An Inconvenient Trilogy Part 27

Alfred left Stephen alone. Stephen sat back down with his brandy. His duty was done; he had done everything he could so that another girl such as Charlotte would not face the same horror. Charlotte. He should be celebrating, he told himself. He no longer had to think about her, there were no further ties between them, he could forget her.

He poured himself another brandy; it was going to be a long night.

Chapter 15.

Charlotte awoke with a headache. It was no surprise; after all, she had drunk four gla.s.ses of wine! She got out of bed quickly; it was a late hour and she wanted to get the interview with Michael over as soon as possible. She dressed and went directly to the dining room. The relief that filled her when she realised that Michael and Elizabeth were still resting flooded through her so much that she greeted Mr Dawson with a large smile.

"Good morning Miss Webster," Mr Dawson said, standing as she entered.

"Good morning," she replied. "I feel I could eat the whole of the breakfast spread out on this table!" Charlotte said.

"Be careful Miss Webster, many more nights drinking lots of wine and then eating large breakfasts and you shall no longer be the belle of the ball," Mr Dawson teased.

"Good," Charlotte said firmly. "After a fiasco like last night, I don't know how anyone comes through a season without getting into trouble. I don't think I could."

"You will soon be able to keep the likes of Mr O'Hara in check, I'm sure," Mr Dawson said rea.s.suringly.

"I've had so little experience of Society," Charlotte said honestly, feeling that if she had a full season, she would feel constantly out of her depth.

"You remind me of Elizabeth; and she managed to get through, just. I'm sure you will be fine," Mr Dawson said, amused.

"If Lord Dunham doesn't force me into a marriage first," Charlotte muttered darkly.

"He's a fair man," Mr Dawson said in defence of his friend, but his tone was gentle. He could see that Charlotte was remorseful and worried.

Charlotte's anxiety increased when she found out later that Michael was in his study with Mr O'Hara. She returned to her bed chamber, not wis.h.i.+ng to have to make conversation with anyone and spent her time pacing the room, dreading the time when she would be forced to face Mr O'Hara and potentially forced into a marriage she did not want.

She was eventually asked to go and join Michael in his study. She entered, looking every bit the scared, very young woman that she was. Michael had to suppress a smile at the fear in her face; it was slightly flattering to be able to instil such emotion in someone, since his wife would be more likely to laugh at him than be scared.

"Come in Charlotte, please be seated," Michael said, kindly, his compa.s.sion overwhelming his amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Thank you," Charlotte replied quietly. She sat facing Michael, the emotions she was feeling clearly being expressed on her face. Michael waited while she composed herself. She sighed and took a breath. "I need to know, are you going to force me to marry him?" she said in a rush.

Michael laughed loudly. "No talk about the weather first?"

Charlotte smiled, despite her fears. "If I am going to be condemned, I'd rather know now. Idle chit-chat about the weather can wait."

Michael admired her direct way. "I have spoken to Mr O'Hara this morning."

"I know, it took such a long time!" Charlotte said with feeling.

Michael suppressed a smile. "Maybe so, but I needed to give him a piece of my mind about his behaviour last night."

Charlotte flushed at the memory. "I was foolish. I should have asked him to leave."

"Why didn't you?" Michael asked. He certainly had given the young gentleman a setdown that he would not forget in a hurry, but if Charlotte did like him, he would not discourage the match.

Charlotte thought for a moment, wondering whether or not to be honest with Michael. She would have been if it was Elizabeth asking the same question, so decided to trust her host, even though most of the time she was a little bit in awe of him.

"At first I didn't know what to do. I've never been in that situation before." She flushed a little, that was not exactly true and Michael knew it. When her uncle had arrived, she had been found in the library kissing Stephen. That seemed different somehow, she was not afraid of Stephen, she had been a little afraid of Mr O'Hara. With Stephen she had only ever felt protected.

Michael correctly interpreted the blush, but did not think there was any use going over old ground. He had said his piece at the time. "Go on," he encouraged.

"When he started to say that he wanted to marry me I thought about everything everyone had been saying about Stephen," Charlotte said candidly. "I know enough of his reputation to understand why everyone has been telling me to forget him."

"You turned down an offer of marriage from him," Michael gently reminded her. If she was longing for Stephen, she could have had him weeks ago.

"I know and as silly as this may sound, I still think that it was the right decision. I want to be loved; I want to be married for me, not just for convenience. Does that make sense?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes it does, but how does Mr O'Hara fit in?" Michael coaxed.

"He is a nice gentleman, he is perfectly eligible, I do see that," Charlotte admitted. "I have listened to everyone about how unsuitable Stephen is, so I thought that perhaps I should give it a chance."

Michael's heart sank a little, he would have to ask, but really did not wish to know. "What happened?"

Charlotte really flushed this time. "I didn't encourage him, honestly, but all at once he was kissing me. My first reaction was to push him away, I would have done if I hadn't had everyone's voices in my head, telling me to forget Stephen and meet a respectable young man."

"And?" Michael asked.

"So I kissed him back," Charlotte said in a rush.

