Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

L ouise waited in her room, listening to the bustle of the servants and the sounds of London waking up.

Dawn was breaking, the first spears of light spreading across the sky, the clouds tinged with pinks and purples.

After the fire was put out, Christian had taken her up to her room, all the while enquiring if she was well. She had simply told him she was tired and closed the door in his face, unable to voice any of the thoughts racing in her mind.

I cannot believe that my father would do something like this. I must speak to him. He could not have been so desperate. Surely, the stable boy was mistaken!

Northbridge Manor could be reached on foot, and Louise was relieved that she would not have to trouble the servants for a carriage. It was imperative that Christian knew nothing about her movements, so she had sat in her room for hours until she was certain that he was asleep.

She waited another half an hour until the faint light of dawn made the streets safer for a lady and then snuck out of her room.

Keeping watch for any servants who might her pass by, she descended the stairs, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. Reaching the hallway, she could hear voices from the morning room as Fenwick shored up the windows and the clinking of glass. The smell of smoke was still thick in the air as she tiptoed out of the house.

The streets were fairly deserted. A few vagrants wandered by, and several street urchins ran alongside her, asking for coins, but otherwise, it was eerily quiet. Louise hurried through the streets, hoping that she did not encounter any trouble.

The walk to her family home was almost a quarter of an hour, and by the time it came in sight, several carriages had passed her by, and many men and women were up and going about their business.

Louise was unsure whether her father would be at home, but she wished to keep her arrival secret.

She went down the side stairs and toward the entrance to the kitchen. Praying that the door was unlocked, she turned the handle and sighed with relief as it opened. The narrow passage beyond it led to the back stairs.

Louise crept along, listening to the voice of the cook and the kitchen maids as they prepared breakfast, and then headed up the stairs to the main part of the house.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she was relieved to find that it, too, was empty—she had managed to sneak into the house without being seen by anyone.

It was always easy to tell if her father was home because he could not disguise his booming voice, but she could not hear anything suggesting that he was up and about.

She decided that the best thing she could do was hide herself in one of the rooms. If a maid or a footman entered, she was confident she could buy their silence for a few short hours until he returned. If her father rose and came downstairs for breakfast, she would know he had not been responsible for the fire.

The very idea that he could set my home ablaze is unbearable.

She headed to the nearest door and opened it quietly, sneaking into a small parlor. But as soon as she did so, she heard a moan from behind her and spun around.

She let out a cry of dismay as she saw her mother’s huddled form in the corner of the room. Something about the cowering shape of her body made Louise suck in a sharp breath as she ran forward.

“Mama!” she hissed, kneeling beside her. “Mama, what happened?”

Lady Northbridge’s face was badly bruised. Her lip was cut, and there was blood trickling down her chin. She wiped it away as Louise pulled her into a sitting position, groaning pitifully. A dark bruise was forming above her eye, and she struggled to open it fully as she looked down at her daughter.

Fury overtook Louise as she helped her mother to her feet.

“What happened?” she asked. “Never mind. As though I need to ask.”

Lady Northbridge shook her head slowly as she took Louise’s hands in her own. “What are you doing here?”

“Come, we must get you to a chair.”

Louise moved her mother to the chaise longue, where she sat, looking like a shadow of her former self. Louise hated to see it and felt utterly helpless as her mother brushed her hair from her face, trying her best to look presentable again as Louise sat beside her.

“Why are you here?” Lady Northbridge asked. “It is not even seven o’clock.”

Louise hesitated, not wishing to heap more pain on her mother, but she could not hide the truth forever.

“There was a fire at our home, Mama,” she admitted.

Lady Northbridge’s eyes widened with alarm as her fingers clutched at Louise desperately. “ What? Are you all safe?”

“We are. Christian managed to get everyone out. We are safe, but one of the stable boys said he thought he saw Papa running away from the house before it happened. I came here to ensure that it was untrue. He is here, is he not?”

A shadow passed over Lady Northbridge’s face. “No. He left yesterday evening after…” she trailed off, her eye twitching. “I do not know where he is. I had hoped that he would not return,” she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

I have left her here, alone with him . The only company she has now is a man who beats her.

“Let me find a maid, Mama, and bring some water to you.”

“No!” Lady Northbridge said desperately. “I do not want the servants to know.”

“I will find Jenny, my old maid. She will not say a word. You are hurt. I cannot leave you like this.”

Lady Northbridge’s gaze was still fearful, but eventually, she nodded.

Louise rose, moved quietly to the door, and opened it slowly. She knew that Jenny would be somewhere in the house—it was just a matter of finding her.

After unsuccessfully searching the rooms on the ground floor, she went upstairs and found her in one of the bedrooms, folding away a number of gowns in a drawer.

“Jenny,” she whispered from the doorway.

