Were they any deeper?
She couldn’t ascertain.
“Yes, I was. I wanted to check on you because it has been a long while since I have seen you outside here.
“Well, you can see me now,” he replied.
The Baroness sat down. Her weight made the bed creak as she covered the entire left side of the bed. Helena was reminded that her mother was big.
“I am big, not fat,” the Baroness would always argue. Helena had stopped bringing up the issue.
“I heard you are not feeling well,” Helena said.
Her father’s eyebrows curved, and his lips turned down at the sides. It was obvious he didn’t like the fact that she knew.
“I’ll get better soon,” he replied.
“Your illness is not a problem, Father. You are made from hardy stock. The illness can only keep you in bed. I am worried because you decided to keep it a secret. I’m especially disturbed you decided to keep it away from me. Why would one hide an illness?”
Her father burst out laughing. The hair on his chest danced as his body quaked. His mouth was wide open, showing his even teeth. Helena was not fooled by her father’s laughter. The man was a master showman. She looked at his eyes, and there was no laughter there. The creases remained at the side of his eyes.
“Why would you think that?”
“Father, I know you. I think it would be futile for you to hide things from me, just as you are doing now.”
Helena saw her mother’s gaze drop. Helena walked to her father and sat beside his standing figure. She looked up to his eyes and asked again.
“What is wrong, Father?”
“I don’t want you to worry about me, Helena. You have much of your life to look forward to,” the Duke said.
Helena shook her head and gripped her father’s arm. It was colder than she expected.
“Tell me, Father. You know your daughter has a stronger heart than even the best of men.”
The Duke smiled when she said that.
“I didn’t tell you this because of the current political atmosphere. I know you have a close group of friends. I don’t want this getting out of this bedroom.”
Helena nodded to confirm her secrecy before he continued.
“You are aware that the King and I do not see eye to eye. If this gets out, he might leverage on it and attempt to have me removed.”
Helena nodded her head again. The animosity between her father and the King was not new to her. Her father had been a favourite of the King, but his first son made too many decisions that were selfish and not for the good of the populace. The Baron was an ally of the former king and would support him anytime he chastised his son, before he died. When William ascended the throne, he never forgot his father’s stand against his decisions.
“I know that. So tell me, what is it?”
“I got robbed.”
Helena had to consciously drag her lower jaw back up.
“When did this happen? And how is it affecting your health? Did you get beaten or injured?”
“Do you remember when I travelled to London two weeks ago? I said I went to meet the Duke of Wellington. Well, that was just half of the trip. The other half involved me taking all the funds of the barony, our saved money, and all the taxes and levies for the last six months in a box in my coach. No one was meant to know of this, only I and the driver, Mr Booth.”
“Well, what happened?” Helena asked.
“We were just outside Strabolgi, in the field on the outskirts when a group of about five riders stopped our carriage. Mr Booth was dragged off his seat and thoroughly beaten before the door of the coach was forced open and the box carried away. I had a gun, but all of them had guns. Even if I was quick enough to kill two, the rest of them would have gunned me down like game on the plains.”
Helena covered her mouth with her right hand. She looked to the Duchess, but her mother had her eyes down.
“So now the barony is broke. That is not a secret that can be hidden for long,” Helena said.
“Hence my worry,” her father said.
“I made Mr Booth promise not to speak of it. I had hired a new tiger a week before. I made him promise not to speak of it too, but I don’t trust him. I suspect he came to know about the money somehow and invited the thieves,” he continued.
“You cannot afford the news getting out because the King will surely use it as an excuse to trigger your removal. Is that why you worry yourself till your body breaks down?” Helena asked.
“Isn’t it worth being worried over?” her father replied.
His fingers moved through his hair, tangling the already scattered pattern. Worry returned to his eyes. Suddenly he looked haunted.
“Do you not know anyone you could get the money from? If just to borrow,” Helena asked.
“There’s no one I trust so much that has so much money. I would have gone to my friend, Mr Pardew, but he isn’t so wealthy. This is just a frigging mess. Barony officials will need to be paid, Helena. The barony is without funds, and only I can be held responsible.”
Helena didn’t know what to say. Her father was right on every count. This was not news that they could afford to let out, but even then, the clock was ticking. Sooner rather than later, it’d get out.
“So what is the plan, Father?” Helena asked.
“I don’t know, Helena. That fact takes away my sleep every night,” her father replied.
“Except last night,” said Helena.
“The young doctor gave me a concoction to use. It turned out to be pretty effective,” the Baron said.