Michael inwardly groaned, he should appreciate this as practice before he hopefully had a houseful of daughters, but he wished his wife was having this conversation instead of him. He could imagine how she would laugh later when he relayed the story, not about Charlotte's embarra.s.sment, but of his own.

"Has it convinced you that Mr O'Hara is the man for you?" he asked.

"Goodness no!" Charlotte exclaimed. "The kiss was nice-well, it was not bad, but it was nothing like.....it wasn't.......have you ever kissed someone and wondered how you could ever want to kiss anyone else because that kiss was like an explosion of everything good?" Charlotte asked, her intensity making her overcome her bashfulness.

It was now Michael's turn to flush slightly, but his reply was honest, "Yes I have."

"Well, you will know exactly how I feel about Mr O'Hara then. He is nice, but he's not him!"

"I do understand, but Charlotte, there is no guarantee that Lord Halkyn will ever cross your path again. I am sorry to be blunt, but I doubt that you will ever hear him renew an offer of marriage, even if your paths do cross." Michael said the words gently, but he needed to make Charlotte realise that if she was hankering after Halkyn, she had already had her chance.

Charlotte looked crushed. "I know the decision I made was the correct one, but it doesn't mean to say that I don't know what I have lost. I'm trying to be pragmatic by thinking that I didn't have the chance of a life with him before, so I shouldn't be upset now."

"Is it working?" Michael asked with a twinkle of amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Not a tiny bit!" Charlotte said with a groan, but she smiled at Michael. "Thank you for not forcing me into a marriage I would not have been happy in. I refused Stephen because I would not be happy, so I could not agree to marriage to someone who I didn't care for. I do like Mr O'Hara, but I need to be loved and to love, no matter how out of the ordinary I may sound."

"As my wife and I are of the same opinion, I cannot criticise you, but I do hope you meet someone who will offer you the happiness you are looking for."

"What about Mr O'Hara?" Charlotte asked.

"I have told him that if you had had a change of heart overnight, I would invite him here immediately, but that I would not expect him to pester you in the future." Michael could see the relief in Charlotte's face once she had realised her actions would not force her into a marriage with the young man. He felt sorry for the young girl, but there was nothing he could do to help.

They were interrupted by a knock on the study door. The butler entered at Michael's command. "My Lord, I am sincerely sorry to interrupt you, but there is an urgent item of correspondence that has just been delivered. The rider is waiting for a response and has insisted that you see the letter most urgently, otherwise I would have not disturbed you," the butler explained apologetically.

"Don't worry, we were just finis.h.i.+ng up here," Michael said with a smile at Charlotte. "We had nothing left to discuss but the state of the weather."

Charlotte smiled at the quip, but was soon on her guard. Michael had taken the letter and sliced it open. As he read, the colour had literally drained from his face and his frown had developed. Charlotte leant forward in her seat; desperate to know what the letter contained that could have such a grave impact on her host.

When it seemed that Michael had forgotten he was in the room with anyone else, Charlotte said quietly, "Is it bad news?"

Michael stirred himself and looked at the girl sitting before him. Was it only seconds ago he was joking with her? "Charlotte you will have to excuse me. This letter contains information that I have to act on immediately, it will change my upcoming plans, it will change all of our plans."

"It's not...Is he well?" Charlotte asked, feeling completely selfish at thinking only of how the news may affect her, but she could not stop herself from asking the question.

Michael smiled slightly. "It has nothing to do with Lord Halkyn; he is well as far as I am aware. Please excuse me for a moment. I will join everyone in the drawing room in a short while and inform you of the contents of this correspondence."

Charlotte left the room, both relieved and worried. Lord Dunham was such a calm, commanding person, the news must be serious to have shaken him so much.

As the door was closed by the butler, leaving Michael alone in his study, he sat forward in his seat and placed his head in his hands. When he had read the news he had been gripped by such fear, it would have brought him to his knees had he been standing. He had to protect her, there was no other alternative, but he had almost failed her once before, what if he failed this time?

Michael had sent word that everyone should gather in the drawing room. This was a strange summons, so everyone was a little uneasy. Eventually they were joined by Michael, who looked grim, but in control. He approached Elizabeth, sitting next to her and taking her hand in his.

"I'm afraid, Violet and Edward that I'm going to have to ask you to postpone your trip to London and John; if you can stay on here I would be much obliged."

Normally John would have been flippant with his friend, but he could sense his unease under his grim demeanour. "I am at your service Michael. What is it?"

"Yes, what has happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"I've had some news today, that I hate having to tell you Elizabeth because I know it will unsettle you," Michael said, bringing his wife's hand to his lips and kissing it.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked gently. She was concerned for her husband; she had always disliked seeing him worried, especially when it was on her account.

"I've received communication to say that George Watson was not on the s.h.i.+p when it arrived in Australia," Michael said quietly.

The news stilled the people in the room. It was obvious that everyone, apart from Charlotte knew the meaning of the name, but she kept silent. When people such as Mr Anderton and Miss Fairfield take sharp intakes of breath at the mention of a name, Charlotte knew it was not the time to ask for explanations.

"I don't understand," Elizabeth said frowning. "I'm presuming by your demeanour that he did not die on the journey?"

