Confessions of Lady Tabitha, page 16
That made sense. “I haven’t seen a lot of England, so I should be safe,” Tabitha told him. “People know my father, but they do not know me as much. Have you travelled much?”
“Here and there, but not extensively. I’m avoiding the towns that have more than a handful of people who know me. Fortunately, England has many towns and villages to disappear into. There are also Wales, Scotland, and Ireland to consider.”
Tabitha’s eyes widened. “That far? I have never stepped outside of England.”
“If it’s our last resort, My Lady. I want to keep you safe and will use whatever means necessary.”
The thought of being so far away from home filled Tabitha with some trepidation, but wasn’t that the point? To remain at home meant to live in danger, but to leave, no matter how far, promised freedom. It wasn’t just her who was in danger, but Jeremy. He was putting his life on the line to save her.
“I know you will never let anything bad happen to me, Jeremy,” she told him with a smile. “I trust you.”
“That means much to me, My Lady,” he replied, his expression pleased. “You seem to be in higher spirits today if you do not mind me saying so.”
“Not at all because you’re right. I’m happy knowing that Lord Bazeley will never succeed in his plans, and I will not have to live a life of servitude to the man. That is enough to keep me cheerful!”
Jeremy chuckled, stroking his horse’s bulging cheeks. “Hearing the happiness in your voice makes it all worthwhile, My Lady.”
He looked away for a moment, but when he turned his eyes back to her, they held something that Tabitha didn’t understand, but it was enough to make her draw in a sharp breath. Was it longing? For what? Tabitha’s naïve mind tried to make sense of it, and she would have asked if not for the realisation that quickly dawned on her.
Jeremy was looking at her as though he ... Tabitha couldn’t complete the thought. Her cheeks burned with colour as she dipped her head, wishing her hair would hide her face.
“I must go, My Lady,” said Jeremy.
Tabitha jerked her head up. “Already?” she asked in dismay.
Jeremy smiled at her, making her bite her lower lip and focus on her dangling feet. Why had she sounded so disappointed?
“A steward’s work is never done,” he answered. “But I’ll find another time to discuss our plans again.”
Only when Tabitha heard Jeremy swing onto his horse did she look up, hoping her cheeks were not too pink.
“Thank you, Jeremy,” she said, her voice oddly soft.
“No, thank you for trusting me, My Lady. That means a lot to me.”
He gave a shallow bow and urged his horse onwards into a light trot. Part of Tabitha hoped he would look back and was somewhat disappointed when he didn’t. What was wrong with her? Tabitha continued to stare after him until Jeremy disappeared from sight.
Only then did she leave the swing and make her way back to the house, her mind weighing on her thoughts and actions. She didn’t quite understand what was going on, but something had shifted between her and Jeremy. The most peculiar part was she didn’t mind it at all.
***
Tabitha felt a little self-conscious as she weaved her way through the crowd, keeping close to Mrs Cummings. The housekeeper knew the market area better than Tabitha did and had promised to help Tabitha sell a few of her things. It had taken some courage to approach the housekeeper and ask for her help since Tabitha was not confident of the woman’s ability to keep her confidence on the matter, but Mrs Cummings had seemed eager to help.
Tabitha had come up with a story about wanting to have her own money and not depending on her father for nip money, especially with their current financial difficulties. It hadn’t been a lie, not really, but Tabitha hadn’t told the whole truth either. Her mother would call her reluctance to speak the whole truth a sin of omission, but her parents didn’t have a leg to stand on, did they? They had lied to her and forced her into a corner. Well, Tabitha had found a little hole to escape through and was making good use of it.
“How much further, Mrs Cummings?”
“The fellow is just around this corner, My Lady,” the woman replied. “There isn’t much further to go.”
Tabitha nodded, briefly laying her hand on her belly. Her insides felt knotted and made her seem a little out of breath, but she knew she would feel better once she met the trader and sold the items she carried in her bag.
“Are you certain he will not tell Papa about this?” Tabitha asked for the umpteenth time.
“Mr Reynolds is sympathetic towards women who cannot have their own money, My Lady,” the housekeeper answered without looking at her. She sounded a tad annoyed. “He is discreet and will not give away the details of his suppliers. You have my word on that.”
Mrs Cummings had said as much the first ten times that Tabitha had asked, but she couldn’t resist hearing the housekeeper’s reassuring words once more.
“We’re here,” the woman suddenly said.
The man’s stall was tucked behind a shop that sold watches and clocks and wasn’t immediately visible to anyone walking past the shop. One would have to know it well to find it.
“Good day, Mr Reynolds,” Mrs Cummings greeted pleasantly. “I’ve brought you a lady who wishes to sell some things. I’m sure you’ll be interested in them.”
