"I would do anything that you want, Father, anything at all. Please, don't send me back to Germany."
Hans glanced at Adelheid, and she nodded.
'There is but one condition that you must fulfill if you do not want to be sent back," her mother said.
Her heart leaped. "Thank you, Mother," she said, bounding over to her Mother and hugging her.
She still had her mother in a tight hug when her father spoke. "The condition is that you are to marry the Earl of Coventry. You... "
"What?" she disengaged quickly from her mother and turned to face her father, who had a grim look on his face.
"Yes, Inese," her mother also said. "The only way this scandal can end is if you marry the Earl of Coventry and become his Countess."
"Yes," Hans nodded, "it is a good position for a maiden of your standing."
"I will not be married to the Earl of Coventry!" she said firmly. "I would rather be sent to Germany and even hell itself than marry Coventry."
"He is a fine gentleman," Adelheid said.
"No," she shook her head. "The Earl of Coventry is a lot of things, but he is not a gentleman."
"Be prepared to return to Germany then. I will send a letter to your aunt tomorrow to inform her," her father said with a tone of finality before storming out of the room
She turned to her mother once Hans was out of sight. "I don't want to go to Germany," she said quietly.
"Then marry the Earl of Coventry and become the Countess," her mother shrugged.
"But he is a beast," she said.
The last sentence was more to herself than to her parents. The Earl of Coventry wasn't the ideal gentleman that she had always dreamed of marrying, and she was not about to lower her standards over a scandal that was sure to blow over before the end of the season.
Chapter 5
A Late-night Visitor
The past few days had been strenuous for Bedford. From his several meetings at the parliament to the numerous social events that he always had to attend. The fact that his heart was also in turmoil didn't help his situation. He was a hopeless romantic, and he had been burned because of it.
Being with people didn't help. He was present at a ball, and even as he navigated the ballroom and exchanged pleasantries with people, he still had the image of her face sketched at the back of his mind.
He only stayed at the ball as long as he could bear it. Everything that he saw at the party reminded him of Inese even though she was not present. The small talk was exhausting to him, and even when Freya came over to sit beside him, he barely heard all that she said.
He stayed at the party only as long as he could bear it. The thought of whiskey lifted his spirits a little since he knew alcohol was going to be his sanctuary tonight. The moment Bedford could make his exit gracefully without seeming suspicious, he did. He bid all his acquaintances farewell and quickly strode out, eager to be on his way back home. He donned his cloak and hat and was just about wearing his gloves when he saw Freya walking towards him.
"My lord. May I have a moment with you?" she asked.
Bedford shifted uncomfortably as he stifled a groan of impatience that was about to escape from his mouth. He, however, could not deny her access to him.
"I've been meaning to talk to you about Inese," Freya said.
His heart beat faster at the mention of her name.
"What about her?" He asked, trying to put up a calm exterior but failing.
"I want to know if you have been able to communicate with her since the scandal?" she asked.
Bedford frowned, he didn't like the direction the discussion was taking. "I've not been in correspondence with her, nor have I seen her. If I have answered all of your questions, I would like to take my leave now." He turned back towards his carriage.
"A moment, Your Grace," she said yet again, and he had no choice but to turn back for the second time. "She is not what you think she is."
"Excuse me?"
"I've always suspected that she was having an affair with Coventry. She just always masked it well with an honorable character. No one could have thought that a seemingly gentle and wholesome lady like her would have done that, don't you think, Your Grace?"
Something brittle snapped inside of Bedford, and he took a step closer to Freya. "I do not take pleasure in hearing anything that has to do with Inese. Now, excuse me."
He strode away from her before she could say another word while impotent fury raged in his veins. He got into the carriage and quickly signaled at the driver to leave.
He was angry, no, he was furious. He was mad more at himself than anybody. How could he have fallen in love so recklessly with a woman that not only did not want him but one whose virtue was highly questionable? As they drove past the skating arena, he looked longingly at the people who were skating happily with no worries. He was once like them, and he would have given anything to have that moment back.
He quickly looked away when he realized that he was beginning to pine after her yet again.
"She does not want you. She is now with Coventry," he reminded himself.
By the time he got home, he was in a foul mood. Somehow, Freya had managed to get him even madder than he already was. He headed straight into his office to pour his aggressions into his work.
However, he had hardly taken a seat when his doorman entered the office. "Someone is here to see you, My Lord."
"I don't want to see anyone," he said without even giving it a thought.
"Shall I tell her to come in the morrow then?" the doorman asked.
"Her?" that piqued his interest. It was late in the night, and it was indeed very rare to see a woman out and about.
"Yes, Miss Strupule insisted on seeing you even though we made her understand that you do not take visitors at this time of the night."
"Miss Strupule?" he was even more amazed. What was Inese doing in his house? A tiny voice whispered it in his head to send her back, but he refused.
"Send her in," he said, and for some reasons that he didn't know, his heart was beating even faster.
Moments later, she entered his office. His heart lurched as he beheld her face. A closer look at her face showed him that she looked unhappy and beaten.
