Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Louise had not seen Chesterfield like this before, and even she was shivering at the sight of his barely contained fury. The two young lads were faltering a little under his angry gaze, and the less-confident one was now shuffling backward. The other brat straightened himself up and gave Chesterfield a defiant look.

"You think you can threaten us?" he sneered. "I will make sure my father knows about this."

"Didn't your father give you a hiding for harassing my daughter already? Or is he waiting for me to do it instead?" Chesterfield shot back, folding his arms. "Would you like that instead? Because I won't be as kind, given that you've taken to going after my niece as well. Whatever hiding you got, you didn't learn your lesson."

"You lay a hand on me…"

"Or what? You think because we're in public I won't embarrass myself by striking you? You should have thought about that before you pestered someone who didn't want anything to do with you." Chesterfield didn't back down, although Louise was tempted to warn him. "If you believe I won't draw attention to us with a fight, try me. I dare you."

The two of them glared at each other, and Louise wondered if there really was going to be a fight. But the young lad backed down first, scowling at Chesterfield before turning to his friend.

"Come on, Gregory. Let's go and find someone more interesting to talk to. This one is too weak for us."

He gave Lucy a sneer before he walked away, his friend following him. Chesterfield turned his back on them, focusing on Lucy. His expression softened as he approached her and Louise.

"Are you all right, Lucy?"

"I…I'm fine." Lucy swallowed and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Uncle Charles."

"What were they saying?" Louise asked.

"They were asking me if I want…if I wanted to spend some time away from the party. To…have some fun." Lucy shuddered. "I'm not stupid. I know they want to do something scandalous. I said no, but they weren't listening to me."

It was pretty much the same as what had happened with Lara. Those two had really not learned their lesson at all. Louise tightened her arms around Lucy.

"Do you want us to find your parents?" she asked.

"I don't want to bother either of them with this," Lucy replied miserably.

"Your mother…"

"My mother wouldn't care," Lucy said bitterly. She looked at Chesterfield. "And I don't want to worry Father. He's had a lot on his mind lately, and it's scaring me."

Louise glanced at Chesterfield, who looked just as confused as she felt.

"What do you mean by that, Lucy?" he asked. "What's scaring you?"

"Have you seen him? He's thinner than he used to be. Whatever he's dealing with is making him ill, but he says that he's fine." Lucy bit her lip. "I'm worried about him. He's not himself, I can see that much."

Louise didn't know what to say to that. She had only met Lord St. Simon twice, so she couldn't really comment on if he looked unwell or not. But from Chesterfield's expression, he was agreeing with his niece.

"I have noticed that your father is not his usual self."

"I'm worried about him, but he says that he's fine, and I don't need to be so concerned." Lucy shook her head. "That's easier said than done. I'm so worried trying to figure out what's going on, and this is making me ill as well."

She hadn't stopped trembling with Louise's arms around her, and Louise's heart broke for the girl. She was scared and felt alone. Despite her exterior, deep down it was eating her up. Louise understood that position all too well; she had been there herself, in some capacity.

"I'll speak to your father about that. I'm sure it's just an illness that he hasn't been able to curb properly." Chesterfield reached out and squeezed Lucy's hand. "Why don't you come to my home and stay with us for a while? I know you want to be near your father, but if you need some space, there's always a room for you at our home."

"Really?" Lucy brightened. "You'll let me do that?"

"Of course. We're family, aren't we? And Lara and Archie would be delighted to see you more often. Lara's said that she misses you."

Lucy looked happier now. Louise watched as Chesterfield soothed his niece, admiring how he could go from angry to gentle, his protective nature very clear. He loved his family, and he would do anything for them.

She wished that she could have something like that for herself. Hopefully, in the future…

"What's going on here?" Lady St. Simon appeared suddenly beside Charles, looking confused as her gaze went from him to Lucy and then to Louise before turning her nose up at Louise and looking back at Charles. "Is there a reason why you're talking to my daughter?"

Charles raised his eyebrows.

"Did you not see your daughter being harassed? You were within eyesight, so you should have seen it happening."

"It's a social gathering. You're meant to be social. It's not my fault that Lucy doesn't know how to be social."

Louise almost gasped at the woman's callous nature. Did she not care about her daughter at all?

Charles frowned.

"It was not that at all, if you actually cared to pay attention, Elizabeth." The viscountess' cheeks went bright red at that. "Anyway, Lucy is going to come and stay with us for a while."

"What?" Lady St. Simon blinked. "What are you talking about? Why would she do that?"

"Because she's stressed about her father, and she needs time away from the house. I'm more than happy…"

"Nonsense," Lady St. Simon said dismissively. "There's no need for that. Harvey is perfectly fine."

"Not from what we've seen ourselves, Elizabeth."

"I assure you, Charles, that there is nothing wrong with Harvey. Lucy is worrying about something that isn't there."

Lucy looked even more upset now, easing herself out of Louise's arms. Louise hadn't realized that she had been holding her for that long.

"I wish you would stop dismissing me, Mother. There is something wrong with Father. Can't you see it?"

"I see a child who is fussing over nothing. Your father is absolutely fine." Lady St. Simon shook her head. "Honestly, Lucy, you really know how to create something out of nothing. Just behave yourself and enjoy the party. And don't embarrass me."

She swept away, giving Chesterfield a nod before she did. Louise stared after her as she walked away. She had thought she had met the most dismissive person ever when she lived with Aunt Harriet, but this was something else. Lady St. Simon was making Aunt Harriet look like a saint.

"Well, I never," she murmured.

"It's nothing unusual with Mother," Lucy said with a heavy sigh. "She's always been like this. I wish she would just listen to me for once. It's not fair."

"Well, you can ignore her," Chesterfield said. "Whatever you want, you can always come and stay with us. You know you have a room in our home."

Lucy gave him a small but grateful smile.

"Thank you, Uncle Charles. I appreciate that."

"Louise? Lord Chesterfield?" Clarissa suddenly appeared, making Louise jump. Her friend looked at the three solemn faces. "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

"Just a family problem," Chesterfield replied. He beckoned for Lucy to come to him. "I'm just going to sit my niece down somewhere and look after her. Forgive me, Lady Louise, but I must focus on Lucy."

"Of course," Louise assured him, giving him a smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You concentrate on Lady Lucy."

"Thank you."

Chesterfield gave her a smile that made Louise's legs feel wobbly, and then he led Lucy away.

Clarissa turned to Louise, still looking confused.

"What is going on? I heard a shout a moment ago, but then it was quiet."

"I'll explain in a moment." Louise looked around and spied the two young men at the far end of the garden, looking unhappy as they talked to a group of similarly-aged young men. "But first, I think you should speak to a few of your guests about their current behavior. It's very unbecoming, and they're going to cause a further scene."

Clarissa's eyes widened.

"Are you saying someone behaved improperly?"

