He released his grip on her throat, and Eleanor welcomed the air into her lungs. That feeling was short-lived, however, as he placed a well-aimed fist into her stomach, forcing out what little air she had been able to draw in, and she dropped to the floor.
“My marriage, my life with you, has been cursed,” he snarled. “Now, any trepidation I may have had is gone. I will give Juliet to Pentworth.” He glared down at her. “You have always disgusted me, Eleanor, but now, I never want to see you again.”
With those words, he left the room.
Eleanor grasped the edge of a nearby chair and used it to help her stand. Her head throbbed and her heart ached. What would become of Juliet now that she had revealed what she never meant to reveal?
Then Charles returned, his face contorted with anger, and he gripped her arm, sending pain radiating up to her shoulder as he nearly wrenched it from the socket. “Come with me now, woman!”
“Wait, Charles,” she cried. “Where are you taking me?”
“Away from this sacred family home,” he said without looking at her. “And you will never return.”
***
Charles had kept a firm hold on Eleanor’s arm, not easing his grip in the slightest, as Forbes drove the carriage up to the house. They traveled no more than twenty minutes, which brought them to a familiar place — a deep ravine at the far edge of the lands that surrounded Scarlett Hall.
If one were to gaze down into the gorge, he would see wild grass and boulders overwhelmed by a mass of brambles. What that outsider would not know was that the ravine held a dark secret beneath those thorny stems.
“To show my generous heart,” Charles said as if making a speech before a congregation, “I provided you a tutor, a man who taught you about poetry and who made you smile. That man now lies beneath the soil. Here I ask you, what wrong did that man commit to be tossed so casually into a pit to never be thought of again?”
“What wrong?” she asked. “You never allowed me the opportunity to tell you the truth. That man kissed me against my will. If you had not returned when you had, I do not know how far he would have gone.”
Charles stood staring over the ravine, and Eleanor wondered if he planned to jump. The sudden image of her rushing forward and pushing against his back made her start. Yet, how strange that the thought did not bring her any sadness.
Her eyes fell to Forbes, who stood near the horses not more than a few paces away, his stance rigid and his face devoid of emotion. He had been present when Professor Downing had lost his life for his impropriety.
Eleanor once again looked toward the ravine, the trepidation intensifying. What was to become of her? Not knowing only made her fear greater, for if she at least knew what Charles planned for her, she could ready herself.
The sun had yet to set and created a pink and blue hue on the clouds. What a glorious sunset to see her off! At least there would be some beauty at the moment her life ended.
“I believe what I saw that day was what I always knew,” Charles said. “It is the reason I never trusted you. You have always spoken to men with ease, and only a harlot would do so.”
Eleanor chuckled, uncertain from where the sudden bolt of bravery came. “You would know better than I,” she said, hoping her words stung. “For you spend many hours conversing with harlots.”
His slap was quick and hard and the sound of it reverberated around them.
Charles walked up to the ravine’s edge and looked down. “Now I am faced with a dilemma,” he said as if they were discussing what to serve at dinner. “I have a daughter who is not of my blood and a wife who has caused me years of misery. Do I divorce the wife? Many times I have considered it and I still have the documents ready in case I decide to do so on a whim. Yet, doing so would shame my children — my real children — and I cannot have that.”
Gone was any bravado, and Eleanor whispered, “I will return and remain silent as you have requested.”
Charles shook his head. “No, I am afraid you deserve no further chances. No matter what you do or where you go, you threaten the good Lambert name. Today it must stop.”
With her heart threatening to choke off her airway, Eleanor realized just how mad her husband truly was. He spent all his time placing blame on her for his fears and shortcomings.
“Where am I to go?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know. “So far away I shall never see my children again?”
To this Charles laughed. “No, that would not do at all. I believe the best place for you is to join your tutor lover.” Once again, he grasped her by the arm and this time he dragged her toward the edge of the small cliff. “I find you repugnant, Eleanor, and a bad influence,” he said. “I do not want you near me or my children ever again.”
Fear like none she had ever experienced filled her. Charles was going to kill her, but it was the thought of never seeing her children again that frightened her more.
“My lord…”
Charles turned and glared at Forbes. “Quiet, you fool!” Then he turned back to Eleanor and smiled. “Although I deserve the right to throw you into the pit below us, I have decided to give that privilege to another. You see, I am many things, but I will not be the murderer of my children’s mother.”
“You are a coward,” she hissed, tired of the games he played. He gripped her arm tighter, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flinch. “If you lack the courage to throw me off, I will not jump simply to satisfy you.”
He never took his eyes off her. “Forbes,” he called, “you have served my home for many years. It was you who witnessed the actions of my wife which brought us here all those years ago.”
“Yes, my lord,” Forbes replied. “But I do not know…”
“And you know too much,” Charles said as he shot the man a glare. “I must have you prove your allegiance to me right now.”
“My lord?” Forbes responded with a sudden gasp. “You do not mean…”
“Do I stutter?” Charles asked as he released Eleanor’s arm and shoved her toward Forbes. “Prove your loyalty to me and bring about the justice this woman deserves.”
