by Kira Stewart
“Oh Isobel, I am so sorry. This is my fault. If only I had given you that letter straight away.”
Isobel smiled weakly at her cousin.
“It would have not changed anything, Emily. Now do not worry yourself. It is forgotten.”
“You must get better, please Izzie, do try. If anything happens to you, I shall blame myself.”
Annabelle Lennox has delayed writing to Mr. and Mrs. Channing about the state of their daughter’s health. There had seemed little point at first, but as the illness took hold, she had thought it best to inform them.
The fever took hold and the girl drifted in and out of consciousness. Her mother sat by her bedside, wiping her brow, whilst her father smoked in the Drawing Room. They blamed the Duchess and her sea dipping, although kept their thoughts to themselves, both secretly feeling guilty for feeling glad that the young officer was now gone, and hoping that if their daughter recovered, there would still be a chance with the Earl.
After a particularly long and exhausting evening, the fever eventually broke. Youth was on Isobel’s side and the will to live was stronger than the will to die, even without her beloved Jack.
The doctor arrived, officially announcing that the danger was over and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Slowly, over the next few weeks, she regained her strength and was soon able to sit up and chat with her cousin, who had hardly left her bedside throughout.
“Oh Emily, I had such a dream, whilst I was ill. Jack was calling to me from such a long way away, but I could not reach him. I kept running towards him, but he only seemed to get farther and farther away. And then he was gone, and I think it is then that I woke from my fever.”
Kissing her cousin’s forehead tenderly, Emily took her thin hand in her own.
“Oh Izzie, I thought we were going to lose you. I would never have forgiven myself. I am so very sorry.”
Isobel managed a smile.
“I have recovered, Emily, and thanks to you and your looking after me. Lady Lennox told me all about it, how you sat here, night after night. Even after my mother arrived, you refused to leave my bedside. That is true friendship. There is nothing to forgive. Now I have the letter, and I know that Jack loves me.”
Emily frowned wondering if the fever had upset her memory.
“But he is dead, my love.”
“I know, cousin. Do not worry. I remember everything. It’s funny, but I can still feel him near to me. I know that must sound silly, since we only knew each other for a few days, but that sometimes is enough. Perhaps that is what the Duchess meant when she said true love will find a way, although now, I know that is not true, Emily. I know one thing. I shall never love again.”
“Oh cousin, please do not say such things. I cannot beat it.”
And the young girl started to cry once again.
“Dry your eyes, Emily. I am not sad. I am happy. Jack is in my heart and that will never leave me. I think I am fortunate to have seen true love, even for only a short time. And now I know that Jack loved me just the same. It is better than never knowing love at all.”
“Isobel! Oh Izzie, see what has arrived for you.”
Roberta Channing bustled into the bedroom, or to be more precise the voice of Roberta Channing, for she could not be seen, as she carried in a huge bouquet of red roses into the room. The air immediately filled with their soft sweet scent.
“These have just arrived from the Earl of Lanchester for you, Izzie. Are they not beautiful?”
Isobel closed her eyes and she was back in the Rose Arbor at Wentworth House with Jack.
“Is it not kind of the Earl?”
Her mother insisted laying the bouquet on the bed, where her daughter could see it better. The roses were as red as blood against her white skin.
“They are beautiful, Mama. It is very thoughtful of him.”
She was too tired to feel any anger.
“There is a note, too, Isobel.”
Her mother handed her a folded paper, sealed with blue wax, his crest stamped boldly upon it—an eagle flanked by two shields.
Another letter.
She broke the seal carefully and unfolded the paper.
Dearest Isobel,
I have only just heard about your illness from your father, but I am glad to hear that you are now feeling well again. Have you thought about our agreement? I will visit in a few days to hear your answer.
Yours,
Sebastian Adick
“Well?”
Her mother was impatient to hear the news.
“Sebastian says that he will visit me in the next few days.”
Taking the letter from her daughter’s hand, Roberta read the letter for herself
“Visit you for an answer … those are his very words, Isobel. That must mean his proposal. Now you know what your father and I feel about this.”
Isobel felt tired, she was too weak to argue, and no longer had feelings on the matter.
“Yes Mama, I know exactly what you think.”
19.
Although the girl was physically making a recovery, Annabelle Lennox worried about her young friend’s state of mind. The Earl’s visit was imminent and she well knew the purpose of the visit.
“My dear, how are you feeling?”
The Duchess sat tentatively on the bed, ready to discuss the delicate matter.
“Sebastian Adick is due to visit tomorrow, my dear, and I wondered how you were feeling about it?”
The girl sighed and smiled.
“Yes, I know, but please do not worry about me. I do not mind at all. I no longer fear him.”
“But what of … ?”
The Duchess faltered, not knowing quite how to phrase her question.
“You mean what of his proposal? I have thought of nothing else since his letter arrived. I have decided to accept his proposal.”
“Are you sure, Izzie?”
The young girl nodded and smiled.