The maid whirled around, staring at her in astonishment. “Lady Louise!” she exclaimed, smiling happily as she rose and smoothed down her skirts. “I mean, Your Grace ,” she corrected quickly. “I did not know you had returned.”

“I am here to see my mother,” Louise said softly as they moved out into the corridor. “Can you please bring warm water and a cloth to the parlor? Do not speak to anyone if you can avoid it. This must be done with the utmost discretion.”

Jenny frowned, but then she wiped her hands on her apron and nodded. “At once, Your Grace,” she said, before bobbing a curtsy and hurrying away.

Louise took in the long hallway before her. She had once run down it as a young girl, but she no longer felt any affection for her old home. All she experienced now was a sense of loss that she was not in her real home with Christian.

She went back downstairs as quickly as she could, hiding from some passing servants in a side room before returning to her mother. As she reached the ground floor, however, she heard a man’s voice in the parlor. Her heart leaped to her throat.

She burst inside, terrified that her father had returned to hurt her mother again, and froze almost immediately, staring at the scene before her in shock.

Marcus was standing in the room, his arms wrapped around her mother, who was holding him tightly. As Louise entered, they sprang apart, and Marcus paled when he saw her.

She hurriedly shut the door and leaned against it, trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed.

“Louise…” her mother said weakly. “I can explain.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Louise asked, looking to Marcus for an explanation.

She did not know what she had expected from him, but the defiance in his gaze was something new. Without hesitation, he took her mother’s hand and drew her to him even as she gasped and tried to pull away.

“I am not leaving her here with that man any longer,” he declared sternly. “I am sorry, Louise. I know I should have told you sooner, but I did not know where to begin.”

Louise was speechless, her wide eyes darting between the two of them.

“Mama?” she prompted, her voice low and confused.

“I am sorry, dearest,” Lady Northbridge breathed. “I have never intended for this to happen. But Marcus and I… it was not something I could escape. I always thought my life had ended, and I was happy because at least I had you, but then… This is not something I can give up. I do not want to. I really hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me, Louise.”

Marcus pulled her closer to him, their fingers entwined.

Louise expected to feel betrayed or angry at the news, but instead, hope sprung up within her at the thought that her mother had a chance to be happy.

Now that she looked at them, somehow they fit together, as though there was an understanding between them that had existed for a long time. Marcus’s expression was resolute but sorrowful as he glanced at her.

“I am sorry,” he said again. “I should have told you.” He nodded with a half-shrug. “As Althea said, this was not something we ever intended. I would never set out to deceive you, Louise, but I did not know how to confess it. I tried many times.”

He looked at her mother, a smile flitting across his face.

“In truth, I did not understand my feelings until I began visiting the house more often. I was always aware of Althea, hoping that she might spare me a glance. I believed it to be admiration, nothing more. I did not fully understand what my heart felt until almost a year ago…” His jaw tightened. “… when I saw that she was injured and learned that that blaggard was responsible.”

Lady Northbridge’s lips thinned, the bruise above her eye all the more obvious as she closed it in despair.

“I had never felt such anger,” Marcus muttered. “It was at that moment that I knew I loved her—the kind of deep love that is impossible to ignore. I would do anything to protect her.” His eyes met Louise’s once more. “But I need you to know that I never used you to grow closer to Althea. Our love blossomed over a series of encounters quite separate from our friendship.”

Lady Northbridge nodded at that, her eyes earnest and imploring. “Please believe him, Louise. We never wanted to lie to you.”

Louise’s fingers tightened in the folds of her gown, anxiety growing in her chest as she thought of Marcus’s return and all that had happened before it.

“Is this why you went missing?” she asked. “Do you think my father had something to do with what happened to you?”

Marcus’s expression was difficult to read. His chest expanded as he held his breath, before letting out a long sigh.

“I do not know, but I suspect that is the case.” His expression was grave and sad. “The Earl discovered us together some months ago. He threatened my life, and Althea’s if I did not leave London immediately. He was raging—mad with fury. I had no choice but to flee. I believed it might save us both if I was gone, but when the accident happened, everything was turned on its head. I was desperate to return and save her from him. I still am.”

Lady Northbridge was looking up at him adoringly now, and Louise found that she was touched by it.

Marcus was a wonderful person who would care for her mother unconditionally for the rest of her life. Perhaps it was not what Society or convention would permit, but remaining in a violent marriage was far worse to Louise’s mind.

The ton are only interested in appearances, after all. They care nothing for genuine happiness, and my mother deserves that more than anyone.

She stepped forward, and her mother stiffened, her gaze never leaving her.

“I am happy for you, Mama. Truly. You deserve someone who will treat you well and love you for who you are. You could not have found a better man than Marcus.”

Her mother’s grateful smile dropped when thundering footsteps hurried down the hall and the door burst open.

“You dare to make a cuckold of me in my own home?”