"Essentially. As they are your guests, I don't want to make a scene, but I think it would be better that you heard it rather than Mark. You know what your husband is like when he gets angry."

"Is this something he'll get angry over?"

"I think he will be absolutely furious once he finds out what's just been going on," Louise said adamantly. "And it will save confusion if you hear a fight starting later on."

Clarissa groaned.

"Would you not worry me like this, Louise? This is meant to be a good day for us, not one full of concern and being frightened that there's going to be a brawl."

"We didn't have a brawl when Lord Chesterfield confronted him, but there will be one in the near future if it's not stopped now." Louise took a deep breath. "I don't want to tell you what you should be doing in your own house, but I will advise you to deal with them now so it doesn't happen here."

"All right. I'll trust you on this." Clarissa didn't look happy as she shook her head. "So much for having a nice party on such a nice day."

"I know this isn't what you wanted to hear…"

"The comfort of my guests is important, although the fallout from ejecting guests for their behavior is going to be interesting." Clarissa nudged her friend. "Will you come with me? I'll feel confident if you do."

"Of course." Louise slipped her arm through Clarissa's. "I'll do whatever you need."

Hopefully, this wasn't going to be too much of a scene. She didn't want the afternoon ruined, either.

***

It didn't take too long to eject the young men from the garden party, although there were a lot of protests. Neither lad was willing to admit that they had done wrong, and that embarrassed their parents greatly, present to see how their sons were behaving.

They were very apologetic and dragged their children away, much to the young lads' consternation. Their friends looked like they didn't know how to react, their expressions suggesting that they were either embarrassed as well or finding the situation amusing.

Louise hadn't understood the mentality of gentlemen about why they thought bad behavior was acceptable when she first entered Society, and she didn't understand it now. How did they think this would be overlooked? They weren't even from higher-born families, so this certainly wouldn't have been ignored when it was swept away.

Once the young men had been escorted out of the house, their parents going with them, Louise felt a little pressure easing off her shoulders. She hoped that Lucy was feeling better; she hadn't seen her or Chesterfield since he led her away. He had probably taken her to a quiet room to calm down. Louise would look for them later.

Right now, she wanted to have a moment to get the drama out of her body. She needed to sit down and take a breath, to let everything go before she carried on. Clarissa was the same, although she went back into the house to find her children.

She said that she found cuddling her son and daughter the best medicine when she was feeling awful. Louise couldn't agree with that as she didn't have children to cuddle, but she could see how that would be a soothing gesture.

Picking up a glass of lemonade, Louise skirted the edge of the party as she drank, watching the rest of the guests. She could see Lord St. Simon talking to Archie, and she could see what Lucy meant; he was looking thinner than what she recalled, and he looked so pale it was a surprise that he hadn't keeled over already.

Louise wondered if he really was unwell; it was not uncommon for someone to be struck down with illness and to suffer with it. Her parents had died from suddenly falling ill, after all.

If he was unwell, then having the viscount's daughter living with her relatives would be the best solution, just in case it passed onto her. It would be best for everyone, no matter what the viscountess said. Lady St. Simon might think that there was nothing wrong, but she can't have spent that much time with her husband. Louise barely knew him and even she could tell that he was unwell.

"Can I have a word with you, Lady Louise?"

Louise turned and saw Lady St. Simon approaching her, her head held high with a cool expression. She looked like she wasn't going to let her walk away without having a conversation. Taking a deep breath, Louise managed a small smile and nodded.

"Of course, my lady. Is something the matter?"

"Of course, there's something the matter!" Lady St. Simon stopped before her, her body tense. "What do you think you're up to?"

Louise was caught off-guard.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't give me that! I've seen how you are around Lord Chesterfield. You've been getting very close to him recently. I've heard about your excursions to the park and his home from my niece and nephew. They seem to think very highly of you."

Louise didn't know what to say to that for a moment. It was a surprise that Lara and Archie had been talking about her to their aunt. But why would that upset Lady St. Simon so much?

"I'm merely establishing a friendship with new acquaintances. That's all I'm doing."

Lady St. Simon snorted.

"Like I'm going to believe that! You just want Charles' money, don't you?"

"His money?"

"He's wealthy, and you're from a lower-status family. I'm aware that you live with an aunt, and you don't have a penny to your name." Lady St. Simon looked Louise up and down with a cruel eye. "I don't know why Charles entertains you. You're not much to look at. And your behavior around him is becoming rather desperate. If I'm being honest, it's embarrassing."

Louise let the words sink in with growing confusion. She had not been thinking like that at all. She hadn't even been paying attention to it. So why was Lady St. Simon so sure of it?

"I can assure you, my lady, that I have never considered money when I've been around Lord Chesterfield."

Lady St. Simon sniffed.

"You're not a very good liar, Lady Louise. You might think that you have Charles fooled, and his children, but you're not going to fool me. I've seen the way you look at him; you are definitely after his money."

"That's not true!" Louise protested. "I don't know what you think I'm up to, but I've always been friendly with the earl. I'm not after anything except friendship."

"Oh, that's what they're calling it now?" Lady St. Simon sneered. "I don't think that's what I could call it. It looks like a fortune hunter chasing something they can't have."

"My lady! How cruel!"

"If you think that's cruel, you haven't seen anything yet." The viscountess stepped toward her, leaning in as she lowered her voice to a chilled whisper. "You keep away from Charles. He's nothing to do with you. If you don't, I'll make sure that I ruin you for good."

Louise stiffened.

"Are you threatening me?"

Lady St. Simon's mouth twitched, her eyes cold as she pulled back.

"I'll let you find that out for yourself if you continue on this path."

And with that, she turned and walked away, looking haughty with every step. Louise watched her go, wondering what had just happened. Had Lady St. Simon really just threatened her? It felt too surreal.

"Louise?"

Archie appeared at her side. Louise bit back a groan, wondering how much he had overheard. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the young man.

"Lord Simmons. I didn't realize you were there."

"I was about to approach you, but Aunt Elizabeth got there first." Archie frowned. "What was that all about? Did she just warn you off my father?"

Louise wanted to assure him that there wasn't anything wrong, but she knew that Archie wouldn't accept that. He was far too shrewd for his age. Sighing, Louise took a sip of her drink. She was surprised that she hadn't done anything impulsive like throw it into the viscountess' face. It was probably a good thing she hadn't; that would be one way to ruin herself, making a scene.

"I don't understand why she would do that," Archie went on. "That was just…odd. She's never threatened anyone like that regarding Father."

"Have any other ladies been in your father's presence since your mother's death?" Louise asked.

"Well…not to the extent you have," Archie admitted. "Besides, Father hadn't shown any interest in anyone since Mother died, so this is new for everyone."

Chesterfield was interested in her? Louise didn't know what to say about that. She had hoped that there was something, but in the end, she decided not to think too much into it. She just wanted to enjoy her time with the family, feeling happier and lighter than she had been in a very long time. Believing there was something else present was just going to get in the way, and Louise didn't want to be embarrassed.

