Capturing the Viscount's Heart

by Abby Ayles

  He sighed and took her hands in his. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she looked about her hands in his. His hands were larger than hers, and wrapped around her own like a perfectly fitting glove.

  “I would not want to make anything difficult for you, Helena. Surely you know that.”

  “I do,” she answered softly.

  He sighed again, as if he wished to say more, but he did not. His eyes met hers and he smiled half-heartedly. "May I walk with you?"

  She smiled. “Of course.”

  He walked beside her in silence. The staff bid her farewell as she passed and wished that she soon returned. The Earl waited by the carriage. Her family was already hidden inside.

  “Helena,” he said softly. “It has been a pleasure to have you under my roof for all this time. You brighten the house with your presence. I look forward to having you under my roof again.”

  “I look forward to returning to Balwell, Your Lordship. You have made this place home to me and my family, and I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality.”

  “You will write to us when you arrive?”

  She nodded. “I will be sure to.”

  He took her hand and clasped it between his. “Godspeed.”

  Elias stepped up as his father moved away. His melancholy was still painted upon his face despite his efforts to conceal it. She knew him too well to be deceived by façade.

  “I will write to you,” she said softly.

  “I would expect nothing less of you,” Elias answered.

  “Goodbye,” she whispered as she turned to the coach.

  Elias took her hand. “Allow me,” he said as he held her steady while she stepped inside. The door closed behind her.

  Helena sat by the window as Elias watched. The carriage moved off and he still remained. She watched his figure is it moved further and further from view until they turned a bend and he disappeared entirely.

  Sadness filled her heart. Would she see him again?

  Helena did her best to hide her sorrow. It wasn't long in their journey before her mother and sister had both fallen asleep. The sky was now becoming light. A new day was breaking.

  She turned to her father, who occupied the seat by the other window. He was looking out, but sensing her gaze turned to her.

  “I didn’t mean for this to happen. If I had known, I would never have entered into the venture,” he asserted. “I was only considering our future.”

  “I know, Father.”

  “I have made a mess of it. What young man will want you now? No dowry to offer. We will scarcely have five hundred pounds between us. Maybe less. I cannot say.”

  “So little?”

  “That is wishful thinking, so my solicitor tells me. I will no longer have the business, and given this scandal, finding work may be difficult for me.”

  “Father,” Helena said as tears filled her eyes and fear her heart.

  “Hush now. I tell you what I cannot share with your mother and sister. You are the strong one, and I need you to remain so. You have never wanted for much. They will need help adjusting.”

  Helena wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She nodded fervently. “I will do whatever you ask of me.”

  “Rest,” he answered. “We are hours yet from home.”

  Helena rested her head against the inside of the carriage and looked out. She watched as the sun began to rise, a golden orb in the sky that warmed her face. She leaned away to hide from it.

  Sleep came with difficulty and, by the time she was settled, she felt the carriage lurch to a halt.

  “Sutton Street,” the driver declared as he jumped down from his post and began to unload their luggage.

  Helena looked out on the street she knew well. It had to be late morning, though she wasn’t sure of the precise time. The streets were busy with passers-by and their housekeeper, Mrs. Royce, was standing at the door waiting for them.

  “We’re home,” Mr. Leeson declared.

  “Home,” Beatrice repeated as she looked out the window. Her mother said nothing.

  It was as if they all feared to leave the confines of the carriage. They looked out, but no one made a move to disembark.

  “Helena, will you help your mother?” Mr. Leeson said, finally interrupting the tense silence.

  “Yes, Father,” she replied as she opened the carriage door. The driver came around and gave his hand to assist her. She turned and waited for her mother to join her on the street.

  Sutton Street was a quiet avenue in the west of London. It was filled with fashionable homes and some of the best of London Society. More than one wealthy admiral made his home there, as well as members of Parliament.

  “Helena?” her mother called. She looked around to find their arrival was being observed by more than just Mrs. Royce.

  “Come away, Mother,” she said as she urged her inside.

  “How they look at us,” her mother whispered.

  “Do not look back.”

  “Mrs. Royce,” Helena said with a smile as the plump housekeeper greeted her. Mr. Maypole, their butler, took their cloaks.

  “My dear Miss Helena, how lovely you look,” said Mrs. Royce. “I say the two months in the country have done you well. Yes, very well indeed.”

  “Thank you,” Helena replied with a smile. At least, in Mrs. Royce, she had found warmth in the welcome.

  “I wasn't sure with the time you were expected, whether you'd have time for a meal before you set off. I had Cook prepare something light for you, just in case.”

