by Abby Ayles
“I do not need help.”
Lady Annabelle looked over her shoulder at her friend. “You are mistaken. You do need help. And only those who love you can help you.”
Lady Joanna snorted in an unladylike fashion. “I do not need anyone’s help.”
They reached the circle benches and dismounted. The Duke of Norrend had placed an “oasis” in the middle of the woods, creating a large clearing where he’d placed claw-footed, white iron benches in a circle in the middle.
Large flower pots were put in between each bench. The flowers blooming in the pots added beautiful colors to the scene. Added to the beauty was a small stream running past the clearing. It was beyond the tree line but the sound of the bubbling water was comforting nonetheless.
Lady Joanna was the first one to sit on a bench. Her sister and Lady Annabelle sat on either side of her. Lady Annabelle was reminded of the night Lady Joanna was trapped in between the Balfour brothers.
“I must ask you again, Lady Joanna,” she said, “for the truth. We must know the truth if we are to get you out of this situation.”
Lady Joanna frowned at her. “What situation are you speaking of?”
Lady Annabelle blinked at her. “You must know that my father and the Duke of Cardinal know that you have been lying to them. You will have to face the consequences eventually. Would it not be better to tell us what has happened so that we can defend you?”
“I have not… have not been… lying…” Lady Joanna could barely get the words out. Her cheeks and nose were red with shame, giving her away to the other two young women.
“But we know that you have, Lady Joanna.” Lady Julia’s voice was slightly angry. “The Duke of Cardinal did not proposition you during the croquet game. He has done nothing to merit your ire. Why are you trying to destroy his reputation by calling his honor into question? You accuse him of rudeness and then of theft. What is going through your mind to make you do this, if not the influence of the Balfour brothers?”
Lady Joanna was quiet. Lady Annabelle decided to give it a try.
“Do the Balfour brothers have a vendetta against the Duke of Cardinal?”
Lady Joanna looked at her. “I would not know.”
“You spend time with them. You talk to them. You must know what kind of men they are and what they are capable of. Did they steal the paintings? Is that why you looked surprised that they were not in the Duke of Cardinal’s room?”
“No. No, that is not how it is.” Lady Joanna shook her head.
“Then please inform me. I must know. You know that the duke and I are courting. I plan to make him my husband. I will be his wife. I love him and I feel he loves me, as well. This… situation you have caused is threatening my happiness and my life with him. I must have answers.”
“Are you upset because he did not turn his eyes to you?” Lady Julia asked.
Lady Joanna’s face was still red. She lifted her hands and covered it, lowering her head.
“Lady Joanna, had you not accused the duke to begin with, you would be more trustworthy now in the eyes of the dukes. But you have accused him of theft. Of the paintings he was already planning to buy. Why would you do this?”
Lady Joanna pressed her lips together, lowering her hands to her lap, where she kneaded her fingers together firmly.
“I… I have been…”
The two young women waited for Lady Joanna to continue, not wanting to barrage her further with questions. Lady Joanna swallowed visibly and looked at Lady Annabelle.
“I feel terrible about this, Lady Annabelle. I know I have done wrong and I do not know what to do about it.”
Lady Annabelle felt some relief. It appeared Lady Joanna was finally going to tell them what had happened.
“I did not accuse the duke because I wanted to. I was told it was the best thing to do to make him leave Norrend.”
Lady Annabelle looked at her friend with a shocked face. “Whatever do you mean? Why would you want the duke to leave?”
“I… He… It is a complicated thing.”
“No, it is not.” Lady Julia frowned, her anger showing on her face. “The Cartwrights have done only good for you and for me. They have helped us for many years now, since we were small. Why would you want to hurt Lady Annabelle this way?”
Lady Joanna pulled in a deep sigh and let it out slowly. “Lord Gilbert told me if the duke was to marry Lady Annabelle, her parents would no longer be interested in supporting us. He said the Duke of Norrend told Reverend Stovington as much while they were talking one day. He overheard in the parlor while playing cards with his brother.”
Lady Annabelle scowled. “That is completely untrue! Why would my parents ever decide such a thing?”
“You should know better than that, Lady Joanna,” Lady Julia scolded her sister. “The duke and duchess have always been kind to us. Whether or not Lady Annabelle is married will make no difference.”
“If she is married, there will be no need for her to attend the balls searching for a husband. That is what we are doing. We would be left on our own.”
Lady Annabelle shook her head. “No. You are mistaken. I do not believe Lord Gilbert heard any such words coming from my father’s mouth. He loves you and Lady Julia as if you are his own daughters. Why do you think you are still welcome in Norrend, even though you lied to my father’s face?”
Lady Joanna’s face went scarlet and she dropped her eyes again. “I believed him. He told me… he wants to court me and… I believed what he was telling me.”
