Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"You're saying that Elizabeth might have been trying to poison me?" Harvey stared at Charles once he finished telling him everything. "You think she would actually do that?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping that she wouldn't do something so stupid." Charles looked at Duffy, who stood solemnly by the door. "But we know that she's capable of doing it, Harvey. I hate to say it to you, and I know you love her…"

"It's not as much of a surprise as I thought it would be," Harvey said quietly.

Charles blinked.

"What?"

His friend sighed and adjusted the sheets around him. He was still looking pale, but he was sitting upright and more alert than he had been the day before. Charles was glad to see his friend was now conscious. At least they could tell him their suspicions.

Elizabeth hadn't been in the house when Charles and Duffy arrived, but Charles was glad about that. He wasn't really sure what he could say to Elizabeth without it sounding worse than it already was. And Elizabeth would simply get hysterical and not let him finish what he wanted to say. They would end up going around and around in circles.

He had hoped to God that Harvey was all right and hadn't been bothered all night. That was confirmed by the servants, who said that the door was locked all night with Harvey and his valet inside until the morning when they were brought breakfast. Elizabeth didn't even go anywhere near the room, although she was seen hovering at the end of the hallway at one point, but she kept away.

Charles was glad that she hadn't tried anything. She must have guessed people were suspecting something.

"I've always known, Charles," Harvey said sadly.

"What are you talking about?"

"That Elizabeth has always been in love with you. She never stopped loving you. I know she married me because I was your closest friend, and I was around you all the time." Harvey sighed. He looked like he was taking a weight off his shoulders.

"She said that she would only give me one child and to never ask for any more. And then she birthed Lucy and practically ignored her because she wasn't the son that she wanted. I didn't care either way. I had a child I loved unconditionally. Elizabeth refused to look at me in any way that wasn't contempt after that."

Charles felt like his friend was hitting him over the head. So Elizabeth really had been in love with him all this time. How had he not noticed? Or had he been so enamored with Mary that he hadn't paid attention to everyone around him?

"I was hurt that she would treat me like that, but as long as she gave me a child, I thought I could cope with it. For the most part, I can." Harvey grimaced. "Then Mary died, and Elizabeth spent more time over at your house, saying that you needed her support. There were times when I did think that maybe you two were having an affair…"

"Absolutely not," Charles said adamantly. "I would never have done that to you. And I loved Mary too much to look at anyone else."

"Don't worry, I dismissed those thoughts almost immediately. I knew you wouldn't do something that scandalous. Elizabeth might be…persuasive, but you've never bowed down to her before." Harvey paused.

"Then you met Lady Louise Price, and everyone around you could tell that you were falling in love with her. Having met her myself, I can see why. She's just what you need in your life, and I love that she is making you happy again. But Elizabeth…she was furious about it. Once she realized what was going on, and you were choosing to spend time with her rather than with Elizabeth, she lost her temper."

"Lost her temper?"

"She threw things around her bedchamber and broke several priceless items, screaming about how it wasn't meant to be like this, that she was meant to have been the Countess of Chesterfield. She treated Lucy and I very coldly after that. I was beginning to worry that her mental stability was being affected behind closed doors."

Charles sighed. At least he wasn't the only one who had been seeing it.

"She was mostly put together in public, but I saw something in her eyes that made me wonder if she needed time away from the bustle of London. Time away from me," he added.

Harvey nodded.

"I was thinking the same thing. I even suggested that she should visit a sanatorium near Bristol to recover for a while, but Elizabeth refused. She called me various names for even suggesting it, and it became volatile on her side that I let it go. Shortly after…" he swallowed, wincing as he rubbed his throat. "Shortly after, I started feeling sick."

Charles glanced at Duffy, who looked equally interested. The hairs stood up on the back of Charles' neck. Were they all right on the mark with this?

"You remember I said Lucy noticed her sprinkling something on your food and in your drink? Did you catch her doing that?"

"Yes. She simply said it was a sleeping draft to help me sleep, but it never did, or it was seasoning that would make my food taste better."

"And when did that start happening?"

"A few days after, she refused to go to the sanatorium." Harvey blinked hard, and Charles saw the tears in his eyes. "I knew she was headstrong, but I never knew she would do anything like this because I suggested something to improve her health."

