by Fanny Finch
“Alright then,” he replied in surprise.
“My lord, there are some things which you must know. Things that I have remained quiet about because a maid’s voice is lost by those of men and who are you to believe a word I have to say?” she began.
The Earl was intrigued. Her strength and determination were most irregular.
“However, I believe that your temper has now cooled enough that I might have leave to share with you a truth that you will not like,” she told him.
“Please, go on,” he allowed.
With that, Miss Amy informed the Earl of all that had occurred between Miss Caulfield and the Baron. She told him how the Baron had confessed to being in love with the late Countess and that he had even bragged to his staff about destroying the governess.
The Earl was shocked to hear that Lord Woldorf had even bragged about staging the accident which was an attempt to injure him more severely. Learning how the man had terrorized Miss Caulfield, how he had tried to drive her away earlier on, it was shocking and appalling.
And yet, the words of a maid to cover for a disgraced governess were still more believable than any that the Baron had ever spoken. The Earl’s discomfort when the Baron had tried to take care of him, to look after his accounts. The snide remarks about taking what belongs to another man. All of it seemed to come together to create a tapestry of reality.
“The Baron has always been seeking to destroy you, my lord. His jealousy has raged within him for as long as he has known you and he remains bitter that your wife gave herself to you despite what he believed to have been between them. I am afraid, my lord, that society was right. The rumors of his affections for her…and hers for him…all of it was true,” Amy said.
The Earl hung his head for a moment in regret at not having accepted all of this before. Of course it was true. Of course he had put himself in this place and caused this shame to befall his household. He had trusted the Baron. He had trusted his wife. And much had passed between them before he even knew it.
Amy breathed in deeply, ready to continue. The Earl looked up at her and saw that she wished to say more.
“She remained loyal to you. Even when her very existence was threatened, she chose to remain by your side. And she came to me, after the Baron threatened her. She was trying to find the right time and the right way to tell you the truth. She worried that you might not believe what she knew about him and would think it was to cover her own faults,” Miss Amy concluded.
The Earl was wracked with fury and guilt. He wanted to destroy the Baron, take a revenge of his own. But he also wanted to beg Miss Caulfield’s forgiveness and thank her for all of her care.
She had tried to protect him. She had spoken to the Baron to stand up for the man she worked for and in return, had her own life destroyed. In return, he sent her away.
But the Earl determined that he would make things right. He would not allow all of this to continue. He had to find Miss Caulfield, had to learn how he could get her to return.
And he would handle the Baron. Somehow, he would find a way to settle things with that man without causing further violence and division. Things would end here.
“Miss Amy, what do you know of Miss Caulfield’s whereabouts? Now that she has gone from us?” the Earl asked urgently.
“My lord, she had remained in London for a time, but I was told that she was going to Cambridge in a letter just received from her. She is to stay with her sister for a time,” Miss Amy replied.
“I see…” he said, more to himself than to her.
His first order of business had to be settling things with the Baron. He didn’t need any of this nonsense and the fact that he had chosen to believe his friend over the rumors of society and learned how wrong he had been to do so was infuriating.
He had trusted the wrong man. Yes, indeed, the Earl felt like such a fool. How could he have allowed himself to be so influenced?
“Miss Amy, you have done very well to tell me of all of this. I am entirely grateful to you and should like for you to know that your words are beyond any that I have heard spoken by even dear friends. It is a shame that society should ever tell you that your words are not important. For me, they have changed everything,” he told her.
Amy curtseyed and left the room with a look of pure satisfaction and the Earl could not blame her for it. She had done well and had given him a great deal to consider.
But none of it mattered until Miss Caulfield was back in his home.
Chapter 35
Pulling up to the estate, Delia would have thought she might feel relief. She was finally at her sister’s home and that was a good thing. It meant that she could sit and relax, enjoy playing with Edward, enjoy Thea’s company.
But instead, she felt a deep dread.
She would have to confess the truth to Thea. And once her sister learned of all that had passed, she might be ashamed of Delia as everyone else seemed to be.
Delia breathed deeply, prepared for whatever might come. Even if Thea told her to leave right away, she would not be so very surprised. She would, however, struggle for a time until she could find affordable lodging and a position.
What little money she’d had left went to pay for the transportation to Cambridge. Food had not been a priority. Only getting there.
The coach stopped and Delia got out, walking slowly up the stairs to knock.
The maid let her in right away and greeted her in a friendly manner. Delia appreciated that much at least. She needed a bit of warmth and friendliness after all that she had been through.
