Innocence (37 page)

Lisa’s father eyed Penelope and then cautiously sounded out her opinion on the potential merits of affection and sentiment in family life. Her spirited defence of the keeping of one’s marital vows—a cause now close to Lisa’s heart—and the joy she expressed over her brother’s recent good fortune at finding love in his later years impressed her father. While Lisa was pleased to see the colour and animation returning to his face, wiping years off his appearance in the process, she excused herself at the earliest opportunity, citing residual fatigue from the journey as her excuse.

After kissing her father’s cheek, she bid him and Penelope goodnight.
 

“Anneliese,” Penelope called when she reached the door. “I’d like you to know I think you would have made Nathaniel a far more suitable bride than Lucinda, and I’m sorry the two of you didn’t get to meet under more congenial circumstances.”

Flustered and fighting tears, Lisa was unable to compose a proper reply. Making do with a curtsy, she turned and fled.

Penelope had been planning to depart the next morning, eager to visit her sons, but she stayed another two nights. The friendship growing between her and Lisa’s father was a bittersweet development. While Lisa did not begrudge her father the opportunity to find happiness after the many years he had spent grieving the loss of her mother, the thought of a union between him and Nathaniel’s aunt was not one that filled her with joy. It wasn’t that she disapproved of Penelope, but a permanent connection with Nathaniel’s family could only cause Lisa great sorrow. Hearing news of him on a regular basis or, worse still, encountering him—and his wife—at combined family gatherings, was unthinkable.

Lisa strove to keep her feelings hidden, determined not to distress her father or discourage him from pursuing this path if he so desired. But when he and Penelope made arrangements for Lisa to stay with her for the height of the season, mere weeks away, she declared she could not bear to be parted from her father after their recent harrowing separation.

“Then I’ll just have to come up to London with you,” he said.

“How lovely.”
 

Penelope beamed her happiness at his suggestion while Lisa stared, aghast.
 

“I’d offer to have you both stay with me, but that would appear unseemly. I’m sure Thomas would be pleased to have you visit with him. Could Anneliese still reside with me, George? I should enjoy the company of such a lovely young lady, and the arrangement would give you ample excuse to visit me as often as you wished.”

Lisa’s father blushed at Penelope’s comment and then, to Lisa’s horror, agreed.

“But Papa.” She eyed him pointedly, while shooting Penelope a placating smile. “That would mean travelling, away from Henbury, a
long
way away from Henbury.”

“I know, my dear,” he said. “I’ve explained to Penelope about my limitations, but it’s time I overcame them, don’t you think?”

Unable to conceive of a plausible argument, Lisa smiled wanly and began to mentally prepare herself for the ordeal ahead. She would be introduced to the King and presented to society as his relative. At least with her father and Penelope by her side, she could hopefully dispel the dreadful lies Lord Copeland had spread to disparage her reputation. Although if the truth of her recent behaviour was ever to become public knowledge, she feared the new round of rumours would make the old ones pale into insignificance.
 

After Penelope’s departure, and a promise they would meet up in London in a few weeks’ time, Lisa struggled to keep the melancholy at bay. When she finally sat down to write to Rebecca, she struggled over what to say, eventually deciding to tell Rebecca she’d come to care for her brother dearly and wished him only the very best of happiness. She almost didn’t inform Rebecca of the unexpected news of her heritage, but Penelope had received Sir George’s permission to inform Thomas and Margaret when she next encountered them, so there didn’t seem to be any point hiding the news.
 

Lisa wondered if Nathaniel would be angry or upset when he heard or if he would have already moved on, caught up in preparations for his upcoming nuptials and the search to find a suitable woman to replace her as his mistress.

Wincing, she rebuked herself for the unkind thoughts.

Nathaniel had loved her. He had even said his views on marriage had changed, but what such a change in his beliefs and values augured for his future, Lisa did not know. She had written the truth to Rebecca and found herself praying for his happiness even though it meant she expected him to find it without her.

Her father promised not to boast to anyone else of her escapades once she reminded him most members of society would be scandalised not impressed by her masquerading as a maid. Together they created a fiction she had gone to stay with Miss Brewer after her father was shot, only returning when Thomas came to fetch her.

John and Helen, unsurprisingly, were difficult to fool. Lisa almost broke down and told them the truth of what had occurred during her time at Worthington Hall, but she knew it would serve no purpose other than to distress them. Their reunion was emotional enough, made even more so by the news she’d been granted permission to impart. Her father was gifting the betrothed couple a cottage of their own and an endowment to help see to their futures in gratitude for assisting Lisa in her escape.

John was flummoxed, though Helen’s squeals of delight more than made up for his speechlessness when Lisa told them the news. Their happiness planted the seeds of an idea for how she could make her own future more bearable. She might not be able to attain her own happily ever after, but she could make a difference in the lives of others. In particular, she wanted to help young girls who were suffering as Ruth had, as Lisa could have been made to if Nathaniel had not protected her.

With the decision made, her impending trip to London no longer seemed quite so pointless an undertaking. She would discover which charities assisted young girls to escape from abusive situations and offer her aid. With the influence her father predicted would come with her new station, and the newfound wealth he assured her was hers to do with as she wished, Lisa was determined to make a difference in the world.

The future stretched before her—lonely, without Nathaniel—but no longer without purpose.

