“You have,” her mother said. “Even when Juliet told you otherwise.” This brought on a bout of laughter, and then Annabel sighed.
“Well, concerning Lord Wolcott…” She had to steady her heart before continuing. “I saw a true change in the man during the time we were together at the cottage. Would you not consider allowing him to call?”
Her mother sighed and took Annabel’s hand in her own. “With all that has happened today, I believe it would be best for me to think more on the matter. I do trust your judgment, but you must understand my position. Not only what he did to you, but his current state. He is penniless, has no source of income or employment, and no real home. Perhaps in the coming years he will be able to once again make a name for himself, but you may well be a spinster by that time. I am unwilling to allow that to happen.”
Annabel nodded. “I understand.” She heaved a sad sigh, but then her mother gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I believe we both are in need of a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we can discuss this matter further.”
As if on cue, Annabel stifled a yawn. “Yes, I believe you may be right,” she said with a laugh.
Once in her bedroom, however, her mind relived the events of the day, and sleep eluded her. Her parents had betrayed her in the most heinous of ways. The woman who she believed to be her aunt—and secretly hoped could be her mother—was in fact her mother. The man who now held her heart, the man she now knew she loved, was doing what he could to right the wrongs he had done.
And through all that had happened, Annabel did not despair, for she knew the happiness in her heart would never abandon her. Never again.
Chapter Thirty
Two days after he left Scarlett Hall and the woman for whom he felt a great admiration, Edward entered the village of Portsmouth. Returning to the place where he had been proven a fool was not an easy task, but it had been Annabel’s wish he attempt a new beginning. If she wished it, he would see it done, for he trusted her judgment far more than he trusted his own.
Dust trailed behind his horse, a hearty stallion he purchased the day before specially for this journey, as he entered the village. He steeled himself for the sneers and shocked looks he knew would come, but deep down he no longer cared what these people thought of him. He was a new man and nothing they said or did could change who he had become.
Brave words, Edward thought, for as he entered the once tiny hamlet, he came close to turning the horse about and leaving. Yet, he had made a promise to Annabel, and he meant to keep it. Therefore, he pushed forward, uneasiness tying knots in his bowels.
Although he would never see Annabel again, she would always remain in his heart. That was the greatest gift he had ever received. She had shown him the errors of his ways. A lady had shown him compassion when he least deserved it, and for that, he owed her everything, especially a promise kept.
He stopped in front of an inn, and a young stable hand took the reins as Edward dismounted. Placing a coin in the boy’s hand, Edward glanced around him. Portsmouth had grown in the past ten years, but he recognized some of the shops. Numerous people strolled along the footpaths, entering and exiting various establishments, yet none paid him any mind.
Walking across the street, he peered through the window of the butcher’s but was disappointed to see a man he did not recognize behind the counter, a massive knife in his hand. Sighing, Edward moved to the next shop, a cobblers. Mr. Nettles, the proprietor, was speaking to another man, whose jaw dropped upon seeing Edward.
“Yes, I know my failings,” Edward murmured, although he smiled as he walked away. “However, I am here to face those failings and start anew. No matter what any of you think of me.”
Soon, others he recognized gave him looks of shock, some of them daring to point at him, but each time it happened, he merely gave them a nod, thinking of Annabel and wishing she was at his side.
Once he had seen all he could see, or all he could remember, he turned back toward the inn. He had fulfilled his promise. Now, he could leave, although he had no idea where to go next. Stopping at a green painted building, he paused and peered into the window. McCarthy & Elwood was a firm that handled many business accounts, including those of Edward and his father before him. Clark Elwood sat huddled over his desk, his gray eyebrows seeming to have taken a life of their own.
For a moment Edward considered asking the man if he now saw to Mary’s accounts, those that had belonged to Edward. However, as soon as the thought came, he pushed it away. It was time to move forward and put the past behind him. Inquiring about the past would do him no good.
Leaving the window, he continued his trek to the inn, but before he had gone half a dozen paces, a voice called out to him.
“Lord Wolcott?”
Edward turned to find Mr. Elwood hurrying toward him. The man had aged greatly over the past ten years, but the smile he wore was all too familiar.
“Mr. Elwood,” Edward said, shaking the man’s hand, “it is good to see you.”
“It is you!”
Edward stared at the old accountant. They had been on friendly terms before all had fallen apart, but Edward had never considered him a dear friend, nor did he believe the man thought the same of him. Yet, here Mr. Elwood was, pumping Edward’s hand as if he was a long lost son. Would he pull him in for an embrace right there on the street? Edward certainly hoped not.
“Indeed, it is I,” Edward said. “I have returned for one last look at my old home before I leave again.”
“Leave?” Mr. Elwood asked. “Why would you leave? You have already been gone far too long. Come. We have much to discuss.”
Edward smiled. Perhaps the man had lost his wits. “There is nothing for me here, not after what happened.”
Mr. Elwood cocked his head. “Then you do not know?”
A crowd began to gather around them, and Edward eyed the people warily. Would they all join Mr. Elwood in his mockery? “What do you mean? What do I not know?”
