A Perilous Secret

by Jane Wetherby

  This conversation was strangely soothing to me, but I remained silent. I did not wish to speak ill of anyone, least of all a woman who already seemed quite displeased with me.

  “Though I believe I understand why she might have been less than agreeable to our new friend,” Mr. Lowell said. “Our dear cousin, Colonel Strickland, seems to have taken a liking to you.”

  Sir Byron’s eyes widened. “You mean to say, this is the Miss Amelia we have heard about?”

  The color in my cheeks deepened. “What have you heard?”

  “Oh, Colonel Strickland made mention that he met a lovely young woman whom he was quite intrigued by,” Mr. Lowell said. “And that would explain our dear mother’s behavior.”

  “Colonel Strickland is her pride and joy, you see,” Sir Byron said. “Even her own sons could not please her as much as he had. He was handsome, charming, agreeable… everything that she always wished we would be.”

  “But you are, darling,” Lady Byron said, laying a hand on his arm.

  He smiled at her. “Indeed. But Mother had different opinions.”

  I was not sure whether to be encouraged or disheartened by Lady Voss’s son’s description of her character.

  “Well, regardless, I am pleased to be able to put a name to a young lady’s face,” said Sir Byron.

  “I am surprised to hear of his mentioning me,” I said. “We have met only briefly, and it was such a short time ago.”

  “Ah, yes, well my cousin has a rather discerning eye, you see,” Mr. Lowell said. “He does not tend to keep counsel with those whom he does not deem of good character.”

  “Indeed?” Mrs. Lowell asked, arching a brow.

  “Indeed,” her husband repeated. “As long as I have known him, he has been the same. That is why so many people enjoy being around him. He keeps intelligent and worthwhile company.”

  “At parties, he never enjoys fruitless conversations,” Sir Byron said. “He seeks those of sound mind and appreciation for the more meaningful aspects of life. He—”

  “William? Daniel? I must see you,” said Lady Voss suddenly, from across the room.

  Sir Byron and his brother exchanged expectant glances.

  “Coming, Mother,” Mr. Lowell said, rising to his feet. “Now, you ladies behave while we are away.”

  “Don’t tease us too much,” Sir Byron said with a smile at his wife.

  They turned and made their way toward Lady Voss, who was staring rather sternly at them from across the room.

  “She certainly seems harsh, but she really is a very kind woman,” said Mrs. Lowell. “She has been nothing but kind to me since her son and I were married.”

  “I quite agree,” said Lady Byron. “I suppose it helps that we both came from reputable families. She is very kind. She has a good sense about people. Always has the best for her family in mind.”

  “Which is more than some others we have been discussing this evening,” Mrs. Lowell said in a lower voice.

  A chill raced down my spine. “Who do you mean?”

  The women gave each other significant glances and then leaned in toward me.

  “Our husbands are wonderful men, but I believe their ideal way of thinking is that their cousin is a much better man than he is,” said Lady Byron.

  My heart began to ache, beating rapidly. No, this couldn’t be happening. Why would this man, the only one I had found any interest in, perhaps not all he seemed?

  “Colonel Strickland?” I asked. “He seems like a perfectly wonderful sort of gentleman.”

  “I’m sure,” said Mrs. Lowell. “People with charm always have their ways of ensuring those around them like them.”

  “You heard of his recent departure from the military, yes?” Lady Byron asked.

  “Yes, I did,” I said. “He told me of it himself, at least in passing.”

  “That does not surprise me,” Lady Byron said. “He would certainly wish to divert any sort of suspicion from himself.”

  “Suspicion?” I asked. “You make it sound as if something terrible happened.”

  “We are not privy to the precise information, but we have heard that his recent departure was less than honorable,” said Mrs. Lowell.

  “It seems that he has taken a liking to you,” Lady Byron said. “And to be quite honest, I would be devastated to hear that he had taken advantage of you and your kindness in some way. Please, heed our warning. Colonel Strickland may not be all that he seems.”

  “Indeed,” Mrs. Lowell said. “We may not know you very well, but you have a good heart and deserve a man who does not possibly carry a dark past, something that could prove to be quite difficult in a husband.”

  The rest of the night past in a blur and left me wondering if the conversation with those women had even occurred. I could not believe what they said. I would not…

  But there was a part of my heart that knew it would be utterly foolish to dismiss their words without thought.

  10

  The next week passed rather quickly. I attended more afternoon tea social gatherings, as well as two more dinners, both of which had Lady Byron and Mrs. Lowell as guests. They were very amiable women whom I found myself developing friendships with. In different circumstances, I certainly would have been pleased for their company.

  But ever since the dinner party where they warned me about Colonel Strickland, I was having a hard time trusting them fully.

  It seemed that Lady Voss was kinder to me as well. Perhaps her sons said something to her to change her attitude toward me, but I was more inclined to believe it was because Colonel Strickland had gone and departed to Bristol. She proudly read a letter one morning at the table to us all from him, where he described the absolute wonderful time he was having, wishing that he could stay longer with his mother’s friend.

