Chapter 5 #2
For a moment, neither lady spoke. At length Lady Fairchild reached across the table and rested her hand upon Helena's. "I believe you, my darling."
Helena returned the gesture with a grateful smile. "I know you do. I only wish convincing the rest of London were likely to prove so simple."
Sir Benedict, who had remained silent throughout the conversation, finally laid down his knife and fork. "I would not have seen you married to him," he said gravely. "Not after discovering the sort of man he truly is. I confess I had already begun to doubt him long before this."
Helena looked toward her father. "Papa, now that the engagement is over... will you tell me what was happening? Whenever I asked about the delay, you would only say that the settlements required further discussion."
Sir Benedict nodded. "I did not wish to burden you with the particulars while the matter remained unresolved.
" He paused for a moment before continuing.
"When Lord Ravenscroft first approached me with his proposal, he readily accepted the portion I had set aside for you.
He also proposed adding a settlement of his own, intended for your security should anything ever happen to him. "
Helena frowned. "Then what changed?"
"Within the week of your accepting his proposal," Sir Benedict replied. "After consulting with his solicitor, he requested another meeting. It was then he informed me that he considered your portion insufficient."
Helena stared at him. "He said that?"
"He did." Sir Benedict’s expression hardened.
"He argued that, as the holder of an ancient title with respectable connections, the marriage ought to reflect the standing of both our families.
He maintained that the amount I had proposed did not properly correspond with your position, nor with his own. "
Lady Fairchild gave a small shake of her head.
Sir Benedict looked back at Helena. "Now, my dear, you may not possess the fortune of an heiress such as Miss Wycliffe, but your portion is a very respectable one. No honorable gentleman would have considered it inadequate."
Helena rested her hands upon the table. "It sounds less as though he were speaking of a marriage than bargaining over the purchase of a horse."
Sir Benedict gave a humorless smile. "I found myself thinking much the same.
" He drew a slow breath. "The curious thing was that he never appeared grasping while we spoke together.
He possessed a remarkable talent for making every argument sound perfectly reasonable.
Yet whenever our meetings ended and I had time to reflect upon them, I found myself increasingly uncomfortable. "
"So, what did you do?" Helena asked.
"I agreed to increase your portion," he admitted, "but only on the understanding that he would substantially increase the settlement he intended for your future security."
"And he agreed?"
"He did." Sir Benedict nodded. "But I was no longer content to accept promises alone. I insisted the settlements be completed exactly as agreed before the marriage took place. I wished to see the documents executed rather than merely hear assurances that they would be."
Helena slowly nodded. "That is why the wedding continued to be postponed."
"Indeed. I feared," Sir Benedict admitted quietly, "that if the wedding took place before he completed the settlement, he might fail to honor his word."
For a few moments, Helena sat in thoughtful silence. "Then perhaps your instincts perceived his character long before any of ours did."
Sir Benedict reached across the table and took his daughter’s hand. "I have asked myself more than once whether I ought to have ended the engagement, but each meeting left me believing my concerns were little more than needless suspicion."
Helena gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "If you had, we should never have known the whole truth." She offered him a faint smile. "We would merely have believed him difficult in matters of money. Instead, we now know he lacks honesty as well."
Sir Benedict returned the smile, though there remained sadness in his eyes. "I suppose there is some comfort in that."
Helena looked from her father to her mother. "It is far better to discover a gentleman's true character before a wedding than after one."
Sir Benedict agreed, and after finishing his tea, excused himself to attend to some correspondence in his study.
For a few moments, no one spoke, until Lady Fairchild folded her napkin and looked across the table at her daughter.
"I do not know whether I ought to admit it," she said quietly, "but in my heart, I still hope there has been some dreadful misunderstanding."
Helena met her mother's gaze. "Mama?"
"I cannot help wondering whether the letter was an old one... or whether there is some explanation we have not yet heard." She hesitated. "Perhaps he truly intended to honor the settlements, and events have simply conspired to make everything appear worse than it is."
Helena remained silent.
