the girl said, and then she began to sob. “I did not mean to hit her! I thought she was a thief and only wanted to protect your property.”
“What is this?” Laurence demanded.
“Who did you hit?” Isabel asked, keeping her tone even. The girl was scared enough without shouting at her. She glared at Laurence with that thought.
“Her-her Grace’s sister,” Nancy sobbed. “Please do not dismiss me! I didn’t mean to, I promise!”
“You are going nowhere,” Isabel promised. “My sister? Is she still here?”
“We all are.”
Isabel turned to find Juliet, Hannah, and Annabel standing in the doorway. None seemed injured in any way, although Isabel looked for any signs of blood or bumps.
“She hit me with a pillow,” Juliet said. “Do not be angry with her; it was my own fault for startling her.”
Isabel had two distinct thoughts at that moment. One was that never in all the years she had known Juliet, which was since the girl was born, had she ever heard the girl take responsibility for anything she had done against a servant. It was much more typical of her to place all blame on those she considered beneath her, even if the fault was her own.
The second thought that occurred to Isabel was that she had never felt such embarrassment in all her life, and she wondered what Laurence must think of her. However, she had a sobbing maid to contend with and therefore could not worry about Laurence, at least not yet, anyway.
“Nancy,” she said in a quiet tone meant to sooth the girl, “return to your quarters. Sleep well knowing you did no wrong and that you will not be dismissed.”
The poor maid gave a heavy sigh of relief and then dropped into a quick curtsy. “Thank you, Your Grace,” she said with a sniffle.
The door closed behind the maid, and Isabel turned on her sisters. “What are you girls up to?” she demanded. “Have you any idea what trouble you have caused? And why have you come here? And sneaking into the house, no less! What has gotten into you?”
Hannah and Annabel lowered their heads, but Juliet was the one who replied, “We found an open window near the servants’ quarters, so I peered inside. I suppose my footsteps were not as silent as I thought, for the next thing I knew, a pillow came down on my head.”
Isabel groaned inwardly as Laurence turned his back on them. Things had been going so well and now this! He had to be as angry as a hornet!
“That still does not explain why you are here at such a late hour,” Isabel said through gritted teeth. “And the servants’ quarters? I am ashamed and embarrassed; you are all ladies of society, not vagabonds or burglars!”
Laurence stalked from the room. Oh, he was angry indeed! Not only did she have to deal with her sisters, but she would also have to mollify her husband.
“You had better have a good explanation for all this!” Isabel said. “You have embarrassed me in front of my husband. Do you not see? His anger is so great at this moment, he cannot even look at me!”
“I am sorry,” Annabel whispered, and Hannah and Juliet echoed her words. “We did not mean to be caught by your servant.”
“It is not a matter of being caught,” Isabel snapped. “I assume this is all part of some scheme Juliet concocted?”
Juliet jutted her chin. “It is true that the idea was mine, and I will take the flogging come sunrise instead of my sisters.”
Isabel groaned. Always the dramatics when it came to Juliet. “No one is to be flogged. Now, before I become angrier, what are you doing here?”
“Yesterday,” Juliet said, “I went to the gardens and I heard you yelling at Mother.”
Isabel stared at her sister in shock. “You heard?”
“I swear, I only heard a few words,” Juliet assured her. “I may have eavesdropped before, but I do not do so any longer. I am not the child I once was.”
“What exactly did you hear?” Isabel asked, hoping what little Juliet overheard did not include the confession she had shared with her mother.
“That you were chained here at this estate,” Juliet replied.
Isabel sighed. “There are phrases that are used as expressions. I am not literally being chained.”
“I told you,” Hannah whispered. “You would not listen.”
“I am sorry,” Juliet said. “I did it because I care.”
Isabel had never seen her younger sister so contrite, and she realized that, although Juliet was now of age, she still was as naive to life as she ever was. However, that did not excuse her actions, nor that of the other two.
“I appreciate your concern,” Isabel said. “However, let this be a lesson to the three of you. Do not eavesdrop and always ask before assuming the worst.”
All three girls nodded, and Isabel was uncertain what to do next. She looked from one girl to another and finally came to a decision. “You will apologize to His Grace immediately. Wait here while I go in search of him. You had better hope he chooses to accept it.”
Isabel left the room intending to go to the study. However, Laurence stood but a few steps away. His face was as crimson as a ripened apple, and she feared he was close to unleashing his anger on her. Regardless, she had to make him see reason, to make him understand that her sisters meant no harm.
“No words can express how sorry I am for the actions of my sisters,” she said as she hung her head. “I am embarrassed. My family is shamed, and I will have them apologize and whatever else you deem necessary to punish them.”
It was silent for a moment, and Isabel worried the situation could not be resolved. She did not blame him; knowing anyone had attempted to enter the house through a window would have tested the patience of any man.