Realizing where her thoughts were going, she pushed them away, concentrating on the young man beside her.

"Do you think your aunt really has feelings for your father?" Louise asked.

"If she did, she can't do anything about it. She's married, remember?"

"That doesn't mean she's going to be happy with someone getting your father's attention, though, does it? It's one of those situations where if I can't have you, then nobody else can."

"Even so, it's still shocking that she would threaten someone Father has an interest in to keep him unable to marry again."

Louise frowned.

"Marry again? You're talking like it's a done thing."

"Is it not?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

Archie gave her a sly smile.

"Well, let's just say that I would prefer you to be my stepmother. True, I wasn't entirely sure about it in the beginning, given how much younger you are than Father, but I've seen how he's changed and how happy he is whenever he's around you. I want to keep that going. So if I had to choose between you and Aunt Elizabeth, regardless of her own marital status, I would go with you."

Louise forgot how to speak for a moment. Archie actually approved of it? He hadn't said anything about it before, and why were they talking as if Louise was actually going to become his stepmother? This conversation was becoming a little uncomfortable for her liking.

Before she could respond or tell Archie that he was overstepping his boundaries, a gasp and then a scream got her attention, followed by the sound of breaking glass and a crash. A commotion seemed to be happening across the garden by the tables where the food and drinks were laid out. Now one of the tables was on the ground, broken glass and crockery everywhere. Laying on top, his eyes closed and face so pale he looked like a ghost, was Lord St. Simon.

"Uncle!"

Archie darted away, quickly followed by Louise. One of the footmen crouched beside the viscount and placed a hand near his mouth.

"He's still breathing," he declared, looking up at Mark as he hurried over. "We'll get him inside, my lord."

"And call the doctor," Mark agreed.

"Harvey!"

Chesterfield appeared, with Lucy beside him. Lucy screamed and ran toward the fallen man.

"Father!"

"Stay back, Lady Lucy," Mark said as he caught her, holding her back. "There's a lot of broken glass. I don't want you to cut yourself."

Louise caught sight of a maid nearby and handed over her glass. Then she hurried over.

"I'll take her inside," she said, easing Lucy away from Mark. "You focus on getting Lord St. Simon into the house."

Mark nodded, waving to get Chesterfield's attention.

"Will you help me, my lord? Let's get him out of the sun. It's too warm out here."

Chesterfield didn't hesitate in his response. He immediately went to his friend. Louise led Lucy toward the house, hoping that she could get the girl to calm down; she was getting more distressed than she had been a moment ago. As they were about to go inside, Lara appeared.

"What on earth is happening?"

"I'll tell you in a moment. Can you help me with Lady Lucy?"

"Of course."

Lara led the way into the house, Louise and Lucy following. It wasn't until Louise got Lucy into a private room that she realized that she hadn't seen any sign of Lady St. Simon at all.

Chapter 17

Charles stood in the doorway as the doctor checked Harvey over. Lord Coleton's personal doctor had tended to Harvey back at his house, but Charles wanted a second opinion. He couldn't believe that Harvey could be so ill that he had just collapsed. He had always been so healthy.

Now he felt guilty for not looking out for his friend. Charles and Harvey had always spent so much time together, even while he was mourning Mary's death. But recently, Harvey had been doing other things, saying that he had business to attend to and he had pushed it aside for too long. That wasn't like him at all, and Charles should have listened to his gut feeling that something was wrong. But he had trusted his friend and stepped back.

If he hadn't done that, would Harvey be in this position now?

"Would you please leave the room, my lord?" the doctor asked as he leaned over Harvey, lifting up the man's eyelids to examine his eyes further while Harvey lay on the bed. "I can't concentrate if you're shuffling about behind me."

Charles bristled. Normally, he would tell the doctor that he shouldn't speak in such a manner, but he was more worried about his friend than what someone else was ordering him to do. Not wanting to cause a scene, Charles left the room, closing the door behind him. Archie was there, pacing up and down the hallway. He hurried over as Charles appeared.

"Any news?" he asked.

"Not yet," Charles whispered. "I just hope it's exhaustion and nothing more serious."

"The doctor at Lord Coleton's house said it was an illness, and he had finally given up fighting it."

"Well, I want to be sure that he's right. This is my friend here, Archie."

Archie looked uncertain. It was not often that he saw his son like this, and Charles felt awful for him. He clasped Archie's shoulder firmly.

"Don't fret. Uncle Harvey is going to be fine. He just needs a lot of rest. Why don't you go and find Lucy? She's going to come and stay with us."

"Aunt Elizabeth said…"

"I think it's best that Lucy has some time away from the house. Her father will agree. Can you go and make sure the girls are ready to go?"

"Of course." Archie nodded and stepped away. "You can rely on me, Father."

Charles watched him go, seeing the slump of his son's shoulders. The lad put too much onto himself, but he was very much like Charles. He liked being responsible. It was a familiar trait in their family.

The sound of the door opening had Charles turning around, and the doctor stepped out of Harvey's room. He nodded as he closed the door.

"Lord Coleton's doctor said that Lord St. Simon's illness was something that had been creeping up on him for a while, and he just couldn't fight it back any longer, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I agree with him. I'd put it down to exhaustion, though, if it wasn't for how tiny his pupils are in his eyes. That speaks of something more serious."

Charles didn't like the sound of that. He felt a knot tightening in his gut.

"Do you know what it might be?"

"I'll need to come back later and run some more tests with my assistant…"

"What?"

The doctor held up a hand.

"Don't panic, they're perfectly safe. I just don't want to risk moving him right now. He needs plenty of rest."

"I understand." Charles tried not to panic, taking a few deep breaths. "I'll speak to Lady St. Simon about that. If necessary, go through Maxwell and Johnson. They're the butler and Lord St. Simon's valet. They'll provide whatever you need. I'll instruct them on that."

"I appreciate that." The doctor adjusted his hold on his bag, scratching the back of his bald head. "I'll return shortly. I won't be long."

"Please hurry."

Charles wanted to go and see if Harvey was all right, but decided against it. Harvey did need to rest. And Johnson was in with him right now; that man was loyal to his master. He would stand over Harvey until he crumbled to dust, it was that strong. Charles was confident with leaving Harvey in his care.

Escorting the doctor downstairs, Charles watched as the older man left, and Maxwell closed the door behind him. Then Elizabeth came out of the drawing room, looking slightly flustered. She strode over to Charles as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, what is it?" she demanded.

"The doctor is going to come back and run some tests…"

"No!" Elizabeth cut him off. "I won't have him prodding my husband with knives and whatever else."

"Elizabeth, he's not going to carve Harvey up. He's going to find out what's wrong with Harvey. It could be contagious, for all we know, and you and Lucy have been in contact with him."

