by Abigail Agar
“The hospital?” Georgiana asked.
“Indeed, my darling. Even those who are ill must enjoy their tea,” he said.
Georgiana could hardly dispute that. She was proud of her father. It must have been a good deal of hard work in order to gain such a victory after all that had happened to him.
“I barely know what to say,” he sighed, grinning.
Her heart began to pound with excitement, proud of her father’s achievements. But, when she looked at her mother, she saw that she was alone in the sentiment.
She could not understand why her mother was always so upset and frustrated. After all, her father was trying. Should he not get credit for that?
It was uncomfortable, but she wanted to see the two of them overcome the difficulties. Particularly, she wanted to see her mother take pride in her father.
But that was unlikely to ever take place.
Instead, her mother pursed her lips and remained quiet for a moment.
“Well, my dear?” her father prompted her. “Haven’t you got anything to say?”
“Of course, I do, Gregory,” she began.
Her father’s face fell, clearly aware that he was soon to be cut down, scolded.
“You are not pleased?” he asked.
“Certainly not. Honestly, why should I be? Is this not what you ought to have been doing all along? And now, I am meant to be proud of you? For simply doing the job you have always been meant to do?” she asked.
“My dear, I know that I failed you, but I am trying to make it right. Please, I ask you, see how hard I am trying,” he said.
Georgiana’s mother gave her a stern glare, as if to insist that she leave the room. Obediently, she did just that.
However, nothing was going to stop her from standing outside of the room and listening in to what her mother and father were speaking about.
“Gregory, I cannot understand what would lead you to storming in here, making some grand announcement about your success when you have failed us. Repeatedly,” her mother said, harshly.
“Please, Elizabeth, I am just trying to make things right. I want you to be happy. Why will you not see that I am making a change? Why can you not acknowledge that I have been trying to fix what I destroyed? For the sake of our family, let us be at peace,” he begged.
“Because you failed and then lied about it. You are nothing to me but a disappointment, Gregory. You ought to know that by now,” she said, her tone cold and haughty.
Georgiana’s heart broke to hear her mother speak that way, to hear her being so cruel to her father.
It wasn’t uncommon, but things had only grown worse of late.
She wondered if there would ever be a day in which there was peace, in which there was a love and affection between the two of them.
Thus far, in her life, it had seemed as though there would never be.
She knew that she ought not to be listening. It wasn’t right, but she simply could not help herself.
“I understand, Elizabeth. I know that I have failed you. I never meant to. I fear that I am just not the sort of man who could ever truly content you,” her father said.
“And you would be right about that,” her mother shot back.
“What must I do to regain your trust?” her father asked.
“You must be the man I had always hoped you would be. Not this snivelling fool who can hardly make ends meet. You must be better than that,” she replied.
The words hit Georgiana in the gut. She could hardly believe that her mother would be so cruel, and yet, it was very much like her.
But would things always be this way? Would they always have so much disdain for one another? Would their marriage always be so venomous?
She couldn’t say. Nor could she say whether or not her father would ever be willing to speak out against her mother’s accusations. Would he ever stand up for himself?
She wondered.
“I understand your anger, Elizabeth,” her father said.
“Do you? I think you cannot possibly understand how frustrated I am by your lack of strength,” her mother retorted.
Georgiana wished she could rush into the room, call up her father’s dignity and try to give him the strength that he needed. She wished that she could help him to be brave and firm with her mother in the midst of this awful moment.
But he remained silent for a time. Long enough that Georgiana began to wonder whether or not he had simply disappeared.
Was that possible? Could it be that someone was so broken, so beaten down, that they simply vanished? Would that happen to her father one day?
What if it had been her mother’s anger that had led Georgiana’s father or brother to their actions? What if she had been the reason her father had made poor decisions with his business and then sent Rachel away to try and hide it?
What if her mother’s inability to love was the reason that William sought to be loved by a maid and then sent her away when it became clear that she could not love him in return?
