by Joan Avery
This one promised nothing but bad news as well. It was from her father. She had kept the news of the lawsuit from him. He was returning to attend her wedding. Now he could be a witness at the trial. The question was, on whose behalf would he testify?
Startlingly, he planned to arrive almost simultaneously with the letter.
She rang the bell. “Mrs. McCreery, it appears my father is arriving today from New York. Could you check the guest bedroom and make sure there are fresh linens? Please tell the cook to plan for two for dinner.”
“How nice for you, miss. To have your father here for the start of the New Year.”
Victoria was at her wit’s end. She couldn’t just sit in the house all day, but she couldn’t risk going anywhere where she might be cornered by Lord Stanford. She needed to escape, though.
She rose and found Mrs. McCreery with the cook. “Mrs. McCreery, will you call my carriage? I am going to see Lady Edith. I believe they said they would be home from Syon House yesterday.”
“Yes, miss.”
An hour later, Victoria was shown into the sitting room of the Percy home.
“How nice of you to call. I hope your Christmas was a good one.” Edith rose and embraced Victoria. Her tight grip indicated she sensed something was amiss. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”
“I just needed to get out of the house. My father is returning, and I didn’t want to be home when he arrives. Is that a terrible thing for a daughter to say?”
“No, of course not. Surely, he must realize how difficult this unfortunate marriage arrangement must be for you. What does he think of the lawsuit?”
Victoria settled on the sofa next to Edith. “I haven’t told him.”
Edith reached over and took Victoria’s hand, giving it a little shake of disapproval. “You must tell him. You must explain to him what kind of man Stanford is.”
“I will try, but you don’t know my father. He will not be pleased by my continued refusal to marry the man.”
“It is inconceivable for you to marry him.” Edith paused for a moment and studied her friend. “What else is bothering you? There is something else, isn’t there?”
“Yes, but I can’t speak of it. Truly I can’t. It’s better you don’t know. I won’t have you and Henry dragged into the sordidness.”
“It’s Hugh, isn’t it?”
Victoria was shaking her head no, but the tears in her eyes confirmed the opposite.
“What has happened? Henry and I are party to this. If we are in any way to blame, I will never forgive myself. You must tell me.”
Victoria sought out the letter from Hugh and handed it to Edith, who quickly read it.
“This is not like Hugh at all. Something must have happened, something terrible. He offers no explanation at all?”
“He says only he regrets his actions. It was a mistake to be involved with me in any way.”
“That can’t be. I have never seen him so happy as when he was with you. I don’t understand it at all.” She looked at the letter in her hand once more. “Surely he can recuse himself? That would end any appearance of impropriety. Why is he concerned about your safety? Why would Stanford threaten you?”
“Oh, Edith, it is so complicated. Trust me in this.”
“Oh, my poor dear,” Edith suddenly seemed to realize the depth of her problem, “you love him.”
Victoria only shook her head in a valiant effort to deny it.
“We never foresaw this outcome. It was always Hugh we were worried about. This letter can’t reflect his true feelings. I refuse to accept it. Henry will be able to make sense of it. He knows Hugh better than anyone. But let me ring for tea. You must stay awhile and calm yourself.”
Victoria sat back and relaxed, at least for the moment. This place was a refuge, these people her anchor. They had never intended things to go so horribly wrong, of that she was sure.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Victoria returned from the Percys’ with a little more confidence than she had prior to her visit. “Has my father arrived?”
“Yes, miss,” the maid said. “He arrived just a short time ago and has gone to his room to freshen up. He asked that he be informed when you returned.”
“Ask Mrs. McCreery to have tea prepared. My father may be hungry. I’ll tell him I’m home.”
Victoria climbed the steps to her father’s room with a heavy heart. If only she could make him understand. She hadn’t been successful in the past, but now it was critical. He needed to acknowledge the contract was a mistake and to testify in court that she had never agreed to it.
She knocked lightly on the door. “Father?”
He opened the door. He looked fatigued. Perhaps it was not the time to apprise him of the situation.
“Victoria. You look lovely as always.” He embraced her awkwardly.
“I’ve had Mrs. McCreery bring tea to the parlor. Will you join me?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.” He exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
The tea tray had already arrived in the parlor. Victoria indicated a chair for her father and chose to sit across from him on the small sofa.
Her father was quiet. He did not look at her but rather at his hands. This silence was unusual for him. He never questioned himself. Never hesitated. He had always made decisions quickly and surely.
“I stopped by my solicitor’s office before I came here today,” he finally said.
She would not have to tell him.
“He told me about your continued refusal and Stanford’s lawsuit.”
“Father, please, let me explain.”
He held up a hand to silence her. “He told me what you have been through. What scandalous rumors have surfaced about you. I never intended to hurt you. I was only trying to make your life easier. I’ve never known how to handle you. You challenged me on everything and perhaps as a result—”
“Oh, Father.” She smiled sadly, grateful for his support, now that she had been abandoned by Hugh. “Will you help me? Things have deteriorated to the point that I am despondent and can see only ruin ahead. And not just for me but for others as well.”
He leaned forward and took her hands. “What can I do?”
