Chapter 15
A Visit from The Past
Arthur paced up and down his room. He was fully dressed but had no reason to go out of his room yet. Mr Victor told him that the Baron had asked that the Dowager Countess be made aware of his presence, no mention of the Earl.
“My mother?” Arthur said, suddenly seeing a need to confirm every statement made.
“Yes, My Lord,” Mr Victor answered.
“Where are they now?”
“They were in the garden when I left, My Lord. The Baron’s right hand man is there with them right now,” Mr Victor said.
Arthur nodded his head. It was awkward that the Baron would visit his house and not request that he be made aware of it, but he was talking to his mother, so Arthur felt safe. After a long while of waiting, Mr Victor walked towards the door.
“Let me go, My Lord. I’d want to be a witness to whatever is discussed,” Mr Victor said.
Arthur nodded. And for the first time, he wondered what was so important that the Baron had come to his home to discuss with his mother.
“It has to be something serious,” he said aloud.
Arthur started feeling unsettled. He wanted to know what was being discussed. Arthur paced up and down his room, steadily growing concerned the longer the meeting went without his being officially summoned.
Arthur waited again till it was quite a while that the Baron Zouche had arrived without him being told about it.
That is it.
Arthur walked out of his room and towards the stairs. He walked briskly, almost running down the stairs. When he got outside, he met a steward on the porch.
“Is the Baron still around?” he asked him.
“Yes, My Lord, they are in the garden,” the man answered pointing towards the garden.
Arthur walked down the short flight of stairs and into the garden. He paused at first trying to figure out which part of the garden they were in. He heard whispered voices from straight ahead. Arthur calmed his nerves and tried to make out what was being said from where he stood, but the foliage around seemed to absorb most of the sound. His ears couldn’t make out what was being said from that distance. Arthur walked closer to the sound. He went around the bend to see them seated behind the bed of exotic roses. He could see Rebecca’s father, making him out by his head. The Baron backed him and faced the Countess. He seemed in the middle of an important speech when the Countess looked up and saw Arthur.
“Arthur?” she cried out, smiling as she spoke.
The Baron stopped talking immediately. He stood up and turned around. He smiled when he saw Arthur and walked towards him.
“Lord Bexley,” he said giving a brisk bow.
“Baron Hugh Fitzroy of Zouche, I will always be Arthur to you. I am not different from that young boy who used to sit and watch you and Father play chess,” Arthur said.
He extended his hand for a shake that the Baron immediately took. The Baron nodded as Arthur spoke.
“Arthur,” the Baron said, causing both of them to laugh.
The Baron was not much different from the last time. He now had a sprinkling of grey in both eyebrows, and he didn’t look as erect. But his face had rounded at the edges. His cheeks showed signs of readiness to sag, and Arthur was sure those bags around his eyes were not because he had just woken up. His skin was rather smooth for a man nearing his mid-sixties. He didn’t look bad, not at all. Arthur wondered what the relationship was between him and his daughter, Rebecca, now.
I should have asked her. It didn’t even come to mind.
“I had expected that you would request my presence long ago, Baron, but it seems I was wrong. You came to see Mother,” Arthur said, moving his eyes from the Baron to his mother, “not me.”
The Baron looked uncomfortable with Arthur’s words, but the Countess was very cool and stared at Arthur.
“Yes, I came to apologise for not showing up during my friend’s burial. I had earlier sent word of the reasons for my absence.”
Arthur nodded.
“Yes, we received it.”
“I felt I owed the Countess the biggest apology because she was as close a friend to me as the late Earl. I would still have come to see you,” the Baron said.
Arthur nodded his head. He looked at his mother who had carried the same smiling expression since she had seen him. He didn’t believe the Baron one bit, but he had no proof that it wasn’t true, so he played along.
“Your apology was rather long. It has been an hour now,” Arthur said.
“It has? Oh, how time flies,” replied the Baron, looking truly surprised.
Arthur nodded. He would find out what they were discussing, one way or the other. He walked to the bench the Baron had stood up from and sat at the end. Arthur tapped the space beside him.
“You can have your seat, Baron,” he said politely.
The Baron nodded and walked to the space before sitting down.
“It is good that you are here because we are hosting a dinner later today. I would appreciate if you honour us with your presence,” Arthur said.
“Really? That is good, but I didn’t plan –”
“I would ask that you change your plan, Baron Fitzroy. Replace the missed funeral with the merriment of a grand dinner,” Arthur said.
The Countess stood up and took a moment to steady herself.
“Let me take my leave now,” she said.
“Baron Fitzroy, Arthur,” she said, nodding to both of them.
“I need to get upstairs too, Mother. Let us go together,” Arthur said, standing up and walking to his mother.
He turned back to face the sitting Baron. Behind the Baron stood a man Arthur didn’t recognise, who had to be his right hand man while Mr Victor stood at the other end of the chair, behind where the Countess had sat.
