by Fanny Finch
Taking his first shot, he was pleased to have been successful and followed it with a second.
His opponent for the game was none other than Lord Woldorf who had arrived just after him. While the Earl was still bothered by how the Baron had pushed him the previous week, it was good to see his friend in the company of so many others.
The Baron was also successful and he looked at the Earl smugly before moving on.
As they played, the men engaged with the discussion happening around them. The Duke of Andrig was frustrated by the lack of change he had seen in the medical field. The Earl of Cranshire disagreed with him and thought that England was making tremendous progress.
In all, it was the sort of boring topic that gentlemen were expected to discuss before drinking far too much and getting into arguments over who had the most beautiful wife.
But until that occurred, the Earl was thankful for the civilized company and the opportunity to play the game that he so enjoyed.
Lord Haversham had been one of the guests at the Earl’s dinner party and thought to bring up the affair.
“It was truly splendid. And your daughter, how magnificent she was!” the man complimented.
The Earl beamed with pride, not realizing that the Baron had missed his shot but was retaking it anyway. Hearing such good things about his daughter from a man so well respected in society was more than enough to distract him.
“Yes, thank you. She has shown a remarkable aptitude for French,” the Earl replied.
“And at such a young age! Tell me, how have you seen come by this great change? My girls need a great deal of improvement in their studies,” Lord Haversham noted. A few other men nodded about their own daughters along with him.
“I must give all credit to our new governess. I am sure you heard about the previous one and how she left us in the lurch by running off with that lad. But our replacement has proven quite excellent,” the Earl remarked.
“Oh yes, I remember her. She was not a face a man can easily forget,” Lord Haversham noted, getting murmurs of agreement from the other men.
The Earl tried to brush this off but didn’t like that they had all noticed her beauty. Who were they to comment on Miss Caulfield? They had even less of a right than he.
Still, he sat and made every effort to ignore the comments. He worked through it all himself and tried to focus on the game at hand.
But before long, the conversation came back around to her.
“So where exactly did you find such a competent governess?” asked Lord Haversham.
The Earl of Dulshire looked up and stood straight rather than taking aim.
“The paper. I placed an advertisement and she replied,” he said inconsequentially.
“A most fortunate ad, it would seem. She seems quite well learned,” Lord Haversham noted.
“Indeed. She is very clever. And I am glad that she was the one which answered as I should otherwise have not had such an opportunity for my daughter,” the Earl stated as if that ended the matter.
“Has she much prior experience?” Lord Haversham continued.
“No, indeed. My daughter is her first charge,” the Earl of Dulshire answered, finally taking his shot.
The Baron cleared his throat and the Earl thought it was merely an attempt to distract him from the game. But when he cleared it once more, the Earl looked up.
The Baron’s eyes were trying to say something, to tell him something deeply important. And yet, the Earl could not guess what that might be.
“My lord, might we have a word?” the Baron asked, uncomfortably and somewhat under his breath.
The awkwardness of the moment did not go unnoticed by the rest of the men in the room and the Earl glanced about for a moment before giving a hesitant nod. He could not imagine what might warrant such a strange segue into a private talk.
“Excuse us, gentlemen. I believe the Baron does not wish for me to continue winning. Lord Haversham, the table is yours,” the Earl said with a great deal of charm.
Following his friend from the room, the Earl was still uncertain as to what it could possibly pertain to.
“What is it?” he asked, almost immediately upon departure.
“I think it best that we speak in here,” the Baron told him, decidedly. He led the Earl into the library that was not far from the billiards room.
Feeling the strain in his gut, the Earl was becoming more and more nervous by this strange behavior. What was it that could cause the Baron to behave this way?
“You ought to have a seat,” the Baron instructed, gesturing towards the chair.
The Earl continued to stand, perplexed and more than a little annoyed.
“What is this all about? Please, there must be a reason for this sort of behavior from you, my friend. Why are you acting as though you have some deep secret to share with me?” he inquired.
“Perhaps, because I do. I have only just learned it myself and I feared that it would leave you terribly distraught. But as you are an honorable man, you must know the truth. You must hear it from me as I am the only one who can tell you,” the Baron continued.
“Alright then, out with it,” the Earl urged.
“Your governess…”
“You have already shared that you disapprove of her. What more is there?” the Earl asked, raising an eyebrow in irritation.
“I fear that she has lied to you. And it is no small lie, my dear friend. It is a very great lie. One that could possibly destroy your home should it get out,” the Baron hinted.
