Chapter Nineteen
“Who is Cordelia?”
James stared at Gwendolyn as they stood behind closed doors in his study, knowing their discussion was going to go badly.
He had not purposely neglected to mention his sister, just never brought her up because he’d assumed Fiona had told her about Cordelia and her illness.
Since he realized Gwendolyn was unaware, he’d never found the right time to tell her.
And now Gwendolyn thought he was purposely keeping secrets from her.
Just as worrisome was that Clement had discovered this information and was putting a sinister spin on it in order to discredit him.
“How does that cur know about her? I vow I’ll kill him if he attempted to see her.”
Gwendolyn looked angry as she replied, “The point is, why do I not know about her? Who is she to you, James?”
He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Sit down, Gwen. There’s nothing sordid going on. She’s my younger sister.”
This seemed to confuse her. “Your sister?”
By the look of surprise on her face, she must have believed Cordelia was a mistress of his.
No doubt Clement’s innuendos were meant to give her the wrong impression.
“I should have told you sooner. I thought Fiona would have said something to you about her, and by the time I realized that she hadn’t, there never seemed a good time to bring her up. She’s very ill.”
Gwendolyn reached for his hands and gave each a light squeeze. “Oh, James. I’m so sorry.”
This was why he adored her. She had the softest heart.
This was also why he detested Clement so thoroughly. He had gone straight for James’s jugular vein, hoping to destroy him.
“What my sister has is an illness that is impossible to cure. I’m not sure what is going on with her, but she is currently in a sanitarium.”
Gwendolyn regarded him with genuine concern. “What is it? Consumption?”
“No. If only it were something that straightforward.”
But how did one cure madness?
He let out a pained breath. “Her mind snapped several years ago, and she has been living in a world of delusion ever since. Perhaps she has always been this way, but I don’t think so.
She was never like this as a child. Or if she was, then she hid it so well that no one ever noticed.
However, I truly think this illness came on later in life.
Something changed in her. I have no idea how or why.
I often question whether I could have prevented it had I noticed her condition sooner. ”
“Oh, James. Even if you had, who is to say you could have done anything for her?”
“Well, I might have tried. But I was distracted coping with an ailing wife and young sons who required my attention. I had to worry about them in addition to dealing with the work required to maintain my estate and holdings.”
He was heartened to note Gwendolyn was still holding his hands as he spoke, although it probably meant nothing.
Still, he chose to take it as a good sign.
However, he remained troubled that Clement had found out about Cordelia.
Not that it was a secret, for anyone attached to Milbury Hill or any of the neighboring estates would have known and told him.
What bothered James most was that Clement had avoided reuniting with Gwendolyn and instead taken a day or two to investigate him.
A man in love should have gone to his beloved first, shouldn’t he? That Clement showed more concern over him instead of Gwendolyn was a troubling sign for her future happiness.
To James, it revealed several things about the man. First, that destroying an opponent mattered more to him than reuniting with his beloved. Second, that Gwendolyn would always come second in Clement’s heart.
How was he to convince her of this?
“My sister is not likely ever to come out of the sanitarium,” he continued. “I’ve asked the doctors, but they have no explanation for her mind’s deterioration. It does not stem from physical weakness or a known disease.”
Gwendolyn released a long breath. “Do the doctors have any indication when it started? You mentioned she was not like this as a child.”
“They have no idea. It is not like a normal illness, not like an ague or scarlet fever or cholera, when one can state with accuracy when it first occurred. In truth, she was never a happy person. I would best describe her as a sullen child. But she carried on with her life quite normally, engaged in activities she enjoyed. Joined the local ladies’ societies and often volunteered at church functions. ”
“Sounds like quite a normal life.”
He shook his head. “Yes, it seemed so to me. However, in hindsight, there were probably hints.”
“Such as?”
“She never cared for Jessica. Isn’t that odd?
Jessica went out of her way to be warm and welcoming to her, but Cordelia always found fault.
No rants or rages, just subtle snipes. I never equated this as a warning sign.
I just assumed she resented someone new stepping into my life and simply would not let go of it. ”
“Well, I suppose if she ran your household…”
“But she never did, and never wanted the responsibility. I rarely entertained during my bachelor years, so it was never an issue about her serving as my hostess. I never asked her and never gave her cause to refuse. The few times I did entertain, it was with bachelor friends, and it would not have been proper to invite her into our midst.”
He paused a moment to reflect on the past, but quickly shook out of his thoughts.
What mattered were the more recent incidents, the changes in her within the past five years.
“I became aware something was wrong with her when first moving here. I was a widower by then and in need of help with my sons, so I invited Cordelia to move in with us at Milbury Hill. I had just acquired it.”
“Did she accept?”
“Yes, but she had been here no more than a week before I began to realize she would never be a help and could even be a danger to my sons.”
Gwendolyn gasped. “You thought she might have hurt your sons?”
He cast her a mirthless smile. “Yes, that was my fear when I learned she had been stealing from others.”
“Stealing?”
He nodded. “Usually trinkets, but occasionally she stole valuable items of jewelry. I was stunned, for I had provided her a generous allowance so that she would never want for anything.”
“Did she ever tell you why she began stealing?”
“No.”
“How did you find out she was a thief?”
“The Duke of Bromleigh and his wife, Cherish, held a house party the summer my sons and I moved to Milbury Hill. One of their guests, a rather sharp-eyed, clever young lady by the name of Florence Newton, suspected Cordelia had been the one taking jewelry at other house parties and quietly investigated on her own. I shudder to think what my sister might have done to Florence had she realized she was being watched.”
“Oh dear. Fiona never told me any of this.”
James shrugged. “Would you have agreed to act as my matchmaker had you known of this family history?”