“Come with me, my lord. We have too many listening ears out in the open.” He glared at the people around them, most of whom had the decency to blush at their eavesdropping.
Edward followed Mr. Elwood into the office and took the chair offered him.
The accountant took the seat behind his desk. “I have been searching for you for nigh on ten years now. That is…McCarthy and I have been.”
“For me? Whyever for? Do I have some sort of outstanding debt?”
Mr. Elwood chuckled. “No. We have been searching for you to inform you that your estate, your businesses, all of it remains in your name.”
For a moment, the world spun around him. “I am sorry. I believe I misheard you. I signed away all of my holdings ten years ago.” Maybe the man was daft. After all, he was getting on in years.
Mr. Elwood laughed. “Indeed you did! However, there were two crucial mistakes made when I investigated the matter. I even took it to the high courts in London.”
“Mistakes? What mistakes?”
“The first is that the woman, Mary Peters? We learned that the woman was using an alias. Her real name is Elizabeth Sterling. Apparently she defrauded a duke of all people before she wriggled her way into your good graces. You already know that the man posing as her brother is in reality her husband. His name was not George but rather Jasper. The name on the paperwork had given power of attorney to a George Peters, but that man does not exist, or at least he is not the man you believed him to be.”
Edward could do nothing more than gape at the accountant. “And the second mistake?”
Mr. Elwood slammed his hand on the desktop. “You signed your father’s name rather than your own!” He paused as if waiting for a reaction, but Edward could say nothing. “Do you not see? Not two months after you left, the woman and her husband were thrown out on their ears! Your estate, your money, McCarthy and I have been looking after everything just as we always have.”
Edward looked for some sign of trickery but could find none. “
All this time…” he whispered, “it was waiting for me to take it.”
“Yes,” Mr. William said kindly. “Barrington has been minding the house all this time. Your home is still in order.”
Edward smiled at the thought of his faithful butler, who had carried his bags as they left ten years earlier. “I am uncertain what to do,” Edward managed to say. “Everything is as it was before I fell ill?”
“It is. You have a bit more money than you did back then, for I have made some wise investments. I hope you do not mind.”
Edward shook his head and laughed. “If you made me more money, of course I do not mind.”
The accountant rose from his chair. “Then what are you waiting for? Go home. I will call over tomorrow and explain what Barrington is unable to explain.”
“Yes,” Edward said as he, too, rose from his chair. His head felt full of cotton wool. “I will go home.” How strange the words sounded to him, but he left the office and made his way toward the home he had thought lost after all this time. The day had begun so bleakly, but now it shone as brightly as the sun above him.
***
Edward rode up to Vinerose Manor and stopped to look up at the home he had dreamed about so often over the past ten years. The gray stone building stood proud, wearing its ivy with pride. The home was indeed well-maintained, and Edward could not imagine having a more trusted man than the old butler to see to it.
“Barrington!” he shouted. “Barrington! Come out here at once!”
The door opened and an older version of the man who had been in Edward’s employ for so many years, Edward had lost count. “May I help you…” The butler stopped to gape. “Lord Wolcott? It is you! You have returned!”
Not caring for propriety, Edward wrapped his arms around Barrington. “It is I. The estate, everything, is mine again!”
“It is indeed, my lord,” Barrington replied. “We have been awaiting your return for many years, but I never lost hope that you would be found.”
“We?”
Another face appeared at the door, that of the woman who had been the cook before they had all been sent packing. “Mrs. Morrisey,” Edward said as he pulled her in for a tight hug.
The woman glanced at Barrington, her eyes wide, but she smiled nonetheless. “Where have you been, my lord?” She gasped. “My apologies, my lord. It idn’t any business of mine where you’ve been. I’m just glad to see you back where you belong.”
“You may ask all you wish, but let us wait until later for me to explain. However, I do mean to know why you both remained after all these years.”
The old butler puffed out his chest. “When we learned that that retched Miss Peters, or Mrs. Peters, or … well, whatever her name was. When we learned that her underhanded ways had been found out, we returned immediately to ready the house for your return. However, Mr. Elwood had no idea where you had gone. He pays us a small wage to keep the house in order. I believe you will find everything to your satisfaction; although, most of the house is closed up. We threw cloths over most of the furniture to see it did not gather dust while we awaited your return.”
“So it is just the two of you who remain?”
“Yes, my lord,” Barrington replied. “Matilda and I married several years ago. I know such things are typically frowned upon, but we were the only two in the house and we became close. Marriage was the only thing that made sense. I beg your forgiveness for taking such liberties in your absence.” The cook nodded her agreement.
“It is welcome news,” Edward said. “To know you have found happiness brings me joy, so there is nothing to forgive.”
Mrs. Morissey—no, that would be Mrs. Barrington now—slapped her husband on the arm with a towel. “You simpleton! Let the man into his own house!”
Edward chuckled, but Barrington gave him a mortified look. “My apologies, my lord. Please, welcome home.” He stepped aside and allowed Edward to enter.
The foyer brought back a deluge of memories. Most were pleasant, but one brought him up short. He had signed his life away, and now it was all back in his hands. How fortunate he was!
