Chapter 31

"Ithink I shall be ill," Juliet said, pressing her hand to her middle.

"That's only your nerves. Remember, you have nothing to fear. I'm here to stand up for you, and Thomas will not leave your side," Frances reminded her.

"But why must we do this? Why can't everything stay precisely as it has been?" her cousin whimpered.

"This is important. It might not feel like it now, but someday you could come to regret not doing this. Both of you, that is," she said, looking over at Thomas.

"You won't let anything bad happen, will you?"

"Of course not. Jules, I promise you, the dread you're feeling is far worse than the actual problem."

"All right. If you say so. Let's get on with it."

Thomas and Juliet followed Frances out of her morning room, descending the stairs together to the drawing room. Frances nodded to Mr. Vickers, who opened the pair of doors for them. Frances entered first, looking to her aunt and then her uncle. Juliet came in behind her with Thomas at her side.

"Juliet!" Lady Hutchings cried, rushing forward to embrace her daughter.

"Mother. It's good to see you," Juliet said, her words sounding cautious. She turned to Lord Hutchings with a hopeful expression. "And you as well, Father."

The viscount only grunted in response. Frances knew his moods well enough to know that he'd been cajoled into coming here. His sour expression made her fearful that he wasn't about to forgive his young daughter soon.

"Juliet! We were so worried about you. How could you run off and not tell us anything about where you'd gone?" the viscountess cried, dabbing at what appeared to be real tears.

"I'm sorry, Mother. But I was afraid of what may befall me. Lord Rowlings—"

"Oh that," Lady Hutchings said dismissively, waving off her concern. "There's no need to think of awful things. That's all behind us, isn't it, dear?"

Lord Hutchings didn't answer.

"Mother, may I introduce my husband, Mr. Thomas Bailey," Juliet said hesitantly, though her proud smile gave away her feelings.

"Of course," Lady Hutchings said in a clipped tone, as though trying to sound pleasant. "How do you do, Mr. Bailey?"

"I'm very well, thank you, my lady," he answered, stumbling over his words.

So, this is how a poor fox looks when the hounds are coming near, Frances thought, scrambling to make the entire meeting more heartwarming. She looked around the drawing room and instantly thought it to be too stiff, too uninviting.

"Why do we not go to the terrace? We can take our tea there," she suggested brightly.

Her guests begrudgingly made their way outdoors. Lord Hutchings fell into a chair almost at once, leaning back and resting his elbow on its arm. Lady Hutchings made an effort at having a pleasant visit, though, by walking straight over to the balustrade overlooking the gardens.

"Why, Your Grace! I see you're already at work on improving the property. That's wonderful to see," she said, smiling for Frances' benefit.

"Yes, we've managed to hire an excellent gardener. I believe you are familiar with his work," Frances replied, unable to resist making mention of Mr. Jeffers' presence.

Lady Hutchings looked confused, but then glanced again at the gardener who was toiling away near the back of the gardens. She stiffened, realizing for the first time that Frances was aware of the problems in the viscount's household.

"Is that…" she began.

"Yes. I was fortunate to hire Mr. Jeffers when he left your employment. I felt it was the least I could do for all of the staff who'd be wrongly accused of thieving or laziness."

"I see," Lady Hutchings said, obviously warring with the desire to lash out.

"I think it would be for the best to talk about what happens now," Frances began, making her way over to the table and taking the chair beside her uncle. Juliet and Thomas exchanged worried glances but joined her as well. Lady Hutchings was the only holdout, choosing instead to remain at the balustrade with her back to them.

"I don't have to accept this marriage," Lord Hutchings began. "It was in Scotland, there's no proof that it was legitimate."

"That may be true enough, but as Mrs. Bailey has already resided with Mr. Bailey, there would be little benefit to refusing to acknowledge their marriage," Frances pointed out.

"I can force her to return home and marry whichever man I can find to take her now!"