“But if he wanted to court you, why would you be worried about going to the balls?” Lady Julia asked. Lady Joanna looked at her.
“Because you would have no one. Father has spoken about pairing you with Lord Leonard since I am with Lord Gilbert. I told him I did not think you would want that.”
Lady Julia lifted her eyebrows. “I am glad you told him that. I have no interest in being with Lord Leonard.”
“You must believe me,” Lady Joanna moved her eyes from Lady Annabelle to her sister and back. “I did not know the Balfours would steal the paintings. They may not have. They… they were behind the hutch. I suppose a… a servant could have…”
Lady Annabelle shook her head. “No. If the Balfour brothers put the paintings back there and they are not there now, that means they came back and took them. We must inform my father right away.”
“I do not want to get in more trouble,” Lady Joanna said. “Will you tell him for me?”
She was disappointed when both of them shook their heads.
“You will have to tell him, Lady Joanna,” Lady Annabelle said. “This is something you will need to take responsibility for.”
Chapter 30
Lady Joanna cried as the three women rode back to Norrend. She was sure the Balfour brothers would lie. They would deny everything and she would end up looking like the liar she had become.
Lady Annabelle could not help feeling sorry for her. Her father was not an irrational man. But he would not accept being disrespected and lied to, especially not by someone he had been taking care of for years.
They approached the stables slowly. Christopher was standing outside the stables, looking toward the woods. As they crossed the field, he walked to them, lifting one hand to take the bridle of Lady Annabelle’s horse.
“My lady, your father has been asking for you.”
Lady Annabelle nodded. “Did you tell him we went for a ride to find Lady Joanna?”
“I told him that Lady Joanna went for a ride earlier and you and Lady Julia went, also. I did not tell him you were looking for Lady Joanna.”
“Thank you, Christopher. If you will take care of the horses for us.”
The young man smiled. “That is my job, my lady. I would be happy to, of course.”
Once they were off the horses, Lady Julia and Lady Annabelle hurried across the lawn to the house. Lady Joanna moved slower, dragging behind to the point they had to turn and call to her. She reluctantly picked up her
pace and went into the house behind them.
They went to the parlor first to look for their father. He, the Duke of Cardinal and Mr. Covington were sitting by the large window on the other side of the room. The three men stood up when the ladies entered, their eyes focusing directly on Lady Joanna. The girl’s face was still as red as a beet and it was obvious she had been crying by her swollen, red eyes.
“Lady Joanna.” The Duke of Norrend did not greet his daughter or Lady Julia. He took a step toward the young woman, who cowered, her face guilty. “What is the meaning of this behavior? You have not been yourself recently.”
Lady Joanna moved her eyes only to look up at the two dukes, keeping her head bowed to them. “I… I have not been myself recently, Your Grace,” she replied. “I have been… influenced by others to do things I would not otherwise do.”
“Including lying about the Duke of Cardinal?” The Duke of Norrend sounded shocked. He stared at her, along with the other two men.
Lady Joanna could not bring herself to answer out loud. She nodded.
“Both times?”
Again, she nodded.
“You will need to speak up, Lady Joanna. I would like an answer. Out loud.”
“Yes, my lord. I lied both times.”
The Duke of Norrend made a sound of disappointment and shook his head. “What has caused this behavior from you, my dear? You would never have done something like this before. Would you?”
“No, my lord, I would not. I… I was influenced by the Lords Balfour.”
The men all looked at each other.
“Those men…” The Duke of Cardinal shook his head. “I did not trust them already. I do not know why I did not think of them in the first place. It might have saved us some trouble. Did you find them suspicious, my lord?” He looked at the Duke of Norrend, who just stared back at him.
“Neither of them expressed interest in Lady Annabelle and therefore I did not pay a lot of attention to them. I suggested the Lady Joanna seek out permission from her father.”
“Do you not think it odd that the Lords Balfour are not here today? They are here every day since they came to stay with the reverend.” The Duke of Norrend nodded as the other man spoke.
“They are frequently here,” he said. “Now that the paintings are missing, they are also missing. I find it strange. I will send a messenger to the reverend, asking him to send the brothers here.”
“Will you tell him about the missing paintings, my lord?” the Duke of Cardinal asked.
“I would like to speak to them in person before I do,” the Duke of Norrend replied. “Unfortunately…”
His eyes fell on Lady Joanna. “I am still very confused about this whole situation. Lady Joanna, I wish for you to tell me what has happened from the beginning, please. Why did you lie about the Duke of Cardinal and make it seem he was inappropriate with you? Is this something the Lords Balfour put in your head?”
Lady Joanna hesitated before answering. “I… I cannot say the lords are responsible for everything that has happened,” she said. “I was given the idea by them but it was I who decided what to say.”
