Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Faith and Grace left, Helena moved closer to the door and leaned her forehead against it.
“Chastity?”
Helena heard no answer.
“Chastity, please,” she said again.
Still no answer.
“Chastity, I shall wait for you right here outside your door until you are ready to talk.”
Helena sat on the floor, leaning against the door to Chastity's bedchambers. Her sister had to go out sometime; she had to eat after all.
Helena bent her legs and hugged them to her chest.
How had they come to this? She rested her head on her knees, breathing deeply. Would that they were all young again and free of these cares, would that they were all back in Beecham Park, and the most trouble they had was difficult lessons and torn hems.
Time passed, and Helena did not know if she was there for mere minutes or perhaps hours. Not one person passed the hallway; perhaps Faith and Grace had warned the staff not to go that way for the time being, either way, she was thankful for it.
Perhaps Chasity has fallen asleep.
Helena sighed; her legs were starting to cramp. Standing up, she called to her sister one more time.
“Chastity, please.”
Silence.
Frustration brewed in Helena. How was she to try to fix this if Chastity herself refused to be helped? Anger and misery mixed in her heart. With a sob, she took a step back from the door and left.
“Mrs. Fielding said you called for me, m’lady?” Sally asked timidly.
Having just dismissed Mr. Keble and Mrs. Fielding, Helena was still recovering from the gravity of the conversation with the butler and housekeeper.
The entire household, including the servants, had to be managed in the wake of the events of last night.
The scandal that Chastity had been caught in would surely have spread by now; thus, the sooner it was controlled—starting, of course, from the Huntington household—the better it would be for all of them.
She knew, of course, that scandals such as this would never be forgotten by the ton, or if they did, it would take years.
Tongues would always wag, and gossip was never kind.
Some would be kind, but some would be unforgiving even after so long a time.
Helena only hoped that in time, Chastity would heal enough and be strong enough to face society again.
The lady’s maid stood by the door, her hands fidgeting with her apron.
“Come in, Sally,” Helena said. “Close the door, please.”
Helena gestured for Sally to take the seat by her desk. The lady’s maid swallowed audibly but did as she was asked.
“I think you know the reason why I have asked to speak to you, Sally.”
“Indeed, I do not know why, m’lady—”
“I expect a truthful answer from you, Sally.”
“Yes, m’lady.” Sally said, her shoulders stooping.
“Is Lord Clifton the man that Chastity has been meeting with whenever you go walking out?”
Sally looked desperately at the door, as if wondering if she should make a run for it.
“Your employment is not in jeopardy, Sally,” Helena reassured her. “but I entreat you, for Chastity’s sake, and for the sake of the many years you have been in our family’s employ, to please speak the truth.”
Covering her face with her apron, Sally burst into tears.
“I am sorry, m’lady! I should have known better, I should have told you earlier on!” Sally sobbed. “But Lady Chastity, she told me not to, she said that I would be in trouble too if you were find out.”
“Oh, Sally,” Helena sighed. “You know that you should have come to me about this.”
“That I know, m’lady, it is just that seeing Lady Chastity so happy with Lord Clifton—”
“So it is Lord Clifton?” Helena gritted her teeth.
“Oh, yes, m’lady. ‘Tis Lord Clifton.”
“Go on, please.”
“Lady Chastity said that Lord Clifton made her happy, that he told her he loved her, and she loved him in return.
“Then why on earth did he not just court her? If he indeed had those feelings for her, why make it clandestine? I do not understand at all.”
“Lady Chastity said that Lord Clifton asked to keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“I do not know, m’lady. All I know is that I was to help her meet with him, I was to give her letters to him, and he would give me his letters to Lady Chastity.”
Helena had one other question that she needed to know the answer to. How far did Lord Clifton get in seducing her sister? She was almost afraid to know the answer, but she must. She braced herself.
“Sally, when you accompanied Charity and Lord Clifton during their walks, did they ask you to leave them? Was there any time that they were left alone?”
Helena’s heart beat fast as she waited for the answer.
“No, m’lady! That, I would never do, I would never leave Lady Chastity alone with a man, even if she asked me to!”