Chapter 33

Visitors

With her father napping in his study, a little over a week after Penelope’s departure, Lisa spent the afternoon in the sitting room. Despite being an avid fan of her wit and clever prose, her attempt to reread her favourite novel of Miss Austen’s was a struggle, her mind wandering easily. Gazing out the window, she couldn’t help picturing Nathaniel as the hero, a mere
Mister
, and therefore within her earlier reach. Consequently, she had a clear view of the grand carriage that drove up to the front of Barlow Manor.

Lisa’s first thought was Nathaniel had come for her, that it wasn’t too late after all. Then her keen eyes discerned the heraldry on the door of the carriage, and her hopes faded as quickly as they had formed.

The carriage belonged to Thomas, the Worthington crest similar but distinct from that of the Marquis of Marsden.

“Miss Lisa, Miss Lisa.” Ruth rushed into the room. “It’s the Duke’s coach, from Worthington!”

“Yes, I can see that.”
 

Lisa stood and smoothed her skirts before walking, as calmly as the situation allowed, out to greet their unexpected guests.
 

With a smile fixed firmly in place, she nodded to the driver and grooms being greeted enthusiastically by Ben. He had come rushing from his work on the recently burned carriage house, with Mr Waters not far behind him. It was only when she noted their curious expressions she realised her dilemma.

They knew her as Lisa Brown, not Miss Anneliese Barlow, and her smile faltered. After all the trouble she had gone to, the
sacrifices
she had
made, to avoid exposure, Lisa couldn’t understand why Thomas would jeopardise everything by coming to her home.

Mr Waters opened the carriage door for her guests to alight, but to her confusion, it was not Thomas or even Margaret who stepped down from the carriage, but Rebecca, and she appeared to be all alone.

“Anneliese, how lovely to see you again.”
 

Lisa curtsied in response to her greeting, darting the hovering servants a wary look.
 

Rebecca immediately drew her a few feet away and whispered, “I can see you’re worried, but let me put your mind at rest. You have nothing to fear, as my father made an announcement to the staff explaining everything.”

“Everything?”
 

“Yes. He told them how you went to Worthington at your father’s behest to seek shelter, and how Nathaniel learned of your true identity in a letter Father sent him, entrusting you into his care. While his handling of the matter might have
appeared
somewhat untoward, Nathaniel was, in fact, acting to protect and safeguard your virtue at all times.”

“And they bought that?”
 

“You’re very well thought of amongst the staff,” Rebecca said admiringly. “Once Mrs Donaldson and Mr Henson understood the
true
situation, they only had glowing words to speak of your bravery and strength of character. They were relieved to learn Nathaniel had been behaving with the utmost honour, protecting you from discovery and capture by that rogue, Lord Copeland. The staff is thrilled to have been party to thwarting his dastardly intentions. Plus,” she added pointedly, “they’ve all been paid a generous bonus for assisting with your safe harbour.”
 

“Well, then, that’s all right, I suppose.”
 

Just as money talked, it could also silence, but Lisa wondered for how long.
 

“Shall I go wake yer father, Miss Lisa?” Mrs Waters asked.

“No. Let him rest,” Lisa advised.

She could do with a few moments alone with Nathaniel’s sister before tackling her father’s inevitable questions.
 

“Where are your parents?” she asked as soon as they were alone in the sitting room. “Are they following in a separate carriage?”

“No, no.” Rebecca waved a hand. “They’re in London trying to talk sense into Nathaniel. They left me
behind
, can you believe it? I was supposed to wait for my new governess to arrive before joining them for the season.”
 

Lisa stared at her in astonishment. “You travelled all the way from Worthington unchaperoned?”

“No, of course not. I brought Great Aunt Mildred. She doesn’t do anything but sleep anyway—which is what she’s doing now, sleeping in the carriage with Agatha watching over her—so there’s no need to worry. After I received your letter, I knew I had to come immediately to your aid, Lisa. May I call you Lisa? I overheard your housekeeper addressing you as such, and I must say, it suits you wonderfully. “

“You came all the way to Henbury—dragging along your elderly aunt and without your parents’ permission
—
because of my letter?” Lisa asked incredulously.

“Well, not only that. I’m afraid I have some distressing news.”

“Is it Nathaniel? Has he been harmed in some manner?”
 

“He’s fine, for now, other than having to put up with father badgering him not to go through with his drastic intentions. He’s in London awaiting an audience with the King to seek approval for his choice of bride.”

Lisa flinched, and Rebecca let out a small cry.

“I’m so sorry, Lisa. I can only imagine how distressed you must have felt upon receiving my letter and believing your true love is planning to marry another. I was quite beside myself on the journey with guilt and worry.”

“You’ve no need to feel either, Rebecca. It was my choice to refuse Nathaniel’s offer. I’m determined to make something of my life
alone
.”

“But that’s why I’m here.” Rebecca smiled brightly. “So you don’t have to be alone.”

“You’ve come to keep me company?”
 

“No, I’ve come to take you to Nathaniel.”

“But Nathaniel is to marry Lady Lucinda.” Lisa was bewildered by the cruelty of this strange jest. “It’s too late for me to intervene. It would only cause a scandal and add more suffering to our sorrow.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong. Well actually, I’m the one who was wrong, and you have my humble and most sincere apology.”