The Earl felt his stomach sway. Finally, he chose to sit. How was it that the Baron could have come to learn something of her that he himself did not know?
Has she behaved dishonorably? Was she a mistress? She’d had no former employer, so it could not have been anywhere she had previously worked.
“First, my lord, you ought to know that your daughter is not Miss Caulfield’s first charge,” the Baron began.
So she had worked before. She had had another employer. Another master. And telling him that she had never been employed was a lie.
“But I fear it is worse,” the Baron continued.
Worse than her lie? It must have been. After all, why would a young woman lie about having worked before? But he could not imagine Miss Caulfield ever having behaved inappropriately with the father of her former charge.
The Earl knew that he was making assumptions. He had not heard the truth and he ought to have known better than to conclude that Miss Caulfield had been improper.
“Worse how?” the Earl questioned.
“There were two children. A son and a daughter. The little girl, a mere eight years old, much like your own daughter, was in the room where she studied. Miss Caulfield was punishing the young boy as he had been behaving poorly. I believe he is a mere four or five years of age,” the Baron remarked.
The Earl instantly wondered what sort of punishment she had enacted. Was that her fault? Had she wounded the child by intent?
“As she was busy with the younger brother, which the witnesses said she ought not to have been so distracted, the daughter fell,” the Baron said, letting the word hang.
“Fell? In what way did she fall?” he inquired.
“It disturbs my heart just to think of it, my lord. Are you certain you wish to know?” the Baron asked.
“Of course. You cannot tell me this so far and leave me to my thoughts about the rest,” the Earl insisted.
“The poor girl fell from the stairs, apparently having felt abandoned by the governess,” the Baron said, spitting the last word in disgust.
“She fell, trying to follow. And when she fell…” the Baron paused to try and contain his emotion. “She injured her back in such a way that the child is now paralyzed from her waist down. She has to use a wheelchair, my lord,” the Baron said heavily.
The Earl sat without motion. He could not imagine it. Miss Caulfield had allowed this to happen? She had allowed a child to fall, to come chasing after her and d
estroy her body forever as a result?
And she had not told him? She had not informed him about this past that he ought to have known?
Fury coursed through his veins as the Earl stood.
“How did you learn of this?” he demanded.
The Baron took on a frightened look, as if worried the Earl might come against him.
“I am acquainted with her former employer, my lord,” the Baron said respectfully, as if a child speaking to him rather than a man just below his own station.
“You are acquainted with him?” the Earl echoed.
“Yes. I had not known that it was the same woman until he mentioned her name at our last meeting. I am terribly sorry to have to tell you this treachery,” the Baron said sheepishly.
The Earl tried to calm his breathing for a moment.
“You did the right thing. I ought to have known a long time ago. I ought to have inquired further about her. But she told me she had no other employers. I was desperate,” he said, trying to justify it to himself.
The Earl realized that he had put his daughter in danger by not looking further into Miss Caulfield’s history. Her lies and deception were completely unanticipated. She truly had fooled him. And if she had fooled him in this, what reason was there to believe her in others? Perhaps she really was only acting in order to gain his affections.
Miss Caulfield. The woman who had led him to consider remarriage. The woman who had struck his heart. A liar. A deceiver.
“Would you like to speak with her former employer? I can certainly arrange it. I mean, if you wish to be sure that it was her and that I have the information correct,” the Baron offered.
The Earl looked up at him, trying to decide. He didn’t want to know more. But he had to know more.
With a sigh, he agreed. “Yes, I ought to speak with him, I think.”
“Very well,” the Baron said. “I shall arrange it. Let me send my card and we may go straight over from here.”
The Earl nodded his head and tried to process through everything he had just been told. It still didn’t seem possible. He could hardly fathom it.
And yet, it seemed to be the truth. It seemed to be the reality. And if he would soon have it confirmed by meeting the employer, by possibly even seeing the child, then he might never be able to forgive Miss Caulfield for her lies.
It was less than an hour when the coach came for the two men. They had shared a brief and quiet farewell with the others and loaded into the cab so that the Earl might learn the full truth.
His first instinct was to hope that it was all wrong, just a mistake.
But he had always been too kind. He had always been a man who wished to see the good. And this time, it might prove to be that he had been wrong all along.
Chapter 31
Delia had finished all of her lessons with Grace for the day and Amy was giving her a bath so that Delia might be able to do a bit of reading up on Latin. She was reclined in the library, humming to herself as she tried to learn some of the key grammar points before jumping into vocabulary.
