16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

W ell, dash my wig , Rosalind thought as realisation dawned. That can only be Alex's brother!

The woman looked familiar to Rosalind, but as her face was largely obscured, it was impossible to tell. As Rosalind stood there, her presence still unnoticed by the entwined lovers, a wave of conflicting emotions washed over her. Shock gave way to a sense of betrayal, a bitter taste in her mouth as she realised the depths of deception that had been hidden from her. The trust she had placed in Alex, the growing connection between them, now felt tainted by the shadow of his brother's actions.

Yet, amidst the turmoil of her thoughts, a flicker of understanding began to take root in Rosalind's heart. She recalled the whispers and rumours that had plagued Alex, the accusations of impropriety that had driven him to seek a suitable bride. It was easy to give a family plagued by scandal a fresh veneer with a respectable marriage. Rosalind could feel her lip curling in distaste, feeling well and truly used.

It was unclear what gave her presence away, but suddenly the pair were staring at Rosalind, who could only stare back. The lovers leapt apart, with the man attempting to shield the woman from view.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, aristocratically running his fingers through his hair and adjusting the lay of his jacket. His cravat was pulled helplessly askew, his collar rumpled beyond repair by their eager embracing.

Rosalind could only stare–it was simply too strange for words, the way that this man looked so much like Alex. There was a certain leanness to his face that Alex did not have, and Alex's hair tended more towards waves, but the likeness was still striking. Her mind raced at the possibilities, the implications.

"Well?" the man demanded, taking a step closer.

Before Rosalind could react, the sound of footsteps echoed behind her. The door was flung open as if it weighed nothing, and there was Alex, filling the doorway. "Rosalind?" he asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "What's going on?" His eyes flicked between her and the other occupants of the room. His expression fell. "Richard," he said flatly.

Rosalind's gaze darted between Alex and the entwined lovers, her emotions boiling over. There was no doubt now that Alex knew the man, as if the clearly familial resemblance wasn't confirmation enough. She fixed Alex with a piercing stare, her voice ringing with a mix of anger and hurt.

"It seems that your family has a habit of harbouring secret affairs and scandalous behaviour," Rosalind accused, her words dripping with bitterness.

"Rosalind–" Alex began, but Rosalind tossed her head, her eyes flashing. Rosalind's trust had been shaken to its core. The weight of the rumours and whispers that had plagued Alex now took on a new meaning, casting a shadow of doubt over everything she had come to believe about him.

"Rosalind?" Richard repeated, blinking at both of them. His face softened a little.

"How can I trust you, Alex?" Rosalind demanded, her voice rising with each word. "How can I be sure that you're not involved in similar scandals yourself? That this isn't just another layer of deception in a family that seems to thrive on secrets and lies?"

Alex took a step towards her, his hand outstretched in a gesture of pleading. "Rosalind, please, let me explain. This isn't what it looks like. I had no part in this."

Rosalind shook her head, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, hot with anger. The betrayal cut deep. She couldn't bear to look at him, couldn't stomach the thought of being caught in the middle of a scandal that threatened to unravel everything she held dear.

"I can't do this, Alex," Rosalind whispered, her voice barely audible above the pounding of her own heart. "I can't be a part of this. I won't let myself be dragged into the mire of your family's secrets and indiscretions." She swallowed hard, squaring her shoulders. "I have my sisters to think of, after all," she said more firmly.

Rosalind shifted backward as Richard disentangled himself from the woman's embrace. His paramour turned away, keeping her face obscured. Richard's face was a mask of guilt and desperation. He took a step towards her, his hands outstretched in a pleading gesture, his words tumbling out in a rush.

"Lady Rosalind, please, you must understand," Richard implored, his voice hoarse with emotion. "The rumours that have plagued my brother, the scandal that has cast a shadow over our family's reputation—it was all because of me, not Alex."

Rosalind's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to process Richard's confession. She glanced at Alex, who stood frozen, his body tense.

Richard continued, his words spilling forth like a dam that had finally burst. "I have been the one involved in this illicit affair with Lady–"

A sharp clearing of the throat from the lady in question silenced Richard. He half-turned back to her, taking her gloved hand in his. "My own reckless actions, my own selfish desires, have brought shame upon our family and threatened to destroy everything we hold dear." He paused, then addressed the lady who kept her back to them. "It will be alright," he said with surprising gentleness. "We owe them our trust, surely."

The lady's shoulders fell a little, and she nodded. Slowly, she turned to face them, her face pale and eyes filled with fear. She stayed half-hidden behind Richard, using him as a shield.