Elizabeth's face paled a little. Then she spluttered as she tried again.

"But…it can't be contagious, right? He's just exhausted and worked too hard, surely?"

"We don't know until the tests are run. He's in good hands, Elizabeth." Charles patted her arm. "I'm going to take Lucy with me. She can stay with us until Harvey's better."

"Why do you want to take her and not me?" Elizabeth protested. "Why is she the one being taken away?"

"Because you're Harvey's wife, and he needs you by his side. Lucy is also distressed, and time away to give space for her father to recover will do everyone some good."

Elizabeth looked like she wanted to argue further, but she decided against it. Charles was glad about that, as he was in no mood to argue about it. Harvey's health was the main priority here.

"All right, fine," Elizabeth sighed. "But are you going to come back here?"

"Come back?"

"For me? Are you going to comfort me for having such a sick husband?" She leaned toward him. "I'm very distressed by what happened."

Charles had noticed. So distressed that Elizabeth had barely shown herself until Harvey was being put into their carriage. He had no idea where she had gone, and she didn't even seem that worried about her husband, either. Charles had been hoping that Elizabeth really did love her husband, and things had just gotten strained recently, but now he saw it for himself. Elizabeth didn't care about Harvey at all.

He couldn't trust her to look after her husband. But Charles was not comfortable bringing Elizabeth home and looking after her, despite him being away from Harvey. He was going to have to leave her here instead. Maxwell and Johnson would look after Harvey once Charles spoke to them.

He slowly took her hand off his arm.

"I think it would be best that you look after your husband, Elizabeth. He needs you right now."

"But I need someone right now." Elizabeth pouted. "What's wrong with doing something for myself? Can't I be selfish for once?"

"Forgive me for saying, but you seem to have been rather selfish regarding everything lately."

Elizabeth gasped.

"How could you say such a thing?"

"Well, you haven't exactly been a loving partner for Harvey, have you?" Charles knew that he was raising his voice with his annoyance, but he didn't care. "You try to spend as much time as you can with me, or with whoever will give you attention. When was the last time you actually spent time with Harvey out of your own volition?"

Elizabeth faltered, and that was enough answer for Charles. He shook his head and stepped around her.

"I'm going to take Lucy to my home for now. Hopefully, Harvey will recover without having to worry about his daughter."

"It's her, isn't it?"

Charles stopped and turned back. Elizabeth was glaring at him, the fury clear to see. She gripped onto the edge of the banister with whitened knuckles.

"What did you say?"

"It's because of that woman you're talking to me like this," Elizabeth hissed. "She's just an influence on you now that you won't listen to anyone else. Including me!"

It took a moment for Charles to realize who she was talking about. Louise. Anger stirred and he stepped back toward her.

"You think I'm doing this because of Lady Louise?"

"Of course you are! You would have agreed to look after me without hesitation if she wasn't around!"

"Actually, I wouldn't. My response would have been exactly the same. This has nothing to do with Lady Louise."

Elizabeth snorted rudely.

"Of course, it isn't. You've had your head turned by that little harlot that you won't look or listen to anyone else. She's not good to be around you, and yet you still spend time with her?"

Charles growled, which made Elizabeth jump. He pointed at her, still keeping his distance.

"You will never call Louise a harlot again," he snarled. "You will not speak about her in such a manner."

"But…"

"Enough!" Charles shouted. "Louise is a warm, caring person. She's not judgmental, and she is willing to listen. The sweetest person I've ever come across, and I have Lara as a daughter. If I'm spending time with her it's because I like her and I want to be around her. You do not get to dictate who I can and cannot see, Elizabeth. I'm not a child. And you are not my wife, so stop telling me what I can do. Especially when it comes to Louise!"

There was a moment of stunned silence. Elizabeth looked as pale as Harvey had been earlier that day. She began to tremble.

"She really has bewitched you," she whispered. "Just like Mary. They're all the same."

Charles couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she not backing down?

"Why are you bringing Mary up now? She has nothing to do with it. That's your sister you're being disrespectful toward!"

"She turned your head as well."

"So what? She was the woman I wanted to be with. What's wrong with that?" Charles could feel his anger about to snap, and he turned away. "I'm not doing this with you, Elizabeth. Don't you ever say a word about Mary or Louise again. I'm not about to have you disrespect them."

"Charles, wait!"

But Charles had no intention of listening anymore. He was really going to lose his temper if he tried.

***

"I hope that Father's going to be all right," Lucy said, wringing her hands as she paced around the room. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to him and I wasn't there with him."

"He's going to be fine, Lucy," Archie assured her. "Uncle Harvey is strong. I'm sure he'll be up and moving around like normal in no time."

"Did you not see him when he collapsed, Archie?" Lara asked, giving her brother a frown from across the room. "He looked so frail. I'm surprised he stayed upright for as long as he did."

Lucy whimpered, and Archie winced. Grimacing, Louise gently nudged Lara.

"Maybe not the best choice of words?" she suggested, nodding at Lucy.

That had Louise's eyes widening, and she gasped.

"Oh, goodness, I…forgive me, Lucy, I wasn't thinking."

Lucy didn't respond, continuing to pace around in circles. She was making Louise dizzy, but she didn't have it in her heart to tell her to stop. It was a frightening situation to be in, and Louise couldn't begin to imagine how Louise was feeling right now. If someone she loved dearly was in such a similar situation, Louise knew she would be scared as well.

The image of Charles floated across her mind. If something happened to him…

No, she wasn't going to think about that. It was too much, and Louise knew it would overwhelm her if she thought further into it. She had to keep a level head while they waited for news on Viscount St. Simon's health.

The door opened, and everyone immediately turned toward it. Charles entered the room, and Louise was on her feet before the twins were, her heart pounding in her chest. Lucy hurried to her uncle.

"How is he?" she asked breathlessly, her voice trembling. "Is he going to be all right?"

"The doctor is confident that all he needs is rest," Charles said with a gentle smile at his niece. He reached out and rubbed her arms. "You can go and see him shortly once the doctor says so. He's just going to make sure on a few things first."

"What about Mother?" Lucy bit her lip. "What is she going to do?"

"You let me worry about her. But your father is conscious, and he said that he would rather you came with the twins and myself for a few days." Charles held up a hand as Lucy started to protest. "It's just until he's feeling better. We don't know if what he has is contagious, and he doesn't want you to get sick as well."

Louise could see that Lucy wanted to argue, but the girl's shoulders slumped and her head bowed.

"All right," she mumbled.

"It'll be fine." Charles kissed her forehead and then looked over at Louise. "Thank you for staying with them, Lady Louise."

"Of course," Louise said quickly, aware that Lara was giving her a sly look. She hurried toward him. "Do you need me for anything more?"

"I think we've got everything covered. Your carriage was called, so it should be at the front door by now." Charles gestured for her to follow him. "I'll walk you out."

