Chapter 6
After the church service, the Wycliffe family retired to the morning parlor, where tea and refreshments had been laid out.
Oliver had become so animated while recounting a story of the children he had played with in the park the previous morning, that in illustrating some particularly important detail, he sent his teacup tumbling over.
Tea splashed across his own clothes as well as Beatrice's and Georgiana's, leaving the three of them equally startled.
Tristan managed to suppress his laughter for all of three seconds.
"Oliver Wycliffe," Beatrice said, trying very hard to sound stern despite the tea dripping from her sleeve, "this is the third time this month! I have reminded you to be careful with your teacup."
"I am sorry, Mama," Oliver replied miserably.
"I know you are." Beatrice kissed the top of his head before taking his hand. "Come along. Let us all make ourselves respectable again."
Georgiana laughed as she rose. "I shall return directly. Fortunately, I have no shortage of gowns."
Within moments, the room had emptied, leaving Tristan alone with an untouched cup of tea and every intention of finally laughing fully at what had just occurred, yet again.
A knock sounded at the door soon after. "Miss Fairchild, My Lord," the footman announced.
Helena entered with an apologetic smile before glancing about the unexpectedly empty room. "I fear I have arrived at a poor moment."
"On the contrary," Tristan replied, rising to greet her. "You have merely missed Oliver's latest adventure. He succeeded in spilling tea over himself, Beatrice, and Georgiana all at once. They have gone to change and will be down presently."
Helena laughed. "I suppose there is never a dull moment where children are concerned."
"I have reached much the same conclusion.
" He waited until she had taken a seat before returning to his own.
"It has reminded me how fortunate our parents were to have an excellent nursery staff at Blackmere.
I cannot imagine how they would manage those summers with the house filled with energetic children otherwise. "
Helena laughed and agreed.
"I hope you do not mind," Helena said after a moment. "Mary accompanied me today. She asked whether she might see if any of the servants from Blackmere are still with your household."
Tristan smiled. "Goodness, I am delighted she is still with you.
I thought I recognized her when I saw you in the park, though I could not immediately place where from.
" He remembered Mary as the young maid who had begun attending Helena when she was about eleven, and who had rarely been far from her side during those summers at Blackmere.
Helena replied warmly. "She has shown me more kindness than I can ever properly repay. I cannot imagine my life without her."
"I believe she shall find many familiar faces downstairs," Tristan said. "Apart from one or two newer servants, most of the household has remained with us since those summers at Blackmere. I daresay she is enjoying a lively reunion at this very moment."
Helena smiled at the thought.
"I am glad you accepted our invitation to call." Tristan added.
"I confess I intended to do so from the moment I met Georgiana again at the modiste." She gave a small, apologetic smile. "Everything since then has simply been... rather complicated."
"I understand." Tristan regarded her for a moment before speaking again. "I hope you did not think I was pressing you yesterday. If you would prefer never to speak of the matter, I would understand entirely."
"Not at all." Helena shook her head. "You and your sisters have shown me nothing but kindness. I think you deserve to hear the truth, particularly when so many others appear content to believe Lord Ravenscroft's version."
Tristan nodded his head but did not interrupt.
Taking a slow breath, Helena started at the beginning. She spoke of seeing Lord Ravenscroft in Hyde Park with the unknown young lady whose hand had rested so familiarly against his chest.
She explained the book he had asked her to fetch, the butler leading her to the study, and finally the letter she had discovered upon the desk.
She repeated the passages that had convinced her beyond all doubt that it could never have been intended for a female relation, finishing by describing the note she had written the following morning ending the engagement.
When she had finished, Tristan remained silent for several moments.
"I cannot understand," Helena admitted quietly, "how I am to set the matter right with society.
" She looked down at her hands. "I know I ought not to concern myself with the opinions of others, yet I cannot help thinking how unfair all of this has been to Mama and Papa.
They have done nothing to deserve becoming the subject of gossip. "
"They have not," Tristan agreed and leaned back in his chair. "But your reputation will speak for itself, Helena."
She looked up.
"The ton delights in scandal because scandal is entertaining.
It is also remarkably quick to tire of yesterday's excitement in favor of tomorrow's.
" A faint smile touched his lips. "Those who know your character will not readily believe you capable of acting without reason.
Those who do not know you will eventually begin to wonder why my family continues to receive you exactly as we always have. "
Helena smiled faintly. "You truly think it will make a difference?"
"I do." His expression became thoughtful.
"The ton places an astonishing value upon rank.
It is one of society's less admirable qualities, but it exists all the same.
If an earl and his family publicly support you without reservation, many who presently believe Lord Ravenscroft's account will begin to question whether they have judged too hastily.
" A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Society approaches these matters rather like a game of cards.
I fear my title and ancestry happen to outrank his. "
Helena laughed. "That is a thoroughly dreadful way of describing it."
"It is." Tristan smiled. "I only wish it were less accurate."
"My greatest concern," Helena admitted after a thoughtful silence, "is what he might yet accomplish. If he has managed to spread such a story in only a few days, what more does he intend to do?" She held his gaze.
"At twenty-four, I am unlikely to receive another proposal.
I do not truly mind the prospect of remaining unmarried.
There is, I suppose, a certain freedom in it.
But I fear his version of events will always accompany me, and that I shall forever be remembered as the lady who unjustly accused her fiancé of having an affair. "
Tristan had given little thought to what lay beyond the immediate scandal.
His concern had been for Helena herself, and for helping her weather the present difficulties.
Only then did he begin to consider what the future might hold if Lord Ravenscroft succeeded in fixing the account permanently in society's memory.
