A Perilous Secret

by Jane Wetherby

  “That’s a rather pleasant thought,” I said. “I suppose I thought when Juliana was not yet married a few years ago, that it was possible that none of us ever would be.”

  “That is quite a sad thought, dear sister,” Isabella said.

  “Not all of us can afford to be romantics like you, Isabella,” I said with a laugh.

  Isabella leaned her head on her knees, which she had pulled up to her chin, just like she did when she was a child. For a few moments, we sat there in silence as I painted.

  I had almost forgotten that she was sitting there when I felt her lean in closer to me, her side pressing up against mine.

  “Why do you not paint more often?” Isabella asked. “Everything I have ever seen you paint is utterly magnificent.”

  “Magnificent, you say?” I asked with a laugh. “Those are quite high praises, sister.”

  “You should hang a painting in our room,” she said. “So that when you leave, Susannah and I will have something to remember you by.”

  “I can certainly do that,” I said, adding some small dots to the canvas where the buds of wildflowers were sprouting in the fields.

  “You could likely sell your paintings in London,” Isabella said. “You should have Aunt Patience find an appraiser for your work. She would certainly know one.”

  “You speak as if Aunt Patience is personal friends with the Prince Regent himself,” I said. “And that is not necessary. It is something that I simply do for my own enjoyment. It is nothing more than a way for me to clear my mind. And with this upcoming trip, I think I have had a lot more on my mind than I typically would.”

  “Are you looking forward to your trip?” Isabella asked.

  “I believe so,” I said. “It will give me a chance to see a place that I never would have been able to otherwise.”

  “I suppose that is exciting indeed,” Isabella said. “And what of finding a husband?”

  I glanced over at her, my smile fading somewhat. “To be quite honest, sister, I do not expect anything to come from this trip,” I said.

  “Why?” Isabella asked. “Aunt Patience seems so convinced of it.”

  “I believe she feels confident after her success with pairing Juliana up with dear Mr. Thorne,” I said. “Perhaps he was a rare sort of man. I cannot imagine that most men would happily marry a woman with so few connections.”

  “Yes, but Aunt Patience seems to believe that your history will not matter when they learn that you are the niece of Sir Hayward,” she said. “That relation shall be enough.”

  “Perhaps,” I said. “But I shall go in with an open mind and have no expectations.”

  “That way, when a handsome young man comes in to sweep you off your feet, you shall not know how to contain yourself,” Isabella said with a grin.

  I smiled as well.

  4

  The trip to Bath was going to take us an entire week. I had never traveled quite so far by carriage before, and I found myself growing more excited about it by the day. When Aunt Patience and Uncle Charles came to retrieve me, Susannah had all but been reduced to tears. She had a hard time letting me go as Aunt Patience summoned me outdoors.

  Father hugged me tightly, tears in his own eyes. “Have a wonderful trip, my dear,” he said, holding my hands tightly in his own. “Please send us a letter as soon as you reach Bath.”

  “Of course,” I said. “I would be happy to.”

  “We will miss you,” Isabella said. “The cottage shall not be the same in your absence.”

  “Please do not miss me too much,” I said. “You shall both have more room to sleep, of course.”

  “And we have your lovely painting hanging on the wall,” Isabella. “I shall look at it every day and think of you and your wonderful talent.”

  I smiled at her.

  “Come along, dear, we must not delay,” Aunt Patience said from inside the carriage.

  “Goodbye!” I said, hurrying toward the carriage.

  Father, Isabella, and Susannah waved at me from the cobblestone path leading to the cottage. Susannah cried into Isabella’s shoulder, much in the same way she had done when Juliana had left the house.

  A sense of finality washed over me along with excitement. I had wondered what it was like when Juliana left, wondered how she had felt. I wondered if she felt the same sort of anticipation, as if she were turning the page onto the next chapter of her life.

  I settled myself in the seat across from my aunt and uncle in the carriage, unable to contain my smile.

  “Are we ready, dear?” Aunt Patience asked.

  I nodded.

