Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Wh -- where are we going?” Hugh asked, slightly nervous as he did, but also eager and even excited.
“Oh, nowhere that interesting,” Alistair chuckled. Hugh frowned and leaned back as if chastised, and Alistair sighed. “I wish to visit an old friend… of both of ours, in fact. You remember Vicar Norleigh?”
“I do…”
“There you have it.” Alistair smiled with encouragement. “He and I have things to discuss, and I thought it might be nice for you to see him again.”
Hugh nodded along, but his expression was serious and severe.
“You have something to say?” Alistair prompted.
“I… no.”
“Hugh…” Alistair was sure to look directly at the boy, giving him nowhere to hide. “You know that you can tell me anything, don’t you? There is nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid.” Hugh sat himself up and grew determined.
“Is that so?” Alistair said. “Then prove it.” He cocked an eyebrow at Hugh, daring him to continue.
That he was spending the day with Hugh had come as a surprise to Alistair… and to Hugh, for that matter. He had not intended it, but when the opportunity presented itself, he figured it to be a good chance for them to improve their relationship further than what they already had done.
There was still that distance sitting between them, the noticeable tension that came from an awareness that they were not nearly so close as they could be. And while Alistair was determined to close this distance once and for all, he was wary to do so. For obvious reasons…
Reasons I wish I could tell Hugh. Dammit, reasons that I wish I could tell Miss Norleigh! Although, I suppose that’s what today is about, after all.
The idea had been sitting with Alistair for some time now, growing stronger with each passing day. When he had first adopted Hugh, it was done with the right intentions, a desire to help the boy as he deserved, while also wishing to put right the mistakes that his father had made.
What Alistair had not counted on was Miss Norleigh.
Was she not involved in this, he likely would have been perfectly happy with where he and Hugh were at in their relationship.
What was more, he might have seen no need to improve upon it further.
Alas, she had changed everything, and so Alistair was determined to change with it.
The birth of cook Lucinda’s child last night was the final straw.
The manor had been a hive of activity this morning, and when Alistair was able to settle down his staff, he learned why. His head cook, Lucinda, finally had her child, and the joy this brought to his staff was unlike anything he could have expected.
What was more, when he saw how Miss Norleigh reacted… how happy she was… how at peace… he was reminded of their conversation the previous evening, he realized what this meant for the two of them, and he knew that he had to set things right.
So, he ordered his carriage to be brought outside. He was about to climb inside and take off when Hugh appeared. The boy had nothing to do, Miss Norleigh was busy with the baby, and Alistair figured it was a good chance to bring him along.
But is he ready to learn the truth? That… I am not sure. At the very least, having him here will be a good chance to confirm what he knows and how he feels, and then I can make a decision on the matter.
“My mother…” Hugh began warily. “You asked that I not… that I not speak about her to Miss Norleigh.”
“That’s right.”
“You never told me why.” Hugh bit into his lip. “And whenever Miss Norleigh asks about her, I… I do not know what to say.”
“That’s why we’re visiting the Vicar, Hugh. I wish to determine how much the Vicar has told his daughter, as I wish for him to help me tell Miss Norleigh…” He sighed. “You like Miss Norleigh, don’t you?”
“I do.” The boy perked up.
“Which means that you no longer wish to lie to her, yes?”
“Yes…”
“Good.” Alistair smiled and then, taken by a sudden urge that he could not explain, he leaned across and rested a hand on Hugh’s knee. “No more lies. After today, assuming the Vicar is in good spirits, when we return, we will tell Miss Norleigh the truth.”
And not just the truth as Hugh knows it… but everything.
Alistair’s stomach twisted with guilt and anticipation both. He forced a final smile so that Hugh would feel comfortable, and then he turned and looked out the window. The farms beyond passed by, the workers could be seen tending them, and a sense of dread steadily built in Alistair’s belly.
He hated having to lie. And not just to Miss Norleigh, but to Hugh also.
As far as Hugh was concerned, the lies he told were those of omission.
Before Alistair adopted him, Vicar Norleigh had instructed the boy to never speak of his mother to Miss Norleigh, or to anyone for that matter.
She was, for all intents and purposes, to never be mentioned why he was living under Alistair’s roof.
Hugh did not know why he had to keep his mother a secret, only that he must..
It was a small secret in the grand scheme of things, made so that Miss Norleigh wouldn’t ask questions. Questions that, if she followed them to their natural conclusion, would change everything.
Miss Norleigh is likely going to hate me. She is just as likely to never want to see me again. And while she will be right to do so, she deserves to know the truth…
It was hard doing the right thing, a truth that Alistair was learning in real time.