Perhaps it was silly, but Georgiana couldn’t help wondering. It was certainly possible that everyone in their family was so bitter all because of her mother’s need to push them and bend them to her will. No wonder her father and brother were making so many mistakes.
“Gregory, I understand that you want our marriage to be something more than it is, but we must focus on the reality. We have two children and they need to marry. They are the only thing that has kept us together this long and we have no reason to deny that,” her mother said.
“What of it?” her father asked in a broken mumble.
“They will not be able to find good prospects if you prove yourself to be a fool. You must be diligent, you must be better than this. Honestly, think of the fact that our son needs a wife. How is he going to find anyone decent if he is poor? And what man is going to marry Georgiana if her father is said to be foolish with money?” her mother asked.
“I understand. We do need what is best for them. But, honestly, Elizabeth, why can we not be happy? I loved you once, you know. Did you ever love me?” he asked.
There was such pain in his voice. Georgiana knew she ought not to be listening. And, in truth, she didn’t want to hear the answer to the question.
“Whatever my heart has ever felt for you, Gregory, it hardly matters now. Our life is…it is what it is. We no longer need to live in a past that haunts us, don’t you agree?” her mother asked.
“You are haunted by our past?” her father asked.
“Of course, I am. As are you. Deny it if you wish, but what we had long ago, it no longer exists, Gregory. We are…we are finished, you and me. We may live our life together, we may pretend that we are still married, but it is only for the sake of appearances and you ought to know that by now,” she said.
“Are you planning to…will you leave? Would you shame me like that?” her father asked.
“Of course not! This is my life as well. I would not disgrace us thusly. As I said, we need to marry off our children as soon as possible and I want them to have decent prospects. I want them to have a choice to find someone they actually care about. That means we have to be in a position of offering them whatever they can desire. It is the only way good matches can be made,” her mother said.
“Decent prospects? You mean, unlike what you had? You don’t want them to end up stuck with a waste as you did,” her father said, his words edged with an ugly pain.
“Don’t make this about us, Gregory. Forget us. Let us focus on finding them each a match and we may leave the rest to the future,” she said.
Again, Georgiana’s father was quiet.
Was this the reason her mother didn’t want her to marry someone she disliked? Her mother had been so desperate for Georgiana to marry the Baron of Ayre. Perhaps this was the reason she allowed her otherwise?
She didn’t want Georgiana to be as unhappy as she was.
Somehow, it was the kindest thing her mother had ever done for her. What a dreadful trut
h to know.
“Well, Elizabeth, I shall leave you to your thoughts. I cannot pretend to know what it is that you want from me or from our future. I know only that our children do have a life ahead. One that we must be there for. I am sorry for disappointing you, but I will be certain to continue giving them whatever they want,” he said.
There was a creaking sound, as if her father was standing from the wooden chair on which he had been sitting.
“Yes, Gregory. I expect that you shall,” her mother replied.
Hearing that the conversation had finally come to an end, Georgiana knew that she needed to get out of the way of the door to the drawing room…and quickly.
If she were to be caught listening in, she would be very ashamed. Not only that, but her mother and father would be furious. And her father would more than likely be even more embarrassed.
She rushed into a nearby room, closing the door quietly behind herself and listened to the sound of her father entering the hallway and his footsteps leaving, disappearing until there was no trace of him at all.
Maybe he really was invisible. Maybe that was exactly how her mother wanted him to be.
And maybe Georgiana had not done nearly enough to stop that from happening.
Although she had no idea what marriage would be like in the future, she knew that it should not look like this. Whatever husband she chose, she vowed to herself that she would never treat him this way. She would never show him such disrespect.
Instead, she would vow to make respect as much a priority as love. She had seen the importance of it.
She had seen before how wounded her father was to be treated in this way. She had seen how difficult it was for him to hold his head high.
Indeed, she would never allow herself to behave thusly.
Even if it meant laying her own pride aside.
Chapter 28
Wandering along the road, Hamish was shocked to see Georgiana and her mother walking along as well.
“Mrs. Reid! And…and Miss Reid. Hello. How are you both?” he asked, seeking to try and discern what was in Miss Reid’s eyes as she refused to look at him.