  Uncle Charles waved out the window at Father and the other two, and the carriage set off down the road.

  “Well, now, don’t you look excited?” Aunt Patience asked with a grin. “Indeed, I am not surprised. It is a very exciting endeavor upon which we are embarking.”

  “Indeed it is, my dear,” Uncle Charles said. “How are you feeling, Miss Amelia?”

  “Well, sir,” I said. “Very well indeed.”

  Over the next few days, we stayed at various inns in pretty towns throughout the countryside. My uncle’s carriage was taken care of as we ate lavish meals that I could have only dreamed of, with rich pies and mulled wines. Everything was warm and hearty. I slept in my very own bed in my own room and found that I was rather uncomfortable with the utter silence when I awoke in the middle of the night.

  Aunt Patience never seemed to run out of things to discuss along our journey, and yet, I never felt as if she was overbearing. Instead, I learned all I could, knowing that whatever knowledge she could bestow upon me could prove beneficial when we finally arrived in Bath.

  The closer we drew to Bath, the more I realized that I knew so very little about the way of life I would be stepping into. We were two days away when I finally admitted my fears to Aunt Patience.

  “Oh, dear, you have nothing to fear,” she said. “Your temperament will be more than heartily accepted, and the weeks you spent with me when you were younger will have given you enough of an education that you shall have no difficulties maintaining conversations with those around you. You may not know the more subtle nuances, but there are many who will relish the chance to share what they know with you.” She gave me a questioning look. “If I recall, you were the one who was rather fond of art, yes?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Very much so.”

  “Bath is a place where you shall be surrounded by art in all forms,” she said. “Statues, paintings, architecture… You shall have no end of enjoyment, of that I am certain.”

  That was when my excitement began to build. Feeling a great deal more confident that I would not be floundering as a fish from the water, I was able to relax and consider all the possibilities that were before me.

  When we entered Bath, I found myself staring from the carriage out into the city streets, stunned to silence. The buildings were all collected together and stretched high into the sky over the carriage.

  People strolled through the streets, parasols in the ladies’ hands, and tall, handsome top hats on the men. Everyone was so smartly dressed that I immediately wished that I was wearing something very different.

  “Now, dear,” Aunt Patience said in a very motherly way. “As I am sure you remember, our days and nights will likely be a great deal more taxing than what you are used to. We shall be attending luncheons, dinner parties, markets, and other sorts of social gatherings. Isn’t that right, dear?” she asked, looking over at her husband.

  “Indeed,” he said. “The first of which is I believe this very evening.”

  My eyes widened. “This evening? But Aunt, I have nothing to wear.”

  “Never you worry about all these ladies walking past, my dear,” Aunt Patience said. “I was well aware that your attire would likely be less than desirable. So, I have taken it upon myself to send a letter to a dear friend of mine whom I know to be staying in Bath and have asked her to send her seamstress’s name to us. I gave her
your general measurements so that you would have a dress for this evening, but I have asked her if she would have time for us to go and get your properly fitted in the next few days so that we can have you dressed like the niece of a baronet, for certain.”

  “Aunt Patience, you certainly did not have to go to so much trouble just for me,” I said.

  “Let me quite frank with you for a moment, dear,” Aunt Patience said while Uncle Charles peered out the window, likely recognizing some passersby. “Never having daughters of my own, I find myself rather excited by the possibility of spoiling you in small ways. My dear Sir Hayward has been kind enough to allow me such luxuries, but you must know how dearly we love you and how we would wish for none in our family to suffer due to inconsequential birth.”

  I was humbled and knew there was nothing I could say to convey the depth of my gratitude. “I am underserving of your kindness, Sir Hayward,” I said. “I hope that I can live up to your expectations of me.”

  “You have nothing to fear, my dear,” Uncle Charles said. “Allow us to care for you while you stay with us, yes? I know it will give your father’s heart peace to know that you might end up meeting a man who would fall in love with you and be able to take care of you.”