  “You are very thoughtful, Mrs. Royce,” her mother replied. “I could use with some refreshment.”

  The family followed Mrs. Royce to the dining room, where a light breakfast had been prepared. They sat at their table, as they had always done, but this meal was considerably different. There was no mirth. Just silence.

  Helena nibbled on her scones with clotted cream and jam. Beatrice poked at a few strips of bacon. Her mother only sipped her tea, while her father read the newspaper.

  They were able to have breakfast in peace, but by lunchtime, that had all changed.

  “It’s the door again, madam,” Mrs. Royce declared as she found them in the parlor.

  “That’s the tenth time,” her mother replied.

  “Father?” Helena asked as she turned to him.

  “How many are out there, Mrs. Royce?”

  “A good number, sir. What would you like me to do?”

  He turned to her calmly. “Have Cook prepare lunch. Ensure that Mrs. Leeson and the girls have a proper meal. I will see them. One at a time.”

  “Is that wise, Father?” Beatrice asked.

  “It is why I have returned. I must face those I have wronged.”

  “I would feel better if Mr. Winslow were here,” her mother interjected.

  "Very well. Mrs. Royce, summon Mr. Winslow, would you? Tell those outside that I will speak with them after luncheon. That should give Mr. Winslow enough time to get here.”

  Mrs. Royce nodded and excused herself.

  Helena got on her feet and walked toward the window. There was a crowd below. Twenty or more lined the street outside their door. She sighed at the sight.

  She felt her father’s presence over her shoulder. “Look away, Helena. Your mother and sister will worry if they see this. Keep them from the window, please? Remember what you promised?” Mr. Leeson reminded.

  “Yes, Father.”

  Helena walked away from the window.

  “Are there many?” Beatrice asked as she walked toward her. Helene stopped her in her course and hooked her arm in hers.

  “Not as many as I feared, but it would do us no good to be seen by them,” she answered. “Shall we play a game until lunch is ready?”

  “A game?” her mother asked.

  “Yes. We have not had a game of whist in some time. We could use the amusement.”

  “I agree. It is time to bring some life back to this house,” Mr. Leeson added as he positioned himself behind
the chair where her mother sat. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

  They spent the rest of the day trying to amuse themselves, but the sound of raised voices often interrupted their fun, as one by one her father’s creditors were allowed in to meet him.

  By evening, Helena’s nerves had had enough. She retreated to her room and retrieved paper from her desk. She did as she’d promised, while tears rolled down her cheeks. She wrote to Elias.

  Chapter 10

  Elias was anxious as the chaise and four approached London. The sight of Helena was his only thought. He’d spent the past two weeks working with his father to achieve a goal that would alter her family’s fortunes. One that would make all the difference in her life.

  Lord Wismoth chuckled.

  “Is something amusing?” Elias asked.

  “I’m sorry, but you really must see yourself,” his father advised.

  “What is there to see?”

  “Anxiousness.”

  “I am anxious to see our friends and to give them the news,” Elias answered. “Is that not a good enough reason?”

  “It is reason enough I suppose, but not the only reason I wager.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Elias questioned.

  “Perhaps that the three weeks since you last saw Helena,” Lord Wismoth replied in amusement. “You have the look of a man who has long been at sea and has now seen the shores of home.”

  His father’s military history was presenting itself as it often did when he was making comparisons in demeanor. He had at one point desired Elias to follow in his footsteps, but the younger Repington had other ideas for himself.

  The thought of Helena sent such emotions through him. He could see her face clearly in his mind. He could remember the feel of her hands in his. How delicate and soft they were.

  “I will be happy to see her again,” Elias admitted. “Her letters to me were of a melancholy nature. This has been an ordeal for her, and I would see it to an end as soon as possible.”

  “And it shall. I am sure once Ambrose hears of our efforts and how it can save the family, life for all of them will return to some sense of normalcy. Perhaps not as it was, but such things take time.”

  Time. It was a word loaded with more power than Elias had imagined. The passage of four years had turned a girl into a woman. The passage of three weeks had turned the Leeson’s fortunes from catastrophe to salvation.

  “We will be there soon,” Lord Wismoth said calmly as he looked out the window. “I can see the outskirts of London from here.”

  The street was busy outside of the Leeson house. Furniture was stacked outside and being carted away by men who could never afford them.

  Elias sprang from the coach the moment it came to a stop.

  “Stop this at once!” he demanded.

  “We have got a job to do. These items are up for auction,” a scruffy man replied. He was dirty and smelled of sweat.

  “There will be no auction, and if I were you, sir, I would keep my tongue behind my teeth unless I knew to whom I speak."

