A Marquess' Miraculous Transformation: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Abigail Agar

  “Oh?” Lavender asked. “You knew that I would be easy to frame for a poisoning? That is why you chose this method?”

  “Exactly. When you were out, I snuck back into your room. It was easy. I just had to put the arsenic in his tea, and then, once I saw which medicine you were using, I put it in there,” Lady Foster said.

  There it was. The full confession. Lady Foster had not only admitted to the poisoning but also to trying to frame Lavender for the actions. She had shown that she was guilty and responsible for the entire thing.

  Lavender stood there, perfectly still. She did not want to give away the truth at once. She did not want to be the one to reveal to Lady Foster what she had just done.

  After all, Lady Foster had that smile of victory on her face. She was proud of herself. She clearly believed that she had done the right thing and would be victorious due to it.

  Lavender could not be the one to break her spell. Although it would have been a victory of her own making, she much preferred the shock that would come in just a moment.

  “My goodness, Lady Foster, you really did think through all of the details, did you not?” Lavender asked.

  “Of course, I did. I am not fool enough to forget any details. I knew that I had to be rid of you, and this was the most logical approach. Now, look at you. You are nothing. Just as I always predicted, as I always knew. You are nothing, and you mean nothing to anyone. Lord Beckman will be glad on the day we are married and I reveal to him that I finished you,” Lady Foster said.

  “Shall I?” Lord Beckman asked.

  Lady Foster turned around and gasped.

  There, behind her, Lord Beckman and his friend stood, the constable adjacent to them. All three men were dressed in their rags. But there was no doubt. These men had come to catch her.

  Lady Foster’s expression fell. Her eyes widened, and her jaw slackened. This had not been something she expected, but that was the beauty of it. After all, even nobles weren’t untouchable.

  “Lord Beckman! Oh, thank goodness you are here. Have you heard the mad ravings of this young woman?” she asked.

  “Lady Foster, did you not hear the bars of the cell behind you as they opened?” he asked.

  “Well … what should that matter? I do not care if criminals are moved to and fro as I am speaking with Miss Philips,” she said.

  “The door which opened, let us out. We were there, hiding in plain sight. And we were listening to every word you spoke,” Ronan said.

  Lady Foster swallowed hard, clearly understanding she had been caught.

  “So you know that this young woman is accusing me of ridiculous things. You know that she is saying I have done terrible acts that make no sense at all,” Lady Foster said, trying to twist all that had taken place so it sounded as if her confession was Lavender’s accusation.

  “Do not think me a fool, Lady Foster. We know what happened,” he said.

  The constable went to grab hold of Lady Foster, but she jerked away.

  “No, no, no, no, no,” she said in a panicked ramble. “No, you stay away from me! You cannot come near me. Who do you think you are? Leave me alone!”

  “Lady Foster, you are under arrest for the poisoning of Lord Beckman and for framing Miss Philips,” the constable told her, drawing near again and taking her hands before she could pull away.

  “No! Let me go, let me go!” she screamed.

  The protests of Lady Foster resounded throughout the chamber. Lavender believed that she would continue for hours at that rate. Her voice was high-pitched and full of rage.

  But the constable dragged her into a cell, and another came and released Lavender.

  Chapter 39

  Ronan watched as Lady Foster kicked and screamed within her cell. She tugged against the bars as if trying to break free.

  “I will get you for this! I did nothing! Nothing! You misheard me! This is all her fault. That horrible maid. She did this to me! She did this!” Lady Foster screamed unceasingly. It was maddening, having to listen to the chaos which she brought so readily.

  Yes, she was declaring that it was all Miss Philips’s fault she had ended up in this situation. But everyone knew the truth.

  By now, Ronan and everyone else present were more than convinced of the reality of the situation.

  Despite Lady Foster’s protests, Ronan and the constable went on with their business. The most important thing was ensuring that Miss Philips was well taken care of and that she was given the freedom she deserved.

  “Miss Philips, are you all right? I cannot imagine what you have gone through and how upset you must be. Please, tell me if you are doing all right and how I may assist you in recovering from this whole ordeal,” Ronan said.

  “I am fine; I am fine,” she said, calmly.