"Lady Evelyn Banfield?" Rosalind blurted, looking from Alex to Richard in disbelief. Of course Rosalind knew her–Lady Evelyn had been a great beauty at her debut, her chestnut hair and large doe-like eyes winning her many admirers. She was still beautiful, but the low light in the library deepened the lines of her face, lines brushed onto her by worry and sadness. A kind of melancholy seemed to be swathed around her like a mantle.

"Please, Lady Rosalind, I beg of you, have mercy on us. If this secret were to be exposed, the consequences would be ruinous. My husband, the judge, would be merciless in his retribution." She clung to Richard's arm, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke.

Rosalind's mind reeled, the weight of their confession pressing down upon her. She grappled with the realisation that the man she had come to care for, the man whose integrity she had questioned, was innocent of the very scandal that had brought them together. Blindly, she reached behind her for a chair, which Alex quickly scooted forward for her. She sank into it heavily, her mind whirling like a top.

Richard's voice grew more urgent, his eyes pleading as he met Rosalind's gaze. "I know I have no right to ask for your silence. I implore you, though, for the sake of my brother, for the sake of our family's honour, please keep this secret. Allow us to find a way to make amends, to right the wrongs we have committed."

Rosalind's heart twisted, torn between her own sense of morality and the weight of the consequences that would befall them all if the truth were to be revealed. She glanced at Alex once more, and found that he was watching her warily. He did not push or insist, which Rosalind appreciated in this moment.

Rosalind sat in the quiet room, her heart heavy with the weight of the secrets that had been revealed. Lady Evelyn, her eyes filled with a haunting sadness and a flicker of hope, stepped forward out of Richard's shadow. "Might I have a private audience, Lady Rosalind? I...I should like the chance to speak with you, one woman to another," she said, her voice soft.

After a moment's hesitation, Rosalind nodded. Alex, his jaw tight with barely controlled anger, took Richard by the arm and led him from the room. As the door closed behind the two men, Rosalind turned to face Lady Evelyn, her curiosity piqued by the woman's request. She gestured for Lady Evelyn to take a seat, her own nerves on edge as she waited for the woman to speak.

Lady Evelyn clasped and unclasped her hands by turns, her voice wavering with emotion as she began to speak, a haunting sadness laying heavily on her face. "I was very young when I married my husband, Judge Banfield. I had been the belle of that season–I suppose I am allowed to say it now, that I was a great beauty and all of the men wanted me." She exhaled a sad laugh. "Or so it seemed at the time. Judge Banfield was wealthy and charming, and I thought that I had made a good match." Lady Evelyn's face darkened. "All of that charm evaporated the moment we were married. I had come with a rather sizable dowry, you see, and it was very clear that was all that he wanted."

She paused, turning her face away again. Compulsively, Rosalind reached out and touched her hand. She could not help but feel for the woman; after all, it very easily could have been her, or one of her sisters–it still might. Lady Evelyn gave her a wan smile, took a deep breath, and continued.

"For all of his posturing, Judge Banfield is a profligate. He quickly gambled and drank away my dowry, and I refused to beg my father for more. I knew that it would be lost at the gaming tables, or poured right down his throat. I may as well have taken whatever money was given to us and tossed it into the sea for all the good it would do," she said bitterly. "When it became clear that I would be of no more help to him, that I refused to... Well, do things that no man should ask of a wife in order to get him more money, his cruelty knew no bounds from that time onward."

As she spoke, she unbuttoned her glove, fumbling a little with the small pearl buttons at her wrist. She peeled it down, not meeting Rosalind's eyes. Even in the relative gloom of the darkened library, Rosalind could see livid marks on Lady Evelyn's delicate forearm.

"There is no truth to the claim that it was once legal for a man to beat his wife with a stick so long as it was no thicker than his thumb, but that does not stop cruel men from doing so and claiming that they are within the letter of the law. And it wasn't just myself that suffered," she added. "My husband," she practically spat, "is not above using his position and influence to blackmail and extort whoever he can in order to get what he wants."

Rosalind stared intently, her mouth going dry. Her heart ached for the pain and suffering that Lady Evelyn had endured. She could see the toll that years of abuse and neglect had taken on the woman and the way her once vibrant spirit had been dimmed by the constant torment of her husband's actions. Yet, there was still a spark of something undiminished within her.

"I had decided that I had quite enough of being his plaything, something to torment and inflict upon. I may have been trapped into a marriage of the worst kind, but I refused to remain that way–you know that women do not have many options. I was at the bottom of a dark well, and there was only one way out. I couldn't endure another day, a single hour, with the pain."

Lady Evelyn closed her eyes, her voice stronger when they fluttered open again. "That was the day I met Richard. There I was, on the bridge over the Thames at midnight, my pockets full of stones, and there he was, full of light and laughter and gentleness..."