The ravine began to ebb and flow in her vision as Forbes gave a nod and joined her and Charles at the ravine’s edge. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she gazed upon the face of the man she loved.
“My children,” she whispered.
“Will always be safe,” he said in quiet reply.
Eleanor nodded, for she understood what was to come. It had to be done. Her time on this earth had come to an end, but at least Forbes would be there for her children.
“If you will, my lady,” Forbes said, loud enough now for Charles to hear. “Close your eyes. It will make this much easier.”
Although she did not want to, she closed her eyes, knowing they would never open again. And as she prepared for death, her heart beat with love for her children and for the future she would not be allowed to witness. Her heart ached for Forbes, her true love, the man who had always been so close and yet so far away.
It was with those thoughts that she opened her eyes and wished she would have obeyed the request Forbes had made.
Eleanor choked a sob as Charles gaped at her wide-eyed, his arms flailing as he reached out to her. His fingertips grazed her arm, and she took a step back. He fought the arm that encircled his neck and then tried to pry the hand from his mouth, but to no avail.
“I am sorry, my lady,” Forbes said with a gasp as he held Charles tight. “I have always served Scarlett Hall, but I serve you, not him. It is you to whom I will always swear my allegiance and whom I will always protect.”
Her husband’s eyes bulged and his clawing became weaker as his face turned first a deep red and then moved to a tinge of blue. She fell to her knees sobbing as the last rays of the sun slipped behind the horizon, highlighting the body of Lord Charles Lambert as he crumpled to the ground unmoving.
“Oh, Forbes,” she whispered when the butler came to offer her his hand. She reached for h
im with weak arms. “What have we done?”
“We have protected you and your family,” Forbes replied. “Was that not always the plan?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Her eyes fell on Charles, and although she had not wished it to end this way, there had been no other choice. Either her husband or she lived, but it could not have been both. Charles would not have allowed it.
“What will we do?”
“We will return to Scarlett Hall with the body,” Forbes replied. “In the morning, I shall go for the doctor and inform him that a sudden illness took Lord Lambert during the night.”
“I understand,” Eleanor said, although the world continued to spin around her. “But what am I to do?”
“Do as you have always done. Protect your children at any cost.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Flickering shadows danced on the walls as Harmony deliberated the story Eleanor had shared with her. A single tear slid down her nose, not for the fallen husband but rather for the pain this once strong woman had been forced to endure. How had she stayed so resolute through it all?
The light of the waning moon filtered in through the window and cast a glow on the dowager baroness, and Harmony could see that strength had never gone.
“That, my child,” Eleanor said in a whisper so low, Harmony had to lean forward to hear, “is the final secret of Scarlett Hall. I pray there are no more lurking in the corners.”
With a nod, Harmony reached out and took the thin and wasted hand of her mother-in-law. “The world to me was innocent once upon a time, but I learned it was not. It can be, but too many wish to corrupt it, and that grips my heart. I must admit I was beginning to believe that all I thought I knew was wrong, that every person in the world is destined to suffer. That love does not truly exist. The journals, as well as your story, have spoken to me, and I once again have hope that the challenges Nathaniel and I have recently encountered can be overcome. Nothing can stop our love, can it?”
“Indeed,” Eleanor whispered. She closed her eyes and grimaced.
For a moment, Harmony worried she was witnessing the last moments of life, but she sighed with relief when the woman opened her eyes once more.
“Nathaniel is lost, and you must save him. Never give up, my dear; the strength, the love inside you will prevail. Even if it feels as if it will forever fail.” The words came in gasps.
“You need not worry,” Harmony said with a small smile. “Leaving his side is not an option I can even consider, and I will do whatever necessary to keep our family safe. I will make you, and all my predecessors, proud.”
Eleanor gave a weak smile and closed her eyes once more.
Harmony leaned over and kissed the woman’s cheek. “Thank you, Eleanor,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
When Harmony inched the door closed, she started when she found Forbes standing in the hallway, his features drawn and his eyes filled with pain. Yet, she saw something more in them — love. How deep that love went she could not say, but it was present all the same.
“May I bring you anything, my lady?” he asked, although his eyes darted toward the door to the bedroom she had just exited.
“No, I have everything I need,” Harmony replied.
With a bow of his head, Forbes walked past her and entered Eleanor’s room. Love kept that man by the lady’s side, she was certain. Love guided his steps when it was obvious he had little energy left due to lack of sleep. And it was that love that Harmony held for her husband that made her give a silent reaffirmation of her vow to help him.
Making her way to the drawing room, Harmony was greeted with smiles upon entering. Her eyes went immediately to Juliet, who stood out from the rest with her dark hair and beautiful smile. Where the others wore dresses made of rich fabrics, hers was of simpler make, but that did not take away her beauty one bit.