“Possibly not,” she admitted, letting go of his hands. “I would have required some convincing that you were not similarly inclined to commit theft. But I do not believe Fiona would have introduced us if she had any concerns about you. Clearly, she trusted you and vouched for your good character.”
James grunted. “There’s more, Gwen.”
“There is?”
He nodded. “Fiona felt the impact of my sister’s madness.”
“She did?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I see this was another thing she did not tell you. Well, you shall hear it from me now, because I want no secrets or misunderstandings between us. I had invited her and Durham to supper one night shortly before the Bromleigh house party began. The invitation was in gratitude for their saving my sons when they got caught in a rip current in our cove. That’s how Jordan got the scar on his leg. ”
“He mentioned that scar to me and was quite proud of it,” she said, casting him an indulgent smile. “I’m sure your heart was in your throat when he came home with that injury.”
“It was, but Durham and Fiona had taken excellent care of him and delivered him fully tended to. I had little to do beyond making certain his wound remained clean until it healed. But to continue our discussion about Cordelia…the dinner invitation. Durham and Fiona joined us one night. The evening was going well until I stepped out of the dining room. It was only for a minute or two, but Cordelia apparently went wild. My footmen told me all about it. She went on a rant, called Fiona a harlot, and began spouting biblical condemnations at her. She was insanely jealous of Fiona and thought her a threat to our family.”
“A threat? Why?”
“Fiona and Durham had not married yet. Cordelia got it into her head there was a possibility that I might woo her away from Durham and marry her.”
“And this scared your sister? She must have feared you would send her away once you remarried.”
He nodded. “Honestly, I do not know what ran through her mind at that moment. By the time Bromleigh’s house party drew to a close, it was evident Cordelia was not in her right mind.
Her impulse to steal. Her delusional hatred of any female who got close to me.
I was concerned she might harm my sons while under another crazed delusion. ”
“Oh my goodness.” Gwendolyn had her hand over her heart.
He knew she cared deeply for his sons and could not imagine anyone wanting to harm them.
“I had thought to place her in charge of their care,” he said with a dismal laugh.
“Can you believe it? Even now, I shudder to think what she might have done to Robert or Jordan had they done something to displease her, or even done nothing.”
“Oh, James!”
“She’ll live out her days in the sanitarium,” he added, his expression quite deflated.
“It isn’t far from here. I try to ride over once a week when I am at Milbury Hill.
She has the best of care and seems at peace there.
This is my deep, dark secret that wasn’t much of a secret at all.
My sister is mad. I do not know of anyone else in the family lineage who ever suffered from this affliction.
But now you know everything and can decide for yourself. ”
Gwendolyn pursed her lips. “Fiona should have told me.”
“Perhaps she felt it was not her story to tell. She must have believed I would say something to you. After all, I was supposed to pour my heart out to you as my matchmaker.”
Gwendolyn folded her hands primly on her lap and looked down rather than at him. She appeared lost in thought. “Would you take me to see Cordelia?”
He groaned. “I don’t think it is a good idea.
She is fine around men and matronly old ladies.
In fact, she is thriving within her confined circle of staff and fellow patients.
They have created an active society among themselves.
But my bringing you along? No. Leave it alone, Gwen.
She is happy to see me whenever I visit.
But having you by my side will only overset her.
She did not take well to Jessica, and went into a frenzy over Fiona.
I do not allow my sons to visit her because I worry that her anger extends to them, too.
I think she hates anyone she believes holds my heart. ”
“That is quite serious.” She stood up, an indication she was ready to leave.
He rose as well. “It is. I cannot make light of it. But she is my sister and I will always do what I can to protect her and provide her the best care. Her physical health is beginning to fail now. Her memory is failing, too. She spends more and more time in bed. In truth, I am relieved. I suppose it is miserable of me to feel this way, but I am not saying this for myself. I hope that as her recollections fade, she will forget to be angry or jealous. I want her to find peace.”
Gwendolyn once again avoided meeting his gaze. “I must go.”
He could not blame her. He ought to have said something about Cordelia at their first meeting. He hadn’t.
And now he had lost Gwen. His heart was not going to recover from this loss.
He had fallen in love with her.
Madly and crazily in love, like a helpless schoolboy coming face to face with the woman of his dreams for the first time. This was how Gwendolyn made him feel, light and young again.
What made it worse was that she would now choose Andrew Clement, and that man was incapable of ever making her happy.
Gwendolyn needed commitment and love. She had her own wealth and did not need to marry a title, whether becoming his marchioness or Clement’s viscountess.
Nor did she deserve a husband who would always think of her second rather than first in his heart.
And she certainly did not need a husband who would take off for parts unknown within a month after their marriage.
James did not know Clement well at all, but even he could see that the man was a restless soul. This was not a fault in itself, but surely it was a trait that made those two incompatible. Gwendolyn loved home and family while Clement wanted adventure and travel.
Where would that leave her if she chose not to go with him?
She was capable of living a full and active life on her own, of course.
But would Clement’s family allow her to retain her independence?
Would they allow her to see her friends and pursue her social engagements?
Clement’s father, the Earl of Hornsby, was still alive.
That old man would do his best to keep Gwendolyn under his cold and controlling grip.
James shuddered, for this was never something he would want for Gwendolyn.
The earl had shown her no mercy when she had turned to him in desperation years ago for answers about his son.
Nor had any of Clement’s siblings said or done anything to support her or ask after her in all the passing years.
She would be just as isolated in marriage as she had been in all the years of their betrothal.
Worse, her wealth and independence would be out of her control.
But how could he tell her this? She would accuse him of being jealous and trying to undermine her happiness.
Ache filled his body as he watched her walk out.
He sank into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
“Gwen,” he whispered in agony. “I love you.”