However, it was not anger that was loosed, for he snorted instead. “Can you imagine their shock,” he asked, “of being hit by a pillow while trying to climb through a window?” His shoulders shook with laughter. “That is perhaps the most comical thing I have ever heard.”
“You are not angry?” Isabel asked in shock.
“Angry? Not in the slightest. I am amazed, however, at the lengths your family will go to call over to one’s house.”
It was with relief that Isabel relaxed, and her previous peace returned. “I am unsure as to what to do. The girls have good hearts. Yet, they frustrate me. Why do they not listen and behave?”
“Such is the way when one gives advice to others,” Laurence replied. “You celebrate when it is taken and groan in frustration when it is not.”
Isabel chuckled. “Yes, there is much truth in that statement. What do you suggest I do?”
Laurence stepped forward, leaving only a few inches between them, and Isabel felt an odd sensation move through her body, a warm, pleasant feeling. “Do you trust me?” he whispered.
Isabel smiled. If he had asked that question even a week earlier, she would have been unsure as to how to respond. However, her heart guided her now, and she
replied with a fervent “Yes.”
“Good. We will return to the drawing room and I will threaten to punish them. You will then ask me to spare them. That should be enough to put them in their places so they never do something like this again.”
“That is a brilliant idea,” Isabel replied. She reached out and took his hand. “Thank you for your kindness once again.”
“Always,” he said. They looked at each other for several moments, until a maid gave a small gasp before scurrying away, which only made Isabel giggle.
They returned to the drawing room, Laurence wearing a stern glare and Isabel a worried one. All three girls quickly dropped into perfect curtsies as apologies tumbled from their lips like waterfalls.
“Silence!” Laurence commanded, and they all went quiet. “Your apologies have not sat well with me. To trespass on lands belonging to a member of the Royal Family has very stiff punishments.”
Isabel had to stifle a giggle. The Redbrooks had not been members of the Royal Family for several generations, but she made no move to correct him.
“To enter his home as you did,” he continued, “may be met with hard labor in the sheep fields for a dozen years or more.”
The girls stood staring at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths. “Please,” Juliet sobbed, “we beg for your mercy.”
“I wish I could,” Laurence replied as if he had no choice in the matter. “However, as a duke, I have a responsibility to the Crown, which means I must report this crime at once.”
Tears ran down their cheeks, and Isabel placed a hand on his arm. They had suffered enough. “Your Grace,” she said, “Might I ask one favor of you?”
“Yes?”
“I can assure you they have learned their lesson. If you were to extend kindness to them, I believe they will behave after today.”
Laurence pursed his lips and appeared to study each girl with deliberation.
They nodded emphatically to Isabel’s words.
“Is this true?” Laurence demanded. “For if I show mercy, you must never speak a word of this to anyone lest I remand my decision.”
“We swear,” Hannah replied. “We will return home at once and never do anything like this again.” The others nodded their agreement.
“Very well,” Laurence said with a sigh. “You should be thankful your sister is kind, for, in such matters as these, I am not.” He then walked over to the window, his back to them.
Isabel ushered her sisters out of the room. “I hope you have learned your lesson,” she said as they made their way to the foyer.
“Oh, we have,” Juliet said. “I cannot imagine being forced to work on a sheep farm!”
“I would not enjoy that,” Hannah agreed.
Annabel nodded. “Neither would I.”
Each girl gave Isabel a hug, assuring her that they would behave from this day forward. Isabel suspected they would have a terrible time keeping that promise, but at least it would put them on the straight and narrow for the time being.
“I love you all,” Isabel said. “And thank you for your concern; however, rest assured that I am happy here.”
“That is all we ever wanted,” Hannah said.
They said their goodbyes, and Isabel watched as the girls headed off to the horses she now saw tied to a tree at the edge of the drive. She sighed, relieved the drama of the night was over. However, it was the words Laurence had said that came to mind. He had asked for her trust, and for the first time in a very long time, she had trusted someone. By doing so, she found that it brought her great happiness.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The following nine days passed much like the first upon her return to Camellia Estates, each day beginning with Isabel and Laurence painting together in the morning and ending with the two sharing in a drink in the evening after dinner. Minus the surprise visit from her sisters, of course.
As Isabel studied the canvas before her, a sense of satisfaction filled her. With the stroke of her brush, her emotions had transferred to the canvas, and the results were better than she could have expected. She had not shared with Laurence what she had told her mother; however, now that her painting was complete, she realized the day had come when she would do just that. She glanced over at Laurence, who had completed his painting the day before. The patience the man possessed spoke volumes, and he deserved to know the truth.