  “Then perhaps I should write to him and insist that he do just that,” Lady Voss said rather cheerily for so early in the morning. “Encourage him to stay in Bristol as long as his heart desires. Perhaps he will find a young lady to bring home to meet me.”

  “Oh, well, now Lady Voss,” Lord Voss said. “Colonel Strickland went to Bristol upon your request. I know the lad well enough to know that he will not stay far from it, out of desire to be where he feels most fulfilled. Besides…” His eyes shifted across the table to me, and he smiled. “I think there is a young lady closer to home that he has his eye on.”

  Lady Voss huffed, shaking her head. “I have heard of no such woman,” she said.

  “Do not waste your time writing to the colonel,” said Lord Voss, the letter that his wife had so recently been reading now in his hands. “It says here at the bottom that he intends to return in the next three days. By the time you write him, he will likely already be back.”

  Lady Voss seemed displeased by this and spent the rest of breakfast in silence.

  It was just after breakfast when Aunt Patience pulled me aside and said that we were to attend a ball that evening, at Lady Voss’s request.

  “I believe she hopes that you will meet some other nice young man while there, as this one might be a rather prominent destination for those men seeking wives,” she said. “And I will likely not have to tell you that she hopes that you will forget about her nephew before he has a chance to see you once again.”

  “Why is she so determined to interfere in such a way?” I asked.

  “That I cannot say,” Aunt Patience said, her brow furrowing. “But I will be very honest and say that I am rather disappointed in her behavior. I am well aware that Colonel Strickland is very dear to her, but does she intend to prevent him from marrying anyone?” Her hands on her hips, she shook her head. “That is just unacceptable, really.”

  I nodded, though found myself unable to meet her gaze.

  I kept thinking about what Lady Byron and Mrs. Lowell had said at the dinner party at Sir Yates. Their suspicions of Colonel Strickland had left me rather uneasy about the whole situation. I could not be sure that what they said was not true.
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br />   He was very young, and the fact that he had already left the military had made me wonder, albeit it briefly, as to why. Was it possible that he did something while in the military that would have ensured his early dismissal?

  What could that have been? It made me wonder if Colonel Strickland’s sunny personality was nothing more than a façade meant to distract from the darkness he harbored underneath.

  “My dear, you seem quite distracted lately,” Aunt Patience said, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. “Are you thinking about the colonel?”

  I looked up at her, and for a brief moment, debated about telling her what the women at the party had told me. Instead, I decided to ask her a more veiled question. “Dear aunt, do you think that the colonel is a good man?” I asked.

  “Well, yes, of course, my dear,” she said. “He is a very good man. Why do you ask?”

  So she had not heard the same sorts of rumors. Surely, if she had, then there would be no way that she would encourage me to marry him. “It’s nothing,” I said, trying to smile at her, though knowing it must have looked as insincere as it felt.

  She gave me a quizzical look. “Are you quite sure? You seem disheartened about things all of the sudden. I thought you were quite enraptured with him.”

  “I was,” I said. “But now I am not so certain.”

  She took my hand and led me to a tufted bench just outside the parlor. She sat down with me, patting my hand affectionately. “My dear, this fright that you feel about the possibility of marriage is quite normal. It is a rather big decision, and it will change the whole course of your life. It might be hard to know the full character of a man before you marry him, but that is what the rest of your life is about. You shall learn all you need to of him, and as long as he is as good of a man as I believe him to be, then you shall have nothing to worry about.”

  I smiled at her. In her goodness, she truly thought that my unease was due to nervousness about marriage. If only it were that simple. But if I were quite honest, I should like to uncover the truth about this whole ordeal with his discharge from the military before anything else were to transpire between us.

  “Now, that being said,” Aunt Patience said rather heavily, “the colonel may be a very difficult catch for you. It may be wise to keep your heart open for perhaps another young suitor, as much as I dislike saying it. If Lady Voss is going to stand in the way, I’m afraid there is nothing I can do. And I would much rather you not get your hopes up and find a good man, regardless of who they might be related to.”

  “I understand,” I said. “And I agree. I shall go to the ball tonight, and I will certainly keep my mind open about it.”

  “That’s my girl,” Aunt Patience said. “I do feel bad if we were getting your hopes about the colonel. I never expected Lady Voss to be quite so protective.”

  In a way, it was somewhat of a relief. If Lady Voss was determined to keep him away from me, and I was as uncertain about his past as I was, then it was likely this would be the better option in the end.

  As the day went on, however, I realized how much of that thinking was just me being rather wishful about my feelings. I did not want to admit it, but I truly cared for the colonel. The man I had met and spent time was not at all the same man that Lady Byron and Mrs. Lowell were describing. No matter what I did, I could not equate the two in my mind.

  The prospect of having to meet yet another suitor was rather exhausting to me. I had found getting to know the colonel had been a great deal of stress, and I was expected to meet another, perhaps more that night at the ball?

  All the excitement of attending a ball and dressing for one seemed to fade away when I realized there was a great deal of pressure on me. Not only from Aunt Patience, but also surely from Lady Voss, who would likely attempt to introduce me to every young man that was not associated with her at all. Would those sorts of young men be good matches?