“It seems a strange decision, doesn’t it, after all I have said about him. But it is what my mother and father want for me, and it is a most fortunate match.”
“But you dislike the man so.”
The Duchess frowned.
“I do not have to like the man to marry him, Annabelle. My mother has pointed out that I barely need to see the man much, once we are married. He is often in London and I can stay at Thornton Manor. We shall be neighbors. I shall never love again, so what difference should it make whom I marry? I no longer care.”
“Oh Izzie, I cannot deny it is a fortunate match in the sense that he is an Earl, and that you will want for nothing, but married to such a vain man?”
“I have decided it is for the best. I can never love again, so I may as well marry him. I have no energy left to fight, and it will mean so much to my parents.”
Annabelle smiled and patted the girl’s hand.
“It is your decision, Izzie, and as such, I must respect it. But do not feel that you have to. Remember, you still have a choice. You can still say no.”
The Duchess stood to take her leave.
“Just one final thought. If you do agree to marry him, Izzie, then do not be quick to arrange the marriage. Make him wait for at least six months or more, then you will know how you truly feel. You have been ill and you are still weak. This is a big decision, and one that should not be made lightly. That way, you can always change your mind. You can say that you are too weak to marry at the moment.”
Isobel hadn’t told the Duchess everything. She did not mention that Sebastian had been in touch with her father and had promised to direct some influential and wealthy friends to his business if the girl accepted his proposal. If not, then the opposite might be true, the Earl had hinted in not so many words.
It no longer mattered, she would marry the Earl. But perhaps she would postpone the wedding for six months. It was a good compromise. The Duchess was a wise woman.
Sebastian Adick arrived with a flourish. He did not expect the girl t
o be so compliant. He had still expected some resistance, and so was happy to accept the compromise that they delay the wedding. The engagement would be formally announced, and as soon as she was feeling better, they would hold a party to celebrate.
20.
As Sebastian Adick celebrated his victory, another man made his way home. He was tired and weary, and the journey had been long. He had travelled far on nothing but a promise and a little hope.
In his pocket, he held a crumpled and dirty letter that he had kept safe throughout battle.
He had not announced his arrival, unsure of the greeting that awaited him. It had been almost a year.
It was Jack Parnell.
It had been the Battle of Vitoria, and his regiment had been on the front line. They had fought bravely under Wellington, but the casualties had been high. He had been wounded in battle, but against all odds, had survived. He had been unconscious for several days. When he had awoke, he was lying in a field hospital and his regiment had moved on. They had presumed him dead.
Now he had been discharged and had wondered where to return to, not really having a home. She had pulled him back, Isobel, but now he did not know where to find her.
Jack Parnell was thirsty. The dust from the journey stuck in his throat and he needed a drink. Stopping at the nearest Inn, he sat and took refreshment. Two men were sat close by and he recognized them as Sebastian Adick’s men. They had jumped him and a few of his officers on the way back from the Assembly Rooms Ball. He remembered it well, because it was the first time he had set eyes on his darling Izzie.
Dear Isobel. Where was she now and had she waited for him? He hardly dared to think, yet he had thought of nothing else since he had last seen her. Her face had been the one he had seen as he lay delirious. She had been far away and he had called to her, shouting her name, again and again. He had tried to reach her, but the more he moved towards her, the farther she seemed to be. It had seemed so real.
And now he was here, back in Bath, and he didn’t know where to start.
He pulled his hat down over his eyes so that the men would not recognize him, but it would be doubtful that they would. He looked very different from the smart red coated officer of almost a year ago. His beard had grown and he had lost weight. He looked a different man.
Suddenly, his ears pricked up. The men were talking about their master.
“Of course, it will be different when he is married. Things will not be so easy when there is a mistress in the house. She will not put up with his drinking and gambling.”
The other man scoffed.
“Do not bet on it? She may be a prim little miss, but the master is no push over. She will do as she is told. Isobel Channing is nobody; her father is in the tea trade. She will do best to keep her legs open and her mouth shut.”
Jack could hardly believe his ears, and almost stood up and punched the two men on the spot, but he was not as fit as he once was, and remained seated, his fists clenched. He was in no position to take on one of them, let alone two.
His dear Isobel, how dare they talk about her in such a way.
Isobel was going to marry Sebastian Adick? Why had she not waited for him? He could barely think straight, and he felt so weary. Unable to bear any more of their chatter, he drank his glass of ale and left.
She had promised to wait for him. It had been nearly a year, but not a day had passed by without him thinking of her. Pulling out the crumpled envelope from within his pocket, he carefully unfolded the note, as if it were an object of great value and reread her words.
I promise that I will wait for you even if I am old and grey.
Something must have happened.
At the next Inn, he stopped to drown his sorrows and sat drinking until he was deep in his cups. Something did not feel right, and the more he drank, the more convinced he was. Isobel loved him just as much as he loved her, he was sure. And her promise had been real. So what had happened to make her change her mind and agree to marry Sebastian Adick?