Charles didn't respond to that. He let the anger curl in his stomach. His wife's sister had tried to kill her husband, and she didn't care what happened to her daughter. Her husband and daughter were unwell and clearly scared of her. That was not meant to be the case; they were meant to be a happy family.

This was far from happy.

"Charles…" Harvey's voice was croaking, and he reached for his glass of water on the bedside table. "You'd better go and find Louise."

"Why?"

"Because Elizabeth is really angry, and it's all directed at Louise. She considers her a threat because you love her. I wouldn't be surprised if she had gone looking for Louise by now." Harvey gulped down the water in slow sips. "And I don't think it's going to be a pleasant conversation."

***

"I can't believe that he actually thought you were going to confess your love for him in return after what he said," Lara said in wonder, stepping over an upturned tree root. "To think he said all of that and why he was around you so much, and then he expected you to say that you would marry him."

"I'm still trying to figure out the logic myself." Louise shivered as a cool breeze whipped around them. Maybe she should have brought her cloak with her; while the day was warm, the wind was chillier than she anticipated. "I can't believe I didn't realize that he was at the house simply for me. From the way he was behaving, I thought he was courting Aunt Harriet and was trying to be something of a father figure."

"It's not your fault, Louise. They weren't clear about it, and the fact they were going to spring this on you and make him seem like the only option for their own gain is just disgusting." Lara screwed up her face. "If I'd had a given, I would have slapped him harder for you."

Louise was touched that her friend was willing to stand up for her. She was glad that Clarissa had been there as well; it was fascinating to watch her old friend react in such a manner. She might have over-worried about her children and become flustered, but when it was anything else that needed a firm hand, she was right there. Even Mansfield had been bewildered by it. He must have thought that Clarissa wouldn't stand up to him like that.

How could he think that telling her the truth was going to endear Louise to him? Did he think that she could agree to marry him because of the situation? Louise hadn't wanted to be around him when they were acquainted, especially with Aunt Harriet pushing her into his presence more than once. Now, she absolutely wanted nothing to do with Mansfield or her aunt. They could go back to the hovels they had come from.

"We're not going out too far, are we?" Lara asked, looking back down the hill toward Clarissa's house, which was visible at the bottom of the slope with the rest of the townhouses. "I've not been around here before. I don't want to get lost."

"Don't worry about it. I've done this walk plenty of times before, and there's civilization around." Louise slipped her arm through Lara's. "By the time we get back, I'm sure Clarissa will have calmed Lucy down. She's good at that."

Lara sighed.

"I feel awful for Lucy. She's been through a lot, and then to witness that…I'm not surprised she broke down like that."

"She's stronger than you think. Things will be fine."

"And what about you? Will things be fine with you, Louise?"

Louise hesitated. A few days ago, she had believed that things were looking up and she might be able to get away from her aunt. Now, she was unsure about what was going on. It was making her head spin.

If only her parents were still alive. Maybe she would have had a better childhood. Then again, she might not have met Charles. She would have been married long before this.

But, even then, Louise wished that she had been raised by someone else.

"Are you going to marry my father, Louise?" Lara asked suddenly.

Louise jumped and stared at the younger woman.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I know where this is going. You and Father haven't courted, as far as I know, but the attraction between the two of you is pretty clear to me." Lara looked impish, her eyes sparkling. "If you're going to marry Father, you don't need to worry about Archie and me. We're going to be absolutely fine."

Louise's mind went blank. What had just happened? She stumbled over her words.

"I…you…what…what's going on?"

Lara laughed.

"Father's been looking happier than I've ever seen him. It's a delight to see him enjoying life again. I want to keep that, and I want to keep you around."

"You mean for selfish reasons?"

"Is being friends with my potential stepmother selfish?"

Louise grimaced at that.

"I don't think I'd be able to cope with you calling me your stepmother when you're nearer my age."

"Oh, you'll get used to it. And I don't mind. I'd rather have you than my aunt hanging around pretending to be a mother figure to us while neglecting us at the same time to be around Father." Lara shook her head. "We all know she has feelings for him, and Father doesn't see her like that, but…you can't help but feel some sympathy for her. To have loved someone for twenty years and you could never have them."

Louise did understand that and she did see where Lady St. Simon was coming from. It was not easy on anyone who had dealt with unrequited love. From what she could tell, everyone else had been dealing with it by carrying on as normal and not entertaining Lady St. Simon and what she wanted. Had Lara's mother done the same thing? Had she known?

