Love, Lies and Murder

by Catherine Winchester

  “Are there any pictures of your mother?” Helen asked as she began packing the game away.

  “In the south wing, there’s a portrait, hanging over the fireplace in the sitting room.”

  “Everything is covered up in that wing; do you think your father would mind if I had a look?”

  “I’ll show you,” Joe offered and Helen must have looked surprised. “If you want, that is.”

  “Yes, I’d like that. Shall we go now?”

  So five minutes later they were in the south wing, entering what was once a family sitting room.

  The first thing Helen noticed was that the sheets in here seemed to have been disturbed, as if someone had sat on them and then not smoothed them out again. She wondered if it was Milton, the day she had seen him leaving this room. The problem was, it looked as if more than one person had been sitting here, or one person had been here multiple times.

  And besides, even if Milton had for some reason been involved in his sister’s death, he certainly wasn’t her lover.

  Nothing made any sense but she couldn’t dwell on that now, as there was a vulnerable young boy by the hearth, staring up at a sheet covered painting, who needed her help.

  Helen went to stand beside him and they both stared at the sheet, until Helen decided to be decisive. She stepped onto the hearth and by stretching up on her toes, was able to unhook one corner of the sheet, then she stepped back and stood beside Joe to look.

  Before her stood an image of a fine looking woman on a bay horse. She was wearing a navy blue riding habit, her dark hair tucked under her riding hat and her beauty and elegance evident for all to see. Helen felt quite dowdy in comparison.

  “That’s Hunter,” Joe said softly. “We still have him but no one rides him anymore. Father won’t let them.”

  “She looks like a fine horsewoman.”

  “She was, she loved riding. She chose my pony.”

  Although she wanted to pull him into a tight embrace, she didn’t think Joe would appreciate that, so Helen rested a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  She turned to look at him and saw the tears welling in his eyes, then they finally spilled over and he ran from the room.

  Helen considered going after him but he probably still thought of her as the enemy to some degree, so pulling an armchair closer, she climbed on it and managed to rehang the sheet over the painting, hiding the evidence that they had been here.

  When she had put everything back in place and smoothed out all the covering sheets, including the one on the sofa, she went to look for Joe but wherever he was, he clearly didn’t want to be found, so she retrieved the bowl of sugared almonds and left it in his bedroom. It wasn’t much, but at least he would know that she had been thinking about him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Helen awoke with a smile the next day as, if he kept to his word, Alex would be back by this evening. She no longer questioned her desire to see him, as she had some unpleasant tasks to perform today and the thought of seeing him soon made those tasks seem a little easier.

  First she went to see the boys and was surprised when Joe offered her a small smile. It was nothing compared to Jules, who left his school work, ran up to her and threw his arms around her skirt, but it was a start.

  She smiled apologetically at Miss Bayer, the governess who was supposed to be supervising them but she didn’t seem too upset.

  “Come on, Master Julian, we need to finish these sums,” she said and reluctantly, her young charge let go of Helen’s skirts and returned to the table. “How can we help you, Ma’am?”

  “Well first of all I want to thank Joe for the chess game yesterday, I enjoyed myself immensely and I wanted to commend you, Miss Bayer, for he is a fine player.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I also wanted to find out what time the boys will be finished today? Jane has agreed to another outing, if you boys feel like a ride.”

  Jules threw both arms in the air and exclaimed, “Yeesss!”

  Joe simply nodded.

  “They should be finished and ready to ride by four,” the governess informed her.

  “Then why don’t you boys meet me in the main hall and we can all walk over to the stables together?”

  They agreed and Helen left them to it.

  Next she went to see Mrs Watson but it seemed that the housekeeper was never to be found. Helen was certain that Pearl had spoken to her and rather than disobey either one of them, she was making herself scarce.

  Helen couldn’t really blame her; she was an unfortunate pawn caught in the middle of their power struggle and were she in Mrs Watson’s shoes, she might choose to hide as well.

  Paris found her in the morning room and asked if they might remain for longer in the house, since his mother, Iris, was so frail and should rest for longer before the journey home. Since she already had enough problems on her plate for the moment, Helen agreed to let them stay until Monday. They had been on their best behaviour while in her presence (although thankfully that wasn’t often).

  She did see her step-mother and Pearl in conference a few times, something she was sure could auger no good, but she could hardly stop them talking to one another.

  When the morning yielded no luck in finding the housekeeper, Helen ate lunch with the family. Milton was gone, Rose was even quieter than usual and her own family seemed to be stepping on eggshells. Perhaps they realised that she was already tightly wound and any mis-step could have them thrown out. Or perhaps they just didn’t like her. If it hadn’t been for Clarence and his easy going ways, the meal might have been miserable but as it was, a modicum of conversation kept things from being too awkward.

  After lunch she decided to change into her habit and then try to find Mrs Watson once more. This time she seemed to be in luck as Mrs Watson was in her sitting room, although she seemed terrified when Helen opened the door.

  “Mrs Watson,” she gave the older woman what she hoped was a winning smile. “As I’m sure you have heard, I will be taking over the running of the house from now on, and I wondered if we could discuss the menus for next week.”