"I hope that, in time, people will begin to question his account," Helena continued. "Yet even when the excitement has faded, I fear something of it will remain. It is not only my own reputation that troubles me. And..." She hesitated before continuing.
"After what happened yesterday at Lady Winthrop's, I cannot help wondering whether Lord Ravenscroft will consider himself publicly slighted. I fear I have now seen a side of his character I never suspected existed, and I cannot help wondering how far he may go if he believes himself wronged."
Before Tristan could answer, hurried footsteps sounded in the passage.
Oliver marched into the morning parlor wearing a fresh set of clothes, only to stop abruptly when he saw Helena.
She immediately rose from her chair and knelt before him. "You must be Master Oliver."
"I am!" he replied proudly, before blushing at having become the center of attention.
"I am Miss Fairchild, though I think, if we are to become friends, you may simply call me Helena."
She held out her hand. Oliver shook it with complete seriousness.
"I should like to be your friend, Helena." Oliver smiled shyly and blushed ever so slightly.
"I am very pleased to hear it." Helena smiled.
She resumed her seat, and Oliver climbed onto the chair beside her as though they had known one another for years.
"Do you like ducks?" he asked.
"I do indeed." Helena laughed. "I have always preferred ducks to geese."
Oliver nodded vigorously. "I do not like geese."
"Neither do I." She leaned toward him conspiratorially. "I shall tell you a secret."
Oliver immediately moved closer.
"I am still rather afraid of them," she said.
His eyes widened before he burst into delighted laughter. "So am I! They chase you, and they have those little, beady black eyes. I think they know when you're frightened."
"I have often suspected the same." Helena nodded in agreement.
"But ducks are nice," Oliver declared.
"Indeed, they are. Perhaps," Helena suggested, "the next time your mama takes you to the park, I might come too, and we could feed them together."
Oliver's face lit up. "I should like that very much!"
"And what other animals do you admire?" Helena asked with interest.
For several minutes, Oliver happily explained which animals he adored, which he merely tolerated, including, in his opinion, particularly ill-tempered horses, and why geese deserved universal distrust. Helena answered every question with complete seriousness, confessing in return that frogs had always inspired a profound dislike in her.
Tristan watched the conversation with quiet amusement. Helena spoke to Oliver exactly as she did to everyone else, never condescending simply because he was a child. It was little wonder the boy had attached himself to her within moments.
Before long, Beatrice and Georgiana returned, delighted to find Helena with them. The three ladies were soon discussing forthcoming assemblies, musicales, and morning calls, comparing gowns and debating which hostesses were most deserving of their company.
Seeing his sisters happily occupied, Tristan quietly withdrew from the room.
As he paused in the doorway, he heard Helena cautioning Georgiana against placing too much confidence in certain ambitious mamas, who were far more interested in advancing their own daughters than in forming genuine friendships.
He smiled to himself; Georgiana could scarcely hope for a wiser guide through her first Season. Beatrice, too, had needed a companion. Since her husband's death, much of her attention had been devoted to Oliver, often leaving little opportunity for companionship beyond her own family.
Helena seemed to fit among them with remarkable ease. The thought followed him all the way to his study. Closing the door behind him, Tristan crossed to his desk but remained standing instead of taking his seat.
His family had welcomed Helena back into their lives as though no years had passed between them. She, in turn, had slipped naturally into their company. Even Oliver, who could be wonderfully particular about new acquaintances, had accepted her without hesitation.
Then his thoughts returned to Lord Ravenscroft. If Helena's fears proved justified, the scandal might indeed follow her for years. Worse still, Sir Benedict and Lady Fairchild would bear it alongside her.
He lowered himself into his chair, his thoughts returning to an idea that had first occurred to him the previous evening after leaving Lady Winthrop's. At the time, he had dismissed it almost immediately as impulsive.
After having listened to Helena's account for himself and considered the position in which the Fairchild family found themselves, he found the proposal returning with considerably more force. The more he reflected upon it, the more practical it appeared.
He considered his own motives with the same care he gave every important decision. Certainly, a sense of duty influenced him. The friendship between their families demanded that he do whatever lay within his power to protect Helena from a scandal she did not deserve.
Yet, honesty compelled him to acknowledge that duty alone was not what had brought him to that conclusion.
Helena deserved far better than allowing Lord Ravenscroft's deception to determine the course of the rest of her life, and Tristan found he could not bear the thought of seeing such an intelligent, thoughtful lady condemned by a falsehood she had no means of correcting.
Having satisfied himself that he had considered the matter from every angle, he reached a decision. Drawing a fresh sheet of paper from the desk drawer, he dipped his quill into the ink and began writing to Sir Benedict Fairchild. The letter was brief but sincere.
He explained that, should Sir Benedict and Helena consider it a suitable solution to the unfortunate circumstances in which they found themselves, he wished to offer Miss Fairchild a marriage of convenience.
Once he had read the letter through twice and found nothing he wished to alter, he folded it carefully and sealed it with wax.
Before he could ring for a servant, a gentle knock sounded at the study door.
"My Lord," the footman announced, opening the door just far enough for Helena to appear beyond him.
She stepped only a pace into the room and smiled. "I wished only to thank you before I left."
Tristan rose from his chair. "For what?"
"For listening," she replied. "You believed I had reason before you had even heard my account, and I shall not soon forget such kindness."
She dipped into a graceful curtsy before adding with a smile, "And Mary did indeed enjoy a most lively reunion downstairs."
"I am very glad to hear it," Tristan replied.
After wishing him good afternoon, Helena withdrew, leaving the study silent once more. Tristan looked down at the sealed letter resting in his hand. Without another thought, he reached for the bell pull.