She walked over to where he sat gazing at his canvas. “I have finished,” she said. The clouds that had covered the sun moved away, allowing rays to highlight his smile. “Would you like to show me yours first?”
“I would,” he replied. He took a step back and extended his hand toward the easel before him.
Isabel, filled with enough curiosity to kill a cat, stepped around the easel, the skirts of her blue dress rustling around her ankles. She was immediately taken by his work, which depicted a forest with a road running through it. A carriage traveling with two occupants lumbered into the depths of the trees, leaving behind two figures—a man in a long dark coat and a woman in a white dress.
“Laurence,” Isabel gasped as she brought her hand to her breast, “I cannot lie; it is beautiful. Would you explain its meaning to me?”
Laurence took a deep breath. “Many of my works have not come from the heart,” he replied. “However, this one did. It tells the story of a young boy, and I wish to share that story with you now.”
Isabel nodded and instinctively reached for his hand. In return, she received a shy smile.
“For years, I have been ashamed because of the injury to my leg. I saw it as a hindrance to being the man I wished to be. Whenever I seemed ready to move on, either my leg or Harriet would remind me of the guilt I carried.”
“Guilt?” Isabel asked in surprise. “You have nothing for which to be guilty.”
“Not anymore,” he said with a small smile as he looked at the painting. “Do you know how my leg was injured? And the story of how my parents were killed?”
“I had heard it was a carriage accident,” Isabel replied. She recalled when her mother had told her the horrible news that the duke and duchess were killed and the leg of their young son had been crushed in the accident.
“My parents had come to see me at the boarding school,” Laurence said, his voice distant. “While others had been sent carriages to retrieve them, my parents wished to journey with me; such was their love.” His voice broke, and Isabel’s heart went out to him. “It was late when we left Cambridge despite the fact the rain fell in a steady stream and the wind was not kind to the carriage. The driver misjudged a turn, and I remember that, as the carriage tipping to one side, I was thrown from it.”
“Oh, Laurence,” Isabel gasped, unable to imagine the terror that young boy had to have felt. “I am so sorry.”
“When I woke, my leg was broken in several places, and I felt such pain as I had never experienced before. It was dark and I was scared and alone.”
Isabel wiped tears from her eyes as he continued.
“Unable to walk, I crawled through the mud toward where I thought the carriage would be. I do not know how long it took me, but it seemed an eternity.” He turned to look at her, and although the man shed no tears, the pain of his memories showed in his eyes. “When I finally found the carriage, I found my father dead and my mother on the verge of death. I told her I would find help, and I began to crawl in the direction from whence we came. However, the pain worsened to the point that I fainted. When I awoke, I was in an unfamiliar bed and my parents were dead.”
Isabel embraced him. “I am so sorry,” she whispered. “I never knew.”
“How could you? I have not told anyone.” He sighed. “Harriet, of course, was devastated. When I returned to school the following year, the boys teased me that I had been the cause of my parents’ death. When I returned to Camellia Estates, Harriet was even angrier with me. Of course, it is not fair to place all the blame on her, for I had already accepted the guilt for their deaths.” He turned to look at her. The pa
in was gone, replaced by something else. “Now, however, I am ready to let that go.”
“I am pleased for you,” Isabel said as she kissed his cheek. Then she looked at the beautiful painting. “Is that them in the carriage?”
“It is,” he replied. “I have accepted that I am not to blame for their deaths, and therefore, I have allowed them to go on to the next stage of their lives in peace.”
Isabel was overcome with emotion, but she swallowed the tears. He had moved on, and so should she.
“You told me when we argued,” Laurence continued, “that you could not make me happy. At first, I was hurt, for I did not know what you meant. However, now I understand.”
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“My refusal to attend parties with you, thinking myself a lesser man. You could never heal those wounds. You helped and guided me, which was what I needed. Yet, in the end, I had to find my own peace.
“Yes. That is important.”
“I have found that, in forgiving myself and realizing that I am a man—a full man, one who is no longer ashamed to venture into town or to attend a party.” Isabel followed his gaze to the painting. “I Will not lie; I did not wish to do those things alone.”
“And the couple there?” Isabel asked, pointing to the images of the man and woman behind the carriage.
“They are the two of us. That is the man I have become, and that is the woman for whom I care deeply—the woman I love. I want her to know that, as I say goodbye to the past, I continue to desire a future with her.”
“What a beautiful sentiment,” Isabel whispered.
He took both her hands in his and pressed them to his lips. “I will never ask anything of you that will make you unhappy,” he said. “I believe we have planted a seed and together we will grow it into something wonderful.”
Isabel could not stop the flow of tears, and she accepted the kerchief he gave her. “I have an answer to your request,” she said when she was able to speak again. “However, before I give it, I wish to show you my painting, for I believe it will also answer many of your questions, as well.”
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