Louise felt a rush of disappointment. She wanted to stay a little longer, to be there for him, but she knew that she would be treading on other people's toes if she stayed. After all, she wasn't family.

She turned to Lucy and squeezed her hands.

"Take care of yourself, Lucy. I'll see you soon."

"I hope so, my lady." Lucy gave her a tiny smile. "Thank you for your kindness."

Nodding at Archie and Lara, Louise followed Charles out of the room. He closed the door behind him, lowering his voice as he took Louise's arm as he led her toward the front door.

"I've just spoken to the doctor, and they're going to run some tests."

"Tests?" Louise's eyes widened. "Does that mean he thinks there is something suspicious about Lord St. Simon falling ill?"

"It's apparently just a precaution, but…" Charles hesitated. "With the way things are going, and the comment about his pupils being like pinpoints…it reminds me of that case of Lord Marchmont a few years ago. Do you remember that?"

Louise did. It had been the talk of the ton at the time, and the culprit—his stepdaughter—had been hanged for the crime. She stared at him.

"Are you saying that Lord St. Simon might have been poisoned?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case," Charles said quietly, looking around him. "I don't want to think about it, but if it comes out that way…"

"Surely, it's just exhaustion," Louise insisted. "And you're looking for something that isn't there."

"I'm hoping to God that this is the case." Charles ran his fingers through his hair. "Because the implications if he is poisoned is something I don't want to think about."

Neither did Louise. Someone close to St. Simon would have to have poisoned him, and she didn't want to contemplate someone in his family doing that. She might have considered Lady St. Simon as the poisoner, but that was dismissed almost immediately.

The viscountess was a smart woman; she wouldn't poison someone when everyone would be pointing the finger at her. As someone who made her feelings about her husband clear, it would make her the obvious suspect.

Louise didn't want to think about the rest of it.

Charles looked worn out. Louise didn't care that there were a few servants within sight. She slipped her hand into his and drew it away from his face.

"It's going to be all right, didn't you say?" she said with a gentle smile. "Lord St. Simon is going to be safe and well, and he'll recover."

"I know I said that, but I'm still struggling with the knowledge that my closest friend is so unwell and how it's affecting his daughter." Charles sighed heavily. "This feels like the whole day is going downhill."

"It isn't, and focus on what you need to do, not what you could have done. It's not going to help anyone."

"You're right." Charles' expression softened as he smiled at her. "I'm glad you were here, Louise. I don't know how I would have coped if you hadn't been around to help with the children."

Louise smiled back.

"They're hardly children anymore, Charles," she reminded him. "And you needed some help, so I'm glad that it was me."

"I do appreciate it. You were well-balanced compared to me." Charles shook his head. "I'm not feeling calm or composed right now. It's not a nice sensation."

Louise could see that. He looked like he wanted to go to a quiet room and lock himself away. Before she stopped herself, she stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Charles stiffened in surprise as she embraced him, resting her cheek against his chest, but then he put his arms around her and hugged her back, resting his chin on her head.

For a moment, neither of them said anything, simply accepting the silence and the comfort they gave each other. Louise knew that what they were doing was frowned upon, especially when people could see them, but she didn't care. She just wanted to give Charles some comfort.

"You know," Charles said as he shifted his head, his hand cupping her head as he urged her to look up at him, "you're going to have your reputation brought into question if you do something like this. Aren't you worried about that?"

"I'm considered an old maid by everyone now, and you're not married." Louise shrugged. "Also, given the circumstances, I doubt anyone can be upset about it. It's just pathetic to be upset about something so innocent."

Charles' eyes darkened as he looked at her. He reached up and brushed his fingers across her cheek. His touch was gentle and warm, the heat trickling over Louise's jaw. She turned her head and leaned into his hand, the palm now cupping her cheek. It was a simple gesture, but it felt so intimate as well.

"How you're not married by now, I have no idea," Charles murmured, almost as if he was talking to himself. "You are a remarkable woman, Louise."

"Once I get the answer to that, I'll let you know." Louise was aware that she was blushing, but she didn't pull away as she looked up at him. "Maybe someone was saving me for this moment."

That was a bold statement, she knew that, and Louise was aware that she couldn't take it back anymore. But given everything that had been going on between her and Charles, she had a feeling that things would be all right once it settled down.

Charles' eyes drifted over her face, and Louise felt him draw her closer. Their faces were now inches apart. It dawned on Louise that he was actually going to kiss her. Her lips throbbed at the thought, and she shifted up onto her tiptoes, wanting to get that kiss.

A shriek had Louise losing her balance, and Charles had to tighten his hold around her before Louise ended up on the floor. Lady St. Simon was storming toward them, her eyes blazing with fury at Louise.

"How dare you?" she screamed. "How dare you, you little harlot!"

Before Louise could get her balance back, Charles had shoved her behind him, and she had to grab onto his arms as Lady St. Simon approached them. Charles sidestepped and blocked the viscountess' way.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Elizabeth," he said quietly, his voice coming out as a snarl, "but you will not call Lady Louise such names, and certainly not in my presence."

"She is a harlot!" Lady St. Simon cried, fury vibrating through her words. "Who does she think she is?"

"How is she one, then?" Charles challenged her. "She's unmarried, and I'm a widower. Neither of us is attached to anyone. Sure, we might be taking some slight liberties, but we're not attached to anyone else, so how can she be considered a harlot?"

"Because she is!"

"How? Give me specific reasons."

Lady St. Simon began to flounder, her mouth opening and closing. Louise might have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire. Charles nudged Louise toward the door.

"I think you'd better go, Louise," he said. "I'll let you know the progress on Lord St. Simon, and if I need anything else."

"Of…of course." Louise cleared her throat and backed away. "You know where I am when you need me."

Lady St. Simon looked past Charles and scowled, her anger palpable and frightening.

"Lord Chesterfield will not be calling upon you for anything," she hissed. "Our family is in turmoil right now and the last thing we want is for an outsider to be here making a mess of everything."

"That's enough!" Charles bellowed, making both women jump. "I told you to stop! Do you ever listen to anything, Elizabeth?"

Lady St. Simon's face went pale, and she stammered something, but Charles ignored her, turning to Louise with a stony expression.

"I'll send word tomorrow, Louise. You go home now."

"Yes…yes, my lord."

Louise was only too grateful to get out of there. Especially with the viscountess being as volatile as she was. She could understand with the situation, but, somehow, she didn't think that was the reason for the vitriol aimed in her direction. Although Louise was loath to leave Charles with his sister-in-law.

But she had to trust him. She didn't really have a choice about it.

Chapter 18

By the time Louise returned home, she was exhausted. She knew that she had returned later than she had promised, so Aunt Harriet was going to be really upset. Louise didn't have any patience to deal with being shouted at again.

She was more worried about Charles and his family, and what they were going through.

Across from her, Bethany yawned loudly.