  “But you have been through so much. And now, Lady Foster is finally paying for what she has done, but it does not mean that you have not suffered greatly. Please, Miss Philips, tell me what I may do to help,” he said again.

  But Miss Philips just smiled up at him. He could see from her expression that she was pleasantly amused by his care, was truly perfectly fine, and needed nothing more from him. She was all right. That was the most pressing part of the moment.

  But Ronan was not finished. He knew that there was something far more important that needed to take place.

  He could not allow for the possibility of Miss Philips being mistreated. But furthermore, he could not allow for the possibility of her not knowing about his care and affection for her.

  Ronan took her hand in his, unable to stop himself.

  “Miss Philips, are you willing to return to the estate with me? Are you willing to join me and hear what I have to say, giving my deepest apologies?” he asked.

  “You have already apologized,” she reminded him.

  “Nevertheless, will you come with me?” he asked, knowing that there was a great deal more he had to say than simply apologizing.

  “Yes, My Lord. I shall come,” Miss Philips said, nodding in agreement. She was going to go with him. They could go to the estate where it was more comfortable and, there, settle the matter.

  Ronan was incredibly nervous during the entire ride to the estate. He knew that this moment was going to change everything. He understood that expressing his feelings for Miss Philips was going to open the door to a new part of his life. And that was frightening somehow.

  They reached the estate, and all went inside. Mrs Booth, satisfied that her friend was taken care of, departed.

  But, next, they had to speak with Ronan’s mother and tell her about the entire ordeal.

  “Oh, dear! Miss Philips, you are back. Thank goodness. We were so worried after all that took place. That awful woman! Please, do tell me what has happened. Is she finished with her tirade? Is everything all right now? Please tell me what has happened so that my heart may rest,” his mother insisted.

  Ronan placed a comforting hand on his mother’s shoulder and led her to sit.

  “Yes, Mother. Lady Foster has been arrested. All is well. Miss Philips has been vindicated, and she is going to be all right now,” he said.

  “Thank goodness. Oh, what a strange turn of events has played out! This is all a great bit of madness, and I cannot imagine how that woman is going to sleep at night,” his mother said.

  “Quite poorly,” Miss Philips said. “Those cots are dreadfully uncomfortable.”

  “I am so sorry that you had to suffer to stay the night there. It is a shame, indeed, but you are now free and shall never again have to go through such torment,” Ronan said.

  “Yes, my dear. Never again,” his mother said.

  His mother, like most of them, was relieved that the arrangement had worked and also shocked that all this had played out in such a way. No matter how rude and arrogant Lady Foster had been, no one had expected something that awful from her.

  “Never again,” he repeated.

  But Ronan needed to speak with Miss Philips as soon as he could. It was
time for him to tell her everything that was on his heart and in his mind.

  The tea was brought—an extra batch mercifully having been unopened and certainly untainted by poison.

  He looked at his mother and nodded his head as a simple request for privacy. She clearly understood and stood from her seat.

  “Well, I shall leave the two of you to discuss what the next stage of this looks like. I am so relieved that you are free, Miss Philips. You may trust that you shall never again go through such a terrible experience. My son shall ensure it,” she said.

  “Thank you, Lady Beckman,” Miss Philips replied.

  The moment she was gone, Ronan turned to Miss Philips.

  The look in her eyes was one of hope. That, in turn, gave him hope. If she wanted something specific from him, he trusted that it was the same thing he wanted from her.

  In truth, by now, he understood that they wanted the same thing. Of course, her conversation with Lady Foster had confirmed that. But at that moment, it was Lady Foster who had made those statements about Miss Philips having feelings for him. Now, he was going to find out for certain whether he was correct.

  “Miss Philips, may I speak candidly with you?” Ronan asked.

  “Certainly, My Lord. You may speak however you please,” she answered.

  “Very well, then. I am glad because I have a great deal to say, but I know that it is difficult at times to hear from someone who so recently wounded you,” he said.

  “My Lord, you must put that behind you. It is in the past. I am quite well now,” she said.

  “You hold no bitterness against me?” he asked.

  “None. I only ask that you never again allow your pride to lead you to a place of disbelieving someone. While I understand that appearances were also against me, it certainly looked as if I was guilty of what I had been accused—I know that you are above trusting in something that makes little sense. I hope that you know me well enough by now to understand that I would never harm you,” she said.

