Chapter 11
Connection to Your Mother
Arthur rushed to his feet, eyes clear as day and body charged like a thunderbolt. He had nothing on but neither did Rebecca, and from Miss Wendy’s face, that wasn’t the focus of the matter.
“It is Miss Wendy,” Arthur said, reassuring himself though he wasn’t certain.
She was bigger now and her white skin was not as pale as it used to be. But her stance was the same. And Arthur could see recognition in her eyes. His senses returned, and he quickly dragged the bed sheet, wrapping it around his waist.
He had been hardly awake when the door burst open. Arthur wasn’t sure he would have opened his eyes still.
I was so comfortable. It felt so much like home.
Well, it wasn’t home because Rebecca leapt up like a gazelle in a chase, from the bed. The burst of movement made him open his eyes, and he saw a naked Rebecca cover Miss Wendy’s open mouth with her palm and slam the door with her feet. Miss Wendy had screamed, but Rebecca had easily tempered that with her covering palm. Miss Wendy’s eyes were wide open. She was shocked to meet him here.
Who wouldn’t be?
Rebecca, with begging eyes, slowly removed her hand from covering her maid’s mouth. Miss Wendy still looked surprised, her eyes moving from the naked Rebecca to Arthur, who had covered his girth with the white bed sheet but still felt stark naked.
“Lord, Lord be –” Miss Wendy stammered, evidently struggling from the shock of seeing a man in her mistress’ chamber, especially when she had left her alone the night before.
“Lord Bexley,” she finally managed to say.
Arthur’s throat was clogged. He knew he had to respond, but he never thought he would have to function in his official position, whilst stark naked.
“Wendy,” he said, his voice sounding like he had a cold.
Miss Wendy turned to her mistress, and Arthur saw composure creep back into her eyes. He turned quickly, not minding the bed sheet falling off his waist. He picked up his clothes and slid into them while Miss Wendy spoke in hushed tones to Rebecca.
“How did this happen?” Miss Wendy asked.
Arthur saw Rebecca nod.
“I can explain,” she said.
“It had better be a good one because it’s not every day a maid meets an Earl in her mistress’ room early in the morning,” Miss Wendy replied, taking a moment to look at Arthur.
Arthur felt his cheeks grow red. He just wanted to get out of here.
“Are you the only one up?” Rebecca asked.
She had gone back to the bed and picked up her nightgown, slipping it on quickly and quite easily. Arthur, who was still struggling to put on his shoes, wondered how it had been so easy to discard but now difficult to wear again.
Life could be so unfair.
“Far from it,” Miss Wendy said, “Greta is up, and Mr Lavine too.”
“My Lord, how did you get in?” she asked Arthur.
Arthur maintained his cool despite the blushing cheeks he was sure he had.
“I met the man at the church’s gate last night, an old man who carried a sword?”
“Mr Harry,” Miss Wendy said.
Arthur nodded, not knowing whether it was really Mr Harry or not.
“I lied to him that I had been sent from her father, the Baron Zouche. I told him I had a message from her. So he let me in and directed me to this building. I asked him a few more inconspicuous questions but got him to tell me her room. Seeing it had a tree leading right to its window, I climbed up the tree and got into the room.”
Arthur thought he saw an admiring smile from Rebecca. She had looked pleased that he took so many risks just to see her. Whatever he saw was gone now as Miss Wendy had looked straight at Rebecca, and Rebecca had conversely worn a contrite expression.
“How he gets out now, is the problem,” Miss Wendy said.
Her words made Arthur remember why he loved her then. She was a strict and watchful young woman then but never too chiding and aware that young people like Arthur and her ward would always find a way to be with themselves.
“Why don’t you call all the stewards and servants? Summon everyone to the pantry and tell them I want to talk to them. Meanwhile Arthur will climb out the exact way he came. I will go downstairs and be the lookout, and when Arthur is gone, I’ll meet all of you at the pantry and disperse them with a ridiculous excuse,” Rebecca said.
Miss Wendy nodded.
“That could work,” she said.
Arthur meanwhile had worn all his garments. All he awaited was the chance to leave.
“Follow me Miss Rebecca, you’ll come back to tell him when it’s safe to go,” she said, opening the door and walking out.
Rebecca followed her, sparing Arthur a long look before she shut the door behind them. She pushed the door open again and stretched her neck in.
“Lock this door, Arthur. Open for no one except the two of us,” she said.
Arthur nodded. He moved immediately to the door and heard some words as they walked away.