"I feel like I could fall asleep," she said.

"Same here." Louise rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm not even hungry. I'm just worn out. Perhaps I'll have a small dinner in my room."

"I can ask for a tray to be sent up to you, if you'd like? You do need to eat something."

Louise smiled at her maid.

"I do appreciate that, thank you. And I apologize for what happened. You did have to do a lot more work to help tidy up the mess."

"Don't worry about that, my lady. It's what we're meant for, and I was more than happy to help." Bethany shrugged. "Duffy and I got a lot done, so it wasn't like I was alone."

"Duffy, eh?" Louise giggled. "You mean Lord Chesterfield's valet?"

"I…"

Bethany's face went red, which made Louise laugh even more. It had been pretty clear for a while that there was something between Bethany and Duffy. They had tried to hide it, but the more time Louise spent with Charles and his family, the more it became obvious. It wasn't often that Bethany was so flustered about anyone, so it was actually quite sweet.

"You don't need to be embarrassed. Duffy's not bad-looking, and he's a really respectful man."

"Is it bad?"

"What is? Finding the earl's valet attractive? Of course not." Louise wagged her finger at the other woman. "As long as you don't do anything stupid…"

"No!" Bethany's eyes widened. "We're not courting or anything. And we wouldn't do something to jeopardize our positions!"

"Then you don't need to worry about it. Just be sensible, that's all I can say."

Much like Louise was with Charles, although could she call what they were doing courting? Charles had not actually asked her if they could start a courtship; they had simply spent time together while Louise was being asked to go out and about with Lara and Archie. Charles had simply been the chaperone.

And yet…had they been courting, and she hadn't realized it? Louise wouldn't be surprised if they had and she hadn't noticed anything. After the early years of courtship, when it had gone disastrously wrong, Louise hadn't intended to look for another man to fall in love with again. Not when she had such bad luck.

But then Charles had come along, and things had changed. Louise felt a blossoming of warmth in her belly whenever she thought about him. It felt good and she didn't want to lose that.

Although, given everything going on, Louise wouldn't be surprised if she lost that as well. And the thought left her feeling sick and uncomfortable. Why couldn't she have something for herself for once? It wasn't fair.

They arrived home, and Bethany went on ahead to speak to the kitchen about fixing something light for Louise to have in her room. Passing her coat and hat to the footman, Louise headed toward the stairs. The exhaustion had hit her more on the way back, and all she wanted was to lie down and sleep. It would mess up her ability to sleep tonight, but Louise didn't care. She just wanted some quiet.

"Where on earth have you been?"

Louise had barely gone up four steps when she heard her aunt's voice. Sighing, she turned and saw Aunt Harriet storming toward her. She must have been lying in wait in the drawing room, waiting for her niece to return. And the older woman looked furious.

"You were meant to be back three hours ago!" Aunt Harriet shouted, pointing a finger at Louise. "You said you would be back when we agreed. I can't believe the disrespect you give me…"

"Lord St. Simon collapsed at the garden party, Aunt Harriet," Louise cut in sharply.

"What?"

"He was taken ill very suddenly, and we had to get him back home for the doctor to see him. I offered to help because his daughter was in distress, and her mother was fussing over her husband." Louise took a deep breath. She wanted to tell her aunt about the possible poisoning, but decided against it. Aunt Harriet would use that to her own advantage in some way.

If she gossiped about it to her friends, it would be all around the ton, and if it wasn't true, then there would be more trouble. "I was just helping a family in need, that's all. I know I should have sent word that I was going to return later than planned, but it slipped my mind. That is my fault, and I apologize for it, Aunt Harriet."

For a moment, Aunt Harriet looked bewildered. She was clearly not expecting that response.

"Lord St. Simon? Will he be all right?"

"We hope so. The doctors are running tests right now. He was unconscious for quite a while."

Her aunt recovered quickly and sniffed.

"Well, it sounds like that's all the more reason for you to not be associated with the Earl of Chesterfield, then."

"What?" Louise frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Lord St. Simon is Chesterfield's brother-in-law, isn't he?"

"Yes, but what…"

"He could have something contagious. And the rest of them…" Aunt Harriet shook her head. "They bring nothing but trouble. I don't want you to see them anymore, and I won't have any arguments about it."

Louise couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she say something like this after hearing about a shocking incident? And there was no chance of Louise cutting that family off when they had become such good friends to her.

Charles is not a friend. You don't see him like that.

I have no intention of walking away from him anytime soon.

"No."

"I beg your pardon, Louise?"

"I'm not cutting off Lord Chesterfield or his family, Aunt Harriet." Louise drew herself up and squared her shoulders, ready for the fight. "They are my friends, and I'm not going to isolate myself further just because you're not happy that I have a social life for the first time in a long time."

Aunt Harriet scowled and folded her arms.

"May I remind you that I'm still your guardian?"

"So what?" Louise shot back. "You keep saying that you're my guardian and I should listen to you, but all you do is cut me off from the rest of Society. I barely have any friends because nobody wants to be around someone who gives me so many restrictions, and you keep treating me like a child. I'm five-and-twenty years, Aunt Harriet! You can't keep treating me as if I'm a little girl who doesn't know what she's doing."

"Well, you don't. You're not experienced."

"Because you don't let me get those experiences!" Louise knew that she was shouting now, but she didn't care. Her tiredness and concern for Charles' family were mixing together and letting her anger loose. "You don't even like me! Why would you care about what I'm doing when you hate me so much? Do you hate me to the point that you don't want me to have any autonomy at all? Why would you be so controlling over me?"

Aunt Harriet's face was turning bright red, her eyes darkening in her own anger. Normally, Louise would back off a little, but not this time. She was not having it.

"I'm fed up with you dictating everything, Aunt Harriet. You're not being a guardian. You're being a jailer. You want to lock me up in a cage and hide the key. If you hate me, why don't you make sure I find someone to marry as soon as possible so I can get out of your way? Isn't that the best solution?"

"Have you finished?"

"No, I haven't. I've only just gotten started." Louise moved down the steps, pointing at her aunt. She felt a bit of satisfaction seeing the older woman step back a bit. "You want my money, is that it? I know that my parents had money, and it was left to me in trust. If I take charge of it and leave, you lose your income, don't you? Shouldn't you tell me how much money is left? Are you leaving me destitute because you are too greedy?"

"It's the least you could do for me!" Aunt Harriet snapped.

"So you're not denying it?"

"It's the least you could do when you didn't die alongside your parents!"

Louise blinked. That had come out of nowhere. She stared at her aunt as the older woman growled and paced away furiously.

"I hate children!" she declared. "I always have. I knew that I would have to bear children once I was married, but the knowledge that someone else could raise them and not me spurred me on. Then word reached me that my sister and her husband had died, and they left behind a little girl. People wanted me to take her in, as I was her closest relative.

