Chapter 28 #2
The figure named seemed astronomical, and she was not surprised by the implication that Nathaniel had already declined to pay it at least once.
If you foolishly choose to ignore me or defy me, your reputation and Mary’s will be ruined, and your Duke will be made a laughing stock for having been your dupe.
“He is vile!” Cecily cried out, crumpling the letter into a ball in her fist. “He wishes to destroy us. I have always despised my uncle, but he is even worse than I thought. Whatever happens, I will not let him harm Mary!”
“You must send word to His Grace,” Mrs. Barnes urged again as Cecily hurried for the door. “Please, Your Grace. He would not want you to face this alone. It is so very dangerous.”
Cecily hesitated. If Nathaniel had been there, she likely would have thrown herself into his arms and confessed everything. But he was not, and she had to cope alone, as she had always done before. If only he had not been called away to London so suddenly…
She did not know what kept him there, but it had seemed important that morning, important enough to pull him away from her.
He had not told her much, just its urgency.
She tried to remember the letter that had caused his sudden departure but realized she had not even seen the address or handwriting.
It seemed that Nathaniel had intentionally hidden the letter from her, immediately turning away after breaking the seal and then folding it into his hand, away from her eyes.
Why would a man do that to his wife?
The image of Lady Mountingdon flashed again before her eyes. While her previous jealousy had been effectively banished by Nathaniel’s sensual attention, her suspicions resurfaced. Her body told her he wasn’t unfaithful, but her mind could think of no other explanation.
Cecily felt that if she tried to reconcile all of this now, her heart and her mind would both break. How could she protect Mary then?
No, she must be strong and act now.
“I can’t wait for Nathaniel, Mrs. Barnes. There is no time. I must find Mary.”
Rushing out of the room, she went in search of her sister.
* * *
“Mary!” Cecily exclaimed, finding her sister sitting outside at a table on the terrace.
Patrick was standing nearby, looking very smart in his new uniform. He reminded her of a male bird parading itself before a potential mate, and at another time, she might have laughed. But there was no laughter in her heart right now, unfortunately.
As their heads turned at her voice, she fought to compose herself. She must speak to Mary alone without raising Patrick’s suspicions.
“Cecily, guess what? Patrick is buying a house in London. He plans to live there when he is not with his regiment and—”
“What a good idea, Patrick,” Cecily interrupted quickly, forcing a smile. “I look forward to seeing your new house. Mary, can I speak to you in private?”
“What, now?” Mary asked without enthusiasm, casting another admiring glance at Patrick. “We were just—”
“It is a ladies’ matter,” Cecily cut in, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.
As she had hoped, this had the desired effect on Patrick, who cleared his throat, bowed to her, and swiftly left.
“Why? Are you with child already?” Mary asked conversationally, almost before Patrick was beyond earshot.
“No, I am not, but I had to speak to you alone,” Cecily answered, unable to keep the desperation entirely from her voice. “Read these. They are all from our uncle. We may not have much time.”
Laying the letters and pamphlet on the table in front of Mary, tucked under a jug against the wind, Cecily watched her read them and saw the shock and fear forming on her sister’s face.
“You won’t let them take me, will you, Cecily?” Mary asked faintly.
Cecily shook her head firmly, putting an arm around her sister’s shoulders.
“I can’t marry that old goat. I’ll throw myself in the lake first.”
“Never! Not even if we have to run away together.”
Mary gave a frightened, half-disbelieving little laugh. “But you can’t leave Nathaniel, surely.”
Cecily swallowed. The thought of being apart from Nathaniel was physically painful. No, she couldn’t leave him. She hoped it would not be necessary.
“I… I don’t know if I could leave Patrick,” Mary admitted then, before Cecily could answer, lowering her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Even though he is a fool and I hate him. Oh God, what will he think of me when he reads this? He will think me a harlot.”
“No man worthy of you would ever think less of you for reading these lies,” Cecily insisted with more confidence than she felt. “Anyway, of all men, Patrick will see the lies in this story. It will not change how he feels about you.”
“But he doesn’t want me anymore,” Mary bawled. “I have been so awful to him since our elopement. He will be glad to have another excuse to wash his hands of me.”
“Nonsense,” Cecily told her firmly, handing her a handkerchief. “Patrick is as much in love with you as ever. Why do you think he’s still here? Why do you think he’s joining the army and buying a house, Mary? It’s all for you. Anyone with eyes can see it.”
“Really?” Mary sniffed, smiling through her tears.
Cecily nodded and then sighed. “But we cannot sit around weeping, Mary. I don’t think we can stop Uncle or stop this story.
Everyone we know will see it if it hits the newspapers.
Mrs. Barnes already knows, and it’s only a matter of time before all the servants here become aware.
We must keep you safe and hidden somewhere, and hope that everything blows over. ”
“Where can I go? Will you come with me?”
“I don’t know,” Cecily admitted, knowing how much depended on Nathaniel’s reaction. “Maybe the dower house for now. In a year or two, after you are one-and-twenty, perhaps these lies will be forgotten. If not, maybe you could go to Edinburgh, or Dublin, and start again.”
“Or Rome, or America,” Mary suggested, with a slightly hysterical laugh. “We should start packing now.”
“There could be some advantages to leaving the country,” Cecily reflected with a heavy sigh, considering the possibility that Nathaniel might see things that way.
Would it be easier for him to just pack his notorious wife and her sister onto a ship and send them far away from him? He could be quite radical in his quest for simplicity.
“You’re leaving?” an outraged little voice suddenly sounded nearby, and a small figure scrambled out of the bushes as Cecily turned her head and jumped up.
“Lilian! How long have you been there?”
“You’re leaving me!” the child accused her angrily. “You said you were staying forever, but you’re not. You’re leaving, and you’re not coming back. You’re a liar, just like Papa.”
“Lilian, no…”
Evading Cecily’s hands, Lilian dodged past the table and ran into the house, weeping.
Leaving the letters and pamphlet on the table, Cecily and Mary hurried after her.