Chapter Twenty-Nine
T revor rushed into his mother’s house with Lord Hawthorne on his heels. Bentley, the dowager’s butler, greeted them inside the door.
“Your Grace,” he said, bowing, “what a surprise it is to see you. The dowager has a few visitors here for her dinner party—”
“This I know, Bentley,” Trevor grumbled. “And I hope she forgives Lord Hawthorne and me for barging in on her guests.”
The lanky butler nodded. “Should I set extra plates at the table for you?”
“Yes, please.”
“Your mother and her guests are still in the sitting room.”
“Splendid.” Trevor tried to smile under the duress. “We will show ourselves in, if you don’t mind.” He didn’t wait for the butler to answer, but led Dominic toward the sitting room.
When Trevor entered, the Earl of Danvers and Wellesley stood near the hearth visiting with Trey, while Judith, the countess, and Miss Watson sat on the sofa near the dowager. The ladies were adorned in beautiful silks and lace, and the men looked as dignified as any gentleman would at a Society function.
Trevor studied the countess a little closer this time. It had been many years since he’d had the opportunity to speak with her, and now he wanted to know if she resembled his Louisa in any way. All he could see of her now was the side of her face. It appeared the women shared the same nose and oval face. Perhaps this was Louisa’s long-lost mother after all.
At first nobody noticed him or Lord Hawthorne, but soon, Trey’s gaze lifted and his eyes widened.
“Kenbridge, Hawthorne. What a pleasant surprise.” Trey smiled and moved away from the other men. “I did not know the two of you were invited to Mother’s dinner party.”
A gasp tore from the dowager, which directed Trevor’s attention toward her. “Mother, please forgive me for interrupting your gathering.” He stepped to her chair, bent and kissed her cheek, then moved to his sister-in-law and kissed her hand. “Judith, you are lovelier than ever. Motherhood looks good on you.” He winked.
She chuckled. “Always the charmer, my dear brother-in-law.”
“Oh, no. Your loving husband obtained that title quite a while ago.”
The group laughed.
Trevor bowed to the earl who now stood by his wife. “Good evening, Danvers. It is good to see you again.”
“As you, Kenbridge.” The earl returned a bow.
“Oh, Trevor.” His mother stood. “I—I had no idea you were coming. I should have Bentley set two more places at the table.”
“Already done.” Trevor gave his mother a wink then turned to the others. “Please, excuse my interruption. I fear my appearance is most untimely. I hope you don’t mind conversing with a boring lord such as myself.”
“Nonsense,” his mother said, flipping her hand.
“It is always a pleasure to converse with you.” Countess Danvers grinned.
Trevor looked at Wellesley and nodded. “It is good to see you again.”
“Your Grace,” Wellesley began, “may I introduce my fiancée to you? This is Miss Eliza Watson.” He motioned his hand toward the young woman.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Watson.”
She curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace.”
Eliza. Trevor knew he’d heard that name recently. As his mind scrambled to remember, Louisa’s voice echoed through his head. I recall Featherspoon was my friend’s uncle. Eliza was my friend from school…
Shock punched him in the stomach and he sucked in a quick breath. He’d wondered for a while if Louisa’s parents were the Danverses, and now as he gazed upon the countess closer this time, he realized her amazing eyes were as beautiful and green as Louisa’s. Hope sprang in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Something didn’t make sense and Trevor’s head pounded with confusion. If Eliza’s uncle was Featherspoon, then she would have known Louisa didn’t drown as Wellesley had mentioned when referring to his cousin the other day.
“Miss Watson, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I think I might know your family.”
Her face brightened. “Indeed?”
“Do you have an uncle by the name of Percy Featherspoon?”
Her face paled and eyes widened. “Umm… Well, yes, but my family disowned my mother’s brother many years ago.”
“Oh, then I apologize for bringing up the uncomfortable topic.”
She laughed, which sounded forced. “You did not know. There is nothing to apologize for.”
At that moment, Bentley walked in and announced dinner.
Trevor offered his arm to his mother, who took it graciously. Following them were Trey and Judith, the earl and countess, Wellesley and Miss Watson, and bringing in the rear strolled Lord Hawthorne. Once everyone had been seated, Trey started the conversation by asking about the welfare of Trevor’s twins. Deep inside, he knew his younger brother was slowly getting around to the subject of Louisa.
“Thank you for asking,” Trevor said before taking a sip of his wine. “My children are flourishing well in their studies. Even better than before. Just recently, I have had to replace their nursemaid.”