It had to be something to do with that man. Jack had never liked him, and he had always been hanging around Isobel. There was only one thing for it—he would have to confront the man himself.
21.
Thornton Manor was just two miles from Bath, and if he set off immediately, he could be there within the hour. Despite his tiredness, he set off with a new vigor—a glimmer of hope within his heart. He would get to the bottom of this.
Sebastian Adick had just returned from riding and was settling down to a brandy, when his manservant announced that a gentleman had called to see him.
“He seems a rather rough looking chap, sir, an Army veteran by the look of him. Shall I send him away?”
The Earl sipped at his brandy.
“I expect the man is after a handout. Can you not send him round to the kitchen?”
“The gentleman says he is acquainted with you, sir. He says his name is Jack Parnell.”
Almost choking on his drink, Sebastian Adick turned white, as if he had seen a ghost.
“My God! In that case, you had better send him in.”
Both men eyed each other warily as they stood, face to face. Even Sebastian Adick, for all his swagger, looked uneasy. He knew full well that if Isobel knew this man was still alive then she would never marry him. Something had to be done.
“Well sir, this is a surprise. We thought you dead.”
At first Jack did not grasp his meaning.
“What do you mean by that, sir?”
“In the report that came back to the War Office about the 56th Foot Regiment, it was recorded that you had been killed in battle.”
Suddenly, it all made sense. Isobel had thought him dead. She could not wait for a dead man. And somehow, in her grief, this odious man had persuaded her to marry him.
Both relief and weariness washed over him, and he felt his knees start to buckle beneath him.
“Sit down, sir, and have a drink. You look like you could do with one.”
Jack Parnell stood his ground; the Earl was not to be trusted.
“No, sir, I do not want a drink. I came here to find out why Isobel Channing agreed to marry you. Now I have found out, so I can leave. When she knows that I am alive, she will not marry you.”
“I beg your pardon, sir?”
“Isobel does not love you, I know for a fact that she loathes you. She promised to wait for me and that we would marry on my return. When she sees that I am alive and well, she will not want to marry you, sir.”
The Earl grew scarlet.
“I beg your pardon, sir? Isobel Channing and I are engaged. It has been formally announced. Whatever your silly promise was with her, is now broken. Now be on your way, sir. I will call for my manservant.”
Jack would not budge.
“She has only agreed to marry you, sir, because she thinks I am dead. As soon as she sees that I am living, she will run to me. You can be sure about that. It is a wonder she agreed to marry you, even though she thinks me dead. You are the last man on earth she would marry, because she does not love you. There must be more to it than you are saying.”
“You are impertinent man. How dare you say such things in my own house! Apologize this instance.”
Jack Parnell smiled. “I will not apologize for speaking the truth, sir.”
“Then I will have my honor, sir. I challenge you to a duel. At day break tomorrow morning, in Whitley Woods, not far from the crossroads on the old Turnpike Road. Do you know it? We will meet by the gate. You will need to bring along someone who can act as a second. Now do you accept, sir?”
The officer did not need asking twice and the duel was agreed.
Sebastian Adick rubbed his hands together as the officer was shown to the door. Things could not have worked out better. The man was in no shape to fight a duel. He would be easy pickings. The girl already thought he was dead. Very soon he would be.
22.
Jack Parnell needed a second, but where could he find a man he could
trust? All the men he had known in the 56th Foot Regiment were either dead or still overseas. Who did he know in Bath who could help him?
If only he could speak with Isobel; she would know.
Her face filled his thoughts. If only he could touch her once again. His tiredness suddenly overwhelmed him. He had passed an Inn with rooms on the way. He would pay for a night’s bed and sleep. That would clear his head, and then he could think on what needed to be done.
When he awoke it was already late. It was dark outside and the moon had already risen. He looked at his pocket watch; it was almost two in the morning. He had slept for eight hours.
The details of his conversation with Sebastian Adick echoed in his head. He would be fighting a duel within four hours, and he still had a second to find. But who did he know and could contact at this time of night? If only Isobel were here, she would know.
That was it, Isobel’s cousin, Charles. Perhaps he could help?
It was but half a mile back into Bath, and there was no time to lose.
Charles Wilkins was shocked to see Jack Parnell standing on his doorstep in the small hours. At first he thought he was a ghost, white under the moonlight. He had been awoken by a sharp rapping on the front door and thought it must be bad news at such an hour. He was even more shocked when he heard about the duel with Sebastian Adick. He had heard the full story from his sister, Emily, for she wrote to him often.
“Good God, man. You are in no fit state to agree to a duel. You need rest. Let me speak to the Earl. I am sure something can be arranged.”
But Jack was adamant, and would not change his mind.
“I have given my word as a gentleman. I cannot back down now.”
There was something about the man’s eyes that worried Charles. He was not a well man, and there was a look of madness about him, a glassiness to his eyes that was burning far too brightly.
Reluctantly, Charles agreed. He had but a few hours to try and think of something to stop the duel from happening.