She thought again about the conversation that had taken place with the Earl previously and how he had, once again, been so complimentary towards her.
Delia allowed herself a brief moment of indulgence, of considering whether or not the Earl could ever love her. She had finally confessed her own feelings to herself, but they remained complete nonsense anyway.
She hoped he would be home for dinner. Delia wanted to see the Earl. She couldn’t help it. No matter how silly and nonsensical it was, she found herself missing him when they were apart.
Whatever had gotten into her, whatever had caused her to be so overwhelmed by the sudden emotion for him, was something she felt quite desperate to grasp. She felt the desire of being close, that allowing the Earl to ask her questions and get to know her better might not be so frightening. It might even lead to everything she knew she wanted from him. It could lead to a future.
From the library, she heard the front door slam shut in the entrance in such a way that the whole estate seemed jarred.
“Where is my daughter?” roared the voice of the Earl, barely muffled by the floor and hallway between them.
Delia stood and smoothed her dress quickly, knowing she had best go to him and learn what was causing this disturbance. Grace was in her bath and the Earl had no reason to storm after her.
She rushed down the stairs, prepared to greet him gently and comfortingly.
But the moment the Earl came into view, his eyes shot to Delia.
“You!” he thundered.
Fear clenched its grip around her heart and Delia took a step backwards. What had she done that had angered him so?
“Where is my daughter? What have you done with her?” the Earl demanded.
Delia could scarcely speak for her surprise and shock. She had never seen the Earl in such a state and couldn’t imagine he had a temper like this.
“Sh-she is in the bath, my lord,” Delia told him in a small voice.
“And why are you not with her? Would you leave her to drown?” he accused.
“Her baths are observed by the maid, my lord. I was informed that it has always been thus. I am here to teach her, but the maids help her with such tasks,” Delia answered him quietly, trying to defend herself from whatever offense the Earl seemed to take from her.
“Yes. You teach little girls. And then you walk away from them, not even checking whether or not they are following you. Is that not so?” he hurled.
Delia was struck with realization.
He knew.
The Baron had told him before she’d had a chance to make up her mind as to how she might.
“My lord, please, allow me to explain,” she began.
“I demand that you go to my study. I shall have no words with you out here,” he ordered.
Delia was frozen in place.
“Now!” he thundered.
She forced her feet into motion, taking her body towards the study. She saw the faces peering out at her and felt the Earl coming behind her. He was going to speak to her alone. But she knew that they would not really be alone at all.
Indeed, when she entered the study, and the Earl came in close behind her, he did not bother to close the door. He did not care whether or not she was seen and humiliated. He had only brought her in there to minimize the damage.
“My lord, please let me explain,” she said again.
“You shall explain nothing. I’ve heard it all. I’ve seen the child. I’ve seen her father weep. Do you have any idea what you did to her?” he demanded.
Tears filled Delia’s eyes. She knew. She knew exactly what her carelessness had cost. She saw it in her mind every night when she closed her eyes. It followed her into her dreams. She knew everything. She knew what she had done.
“You lied to me. You put my daughter at risk. You cared nothing for the respect due to my home and my name. You are a liar and you do not deserve the chances I have given you,” he told her in his rage.
Delia knew that he was right. All of it was right.
“I ought not to have learned of this all while I was telling my peers about your service. As I was telling them what an excellent job you have done with my daughter, I was informed of the truth. Do you have any idea what a shame that was for me?” he asked.
“Have you no care about my own reputation and how men will think me a fool for allowing you to trick me? How they might consider a man who hired a woman who has already proven herself to be careless and unfit for looking after another man’s offspring?” he asked then, looking hurt.
Delia wished she could tell him how deeply she cared for his reputation. She wished she could explain how much more difficult it was for a woman to keep hers. She wanted to tell him that if things had been different, if she had known him before her lie, she might have told him right away.
“I saw the girl, Miss Caulfield. I saw her in the wheelchair and I could not help but think of Grace. I could not help
but imagine my own daughter in that place. What would have become of her had I not learned the truth?” he asked, seeming wounded even still.
Save for Grace and Amy, the whole of the house was standing within view of the scandal. Some were huddled to the side of the door, trying to listen subtly, while others weren’t even hiding their affection for gossip.
The Earl was oblivious to them all. His eyes were fixated on Delia in their anger and pain. And he saw only her.