"Would you not speak with him?" Lady Fairchild asked gently. "Only once. Hear what explanation he has to offer before everything is lost."
"Mama," Helena replied softly, "what explanation could he possibly offer?" She shook her head. "If he has deceived me for nearly a year, I cannot imagine he would suddenly begin speaking with complete honesty now. He is far too accomplished at appearing exactly the gentleman everyone thinks he is."
Lady Fairchild lowered her eyes. "My dear... if there is no reconciliation..."
She could not bring herself to finish the sentence, but Helena understood all the same.
At twenty-four, with a broken engagement already becoming the talk of London, another proposal was unlikely to follow.
If society accepted Lord Ravenscroft's account, many gentlemen would think her impulsive, suspicious, or even irrational.
Her mother feared that one unfortunate decision might determine the course of the rest of her life.
"I do understand your concern, Mama." Helena reached across the table and gently took her mother's hand. "Truly, I do. But I think the wisest course now is to leave Lord Ravenscroft behind me and look ahead, however uncertain the path may presently seem."
***
That afternoon, Helena stood beside Charlotte at Lady Winthrop's gathering, grateful she had accepted her friend's insistence upon wearing the lavender gown. She had known she would be the subject of conversation, but she had not anticipated quite how uncomfortable it would feel.
Wherever she looked, she caught ladies lowering their fans after openly observing her, while gentlemen glanced in her direction before resuming conversations.
Charlotte appeared to notice every curious look.
Whenever someone's attention rested upon Helena for rather longer than good manners allowed, Charlotte met it with such composed disapproval that they invariably found something else deserving of their immediate interest.
"Heavens," Helena murmured, leaning slightly toward her friend, "I am exceedingly grateful you are here with me. I knew I would be the principal subject of gossip throughout London, but I had no notion it would feel so uncomfortable to have everyone watching me."
Charlotte smiled, though she kept her attention upon the conversation taking place around them.
"Not here," she replied softly. "We shall discuss all of this once we have left Lady Winthrop's house.
Whispering together and appearing to study the room will do you no favors at present.
Hold your head high, speak to everyone as you ordinarily would, and let them see only a lady who has conducted herself honorably.
Anger, however justified, is too often mistaken for guilt by those determined to believe the worst."
Helena nodded her head, knowing Charlotte spoke from experience. Following her husband's death, she had endured months of society's scrutiny and had emerged with her dignity entirely intact.
She understood the ton better than almost anyone, she always seemed to know how best to conduct herself when circumstances became difficult, and Helena found herself grateful, that on an afternoon such as that one, she had Charlotte to guide her through it.
"Miss Fairchild!"
Helena turned at the familiar voice and smiled as Georgiana approached.
"I had hoped we would find you." Georgiana looked toward Charlotte. "And I believe we were introduced at the ball, Lady Pembroke, if I am not mistaken?"
"You are quite right," Charlotte replied warmly. "Though introductions are all very well, I had been hoping for a proper conversation. I trust your vastly interesting sister is here as well?"
Georgiana laughed. "Indeed, she is. Ah, here she comes now."
A moment later, Beatrice joined them.
"Lady Montfort," Charlotte said with a smile, "I was only just telling your sister how pleased I am to see you both again. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation on Thursday evening."
"As did I." Beatrice smiled. "You really must call upon us one morning. I should like very much to become better acquainted."
"I should be delighted." Beatrice then turned her attention to Helena. "And Miss Fairchild, that shade of lavender becomes you exceedingly well."
Charlotte glanced triumphantly at Helena. "You see? I told you so."
Helena laughed. "You did indeed. Thank you, Lady Montfort. It has been an age since we last met. I am only sorry I did not find you at the ball."
Beatrice gently took Helena's hand. "You had rather more important matters occupying your thoughts," she said quietly. "I only wished to tell you that you have my family's complete support."
Helena met her eyes gratefully. "Thank you."
Beatrice gave her hand the gentlest squeeze before speaking more loudly once again. "My brother sends his regards. He had another engagement this afternoon but hopes to join us before the gathering concludes, should he finish in time."