Confessions of Lady Tabitha, page 12
Tabitha squeezed her eyes tight when the door opened, knowing that it was her mother.
“Tabitha?” she called.
Tabitha ignored her and continued to cry. Her bed dipped as her mother took a seat and touched her thigh.
“You will have to speak to me, dear,” her mother urged. “Your father was not impressed by the way you ran out of the room.”
He wasn’t impressed? How did he think she felt? Suddenly angry, Tabitha sat up in bed, roughly wiping her face with the back of her hand.
“Papa has no right to be unimpressed with me,” Tabitha claimed. “Please tell me something, Mama, and tell me the truth: am I being married off to that scoundrel to pay off Papa’s debt?”
The duchess hung her head and said nothing. That was proof enough to tell Tabitha she was right, but she still needed to hear it.
“Mama, I need to know. Did Papa give me to Leo to pay off a debt he made through gambling?”
“I’m so sorry, dear,” her mother apologised. “I am so sorry. I told your father to stop gambling, but he refused to listen. He has gambled away our estate, and now Lord Bazeley is the only way to get the money we need. You are our only choice.”
Tabitha felt sick to her stomach. “Would you please leave my room? I need some time to myself.”
Her mother never argued but got up and left, closing the door softly behind her. Tabitha threw herself onto her pillow and wept bitter tears. How could her father have done this to her? Was that all she meant to him? A bargaining tool?
The door opened again, and Tabitha yelled at her mother to leave her alone, but it was Mandee’s voice she heard instead.
“It’s only me,” the woman said. “I’m so sorry, Tabitha.”
Tabitha felt her friend come to lie beside her, putting her arms around her waist. Tabitha turned to her, burying her face in Mandee’s neck.
“He is just using me, Mandee,” she blubbered. “He made the debt; now he expects to use me to pay it off. What kind of father does that?”
“A desperate one. Perhaps he doesn’t know that the marquess is a terrible person and believes you’ll be well taken care of.”
Tabitha shook her head. “How can anyone be that blind? Just look at his sister! What sort of lady is that? And Leo says nothing to her! Yet he talks to me as though I am a thing to be shaped and moulded. My father heard all this and said nothing. Does he have any idea how I feel?”
Mandee stroked Tabitha’s hair, speaking soothing words into her ear, but it did nothing to alleviate the betrayal and pain Tabitha felt. Her father had crossed the line, and she didn’t know if she could ever forgive him.
Mandee was so sorry that Tabitha had found out the truth, but it was better sooner than later. However, she didn’t like seeing her best friend so distraught. Something had to be done, but what? Mandee’s mind turned to Jeremy. How she loved that man, yet he hardly acknowledged her presence.
All the steward could see was a friendly woman. Could Jeremy do something to help Tabitha? Mandee didn’t want to push them together because she had a feeling that Jeremy cared for Tabitha a great deal more than he would ever say, but she also loved Tabitha and wanted her to be helped. Perhaps she should ask Jeremy to do something. If not Jeremy, there had to be someone else to save Tabitha; there just had to be.
Chapter 10
All Jeremy could think about was Lord Bazeley being in the same house as Tabitha. He hadn’t been able to sleep, and when he eventually decided to drag himself out of bed this morning, he had wanted to fall right back into it when he remembered who was in the main house. Jeremy was only torturing himself by dwelling on thoughts about Lord Bazeley and how dangerous he was, but there was nothing he could do beyond what he had done so far.
When would his associates get back to him? Jeremy knew it took time to look for information and evidence, but his heart wasn’t patient. It wanted justice now, it wanted a way to get Tabitha out of the marquess’s clutches, but it had to wait.
Massaging the top of his head, Jeremy decided some breakfast would do his body good. It had been brought to him earlier, but he hadn’t been able to eat it. Now, all he wanted to do was eat. He was near the little parlour where it had been set up when he heard a knock on the front door. Jeremy hoped it wasn’t the duke coming to demand why he wasn’t there to meet the marquess because he might say something that he’d later regret. Fortunately, Mandee was the one on the other side of the door.
“Good morning, Mandee. You’re a little early today.”
“May I come in?” she asked. “I need to speak with you.”
Usually, the woman would greet him first and find out how he was, but today was different. Looking closely, Jeremy noticed lines of strain around the young woman’s mouth and tired eyes. Had she not slept as well? It seemed he wasn’t the only one to toss and turn last night.
“Of course,” he answered. “Come in.”
Jeremy stepped back, letting Mandee come through. She immediately went to his office, surprising him. Not asking any questions, he followed her and found her sitting with her hands folded on her lap.
