Chapter 31 #2
She moved the blankets away. “I’m able now.”
He put both hands on hers, to stop her. “In just a moment. First, I have a few things I need to tell you.”
Helena froze, and stared at him. Would he tell her that she had to leave his home now? She remembered that they were not really speaking before this entire fiasco.
“What is it?” she asked breathlessly.
He took a deep breath. “Helena. We met in the most serendipitous way possible. You needed help, and I was in the right place. It’s as if fate pushed us together to be able to avenge your father.”
Helena nodded slowly.
“And now we’re going to be able to do that. I am happy.” He sighed. “But that isn’t the reason why I helped you.”
Helena cocked her head to the side curiously. “Why did you help me, then?”
He pursed his lips. “It is difficult to explain. The minute I saw you, I knew that you were different from any other woman I’d ever met.
You had my blood pumping in my veins, the world seemed brighter, everything was that much more immediate and alive.
Having you here in my home, in my life, has been the most exciting, yet peaceful time I have ever spent.
I didn’t recognize it for what it was, until recently.
Not speaking to you, not being able to lie next to you in your bed—our bed—has been the most excruciating time of my life.
I realized then that you have wrangled your way into my very soul.
That you are a part of me in a way that I could never get rid of. ”
He gave a rueful laugh shaking his head, as he squeezed her hand.
“Do you realize how terrifying it is for me to discover that you have cleared a place for yourself in my heart without so much as a by-your-leave?”
She laughed wetly. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
He nodded, looking down. “I don’t even know what to say to you. Except… please stay with me, and be my wife.”
“I never stopped being your wife,” she whispered. “I wanted to—so used was I to being alone—but I could not manage it.”
“Good. I don’t want you to leave this tangled up thing we have woven between us. Always with danger in the background, I wish to have some time to show you that I can be a good husband to you. Even when you’re not in distress.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know I haven’t been the easiest. I have pushed you, I have harangued you, I have been an utter nuisance. But you’ve been patient with me. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
He snorted. “Hardly patient. And you were not a nuisance. Never.” He shook his head emphatically.
“Well, I suppose that’s good to hear.”
He looked into her eyes, letting her see everything in his—the love he felt for, the fear for her safety he had gone through, the fierce protectiveness and possessiveness. It was all there, open and unhidden.
Tears fell from her eyes unbidden. “Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for saving my life. And my soul.”
He slowly leaned in and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “It was my pleasure. Now, come with me. I have something to show you.”
Helena wiped her face. “Now? I’m such a mess.”
“I don’t think anyone will mind,” he said as he helped her to her feet and then knelt down to put her slippers on for her.
He took the shawl from the chair and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“There. Are you comfortable?”
She smiled and nodded shyly. “I feel very taken care of.”
“Good. You should get used to it. I plan on doing it a lot more.”
Helena’s cheeks hurt from how much she was smiling.
She followed him from the room, and he led her down the stairs towards the parlor. she thought that he probably had prepared a feast for her there.
Now that I think of it, I am rather peckish.
She entered the parlor and her eyes immediately went to the table wanting to see what food was laid out.
It took her a moment to realize that there were other people in the room.
Her eyes flicked from the table to the door, then back again, her heart suddenly lodged in her throat.
She froze, her breath catching in her chest as she saw them—standing there, both smiling wide, both beaming with an undeniable joy that filled the room.
“Charlie!” she gasped, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Without another thought, she rushed toward him, her feet barely touching the ground as she flew into his arms.
The moment their arms wrapped around each other, all the years of separation, of worry, of desperate hope, seemed to melt away.
Charlie, now a young boy of eleven, held her just as tightly, his small frame steady in her embrace, though his face was a mixture of joy and uncertainty.
“Sister!” he cried, his voice thick with emotion. “I—I can’t believe it’s really you!”
Tears welled in Helena’s eyes as she laughed through her sobs, hugging him even tighter. “I never thought I’d see you again, Charlie! Look at you—so grown!”
She pulled back slightly to look at him, as if to make sure he was real.
Five years. Five years of wondering, of fear, and now he was here, in front of her, safe and whole.
Charlie smiled sheepishly, his eyes glistening. “I’m not a baby anymore, Helena. I’m almost as tall as you now!” His voice, still full of the innocence and warmth of a boy, made her heart ache with the weight of the time they had lost.
They both laughed, and in that moment, nothing else in the world mattered but the joy of being together again.
“Oh my, when did you arrive?” Helena blubbered, as she swayed with him back and forth in her arms.
He gestured towards Benedict, who was leaning against the mantelpiece.
“Your husband’s friend came to get me yesterday,” he replied.
Helena nodded in gratitude to Benedict before moving a few paces back from Charlie in order to feast her eyes on him, though she could barely see through the blur of her tears.
“Oh, I can’t believe you’re here! I was so worried about you!”
“I’m fine.” He looked around. “Is Mother here?”
Helena’s heart fell to the ground.
“We wanted to wait for you,” Amelia said in a small voice.
Helena gasped at the sight of her, lunging forward to hug her close. “Amelia! I’m so glad to see you well.”
“Likewise,” Amelia whispered.
She stepped back and looked at her brother who was looking back at her expectantly, an eyebrow raised.