“Here we are,” he sighed when he spotted the Vicar’s home appearing at the end of the road.
Hugh sat up and looked out the window. He frowned, started to fidget, and Alistair could sense his nervous energy. As far as the boy was aware, they were just here to decide how they were going to tell Miss Norleigh about Hugh’s mother and why the Vicar kept his involvement with her a secret.
As Alistair knew, that was less than half of it.
“Hugh…” Alistair licked his lips as the carriage started to slow down. “Perhaps it is best if you wait in the carriage.”
“What? Why?”
Alistair offered him a warm smile. “Just until I speak with the Vicar first. Make sure that we are on the same page. I do not want him thinking that we are ambushing him.”
Hugh’s brow furrowed with determination, and Alistair thought he was going to argue. He almost wanted the boy to, proof that he was growing more confident. But Hugh eventually leaned back and shied away…
“All right,” he said softly. “I’ll… I’ll wait here.”
“Good boy.”
A final smile for the boy, and in that moment, Alistair felt a kinship with him beyond anything he ever had. That alone was proof that he was doing the right thing, and that even if this blew up in his face, he had made the right decision.
A deep sigh, and he climbed from the carriage.
The walk to the Vicar’s home was not a long journey but it felt as if it took an age. Alistair’s legs trembled and his breathing grew heavy as he pictured what he was here to do.
The Vicar was the only other person on the planet who knew the truth, and the deal that Alistair had struck with the Vicar was done not just for Hugh’s protection, but for Alistair’s also…
and for his father’s, for that matter. There was so much more here than even Hugh understood, and certainly more than Miss Norleigh could ever guess.
He reached the front door and hesitated.
Alistair took a deep breath and reminded himself why he was doing this.
It wasn’t for him, nor was it for Hugh. He was doing this for Miss Norleigh, because she deserved to know the truth.
His feelings for her were clear, he wanted to explore them, and he could not do that until the truth was revealed.
If she hated him for it and never wished to speak to him again, so be it. But for once, at least, Alistair was doing the right thing.
He knocked once on the front door.
There was no answer, so he knocked again.
Still, there was no answer, so Alistair pushed the door open and walked inside.
“Vicar!” he called out as he walked into the home. “Vicar? It’s me! We need to talk.”
He heard movement coming from the Vicar’s office, so he headed in that direction. The door was ajar, and Alistar did not hesitate to push it open. When he did… maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
The Vicar sat behind his desk, but he was not hard at work. Rather, he slumped back, his head lolled to the side, and he stunk of liquor. When Alistair stepped inside, the Vicar squinted in confusion, barely able to move, let alone register who he was.
“What… what day is it...”
“This is a sad sight,” Alistair sneered at the drunken priest.
“Is it time for mass?” the Vicar coughed and punched his chest. “Let me just…” He tried to stand, but fell back into his chair, and then he laughed. “I guess not.”
“You’re drunk.”
“I am not!” The Vicar tried to sit up straight but again fell back. “All right, maybe a little.”
Alistair groaned and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He was here to do the right thing. Dammit, he wanted to do the right thing! But that was impossible if the Vicar was wasted… how could they have a serious conversation if the Vicar could hardly see straight?
“How long?” Alistair asked him with a sneer. “How long have you been this way for?”
“What… what time is it?”
“How many days?”
“Ah… a couple, now. Oh, it is not my fault!” the Vicar protested. “It’s you!” He pointed a finger at the duke. “You took my daughter. You… you turned me into a liar! I didn’t want this…” His chin began to wobble. “I tried to do the right thing. I wanted to!”
“Do not blame me for your…” He curled his lip in disgust. “For your weakness.”
“I did not mean it…” The Vicar started to weep. “Please, do not tell my daughter. She cannot know. What would she say…”
Alistair wanted to do the right thing. He was sick of the lies. He was sick of the treachery. He was sick of not being able to tell the woman he was falling for how he felt. He just wanted it done.
Sadly, today would not be that day.
“Tomorrow,” Alistair said. “Sober up. Clean yourself up. And come see me. Is that understood?”
The Vicar continued to squint at Alistair. “Wh – what for?”
“The truth,” Alistair said. “It is time that your daughter learns the truth.” He looked down at the pitiful man with a scowl. “Everything.”
With that, Alistair turned and walked away.
Miss Norleigh would learn the truth. Hugh too, he would learn who he really was and why there was so much secrecy surrounding his adoption. Lies on top of lies, and it was high time that they came out.
Tomorrow… Alistair did not want to wait another day, but in this, he had no choice. Besides, as he saw it, what was one more day when he had been lying for so long already? Surely, one more day would not make a difference…