“Why so stern today, Mandee?” he asked, taking a seat. “Is something wrong? Well, besides knowing who is in the house right now.”
“I think you know what the problem is, but what you don’t understand is that Tabitha is in danger.”
Jeremy received a shocking sensation, as though his body had been snatched from a pit of sharp stakes at the very last minute.
“Has something happened?”
“It’s what will happen,” said Mandee. “Lord Bazeley is an evil man, and his supposed sister is no better. Tabitha now knows that her father was the one who put the estate in such great debt, and her marriage to Lord Bazeley is a way to pay off that debt, so he doesn’t lose the estate.”
Jeremy stilled. He had hoped Tabitha would never find out about that, but perhaps it was better that she did. It was better to know what one was working against than walking into something blind.
“How did she find out?”
“Her father was gambling again last night, and even though he was losing every game, he wanted to continue playing. Tabitha may be naïve, but she is intelligent. She put two and two together, and her mother confirmed it.”
Grimacing, Jeremy rubbed the back of his neck. “That was no way for a daughter to find out about her father’s gambling vice.”
“I agree, but that was only half the problem.”
There was more? “What else happened?”
Anger lit up the woman’s eyes, and she straightened her back. “The marquess spoke about training Tabitha to be a dutiful wife. He didn’t seem concerned that her knee was injured, only that she wasn’t around when he arrived. What does that sound like to you?”
Jeremy closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about it, but he had to. Lord Bazeley was charming on the outside, but it was evident to all who truly knew him that he had a cold heart. If he was talking about training Tabitha, he was up to no good. Tabitha was not an animal to be trained but a woman to be loved. There was no telling how she would be treated once she became Lord Bazeley’s wife.
“Poor Tabitha,” he murmured.
“Precisely!” Mandee exclaimed. “You have to help her, Jeremy. I cannot think of anyone else who can.”
Jeremy shook his head. “I’m afraid I cannot do anything. This matter is beyond me.”
He didn’t want to mention that he was doing something in case the information leaked somehow and Storping or the marquess got news of it. It all had to be kept hush-hush.
Mandee’s mouth dropped as she stared at him in shock. “What do you mean you cannot do anything? Why? Tabitha is in real danger! Why won’t you help her?”
“Interfering will do her no good,” Jeremy explained weakly. “Besides, the duke has sent me veiled threats about my reputation as a steward. He plans to ruin me if I step a foot out of what I’m allowed.”
Mandee shook her head slowly. “I cannot believe I am hearing you say this. Tabitha is in danger, and all you can think about is your reputation.”
That wasn’t it at all. Jeremy would gladly lose his reputation if that guaranteed Tabitha’s freedom, but it wouldn’t. He would rather be here to watch over her than be sent far away.
“You misunderstand me, Mandee. I am worried about Tabitha, more than you’ll ever know, but doing something to anger the duke will not work in anyone’s favour.”
“So Tabitha will just have to marry the marquess, and that is that?”
The woman was making him sound like some sort of villain. “Of course not, but what can I do? I am just the steward here. I don’t have limitless power to do whatever I please.”
“But you have more authority than anyone else here,” Mandee countered. “Surely you can do something?”
Sighing, Jeremy rested his elbows on his desk and rubbed his eyes. Mandee was making it difficult to say no. What did she expect him to do? Work miracles? The duke had already warned him that he would be the one to blame if something went wrong. Jeremy could only imagine what Storping would say about him to other people. The man could destroy his entire career with just a few right words spoken in the right ear.
“What would you like me to do, Mandee?” he asked. “Why don’t you tell me what you expect me to do.”
The woman’s face fell. “I don’t know. I just know that something must be done. Those people are terrible human beings and don’t deserve to be anywhere near Tabitha. Lady Whittier already seems to have something against Tabitha. I watched her interact with Tabitha and the looks she gave her when Tabitha wasn’t looking. Something isn’t right, Jeremy. I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right.”
Jeremy’s resolve was crumbling, and it was crumbling fast. What could the marquess’s sister have against Tabitha? The women had never met each other until yesterday, so there couldn’t possibly be any history between them. Did the woman not like Tabitha marrying her brother? Why? Jeremy felt like he could ask questions until kingdom come and not get any answers. There were simply too many unknowns in this situation.
“I cannot help you,” Jeremy said more firmly than he felt. “I don’t have the means to help Tabitha, Mandee. You need to understand that. I am flattered that you came to me and assumed I would be able to, and believe me when I say that I do care about what happens to Tabitha, but there is absolutely nothing I can do.”