“Please Victor, take the Baron in and make him very comfortable. We want him fully ready for our ball,” Arthur said.
The Baron smiled, shaking his head. Arthur laughed and interlocked his elbows with his mother’s, helping her out of the garden. They said nothing as they left the garden and walked up the stairs. Arthur said nothing, leaving his elbow interlocked with her until they got to her room. Arthur then broke the arm lock and slammed the door behind them.
“What were you talking about?” Arthur asked, every shred of pretence gone.
His mother smiled.
“The Baron is a bad liar, isn’t he?” she said.
“It doesn’t matter. What were you discussing so intently that he visited for a full hour and I had still not been told?” Arthur asked.
“Arthur,” the Countess said, shaking her head.
Arthur went to stand in front of her as she sat on the bed.
“So much happened between the two families while you were gone, some in the open, much more in secret; he came to settle some of those things,” she said.
“So what are the things he settled?” Arthur asked.
The Countess shook her head.
“You have enough problems already, Arthur. Do not burden yourself with issues that do not directly concern you,” she replied.
Arthur knew his mother. She would not bend if he continued using that method. Desperate to know what was being discussed, Arthur decided to use another method.
“I will find out. You weren’t the only person present there,” Arthur said.
“Victor will not tell you,” the Countess said.
“I wasn’t planning to ask him. Teresa will,” Arthur said.
The Countess whitened when he mentioned his sister’s name. Arthur knew his sister. If she heard about this, she would make sure she got to know the topic being discussed. And it was obvious that was a preposition the Countess didn’t want.
She shook her head and carried a sad expression.
“What you do not know Arthur is far more than what you know,” she said.
Arthur didn’t respond, not for lack of want to respond but for the feeling that all of his words would be incompetent in his response.
“Do not tell Teresa. It would be a big mistake,” the Countess said.
“So tell me,” Arthur replied, softening his voice and request.
The Countess nodded.
“As at when your father died, he and his friend were not on speaking terms, none of us were,” the Countess started.
“Why?”
“You left, and Rebecca became ill almost immediately. She suddenly preferred to stay at the church across town. Her father spoke to her and asked her to return home multiple times, but she refused. When she married the clergyman, the Baron was heartbroken. His heart finally shattered when he found out she was pregnant,” the Countess said.
Arthur said no words, holding even his breath to himself.
“One Sunday, Baron Hugh Fitzroy rode here in a fit of anger. Your father was at home, downstairs in the parlour. I was here, but I could hear everything. The Baron tore down on your father for sending you away.”
Arthur dropped his gaze.
“He claimed your father knew as well as they also knew that you and Rebecca were close, probably loved each other. His theory was that Rebecca couldn’t handle you leaving, and her head turned loose. Your father was insulted and told the Baron to go and fix his family. Your father used some rather unkind words to describe her and claimed there was nothing between the two of you.”
Arthur exhaled.
“There was a lot between Rebecca and me,” Arthur said in a hoarse voice.
“It was visible, even to the blind, Arthur. But your father wasn’t going to take the blame for an adult woman who started misbehaving. That was his best defence,” she said.
“So why is the man back now?” Arthur asked.
“He actually came to apologise and discuss old times. He would have summoned you,” the Countess said.
Arthur moved beside his mother, sitting on the bed beside her. His eyes started to bite, and Arthur held them shut. He could feel the tears, hot behind them.
“Things weren’t meant to go so badly. I sent letters. I sent notes to her,” Arthur said.
His voice was heavy with emotion, and the pain was stark.
“Be careful who you trust, Arthur. The best enemies are the closest,” the Countess said, gripping her son’s hand in hers.
Arthur removed a ’kerchief from his pocket and rubbed his eyes. The tears didn’t fall and were easily removed.
“What do you advise me to do, Mother?” Arthur asked, knowing that she understood his real question.
I love her. Should I go after her? Or should I leave her?
“I know that things will turn out right in the end. Truth will prevail. Let your heart lead and your head dictate,” the Countess said.
Arthur felt even less motive to attend Lady Teresa’s ball now, but he would, just to satisfy her. He stood up and walked to the door. He needed to get back to his room. Remembering something, he turned back and asked his mother, “But why do you think she married so quickly? Was it to spite me?”
His mother broke into loud laughter. She laughed for a while, unable to stop the hearty chuckles that caused her mouth to open into a smile.
“You were gone, Arthur. She wasn’t sure you would even come back. What was there to spite? You forget that Rebecca is a girl with a sound head on her shoulders. I am sure that whatever she did, she had a good reason for it,” the Countess said.
Arthur nodded. His mother was right. She was always right.
“Just give her a chance, Arthur. Listen to what she has to say. I am not saying marry her, no. But listen to her,” the Countess added before Arthur closed the door.
I plan to do even more than that.