The fierce look on Sally’s face told Helena that she was telling her the truth.
She heaved a sigh of relief. Lord Clifton had not reached that far.
But had he had the opportunity to continue, had they not been seen at the ball, Helena dreaded to think what he could have done, and what Chastity would have been led to do in the name of love.
There was some consolation in that at least.
“Alright, Sally. I believe you.”
Shoulders stooping again, Sally wiped at her eyes. Her shoulders still shook, but the expression on her face was relief.
“I am very sorry that I did not tell you, m’lady. I failed you. I knew better, but I thought that they were in love.”
“And what do you think now?”
“That blackguard would never leave Lady Chastity like this if he intended to do the honest thing by her. I think he was never in love; he had only ever wanted to seduce her.”
Helena closed her eyes. Hearing the words said out loud cemented her misery for her sister. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and went to Sally’s side. She put her hand on the servant’s shoulder and spoke.
“We must now help each other, Sally. We must do everything we can for Chastity.”
“Anything, m’lady. Please tell me what I must do.”
“Tell her that I love her, no matter the things that have happened, that has never changed. Ask her not to shut me, Faith, and Grace out anymore. Please tell Chastity that.”
“Aye, m’lady.”
Matteo arrived at Huntington House late in the afternoon. Helena received him in the sitting room as was usual.
It felt to him as if it were only yesterday when he first entered Huntington House. At that time, he was received in the Blue Room, as all other callers were being received. But on his next call, being Helena’s betrothed, he was received in the sitting room.
Looking back, he now just realized that the shift meant he was considered not a mere visitor anymore, no, he was a close family connection—even family, had everything been real.
Had everything been real.
Funny how nothing felt more real to him now than his time as Helena’s betrothed.
His remembrances, adding to a day already fraught with miserable news, served to further dampen Matteo’s spirits.
No sooner had he thought those words than, upon seeing him, Faith and Grace stood up and curtsied, their faces brightening. Their reactions warmed Matteo’s heart. Bittersweet was the impact of those smiles, of the warm welcome that the two young ladies conveyed on him.
“Good morning, Lady Faith, Lady Grace,” he bowed back.
“Your Grace!” Grace rushed to him. “It has been a while since you were in our company.”
“Indeed, it was a rather busy week for all of us,” Matteo explained. “I apologize for the neglect.”
“We have not been busy at all today; we have had not a single caller,” Grace said with a serious expression.
“Grace,” Helena said in a firm voice, and shook her head at her sister.
“Shall I call for tea?” Faith said hurriedly and cast a quick but reproachful look at Grace.
“Yes, please, if you would, Faith. Thank you,” Helena said.
They spent the next few minutes talking about the weather and other mundane things, not uttering a word about the very thing that they all had in mind.
Matteo observed the tension among the sisters; he particularly observed the fatigued look upon Helena’s countenance.
He could only imagine the weight she carried.
And he could only wish that she had help from her parents, though he suspected otherwise.
He wanted to take her in his arms and give her the comfort that she obviously needed right now.
Tea arrived, which Helena served, and everyone drank in near silence.
After a while, Matteo leaned over to Helena, who sat next to him on the settee, and whispered.
“Might I have a word with you in private, Helena?”
For indeed, the purpose of his call required privacy.
“Is there any other place where we can talk?”
She nodded discreetly and set her cup down.
“The weather is particularly fine for a stroll in the gardens. Might I ask you to accompany me, Your Grace?” Helena said, aiming a smile at Matteo.
“Of course, my lady.”
Matteo followed Helena as she led the way out into the gardens.
As before, they went to the pergola. It was indeed a lovely spring day.
The trees with their branches swaying gently in the breeze, and the spring flowers with their profusion of colors, cared not about the troubles of the people around them.
This time, it was Matteo who led Helena to the bench and asked her to sit down.
“How fares Lady Chastity?” he asked.
“She has not left her room at all today. She speaks to no one from the family as far as I can tell, and will only allow Sally in her chambers.”
“And your sisters?”
Helena sighed.
