Chapter Five

“Y our husband?” Grace sputtered.

Flora nodded. “Aye.”

“Since when?” Grace squeaked.

“Two years ago.”

Her confession left her friends confused. Their silence unnerved her as she waited for their endless questions. By keeping her secret, she had betrayed them and hurt their feelings. Flora wouldn’t blame them if they abandoned their friendship.

“Your secret must have been a troublesome burden to carry.”

Flora raised her head at Vivian’s softly spoken comment. Her friend offered her a sympathetic smile of understanding. She shifted her gaze to her other friends to find the same accepting smile from them.

Flora sighed. “More times than I care to admit.”

Vivian reached out to squeeze Flora’s hand. “Would you like to share now?”

“’Tis a sad tale,” Flora murmured.

“One we would share our heartache along with yours,” Sara offered.

Grace winked. “Also, you might find it a relief to voice your agitation with Lord Hepburn aloud.”

“Lord Hepburn.” Flora scoffed. “More like Lennox Fraser.”

“Then he is not Lord Hepburn, your employer?” Vivian inquired.

“I am unclear as to the reason he addresses himself as Lord Hepburn and how he has settled in the townhome as if he owns it.”

“How did the other servants react to his arrival?” questioned Grace.

Flora frowned. “I am unsure. I never encountered anyone on my return last night. Nor when I tried to make my escape.”

Sara gasped. “You tried to escape. Did he threaten you?”

“You misunderstand. I wanted to leave instead of confronting my past. However, Lennox blocked my attempts with concern for my safety. Once I resigned myself to my fate for the evening, I waited for the morning to leave. When Murray informed me the carriage was at my disposal, I assumed Lennox had kept his word to allow me to leave in the morning. I never thought to question the servants about what they knew of Lennox’s arrival. I hurried to the carriage. However, in my neglect, I failed to notice he was waiting inside the carriage. By then, I couldn’t question his agenda because we had arrived at the park. Lennox promised if his meeting with Somerville agrees with him, he will escort me to my desired destination.”

Vivian drummed her fingers on the curve of the bench’s arm handle. “His behavior is most peculiar. However, you cannot lay fault with his desire to protect you. His desire to keep you safe was most clear in his response to the gentlemen’s questioning last night.”

“Yes, it was most intense. He did not display one ounce of dishonesty in the ferocity of his defense,” Grace agreed.

“Yes. He was most ardent in his, umm ...” A blush settled over Sara’s cheeks.

Flora took pity on Sara’s innocence. “He holds that effect in all aspects of his personality.”

Grace cocked an eyebrow. “Even more so concerning you.”

It was Flora who blushed that time. “I am a possession of his. Nothing more.”

“That is not the impression I received,” Vivian murmured.

When Grace and Sara murmured their agreements too, Flora pushed off the bench and stalked away. She had made the grave mistake of storming out of the Lockhart home instead of confronting Lennox in front of her friends. Now he had left them with the impression that he was a passionate spouse who concerned himself with his wife’s safety, when he was actually a territorial brute whose primary intent was to deliver her back home.

Flora stalked back with her hands balled into fists on her waist. “He has fooled you. Even now, he is probably fooling your husbands and Somerville. Lennox can charm the most unsuspecting soul without a hint of deception. Believe me, I know more than anybody what he is capable of.”

“Then help us understand your dilemma, so we can prepare ourselves to defend your honor,” Vivian coaxed.

Grace twisted her lips. “Your passionate delivery of Lord Hepburn’s character leads me to question if you hold a tenderness for the gentleman.”

“Grace!” Sara objected.

Flora guffawed. “At one time, he fooled me into believing his intentions were pure. However, after we wed, he showed his true character.”

“Please explain,” Vivian urged.

Flora paced along the length of the benches, too agitated to sit during her explanation. It was long overdue, and her irritation would only increase as she explained the course of the miserable mishap of her marriage to Lennox Fraser, the supposed Lord Hepburn.

“I first met Lennox at my brother’s wedding. It was a rushed affair because of the nature of the bride’s condition,” Flora began.

“Condition? Was she ill?” Sara interrupted.

“No, dear, she was in a family way. My brother’s courtship with the lass was unconventional.”

“Oh,” Sara whispered.

