Lady Abigail didn’t get much sleep the night after Lord Gilchrist shared with her the accident that had led to his permanent disfigurement. Though she had not been there when it happened, she was sure she could see the eyes of the young man in his charge.
It was no wonder that Lord Gilchrist struggled with nightmares and uncontrollable fits of rage. She would feel the same if she had such a weight of guilt on her shoulders. Then to return home with this deep inner struggle, only to have the world you once knew reject you.
Lady Abigail was desperate to free Lord Gilchrist from the chains that bound him. She wasn’t sure how it would be possible. One thing she knew for certain, however, was that running and hiding would not solve his problems.
It seemed to be all Lord Gilchrist was capable of. He would hide himself away or run to far off lands when hiding wasn’t enough. She knew there had to be a better answer. Lady Abigail was certain she must be the one to find it for him.
“I said, are you having a good time?” Lord Heshing said.
“I’m sorry,” Lady Abigail said, realizing she was being very rude to her caller.
Lord Heshing had arrived just after breakfast to call on her. She had been so occupied with worry over Lord Gilchrist. She was ashamed to say she wasn’t the greatest of hosts.
“I feel as if you have been lost in thought quite regularly. Am I that much of a bore?" Heshing asked as he leaned back in his seat.
Lady Abigail looked at his relaxed form. He was only meaning it in teasing, of course. She smiled shyly.
“I only heard some disturbing news last night. It has caused me much distress, is all.”
“Well, what was it? I would love to help,” Heshing said, coming forward in his seat again.
Lady Abigail would never share with anyone what Lord Gilchrist had told her the night before. It was much too personal for her to speak of, even to Lady Louisa. To tell Heshing, a man that Gilchrist had professed hatred for, was beyond of an overstep of bounds.
Instead, Lady Abigail turned to the thought of what Gilchrist had said about Heshing. Perhaps if she shared with him the rumors going around about his behavior, he would be able to clear the air and right all the wrong.
“It is about Lord Gilchrist,” Lady Abigail started.
She couldn’t help but notice the dark cloud that came over Heshing’s normally charming face.
“That old beast,” he said, quite proud of his slight.
Lady Abigail didn’t like it at all.
“Don’t call him that!” she shot out, before she could curtail her tone. “He has overcome much,” she added with a soft tone.
She couldn’t help but become a little self-conscious when Heshing raised a blonde brow at her outburst. He may have liked her spirited nature to ride in gigs and go to races, but he hadn’t seen how strong Lady Abigail could be when it came to defending a friend.
“Plus, it was in regards to you,” she added.
Heshing seemed to like that the conversation was turning back to him.
"Yes, and what about me? Does Gilchrist know I beat his time at my last race?" he said rather boastfully.
“No. Lord Gilchrist informed my brother of an incident. It's making the duke very uncomfortable, with me spending so much time in your company, that is.”
“Oh really,” Heshing said, not with surprise, as Lady Abigail had expected, but with a quiet resolve.
Perhaps he had been expecting this moment to come all along.
“I know the incident that you are speaking of. It was a silly little misunderstanding. I had it all sorted out by that afternoon,” Heshing said with a wave of his hand.
Lady Abigail couldn’t help but feel a little relief at his words.
“That Gilchrist can be so dramatic at times. It seems he lets his emotions run wild. I am sure he made things out to be a bigger deal than necessary. He certainly did that morning. He was going on and on as if he was some great hero rescuing the poor proprietor from a great evil,” Heshing said with a chuckle.
“As you said, though, he has been through a trial. I suppose he is still partly in that military world and sees things as more severe than they should be.”
Lady Abigail found sense in Heshing's words. Perhaps this had all been a misunderstanding as she had hoped. Gilchrist could get overly upset very quickly. Maybe he saw more in the situation than there really was.
There would be no point in arguing that fact with her brother. The duke was not very happy with the fact that Lady Abigail still spent much of her time in the presence of the Earl of Heshing.
There would be no way to correct the past misunderstanding, but she could find a way to move forward. If her brother and sister-in-law saw his true character now, they would change their opinion of him.
A wonderful plan was growing inside her mind.
“You do believe me?” Lord Heshing bore into her with his soft eyes.
“Of course,” she assured him. “I am sure it is all just a misunderstanding, as I suspected.”
“Good,” he said with relief as he relaxed his arm on the back of the chair. “Because I would hate if I couldn’t call on you anymore.”
