Chapter 17
Lady Clara emerged from the carriage and Josiah was moving before he could think, crossing the distance between them in three strides. They were outside of London now --- he did not need to care who might see. She opened her arms to him and he was there in a moment, pulling her close.
"Oh, Rutland."
Pulling back, Josiah frowned at the tears which glistened in her eyes. "Clara? Is there something the matter?"
She closed her eyes and offered him a shaky smile. "My brother has gone to speak with Lord Atherstone, it seems."
"Lord Atherstone?" Josiah did not recognize the name. "For what purpose?"
"Apparently so that in time, we might wed," she told him, making a furious anger burst in his core, sending fire right through his veins.
"I have never once thought of him as a suitable match but my brother, it appears, has chosen to decide this for me.
" Her eyes searched his face. "I think that he must have seen me standing with you or speaking with you, for this was one of the things he threatened, should I be discovered in your company. "
Decisiveness flooded him. "Then I shall steal you away to marry you in Scotland at this very moment, if I must."
This made Lady Clara smile, her hand finding his as she pressed his fingers lightly. "It is not required as yet but it may be needed soon. But for the moment, let us go to speak with Miss Jennings and see what it is she can tell us."
With a nod, Josiah reluctantly stepped back from her.
They had come here for answers and he would not waste the chance.
He made his way down the street to the house Lady Deborah had described, nervousness tightening in his chest as he knocked lightly, glancing over his shoulder to where Lady Clara and Lady Alice both stood, standing close together and with their eyes fixed to the door.
It opened.
Josiah's heart thundered wildly as he looked into the face of Miss Jennings, seeing her eyes flare wide as she took him in. "Miss Jennings," he said, making sure to keep his voice low and quiet. "Good afternoon."
She stood half hidden by the door, gripping it as though it were the only thing holding her upright. The colour had drained from her cheeks and she did not say a word.
"Miss Jennings, you must forgive us for this strange and no doubt unexpected interruption."
Miss Jennings' eyes grew all the bigger as she took in Lady Clara.
"We were only in company together on one or two occasions but I must hope that you have not forgotten me," Lady Clara said, a light smile on her face. "I know this is most unexpected but ---"
"Are you come on behalf of your brother, Lady Clara?"
"My --- my brother?" Lady Clara's smile slipped as she hesitated. "Miss Jennings, might I be so very rude as to ask you if I can come inside? It would not be wise to talk out here on the street, I think."
Miss Jennings blinked, then looked at Josiah. "I have very little space."
"We do not need to sit down," he said, with what he hoped was a warm smile. "We do not need anything from you aside from a few minutes of conversation, that is all."
"And I do not need to join you," Lady Alice added. "I can easily make my way back to the carriage as this conversation does not concern me. So, you see? You shall have one less person in the house with you all."
It seemed to take an age for Miss Jennings to decide to let them all in. Her eyes darted from one face to the next, as if she were doing her best to gauge whether or not they could be trusted. Then, much to his relief, she stepped back and held the door open, gesturing for them to come in.
"I thank you," he murmured, as Lady Clara stepped inside.
He followed afterwards and then closed the door behind him, taking in the small house.
There was no grandeur here, certainly. It was all very simple but, at least, clean and tidy.
This would have been a good deal less than Miss Jennings was used to, he was sure.
Given the family she had come from, there would have been a better situation for her than this, even with her father's disgrace.
"Please." Miss Jennings gestured to the two chairs that she had in her small room, both next to the hearth. "I can stand."
"I insist that you sit down," Josiah replied, as Lady Clara herself sat down in the first chair. "I am more than contented to stand here, I assure you."
Again, it took Miss Jennings a few minutes to do as he had suggested but, in time, she did so. Lady Clara smiled warmly and then looked all about her. "You have a very lovely home, Miss Jennings."
The lady let out a broken laugh which had Josiah's eyebrows lifting in surprise.
"It is not at all what you are used to, I know that," she said, shaking her head. "You are very kind to speak so but I assure you, there is no need. You know that I am now a good deal lower in my standing than before."