“Inspector Brock, I did not expect to see you out and about like this,” Mrs. Reid said, pursing her lips.
“Yes, well, I do go out. Rather often, in fact,” he said.
“Is that so?” she asked.
“Well…of course. I do not simply sit at the station at all times, waiting around,” he said.
Hamish wasn’t sure what she meant. Was he supposed to constantly be at home or at work?
“I thought that you might be busy, you know, harassing decent men and women of society,” Mrs. Reid said.
Hamish gritted his teeth.
“No, not today. Today I am quite busy with tasks like going to the market for some potatoes and bread,” he said.
“Oh, is that all? What a shame that men like you are unable to afford something decent, like pheasant,” Mrs. Reid said.
Hamish ignored the slight and looked at Miss Reid, curious as to what she was thinking just then.
“Miss Reid, how are you?” he asked.
She gave him a cold glance and a shrug.
“Fine, thank you. I trust that all is well with your duties. I understand that it cannot be easy working in your chosen occupation, but you must forgive us for not having time to stand around all day and chat about it,” she said.
Hamish was astonished by the rudeness he was facing. He had come to realise that Mrs. Reid was like this, but Miss Georgiana Reid? She had never been so openly hostile.
Both women were extremely cold with him. He was finding it difficult to understand exactly what it was that seemed to be causing the strange and uncomfortable caution that he could see in their eyes.
Then again, of course they would be cautious. The mother was doubtful about him. She believed that he was just coming and trying to irritate their family.
However, it was her beautiful daughter who truly struck Hamish. After all, he had made so many efforts to improve things between them, but he had now ruined all of them.
She was obviously still angry with him.
Yes, although he had seen that from her mother, it was frustrating to know that she was still upset that he had questioned her.
It was his duty, after all. He had no choice.
Wasn’t it that very duty that had led her to seeking him out? Wasn’t he supposed to be doing his duty so that he could find Rachel?
It appeared that, now, she thought he would simply drop everything. Although she had agreed to doing things his way, and she had approved his decisions thus far, it seemed as though he had crossed a line in questioning her.
“I apologise to the both of you if I have wasted your time,” Hamish said, looking between the mother and daughter.
“Oh, it is fine. Is that not the duty of the police?” Mrs. Reid asked.
Hamish winced through a smile.
“Well, I suppose some may view it that way. However, I do prefer to think that we have a good deal more duties than that,” he said.
“If that is the case, why are you not about them?” Miss Georgiana Reid asked.
It was a knife in Hamish’s chest, the way she looked on him with such disdain. He saw the anger in her eyes, saw the slight narrowing and the elegant method of insult.
She was painfully skilled in the art of destroying a man.
But he was not yet ready to give up. In fact, her question had only given him spite.
“I suppose that is an excellent question. I ought to be doing my duties. I suppose that there are plenty of men and women out and about today whom I could question. Please, Miss Reid, tell me. With whom do you think I should begin?” Hamish asked, giving her the same bitter eye that she had been giving him.
But, at his question, she gasped as if horrified that he would speak to her with such brazen annoyance.
“You know, my dear, I do need to get to the tailor quickly. Follow as soon as you are able,” Mrs. Reid said to her daughter, as if suddenly desperate to be gone.
She acknowledged Hamish with barely a glance.
Mrs. Reid hurried away, looking eager to do so. Once she was out of sight, somewhere doing her shopping, Hamish thought that he might have an opportunity to speak with Miss Reid alone.
“Miss Reid, I know that you are upset, but please hear me out,” he said.
“Oh? Must I?” she retorted, sarcastically.
“Please. I cannot allow you to go on thinking so poorly of me. Not when I have so much to say, so much to explain,” he said.
“What is there to explain? You have a duty and you have done it. Successfully,” she said.
“Su-successfully?” Hamish asked. He was surprised. Was she actually all right with the fact that he had questioned her and handled it in this way? It was confusing that she was being so harsh with him while making this new claim.