“Does he know? Did you tell him?” Miss Wendy said.
There was no response.
“Well, does he?” she asked again, more intensity in her words.
“No,” Rebecca replied, “I couldn’t tell him.”
Arthur could hear muttering, but they were too far away now.
What couldn’t Rebecca tell him? Did it have anything to do with why she didn’t return his letters? Or why she married so quickly after he left?
Arthur’s mind couldn’t dwell on that. He needed to get out of here unseen.
*******
Arthur glided down the trunk of the tree. He was making a bit of noise in his haste to get down, but he hoped everyone was in the pantry as Miss Wendy had come up to tell him, so no one could hear or see him then. His horse was tied to a birch tree around the bend of the house. Arthur bent low and looked from side to side, squinting when looking at the windows to ascertain no one was looking at him. Assured he was home and dry, Arthur hopped while still bending low, turning it into a run as he went around the corner of the house.
He saw his horse eating some leaves of the tree. Arthur ran to the horse and loosened it. He was about to jump on the horse when he heard a voice behind him.
“Who are you?”
Blimey! I have been caught.
“By a five-year-old girl,” Arthur muttered, completing his thoughts and happy it was only Harriet, Rebecca’s daughter.
“Hi, Harriet, it’s me, your mother’s friend,” Arthur said, stretching his hand for her to shake.
She didn’t, instead she eyed the hand, still unsure of what to make of the stranger. Arthur knew he could jump on the horse and run away but then she would surely run into the house and alert the rest. Even if they didn’t catch him, suspicion would be aroused as to who Harriet had seen. He had better make her feel comfortable.
“I saw you at the cemetery the other day. You looked beautiful, even in black,” Arthur said.
Harriet smiled. Her smile lit her face up, and Arthur could see Rebecca in her face at that moment.
“Oh! Well thank you, although I don’t really like black dresses. I like your horse’s mane though, it’s very black, just like my riding boots,” she said.
She drew closer, obviously unafraid of the stallion. Arthur loved her confidence, so much like her mother’s.
“Its name is Sirius. And you can touch it. It doesn’t bite,” Arthur said.
She laughed, giggling excitedly.
“Horses don’t bite, silly,” she replied.
Arthur laughed. “They don’t, normally.”
She placed her small hand on its nose. Her white hand hardly covered its nose, and its soft neigh encouraged her to go closer. Harriet was soon rubbing it on its neck while placing her face just beside its mouth.
Arthur knew he needed to leave. Rebecca could only hold the servants with nonsense talk for so long, but he was entranced by this young child. He loved to see more of her. She stretched her hand and cut two leaves, feeding it to the horse which accepted easily.
“Why did you name it Sirius?” she asked, still looking at the horse and rubbing her hand through its thick mane.
Arthur shook his head. He had never thought of that.
“What a silly name for a horse,” she said.
Arthur wondered why she had been here when every other person was inside the house. Why was she alone?
“Where were you coming from?” he asked her.
The girl looked up, matching his gaze and averting quickly. He knew she probably wasn’t meant to be there.
“I was with my governess,” she said.
“And where is your governess now?” Arthur asked.
“She’s in the music room, inside the chapel,” Harriet said, pointing to the church building quite some distance from the house although within the compound.
“So you ran away from her,” Arthur said.
“Escaped,” she corrected.
“We have played that sonnet many times, and she wanted me to keep repeating and repeating till it was perfect,” Harriet said in a tone that showed her befuddlement at her governess’ persistence.
“So you ran away,” Arthur said.
“I just came to look in the garden. I would have gone back now if I didn’t see you,” she said.
Arthur nodded. He moved closer to the horse, and Harriet drew back, noticing that he was about to mount it. Arthur mounted it and looked down to her.
“Go back to her, Harriet. And please keep playing that sonnet till you get it perfectly,” Arthur said.
“If you promise to bring Sirius when you come again,” she said.
Arthur wondered if he might come again. He and Rebecca hadn’t discussed anything. And although he loved the night they had spent, they hadn’t come any closer to solving the puzzle that was the last six years.
“If you promise to get the sonnet perfectly,” Arthur said.
“I promise,” she replied hastily, eager to see the horse again.
“I promise too. Now get back to your governess before she goes into the house looking for you and getting everyone worried.”
She nodded and ran off, disappearing around the bend. Arthur looked in the direction she had gone again. He was amazed how his connection to her mother made him feel so strongly for the girl. He kicked into his horse and sent it into a quick trot.
Teresa would be livid.