“Talk to Lord Stanford. Perhaps there is some way you can dissuade him. If he knows you will testify on my behalf, he might give up on his suit.”
He was silent for a moment. “If you think it might help, I will talk to him.”
“Oh, thank you Father. Thank you.”
…
“Lord Percy is here to see you, my lord.”
“Send him in, Dennison.” Despite the holidays, Hugh was working. He was diligently researching English law on Victoria’s case. Since he had chosen not to recuse himself, he was determined to have a thorough knowledge of the law on his side wherever it might lead.
The work had a second purpose. It kept his mind off Victoria.
“What the hell is going on, Monty?”
“I’m working. What does it look like?” Hugh looked up, startled by his friend’s agitation.
Henry took a seat across from Hugh. “Something is wrong. Edith and I are beginning to regret our matchmaking. It wasn’t well thought-out, and we fear you and Victoria are paying a heavy price.”
Hugh closed his law book. “What’s happened?”
“Victoria came to see Edith. She was very upset. Edith pressed her and it seems you are the cause of her anguish. “
Hugh ran a hand through his hair. It was a subtle acknowledgment that he was indeed the cause of Victoria’s distress.
“You do know her father is back in town?”
Hugh raised his eyebrows in surprise. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well he is. I don’t know how he’s taken the news of the lawsuit. It seems Victoria never informed him of it. We haven’t seen her since she confronted her father. I hope it doesn’t further complicate her life.” Henry waited for some kind of response, and when none came, he continued. “You
and she have become involved, haven’t you? And you have cut her off without explanation and against reason.”
Hugh didn’t answer but he didn’t have to.
“I must say Edith and I hoped it would be a match. It’s just we perhaps got the timing wrong. We should have waited until after the trial to push our agenda. I’m sorry, old man.”
Hugh shook his head. “I’ve been party to the decision. I would not put the blame on you.” He sat back in his desk chair. “It’s just that I’ve underestimated Stanford.”
A look of disgust crossed his friend’s face. “The man is despicable. I can only imagine the lengths to which he’d go to affect the outcome of the trial. The word is he is deeply in debt and must have this settlement. I suspect he has concerns for his very life.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Henry didn’t even know the half of it.
“Can’t you recuse yourself? Leave it to someone else to decide the case?”
“I can’t do that. You have to trust me on this, Percy. If I could, I would.”
“I trust you to be diligent and to arrive at the correct verdict,” Henry said. “But whichever way the verdict goes, I suspect there will be dire consequences.” He was clearly trying to pry out more information. “Is that why you’ve so cruelly broken the woman’s heart? I expected better of you.”
“I have hurt her in ways you can’t begin to imagine,” Hugh answered. “I don’t know what the consequences may be. I should never have followed my heart instead of my head. I was selfish and have put her under a real threat, not just to her reputation, but to her person as well. I may be a pariah after the trial. You and Edith may wish to withdraw your friendship.”
Henry leaned forward in his chair, deeply disturbed. “You will always have us. Edith and I will stand by you no matter what.”
“The last thing I want is for you and Edith to be dragged into this sordid mess. I appreciate your support but you have no idea what you are committing to.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can’t. Don’t feel you are in any way a party to this. I want it to stay that way.”
“Do you love her?” Henry asked, and Hugh could feel him watching him closely.
Hugh looked up. He knew the answer. “Yes.”
Henry expelled a breath. “Then what has possessed you to do such a heartless thing?”
“I don’t want her hurt. I acted selfishly, and she will pay for it. Once before I hurt a woman I loved, and I won’t do it again.”
“You are a fool. Do you think you are somehow unworthy of loving again?”
Hugh shook his head in disgust. “It was an inappropriate relationship from the beginning. I don’t know what possessed me.”
“You have no idea, do you?”
Hugh looked up at his friend, puzzled by the question.
“Love makes fools of us all.” Henry was dead serious. “It leaves us vulnerable to extraordinary pain but promises the reward of joy greater than any you can imagine. You cannot protect yourself from one if you desire the other. Life offers no assurances.
“If you want her, you must risk being hurt. Risk it being impossibly complicated and messy. I realize it is an affront to your desire to be orderly and sane. A violation of your need for propriety and correctness. But what have the past ten years of rigidity gotten you? When all this is over, you could have something more precious than money, more valuable than your reputation.”
“But the cost may be too high.” Hugh remained thoughtful for a moment. “I need one thing from you. I cannot in any way be with her. Threats have been made. I need you to watch over her for me.”
“Threats? From Stanford? Of course, of course. You have no worry there. But shouldn’t the police be involved somehow?”
“Sadly, no. I have no proof. It would only add fuel to the fire. You said her father has arrived. Can you find out where his feelings lie? Perhaps he can testify that Victoria never agreed to the marriage from the start.”
“Certainly. I think Edith and I may pay them a visit. I cannot imagine a father giving his daughter to Stanford if he were aware of the man’s temperament. We can enlighten him in that regard.”
“Thank you, Percy. Tell Edith I send my love.”
“I will. We were only thinking of your happiness.” He stood up. “But, Monty, you must fix this with Victoria. It is not something we can do for you.”