Flora smiled at her friend’s innocence before continuing. “The bride’s family stayed at our estate after the wedding as a welcome invitation for our families to become better acquainted. During this time, Lennox found every opportunity to place himself in my company.”

“He was smitten,” Grace commented.

“One would think. Especially myself. I led a sheltered life, and he was the first gentleman to shower me with devotion. He charmed me with his display of affection, and my parents encouraged his pursuit. In my girlish fantasies, his flirtations flattered my delicate ego.” Flora smiled wistfully at how na?ve she had been during that time. “What enamored me with him more was how he accepted the wildness I displayed in everyday life. I had only known the roughness of the Highlands. While he enjoyed the same simplicity of life, he also held the maturity one only gained from exposure to a loftier lifestyle.”

Flora paused in her explanation, searching her memory for any signs of his betrayal during their courtship. However, nothing revealed itself when everything had shifted from her dreams coming true to the depressing reality that had become her life.

“When did you learn he deceived you?” Vivian interrupted Flora’s thoughts.

Flora swung her head toward Vivian. “The day after our wedding.”

“Oh, my dear,” Grace sympathized.

Flora wrapped her arms around herself. “Our families showed enthusiasm for our union. The celebration moved to their estate for the wedding. His family was of higher esteem, with attainable wealth I was unaccustomed to. However, they welcomed me into their fold as one of theirs. The bond of our union only strengthened the joining of our clans his sister and my brother had begun with their marriage.”

“He was not the only one who deceived you,” Vivian guessed.

Flora scoffed. “Nay, he was not.”

“Your family or his?” Grace asked.

“Both.”

“I do not understand,” Sara stated.

“The arrangement of our marriage resulted from a drunken brawl between Lennox and my brother. They had destroyed a tavern because Lennox defended his sister’s honor after he learned my brother had seduced her because of a dare. Since his parents would lose a daughter to a marriage that would gain them nil, they wanted another daughter in return. Our parents agreed Lennox would claim me as his bride since he was behind the destruction.”

Grace gasped. “How barbaric.”

Flora rubbed her arms. “Aye. To add to my tragic story, our parents agreed to the terms that the courtship would appear as a love match since disgrace clouded my brother’s wedding. Lennox proceeded with the plan until I learned the truth during breakfast the next morning. The guests in high spirits continued the wedding celebration into the next day.”

“By whom?”

Vivian sympathized with Flora’s grief and understood how the depth of the deception impacted Flora’s emotions. Her own trials and tribulations with Lord Courtland resembled Flora’s demise closely. She followed the story, asking pertinent questions that pinpointed the facts that needed to be addressed.

Flora bit back a choked laugh. “By his mistress. Who else?”

Vivian rose and wrapped Flora in her embrace. Grace scrambled over to sit next to Sara, while Vivian guided Flora to rest on the bench. Flora wiped at the tears trailing along her cheeks. She hadn’t cried since the day Lennox crushed her heart with his insensitive actions when she learned the truth of their marriage.

“We are sorry, dear, that you had to endure such heartache,” Vivian soothed Flora.

“What a disreputable barbarian heathen,” Grace swore. “You will stay with us, and Lockhart will work to dissolve your marriage.”

“Nay,” Flora objected. “I must accept my fate.”

“You fled from him and your family for a valid reason. Please reconsider until you are firm with your decision,” Vivian urged.

“I do not wish to involve your families with my drama because of my childish behavior of not accepting the status of my marriage. It warms my heart the offer of friendship offered today. However, I have grown weary of running and waiting for the inevitable to crash through all that I have accomplished. If anything, during my absence, I have gained the maturity to handle the circumstances of my marriage and how to defend my objections.”

“Then you will return to your family?” Grace questioned.

“Nay. First, I will learn why my husband refers to himself as Lord Hepburn, and from there, I will state the terms of what I will accept in our marriage.”

Vivian tilted her head. “Which is?”

Flora threw her shoulders back and sat up straighter. “That I wish to remain in Edinburgh near my friends. He can return to the Highlands and his mistress for all I care.”

Throughout unburdening her sorrows to her friends, a peace settled over Flora. She meant what she told them about becoming more mature about facing the consequences of her marriage. She had gained confidence while forging a path on her own. Flora no longer held on to her naivety concerning Lennox Fraser.

