by Kira Stewart
•••
Young Jenny had prepared a bath for the young girl back in her room in front of the fire. It had been Mrs. Everton’s suggestion to prevent Henrietta from getting a chill.
The young maid waited in the room until she appeared, wanting to hear the story first-hand.
Henrietta willingly retold her story, trying to make sense of it all by the retelling.
“It all sounds so silly now, Jenny, but I did feel very afraid at the Inn with Mr. Turnbull. It really did feel like Tom Langton was rescuing me from something, although he said not a word to me or my mother to justify his thoughts and actions. Somehow, he has become the villain, and Mr. Turnbull the hero. I am not sure what I should think.”
The young maid thought for a moment, suddenly looking wiser than her years.
“Of course, miss, who would have known what would have happened, had Mr. Langton not come to find and bring you back, but one thing is for sure, you would be beholden to Mr. Edward Turnbull forevermore. He could have done your reputation a lot of damage if he had so wished.”
Henrietta sighed. “I had not thought of that, but surely now I am beholden to Mr. Langton? Although, I think perhaps I shall never see him again.”
•••
The next day, it was decided that the guests would bring an end to their short stay and return to their respective homes. It was thought the best course of action, with Jane and Harry back to their little vicarage in Ingle, and Henrietta and her mother back to Redmond. Their appetite for Bath was waning. Jane suddenly wished to see her child again, after being apart for more than a week, and Mrs. Maldon thought it would perhaps be for the best.
Edward Turnbull had requested an audience with Mrs. Maldon, and he had begged her forgiveness for causing so much worry and anxiety about her daughter. He explained details of everything that had happened the previous evening.
His story had been substantiated when his curricle was pulled home to be repaired, and it was easily seen that the couple could have not travelled home in it that night.
“And that other young man, Mr. Tom Langton, has left town I hear. He could not bear for us to hear the truth, I suppose. Well, it shows that what I felt about that particular young man was right all the time.” Mrs. Maldon folded her arms and looked smug, pleased that the young man had vindicated himself.
“Do not be hard on the poor man, Mrs. Maldon. I believe he was a favourite in your house at one time? I would have liked to be friends with the man, but there, I do not want to add to your bad opinion of the man. I wish him no bad feelings. I would not to wish to expose his true character to anyone, no not at all.”
“You are too good, Mr. Turnbull. He could not hold a candle to you. Now, you must promise to come and see us back in Redmond. Do you promise?”
•••
On the morning they were about to leave, the weather had changed. Rain fell from the grey skies and put everyone in a somber mood. Having some business to conduct in town, Mrs. Maldon had left Henrietta to finish their packing.
Jane and Harry had already left earlier that morning, and she was glad of the time to herself. It had only been a few days since the picnic, and ever since, she had felt a deep sadness. When Tom Langton had appeared at the Inn, she thought everything was going to be all right, but it had not turned out that way. Reality was nothing like her dreams. She was sad to say goodbye to the young maid Jenny, and Mr. and Mrs. Everton, but felt quite desperate to get back to her books, and the peace and quiet back home.
Mr. Maldon came to collect his wife and daughter. The journey home seemed long, and Sophia Maldon seemed especially animated and talkative, sharing their adventures with Mr. Maldon, leaving Henrietta to her thoughts. She had already decided that she would have to tell William that she could not marry him. She did not love him and she could no longer pretend. It would be a hard thing to do, yet Henrietta had resolved to do it as soon as possible.
Kitty had prepared tea for their arrival, and the sight of the cozy parlour and the cake and tea, almost made Henrietta cry. She had prepared herself for an outpouring of love from William, yet the young man remained silent during tea.
When tea was finally over, she asked to speak with him in the library.
It was not going to be easy, but she had to settle things with him, once and for all.
“Dearest William,” she began, but before she could continue, the young man suddenly found his voice and looked at her in earnest.
“Please Henrietta, before you speak, I have something to tell you, something most important.”
Nodding, she sat down and let him continue. Pacing the room, he cleared his throat.
“Oh dear, H … H … H … Henrietta, I have no way of b … b … b … b … breaking this to you gently, K … K … K … Kitty and I are in l … l … l … love and we hope to marry.”
The effort of speaking the words was almost too much for the young man, and he sat at the table next to her.
“Dear Henrietta, can you ever f … f … f … f … forgive me?”
For a moment, she could not believe what she had just heard, and stared at the young man sat in front of her, open-mouthed, while the message sank in.
Kitty and William in love?
The news shocked her, even though she did not love him and had thought that she was the one who was going to refuse him. She felt his rejection keenly, and as he laid his hand gently over hers, a wave of emotion washed over her.
Rushing from the room, Henrietta dashed up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, and lay sobbing wildly on the bed.
There was a timid knock on the door, and Kitty entered the room cautiously and sat next to where her sister lay on the bed, still crying.
“Oh, Henry, I am so sorry. We did not mean it to happen, truly we did not.”
Sitting up, Henry tried to smile, still sobbing through her words.
“Oh, dearest Kitty, I am pleased for you both, truly I am. I had asked William to the library to tell him that I did not love him and that I could not marry him.”