Delia released another deep cough and the maid promised to bring tea quickly. She led Delia to the drawing room where Thea was seated.
“Oh, Delia! You’ve come! Please, do have a seat. Make yourself comfortable,” she urged.
Delia did as instructed, half-returning her sister’s embrace and taking a spot on the sofa.
Thea immediately looked at her in grave concern.
“You are sick,” she stated.
“Only a little. The damp in London was not so good for me,” Delia replied.
“I thought you were staying in the countryside,” Thea replied.
“Well, for a time I was. But much has taken place, Thea. And I had to rent a room for a week before I came here,” Delia told her.
Thea’s eyes seemed downcast with disappointment. Delia knew that she ought to have expected Thea to feel ashamed of her.
“Where is Edward?” Delia asked.
“He is napping. And that is entirely beside the point, Delia. What has happened? What has pushed you into this spot? And why did you not write to me sooner? Did you think I would not welcome you?” Thea asked.
Delia looked out the window for a moment, not ready to answer her sister. Of course she didn’t expect to be welcomed. Not by anyone who knew the truth.
“Thea, I have shamed us all,” Delia said, not looking at her sister directly.
“Oh Delia, tell me you didn’t. I cannot imagine it. Please, tell me you did not become the mistress of your employer,” Thea replied in a scandalous tone.
Delia’s eyes immediately darted back to Thea.
“For goodness sake, why must everyone come to such a conclusion? Am I so loose as that? Am I really the sort of woman that you think would do such a thing?” Delia asked in irritation.
“Well…no! But you must understand that it is the first assumption people make for a reason. It does happen. And you confessed an affection for the man so what am I to think? What sort of thing could you possibly have done to ruin the reputation of our family?” Thea asked.
“I did not become a mistress to my employer, Thea. I lied to him. I lied to him about something very serious,” Delia admitted.
“About what?” Thea asked, intrigued.
“You recall my former employer?” Delia asked.
“Yes. You said he didn’t take too well to your leaving,” Thea replied.
“The truth is that I was careless one day. I did n
ot realize that his daughter was following me. You see, her brother was throwing a fit and I realized he had a fever. I was accused of taking him to punish him, but I wanted to get him in bed that he might rest,” Delia explained.
“But I did not see that his sister had followed me. She fell, Thea. Down the stairs…”
Delia could hardly speak for the emotion conjured by the memory. It was not only her great shame. It was a moment in which she saw something dreadful happen to a child she truly cared for.
“She is now paralyzed. She will never walk. She must ride about in her wheelchair and you know that society does not treat those with such difficulties well. I destroyed the life of a young child,” Delia confessed.
Thea’s eyes pooled with tears.
“Oh Delia. Why did you not tell me before? You know these things can happen. They are awful, but even the best of parents and the best of governesses cannot prevent them. Accidents happen,” Thea reassured her.
“But it was my fault,” Delia cried.
“It wasn’t. You are caring for another child and an accident occurred. It doesn’t have to ruin your life, Delia,” Thea continued, making every effort to encourage Delia through the challenge.
“Well, it was certainly my fault that I hid it from the Earl. I told him that I had never before been employed. And when the Baron learned the truth about me-”
“The Baron? You mean that awful man you suspect of having tried to hurt your Earl?” Thea asked.
“The very same. He learned the truth of me and when he confessed to all he had done, he threatened to tell the Earl of my history. In the end, he did not wait for me to share his shame before sharing mine. So I was dismissed,” Delia concluded.
Thea sighed, overwhelmed by all the information.
“That is quite a lot for you to have dealt with of late, Delia. I am entirely sorry that you had to go through it all alone,” Thea said.
“I know. But it was my own fault for allowing it all to happen. I ought to have confessed the truth from the beginning, even if it did lower my opportunity to get hired for a position. At least it would have saved me this,” Delia said.
“You know that the Duke and I shall do all that we can to support you. You may stay with us and we shall help you find new work. He is very well connected and I have no doubt that he can explain your past without causing anyone to question you,” Thea encouraged her.
“I should feel terrible to put you out. And word from London will assuredly spread. What if they believe your husband merely tried to make me sound better than I am? What if they believe that I am deceiving you as well?” Delia asked.
“Calm yourself,” Thea instructed. “We shall do all we can. There is nothing more we are able to try. And if you do not find work in Cambridge, we can try Brighton. That is the loveliest place. I should like you to go there so I might come visit often,” Thea laughed.
Delia laughed as well. She had heard that Brighton was beautiful. But she had never gone herself and could not imagine working and living there.
