Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
“Sensibility is the charm of a woman's character.”
Dr. John Gregory, A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters
“Annabel is the younger sister of a friend, Brendan Ridley. We met when we were children. She is intelligent and lively, the first female I ever genuinely enjoyed spending time with outside the …” Richard waved his hand at the bedchamber, clearly unsure how to complete the sentence.
Sophia nodded her understanding so he would continue.
“After my father passed away, I rescued our estates from the brink of financial ruin. Once I succeeded, I needed to ensure that our tenants would find themselves with responsible leadership in the event of my demise. Three or four years ago, I decided it was time to do my duty and sire an heir because Perry made it clear he did not wish to inherit. I started my search for a suitable wife, but after two stupefying Seasons of meeting tame young misses whom I could not tolerate for more than five to ten minutes at a time, I realized there was only one woman whom I could marry. Annabel was rusticating in the country because her father refused to bring her to London, and I realized I had an opportunity to marry an interesting woman.”
Sophia experienced a slight twinge of envy, then reminded herself that he was not married to the other woman but was sitting in her own bedchamber recounting his history. She suppressed her jealousy and forced herself to pay attention to what was important.
“The problem was, I thought I could marry a close friend and continue my pursuits concurrently.”
“I take it Annabel did not see it that way?”
“Correct. I had taken up with a maid on her father’s estate, someone she cared about, and Annabel discovered us kissing in the stables.”
She sighed but refrained from comment. Richard flushed in embarrassment and looked down at his hands folded on his lap, stiff with tension.
“I did not handle it well. She did. She let the maid go with references. She even helped the young woman find a new position. I … I did nothing. Except when Annabel said she wanted to cancel the wedding. Then I did something.”
Sophia frowned, puzzled and trying to work out what he could have done. “Never say you refused?”
Richard’s head sank lower, blushing so hard his ears turned a bright red. “And I convinced her father to proceed with the wedding.”
“My word!” Sophia gasped. “Oh! I apologize. I am just surprised. Please continue.”
“She begged me to change my mind, but I insisted the wedding would proceed. Annabel grew desperate, so she sought my cousin, the Duke of Halmesbury?—”
“And married him!” Sophia clapped a hand over her mouth. “Please, I am sorry. It is just so ingenious of her.”
Richard grimaced. “That is the short version of the story, yes. The long version is that she dressed herself like a lad and risked her life to ride alone through the night from Somerset to Wiltshire to seek him out. Apparently, she asked him to intercede with me, but he seized the opportunity to win my bride from me for reasons I will explain another day.”
Sophia realized she was gaping at him, quickly pressed her lips together, then said, “It was not well done of you—what you did to Annabel—but why does it bother you so much after all this time? Given that it all worked out for her in the end.”
Her husband lifted a hand to knead the muscles in his neck, his expression agitated while he thought.
“I suppose … all the other women I wronged were active, willing participants in my dalliances. Annabel was different. She was innocent of any wrongdoing, and I had no excuse to betray a friend in that manner. Then I compounded it by insisting she wed me when it was clear she did not want to. When I awoke to how wrong my past behavior has been, it finally dawned on me how poorly I treated her. If you told me a man had done this to you … I would seek them out and pound them. It was pure villainy. My father was the very worst, far past the point of redemption, but what I did to her … it ranked as one of the worst things a potential protector could do, and then when I was caught, I showed no remorse of any kind. If she had not gained assistance from Halmesbury, I would have proceeded with the wedding and she would be trapped in a marriage to me after I proved I could not be trusted.”
Richard’s face displayed his self-loathing, which made Sophia’s heart ache on his behalf.
She could not imagine the difficulty of repairing so many mistakes of the past and having to live with the consequences in the present.
This morning, she had experienced her own guilt, which had been torturous.
“Husband, might I make a bold suggestion?”
He could not look at her, but he did gesture her to continue.
“I think if you had married her, something would have happened and you would have stopped … your indiscretions.”
