Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

S ilence.

The drawing room was silent, although Lady Welsford’s angered stares spoke as loudly as an ear-piercing scream.

Lady Welsford had, since the moment that they had stepped into the carriage, not spoken a single word to either Lillian or Timothy, and neither of the Colborne siblings dared to speak first. Their mother was seething with anger, while their father sternly stared at them, his jaw tight.

Timothy shifted in discomfort and cleared his throat after what felt like an eternity.

“Mother, I-”

“Silence. I do not wish to hear it,” Lady Welsford hissed. “Not yet.”

Lillian clasped her hands together and looked at Timothy. As their gazes met, she mouthed a silent apology, and he nodded in reassurance. Despite Lillian’s insistence on accompanying Timothy to the Duke’s home, there was the fact that he had allowed her to. He was aware of the rules, and his mother had forbidden Lillian to leave their home, especially as she was not allowed anywhere near the Duke. It was entirely his fault, and he was ready to bear the consequences of his actions.

The carriage ride back to Welsford House had been quiet and tense, and no one had spoken a single word. Thankfully for everyone in the carriage, it had been a short journey.

Now, the two Colborne children stood in front of their parents in the drawing room, awaiting their fate. They were both well and truly of an age where they should be treated as adults, but at that moment, they felt as if they were six years old again.

Lady Welsford inhaled deeply, and the disappointment was evident on her face.

“As a mother, I am deeply disappointed.”

“Mother-”

“It is not your turn to speak, Timothy. I wish to speak my piece first.”

Lillian raised an apprehensive eyebrow as she was well aware of what her mother would say. Her mother found much delight in dredging up the past, and Lillian was convinced that she would do the same in this instance. Whenever she decided to speak, of course. Lillian was also aware that the longer the pause, the more dire the repercussions would be. She was already confined to her home, what worse fate was there?

“I was under the impression that I had raised well-behaved children who had grown into well-behaved adults, especially you, Timothy. You were such an obedient boy. You did as you were told without question, and you always carried the Colborne name with pride, ensuring that it could be held in high respect. You attended Oxford and made the family proud.”

Lillian lowered her gaze, as she unfortunately knew that she was more of a disappointment to her mother than Timothy was.

“Lillian, on the other hand, was defiant from the moment that she was born. Even her golden locks could not be tamed.”

Lord Welsford stepped forward and touched his wife’s shoulder.

“We recognize the differences between you, of course, as you are two entirely different people. And we would never dare to compare you with one another.”

“Only you do, Mother,” Lillian managed to say.

Lady Welsford glared at Lillian, and she lowered her gaze again.

“I have never been as disappointed in both of you as I am at this very moment. You disregarded everything I had said and put this family’s name and reputation in jeopardy.”

“Mother, I apologize. I am the one who is at fault. I allowed Lillian to accompany me to the Duke’s home.”

“Why on earth would you visit him at such an hour? That is not proper, Timothy, especially not with your sister accompanying you.”

“I am aware of that, Mother, and I sincerely apologize. The Duke had an issue at his home. Someone broke his window and ransacked two rooms inside his house. “

Lord Welsford gasped.

“Is he well? Was anything taken?”

“No, there was only damage to his furniture, and he hurt his hand.”

“He hurt his hand?” Lillian gasped. “Why did I not see that?”

“It does not matter. Or perhaps it was due to disobeying my orders,” Lady Welsford retorted.

“The more important question is, why were you two there at this time of the night? It is most improper, even if it had been only you that visited the Duke, Timothy.”

Timothy nodded.

“I am aware of that, Father. I simply wished to see if the Duke was well and if he required assistance with anything.”

“Timothy was being a good friend, Father. There were no ill intentions. I also only wished to see if he was well. And…”

“And what, Lillian?”

“It does not matter,” Lady Welsford huffed at Lord Welsford. “She disobeyed me. What if something had happened to them? What if they had been injured, attacked, or robbed?”

“Or worse, seen in the company of the Duke,” Lillian said sarcastically and glared at her mother.

“How dare you speak to me in such a tone?”

Lord Welsford held up his hands and attempted to keep the peace.

“Shall we all remain calm?”

His question was, of course, directed to Lady Welsford, but Lord Welsford was very diplomatic and did not wish to further insult his beloved wife, who had the tendency to take things too far at times.

“I am calm,” Lady Welsford sighed, clasping her hands together.

“Why did you wish to accompany Timothy, Lillian?” Lord Welsford inquired.

“When he had dinner here, the Duke spoke of wishing to find the man who wrote the article which has damaged his reputation. He wanted to unmask him, and I offered to assist. Timothy, however, did not agree that it was a good idea. Nor did the Duke. He declined my offer. But I still wanted to assist.”

“What did you do, Lillian?”

“She did nothing, Mother. Lillian received a letter at home, threatening her with a ruined reputation if she did not keep her distance from the Duke.”

Both their parents gasped.

“Lillian, how could you not inform us?”

“What if something had happened?”

“I apologize. I am at fault. I pleaded with Timothy not to inform you. I did not wish either of you to be concerned.”

“You were threatened by a man who, all evidence suggests, makes good on his promises. What were you thinking?” Lady Welsford exclaimed.

“I am not certain. Perhaps I was not thinking at all. But it turned out for the best,” Lillian stated.

“And why do you say that?” Lord Welsford asked with a furrowed brow.

“I recognized the writing, and I came upon a startling discovery.”