“They are trying their best with Chastity as well, but she does not even acknowledge them. We have given her space in hopes that she will eventually start talking to us. But so far nothing has changed.”
Helena frowned, then she looked at Matteo.
“I have spoken to Sally.”
“She knows something?” Matteo leaned closer.
“Yes, she admitted that she was the one giving and receiving the letters between Chastity and Lord Clifton. She also admitted that it was Lord Clifton that Chastity would meet with during their afternoon walks.
Helena paused, her brows still furrowed.
“Sally said that Lord Clifton claimed to love Chastity and she him, but that he asked to keep it a secret.”
Matteo shook his head.
“That lowlife was getting ready to flee the country.”
“What?” Helena gasped.
“I have been about town since this morning following his trail.”
“And what did you find out about him?”
It was Matteo’s turn to sigh.
He had started at his club even before breakfast and had roamed about London until he found the answers that he had been dreading to find.
“Lord Harris had withdrawn his sponsorship of Clifton following the information that the former racked up an enormous debt since his return to England.”
“Oh.” Helena seemed not to know what to say.
“Ah, but there is more,” Matteo continued regretfully.
“I have found through my solicitors’ inquiries that Clifton’s sole purpose in returning to England was to sell his country estate, the funds from the sale were to settle standing debts in the West Indies, where he is to return and…”
Matteo hesitated.
“What? And what?” Helena asked impatiently.
“And reunite with his wife.”
“His wife?” Helena stood up so fast that her elbow caught Matteo’s chin.
“Matteo!”
She gasped and quickly placed her hand against his chin, checking to see if she injured him in any way.
“I apologize, did I hurt you?”
Chuckling softly despite the situation, Matteo shook his head. He placed his hand over hers.
“I am quite alright, do not worry about it.”
Helena bit her lip and dropped her hand hastily.
“I am sorry, I realize how inappropriate—”
Matteo shook his head.
They looked at each other, eyes saying more than words could. After a while, Matteo spoke again.
“Clifton was wed to a local girl and had planned to leave England for good. This was apparently a last bid at freedom and a twisted farewell to England. I would not be surprised to find that he is already on a ship bound for the West Indies.”
“Despicable miscreant!” Helena’s hands fisted.
“I can think of a better, more deserving name to call him, but I will not say it in your presence,” Matteo said through gritted teeth.
If only he had taken more pains to find out about Lord Clifton. If only he had moved sooner and had not waited. He took a deep breath. He was tired, not just physically but in his soul as well.
“I must tell Chastity all this. I had hoped that we were wrong—prayed that we were wrong—that maybe, just maybe, Lord Clifton had panicked at being caught but would go to her, as Helena had said. But this must erase all hope in Chastity’s heart.”
Helena covered her face with her hands. It started as a gentle shake of her shoulders, but before Matteo knew it, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
He took her in his arms without hesitation. Her face pressed against his chest, her hands fisted on the lapels of his coat.
“My poor sister, all she wanted was to love and be loved in return.”
Hearing her cry in such a broken way tore at Matteo.
He wanted to chase after Lord Clifton, deal him great physical harm, and then…
what? He could not force him to marry Chastity; he was already a married man.
What was there to do? He would do anything to stop Helena’s tears, anything to take this burden off her shoulders.
He knew then how much he loved Helena Ayles. This woman, who was unimpressed by him, this woman who challenged him, this woman who taught him what it was to give and give, even if there was nothing given in return. This woman who taught her what it meant to love.
And suddenly he knew what must be done.
He could not undo what happened, but he could do something for the future. He could offer something that would protect Helena and her family.
He closed his eyes and let the consequences of this solution ripple through him. The cost would be very dear, more than anything that he had ever paid. But he would see it done. For Helena.
His arms wrapped around her tightly as if meaning to never let her go. He laid his cheek on her hair and inhaled her scent. They stood that way for a long time, neither of them speaking, each comforting the other.
Matteo’s heart marveled, even as it wept, at how perfectly, how naturally she fit in his arms. Then, placing a kiss on her temple, Matteo closed his eyes and, in his mind, bid Helena goodbye.