I wanted to refuse—there was no chance I wanted to raise a child at all—but it was only because I would be paid for your upkeep through the money your parents left you. That was the only reason I took you in when what I really wanted to do was to throw you into an orphanage." Aunt Harriet spun around to Louise, which made Louise sway at the sudden movement.

"If I could have taken out all of your money in one go and thrown you aside, I would have, but the conditions were very strict. I could only take out a certain amount at a time, and I would have to get written consent from you once you were old enough to allow the money to come out. Of course, they wanted to see you in person whenever I wanted more money, so that stopped pretty quickly."

Louise let that sink in. She had suspected that her aunt hated her, but she had never expressed it in this way. She swallowed.

"So, you wanted to steal my money, then? That was all you wanted?"

"Well, you needed to compensate me."

"Compensate you for what? What did I do except want someone to love me?"

Aunt Harriet barked out a harsh laugh.

"Of course, you weren't aware," she sneered. "I was on the cusp of getting married myself. He was wealthy and handsome, and I was smitten with him. If things had been different, I would be a very wealthy wife.

But once he heard that I needed to take in my niece, he broke off the engagement and married someone else. When I begged for him to support me, he said that he wasn't about to have a child that wasn't his around, and he would never support an orphan."

Louise had had no idea about that. She had wondered why Aunt Harriet had never married before now and had thought it was because her aunt preferred to be alone. To think that her coming to live with a relative would cause that.

"You can't blame me for that! I was a child! And if he broke off the engagement for something as horrible as that, maybe it was a good thing you didn't marry him. He doesn't sound like a good person if he knew the circumstances."

"You little…" Aunt Harriet advanced on her, but stopped suddenly. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. "You ruined everything for me! It is your fault!"

"I didn't cause my parents' accident!"

"You were still foisted on me, and I lost the only man I loved because of you!" Aunt Harriet was shouting now. "You're the reason I'm alone and having to keep an eye on a little brat like you. I've resented you all this time, Louise. Did you never notice that?"

"Oh, I noticed. You made it very clear, but you shouldn't blame me for something that was out of my control."

Aunt Harriet sneered at her.

"You were the reason for my life falling apart. So I made sure that I ruined yours."

"What are you talking about?"

"You think that those gentlemen who took an interest in you weren't influenced by their decision to run away? You tried courting before, and nobody stayed around for long. You were considered a pariah because of lies and rumors spread around the ton. " Aunt Harriet looked a little smug about it. "You suspected that someone hated you enough to take you out of the marriage market, but you never thought that your own aunt would be doing that."

Louise let the words sink in. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her aunt…

"You? You were the one who ruined my chances of having a loving marriage? You were telling everyone lies?"

"I wouldn't call them lies. More like embellishing the truth a little."

"So you made sure I wasn't considered marriage material?" Louise didn't think it was possible to get any angrier. She gripped onto the banister to stop herself from lashing out physically at her aunt. "I can't believe you. You're the reason I'm not married by now? I could have gotten out of your life and started on my own! If you hated me so much, you should have just ignored me as normal and been happy that I was leaving the house."

"Oh, I wanted you out, but it would mean I lost my income."

"You mean the money you were stealing from me!" Louise snapped. "Money I never saw unless you absolutely had to use it. You were content with stealing from me, and you couldn't do that if I ended up marrying."

"That, and the fact I couldn't bear the thought you were going to get married when I never got the chance." Aunt Harriet shrugged. "I don't regret doing it. Someone like you, who can happily ruin people's lives, doesn't deserve to go away and have their own happiness. Not before I've had my chance to wring everything out of you. By then, you'll be penniless and too old to get married, and nobody will want you then. After that, I can toss you out and say you're no use to me anymore."

Louise felt like she had been hit over the head. How could her aunt have thought this was all right? She was happy to admit that she had been keeping Louise around for the money because she blamed her own niece for her life-changing. Louise had known Aunt Harriet was heartless, but this was something else.

She needed to get out of there. This was disgusting, and Louise needed time to digest it all.

"I'm going to pack," she said, turning and heading up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay with Clarissa for a while. If you try and stop me…"

"Fine. Go." Aunt Harriet shrugged. "It's no problem for me anymore. You'll be back here begging for me to take you in after a few days."

Louise shook her head, but she didn't answer. After what she had just heard, to know that Aunt Harriet believed this would happen was even more shocking. It was like she had detached from reality with her hatred.

She needed to get out of there as soon as she could. Otherwise, Louise was going to do more than lose her temper.

***

Louise didn't want to wake up in the morning. She stirred and lay in her bed, taking a moment to realize that she was sleeping in one of the guest rooms at Clarissa's house. Her friend had been more than happy to let her stay for a while, shocked that Aunt Harriet would say something so horrible. She saw it as disgusting that a woman could blame a child for something that was unavoidable. Louise was glad that someone else was being reasonable, but she doubted that it would get through to her aunt.

While Bethany had taken her belongings to Clarissa's house, Louise had taken one of the footmen to the bank and managed to speak to the bank manager without an appointment. She refused to budge until she was told the truth about her account.

That was when she found out that while there was still money in her trust fund, Aunt Harriet had told the bank that Louise was not mentally competent and shouldn't be given charge of the trust fund. The stipulations of how much she could take out were still in place, but the bank was under the impression that Louise was unable to make any decisions.

Aunt Harriet had managed to weave that so she could get more money, but that had not worked as she had wanted. So the bankers were surprised and suspicious when Louise declared who she was and that she wasn't mentally unwell as claimed. They had arranged to see her later in the week to get it sorted, but they had agreed to stop the money to Aunt Harriet for the moment until they got everything sorted. Louise was frustrated that they were moving slowly with it, but at least they were doing something, and Aunt Harriet would be blocked from any more money.

It made her angry with herself for not getting anything sorted long before, but it hadn't crossed her mind that her aunt would be doing everything possible to keep her a prisoner in revenge for something she perceived, in her mind, as Louise's fault. Of course, they didn't like each other, but to go to this extent over something that happened twenty years ago…

Louise didn't think she would ever understand what went through Aunt Harriet's mind. It was just ridiculous. She felt sick knowing that she had been played and toyed with by the woman who was meant to look after her. And Aunt Harriet couldn't even do that.

Plus, she was meant to be moving on, wasn't she? She had been courting the Earl of Mansfield for a while now, so would her aunt want Louise to find a husband of her own and get out of the house? Louise was getting a headache trying to figure it all out.

She was going to spend a bit of time with Clarissa, and then she would go back and tell Aunt Harriet that she was taking care of her own money, and that she would be moving out. That cottage Louise had been thinking about was becoming more and more enticing. It would take her out of London, but if it meant she could leave and start afresh, Louise would take it.

Although it would mean she might not see Charles as much as she wanted, if at all. That did leave Louise feeling sad, knowing that she would feel hollow walking away from whatever was blossoming between them, but she had to do it. For her own sanity, if nothing else.