“Mrs. Jacobs?” Judith asked.
“Yes. The older lady had been treating my children poorly. If not for a woman I had recently met, I would have never known about Mrs. Jacobs’s unforgiveable cruelness.”
“Oh, dear,” Countess of Danvers gasped. “I pray your children were not harmed.”
“Not to worry, my lady. The twins are too young and will not remember anything in a few years.”
“I must confess,” Dominic added as the servants brought in the first course, “I have met the new nursemaid, and she is an angel sent right from heaven. Adam and Amanda adore her.”
“How lovely.” The countess smiled as she picked up her spoon. “It is always wonderful to have such a person to care for our children.”
“Indeed it is.” Trevor nodded.
Trey turned to the countess. “I trust you had a similar nursemaid for your child?”
The older woman’s cheeks darkened in a blush. “I did, although I probably spent more time with Elizabeth than the nurse.”
Trevor paused in thought, not wanting to voice his opinion yet. If Louisa was indeed the Danvers’ daughter, why would she go by another name?
“Forgive me, Lady Danvers,” Judith began, “but who is Elizabeth?”
“My daughter.” Sadness clouded the older woman’s eyes. “She died when she was in her twelfth year.”
Judith frowned. “Accept my apologies for not knowing.”
“I thank you.” The countess looked to her husband and squeezed his hand. “It was a difficult time, but we muddled through the heartache together.” She turned her focus to Eliza. “And Miss Watson was a godsend to us during that hard time. She had been Elizabeth’s close friend in school.”
Wellesley reached his hand and patted Eliza’s.
Trevor bunched his hands under the table. What was going on? Frustration pounded through him almost as fast as it had when he couldn’t get the right answers from Featherspoon. If Eliza was such a close friend, and her uncle was the one who kidnapped Louisa, wouldn’t Miss Watson know?
“How fortunate for you to know Elizabeth,” Trevor said as politely as he could before eating a spoonful of soup.
Smiling, Miss Watson didn’t say anything. Although Trevor could tell the young woman soaked in the attention well.
He quickly continued before anyone else spoke next. “And by the time you and Lord Wellesley start having children, I’m certain my nursemaid will be available to work for you.” He shrugged. “By that time, my children would be in need of a governess.”
“But Kenbridge,” Lord Hawthorne interrupted. “I’m certain Louisa —” he said louder—“would love to be the twins’ governess as well.”
Miss Watson’s spoon hit the porcelain bowl, drawing everyone’s attention to her. Suddenly, the pinkness Trevor had noticed in her cheeks only a few moments earlier had disappeared and her skin took on a paler color. There was even a slight shake to the young woman’s hands.
“Oh, my dear. Are you all right?” the dowager asked.
“I… um, yes, I’m fine.”
“You will have to forgive her,” Wellesley said quickly, patting his fiancée’s hand again. “Miss Watson has a bittersweet fondness for the name Louisa. For about seven years, the whole family has felt this way.”
Miss Watson grasped his hand and tightened her fingers. Wordlessly, she shook her head as she aimed her glare at Wellesley. But it seemed the man didn’t notice her silent plea as Trevor had.
“How so?” Dominic asked.
“Miss Watson never called my cousin by her Christian name, Elizabeth. Eliza always referred to my cousin as Louisa.”
Excitement shot through Trevor, but he tried not to show it. He swung his gaze to Trey and Dominic, who looked as elated as Trevor felt.
“Why is that, I wonder?” the dowager asked, who looked remarkably at ease and calm.
The countess chuckled. “Elizabeth thought hers and Eliza’s name were too much alike, so my daughter went by her middle name, Louisa.”
“What an odd coincidence,” Trevor’s mother added.
“Why do you say that?” the countess inquired of the dowager before taking another sip of her soup.
“Just that my son’s nursemaid is named Louisa, and we think she was separated from her family a long time ago.”
Knowing his mother wasn’t tactfully trying to squeeze in the information, Trevor quickly covered his mother’s hand with his. “Now, Mother. I do not think your guests want to hear about my nursemaid’s memory loss.”
“Memory loss, you say?” the earl asked in an anxious voice.
“Oh, yes.” The dowager nodded to the earl before looking back at Trevor. “Go ahead, dear. Tell them about how Louisa cannot remember anything about her past.”
“I would like to know.” The countess leaned forward in her chair, her eyes resting on Trevor.