  “Lord Chatleton!” Mrs. Royce called from the doorway. She curtseyed the best she could and then rushed to meet him. Those nearby did the same.

  “Mrs. Royce.”

  “It is a pleasure to see you, my lord,” she replied with a smile. She had small teeth and a wide grin.

  “Is the family at home?”

  “Yes, my lord. They’re all upstairs. These men are here to take away the furniture for sale.”

  “There will be no sale, Mrs. Royce.” He turned to the man he’d spoken to. “These men will return the items that they have taken. I will see to it that they are compensated for their efforts.”

  “But some of it’s already been taken,” she explained. “The madam cried most pitifully as they took away her dressing table and linens. They were a gift from her mother.”

  They had arrived, but a few minutes too late, it appeared. “We will do our best to see them retrieved.”

  “Oh, my lord! The family would be most grateful.”

  Elias smiled. “Do as I have asked, Mrs. Royce. I will see myself up.”

  Elias walked toward the door of the house. He could hear the commotion the moment his father stepped from the chaise.

  “Your Lordship,” Mrs. Royce called from behind him. His father would be several minutes before she would let him up. Elias smirked.

  He took the stairs two at a time. He passed the butler on his way. Maypole had offered to announce him, but Elias wanted to make his arrival a surprise.

  Elias reached the top of the stair and stopped. He took a breath and tugged on the hem of his waistcoat. He took another breath and knocked on the door. Mrs. Leeson’s voice answered him.

  Elias walked into the room to the surprised greeting of the entire family.

  Mrs. Leeson and Beatrice stood immediately. Mr. Leeson was already on his feet by the window. Helena was nowhere to be seen.

  “Lord Chatleton,” Mrs. Leeson stated as she tried to remain composed. The room lacked the furniture it had once possessed. He understood her discomfort.

  “Lord Chatleton,” Mr. Leeson called as he crossed the room to shake his hand. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  “Do forgive our unannounced visit. I convinced father that it would be better this way,” Elias informed.

  “Your father is with you?” Mrs. Leeson asked.

  “He’s been detained by Mrs. Royce. He should follow momentarily.”

  “Oh my. I’ll fetch him. Mrs. Royce will talk his ear off if left to herself,” Beatrice interjected. She excused herself from the room and closed the door behind her.

  It was good to be with them again, even under the circumstances, but those were about to change. Not a moment too soon, Elias wagered, by the look on Mr. Leeson’s face. He wore his age now, and looked every day of it.

  “Have you been well?” he asked.

  “As well as can be expected, given the circumstances,” Mrs. Leeson replied sadly. Mr. Leeson said nothing. He walked back to the window and looked out.

  “Your father is on his way up, I believe. He’s no longer in the street.”

  “You would be right,” Lord Wismoth replied. He walked into the room with Beatrice behind him, but it was who followed her that got Elias’s attention.

  She was dressed in yellow satin. Her brown hair, which had been curled when they last saw each other, was now smoothed and twisted atop her head. Tendrils framed her face delicately.

  “Miss Helena.” Her name was precious on his lips as he bowed to greet her. She looked up at him and her eyes brightened. He could see it, and the sight made his heart warm.

  “My lord,” she replied with a curtsey.

  Elias hadn’t a moment to say more.

  “Now that we are all here, we have an announcement to make,” he declared.

  “An announcement?” Mr. Leeson questioned.

  “The best,” Elias answered.

  “The past two weeks,” said Lord Wismoth, “my son and I have worked on an endeavor most dear to our hearts. One we hope will bring comfort to those we hold highly in our regard.”

  “What manner of endeavor might this be?” Mr. Leeson questioned. His stance had altered, and Elias could tell he was keen to hear what his father had to say.

  “As of this morning, I am the new proprietor of Leeson’s Goldsmith & Jewellers, and the owner of this house and its contents. And I give it to you,” Lord Wismoth declared as he handed the papers to Mr. Leeson.

  The room was silent as Lord Wismoth spoke, and remained so after.

  Helena’s eyes were wide as she looked at him. She drew nearer. “What does this mean?” she whispered.

  “That I kept my word,” Elias replied with a smile. “Your family is saved.”

  Mr. Leeson looked over the paper. “It’s the deed to the house,” he announced.

  “This house is yours,” Lord Wismoth announced. “No one else shall have it.”

  “Both were bought
at above market price, which will allow you to clear your debts. You won’t have to leave. Your property is your own,” Elias informed. “You no longer have to worry.”

  A sigh of relief left Mrs. Leeson, and Beatrice began to smile broadly as she embraced her mother. Helena grabbed his arm exuberantly.