  I knew I did not have a great deal of leverage. I should be grateful if any young man took an interest in me for marriage. Yet I couldn’t help feeling quite nervous that I might end up making a terrible mistake and marrying someone who was not at all as they seemed.

  I allowed Mrs. Bower to help me get ready for the ball that night. My mind was too distracted, and I did not wish to delay my aunt or Lady Voss from getting to the ball when they wished to. She brushed my hair and helped get me into my dress, which ended up being a lot more complicated than I had originally thought, and I was grateful for her help.

  As I sat in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection, I wondered if I had been rather romantic about finding a husband in the first place. I could almost hear Juliana reprimanding me for getting so caught up in the colonel and his attentions toward me so early on. She would have told me to have more sense and perhaps be as patient as I could be. Was I not being patient? Was I allowing my hopes of a better future to alter my view of who the colonel truly was?

  I knew that I very well may never know. Lady Voss could keep the colonel far away from me without me ever knowing. And if that was the case, then it wouldn’t ever matter how I felt about it, would it?

  I was so caught up in my own thoughts, in the torn feelings within my heart, that I was rather caught off guard when Mrs. Bower told me that she had finished preparing me and that it was time to leave.

  We took a carriage over to the assembly rooms, located in the middle of town above the promenade. There were a great many people milling about on the streets, their laughter echoing off the buildings. Candles blazed in every window, and I realized that nearly everyone in Bath must be in attendance at this ball.

  That made me all the more nervous.

  Aunt Patience thankfully recognized my fear and chose to stay close to me. Uncle Charles, too; he took my hand and set it in the crook of his arm as we made our way toward the double doors of the assembly hall that had been thrown open.

  It was if we were stepping into a palace. Everything gleamed and shone, every surface polished and perfect. There were fresh flowers in crystal vases on nearly every surface, and the chandeliers that hung overhead were filled with glittering candles, making the room bright and all the jewels on the women sparkle.

  “You look a bit pale, dear,” Uncle Charles said. “Chin up. You look stunning this evening.”

  “Thank you, Uncle,” I said.

  “He’s right, you know,” Aunt Patience said, beaming around at all the people. “You are attracting the stares of many young men. You should prepare to be dancing most of this evening.” She giggled behind her silk gloves.

  I wasn’t entirely sure if she was correct about the dancing, but I did notice some of the young men’s heads turning in my direction as we made our way toward the stairs leading up to the upper rooms. It seemed everyone was slowly making their way up there.

  Music drifted down the stairs as we climbed, reaching us just as we stepped up onto the landing. It sounded as if an entire orchestra was playing inside.

  The upper rooms were more glamorous than any of the ballrooms I had ever been in. Large windows filled the eastern wall, looking down onto the streets of Bath below. The floors were of pristine white marble inlaid with lovely designs of roses and ivy along the outside.

  There were so many people inside, and yet, the room still felt cavernous.

  “It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Aunt Patience asked. “Something truly spectacular.”

  “Indeed,” Uncle Charles said.

  We found a place near a long, narrow table filled with drinks and small sandwiches for the guests to enjoy. I wondered who had prepared all this food and how long it must have taken for so many who would be in attendance.

  It was not long before there were a dozen or so couples called to the center of the room to open the ball. The music the musicians played was so lovely, I would have been quite content to sit along the wall and listen to it for the rest of the night.

  Two more dances passed where I stood alone, Aunt Patience and Uncle Charles having gone to dance, be
fore I was approached by Sir Byron and his Lady.

  An unfamiliar young man was with them, smiling at me. He had a kind face with bright blue eyes that were wide and sharp. His hair, somewhat curly, hung around his ears in golden locks.

  “Good evening, Miss Amelia,” Sir Byron said, inclining his head.

  “Good evening, Sir Byron, Lady Byron,” I said curtsying. “What an honor it is to see you this evening.”

  “The pleasure is all ours, I assure you,” Sir Byron said with a smile. He turned and gestured to the young man with him. “I hoped to introduce you to a friend of mine, Mr. Franklin.”

  Mr. Franklin proceeded in a rather stiff bow, but he smiled warmly. “Pleasure,” he said, a hand over his heart.

  “This is Miss Amelia. She is Sir Hayward’s niece and is staying with my mother and father during their stay in Bath,” Sir Byron said.

  “How wonderful,” Mr. Franklin said, looking at me. “I trust your stay has been pleasant?”

  “Very pleasant, sir,” I said. “Bath is quite different from where I live and has been most invigorating.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear,” he said. “I have lived in Bath for the entirety of my life and am very proud of my city. It has a rich history, as well as some of the best culture our country has to offer.”

  “I would certainly agree,” I said.

  Our conversation remained quite pleasant for some time, and I found him to be quite agreeable… but something was missing. When I first met Colonel Strickland, there was this spark, this excitement. He had captivated me from the very first moment. Mr. Franklin, while easy to look at and very kind natured, seemed a bit too… plain beside the colonel. His smile never quite reached his eyes, either, and I wondered if he truly meant the words he said.

  Lady Byron and Mrs. Lowell’s conversation with me about the colonel had perhaps soured me to all men, making me suspicious and worried about all my interactions with the opposite gender.