“As you wish.” He took a deep breath. “Approximately a month ago, I was riding home from a dinner party, when someone ran out in front of me from the shadows of the trees.” Not daring to go into much detail especially about Macgregor or stating the man’s name, Trevor explained about how he came to meet Louisa, and how she couldn’t remember anything. “The fascinating thing about all of this is that out of the few things she can remember, one of them is being raised by parents of Quality.”
“Fascinating indeed.” The earl nodded. “How old is this young woman?”
Trevor shrugged. “I wish I knew. The poor woman does not even remember. But if I can calculate, I would say she was…” He looked at Eliza. “Probably around Miss Watson’s age. She is a lovely woman with beautiful blonde hair, and the most amazing green eyes…”
Miss Watson groaned and fell against Wellesley in a swoon. Those around her jumped to assist. Although Trevor stood, he didn’t rush to the woman’s side. Even from where he sat, he could tell it was all an act. Indeed, this woman knew something, and he was certain the truth would not be pleasant for Louisa—or the Danverses—to hear.
After a few minutes of everyone fussing over Miss Watson, the earl shook his head and gazed at the dowager. “I fear we must cut our evening short. Miss Watson has been out of sorts all evening—even before we came. I think we should get her home.”
“I agree.” Trevor’s mother frowned. “This poor girl needs to rest.”
“Indeed, she does.” Wellesley lifted Miss Watson in his arms as she groaned and placed her hand over her eyes.
As Trey and Dominic assisted the women out to their carriages. Elation rushed through Trevor. The truth of Louisa’s past would be out soon, but not soon enough. He couldn’t rush things with the Danverses, but tonight when he returned home, he would certainly ask Louisa to be his wife.
*
Louisa paced her bedroom floor, wringing her hands like she would wet rags. Her body felt as limp, as well. She’d overheard Trevor and Lord Hawthorne discussing their plans for the evening. Thankfully, they had not closed the door and she’d heard their conversation clearly. Of course it didn’t help that she snuck toward the room to listen, anyway.
Dread grew in a lump at the pit of her belly the longer she thought about Trevor and Lord Hawthorne’s conversation. Trevor would know the truth soon enough, which was what Louisa wanted. But she first wanted Macgregor taken care of so he would leave the ones she loved alone.
Her dream of being happy for the rest of her life with Trevor and his children fizzled quickly, leaving a gaping hole in her heart. All she had now were memories of their times together to cherish.
She’d watched him and Lord Hawthorne leave atop their horses not more than ten minutes ago. Praying Trevor would forgive her for what she was about to do, she rushed to her closet and located the maid’s uniform she had worn when she first started working for Trevor.
It didn’t take her long to change, and she threw on her black cloak and bonnet before leaving the room. She crept down the servants’ stairs and out the back door. By now, Trevor and Lord Hawthorne would have arrived at the dowager’s estate, the very same place Louisa planned to go.
But for very different reasons.
Night had fallen completely, and the half-moon didn’t leave Louisa much light. She couldn’t complain. She was used to sneaking around in the dark. She’d been an expert at this for six years and had hated every minute.
Getting a horse was a little more difficult, but soon she pulled a mare out of the stable, mounted, and was on her way. The small wind tugged at her bonnet, threatening to remove the hat, but she didn’t care.
Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to cry. Showing emotion would do her no good. As much as she hated returning to her former life, she must. Trevor and the twins meant more to her than anything, and she couldn’t allow Macgregor to harm them.
Even if it meant stealing the dowager’s jewels.
Tonight while wrapped in Trevor’s arms, it had been heaven. She never wanted to leave. When he had told her he’d loved her, she had tried to stop the words by pressing her mouth to his. Hearing those three little words had been a dream come true, but then reality sank in, dragging her down like a boulder to the bottom of the ocean, she knew now that their love could never be. Once he discovered her past—and what she was going to do tonight—he would never want her for his wife. Her chest ached when she thought of a life without him and the twins, but it was something she would have to sacrifice in order to keep them safe.
Not only that, her parents were better off not knowing about her past mistakes. All those terrible things she did while working for Macgregor. None of it could be forgiven, and she knew not to ask. It was better that her parents believed she had drowned.
And Eliza…
May Eliza rot in hell for what she had put Louisa through!
Louisa knew not why her so-called friend had done this to her, but eventually Louisa would find out and make Eliza pay dearly for all those lost years.
Thankfully, Mr. Featherspoon’s life had ended and he would have to explain himself come judgment day. And one day when all of this was over and she knew those she loved were not going to be harmed by Macgregor, she would find a way to send that evil man to meet his Maker, as well.