She could hardly picture much of anything of the future now. Utterly lost and confused by the world around her, Delia did not know what could possibly lie ahead. She knew only that she was stuck, frustrated and alone.
She had Thea, but she did not have the Earl and that was painful to grasp. She had her sister, but she had lost the only man that she had ever truly loved.
She missed him deeply, despite herself. It did not make sense to hold onto any sort of hope about him, and yet she could not help it. She could not relent to the fact that she had lost him forever and he would never come back to her. That sort of love might never return and Delia had to accept that or she might never be satisfied in her life ever again.
But that was the consequence of her actions. It was exactly what she deserved for her lies and she couldn’t imagine a world in which things were different. The life of a governess deserved nothing less than this treatment.
Society demanded that her word not be listened to and, even if she had tried to defend herself, to tell the Earl the whole truth, she would not have been listened to. She would have been cast off and accused of telling lies to cover for her own faults.
Why would the Earl care at all what she had to say? Why would he have any notion to listen to her? He was a great man and she was a waste, a failed governess, a shamed woman.
Even Thea had thought her a common mistress before she had told her the full truth. And if her own sister thought so little of her, what reason would a nobleman have to think anything more?
The Baron had won. He had achieved all he had set out to do in causing a rift between the two of them and getting her out of the way. Now he could do whatever he wanted to hurt the Earl.
“Tell me, Delia, how are you feeling now?” Thea asked.
Delia paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.
“To be perfectly frank with you, I am often in despair. And yet, I do have hope that one day, perhaps, I could be happy. One day, perhaps if I find work or another child to teach whom I love as I did Grace, perhaps then things will be well,” Delia finally replied.
“Then that is what we shall find for you. We shall find you a place where you can be happy, where you will love the children that you are teaching. You know, my husband has a dream to open a school for boys. While you could not teach there, we could find a position for their sisters perhaps. Or something of the sort,” Thea told her.
Delia considered this. Any position was better than none at all and for now she was hating the fact that she would have to rely on Thea for the time being. If she could find another opportunity, she would be a fool to miss it.
“Yes, that would be ideal,” she replied, even if it was not the solution she truly desired.
Thea nodded and then Delia released another of her coughs. The maid appeared just then, at the perfect time, and brought the tea.
Delia drank it greedily, allowing the maid to pour another cup for her. She hoped that it might help her health to settle.
Indeed, as the day progressed, Delia drank much tea and spent time out of doors in the sun, breathing in the clean air of the gardens surrounding the estate.
She missed what had become her home. She missed the place that she had come to know and love. But this was as close a second as she could find and it was going to be worth it in the meantime.
Delia enjoyed when Edward woke up and she was able to play with the growing baby. He was already past six months and she could hardly believe it. His body was so much larger than he had been only a few weeks before when she had come.
When the Duke arrived, all sat down to a wonderful dinner. He seemed glad to have her company again and thankful that Delia was there for his wife in her time of loneliness as a new mother who could scarcely go out and call on people.
Still, Delia had her sense of distress. But the time with this family did all it could do to help her through it.
Chapter 36
Everything had changed. The Earl of Dulshire knew that he had to take care of the threat that the Baron was against him and his family. And whatever he did, he had to make sure that it was the final word on the matter.
Recognizing that he had been fooled, the Earl could hardly stand it. He could hardly accept that he had believed all the lies.
And yet he knew well that Lord Woldorf had to be dealt with. No matter what, the Earl had to make his stand.
If he could get the man to confess, then perhaps everything would be settled. But before that could happen, the Earl had to learn all he could.
The Earl had a discussion with Amy the following day and enlisted the maid into his plot. That afternoon, Lord Woldorf’s housekeeper came to the estate, hesitant and somewhat fearful.
But the Earl began by asking the housekeeper, Mrs. Hansfeld, about her pay. When she confessed the number to him, the Earl grinned and offered her half again as much if she would come and work for him in a new capacity as an assistant for his many comings and going
s.
Remaining hesitant, but agreeing to do so, the Earl was glad to know that she would now be under his employ. Following that, he asked her many questions. And with each new piece of knowledge, the Earl grew more and more confident that he would be able to be rid of his enemy forever.
With a grin of satisfaction and his ankle feeling much better, the Earl set out in the coach to the Baron’s home.
But first, he had another stop to make. The Earl quickly went to speak with a prominent physician who had a few things the Earl desperately needed.
He had learned all he had to know. There was now a little doubt that he could overcome this man who had ruined his life. There was little doubt that the Baron would fail to have the final say.