“Well,” Lady Abigail hesitated, “I believe you. I fear the duke and duchess may be a whole different case. I fear that my brother doesn’t trust you and would rather I gave my attention elsewhere.”
“A simple question could change all of that,” Heshing said with that playful gleam in his eyes. “If we were to be, let's say, more formally attached to each other, His Grace would have to accept us.”
Lady Abigail felt that flutter in her heart and did her best to swallow it down. She had a feeling that he was very near to asking her to marry him.
“I am afraid, if a question was asked,” she said as slowly as possible, “I would have to decline.”
“Decline?” Heshing responded with utter shock.
“Not because I would want to. I am sure my brother wouldn’t come around if I forced him to in such a way. Both he and the duchess would only push against us harder. It is better to win over their affections first.”
Heshing got up from his seat and came to sit by Lady Abigail. The maid in the corner only looked up for an instant before returning to a basket of mending she had at her side. Lady Abigail was keenly aware of their closeness and the masculine smell that seemed to float along the air with Heshing’s closeness.
“I think my affection for you has been made quite clear over the last few months,” Heshing said in a low voice. “I had thought you felt the same towards me.”
“I do,” Lady Abigail said.
She did have affection for the man. He was charming and handsome. More than that, she could see herself living a happy life of bringing a family back into his home. A small part of her wondered if she was only trying to save another wounded chick, but she was sure that wasn’t the case.
“Then what does it matter what the duke thinks?” Heshing said with a small laugh. “If we both care for each other, then we should agree to marry right now.”
It was the first time, after all the months of teasing, that the actual words were spoken. Lady Abigail took a sharp breath. She didn’t want to hurt Heshing, but at the same time, she could never agree to something that might separate her from her family.
She knew that this was something that Lord Heshing couldn’t understand. He had grown up as an only child, then spent the last few years alone. So much of what he did was because he desired to, with no regard for how it might affect others. Indeed, he had no other family to consider.
Lady Abigail wasn’t sure how she could make Heshing see that, though she valued her own happiness, she would not seek it when it caused her family unhappiness. There had to be a way, instead, for the two to reconcile.
“I can’t do that,” Lady Abigail said sorrowfully. “I couldn’t bear to choose a life that would separate me from my family. I care for them too much to have hard feelings between us.”
Heshing thought this over.
“But, you see, if we married now,” he said, as if the idea had just come to him, “they would have no choice but to accept us. We could run away and elope.”
“I would never do such a thing,” Lady Abigail said. “It is a fearful, spineless move.”
“Would your brother truly deny us?” Heshing asked, trying a different tactic now.
“No, he would never do that. He has always said he wishes happiness for me. He would not deny me if I asked.”
“So then, it is settled,” Heshing responded, clapping his hands.
Lady Abigail had a strange feeling that this was more of a negotiation than a marriage proposal. It was not at all how she had expected it to go.
“No, it is not,” she said firmly. “Christian would agree, but he wouldn’t be happy with it. I doubt that taking such a course would help him see your good character either. There must be a way to settle this matter. Only then we will be able to start a life on good terms with my family.”
“Is it really that important to you?” Heshing asked, a little exasperated by the idea. “After all, how much would you see any of them? You would come with me to live at my country seat. We would only meet with them occasionally.”
Lady Abigail was horrified by the thought. She couldn’t bear the idea. Of course, she knew that when the time came for her to marry she would see less of her family, as she would no longer live at Wintercrest Manor. She would spend less time with the twins, the new baby, and Jackie. To have it said so coldly, though, seemed inhuman.
“I understand that I would not see them as much,” Lady Abigail said, doing her best to hide her irritation at his words. “However, I would still want to be on affectionate terms with them. If that cannot be done, I see no more reason to discuss the matter.”
“I understand,” Heshing said, settling back into his good humor, “then it seems I must not just find a way into your heart, but also into the heart of the duke.”
His raised brow at this remark and had the desired effect of making Lady Abigail laugh. It was then settled that Heshing would take her on a ride through the park on the morrow, as they had previously planned, but then he would return to have a family dinner with her at the duke’s house.
Lady Abigail thought that this might be the beginning of many private audiences with her family that Heshing could use to win them over with his charm. He was so wonderfully humorous and such a likable fellow, she was sure that in no time at all her brother and Isabella would come to feel for him as she, herself, did.