Chapter Twenty-Four

"Mother. Thank you for coming."

The Duchess walked into the study and threw up her hands. "Whatever is the matter, Fairglen? I am very busy indeed at the present moment, making certain that all is being done in tidying up after your guests. The house gathering went very well, I am glad to say – save for your absence from the final ball – but there is still much to be done!" She began ticking things off on her fingers. "All the bedrooms must be aired, the linens must be changed, everything must be swept – "

"Ah, there you are, brother." Henry smiled briefly as his brother came into the study, his gaze holding to his for only a moment. "Thank you for coming."

"Frankton?" The Duchess frowned. "Whyever are you here? In fact, I have been meaning to ask you why you have not taken your leave as yet. Your wife appears to have recovered somewhat, though she is still as pale as I have ever seen her, and yet still you linger in this house!" The Duchess then turned towards Henry, a sharp look in her eyes. "Is there a reason that you have permitted your brother to stay here? There has not been a reconciliation between you, as I had hoped, and yet – "

A sudden realization hit Henry right between the eyes and he caught his breath, making his mother's speech come to a direct stop.

"I see it now," he said, speaking slowly as he glanced to his brother, "you never once hoped for a reconciliation, did you? You sent the letter to my brother – a letter which held nothing but lies – and on that basis alone, Frankton and his wife came to this house, even though they did not want to be in company with you for even a moment! They came in the hope that I might listen to them, that I might hear their explanations but you , instead, were hopeful that there would be a big upset during the house gathering. You hoped that it would be enough to either force me to realise that I either cared for Rachel still… something I am glad to say I do not, or that I could not even consider the possibility of matrimony again. Either that, or you thought that my betrothed might be the one to end the engagement, after seeing my anger and my coldness towards my brother. Is that not so?"

His mother simply stared at him, her eyes rounded, her face beginning to drain of the color it had held only a few moments before.

"I understand," Lord Frankton said slowly, coming a little further into the room so he might stand closer to his mother. "I must confess, I was surprised to receive such a letter but your assurances were so very profound, Mother, I could not help but take the chance, even if, as the Duke has rightly pointed out, I had no desire to see you."

The Duchess clicked her tongue and folded her arms across her chest. "It has always seemed very unfair to me that you have kept me from your company as well as your brother," she said, firmly. "Though I always supposed it was because you were most displeased with what I had done in revealing your falsehood to the Duke."

Lord Frankton shook his head. "No, Mother. It was because we knew what it was you had done."

Henry watched his mother closely, seeing how her eyebrows lifted though he believed, of course, that she feigned surprise and confusion rather than truly feeling it.

"I do not know what it is you are talking about, Frankton," the Duchess claimed with a toss of her head. " You are the one who was in the wrong, as both your brother and I know."

"Except I have come to learn that all is not as it seemed there, Mother," Henry said, quietly, catching the way his mother's head twisted quickly, her eyes rounding just a little. "I have learned that you had more to do with the situation than you stated, Mother."

"That is not true."

"I believe it is," Henry answered, quickly. "I have heard that all I need to do is go to find this rogue, the gentleman that was attempting to pull Rachel into his arms before my brother arrived, and that he will confirm that you told him to do such a thing." He spread out his hands wide. "And I could also ask Lady Frankton herself and have her tell us all of the things that you demanded of her before her marriage to me, how you offered her money and a new match with another gentleman if she would only end the engagement. And how you then threatened her when she refused."

"That is nonsense!"

Lord Frankton came closer to his mother, his arms folded across his chest. "I spoke to Lord Venables, Mother. He told me everything. I believe him. I believe Rachel."

"And I believe everything my brother has told me."

The Duchess turned slowly, looking first to Henry and then to Lord Frankton. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, clearly trying to find something to say, something to respond with that would make it quite clear that she was not in the least bit responsible but Henry could see from the way the light died in her eyes that she had nothing whatsoever to offer them.