Chapter Forty
Mrs. McCreery opened the door for Victoria and her father as they returned from the solicitor’s office. “You have visitors, miss. The Earl Percy and the countess are here.”
Victoria didn’t wait to remove her cloak but rushed ahead while her father removed his overcoat.
“How good to see you both. We have just been to see my solicitor.” She would have liked to add more, but her father entered the room behind her.
“Father, this is Lord Percy and his wife, the countess. This is my father, Mr. Westwood.”
Her father extended his hand to Henry, nodding to Edith. “If you are friends with my daughter, you are friends with me as well.”
“Please, sit. Everyone.” Victoria handed her cloak to Mrs. McCreery, who hovered near the parlor door. “Please have tea brought, Mrs. McCreery.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Welcome back to England, sir,” Henry said. “We hope your stay will be a bit longer this time. Victoria has made many friends in London, and I’m sure she would like to introduce you to them.” This statement led to a subtle but sharp elbow jab from his wife.
“I would hope, Mr. Westwood, you sympathize with your daughter’s plight in the lawsuit.” Edith was not at all subtle in her straightforward question.
“I sympathize and take much of the blame. I went to see Lord Stanford yesterday. The man and his rooms were disgustingly filthy. He had a whore with him in the middle of the day. Today, my own solicitor warned me he had an unsavory reputation. I deeply regret I didn’t vet the man properly the first time. But saying that, I must also add I regret the whole of it. I should never have tried to force my daughter into such an arrangement. I love Victoria, but I showed it in a most inappropriate way.”
Mrs. McCreery reappeared. “Your tea, miss.”
The tension in the room disappeared. Henry engaged her father in a business concerns while Edith and Victoria enjoyed light conversation.
Henry rose when they had finished the tea. “Well, we should be on our way. I would like you and Victoria to join us for New Year’s Eve. We are having a few friends over. I’m sure my father would be delighted to meet you, sir.”
“If my daughter has no other plans”—he looked over to Victoria, who nodded her acceptance—“we would be more than happy to join you.”
“Then we will see you tomorrow at eight.”
…
Victoria moved aimlessly from room to room in the Percys’ home. She couldn’t relax. The Percys’ New Year’s Eve party was lovely. Her father seemed more amenable than he had been for some time. But with the trial looming over them, it was hard to celebrate, and Victoria had one other fear. She doubted Henry and Edith would put her in the awkward position of running into Hugh, but she remained skittish just the same.
“Victoria, do sit down. You are upsetting me as well as yourself.” Edith had positioned herself on a satin brocade sofa in the middle of it all.
Victoria sat beside her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would notice.”
“We are all concerned about you. You will worry yourself to the bone. It will all be over soon. Certainly, your father supporting your position is a wonderful thing. Henry and I feared the worst.”
“I only wish he had seen reason sooner. All of this would not have happened.”
“You’re right, of course.” A sad smile offered her condolences. “Henry spoke to him, you know.” Edith judiciously did not name Hugh.
“Perhaps he should have left it as it is.” Victoria’s voice cracked with emotion.
“Don’t say that, my dear. Please
, things will turn out. You’ll see.” Edith looked around the sofa for something. “I think I’ve left my shawl in the library. Would you mind fetching it for me? I hate to impose, but I’m quite exhausted tonight with all the celebrations this week.”
“Of course I’ll get it for you.”
“There’s no hurry to rush back. I believe Henry had a fire started in there so it should be quite cozy.”
Victoria rose and wandered off toward the library. She stood in the doorway. A fire crackled in the fireplace. How kind of Edith to give her a moment’s respite from the partygoers.
There was little light except from the fireplace. She walked slowly into the room, Edith’s shawl momentarily forgotten. She went to the fire, soaking up the heat it offered and inhaling its reassuring scent. Her will was floundering. She had always been strong. She still could be, she told herself. It would only be a week or so, and then she would be free of this onerous burden. She could flee London and return with her father to New York. She cared little about her own reputation.
She questioned her own single-minded stubbornness and inability to compromise. Headstrong and perhaps a bit arrogant, she had always barged ahead regardless of others.
It wasn’t just his fault that he had chosen to distance himself. Somewhere deep inside she knew that.
For the first time, she allowed herself to cry. The tears seared her skin. She wept at the loss of innocence. Not her virginity. She had lost something even more important. She had lost the false pride that allowed her to think she, and she alone, knew the truth and she alone was left to battle the injustices of the world. It was an arrogance, perhaps of the worst kind. She was not the only one who sought fairness in the world. Hugh had made her realize this. He was as committed to justice as she. And there were many others. She could no longer believe herself more dedicated than them.
A sob escaped, shaking her shoulders and sending a chill through her.
The light behind her from the hall slowly faded. The door to the room closed, and she turned around.
She let out a sound. Half gasp, half cry.
“I was wrong. I was frightened. Frightened by my feelings for you that overrode all my good judgment. I am not a callous man. I should never have written what I did. It was a coward’s way out. You deserve better. I had to explain and beg your forgiveness. I had to see you. I don’t care what the risk. I fear losing you more than anything else in this world.”