“Mother wrote to me about you,” Juliet said as she stood and hurried over to Harmony. “And she was right; my brother could not have married a more lovely woman!” She threw her arms around Harmony. “Come and sit with us. I want to hear everything!”
“Now is not the time,” Isabel chastised. Then she turned to Harmony. “We will remain a bit longer, if you do not mind.”
Harmony smiled. “Of course, I do not mind.” As she followed Juliet to the sofa, she glanced at Nathaniel, who stood beside the fireplace, his face stoic. She could not imagine what it would be like to lose a mother, even hers, but for Nathaniel the pain must have been immense, for they were quite close.
The room was quiet, and Harmony knew each member of the family was already mourning. She was now the baroness and therefore it was her responsibility to get the conversation started.
“Juliet,” she said with a smile, “I understand that when Nathaniel was young you would give him sweets. Even if he had been instructed not to take them.”
Juliet sniffed. “Well, if I did not, he would make me feel guilty for refusing to give them to him.”
“That is not true,” Nathaniel said, joining the group. “It was you who convinced me to take them.”
“Nathaniel does not lie,” Hannah chimed in. “Juliet has a way with words that none of us can match.”
One by one, the family returned to reminiscing over times past. Although the sadness remained, it was tempered by laughter and good-hearted stories.
And later, when Harmony glanced at Nathaniel again and watched him double over with laughter at a story Juliet was telling, she felt a twinge of hope for both of them.
***
Lady Eleanor Lambert summoned the last of her strength to open her eyes, somehow knowing it would be the final time she would do so. Sunlight filtered through the window, creating a patchwork of light on the covers and warming her. However, it was the smile she knew Forbes wore, even though she was unable to see it, that warmed her all the more. She did not need to look to know he was there, for he held her hand, had been holding her hand the entire night upon returning to her side after she had spoken to Harmony.
“I had hoped to leave here with you,” she whispered, giving him a weak smile. “To finally live our lives and grow old together.”
“As did I, my love,” Forbes whispered. “Being with you is all I have ever wanted.”
Eleanor smiled and opened her other hand to reveal a simple wedding band purchased many years before. “I had once believed that if we exchanged vows, somehow it would make our love that much stronger. Now I see that what we have is something far greater, for our vows have always resided in our heart.”
Forbes lifted her hand, and she slid the ring on her finger. “There,” she said. “That is where it belongs.”
“Indeed it does,” Forbes replied. “And there it will always remain.”
Eleanor blinked back tears as she looked at the man she loved. “I…never understood,” she said, finding it difficult to find the air to expel the words she wished to say, “why you remained here with me all these years. So often…I thought you would leave to find someone worthy of you.”
Forbes gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Because I love you now as much as the first time I laid eyes on you,” he replied. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. She did not want to see him suffer!
Explaining the love they had for one another was impossible, for it was immeasurable and far too beautiful. So great was it that not even the greatest poets, nor the angels in heaven, would be able to define it.
As she thought these things, the sun’s rays brightened, and she turned toward the window to find a familiar face looking down at her. There, beneath a tree, stood her father, his smile welcoming.
Eleanor was ready to join him.
“You…must go,” she said as she turned to Forbes once more. “Please, I cannot…have you see me…die like this.”
Forbes shook his head. “I have never left you, and I never will. I will remain here beside you for always.”
Eleanor nodded, for she doubted not the truth of his statem
ent. “My…daughters, our son…” The words were more difficult to speak, and her father was beckoning to her. She was far too tired to even breathe.
“Do not worry,” Forbes replied. “I will watch over them. As long as I live, I will protect them.”
Satisfied that her family would be safe, Eleanor closed her eyes as pain raked over her. Images of days gone by flickered in her mind.
She was but a child at Chatterly Estate, her father, so handsome, so charming, making her laugh.
Then she was arriving at Scarlett Hall, a young bride with grand ideas about life.
The birth of her children, their smiles, their joy, their love, all if it raced through her mind.
The light grew brighter despite her closed eyes, and for a moment, she was frightened.
“Forbes?” she whispered. “Where am I?”
***
Barnard Forbes clasped the hand of the lady he loved. What he had said was true; he had loved Eleanor from the first moment he had laid eyes on her. The love they shared was forbidden for so many reasons, yet through all they had endured, that love never waned. It was admiration and love for this woman that kept him at Scarlett Hall doing whatever he could to protect her and her children from the many perils that came their way.
Yet, for the first time, as she lay dying beside him, helplessness washed over him. He had no way to save her this time.
“Forbes?” Eleanor whispered as the grip of her hand tightened. “Where am I?”
He rose, leaned over, and gathered her into his arms, shocked at the frailness of her body and the ease he had in carrying her. Her breath had a light rattle in her chest, coming in short gasps as he carried her to the window. So often she had spent looking down at the gardens, and he wanted her final moments to give her the peace she had always found there.
“You are at Scarlett Hall,” he whispered as he cradled her in his arms. “Where there is no place happier or more lovely.”
Cry of the Baroness: Secrets of Scarlett Hall Book 9 Page 15