Dr Frederick with the piercing eyes.
Helena placed her head between her hands. She was thinking of ways through which to get her father out of the mess he was in, but nothing came to mind. Helena walked to the other door in her father’s bedroom. He had a private connecting door to the balcony. She opened the door to the balcony and stared out to the picturesque view of Strabolgi just waking up. There were two carriages on the road in front of their house. The first one was in a hurry and overtook the other at an awkward turn. She could hear apologies screamed out by the erring driver.
Everything would change if this got out. She tried to imagine her life outside being a Baron’s daughter. The challenge was tempting, a totally new view of the world, a totally new class. But she doubted if even with her rotund knowledge of the world, that she was properly equipped to face that new life.
What about the shame of being ejected?
Helena thought about her sisters and her young brothers schooling at Portsmouth. She doubted her parents would have the funds or clout to keep her brother there if they were removed. And her father was worried sick now that the King hadn’t gotten to know, what would happen when he did?
“Where is Mr Booth now?” Helena asked her father without looking back.
“I should see him today. He promised to visit.”
Helena turned back to face him.
“And the tiger?”
“I do not know about him. I told him I wouldn’t need his services anymore for now,” he answered.
“Why did you do that? I thought you would have him close so that a proper investigation could be more easily done,” Helena said.
The Baron nodded.
“Yes, I did think about that. I decided to stem the possible source of the tide first before investigating. I don’t want anything to go missing anymore. The barony cannot afford it,” the Baron said.
Helena laughed gently as he said that. She looked at her mother.
“You do not speak, Mother,” Helena said.
“I don’t have anything different to say,” her mother replied.
Helena didn’t reply. She didn’t know what to say. Words could not form and become money so why waste them? She walked to her father’s table and picked up a book. She suddenly felt an urge to read, maybe to take her mind away from the disturbing news.
There was a drawing of a European king on it. Helena just didn’t
know which one. She put the book under her arm.
“I am going to the garden with this book. Maybe it can clear my head a bit,” Helena said.
Her parents nodded at the same time as she left their room. She first went down to her bathroom, had a bath, and cleaned up. She didn’t need Miss Justina to bring warm water. After the bath, she went down into the garden and sat in her favourite spot under the fir tree that always provided adequate shade. She was there for hours, consuming the pages about the Kings in Europe and other ranking officials. She was just in the middle of the book when a shadow climbed over the page she was at and obscured the writing.
“Good day, Miss Helena,”
Helena looked up at Miss Justina.
“Ma, Miss Lavinia is around. She asks that you see her,” Miss Justina said.
Helena had being expecting her friend to arrive anytime anyway.
“Tell her to come here. I don’t want to leave this area,” Helena replied.
Miss Justina said nothing and turned back. After a few moments, another shadow appeared. She was as loquacious as always and was already talking to Helena before she got to her.
“Book-head,” Lady Lavinia teased.
“Good morning, Lavinia. I take it your cousins are yet to arrive because you should be at home entertaining them,” Helena said, gently closing the book in her palms.
“They are at home, including the handsome young man who’s a friend to the family. He is an enchanting character, that one. I went to see their mother off, so I decided to take a detour here instead of going straight home. I won’t spend too long here,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena wasn’t perturbed that her friend wasn’t spending long. She wanted some time alone to herself today. She didn’t have the thick skin for verbal jibes since she heard the news from her father. Lady Lavinia sat beside her friend and was quiet for a while.
“My cousins, Alistair and Abigail, are really pining to see you,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena smiled.
Surely Lavinia had been speaking non-stop about her, which was why they wanted to know the famous Helena.
“I want to see them too but not today. We really need to decide when we are going shopping, the Somerset ball shouldn’t catch us by surprise,” Helena said.
Lady Lavinia nodded her head.
“Drew, the Irish prince, is another matter,” Lady Lavinia said.
Helena raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, is he?” asked Helena.
This is going to be interesting.
“He’s very handsome.”
“Yes, you mentioned that. What else?”
Lady Lavinia eyed her friend. She knew she was teasing.
“He’s very cultured and has this accent that is funny to listen to. He is funny though, a man of fine humour. And I don’t want to seem too forward, but I daresay he has taken a liking to me,” Lady Lavinia said.
Her eyes stared straight at Helena’s.
She’s looking for a reaction. What reaction do you want Lavinia?
“Lavinia, are you sure? It is possible you have taken a liking to him,” said Helena.
Lady Lavinia shook her head. The satin hat on her head threatened to fall from its unstable perch.