He rose to his feet and offered her a seat.
"Thank you,” she said.
He was tempted to tell her not to use his given name, but he bit down his tongue. He didn't have to sound bitter even if he was.
He sat down and took his time to settle in the chair before finally addressing her.
"How may I help you, Miss Strupule?" he asked. He was determined to be as formal as he possibly could with her. After all, they were no less than strangers to each other now.
“Bedford?" she said in that very familiar voice.
"Why are you here in my house at this time of the night to see me, Miss Strupule?" he said in the calmest voice he could muster, even though he wanted nothing more than to shake her and ask why she had done it.
She looked shocked now. "You do not believe the rumors, do you?" she asked.
"Rumors? Enlighten me, please, Miss Strupule. I'm not quite up-to-date with London's social gossip," he said.
"The rumor that I... that I have taken Coventry as my lover."
He gave a cold smile. "I have no interest in London's rumor mill. However, I was there the night it all came to light."
He could see her blink back tears that were beginning to well up in her eyes.
"It isn't true. What you saw wasn't the truth. I have never seen the man until that night at Freya's party," she said.
The anger rose in Bedford again. He could not believe that Inese was trying to lie to his face again. He had enough problem with the fact that she had chosen another man, however, coming to his house to feed him more lies was beyond the pale.
He rose to his feet. "Miss Strupule, I will have the footman see you out of the house. I do not wish for anyone to see us together as I do not want to have my integrity stained by any
scandal."
"My lord!" she said in a broken voice, but he steeled his heart harder, "are you asking me to get out of your house?"
"Thank you for putting it in fewer words. That, exactly, is my intention. I would have you take your leave. My integrity is quite important to me."
Inese shook her head slowly, looking at him as though he had just grown a pair of horns. Bedford was bemused. If there was anyone who should be mad at the other person, it should be him. Yet, she was sitting there comfortably in his office, looking at him like he had somehow offended her.
She rose slowly to her feet and made for the door without a word. She was already at the door when she turned back again to look at him.
"I thought you were different. I thought you would understand me since you seemed to genuinely care about me ever since we knew each other. I can't believe that you are just as judgmental as everyone else in London. And yes, my integrity is also important to me."
He felt a pang of guilt. "Don't get me wrong. I do not want anyone to see us together at this time."
"You don't have to explain your actions to me, my lord. I was just an idiot to have hidden in the woods, waiting for you to come so that I could have a discussion with the one person that I thought would not be judging."
His heart sank. "Did you just say you hid in the woods?"
"I'm sorry that I was foolish enough to come to your dignified house and try to pollute your dignified and noble self. I will take my leave now, my lord."
In a desperate moment, Bedford made for her, and he caught her hand just as she was about to step out of the room. She stopped short and stared at him. "I'm sorry, Inese. Please stay."
A look of relief washed over her face. Moments later, she took her seat again. There was an uncomfortable silence for about a minute before Inese eventually broke it.
"What you think you saw that night did not happen. I know you may never believe me, but it didn't," Inese said.
Bedford swallowed. He did not believe her, not even in the least, but he had a duty to at least hear her out since they used to be friends.
"So, what happened?"
"Freya had sent her maid to tell me to meet her in the tearoom. I did not know where the tearoom was located, so I started walking about, trying to get to her. When I finally came upon the room that seemed to be the tearoom, I entered only to find myself in the same room as Coventry. Freya was nowhere to be found. I tried to leave, but the door did not budge.
That was when he started to say things to me. Where he tried to paw me and pulled off my hair clip, I pulled the door with all my strength and somehow, the door opened again. I was still in the disheveled state when you and Freya saw me and concluded that I was having an affair with Coventry."
Bedford held his breath. As much as his heart was set to believe that she was indeed having an affair with Coventry, something about her eyes endeared him to her, the more and made him want to believe her.
"If you had entered through the door, then why was it hard for you to get out again? I don't think there's any explanation for that," Bedford said.
"This is a question that I have continually asked myself, and sadly, I have been unable to make sense of it. It is quite unbelievable that the door would suddenly be locked just after I entered it."
"That can only be if you were locked in the room," Bedford said.
"But... But that is impossible," she muttered, confused.
For once, Bedford saw just how vulnerable she was and looked. The hopeless look on her face could not be faked, and he knew it. For once, he decided to let go of his earlier prejudice and imagined that she was indeed not having an affair with Coventry.
"There's only one explanation for it," he said slowly. While trying to be as rational as possible, he had somehow stumbled upon a theory.
"What is that?" she looked at him with hope in her eyes.
"The only explanation for this is that someone intentionally locked you in the room with Coventry," Bedford said, watching as her face clouded over.
"But no one could have done that," she said, shaking her head.
"We cannot be totally sure, can we?"
Inese shook her head. "I presume not," she said.
"Now, let us think, who could have done something as foul as that?" Bedford asked.
"I can't think of anyone," Inese said after a moment, "I do not have any enemies, and my parents are quite peace-loving too."