"No," Michael confirmed. "Apparently, Miranda was very sick by the time they had reached Australia, she had not travelled well. There had been an outbreak of fever onboard. She was very ill, but lucid at the time they docked. When it was realised that George was missing, she took great pleasure in saying that he had never been on board. He had escaped before the s.h.i.+p set sail."

"Why did he not take Miranda with him?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"She cursed him to the others, saying that he had only looked after himself. Although if he had taken her, there would have been more chance of them being caught, so just another example of their selfishness," Michael said bitterly, remembering the lengths the brother and sister would go to in order to gain something for themselves.

"So, he didn't leave this country?" Violet asked.

"No. All this time, we have been under the impression that they were both out of the country and the reality is, he could be anywhere," Michael snarled, angry that he had tried to be fair and now his family, his wife and unborn child were in danger.

Edward intervened, "We will stay as long as needed. You will need help in trying to track him down, send word to Bow Street."

"I will, but he could be anywhere!" Michael said.

Elizabeth squeezed her husband's hand. "Tell us the truth Michael, what else did the letter say?"

Michael sighed after a moment. "Miranda was quite clear that George's aim was to finish what they had set out to do, to ruin you. She did not survive long after that, the authorities thought it was the thought of her being able to gloat to them that had kept her alive. She enjoyed being able to tell them that they were all incompetent fools."

"He can't ruin Elizabeth now, she is a married woman," Violet said, pointing out the obvious difference in circ.u.mstances since the last time George and Elizabeth had met.

"We know what he wanted to do, it is obviously still his aim. He could be here now! d.a.m.n them for not finding out sooner! You have been in danger for weeks!" Michael exploded.

Everyone had jumped at the outburst, but Elizabeth responded calmly to her husband. "I am surrounded by people; my socialising can easily be cut short because of my condition. I am happy to confine myself to the locality and not put the baby at any risk. He will be found."

"Michael, she will not be left alone for a moment," Violet a.s.sured her brother. "Charlotte, could you please accompany me? I have some errands that I need help with, if we are to stay here indefinitely."

"Certainly," Charlotte replied, and the two ladies left the room together.

Violet led the way to her bed chamber and sat at her dressing table. She invited Charlotte to sit on the chaise lounge at the end of the bed. "My dear, I think you should consider returning to your uncle while all this is going on."

Charlotte was shocked. "I don't understand. If you want me out of the house, of course I will go, but is there nothing I can do to help? It seems from what has been said that the more people that remain here the better. If I can be of a.s.sistance, I will."

"You are a dear girl, I was hoping you would say that, but you may not when you realise what we are up against."

Violet told Charlotte about Elizabeth's cousin, his wife and brother approaching Elizabeth to try and obtain her money. When she had refused, they had plotted to have her compromised by George, the brother. That way she would have been forced into marriage and they would have had access to her fortune.

"They drugged her and took her to an inn. Only for her cousin being afraid for his life when Michael got to him, Elizabeth would have been ruined by George. Michael never talks about it, but Elizabeth once told me that if Michael had arrived even five minutes later, it would have been too late."

Charlotte was horrified at the thought. It was far worse than anything she had been through, and that still gave her nightmares. She wondered how Elizabeth could seem so at peace. "My goodness! What happened to her cousin?"

"He was killed, George had a gun and it went off in the fight after they had been discovered. Miranda and George were held until the magistrate could be found and then they were put on trial. We thought that they would be hanged, but Michael asked for the sentence to be that they be transported to Australia for their crimes. He didn't think that Elizabeth would rest easy with their deaths on her conscience. It has all taken so many months, we thought everything was settled until today. George will be a desperate man, everyone will understand if you want to leave, you must consider what we will be facing by staying here."

"No!" Charlotte said firmly. "I would not dream of leaving now. You need the help of everyone here, and I will do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you my dear, the more people there are around Elizabeth, the less likely it is that he will approach her.

Chapter 16.

For a week after Stephen had attended Baron Kersal's den of iniquity, he did not leave the house. His food intake was limited, but his brandy intake was steady. He rose late and refused to see anyone, he remained undressed and unshaven, something previously unheard of. Walter had watched his employer without comment, but had started to secretly dilute the brandy. He could do very little, but he was determined to try and prevent his master from drinking himself to death.

All the staff were worried, as his Lords.h.i.+p had always been in control. They may not have agreed with everything he did, and they all longed for the day when he would settle down, but they had not expected this. Walter had informed the key staff that Lord Halkyn had been refused in a marriage proposal and they all came to the correct conclusion that their employer was in love and suffering the consequences of rejection. The only person still in denial about being in love was Stephen himself.

He did not know what to do with himself. Until he had finished his business with Peters, there had been a purpose. He had said that he would seek revenge on Baron Kersal and that is what he had done. He could do no more. The problem was that once his task was complete, all he could think of was Charlotte and how she had refused his proposal. He was bitter and angry, but instead of doing his usual trick of going out to experience every social activity that polite society could offer and quite a few that it could not, he could not find the motivation to do anything. So, he sat at home, dwelling on a pair of green eyes in a beautiful face and tried to deaden any feeling by drinking himself into a stupor.