"Why, Mother?" he asked, keeping his voice as steady as he could despite the anger which ran through it. "Why would you do such a thing to me? To Rachel? She had done nothing wrong, she was perfectly contented to be my wife, was ready and prepared to become the Duchess of Fairglen. I cared for her and she for me! Why then would you force us apart?"

The Duchess closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "She was only the daughter of an Earl, Fairglen."

Even though Henry was already aware that his mother was responsible, hearing her admit it still rocked him back on his heels, his hands gripping the edge of the desk for a moment. His mother rolled her eyes as though his reaction was something to be laughed at, was something of an overreaction but Henry could not help the waves of shock which ran over him. Each one crested a little higher until, unable to look into his mother's face, he turned away directly.

"You tried to do the same thing to Miss Tidemore, did you not?" he asked, still not able to look back at her. "You did not mean for the fire to take with such strength but you wanted to do something to make sure she could never become my Duchess."

"She is the daughter of a Viscount! " The Duchess' cry ran around the room and Henry closed his eyes, his hands curling into fists. "That is even worse than the daughter of an Earl! As I have told you before, a gentleman of your standing should marry the daughter of a Marquess or of a Duke. The daughter of an Earl is not at all suitable but the daughter of a Viscount is an embarrassment! Though, as you have said, I did not mean for that to happen. It was only meant to be a small fire and – "

"Then you admit to it?" Henry turned around sharply, seeing his mother's eyes widen suddenly. Perhaps she had not meant to speak as she had done but now the truth was out. "You are saying that, yes, you did set that fire?"

She blinked quickly. "No, I did not do it myself."

"Then you had someone do it for you," Lord Frankton stated, unequivocally, "just as you had Lord Venables approach Rachel. You set up the situation in the hope that she would get the blame."

The Duchess shut her eyes and swayed gently. "I thought Miss Tidemore would be blamed for the fire, yes," she said, speaking now with a great heaviness in her voice as though she had given up all attempts to pretence.

"In what way?" Henry demanded, his own heart thudding with both anger and fright, realizing just how malevolent his mother truly was. "What was it you thought to do?"

His mother looked at him. "Do such details matter?"

Coming around from his desk, Henry strode across the room, coming to stand only a step away from his mother. "Of course it matters," he hissed, barely able to contain himself. "I almost lost my betrothed and at your hand. What was it you thought to do?"

Taking a step back, his mother looked up at him, her eyes wide. For some minutes, she did not answer, only to then close her eyes and drop her head. "The man who set the fire was to blame Miss Tidemore," she said, in the end. "Though now, of course, I have no doubt that he has run from the house – if not from the village – given what took place. The fool clearly set the fire too strongly and – "

"This is your doing and no-one else's," Henry cried, his voice ripping through his mother's words. " You are the one who did this to the orphanage, the one whose arrogance and determination almost took the lives from not only the children in the orphanage but also from my own betrothed. Do you have any understanding of just how reckless you have been? And how little I now think of you?"

A sudden sheen came into his mother's eyes. "But I did this for you, Fairglen!" she exclaimed, reaching for him though Henry quickly stepped back. "I wanted you to see, I wanted you to understand that you deserved someone better."

Henry shook his head, recoiling from her. "There is no-one better for me than Edith," he said, simply. "I told her that I would have you removed to the Dower house on the day of our wedding but I do not think that will be soon enough."

The Duchess let out a faint cry but Henry did not feel even a single ounce of sympathy. Instead, all he felt was pain.

"You will remove to the Dower house today," he said, cutting the air with his hand as she tried to speak. "I do not care whether it is ready for you, whether or not it is prepared, you will go and you will go today. I will have the staff here send your things there at the earliest opportunity."

The Duchess shook her head, tears now falling to her cheeks. "But there are no servants there, save for the one who looks after the house and the other who cares for the grounds! There is no butler, no cook – "

"You will have your lady's maid with you, and I will send two footmen and another maid with you for a month." Turning his back on her, Henry walked to his desk again, his chest heaving with emotion. "That is all."