“But then why are you crying?” Poor Kitty looked confused.
“Oh, Kitty. If only I knew. The man I love doesn’t love me, and now even the man I thought loved me, doesn’t even love me. Jane is married and it looks like you will be soon. And I, well, I think I will be an old maid for the rest of my life. I shall never fall in love ever again.”
Kitty embraced her sister.
“Of course you shall, you silly goose.”
12.
Henrietta spent most of September under the old apple tree, the fruit almost picked, as the leaves on the trees around her changed from green into the gold of autumn.
With her nose buried in a book one fine afternoon, she did not notice him approach, and it was only when she felt his presence, did she look up.
Tom Langton. She had never expected to see him again and for a short moment, she wondered whether or not he was real or if her imagination had conjured him.
“I could not keep away, Henry. You have been on my mind ever since that night I drove you back from the Inn. I had to see you again, check that you were well.”
He looked older somehow, weary perhaps.
“Why did you come after me that night?” Her gaze was steady on his.
He looked puzzled.
“Do not you know?”
Before she could answer, Mrs. Maldon bustled into the garden. She had seen the carriage parked outside the rectory and had expected to see Edward. Not only was she disappointed at seeing Tom Langton, she was also angry.
“Well sir, you have got a cheek turning up here, after all the trouble you caused in Bath, I must say.”
The young man looked puzzled.
“You are not welcome here, Mr. Langton. In fact, I thought you were that nice Mr. Turnbull. We expect him to call on Henrietta any day, you know. He will be most welcome.”
“Then you have not heard the news?”
He looked from mother to d
aughter.
“What news?” Mrs. Maldon scoffed and screwed up her eyes.
“Well, I need to start at the beginning. He owes a great deal of money to one of my friends, for a start, and has tried to lend money from another. I heard something to that effect on that night, when I went looking for Henry. The Bailey sisters had told me they had seen Henry at the picnic with him. There had been rumours last year, of Edward trying to extort money from a young girl’s family. There was gossip that he had compromised her in some way, and to keep him quiet, the family had paid quite an amount of money. Those close to the family knew what had happened, but they could not say anything about Edward in public, for fear he brought shame to the poor girl. In the end, she was sent abroad to live. I feared that he would try and do the same with Henry.”
“And how do you know that any of this is true?” Mrs. Maldon was determined not to believe the story.
“The day after I brought Henry home, I wanted to find out for myself if the stories were true. I went to see the young girl in question parent’s and asked them if it was true. At first, they did not want to talk, but when I told them my fears about dear Henry, they told me everything, in a hope that it would ensure something like it did not happen to another innocent young girl.”
“But that doesn’t prove those were his intentions for Henrietta?”
The young man shook his head.
“That is true. I cannot prove his motives toward Henry. I cannot state categorically that he jeopardised his own carriage at a spot within walking distance of an Inn, so he could keep your daughter away from home all night, and thus compromise her and blackmail you at the same time. But I do know that he was expelled from college for stealing from the other young men. I set a trap for him and caught him.”
“Indeed, you cannot prove a thing, sir. This is all mere speculation. And surely a young man cannot be held entirely responsible for the actions of his youth?”
“Certainly not, Mrs. Maldon, but there is one more thing I can add. Think on this. Edward Turnbull left the country this morning. He sailed for the continent. Apparently, he had a great number of gambling debts that he had no way of paying, and has fled the country before he is thrown into prison. I can only think that he wanted to use the opportunity to blackmail you and Mr. Maldon to part with large amounts of money to help pay his debtors.”
Sophie Maldon had turned a strange shade of white during this speech.
“Left the country, you say?”
The young man nodded.
The woman looked as though she would faint.
“Oh dear. I am afraid that on the day we left Bath, I had some business in town. Edward Turnbull had told me all about a business venture he was involved with, and was looking for someone to invest. I am afraid I handed him the rest of my inheritance. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to speak with Mr. Maldon.”
The poor woman quickly fled back up the garden and out of sight.
“Oh poor mama, will she have lost all of her money? It is her fault for trusting such a man, but I feel sorry for her all the same. What on earth can she do?”
The young man smiled sadly and shook his head.
“I am not sure that there is anything we can do. The authorities may catch up with him, but it might be too late by then, and he will have probably spent the lot.”
“Oh poor mama, what shall we do?”
Despite the seriousness of the moment, Tom Langton could not help but smile.
“Forgive me, Henry, but I cannot think about your poor mama at this moment. I have news of my own.”
Taking her hands, he held her close.
“Dear Henry. When I first saw you in Bath, something stirred within me. And then when I saw you dancing with Edward Turnbull, I felt angry. At first, I thought it was because I disliked that young man. Then on the night I found you at the Inn, I realised that I loved you. Can I ever hope for you to feel the same, dear Henry?”
Closing her eyes, she felt his strong arms envelop her. Now she could see his face, the man who had been walking up Solsbury Hill toward her in her dreams. She could see him very clearly now. Very clearly indeed.
The End
I look forward to bringing you another Tale of Bath soon! Thanks so much ; )