She looked down at her hands, a wistful smile playing about her lips. "I could not believe that someone could touch me with such tenderness, a stranger even. He made me laugh, even at that terrible moment: 'For the love of God, don't jump–the Thames smells foul this time of year! You won't be allowed a church burial simply for the smell!' Can you imagine?" Lady Evelyn chuckled, shaking her head.

"And...you've been lovers since then?" Rosalind asked softly.

Lady Evelyn looked up sharply at Rosalind, taking her aback. "Not just lovers," she said, her voice strong and clear, enunciating each word crisply. "He has been my lifeline, the only thing keeping me tethered to this mortal coil. Without him, I..." She shook her head again, and pulled her glove back up. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons again, trembling slightly.

Carefully, Rosalind reached over and helped her; a perfect parallel to the trust that Lady Evelyn had placed in her, the vulnerability that she had shown in sharing her deepest secrets and fears.

"I understand," Rosalind said softly, her voice filled with empathy and compassion. "I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering you have endured, the courage it must have taken to hold on for so long in the face of such cruelty."

Lady Evelyn stared at Rosalind as she buttoned her glove. Her lower lip quivered a little, her eyes brimming with tears. "I know that what Richard and I have done is wrong," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But he has been my only source of comfort, the only person who has shown me kindness and respect in a world that has treated me as nothing more than a burden to be born."

Rosalind's heart ached for the woman before her, for the impossible situation in which she found herself. She knew that the path forward would not be easy, that the consequences of their actions could be devastating if the truth were to be revealed. Even so, in that moment, as she looked into Lady Evelyn's eyes, Rosalind knew that she could not turn her back on the woman's suffering, on the desperate plea for help that shone in her gaze.

"We will find a way," Rosalind said, her voice filled with determination. "I cannot condone what has happened, but I also cannot ignore the pain and desperation that has driven you to this point. We will work together to find a solution, to help you escape the nightmare in which you have been trapped for so long."

Lady Evelyn's eyes widened, a flicker of hope sparking to life in their depths. "You would do that for me?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion. "Even after all that has happened, all the trouble that Richard and I have caused?"

Rosalind nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I believe in the power of redemption," she said. "I believe that everyone deserves a chance to start anew, to build a life free from the chains of the past. And I believe that, together, we can find a way to make that happen."

"How?" Lady Evelyn demanded, catching Rosalind's wrists in her hands. "I cannot leave him–he would find me, I'd be dragged back."

With a determined set of her mouth, Rosalind scooted her chair closer, gently placing an arm about her shoulders, folding into her protective embrace. "You have only been one up till now," she said, "but now you shall be many. We will find a way."

Lady Evelyn's shoulders sagged with relief, a sob escaping her lips as she buried her face in her hands. Rosalind held her shaking shoulders close as she wept, the weight of years of pain and suffering pouring out in a torrent of tears. It was as if a storm had been loosed within Lady Evelyn, everything that she had been holding back running wild all at once. When at last the tempest was spent, Rosalind stood and helped Lady Evelyn to her feet. They spent some moments adjusting their hair and the fall of their dresses. Together, they opened the library doors, stepping out into the light together.

Rosalind's heart raced as she walked beside Lady Evelyn. Rosalind's resolve only grew stronger with each passing moment. As they entered a sitting room, Rosalind's gaze swept across the crowd, searching for Alex amidst the sea of faces. She spotted him standing with Richard, looking at a red-headed woman playing the harp, but not really seeing her. Both of their faces still looked startlingly alike in full daylight, but Alex's was limned with a quiet anger, while Richard's was pale and wan.

Rosalind took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she approached the two men. Lady Evelyn kept her hand on Rosalind's elbow, clinging to her like a lifeline in a storm-tossed sea. As they drew near, Alex looked up, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Rosalind and Lady Evelyn together. When he caught sight of Rosalind's face, of the determination that no doubt shone freely from it, his expression changed.

"Your Grace," Rosalind said, her voice steady and clear despite the pounding of her heart. "There is something you need to know, something that cannot wait a moment longer. If we might have a discreet word?" She flicked her gaze about them significantly, at the eager ears that were pretending to listen to the music, but were really just hungry for more gossip.

Alex's brow furrowed, his gaze darting between Rosalind and Lady Evelyn as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. "Of course," he said, his voice laced with concern. With an outstretched hand, he gestured for them to accompany him to the back garden, out of earshot of everyone but still within sight of the windows.

Rosalind took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving Alex's as she began to speak. She did not flinch or hesitate as she told him, in no uncertain terms, exactly what had befallen Lady Evelyn. As she spoke, Alex's face became paler and paler, his mouth pressing into a hard line, his hands clenching into fists.

When at last Rosalind fell silent, her voice hoarse with emotion, Alex turned to Richard, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "Is this true?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "Is what Rosalind says true, Richard?"