"You are not welcome at my house," Lord Frankton said, his voice clear but low. "I will not have you set foot across my threshold ever again."

"And I will not have you here either," Henry agreed, quickly. "And you shall not attend the wedding. I do not care what excuses you make in order to satisfy the ton' s curiosity, save to say that if you ever mention a single word against myself, my betrothed or Lord and Lady Frankton, then I will have no other choice but to reveal everything that you have done thus far – and I shall tell all of society, Mother. Do not think for a moment that I will step back from that."

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her and then sat back down in his chair. Folding his arms, he waited for her to take her leave, watching her steadily. He felt no hatred for her, only regret: regret that he had not seen her as she truly was and that he had not listened to his brother in these last few years. How much pain and how much difficulty would have been spared if he had?

But Edith is safe now, he reminded himself as, still stuttering in an attempt to find something to say, the Duchess turned and slowly began to make her way from the room. And that is all that matters.

"Do you think she will leave?"

Henry shrugged as his brother went to pour them both a brandy. "I shall have her things packed whether she likes it or not. I do not intend to have another night in this house with her presence."

Lord Frankton handed Henry the brandy but shook his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "I am astonished that she admitted to all of it," he said, as Henry nodded grimly. "That was the truth, was it not? That was all of the truth."

"It was."

"And you will not see her again?"

Henry lifted his glass, holding it out to his brother. "Unless I see real remorse, unless I see a genuine realization that what she has done is nothing but cruel, selfish and wicked, then I will not have her back in this house," he said, unequivocally. "And I do not think that any of that will be forthcoming."

His brother tapped his glass with Henry's, though no smile came to either of their faces. "I quite agree," he said, with a small sigh. "Though now that it is over, now that the matter is ended, mayhap we can begin to think of better things?"

A small smile touched the edges of Henry's lips. "Yes, of course," he agreed, thinking now of Edith. "I shall have to go and tell her that all is well." He made to get to his feet only for there to come a knock at the door. "If that is mother… " With a look to his brother, he called for the person behind to enter, only for it to reveal a very frightened looking Lady Frankton.

"My dear!" Lord Frankton rushed to her, taking both of her hands in his. "What is wrong?"

"The Duchess is in a terrible rage," the lady answered, throwing a glance to Henry, a slight shudder in her frame. "She is going all round the house, screaming at the servants and in such a fury, I do not know what to do!"

"Leave her to be so," Henry answered, coming closer to them both. He looked into the face of his once betrothed, seeing the fright in her eyes and finding his heart tearing with guilt over what she had endured at his hand.

There was still one more thing for him to do.

"Lady Frankton… Rachel," he began, putting one hand to his heart and bowing to her. "I have nothing to say to you other than an apology. An apology for what I did in turning my back on you, for refusing to believe you, for stepping away from you when what I should have done was remain by your side, giving you the opportunity to tell me all that had taken place." He lifted his head and looked back at her. "I did not do that and for that, I am sorry."

Lady Frankton blinked and then, after a moment, smiled. "Oh, Fairglen," she said, quietly, "there is nothing that you need to apologise for. I will not pretend that at the time, I was not broken and shamed but as time has gone on, I understand now why you did not even think to question what your mother said she had seen. It was from her lips after all, so why would you doubt it?" Reaching out, she took his hand for a moment but then released it. "I bear you no ill will. I have already forgiven you for what happened because, as I have said, I understand it all." She smiled at him. "I cannot tell you how glad I am to know that you will soon be wed, that you will soon find the very same happiness as I have with your brother."

Henry bowed again, unable to find the words to speak for a moment. It was too overwhelming, too astonishing to fully take in. This lady who had dealt with so much, was already willing to set it all aside in order to restore their relationship. It was something he did not deserve but Henry accepted it with a grateful heart.

A shout from down the hallway made him rise, a weighty smile on his face. "I should probably go to make certain that the servants are not about to receive the weight of the Duchess' wrath," he said, seeing his brother's wry smile. "Thank you, Lady Frankton… Rachel." He looked to his brother. "Thank you both."