"No, you actually cannot. All you can do is disinherit her, which I feel like would not be all that traumatic," she answered, reminding him of his minuscule fortune. Lord Hutchings blushed a deep red behind his overgrowth of whiskers. "However, I am prepared to negotiate on Mrs. Bailey's behalf."

"Negotiate? With what, your husband's money?" Lady Hutchings said, whirling around to face her.

"No, with my own funds. I will make a single payment to you in an amount I believe you will be happy with," Frances conceded slowly, "and in exchange, you accept Mr. Bailey as your son-in-law and return your daughter to her rightful place in your hearts. You may consider my gift as something of a bride price, if you wish."

"And what of him? What's to become of our daughter when she's married to a butcher's son?" the viscount demanded.

"Mr. Bailey? Do you wish to plead your case?" Frances asked, smiling.

The young man looked like he might lose consciousness at any moment, but Frances nodded encouragingly. He looked over at Juliet and there was a tangible sense of deep love between them. The transformation that came over him was astonishing, as if there was nothing he couldn't accomplish with her beside him.

"Thank you, Your Grace," he said evenly. "Lord and Lady Hutchings, I am well aware of my origins as a butcher's son. It might not be what you would have wished for your daughter's husband, but on the contrary, I can think of nothing so noble as a man who knows a skilled trade. While I intend to better myself and improve my standing in society through hard work, you can also sleep well knowing that your daughter will never go hungry. She will never want for the basic necessities in life, and I intend to provide her with much more than that. Should I fail as a clerk or a solicitor, I will prosper as a butcher. Anything is possible for me because I will have a devoted wife who cares for me as deeply as I care for her."

No one spoke for a moment, and Frances began to hope that his eloquent words had thawed the ice around her aunt and uncle's hearts. Her hopes were dashed when her uncle lashed out.

"What utter rubbish!" he bellowed. "You expect me to be glad that my daughter's husband works a trade? When I have raised her to marry a prince?"

"What does a prince have to offer that a tradesman does not?" Juliet cried, clinging to Thomas' arm.

"Money!" Lord Hutchings retorted, as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Oh? Then what do you have to offer that a tradesman does not?" Lady Hutchings demanded, stunning them all.

"I beg your pardon?" he demanded, blustering with embarrassment.

"You have no money yourself!" she cried, coming over to stand beside Juliet's chair. "I can envision the day that we must call on our own daughter's husband for money to warm the house come winter, and you're sitting in judgment over him? He at least has ambition, a good mind, a desire to work hard… what do you have other than your own sense of self-importance and money you've pilfered from an orphan girl all these years?"

Lord Hutchings burned a bright red, his anger growing. He opened his mouth to retort but the viscountess held up her hand to stop him.

"I don't wish to hear it. We've spent years trying to fool everyone into thinking we were something we're not, and we very nearly lost our daughter because of it. Juliet, I am happy for you. There, I said it! Your husband seems to be a man of highest quality and I know you will both be ecstatic together. Frances, I am not too proud to accept your generous offer of help if you are still willing to give it, but please know this: we are completely undeserving and unworthy of your kindness. We were wrong, and we let our pride and our desire to be something we're not cause you great misery. The only reason I can still stand to hold my head up proudly is because I know that our deviousness resulted in a sound education for you. Our scheming led to your happiness, and that of our daughter. And that is the only reason I can live with myself."

Frances watched her aunt in silence, pondering the woman's unexpected confession. She glanced at her uncle, who was at least shamed into holding his tongue, if not actually as repentant. Frances nodded, then stood up. She pushed back her chair and came around the table, then opened her arms wide to her aunt.

"I forgive you for everything. You've made it right, for both me and for Juliet," she said before leaning in and embracing the woman.

Lady Hutchings stiffened briefly, as though unsure of how to respond to such a gesture. Within seconds, her rigid posture dissolved and she returned Frances' embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered tearfully, the two words thick with feeling. "I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I am grateful beyond measure to have it."