  My heart skipped as I considered his words. It was hard to imagine a man finding someone as plain as I was worthy of marriage, but as everyone else seemed set on it…

  “Here we are, my dear,” Aunt Patience said, pointing from the window. “The Paragon.”

  I turned to look out the window and found myself staring at a long row of handsome townhomes lining a winding street. They were lovely buildings with mansard roofs and several stories of windows. Each home looked nearly identical, with the same shaped doors and the same wrought iron gates at the front of each front walk.

  “Number eleven, is it, Sir Hayward?” Aunt Patience asked. “Well, I never thought we would have a chance to stay here once more.”

  The carriage came to a stop, and without the sound of the horse hooves against the cobblestones, we were greeted with the bubbling chatter of those people walking in the streets and the music of a flute playing somewhere in the distance.

  The door swung open, and Sir Hayward stepped from the carriage, followed closely by Aunt Patience. The footman peered inside and offered his hand to me, as well, helping me out onto the street.

  The scent of the river some distance away struck me, as did the scent of coming rain in the cloudy skies overhead. We had wonderful weather for most of the trip, so it was almost expected that we would be due for some rain.

  “How wonderful,” Aunt Patience said, staring up at the townhouse in front of us. “Come, Amelia, dear, let us get inside before the rains come.”

  The house was just as lovely on the inside as it was outside. The floors were polished marble, and the chandelier that hung just inside the foyer was fashioned out of silver. Statues of armor lined the hall, and the staircase that occupied one wall was lined with polished wood, so dark and rich that I could not recognize it.

  “Sir Hayward, I presume?” asked the man standing just inside the door. He wore a white wig, and the buttons of his jacket were of polished bronze. His nose was somewhat bulbous, and his cheeks flushed pink.

  “Indeed,” Uncle Charles said. “And you must be Lord Voss’s butler, Mr. Trent?”

  My eyes widened behind Aunt Patience. Did he say Lord Voss? Surely, they must have told me sometime during the trip, yet it had never quite registered with me that we would be staying with a Lord. I was not sure that I had ever been introduced to someone of such prestige.

  “Yes, Sir,” Mr. Trent said with a small bow. “I shall have Winston here take your belongings to your rooms.”

  “That will be just fine,” Uncle Charles said.

  “In the meantime, shall I take you to the drawing room?” Mr. Trent asked. “Lord and Lady Voss are out at the moment, but they should return shortly.”

  “Indeed,” Uncle Charles said.

  “Sir Hayward, I shall be taking Miss Amelia up to her room so that we may change after such a long journey,” Aunt Patience said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

  “Certainly, ma’am,” Mr. Trent said. “Our housekeeper, Mrs. Bower, would be happy to escort you upstairs. Whatever you may need, Lord Voss has instructed me to tell you that you simply need ask her or I.”

  “Thank you very much, Mr. Trent,” Aunt Patience said.

  Mr. Trent led Uncle Charles down the hall on the first floor, and Mrs. Bower, a pretty woman with a frail frame, took us up to the third floor where the guests’ rooms were.

  “Lady Voss informed me that the package we received from Lady Kirkman was to be placed in the young lady’s room?” Mrs. Bower asked.

  “Yes, precisely,” Aunt Patience said. “If you would be so kind, Mrs. Bower, would you please help Miss Amelia into her new dress for tea?”

  “Certainly, my Lady,” Mrs. Bower said with a bow.

  I gave Aunt Patience a nervous look, my eyes still very wide.

  “You shall be fine, my dear,” Aunt Patience said, clearly reading the apprehension on my face. “I shall come to fetch you before I make my way to the drawing room.”

  Mrs. Bower was very kind and did indeed help me into the new dress. She did not speak a great deal to me, but that was quite all right, as I was having a hard time finding the words to say. It was very hard for me to allow a servant to dress me when I had spent the last three and twenty years dressing myself. Little did Mrs. Bower know, but I was no better than a commoner, yet she was treating me as if I was more because of who I was related to, who I had showed up at this wonderfully luxurious house with.