Sara, who had been silent since Flora spilled her sorrows, whispered the truth Flora kept trying to deny to herself. “You still love him.”

~~~~~

H EPBURN LEANED AGAINST the window frame as he watched Flora exchange pleasantries with Courtland and his wife. Lady Courtland had stayed attached to Flora’s side since the ladies had joined them for tea. Her protectiveness of his wife amused him. The lady must feel guilty for leading Flora back to him. When he repaired his relationship with Flora, he must make a point of thanking Lady Courtland for her interference.

His meeting hadn’t gained him any more knowledge than he had already been aware of. The gentlemen held no clues on the culprit’s identity. He was a phantom who had gained access to the lives of innocent ladies without their knowledge. While they agreed a connection linked the ladies to the villain’s animosity, they were unclear what it might be.

Hepburn gave them a brief explanation about his marriage to Flora and the reason for their separation. While they didn’t interfere with endless questions, he noted the curiosity in their gazes. However, they respected his privacy. A failed marriage was a sensitive subject to some. To others, they welcomed the gossip it garnered because it gained them the attention they lacked in their marriages. He was the former.

Also, he explained how he had kept watch over Flora during her time in England and since her return to Scotland. His staff had watched over Flora and offered her the protection she was unaware of. Hepburn thanked them for their added support.

Before the ladies arrived, they had concluded that Flora or Miss Abbott would fall victim to the threats next. They were still undecided on which lady it might be. If Flora was next, he was clueless about who she might’ve made an enemy of, especially since Courtland had ruled out Lord Baldridge, who the ladies had embarrassed in London. Baldridge had sought his revenge by depriving the ladies of positions in England. Also, the threats hadn’t begun until after they arrived in Scotland. Too soon after their arrival for them to have made any enemies. So, it must be someone they had angered from England. If not Baldridge, then who?

“It is a mystery none of us has been able to solve,” Courtland drawled.

“There must be a connection,” Hepburn murmured.

“I thought so too, but I’ve concluded it concerns one lady’s past, and the coward scares the other ladies for amusement.”

Hepburn narrowed his eyes. “The taunts grow more malicious with each letter.”

Courtland nodded. “Because we are closer to revealing their identity.”

Hepburn had thought the same but hadn’t voiced it earlier. While he respected the gentlemen’s opinions, he still thought something from their pasts provoked the villain to terrorize the ladies.

“Your wife is a tigress protecting her cub,” Hepburn drawled.

Courtland chuckled. “Vivian can be most tenacious when someone threatens her loved ones.”

“’Tis not my intent to hurt Flora.”

Courtland’s lips twisted into a frown. “Yet you already have.”

Hepburn sighed. “Aye.”

“Do you have a plan?”

Hepburn kept his gaze focused on Flora. “I thought I did.”

Courtland held his hand out to Hepburn. “Best of luck.”

Hepburn shook Courtland’s hand before the lord sauntered over to his wife. They expressed their farewells to the ladies, arranging to meet at the park in a week’s time. Soon the Lockharts departed, which left Flora and him alone with Somerville and his governess. He had been out of society for a time, but the oddity of a duke’s governess playing hostess was most uncommon. However, since meeting the lords and their wives today, it shouldn’t surprise him.

Flora moved to Sara’s side and kissed her cheek. “I will see you next week.”

Sara whispered in Flora’s ear, and Flora shook her head in response. The young miss frowned in Hepburn’s direction but nodded her own response. It would appear Lady Courtland wasn’t Flora’s only protector. Not only did he need to win his wife’s affections but he must earn the respect of her friends too.

“Thank you, Somerville, for your guidance on the issue before us,” Hepburn addressed the duke.

Somerville walked with Hepburn to the foyer. “We can only hope time will prevail with no change. If not, please send word at once.”

Hepburn turned to the soft footsteps behind them. “Will do.”

His wife walked alongside Miss Abbott in silence. Flora appeared defeated and resolved to accompany him to his home. Not the reaction he had hoped for, but he would accept it without complaint. He expected a clash of wills to keep her protected. However, her willingness showed she had accepted his presence for the time being. While she wouldn’t fight him over her safety, he noticed the spark of defiance blasting from her eyes.

It was a battle he eagerly awaited.