Chapter 14 #3
He lifted both hands. "Is that not how it has been for Miss Fairleigh?
She has done nothing worthy of censure, and yet, society has turned on her.
I believe that my great-aunt did her utmost to protect Miss Fairleigh from the very thing that has now taken place, albeit in a different manner.
" Hoping all he had said would be clear and easily understandable, he paused for a moment, then cleared his throat.
"When she was alive, Lady Warrington saw Miss Fairleigh in the very same circumstances as she had once been in.
I shall not detail them here, however, but needless to say, Lady Warrington wanted to protect Miss Fairleigh in the same way as she had been protected.
She wanted to ensure that Miss Fairleigh was given a future filled with light and happiness and opportunity, kept safe from the scandal that others might bring.
That is the reason for the financial gift she set aside for Miss Fairleigh.
It was a shield, meant to protect her — and society, rather than recognizing it, have used that shield to injure Miss Fairleigh all the more. "
His heart hammered in his chest as a few more heads began to bow low, his harsh words biting down on those present.
"We consider ourselves virtuous and honorable, do we not? But honor is not proven in our own view of ourselves. It is proven in how we protect those within our sphere."
A small movement at the side of the room drew his attention. A young lady had moved forward and, with one hand, was reaching around to the back of her head as if to remove her mask.
Eliza!
He looked for her. His gaze moved past the masks, past the turning heads, and found her — and did not move on.
"Miss Fairleigh has done nothing wrong, either in her actions or her conduct," he said, his voice carrying across the room, "and yet, because of my great-aunt's generosity to her — something she did not ask for nor demand — society has shunned her, sought to ruin her reputation with fiction and gossip.
I refuse to be complicit; I refuse to be silent.
" His words rang around the room, sharp and clear.
"I will be glad to have Miss Fairleigh as my acquaintance and will not step back from her.
She deserves nothing but your acceptance and, if I may be so bold, fervent apology for the lies that have been spoken about her.
Mayhap now, in knowing the truth about Lady Warrington's decision to give that gift to Miss Fairleigh, you might see her plainly, just as she is. "
Just as he finished speaking, Eliza took the mask from her face and stood tall.
She did not flinch as some turned to see her, her chin lifted and her expression composed.
Candlelight kissed her features, revealing a fresh resolve and a renewed confidence that shone in her blue eyes.
A hush fell across the crowd as Nathaniel, looking towards her, smiled.
The knot of worry and anxiety he had carried into the room untied itself all at once, and he could breathe again.
He could practically feel the change in society's mind, could see how she herself had been protected and championed by Lady Warrington's notice of her.
"Ashcombe?"
Nodding to the orchestra that they could now continue, Nathaniel looked to his brother, who, somewhat shamefaced, had his mask gripped in one hand. "James."
"Is...?" James frowned. "Is that true? All of it?"
Nathaniel nodded, putting one hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Our great-aunt had a past we did not know of, James.
A father who would have left her future desolate, had she not been saved from it by her marriage to Lord Warrington — a marriage arranged by her uncle.
I believe that, in seeing Miss Fairleigh in the very same position as she had once been, our great-aunt offered a generous fortune so that she too might be spared from desolation and loneliness.
It was protection, brother. And it came from her generous heart. "
James closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders heavy. "I spoke unkindly."
"Yes, you did," Nathaniel agreed, without hesitation. "You were willing to listen to the gossip and the whispers that so many others involved themselves in. I say that not to condemn you but to ask you to think of apologizing to the lady."
His brother grimaced. "At this very moment?"
"If you would." Nathaniel held his brother's gaze.
He did not press further — but his expression did not leave room for refusal either.
"It would allow those present to see that you stand with her now, that you reject all that you once said.
I know it would alter the thinking of some, and that is what is important at this juncture.
" Lifting his hand, he offered a wry smile.
"I have had to apologise to the lady also, if it makes your guilt lessen.
I too, when we were first connected, sought to keep myself back from her, to make certain society did not see us in conversation. "
With a lift of his eyebrows, James studied Nathaniel with careful eyes. "But you have changed completely, have you not? Is it because you realized what our great-aunt had seen in her?"
Nathaniel smiled gently, looking through the crowd and seeing Miss Fairleigh smiling at one young lady who was now speaking to her, noting how Lady Newark, her own mask gone from her face, was pressing a kerchief to her eyes.
"Not only that," he said, half to himself and half to his brother, "I realized just how beautiful a character she is.
In truth, brother, Miss Fairleigh has become deeply precious to me.
It was only when I feared she would be gone from my life that I realized the true depths of my feelings. "
His brother's gasp of surprise made Nathaniel grin. "Then — then you intend to pursue her?"
"I intend to make certain she gets her inheritance," Nathaniel stated firmly. "What will come thereafter, I cannot yet say." His heart leapt as Miss Fairleigh's gaze caught his, her smile brightening. "But I can hope."