  The room that it seemed I would be staying in was nicer than any bedroom I had ever stepped foot into. The bed itself, a four poster with more pillows than I had ever seen, was dressed in a hand-stitched quilt, and velvet drapes hung from the beams above, able to be pulled shut for complete privacy. There was an ornate writing desk in one corner, and the fireplace, which was larger than the one in my father’s sitting room, was filled with a healthy fire that seemed to have been burning for most of the day already. I could live comfortably in this room and would never desire to leave.

  The dress was slightly too big for me, but I was impressed that Aunt Patience had given Lady Kirkland’s seamstress such precise measurements. It was a lovely color, too, a pale green with some ivory trimmings. The ribbon that Mrs. Bower tied around my waist was a deep gold, like the colors of a sunset, and she tied it with quick, practiced hands.

  “Thank you very much, Mrs. Bower,” I said. “You are very kind to help me with my dress.”

  “It is my pleasure, Miss… Amelia? Was that correct?” Mrs. Bower asked, adjusting the folds of my skirts.

  “Yes,” I said. “Miss Amelia.”

  “Well, when you are ready, Miss, we can go see if Lady Hayward is ready, and then I can escort you both down to the drawing room,” she said.

  “Yes, all right,” I said.

  Just as Mrs. Bower opened the door, I caught a glimpse of Aunt Patience out in the hall, freshly dressed in a dress of pale yellow.

  “There you are, dear, and oh, doesn’t that dress just look so very nice?” she asked, staring at the exquisitely made gown. “It looks as if it was meant for you.”

  I glanced down at it, scarcely able to believe that I was the one who wore it. “Indeed, ma’am. I am rather impressed myself.”

  She gave me a broad grin before Mrs. Bower asked us to follow her.

  The drawing room was more lavishly decorated than Aunt Patience and Uncle Charles’s, despite the fact that it was much smaller in size. Everything looked to be worth more than I would ever be able to imagine, and as such, I feared touching any of it. Even the small tables that sat on either side of the fainting couch beneath the window, which appeared to be inlaid with gold, must have cost more than I would ever be able to repay if I were to knock one of them over.

  “This is very nice, isn’t it, Sir Hayward?” A
unt Patience asked as she and I sat down on the couch, the pleasant sound of rain striking the leaded windows behind us.

  “Indeed, my Lady,” he said from beside the fireplace, where he leaned against the mantle and surveyed the room. “Lord Voss has certainly outdone himself this year.”

  “Indeed, I daresay he has,” Aunt Patience said. “I was rather impressed he was able to find any of the homes in the Paragon let for rent. I imagined all of them would have been claimed.”

  “I will be quite honest, Lady Hayward, I was rather surprised to find number eleven unoccupied myself,” said a voice from the door into the drawing room.

  My head snapped toward the door, and I found myself staring at a lean, tall man around the same age as Uncle Charles. Just upon first appearance, I could tell that this was Lord Voss. He wore a suitcoat made of crushed velvet, and the buckles on his shoes appeared to be made of gold. His top hat, which was tucked beneath his arm, was lined in silk.

  “Lord Voss,” Uncle Charles said with a bow beside the fireplace.

  Aunt Patience rose to her feet, and as she did so, she gave my sleeve a gentle tug, urging me to stand with her. I did, already feeling foolish for not knowing proper decorum better.

  “My friends, you need not rise for me,” Lord Voss said with a sweeping gesture. “Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again.” He crossed the drawing room in a few, quick strides, reaching Aunt Patience. He took her hand in his and kissed the top of her knuckles gently and gracefully. “How is Lady Hayward this day?”

  “Quite well, my Lord,” she said with a smile that was rather girlish. I thought I even noticed color in her cheeks.

  “And who might this be?” Lord Voss asked, turning his bright blue eyes onto me. This close, I could see his cheekbones were rather high and his jaw sharp and narrow.

  “This, Lord Voss, is my niece, Miss Amelia,” Uncle Charles said, striding over to me, laying his hand on my shoulder.