“Oh Charlie…” she said before the words died in her throat.
Realization seemed to come over him slowly. “She’s not here, is she?” he said in a soft voice.
Helena shook her head jerkily, swallowing the lump in her throat.
“How did it happen?” Charlie asked stoically.
Helena realized sadly that he had grown up while she was away. “She saved my life,” she said.
Charlie stared at her with interest. “Oh?”
Helena nodded. “Yes. Uncle James…” She hesitated because she did not know how her brother felt about their uncle.
Charlie frowned. “Why would he harm her?”
“He… He wanted to shoot me. I don’t know if he only meant to injure me or kill me outright, but Mama, she…” Helena choked.
“She protected you, didn’t she?” Charlie asked softly.
Helena nodded jerkily, unable to speak for the lump in her throat.
Her brother took a step towards her and pulled her into his arms. To her surprise, she realized that they were indeed almost the same height. Charlie was going to be tall one day.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to say after swallowing back her tears.
“What are you sorry for?” he asked gently.
“It’s my fault she died.”
Charlie huffed. “It’s not you who shot her.”
“Yes, but the bullet was meant for me.”
“And if it had hit you, then you would be dead. Do you think that’s better?”
Helena looked at him. “I don’t know.”
“Put the blame where it belongs. On Uncle James. He is the one who did a bad thing.”
Helena nodded. “I suppose that’s true.”
Silas frowned. “Benedict?” He turned to his friend. “Could you get us a drink please?”
“Right away, old friend,” Benedict said briskly as he crossed over to the bar and plucked the bottle from the tray.
There was a kettle of tea on the table, as well as sandwiches and honey cakes. Silas poured them all a cup, topping them all up generously with the whiskey.
“Sit. There is much to talk about and discuss,” he said.
Charlie and Helena looked at each other before taking a seat on the sofa next to each other. Silas and Amelia sat across from them while Benedict took the armchair.
“Now that we’re all up and about and feeling slightly better, I thought I might catch you up as to the goings-on in your absence.”
“How did you find us?” Amelia asked.
Benedict explained about having men both watching Charlie at Downfield and watching the abbey.
“Once we knew that they were not at Downfield, we had to assume that they headed for the abbey. Luckily, Lady Downfield and Lord James had set out from Downfield towards the abbey on the same day that you and Helena were kidnapped. So, it was safe to assume that you were there or somewhere close by.”
“It was a guess?” Helena said with wide eyes.
“Yes,” Silas said quietly, looking somber. “I suppose it was.”
“Lucky guess,” Helena said incredulously.
“Not lucky.” Benedict held up a finger. “Informed.”
“But we were not at the abbey, were we?” Helena asked.
“No, you were at a property belonging to your uncle nearby. Lucky for us, he was quite sure that we would not be able to find him. Hubris,” Silas said smugly.
Helena nodded. “What of the rest of the conspirators? Were you able to find them?”
“Well, as you know, we were set to intercept a wagon headed for Dover. However, thanks to one of our men, we were able to access the goods right at the abbey. The presence of Sister Philomena, Sister Mary Gertrude, and Sister Frances at your abduction site was enough to implicate them. We were able to gather them all, though the two conspirators from the apothecary got away.”
Benedict grinned. “When faced with the hangman’s noose, they turned on each other so fast, each willing to implicate the other for a lighter sentence. We got everything that we needed.”
Helena nodded in understanding. “That’s good. But has the plot been foiled, or will you continue to search for the rest?”
Benedict’s grin grew. “I’m glad you asked.
It turns out this rebellion was based on a story about a diadem.
The one who possessed that diadem would be recognized as the true ruler of England.
As you know, your father left the diadem to you.
Your uncle assumed that you were the only one who knew where it is. ”
“But I don’t know where it is.”
“Indeed, you do not. However, as I was collecting your brother, we had some conversation about your father and you. He was able to tell us how you spent endless hours in the library with your father talking. Your brother, wanting to be part of that, would sneak into the library and sometimes would fall asleep under your father’s desk.
On one such occasion, he woke up to hear your father tell you that should something happen to him, and you needed him, you could always look for him in his books. ”
Helena nodded slowly. “He did tell me that.”
“That gave me an idea, and it did not take a lot of searching in the library to come across the book that was not, in fact, a book.” He pointed to a book lying on the table.
Helena stared at it with wide eyes before leaning forward to pick it up. She opened it slowly and her eyes widened even further. The book was hollowed out, and sitting in the space where the pages should have been, was a small silver and emerald diadem.
She gasped. “This is it?”
Benedict nodded. “According to legend, you are the true King of England, then!” He laughed.
“What will we do with it?” Helena asked.
“We shall present it to the Regent, I suppose.” Silas said, “unless you have another thought?”
Helena shook her head. “No. I think that’s a good idea.”
Amelia, who had been silently watching the exchange, suddenly leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
“Well,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “if you don’t want to present it to the Regent, I’m sure we could always start a new fashion trend. Imagine all the ton ladies wearing silver and emerald diadems. Why settle for a tiara, when you can be royalty?”
Helena couldn’t help but laugh, her tension easing. “You may be onto something there, Amelia,” she said with a smile.