She wouldn't be surprised if Mary Simmons had known as well. How could she go that long without knowing about her sister's feelings for her husband?

"You just have to ruin things, don't you?"

Louise squeaked and spun around, Lara stumbling with her. Lady St. Simon was storming up the path toward them, wearing a cloak that looked slightly out of place in the warm weather. She looked furious, her glare focused on Louise.

This wasn't good. Louise didn't like being out here with the woman, even with Lara present. She wanted to hurry back to the house, but the viscountess was blocking the way. She glanced at Lara, who looked bewildered that her aunt was there.

"Aunt Elizabeth? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to speak to the woman who's stealing my life away from me." Lady St. Simon didn't tear her eyes away from Louise. "She needs to know her place, and it's not in our family."

"What?"

"Be quiet, Lara. In fact, it might be best if you leave. Lady Louise and I need to talk."

But Lara shook her head.

"No, I'm not going anywhere. And what's the matter with you? Why are you so against Louise being around us?"

"Because she's taking away someone who belongs to me," Lady St. Simon hissed. "She needs to keep away. Charles is mine and always has been. I'm not about to let an interloper, lower-class orphan take him away."

Lara's mouth fell open. Louise hadn't expected for that to come out. Lady St. Simon had pretty much hinted at it before, but to hear it clearly now was something else. And was she claiming Charles as hers? How was she not able to see that was not a good idea, given her own status?

"May I remind you that you're a married woman, Lady St. Simon?" Louise reminded her.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You have a husband! You're just Lord Chesterfield's sister-in-law. You can't dictate who and cannot be in his life. That's just ridiculous." Louise took a deep breath. After the confession from Mansfield, she had no patience for anything right now. "I think you need to walk away and leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to be dealing with this ridiculous behavior."

Lady St. Simon's eyes flashed.

"You're calling this ridiculous behavior?"

"Yes! You're a married woman trying to control who is around your sister's husband! You're sounding insane!" Louise was practically shouting by this point. "I'm not in the mood to be dealing with this, Lady St. Simon. If you're going to behave like this, you can go and do it somewhere else. Now is not the time."

"Oh, but it is the time." The viscountess reached inside her cloak and withdrew her hand. "Time that I took control of this situation before it goes too far."

The moment Louise saw the knife, she went cold. Then clarity set in. What was she doing? She couldn't be…

"Aunt Elizabeth!" Lara gasped.

Louise pushed Lara behind her, shielding her as Lady St. Simon brandished the knife at them. The older woman's eyes were wild, and Louise could see rational thinking seemed to be slipping away. It was as if she was moving toward madness, and she wasn't bothering to hide it anymore.

"I cannot have anyone else taking Charles," she hissed. "He's mine. I'm not going to let anyone have him."

"But you're still married," Lara protested from behind Louise. "You can't marry him, even if something happened to Uncle Harvey."

"Oh, I'll make it happen. I've waited for twenty-two years to have him again, and I'm not going to give up now." Lady St. Simon kept the knife pointed at Louise. It was far larger than Louise initially thought.

"When I first met him, I was smitten immediately. I loved him back then, and it's never changed. But then he took one look at my sister, and she bewitched him. I couldn't get him to look at me once he knew her. When he married her, I was furious. There was no way I was going to let him get away."

"So you married Uncle Harvey," Lara said faintly. "You knew he and Father were close friends."

"I wanted to keep him close, even if it meant getting married to someone I don't even like. I even had to give birth to his foul child." Lady St. Simon shuddered.

"I didn't want any children that weren't Charles', and I hated that Mary gave birth to twins and she was an involved mother. Part of me had been hoping that she would neglect them and pass them off to the servants so I could slip in and show that I was a better mother than her. But she didn't do that.

And Mary noticed that I was not looking after Lucy. She was aware that I loved Charles, and my reasoning for it, and she had tried to talk me out of it before, but I wasn't going to listen to my little sister. She didn't get to stand in the way."

Louise listened to this with growing shock. How could this be happening? Had she not woken up and this mess of a day was actually just a nightmare? But she had a feeling if she moved toward Lady St. Simon, she would find out pretty quickly that she was not in a nightmare.

She was, but she was awake, and she realized, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, what had really happened to the last Countess of Chesterfield.

"It was you," she whispered. "You murdered your sister."