“Helena, I’m serious, stop teasing. He has. Abigail told me so herself.”
“Okay, so what do you think about him?”
Lady Lavinia beamed, a smile that had her mouth open and showed almost all her teeth.
“I fancy him a bit. He’s of a more sensible breed than many eligible men we have here. And he’s calm,” Lady Lavinia said.
“Ice to your fire,” Helena said.
“I don’t have fire,” Lady Lavinia countered.
Helena was about to respond when her sister appeared on the pathway to the tree. Lady Lavinia spotted her too and kept quiet.
“Miss Jacqueline, how are you feeling now?” Lady Lavinia asked.
Miss Jacqueline stood in front of them.
“I am feeling much better, thank you,” she answered.
She looked much better. Helena wasn’t sure if it was the greater light outside, but her skin didn’t look so pale and dry anymore. And her neckline wasn’t sunken. She was doing better.
“I will finish the medicine Dr Frederick gave me tonight. So I should be perfectly fine from then on,” Miss Jacqueline said.
Helena looked at her friend the instant the doctor’s name was mentioned. She was surprised to see the Lady Lavinia’s eyes on her too. Her chest warmed from inside and threatened to show itself as a blush, but Helena suppressed it.
“So what were you talking about?” Miss Jacqueline asked. “Because it seems like I broke an interesting conversation.”
“Lavinia’s cousins are around from Ireland, and they came with a handsome prince,” Helena said in a tone that goaded her friend.
The stare from Miss Jacqueline was exactly what Helena was trying to trigger. Lady Lavinia opened her mouth to offer protestations to what Helena was implying and couldn’t pull it off. She turned back to Helena with feigned anger.
“That is not exactly correct,” Lady Lavinia managed to say.
“I am interested in hearing about the handsome prince,” Miss Jacqueline said.
“Your sister is greatly exaggerating facts,” Lady Lavinia said.
“So you didn’t tell me he’s handsome?” Helena asked.
“I did, but not in the way you are putting it,” Lady Lavinia said.
“So put it in your own way and let’s see the difference,” Helena said.
“Put it in your way, without removing the handsome prince, Lady Lavinia,” Miss Jacqueline said.
Lady Lavinia looked from elder to younger sister.
“Both of you are the same. You are here to tease me, aren’t you?” she asked Miss Jacqueline.
Miss Jacqueline raised her hands in a show of innocence.
“I don’t even know what was being talked about,” she said.
Lady Lavinia laughed and stood up.
“Helena, tell your sister about my visitors. They’ll be awaiting my return. I didn’t even intend to spend this long. The next time I come, we’ll go shopping. You will be coming to the Somerset ball, Miss Jacqueline?”
Miss Jacqueline didn’t look assured. She shook her head slightly, and then stopped.
“The doctor told me to cool off from exertive events for now, so I don’t really know. When is the ball?”
“Next week,” Lady Lavinia replied.
“I’ll come if I’m strong enough,” Miss Jacqueline replied.
“The more, the merrier,” Lady Lavinia said as she walked away.
Helena smiled as she watched her friend walk out of the garden, the bulbous behind of her gown bumping after her. Miss Jacqueline touched Helena.
“How is Father?” she asked.
Helena was about to shake her head and pour out the problem their father had that was making her heart heavy. She stopped herself just in time.
“He fell ill because of the exertions of his latest travels. He’s feeling much better now, sleeping better,” Helena said.
“I’ll check on him once I leave here,” Miss Jacqueline said.
“Yes, I think you should do that,” Helena answered.
Miss Jacqueline said nothing. She looked forward and after sometime Helena noticed that she had her thoughts somewhere else. Helena opened the book she was reading, but the presence of Miss Jacqueline there was deterrent enough from her concentrating. Suddenly Miss Jacqueline stood up.
“I’m going to see Father,” she said.
Helena nodded her head. She dropped her gaze to the book, heard the leaves crunch under her sister’s feet, and tried bringing her concentration back to the paragraph she was on.
She tried but she couldn’t get her reading going again. Her mind kept going back to what her sister would do if her father was removed. She wasn’t sure Miss Jacqueline could survive.
We must do everything to avoid this.
&
nbsp; Chapter 4
A Meeting to Remember
Dr Frederick removed the magnifying lens from the front of his eyes. The rabbit’s heart had stopped beating. It was dead.
“That’s definitely not the reaction I was looking for,” Dr Frederick said to himself.
Seduced by an Irresistible Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 4