“But, my lady, why would you lie about His Grace?” Mr. Covington finally spoke. The others looked at him. “His Grace is one of the most respectable, remarkable men I have met in my life. He has never caused harm to anyone, at least not intentionally. You could have severely damaged his reputation. If you spoke to the Balfour brothers about this matter and they told anyone in the ton, his reputation would be at stake. Why would you do this to this kind gentleman?”
They all turned their eyes back to her. Her face was nearly pulsing red. She dropped her eyes to the floor once more. “I cannot honestly say why I behaved this way, my lords.”
“You must,” the Duke of Cardinal insisted. “You must tell us. I believe it is my right to know why someone has tried to slander me. Is it because I was not receptive to your advances?”
Lady Joanna slowly nodded.
“But my lady, I do not recall you giving any signs that you were interested in me,” the duke continued.
“You were interested in Lady Annabelle,” Lady Joanna replied in a voice so low they could barely hear her.
“Speak up, young lady,” the Duke of Norrend barked. Her eyes darted to his face, fear covering her with chills.
“I am sorry, Your Grace. I said you were interested in Lady Annabelle.”
“So you lied about him intentionally, even though you knew he was interested in me and I in him?” Lady Annabelle frowned. “What have I done to you, Lady Joanna? Why would you do this to me after we have been practically sisters since we were children?”
“I am ashamed of myself. I truly am.”
“And well you should be!” the Duke of Norrend said, drawing his eyebrows together. “You could have sullied the duke in a way that was not repairable. Have you told anyone in the city about your accusations?”
Lady Joanna shook her head. “No, my lord. I have not.”
He nodded. “That is a good thing, Lady Joanna. See that you speak the truth from now on. Tell me about the paintings. How did you get them and where did you put them?”
“I was in the storage room with the Balfours. They took the paintings and put them in the Duke of Cardinal’s chambers.”
The Duke of Cardinal bristled inside. They had intentionally made it look like he was stealing. He shook his head, looking disappointed. “My lady, I do not understand why you would allow that to happen to me. If the paintings had been discovered there this morning, it would not be redeemable. I would be forced to leave Norrend and Lady Annabelle, two things I have no intention of doing anytime soon.”
“I suppose that means we are not leaving as planned?” Mr. Covington said. The duke looked at him.
“No, Mr. Covington, I am staying here. You are a free man and can roam the world if you please. But I cannot. I will be married within the year.”
Lady Annabelle felt chills cover her body. He was talking about her. He was looking at her. When he smiled, she smiled back. He lost his smile when he looked at Lady Joanna. “You have put my entire life in jeopardy and I want answers.”
Lady Joanna stammered at him. “I… Lord Gilbert can be very persuasive. But, my lords, I did not know they were going to take the paintings. I have made myself look like a fool and I am ashamed. Lord Gilbert said he only wanted to help me with my plan to have you dismissed from Norrend.”
Lady Annabelle winced at the words. She could hardly believe they were coming from Lady Joanna’s mouth. She was so upset and disappointed with her friend.
“When we saw that the paintings were not there today, I… I realized what I had done. I helped them steal the paintings. I do not know where they have taken them or what they will do with them.”
“This is very disturbing.” The Duke of Norrend looked at the Duke of Cardinal. “I am not aware that the two know much about fine works of art. They cannot sell them outright because they are registered to me and they would have to travel far before anyone would buy them not knowing they are mine. Do you suppose they will destroy them or otherwise damage them?”
The Duke of Cardinal shook his head. “I do not know them well, my lord. But I do not think they are stupid enough to damage the paintings. More than likely, they will try to sell them. But you are correct, they are registered to you. And I have traveled far to come to see them. It took me a bit of time but I found the paintings I desired.”
“If you wish, you may purchase the Vecelli painting and leave the missing ones to me to find.”
The Duke of Cardinal shook his head. “No, my lord, I will wait and purchase all the ones I have chosen at the same time. Whether or not the three paintings are recovered in good condition, I will buy them. I feel responsible for this.”
“You are in no way responsible. You should not think that way. If the paintings are not in the same condition they were when they left my home – if they have left – I will not charge the same price for them. We w
ill base it on their condition upon their return.”
“Yes, my lord, I agree to that.”
“I will send a message to Reverend Stovington requesting the young men make a visit. If they do not come tonight, we will see them at church in the morning.”
Chapter 31
There was no message from the reverend the rest of that Saturday night and the Balfour brothers did not pay a visit. When Lady Annabelle went to sleep that night, she could hear Lady Joanna weeping in her room.
She was not surprised to see Lady Julia sitting on her bed waiting for her, her nightgown and cap on already.