Happiness filled him as he thought of his father and mother. They would have been proud of him finding the courage to return despite what he expected to find.
“Would you like a tour of the house, my lord?” Barrington asked. “Matilda can make you food if you wish.”
“I would like that,” Edward replied with a grin.
Several repairs had to be made, which was not unexpected, but the house looked very much like he remembered. Not a single vase or painting had been moved, and the thought that the two left to care for the home had been so thoughtful made his heart feel full.
As they made their way toward the bedroom that had been his, Edward stopped and turned to the butler. “A moment please.”
Barrington nodded, but his face was filled with worry. Edward ignored the look and entered the room, halting just inside the doorway. The bed was unmade and clothes hung on the back of a chair. Clothing belonging to both men and women. He turned to the butler. “The clothes? The bedsheets?”
For the first time in memory, the butler’s stoic stance wavered. “Well, you see, my lord…” He swallowed visibly before continuing. “Matilda and I were never absolutely certain if you would return. Oh, do not get me wrong, we knew you would, but there was always that inkling that you would not be found. We…we took it upon ourselves to…live in comfort…But I promise we will have our things cleared away before you retire for the night. We will leave no sign that we were here, we promise!”
Edward thought of all the places he had slept in the past ten years. How could he blame this man for wanting the comforts of his master’s bedchambers? “Far worse has befallen me over the years I have been gone. Knowing my butler has taken my cook as his wife and my room as his own has eased that pain.”
Edward could not help himself. He threw his head back and laughed. Barrington and his wife glanced at one another and began to chuckle, but reservedly so.
“Come, my friends. We will dine together tonight, and I will tell you all about your cottage.”
“My cottage, my lord?”
Edward nodded. “Indeed. I always wanted to build one on the property. It will be for you and your wife, a sign of my thanks for all you have done for me.”
“My lord,” the old butler said with a gasp. “I have been paid to mind the house. I cannot accept such a gift.”
“I do not speak of maintaining the house,” Edward said. “When I thought I had lost everything—my home, my businesses, my dignity—you continued to serve me by carrying my bags for me, even though I could no longer pay you. Now, I can.”
Barrington pursed his lips and Edward saw tears in his eyes before the man turned away. “Thank you, my lord. I am humbled by your gift.”
***
As promised, Mr. Elwood called to Vinerose Manor the following day to inform Edward of his financial holdings. The man had not exaggerated; he had invested wisely, bringing the Wolcott accounts a vast amount of wealth as well as ownership of many of the businesses in Portsmouth.
“Of course,” the accountant had said, “those who run the businesses are unaware that you are the deed holder, but times became uncertain and you had the means to help them before they were forced to close down. All in all, everyone benefited from the arrangements, and you the most.”
Now, nearly a week later, Edward sat in the drawing room with a glass of wine reflecting on his good fortune. Yet, although all he had lost had been returned, his heart still ached for Annabel.
“My lord,” Barrington said as he refilled the wine glass, “you seem concerned. Is there anything I can do?”
Edward sighed. “There is a woman, her name is Miss Annabel, and I care for her deeply. However, her aunt does not wish me to call on her for reasons I cannot explain.” If the butler learned of what he had done, the man would more than likely leave him to look for another position, and Edward would not have blamed him if h
e did.
“I see,” Barrington said. “Did you anger the woman?”
“I did, and that anger is justified. I have apologized and she forgave me, but we agreed that it would be best if I no longer bothered Miss Annabel again.” He took a sip of his wine and then glanced up at Barrington. “I will be honest with you. Without Annabel, all of this means nothing. Yet, I do not know what to do.”
The butler rubbed his chin as if deep in thought. “My lord, I mean no offense, but when you arrived, you appeared…shall we say, meager?”
Edward laughed. “Did you wonder why a viscount wore a wrinkled coat of poor quality and had not bothered to don a cravat?”
“Well, yes, my lord. The question did cross my mind.”
Edward shifted in his chair. “The last ten years have not been those of leisure. In fact, I was quite destitute most of the time, and my work…let us just say what I did would be considered unsavory.”
“I understand, my lord, and there is no reason to justify yourself to me. If you were to explain to the girl’s aunt that you are no longer impoverished but rather a man of means, perhaps she will see you in a different light.”
“Perhaps,” Edward said, although he did not believe for a moment that would be the case. The fact of the matter was, it was highly unlikely Lady Lambert would even allow him in the door.
“Then you will just have to go back and see her,” Barrington said. “Let the woman know how much you care for her niece. You are a viscount after all.”
“Trust me, she is well aware of how I feel for Annabel. It is the errors of my past that causes her to dismiss me as a possible suitor.”
“Forgive me for saying so, my lord,” the butler said regally, “but it was the errors of your past that kept you from Vinerose Manor all these years, and look what happened when you returned here.”
Edward laughed. “You are a very astute man, Barrington. I will certainly give your suggestion some thought.”
Barrington gave him a diffident bow and left the room.
As the evening ticked away and Edward thought on what the butler had counseled, he realized that what Barrington said was true.
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