Richard’s head shot up, amazement on his face. “What? Why would you say that?”
“For one thing, less than three weeks ago, you made a decision to change, and you have done so. That infers that it was inevitable that eventually you would decide to do so, given the right circumstances.”
“That is generous of you, but it was a chance encounter with you that did it, so?—”
“And that is the other thing. You had to be seeking an opportunity to change.”
“What?” Richard was genuinely perplexed, clearly at a loss for words because of her audacious declaration.
“Think about it. Why would a man planning on pursuing infidelity for the remainder of his days insist on marrying an intelligent and lively woman? It makes no sense. Unless …”
“Unless?”
“Unless he sought a strong partner who would make him change? Someone who could hold him accountable?”
Varying emotions played across Richard’s face for a while. She waited for him to think it through until she finally saw understanding dawn. “I wanted to change?”
“And that is the trait I admire about you above all else—except for the courage to leap on weapon-wielding drunkards in order to save me.” She shuddered at the memory of the night before.
“The reason I agreed to marry you was that I grew up with two men in my life who each and every day made worse and worse decisions. They kept moving toward moral oblivion, but you—you came to me from the brink of moral ruin and decisively announced your intention to change. Not just in words, but with genuine action that you were taking. Until that moment, I was not aware that it could be done, but I saw the sincerity in your eyes and it moved me. It was … inspiring.”
“I … inspired you?”
“More than any person I ever met.”
Richard finally looked at her, his eyes filled with admiration. “You are utterly amazing.”
With that, he raised a hand to cup the back of her head and gently tugged her forward to brush a tender kiss on her lips.
She gasped softly, her eyes wide with surprise, before melting into his embrace.
Her hands gripped his arms as if to steady herself, and she leaned into his warmth, losing herself in the moment.
It seemed somehow life-affirming to lose herself in his arms while his hand traced down to rest on the slope of her neck where her pulse beat frantically.
Richard found Perry waiting in his study when he went downstairs. His brother stood hovering near his desk.
“I have been thinking. I went through all of the recent events, starting the day of the wedding. The only conclusion is that the countess’s brother gained access to the house through the library.
Remember, he was standing by the doors that face the garden during the ceremony?
He could have unlocked those doors to gain entrance later. ”
Richard took a seat at his desk, noticing a page covered with the timeline of events in his brother’s untidy hand, along with a quill dripping ink on his smooth mahogany.
Perry, who was so impeccable in his dress, had always been disorderly with his work.
Richard nodded absent-mindedly while he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the ink from the surface.
He hoped the housekeeper or one of the maids knew how to clean the stain off the lacquer.
Perry pressed on. “So my question is, how did he know about Ethan? In order for that caricature to appear at the print shops so quickly, he would have needed to know about Ethan’s existence from the moment the boy arrived at Balfour Terrace.
Unless you believe that Johnson, Long, or Radcliffe would have leaked the information? ”
“Never. I trust those men implicitly. There were maids who prepared the nursery, but only that day when my son arrived.”
“So how did this Hayward fellow know about your son? I thought about it, and given … um … your reputation …” Perry pulled at his cravat in discomfort.
“Well, I do not know how to say this, but if I witnessed a young child arriving in the family carriage and put it together with your reputation, I might assume that your illegitimate child was joining your household. And we know the scoundrel does not care for facts because of the lies he told Lord Stanford and Lord Wood, so let us assume he did not care whether he guessed correctly. His intention was to create as much trouble as quickly as he could.”
“That makes sense.”
“Well, how did he observe Ethan was here? The boy arrived, entered the house to eat, he spent time with you and went up to the nursery to sleep.”
Richard scowled, trying to understand Perry’s point while muddling through his emotions and thoughts about the discussion with Sophia regarding his former betrothed.
Then, with sudden clarity, he realized what Perry was trying to point out.
“He must have seen the carriage arrive with Johnson and Ethan!”
“Exactly! If he did that, then he must be consistently watching the house.”
“Which means we might find him somewhere in this square!”