  “I do. I truly do. I am only sorry that it took me so long to figure that out. But, Miss Philips, please hear what I have to say,” he said.

  Ronan took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. What if he was wrong about all of this? And what if it did not go well in the future when all of London knew what had taken place over these past few months?

  He could not think about that just now. He needed only to tell Miss Philips how deeply he loved her.

  “Miss Philips, I think you know by now that I am very fond of you. Not simply as a maid, but as a woman. You have changed me. Quite significantly, actually. My character was disagreeable. I behaved shamefully, and my attitude was dreadful for such a very long time.

  “But you have changed all that. You have made me a new man. I am no longer who I was before because you have shown me a world that is better and brighter. A world of kindness and good things,” he said.

  “My Lord, I have done so very little as compared to the credit you give me,” she said.

  “No, Miss Philips. Not at all,” he said. There was something about saying her name, which he longed for, but Ronan was eager to use her forename. He was tired of formality and wanted familiarity.

  “What is it?” she asked as if sensing there was something he wanted that was distracting him.

  “May I have the honour of calling you by your name?” he asked.

  Miss Philips had tears in her eyes. She looked happy, relieved.

  Ronan was grateful. He trusted that she would hear the rest of his words with promise.

  “You may, My Lord,” she replied.

  “And you, Lavender, may call me Ronan. Because I do not think that it would be right in our future together if you call me anything else,” he said.

  “Our future, Ronan?” she asked.

  “Yes, Lavender. Because I have great plans for our life together. It shall be a life of good things. A life of love and affection. A life of children and joy and excitement and our estate shall always be full of the people you care for, and you shall have all the medical knowledge you desire, no matter what society says of it,” he told her.

  Lavender softly gasped, the joy of it overwhelming her. She looked so delighted that it hardly covered for the fact that she was trying to remain calm.

  “Lavender, I think you know what it is that I am trying to say,” Ronan said.

  “I believe I do,” she replied.

  “I am in love with you. Do you feel the same about me?” he dared to ask, holding his breath in anticipation of her response.

  “I do, Ronan. I love you with all my heart. I have loved you even since I disliked you,” she said with a laugh, her eyes glistening over with happiness.

  “What a joy that is for me to hear! You have no idea how worried I was that I had forever ruined all hope of a future with you. My goodness, how I have shamed myself. But your grace for me is beyond anything I could have hoped for, and I am grateful that you would be so kind towards me after everything that I have put you through,” he said.

  “There is nothing for you to be worried about, Ronan. I love you. I long for a future together just as you have said,” she replied.

  “In that case, I should like to ask you one further question,” Ronan said.

  “Yes?” Her eyes were bright with hope.

  “Would you be my wife?”

  At last, Lavender nodded her head in agreement as her tears of joy fell.

  “Nothing would make me happier,” she told him.

  “Then, it is done. We shall be married and spend our lives together with all the happiness the world has to offer. Never again shall we suffer as we have these last days. Our future is going to be bright and full of joy,” he promised.

  “You mean it? We are going to be happy? We are never again going to face the trials of angry and jealous former lovers?” she teased.

  “Never,” he said.

  “We shall never again suffer poisonings and false accusations?” she asked.

  “Not once,” he declared.

  “We shall never again watch as our hopes and dreams are threatened to be torn apart by everything which rises up against us?” she asked.

  “Not one day shall pass in which we suffer these things. Whatever trials come against us, we shall be prepared for them. They will be nothing of the sort we have already overcome. I promise you, Lavender, the future is ours for the making,” he said.

  Ronan felt tears pricking his own eyes. This was it. He was going to be married. Lavender Philips would be his wife.

  Epilogue

  It was finally the day. Lavender put on her dress, the same colour her name declared. It was a pale purple, which was lovely against her skin.

  She was ready. She was ready to become the wife of the man she loved. And although they had faced much leading up to this day, she knew that there were good things ahead for them. She knew that the future was bright and entailed only the best.

  Ronan was going to be a tremendous husband. Of course, Lavender still could not believe that she was going to marry a titled man. After everything she had been through in her life, and everything they had already been through together, it was strange to see that things were finally turning out the way she wanted them to. She could not believe that there was so much joy to be had.