Bedford shook his head. "That is not what I mean. In better words, here is my question: who is in the best position to have locked you in that room with Coventry?"
"I do not know. However, if indeed I was locked in the room with Coventry then the person who did it definitely knew that Coventry was in the room and also that he was going to try to make advances at me."
Bedford nodded, having no choice but to agree with what she had just said. "If your assumptions are right, then the person might be hoping to achieve two things. The person might either want Coventry to paw you or want to ruin your reputation by having people see you come out of the same room as him. Now, who would have done that?"
Inese shook her head. She didn't have to say a word for him to know that she had no idea who the culprit could have been.
Once again, Bedford sank into deep thought and tried to think about the points that Inese had raised earlier. Who could have known that Inese was going to head into the room? Who could have had the knowledge that Coventry was already in the room? Who could have also known Coventry enough to know that he would want to paw at her?
It was then that it hit him.
"Freya's maid," he said without even giving it a thought.
"What?" she looked confused.
He smiled and hit the table with his fist excitedly. He could not believe that he had just had his Eureka moment. Why it had taken him this long to figure it out was what had baffled him.
"Bedford, why did you mention Freya's maid?" she asked yet again.
"Listen to me, Inese," he said, "moments after you left the table, I made my way to the retiring room. I was on my way there when I saw a maid locking a door and quietly slipping away. Of course, she didn't see me. I thought nothing of it at that moment because I believe that the maid was a worker in the house. It wasn't until I was heading back from the retiring room that I saw you walk out of the room with disheveled hair. Now, guess the room you walked right out of?" he wanted to know if she had also been able to figure it out.
"The room that was locked by the maid you saw?" Inese asked.
"You are right," Bedford said, "I was just beginning to interrogate you when Freya came down the hallway, and one of her companions was the maid that I had seen lock the door earlier. I didn't make anything of it then because I was too angry and hurt at the betrayal to even give what I had seen a thought."
Inese looked as shocked as he was at this point. She didn't find her voice until minutes later.
"It was the same maid who had told me to go to the tearoom as Freya had summoned me there," Inese said quietly.
"That leads us to only one conclusion," Bedford said.
"That the maid is set on ruining me. I don't know why she would have ever wanted to do such a foul thing. I have always been kind towards her, and I have never once treated her with disdain," she pursed her lips tightly. "I bet Freya didn't know that her maid is such an awful person. We need to warn Freya before her maid harms her with mischief," Inese looked genuinely worried.
Bedford sighed. If only Inese could really see what their theory was pointing at right now.
"I don't think the maid is the mischievous one," he said.
"What do you mean?" her eyes were hard. "She locked me in the room so that Coventry could paw at me and ruin my name, and you think she is not mischievous?"
"Don't get me wrong, Inese. Think about it carefully: have you had any interaction with the maid?"
"Not quite," Inese shook her head.
"She is but a maid and only knows how to take instructions," B
edford said. "Now who is the only person that could have given her this instruction?"
Inese gasped, frowned then shook her head vehemently. "No. Freya would never do that. She is my friend, and she loves me just as much as I love her."
Bedford chuckled. "The fact that Freya is your friend does not mean that she cannot do that to you. Remember, you do not know her thoughts towards you."
Inese shook her head again. "It's impossible. Freya was the first friend that I made in London when we moved here years ago. She was the only one that treated me with kindness and showed me love. She showed me the way of the ton and even made sure that I made acquaintances of important people in society. In fact, it was Freya who made sure that I made your acquaintance a few years ago. Freya might be a bad gossip, but she is the best friend anyone could ever pray to have."
Bedford nodded. "You are right. However, who do you presume could have planned that mischief—a maid you barely ever have any interaction with or a friend who knows everything about you?"
Inese was quiet. Bedford could tell that she was also beginning to see things as they were.
"I still do not believe that Freya would have done that to me. She is my friend, and I have not done anything to her that would have made her do this."
"I believe we both know who our suspects are now," Bedford said.
Inese nodded and was quiet for a while. "Father wants me to marry Coventry," she said after a while.
"What?" Bedford was shocked.
"Yes," she looked up at him, her eyes brimming in tears.
Bedford didn't know why, but the information that he had just gotten infuriated him to no end. How could Inese marry Coventry? The Earl of Coventry was a very popular socialite in London, and his popularity was not unconnected to the fact that he was an unrepentant rake. He took pleasure in having affairs with as many women in society as possible.
His favorite type of women were the married ones who had tired of their husbands and were looking for excitement and pleasure since they could not leave the marriage. Not once or twice had Coventry been in conflict with angry husbands of these women who he had seduced. The last conflict has almost resulted in Coventry's death as the enraged husband had sent hoodlums after his carriage. That kind of man was not appropriate for Inese, not as a suitor and definitely not as a husband. The worst part of the arrangement was that he could not tell Inese all this about Coventry because it would sadden her even more.
A Glorious Christmas of Forgiveness Page 4