Frances smiled, letting the woman's love heal the hardest parts of her heart. She'd longed for this sort of familial love since the day she'd lost her parents. She'd sought to replace it with friendships and learning and even a marriage of her own, but there was something about having her aunt accept her and shower her with devotion that filled in the missing pieces.

"But this still doesn't explain how this social climber intends to support my daughter!" Lord Hutchings said gruffly.

"I would wager it will be in his new position," Anthony said, emerging from the house and striding across the terrace. Frances beamed at him, knowing of the plan they'd concealed from Juliet and Thomas.

"Oh? What position is that?" Lady Hutchings asked, an air of hopeful interest about her.

"If he should accept the position, Mr. Bailey is to be my new steward," Anthony explained.

Juliet and Thomas exchanged astonished looks. Frances came over to stand beside Anthony, and he wound his arm around her.

"Do you mean it?" Thomas asked, rising to his feet and addressing Anthony.

"I most certainly do. I intend to restore my country estate to its rightful, former glory, and I plan to invest in the area surrounding it. From my understanding, it was once a quite prosperous farming region, though most of the families have moved on to find work in the city. I think we can restore both the houses and the villages, and find eager farmers to take up residence. But it will require someone with a good mind and a knowledge of trades, one who understands how to buy and sell goods."

"I… I don't know what to say," Thomas said softly.

"Say thank you, we accept!" Juliet insisted happily.

"Wait, my daughter is leaving for the countryside? After she's only just been returned to me again?" the viscountess asked, sounding mournful and looking somewhat distraught.

"Yes, Mother. Remember, you were quite willing to permit Lord Rowland to take me away, were you not?" Juliet challenged kindly. "Besides, I'm certain we will require lots of help from someone who knows about how to appoint a magnificent house. You'll simply have to come stay with us and help supervise the restoration."

Lady Hutchings smiled gratefully, reaching for Juliet and pulling Thomas into her arms as well.

"And Lord Hutchings? I'm certain I will not know everything I need to know in order to succeed. It would be wonderful to have your help in running things and restoring the farms," Thomas suggested.

Lord Hutchings didn't reply for a quite some time. He kept his attention on his hands folded in front of him, looking as though he was ignoring Thomas' request. Finally, he cleared his throat and answered.

"I'm certain you can't do it without my help. I suppose it would be hateful of me to keep you from succeeding."

Frances arched an eyebrow at her uncle. He looked up at her and sighed.

"I'd be glad to help," he finally muttered, only beginning to smile when Juliet squealed and darted forward, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek, and Frances noticed a distinct glistening in his eyes.

"Now, can we finally sit down and enjoy our tea?" she asked.

"There is one more person we're waiting on," Anthony said. He turned to the house and Frances followed his gaze.

A footman approached first, carrying a large chair with ample stuffing and placing it at the table. Behind him, Miss O'Reilly and Mrs. Barrett walked slowly, helping Abigail to her chair. Everyone remained quiet, awed by the sight of the girl and her first excursion out of the house in years.

"So, this is what they call the outdoors, is it?" she teased as she took her seat. "I can't say that I see what all the fuss is about."

Abigail couldn't keep a straight face for much longer, and her laughter was smothered by Juliet's embrace. Frances was at her side next, leaning down to kiss her quickly. She looked over to Anthony, whose happiness and pride were evident on his face.

"You did that, didn't you?" Frances asked softly when she came to stand beside him again.

"I might have put the idea in her head, but it was all Abigail's doing," he promised.

"She couldn't have done it if you hadn't loved her and believed in her, just as you've done for me. Never forget that."

"I'm certain you'll remind me of it for the rest of my life," Anthony teased, turning to look at her adoringly.

"For as long as that shall be, and then another hundred years or so," Frances answered, taking his hand and holding it tightly.

"I will hold you to that promise, my love."