When Louisa came upon the dowager’s estate, she slowed the mare until she reached the back door to the servant’s quarters. She dismounted then crept inside the house. The kitchen sounded busy, so she avoided going near that room. Voices came from the dining room, and when she heard Trevor, her heart pitter-pattered. Having these kinds of feelings was not healthy, but she would always treasure the way she felt whenever he was around.
It wasn’t hard to find the backstairs, so she hurried up toward the dowager’s chambers. The manor was grand—although not as lovely as Trevor’s. Still, Louisa found the double doors leading into the dowager duchess’s room easily enough. A low fire in the hearth gave her light, and as she crept into another room, the lamps were turned low as well. The dowager had plenty of lovely things decorating her walls.
Louisa unfastened her bonnet and laid it on a chair. Sadness grew inside her for what she was about to do, and she said a silent prayer the Lord would forgive her because she knew for certain Trevor would not.
The first thing she found were empty satchels that Louisa knew dowagers liked to carry with them when they were out in public. These would help Louisa to carry the jewels and hopefully hide them better when she left the manor.
Once she located the jewelry boxes, Louisa stared, unable to move. So many lovely necklaces that were costly. So many rings, and brooches, and watches. If Macgregor even realized the dowager had this many pieces of jewelry, he’d have all of his children stealing from her constantly.
With a shaky hand, she picked up the closest necklace, heavy with rubies and diamonds. I cannot do this, her heart screamed, but reason told her she must. It was as if an invisible hand tried to snatch the item back in a game of tug-of-war, but soon she brought it to the satchel and dropped it inside. Tears burned her eyes and grief burdened her already achy chest as she shoved two more necklaces in the small bag.
Several voices in her head grew louder and clashed, some encouraging her to take the jewels, others begging her not to. The vision of Trevor’s handsome face formed in her mind. He smiled at her; lovingly caressed her cheek, and tenderly kissed her with so much emotion. Then she saw the twins. Their cherubic faces looking at her for help as Ms. Jacobs made them march, and then their expressions glowed when Louisa became their nursemaid. Trevor and his children trusted her. Completely. Without question.
“I cannot do this,” she muttered. “I will not do this!”
Wearily, she leaned against the dresser. She was not Louisa Hamilton the thief. Not any longer. She could not steal from the people she loved. There had to be another way to stop Macgregor. He wasn’t expecting these pieces of jewelry for a few more days. Surely, if she confessed to Trevor, he would be able to help her. Between the two of them—and perhaps his brother and Lord Hawthorne—they could come up with a solution to the problem. Would Macgregor really know she had told Trevor? The evil man couldn’t spy on her every moment of the day.
Feeling better about her decision, she placed her hand back inside the satchel to withdraw the necklaces, but a noise from the other room startled her. She jumped and turned toward the sound. A man stood at the door.
Trevor.
Her heart sank, and her knees shook. Standing in the doorway, his narrowed eyes switched from her to the jewels in her hand. A frown marred his handsome face as sadness and distrust deepened his gaze.
“Trevor, this is not what it looks like.”
“It looks like you are stealing from my mother.”
She placed the jewels on the dresser and hurried to him. “Trevor, please, let me explain,” she begged, clutching his overcoat.
Disgust deepened his expression as he peeled her hands away from his body as if she were a diseased leper.
“What could you possibly explain? Here I am, trying desperately to find your past while you are sneaking around behind my back and stealing from us.”
Her heart broke and tears streamed down her eyes, blurring her vision. “No, Trevor. You don’t understand. Macgregor made me—”
“Indeed, I’m certain he did.” He pushed past her and lifted the jewels, letting them spill between his fingers back into the satchel. “Take these to Macgregor and go back to his band of thieves.” He shoved the bag in her hands. “And tell him he’s done a fabulous job turning a lady into a criminal. You are certainly the best thief—and deceiver—I have ever come across.” Trevor took a deep breath. “Now please leave this house before my mother sees what you have done, because it would surely break her heart as it has mine.”
Louisa fell to her knees and clutched his trouser leg. “No. Please listen to me. Don’t do this, Trevor—”
“And do not call me that name ever again.” He pushed her away. “Leave now before I summon the police and have you arrested like I should have done the first time I met you.”
Her world crumpled down around her worse than she could have ever imagined. Sobbing, she lifted herself off the floor and fled out the door as fast as her unsteady legs could carry her.