Lady Clara said nothing but looked towards Josiah who, after a moment, spoke back to the lady, doing his utmost to be as gentle as he could. "I confess, Miss Jennings, that I did not know about your change in circumstances until very recently."
"Nor I," Lady Clara said, softly. "We do not come to provoke you nor to belittle you, I promise you that."
Miss Jennings' eyes jumped from Lady Clara to Josiah and then back again.
"My cousin, Lord Prentis, has spoken to me about your change in circumstances," Josiah continued, holding Miss Jennings' gaze.
"The truth is, Miss Jennings, I do not understand it.
Neither does Lady Clara. The only person who appears to be aware of what has happened to you is Lady Prentis but she will say not a word to anyone. "
Tears immediately began to glisten in Miss Jennings' eyes. "Lady Prentis has been very generous to me."
"I am sorry if our questions upset you," Lady Clara continued, now moving directly towards what it was they wished to know, "but from what I can understand, this change in your situation is connected to my brother."
Miss Jennings began to blink rapidly but despite her attempts, a tear fell to her cheek. "You do not know, Lady Clara?"
Josiah exchanged a glance with Lady Clara before she shook her head.
"No, I am afraid I do not."
"The reason we come to ask is because Lady Clara has been forbidden from joining with me in matrimony," Josiah explained.
"Her brother, Lord Tyrone, will not permit her to even be seen in my company and he has stated that the reason for this is to protect her.
.. or to protect the family name. I myself am very confused indeed, wondering as to why Lord Tyrone would do such a thing. "
"And I know nothing at all," Lady Clara added, shaking her head. "My brother has refused to explain a single word."
Miss Jennings closed her eyes tightly, wiping the tears that fell to her cheeks. "He is ashamed."
Josiah's heart lurched. "You mean to say that Lord Tyrone ---" He could not bring himself to finish the question, having no desire to speak decisively about something he did not fully understand. She had to offer them something more.
The lady sniffed and then opened her eyes. "I was never introduced to Lord Tyrone. If you recall, Lady Clara, it was only you and I who became acquainted."
Lady Clara nodded slowly. "I had not thought of that until this moment. Yes, I recall now that it was you and I who met one afternoon, when I came to visit Lady Deborah and Lady Isobella. You were all playing whist in the parlor."
Miss Jennings nodded, her fingers beginning to worry the handkerchief she held in her hand. "I was, however, introduced to your younger brother, Lord Thomas. It was an unexpected meeting, for I was out walking and he was doing the very same."
Josiah's stomach dropped low. He feared he already knew the rest of this story. Having only a brief recollection of Lord Thomas, he began to scowl, wondering if the gentleman was as much a rogue as he now feared.
"I thought him quite wonderful," Miss Jennings continued, looking down at her hands, her voice growing soft with emotion. "We talked on many occasions, many of which were unknown and unseen by others."
"There was another gentleman in the household," Miss Jennings added, her voice growing quieter still, as though this memory held less pain and therefore less importance to her.
"The elder brother --- Lord Tyrone himself.
He was present on several occasions when Lord Thomas and I were in company, during morning calls that Lady Prentis made upon the family.
" She gave a small, almost dismissive shake of her head.
"He was nothing like his brother. Quiet.
Reserved. He asked me once about the book I was reading --- Cowper's poems --- and thanked me for the tea.
I thought it strange that two brothers could be so very different. "
She fell silent, as though the memory of kindness was harder to bear than the memory of betrayal.
Josiah turned his attention to Lady Clara, seeing her face pale.
The way she gripped her hands together, her knuckles white, told him that she was inwardly struggling with the situation being presented to her.
Unable to keep away, he moved towards her and set one hand on her shoulder.
She did not even look up but reached up with her own hand to set it on his.
When she did not ask anything, Josiah continued on with his questions, hoping that Clara did not mind him doing so.
"Might I ask if there was an agreement between you of any kind?"
Miss Jennings closed her eyes again. "When it came to it, I thought that he was going to offer his hand in marriage. After all we had shared, after all of our intimacies, it would only have been right for him to do such a thing."
"But he did not?" Clara's voice was hoarse, her fingers now gripping his. "He made you no offer?"