Hopefully, Charles and his family would understand.

After trying to get back to sleep and ignore the fact that she had to face the day, Louise got out of bed and washed and dressed herself. Bethany was nowhere to be found, but Louise guessed that her maid was exhausted and was still sleeping. She had worked hard the day before, and had been helping Louise with everything. Louise wasn't going to be upset that her servant was sleeping in.

Unlike some people, she wasn't mean.

Keeping her hair loose and simply brushed—she couldn't be bothered to deal with it today—Louise headed downstairs. She wasn't feeling hungry, but she needed to have something to eat, or she was going to feel faint later on.

She got to the bottom of the stairs when she heard someone saying her name. Louise turned, and did a double-take when she saw Lara in the doorway to the morning room. The girl looked exhausted, her face pale and her expression troubled.

"Lara!" Louise hurried to her. "What are you doing here at this hour? I didn't know you were here."

"Forgive me, Lady Louise. We found out where you were, and Lady Clarissa said that we could come in and wait for you to rise." Lara bit her lip. "I know it's not what we should be doing, but I think she could tell that we were in distress."

"We? Is Archie here as well?"

"No, I'm here with Lucy."

Lucy was here as well? Louise didn't know what to think now. Why had Charles' daughter and niece come looking for her? Had something happened to Lord St. Simon? Was Charles all right? Louise tried not to panic as her mind raced with the possibilities.

"We wouldn't bother you normally without an appointment, especially so early," Lara went on, "but this is important. We needed someone to talk to."

"What about your father? Can't you talk to him?"

"We needed an outside perspective. Father does listen, but I have a feeling he won't listen to us."

"I'm sure he will." Louise steered Lara toward the morning room. "Well, how about you tell me what's wrong, and then we go and speak to your father? I'm sure he'll understand better if I'm present."

Lara gave her an appreciative smile and walked across the room to where Lucy was sitting on the settee. The two girls sat together, both looking as solemn as the color of their gowns. Louise took one look at the pair of them and knew why Clarissa had allowed them to come in at such an early hour; something was really wrong.

She sat on a chair across from them, all thoughts of trying to have breakfast leaving her head.

"Now tell me what's wrong," she said. "I want to know why you're here and not speaking to your father and uncle."

"It's…it's about Papa," Lucy said quietly, taking Lara's hand. Her cousin squeezed her fingers as if to tell her to be brave. "I've seen something lately, and it's scaring me."

"What have you seen? Maybe you should speak plainly to me, Lucy?"

Lucy took a deep breath.

"I don't think Papa became ill naturally. I think Mother did something to him."

That was not what Louise was expecting, and things froze in her head. She shook herself.

"You…you think that Lady St. Simon might have hurt your father in some way that made him collapse?"

"I think she's poisoning him."

Louise's mouth fell open.

"Poison?"

Lucy nodded, looking like she was close to tears.

"I've not said anything, but I've seen my mother putting something into my father's drink if she's the one dealing with it. Or she'll sprinkle something over his food when nobody's looking. Somehow, nobody else saw her doing it except me." Lucy seemed to grip Lara's hand tighter because her cousin winced a little.

"She doesn't know that I know about it, but if I mention it to her, not only am I going to get told to mind my own business, but I'm scared…"

"You're scared that she might do something to you as well?" Louise finished.

Lucy blinked hard, and it seemed that telling this was enough for the tears to fall freely. Louise stood and went over to her, bringing out her handkerchief and handing it to the young girl. Lucy wiped at her eyes, but she couldn't stop the tears.

"How long has this been going on now?" Louise asked.

"A couple of months, I think. I don't know exactly when she started doing it. I've wanted to say something, but Papa would say that I was being silly, and there's a chance that he would tell Mother in passing."

"What about your uncle?"

"No. And I'm scared to mention it to him." Lucy looked up at her. "Uncle Charles and Papa are like brothers. They're so close. If I tell him that I suspect my mother is poisoning my father, he's going to be furious."

"And quite rightfully so," Louise pointed out, keeping her tone level and gentle. The girl was clearly scared. "He'll be able to get the answer out of your mother, won't he?"

"I believe he will," Lara said with a scowl. "I told Lucy that she needs to tell Father, and I'll be with her when she does it, but she was too scared to do it. That's when I suggested that we come to you. You would be more levelheaded about this."

Louise didn't know about that. She certainly wouldn't be able to confront Lady St. Simon about her actions. Especially if she was actually poisoning her husband; she hated Louise, that much was clear, so who was to say that she wouldn't turn her ire upon Louise instead? Charles needed to be the one to sort this out. It was too much for them.

Although Louise hoped that it was some sort of mistake. Lady St. Simon was a cold woman to her husband and daughter, but poisoning them? What would she gain out of that?

A knock at the door had Louise turning, and then Clarissa came in. She looked uncomfortable.

"I didn't mean to bother you, Louise," she said before Louise could speak, "but you have another visitor."

"Another one?" Louise looked at the clock. "What's going on? It's not Aunt Harriet, is it?"

"No, it's the Earl of Mansfield. He went to your house this morning and was told where you were."

Louise groaned. Of all the things to happen this morning, why did Mansfield have to get in the midst of this mess.

"Can't you tell him to go away? We can have the reason be that he's not made an appointment, and this is far too early for him to be coming here."

"I've already told him that, but he's refusing to move unless he's actually spoken to you. He's saying that he's not going to budge off the front stoop until he's talked to you." Clarissa shook her head, not looking happy. "I'm not having this on my front doorstep today. The neighbors are going to think that he's coming here to cause trouble for my family."

Louise knew that. She wasn't comfortable with having the man here, either, but Mansfield was stubborn. Was he here to plead Aunt Harriet's case? How was he going to do that when her aunt had done one of the worst things possible? Nobody could justify hatred and stealing from a family member.

But it wasn't going to get him to move, and Louise didn't want to bring further trouble to Clarissa's door. Sighing, she moved toward her friend.

"All right, I'll see him in the garden. That way, you can bring him around the side of the house, and he doesn't have to go in."

"Are you sure?"

"But don't leave me alone with him," Louise warned. "I want more than one person watching us. There is no chance I want to speak in private with him."

Clarissa nodded.

"That's a given. I wasn't going to leave you alone with him, anyway."

"We'll come with you." Lara got to her feet, Lucy jumping up with her. "We won't leave you alone."

Louise frowned at her.

"You two have got more than enough problems without getting involved with mine."

"But after hearing about this gentleman and what he's been up to, I think it's only wise that you have more than one witness." Lara lifted her chin and gave Louise a defiant look. "I'm in need of something to distract myself from having to tell my father that our aunt is poisoning and trying to kill my uncle."

Clarissa's eyes widened. Louise sighed.

"It's a long story. Just get Mansfield into the back garden. And, for goodness sake, don't let me out of your sight."