To his horror, Mandee burst out crying. The woman quickly covered her face and tried to stop any sound from escaping her lips, but her shoulders continued to shake. Jeremy felt terrible. He had caused Mandee’s tears, although he genuinely had not meant to do so.
“Please, don’t cry, Mandee,” he begged. “I don’t like seeing women cry.”
That only seemed to make the woman howl a little louder. “I can’t help it! What am I supposed to do now?” she blubbered. “You were my only hope. I don’t know who else to turn to. What am I going to do?”
Overwhelmed by Mandee’s emotions, Jeremy left his seat and sat on the edge of the desk, patting the woman’s shoulder.
“Everything will be fine,” he said, not knowing what else to say. “You just have to believe.”
“Believe in what?” Mandee asked, lifting her tear-stained face. “All I know is that the woman I consider my sister will marry a horrible man and live a horrid life. She doesn’t deserve that, but the duke is too selfish to see that!”
That brought on a fresh wave of tears until Jeremy moved to grasp both Mandee’s shoulders and bring her to her feet. The woman kept her eyes down, wiping her nose with her apron. Jeremy tried not to feel queasy at the sight of sticky mucous, and he partially succeeded.
“None of that now, you hear?” he demanded, making sure to avoid the apron. “Tabitha needs us both to remain strong.”
The miserable woman looked up, her face a mass of swollen features and bodily fluids.
“I don’t know if I can be strong, Jeremy. I try to put on a brave face for her, but I’m really worried and scared inside. What will become of her?”
Jeremy thought about embracing the woman to give her some comfort, but he was worried about the snot on her apron. Instead, he kept his hands on her shoulders, lightly patting them as he spoke soothing words.
He heard a knock, but the door opened before he could say anything. Tabitha walked in and froze as she took in the scene before her. Jeremy couldn’t move as well because he didn’t know what to do. Why did he feel so guilty? He wasn’t doing anything wrong, for heaven’s sake!
“Uh, My Lady,” he said weakly.
Jeremy felt Mandee still beneath him before she turned around and saw Tabitha.
“I apologise for barging in like this,” said Tabitha, backing away. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
“You weren’t interrupting,” Jeremy hastily said. “Mandee is just overcome with some emotions right now.”
“Please, excuse me, Jeremy,” Mandee mumbled, rushing out.
The woman never stopped to talk to Tabitha, leaving her bewildered. At least, that was how Tabitha looked to him.
“Did I do something wrong?” Tabitha asked.
“No, not at all. I think Mandee is embarrassed that you saw her in such a state.”
Tabitha’s delicate brow creased into pretty furrows. “But I’ve seen her cry before.”
Jeremy shrugged. What else could he say? Jeremy doubted that Mandee would want him to talk about what they had discussed together.
“Perhaps you should ask her later. Is there anything I can do for you?”
It was rare for Tabitha to come and see him. The last time had been for her to shout and yell about how he had ruined her life, but now that was sorted, he had no clue what she could wish to see him about.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I need to talk to you about a private matter.”
Jeremy thought about offering her a seat as he would with Mandee, but Tabitha wasn’t a servant, was she? She was the daughter of a duke and a lady. Having her sit alone with him in the office might be innocent to her, but it was a disaster waiting to happen. Jeremy did not want to be the man to ruin her reputation just by being in the same room as her.
“Why don’t we take a walk, and you can tell me all about it?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you rather stay here? I do not wish to inconvenience you.”
“To tell the truth, I do not want to give people something to talk about. People have a nasty habit of looking at an innocent interaction and turning it into something more ... sordid.”
Jeremy felt his cheeks grow hot as Tabitha’s cheeks pinkened. “I see. Perhaps a walk is better.”
He was glad that she understood what he was saying. Spelling it out for her would have only brought more embarrassment.
“We can walk along the drive and tell people we are going the same way,” Jeremy suggested. “I do wish to go to the main house and ask Cook about her orange cake and cream topping.”
Tabitha grimaced. “Orange cake? I prefer lemon cake but with a drizzle and not a cream topping.”
“You can keep your lemon cake, and I’ll keep my orange cake,” he said with a laugh. “Shall we?”
Jeremy moved to the door, opening it a little more widely. Tabitha thanked him as she walked past, giving Jeremy a hint of her floral perfume. He had detected three fragrances on Tabitha, one that she regularly wore and the others when it was either too hot or too cold. All of them suited her and always made him sniff the air around her. Jeremy had never met another woman who smelt as good as she did.