  The woman looked torn, then pulled herself to her full height, such as it was. “I am sorry, Ma’am, but Her Grace has given me strict orders that all household matters are to remain within her domain.”

  “But I am the Duchess now, Mrs Watson.”

  “That is true, but she has been Mistress of this house ever since I came to work here and I won’t risk being fired. I have to wait and see what the Duke says; his word is the only one higher than Her Grace.”

  “She threatened to fire you?” Helen was shocked. “After you’ve spent your whole working life here, caring for the family?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Mrs Watson raised her chin defiantly.

  “I am sorry, I didn’t realise she would go so far. Please know that no matter what happens, I won’t let anyone fire you, and we will say no more about this until His Grace returns.”

  Mrs Watson frowned then gave a curt nod and Helen left.

  As she headed to the front hallway, she heard the boys’ laughter as they waited for her and she smiled. Was there any sound as sweet as the laughter of a child?

  Moments later she heard a far less pleasant sound.

  “What do you think you are doing! Stop this at once! You are gentlemen and gentlemen do not cavort around the house, shrieking loudly enough to wake the dead.”

  As Helen stepped into the hallway, she was just about ready to strike her mother-in-law but somehow she reined in the impulse.

  “Don’t you dare talk to them in that manner!” Helen said, striding over and placing herself between Pearl and the boys. Jules clung to her skirts while Joe simply stood behind her.

  “You have no say in how my grandsons behave, young lady! You are not their family!”

  “Perhaps if you showed them the love that a grandmother should, I wouldn’t need to. As things stand however, this house could do with a little laughter
and cavorting. A lot of it, in fact and if you cared for these boys at all, you would be pleased that they had found the ability to laugh in the face of such hardship, rather than chastising them for acting like the children they are.”

  Jules’ grip on her leg was getting quite tight, so Helen reached down and picked him up, settling him on her hip. He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his head in her shoulder.

  Although he was no practical help in the argument, she felt better having him in her arms.

  “Who do you think you are, to talk to me in that way?”

  “I think that I am Her Grace, Helen Cavendish, the Duchess of Crowham. You might be able to threaten Mrs Watson into obeying you, Your Grace, but when it comes to these children, you will not intimidate me.”

  “You aren’t even their mother!”

  “I don’t have to be, to care about them.”

  “Rest assured, my son will hear all about this when he returns.”

  “Good. Hopefully the act of telling him that you chastised his boys for laughing, will be enough to shame you into acting like a grandparent!”

  Pearl sniffed, then turned on her heel and walked away.

  “I’m sorry about that boys; it’s put a bit of a dampener on what was supposed to be a fun outing.”

  Jules relaxed his death grip on her neck and leaned back. “We don’t like the mean old lady.”

  Joe gave her a grateful smile, and Helen put her free hand around his shoulders and pulled him close. He didn’t resist.

  The sound of clapping from behind made them all turn sharply to see Alex, leaning languidly against the doorway that led to the rear hall, smiling broadly at them.

  “Bravo!” he proclaimed.

  “Daddy!” Jules shrieked.

  Helen didn’t have time to question her reaction, she simply ran over to him and embraced him tightly with her free arm. “I'm so glad you’re home.”

  He held her with one arm and his other slipped behind Jules, who was still seated on her hip but he pulled away quickly, unwilling to leave Joe out.

  Joe however, had been slow to approach his father and accepted a hug but without enthusiasm.

  “Looks like I got home just in time, or war might have broken out.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry you had to see that.” Helen blushed, fearing his reaction.

  “I rather enjoyed it actually, and you never have to apologise for protecting my boys.” He gave her a warm smile. “I might have done the same thing, though not nearly so eloquently.”

  “But you tell us not to run in the house too!” Jules sounded confused.

  “Yes, but that’s more because I'm worried that you’ll slip and fall. There is always a time and place for running.”

  “What times and places?” Jules demanded.

  “Well, when you need to make haste, or as Helen just proved, when a loved one comes home and sometimes, just because it’s fun.”

  Helen blushed again, as she realised that her rather enthusiastic greeting hadn’t actually been very ladylike.

  “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, noting that they were dressed for riding.

  “Actually, yes,” said Jane as she came down the stairs, kissing him on the cheek once she joined them. “We were about to go riding but I dare say the boys and your wife would prefer your company right now.”

  Joe looked disappointed at the change of plan, and Helen saw the hurt on Alex’s face when he noticed his son’s displeasure.

  “Well as lovely as that sounds, I do have some unpacking to do. Why don’t you go ahead and by the time you get back, I will be finished and we can spend some time together before dinner. Perhaps read a little more of our story?”

  Jules agreed to the suggestion with enthusiasm, but Joe merely shrugged.

  Helen knew that his suggestion was the best for all parties, but she was still a little disappointed since she wanted to stay with Alex. She put Jules down as he was becoming rather heavy and settled for giving Alex a chaste but lingering kiss.

  “See you soon,” she said as she escorted the boys out.