“Show them, Lillian,” Timothy encouraged her.

Lillian nodded, retrieved the two letters from her pockets, and handed them to her father. He read the threatening letter first and sighed.

“This is rather unsettling.”

“Read the other one, and please tell me what you see.”

Lord Welsford read the note from Lord Bertram, and his jaw dropped in disbelief.

“I do not believe it.”

“What is it?”

“It is the same writing – the threatening letter and the card which came with Lillian’s flowers were written by the same hand.”

Lady Welsford gasped.

“What?”

Lillian took the chance to explain.

“Lord Bertram is the man who wrote those untruths about the Duke in the newspaper. Apparently, he has held onto a very lengthy grudge – since his days at Oxford, when the Duke made a comment in passing about his mother and indirectly started a rumor which resulted in Lord Bertram being shunned socially.”

Lord and Lady Welsford exchanged shocked glances, and Lord Welsford turned to Lillian.

“And you are certain?”

“Indeed.”

“The Duke confirmed all of that with us at his home this evening. That was why we were there, as Lillian insisted on showing him her discovery.”

“It was something which was only to be done in person.” Lord and Lady Welsford were stunned into silence for a few moments, and Lillian shifted her weight on her chair in discomfort. “I am truly sorry for disobeying you, Mother. I did not mean to fill our home with strife. I merely wished to help the Duke restore his reputation. And he is not the man you think he is, or the man London thinks he is. He is kind and intelligent. His wit is sharp, and he is amusing and gracious. He is well-mannered and well-spoken. He can make me laugh and put me at ease. He truly is a gentleman in every sense of the word.” Lillian turned to Lord Welsford. “He was the gentleman who came to my aid when I lost my footing outside the modiste’s, sparing me a lifetime of humiliation.”

“Yarmouth certainly did not strike me as the type of man who had the vices the article mentioned,” Lord Welsford pointed out.

“He is a good man, Father, and he certainly did not deserve what happened to him,” Timothy added.

“Very well. All of these antics of yours are forgiven, but until the matter is rectified in full, I still do not wish you to be close to the Duke.”

“Mother, did you not hear me? The Duke is harmless,” Lillian tried hard not to speak with anger.

“Be that as it may, you still have no business with him.”

“In Yarmouth’s defense, Mother, the matter will be resolved soon.”

“Good. I would make haste if I were in his shoes.”

“I am certain that he wishes this to be resolved and free him of the looming animosity towards him from the ton ,” Timothy nodded and stepped back.

“Lillian, I am still disappointed in you for not coming to us.”

“Even if I had, I would not have been allowed to help.”

“Please understand, my dearest, we only wish the best for both of you. You are our daughter, and you must be protected.”

“Despite not needing protection at every waking moment?” Lillian inquired.

“One day, when you have a daughter, you will understand, dearest,” Lord Welsford said, placing his hand on Lillian’s shoulder.

“Perhaps,” Lillian whispered.

“If I may, Lillian, why do you feel so strongly about proving the Duke’s innocence? You have not known Yarmouth for very long, and he’s practically a stranger.”

Lillian drew in an anxious breath and briefly pursed her lips.

“I am not certain, Father. From the moment that I met the Duke, despite not being aware it was he who assisted me outside the modiste, I was unable to stop thinking of him. His warm eyes, his gentle touch. My heart pounds when I am near him, and I have never felt such feelings before.” Lady Welsford’s eyes widened, and she stared at Lillian silently. Lillian blinked rapidly and turned to Timothy, who flashed a reassuring smile at her. Clearly, Timothy was not concerned that she had feelings for the Duke since he was a much better choice than Lord Bertram. His supportive nod was a clear indication that he approved if they were to start courting. Lillian cleared her throat and turned back to her parents. “What I feel for the Duke cannot be described. Mother, Father, it has taken me by surprise, and it was most certainly not planned.”

Lady Welsford’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head.

“Lillian, this is insanity.”

“Marrying Lord Bertram would be insanity, Mother. He was the person who intentionally ruined the Duke’s reputation, sent me a threatening letter because I was spending time with the Duke, and caused damage to the Duke’s home. How can you even consider asking me to marry a man such as that?”

“Lillian is correct, darling,” Lord Welsford nodded.

Lady Welsford sighed and touched her temple.

“May I speak with Lillian for a moment, in private?”

“Of course,” Lord Welsford answered, and he and Timothy quietly left the room.

Lillian wrung her hands and drew in a deep breath. She grew nervous as her mother approached her slowly, and she feared that her mother would not understand.

“Mother, I am truly sorry. I did not mean to upset you. Truly.”

“Quiet, Lillian. I do not wish to hear any more from you this evening. I am exhausted, and my soul is weary at the thought of my daughter acting the way that she does. I was aware of your defiance, but I did not anticipate that you would lose your heart to someone not deserving of you.”

“Mother, how can you say such a thing? The Duke is a wonderful man.”

“And you are to stay as far away from him as possible,” Lady Welsford ordered.

“I do not understand. Mere moments ago, you and Father-”

“I have made my decision, Lillian. Please do not defy me again. Or you will force my hand in the worst way possible.”

Lillian pursed her lips to suppress her sadness and disappointment and stared at her mother.

“And you are not allowed to leave this house, either. Do I make myself clear, Lillian?” Lady Welsford ordered.

“Yes, Mother,” Lillian nodded, her heart shattering into sharp shards inside her.