Chapter 12 #2
“Just in case, you will remain in your room, until further notice. We cannot put you in danger, if there is any child. You may ring and request anything you need.”
“What do you mean I will remain in my apartment? I have duties to attend to.”
“You are my wife, and this is your main duty!”
“There are requirements that I must fulfil, as you surely know! I cannot neglect them, or else the will left by Lady Sedgewick will be annulled!”
“Let me worry about that, madam. As I said, your concern should be my peace of mind.”
“Lord Barrington! Do you know anything about Lady Sedgewick’s ring? It has disappeared! That was the reason I came to your room last night—to ask about it! It was in my chamber and now it has suddenly gone!”
“All your belongings are mine, madam. You should know that. Everything you own is mine. You included.”
“For how long should I remain here?”
“I cannot say yet. My plans are undecided.”
“I must write to my family!”
“You wrote to them when we arrived, did you not?”
“Yes. But it has been a whole week and they will become worried if they hear nothing from me. And I am sure they will write to me too.”
“I am your family now, Lady Barrington. As for your parents and relatives, I will send them a letter, informing them we are happy and busy at our estate.”
“But I must write to them too. And I hope you will not keep their letters from me!”
“Lady Barrington, let us not argue over what is undecided yet. You will ring for anything you want. I must leave you now.”
“Lord Barrington! How is Sarah?”
“How should I know about a servant? What business do I have to worry about the staff?”
“May she serve me? As my maid?”
“You may ring, madam. Any maid that is available will come to serve you. Good day!”
Elizabeth insisted no further. She was too disconcerted to ponder things properly.
She had no doubt that he had taken her ring, and had no intention of honouring the terms of Lady Sedgewick’s will. How he intended to deceive the trustees and the executor, Elizabeth could not imagine.
The earl obviously believed that their marriage had been consummated and now he worried for a future child.
A few months might pass until he realised the truth.
It was time she had earned—thanks to Sarah—to find an escape.
Such a possibility seemed unlikely, though.
He had repeatedly declared that she belonged to him—and very likely that was the cruel reality.
∞∞∞
The time passed and Elizabeth’s situation worsened by the day. The house was full of people, the parties went on and on—and she remained locked in her apartment, barely knowing what was happening. Her windows faced the back garden, so she could not see anyone entering or exiting the property.
The more she demanded to speak to her husband, the worse things became.
She had a long conversation with her mother-in-law—who advised her to never upset her husband and never interfere in his business.
She wished to know nothing of her son—and declared she was happy with the care he showed her.
Elizabeth’s attempt to reveal to her what she had found out, made Lady Augusta leave and never speak to her again.
One day, she dismissed any prudence and left her room, confronting her husband in the middle of a party. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out, throwing her back in her room. And then he hit her on the face again, so hard that she fell back on the bed.
“Perhaps I have not made myself clear enough, madam! Never, ever, bother me again! Are you truly that stupid, woman! If I did not believe you may be with child, I would be a widower already. Can you not understand that you are more valuable to me dead than alive? If only I had married your sister, I would surely not have this sort of trouble. Such a pity she fell ill at precisely the wrong time. Not to mention she was more beautiful and appealing.”
His sardonic smile and cold voice frightened Elizabeth more than the violence. The notion that her dear, sweet Jane could have been in her place was devastating and only confirmed her suspicion that for the earl, any wife was a disposable asset.
From that day on, Elizabeth no longer had the key to her apartment.
Every time she rang, a male servant opened the door and a maid attended to her needs.
Elizabeth abandoned any attempt to fight—even if she could get through the door, she had no chance of leaving the house, nor escaping the large property.
The more she reflected on her husband’s words, the more the truth unfolded in front of her. Everything she had signed, all the warnings she had been given, all her own fears had proved to be signs of a cruel reality, that she had not weighed-up carefully enough.
If she died, he would inherit everything and all the requirements of Lady Sedgewick’s will, set out only for the duration of her lifetime, would be revoked.
Her family would also lose everything, as all their benefits were granted only for as long as she lived.
That had been his plan from the very beginning.
From the moment of that revelation, every day turned into a struggle for her life. When he found out she was not with child, she would become useless to him.
From helplessness to despair, from anger to guilt, from hate to fury, Elizabeth found not an instant of peace and sleep evaded her, both day and night.
She had only seen Sarah a few times, when she happened to ring and the girl came.
The wound on her wrist had healed, but her spirits seemed lower and she refused to reveal anything to Elizabeth.
Eventually, she confessed her father had passed away, and her mother was raising her four younger siblings.
The payment she received from the Barrington house was big enough to allow her to support her family and she had gladly accepted the employment.
Furthermore, she had been paid in advance, so she could send her mother the money to repair the house.
When she understood the truth, she was trapped by debt, fear and distance to the estate she could not leave.
So she had no choice but to accept her fate.
On some days, the girl carried the signs of repeated abuse, but always pretended she was well.
“Lady Barrington, I beg you, take care of yourself. Do not worry about me or the others,” was the girl’s plea, which only broke Elizabeth’s heart.
Sarah who told Elizabeth that a Mr. Gardiner had come to enquire after her, but had soon left.
At such news, Elizabeth screamed until her husband arrived and then she confronted him.
He hit her again and she fell heavily across a chair.
For a few days, she could hardly breathe or move her body.
She stayed in bed, refusing to eat or drink, until Sarah came and begged her to do so.
It was also Sarah who told her that the two trustees had come to speak to Lord Barrington and to herself.
Their encounter with the earl had been short and its outcome remained secret.