  ***

  Alex’s valet, who hadn’t gone with him, explained what had been happening in his absence and it seemed that a lot had changed since he left. Milton was gone, four new people had arrived and Helen was locked in a battle of wills with his mother.

  He wasn’t sorry to see Milton go; something about his overly friendly nature with women just rubbed him the wrong way, especially when the woman in question was his wife. The abruptness of the departure did puzzle him however, but no one seemed to know what the ‘pressing business matter’ he had to deal with was. Alex certainly hadn’t heard of any problems with Milton’s firm while he was in Liverpool, and bad news always travelled fast.

  He couldn’t help but smile as he thought of Helen’s spirited defence of his children when he returned. Perhaps it had been wrong to remain out of sight and listen but to return to such a display, only confirmed that his instincts about Helen had been right.

  While he was away, he had been surprised to realise that he was looking forward to returning home for once. He always missed his children, of course, but often Joe’s melancholy only served to make Alex sad as well. The boy was pulling further and further away from him and Alex didn’t know what more he could do to bring the boy back.

  Sometimes he wondered if Joe blamed him for his mother’s death and while her death was not by his hand, Alex certainly bore a lot of guilt over it.

  He was pleased to see that the boys seemed to be warming to Helen, especially Julian. Then again, Julian had always wanted a mother; in fact it had been his wish last Christmas.

  Alex had gently told him that mothers were rare and he may not get his wish; little did he know that his father’s Will would force him to find one within the year. He was glad of it really, since childhood wishes rarely came true but Jules deserved a mother.

  Alex felt that he couldn’t have found a better wife either, for Helen seemed to have a huge heart, despite the wrongs committed against her, and she clearly cared a great deal for his boys.

  She also seemed to have similar philosophies to his wife, who thought that her sons should be allowed to enjoy being children, as well as learning to become fine young men. He hadn’t been a believer when he first met her, but she had convinced him.

  Since he didn’t actually have much unpacking to do and his valet would take care of what he had brought home, he headed to his study to read through his correspondence, which was where his mother found him.

  “You need to keep your new wife in line,” she said without preamble.

  “It’s nice to see you too, Mother. As for Helen, she’s right, she is Mistress of this house.”

  “I have run this house since you were a boy!”

  “Then you have earned a rest, have you not?”

  “She is not a Lady, let alone a Duchess. You didn’t hear what she said to me earlier; she said all sorts of awful things to me and she’ll turn your boys into savages if you give her free rein, you mark my words.”

  “Actually I heard every word of your earlier disagreement, but I didn’t intervene because Helen was handling herself very well.”

  “And she invited her family here! If you aren’t careful, she’ll turn this house into a hotel.”

  “Then it’s a good thing that we have a very large house,” Alex said with a sigh. It had been a tiring week, trying to cram his business into five days and then the long ride home. All he wanted was a nice hot bath, a glass of brandy and some time with his wife and children. Was that really too much to ask?

  Instead he stood facing his mother, being obliged to choose a side in her conflict with Helen.

  “I know she didn’t invite her family, Mother and considering that you heard that conversation first hand, whilst I heard it from my valet, you should know that better than I. But that’s beside the point. They are her family and if she wants them to stay, they are entitled. You may not like it but Helen is Mist
ress of Howard House now and you need to get used to that fact, or move into the Dower House. I’ll leave you to tell Mrs Watson that Helen is taking over, and please let her know that I have no intention of firing her.” The look he gave her showed that he was disappointed in her behaviour.

  Pearl didn’t seem to notice.

  “I should never have allowed you to marry someone in trade! Emma was bad enough but this one? She isn’t even legitimate. She’ll turn this family into a laughing stock.”

  “Mother,” Alex rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “My decision is final and no matter how much you dislike Helen, I have no intention of asking Parliament for a divorce, even if I did have grounds.”

  Pearl sniffed but rather than appearing haughty, she looked as if she might cry. “Very well. If that is how you feel, I will move into the Dower House at the earliest opportunity.”

  Alex knew that she expected him to feel sorry for her and run to her rescue, but he had lived with her manipulations for too long now and he knew the wetness on her face was simply crocodile tears.

  “Very well. Feel free to redecorate it to your tastes.” He turned back to his letters.

  Pearl turned to leave but now that he had started, Alex was finding it difficult to stop.

  “Oh and Mother? I think it’s time you stopped ruling Rose’s life. She made a mistake, at least in your eyes, but that was years ago and I think you’ve done enough to punish her.”

  “I am not punishing her!”

  “Really? Then what happened to the bright and beautiful young woman that I knew when we were young? I can’t even remember the last time I heard her laugh, or venture an opinion within your hearing.”

  “How dare you!”

  “How dare I?” Alex got to his feet. “That poor girl is afraid to even play the pianoforte now, which if you recall she used to love, but now she’s too fearful of earning your disapproval. I have done wrong, Mother, but my crime was allowing you free reign in this house. I’m sorry father died; I'm sorry that I married a woman that you feel is unworthy of me, twice, but I will not continue to allow you free reign in this house for fear that I might upset you. It strikes me that far too many people here live in fear of you, from your own children to the staff, and I will not allow my boys to grow up with the same fear that I did.”