Chapter 18
Tristan had spent the morning with his solicitor, attending to various legal matters concerning the estate, though his thoughts had wandered more than once to the morning parlor and how tea with Charlotte was progressing.
When the meeting finally concluded, he made his way to the morning room, where he found Beatrice rising with the intention of taking Oliver to the park with his tutor. Helena looked up and smiled at his entrance, but Georgiana was nowhere to be seen.
“Charlotte sends her regards,” Helena said. “Georgiana has gone to lie down. She complained of a slight headache and said she wished for a little peace.”
“I shall leave you two to it. I am most eager to go find my little duck and take a turn about the park,” Beatrice said with a smile.
Once she had departed, Tristan took the seat beside Helena. “How did it go?”
“Charlotte is remarkable,” Helena replied with a laugh. “I only wish you could have been there.”
She recounted the conversation over tea, explaining how Charlotte had guided the discussion without ever appearing to direct it.
“It certainly affected Georgiana,” Helena finished. “She grew rather subdued afterward, as though she had much to consider.”
Tristan nodded thoughtfully. “It was very cleverly done. It allows Georgiana to reach her own conclusions, rather than feeling she is simply being instructed, as though she were still a child.”
“That was precisely our hope,” Helena agreed. “If we have managed to plant even the smallest seed of doubt, then perhaps, when we can show her the evidence against the baron, she will be more willing to hear us.”
Tristan regarded her thoughtfully. Her cool gray eyes reminded him of moonlight. He reached for her hand. “You are the most beautiful wife, Helena,” he said softly.
A blush warmed her cheeks, matching the delicate rose of her morning dress. “Tristan.” She smiled, her eyes bright with amusement. “Thank you.” She hesitated. “There is something I have been meaning to ask you.”
He noticed the faint line that appeared between her brows, the look of caution replacing her smile. “What is it?”
Her free hand came to rest over his. “Would you be willing to speak about Frederick?” she asked gently.
An old ache stirred within him, one that had never truly faded over the past three years. He lowered his gaze. He had always known the time would come when he would have to speak of his brother. “Of course.”
“I do not wish to overstep,” she began. “I cannot imagine the grief his loss brought upon your family.”
“There was so much grief at that time,” Tristan said quietly. “But Frederick... I have always found him the hardest to speak about. Georgiana and Beatrice feel the same.”
“I had noticed,” Helena admitted. “I have been reluctant to ask, but... what happened? Papa only ever said there had been a carriage accident.”
Tristan nodded slowly. “He had traveled to London on business. He had made an investment that had gone badly wrong.”
“He was ambitious, then,” Helena said thoughtfully. “Not content to leave school and devote himself solely to society.”
A faint, humorless smile touched Tristan's lips. “Do you know who encouraged that investment?”
Helena searched his face before slowly shaking her head.
“Lord Ravenscroft,” Tristan explained.
Tristan released a long breath and rose, crossing to the window. He raked a hand through his hair as the pieces began falling into place in a way they never had before.
“Tristan?” Helena joined him. “I am sorry. Had I known this would distress you so deeply, I would never have asked.”
He turned to her. “No. You deserve to know.” His voice was quieter.
“Lord Ravenscroft persuaded Frederick to invest in one of his shipping ventures. I warned him to be cautious. There was something about Lord Ravenscroft I never entirely trusted, but Frederick wanted to make his own way. He did not wish to rely upon the family fortune.”
“Because he was the second son,” Helena said softly. “He wanted something that was entirely his own.”
Tristan nodded. “I returned from a hunting party a few days before Frederick was due to leave for London. He confessed that the investment had failed. Lord Ravenscroft claimed the shipment had been lost at sea, but Frederick was determined to learn more. He intended to meet with him and ask what might be done.”
Helena's expression changed. “If Lord Ravenscroft was already involved in smuggling...”
“I wanted to accompany him. But Elinor had fallen ill, and I could not leave her,” Tristan explained, his face torn with guilt. “On the second day of his journey home, his carriage overturned. He was killed instantly.”
“Oh dear,” Helena breathed.
“For years, I have wondered whether things might have been different had I gone with him. Whether I could have prevented it somehow.”
Helena stepped toward her husband and gently took both of his hands. “You must not carry that burden,” she said. “You could not have known what awaited him, nor could you have been in two places at once.”
“I have to wonder whether it was ever an honest investment at all, or whether Lord Ravenscroft had already ventured into illegal dealings.” Tristan paused, his expression darkening. “If Frederick discovered the truth... then his death was awfully convenient, was it not?”
Georgiana stepped into the room, one hand resting against her forehead. “I do wish this headache would leave me.”
Helena immediately crossed to her side, taking her hand. “Then you ought to remain in bed,” she said gently. “I shall have some refreshments sent up, together with cold water and a damp cloth for your head. You should take the day to rest.”
Georgiana's expression softened. “Thank you. I believe I shall.”
Tristan watched Helena with admiration. There was something so instinctive in her kindness, so natural in the way she anticipated another's needs without making a fuss of it.
It did not escape him, either, that Georgiana no longer met Helena with the reserve she once had.
The cool distance between them had begun to give way to something warmer, and he could not help but be grateful for it.
Helena slipped an arm lightly around Georgiana's, and together they made their way toward the door.
“Go on,” Tristan said with an encouraging smile. “Get some rest.”
Georgiana nodded before continuing upstairs.
Helena turned to follow her, but Tristan spoke her name before she had gone more than a few steps.
She looked back.
“I promised to call upon your father this afternoon,” he said. “But perhaps, if the weather holds tomorrow morning, we might ride out together after breakfast.”
A smile spread across Helena's face. “I should like that very much.”
Tristan returned the smile, watching Helena disappear up the staircase after Georgiana before making his way to collect his hat and gloves.