The man had large, pale blue eyes set in a bony face that seemed too long in the jaw. Everything about him appeared long, from the length of his hair to the shoes he wore. Dirty shoes, she might add.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss ...?” the man greeted.
“No need for names,” the housekeeper hastily interrupted. “Show him the merchandise, My Lady.”
Tabitha nodded, her hand trembling ever so slightly as she placed her bag on the man’s stall and took out the items she had chosen to sell. She counted three shawls, eight ribbons, one brooch, a few rosettes she had yet to glue onto her shoes, two silk handkerchiefs, a pearl hand comb, a brush and three scarves. Tabitha had only picked the items she seldom used or wore to avoid having her mother detect that anything was missing.
The man immediately went for the brooch, holding it up to the light and using a magnifying glass to look at the precious stones that studded the item. It was one of Tabitha’s least favourite brooches and was therefore easy to part with.
“I’ll give you ...” the man paused, tapping the main stone in the centre before giving a price.
Mrs Cummings immediately protested. “Absolutely not! This is good quality, Mr Reynolds. If you do not give us a fair price, then we shall go elsewhere.”
Tabitha wanted to tell the housekeeper that any amount was acceptable, but the woman held her wrist as though to say ‘keep quiet’. Mrs Cummings was obviously in her element, so Tabitha took her unspoken advice and let her haggle with prices. Eventually, an acceptable amount was reached for the other items as well, and Tabitha was handed a heavy sack of coins. Pride filled her as she weighed the sack in her hand. It felt rather weighty and promising.
“Thank you, Mr Reynolds,” the housekeeper said graciously. “Until next time.”
As soon as they were some steps away, Tabitha drew out a coin and pressed it into Mrs Cummings’s hand.
“Thank you for helping me,” said Tabitha. “I could not have done this without your guidance.”
The housekeeper looked at the coin for a moment before tucking it into her apron with a grin.
“The pleasure is all mine, My Lady. You just let me know if you have anything else to sell, and I’ll take you.”
Tabitha thanked her again and climbed into their carriage, barely able to contain her excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell Jeremy what she had done.
***
Some Days Later
Tabitha hated having breakfast with Ellie. The woman was loud and brash and had absolutely no table manners. It took everything within her not to snap at the woman, so Tabitha tended to ignore or avoid her as much as she could. Fortunately, Tabitha was too happy to allow Ellie to annoy her too much today. Everything was going well – what was there to be unhappy about?
Taking a bite of her toast, Tabitha nearly choked when she heard her mother speak to Ellie.
“That is a beautiful brooch, Lady Whittier,” the duchess said. “It looks just like the one Tabitha has.”
“Indeed?” the woman replied. “I bought this at the market yesterday for a steal of a price. Where did you buy Tabby’s brooch?”
“From a well-known jewellery maker in London,” Tabitha’s mother said with some pride in her voice. “Tabitha’s brooch was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind creation. Her father had it made for her fifteenth birthday. May I see it?”
“Of course,” Ellie replied, unclasping it and handing it to the duchess.
Tabitha could only look on in horror as her mother inspected the brooch, turning it over in her hand a few times before looking up at Tabitha with a heavy frown on her brow.
“This looks like yours, Tabitha. How can that be?”
“Oh, uh ... I gave it to Lady Whittier!” Tabitha said in a rush of words. “Don’t you remember?” she asked the surprised woman. “I actually forgot about that. I gave it to Lady Whittier some days ago.”
“But she said that she bought it,” the duchess argued.
“You simply forgot, didn’t you, Lady Whittier?” Tabitha said, looking at the woman pleadingly.
Ellie frowned at her for just a moment, suspicion clouding her eyes before the look smoothed away with a cold smile. Tabitha didn’t like the look of it.
“Oh, how could I forget? Of course, you gave it to me. How silly of me.”
“Oh, I see,” the duchess said in some confusion as she handed the brooch back to Ellie. “That was ... good of you, Tabitha.”
Tabitha smiled weakly, taking another bite of toast before declaring herself full and leaving the table. She hadn’t got far when Ellie called out to her.
“One moment, Tabby!”
Groaning, Tabitha turned to her. “Yes?”
“Why did you lie to your mother?”
“Well, um,” Tabitha began, searching her mind for an excuse. “I didn’t want Mama to know that I traded it for a purse I really liked.”
“Indeed?” the woman asked, clearly not believing her. “Would you please go back to the breakfast room? I must speak to you and your mother about the wedding plans.”
“But I have something to do,” Tabitha protested.
“I will not be long,” the woman insisted. “I just need to fetch some things from my room. I helped you lie to your mother. Surely you can spare me a moment for your own wedding?”
It seemed the woman was blackmailing Tabitha already. “Very well,” said Tabitha and returned to the room.
Her mother seemed surprised to see her back, but fortunately, nothing was said about the brooch.
“I’m glad to see that you and Lady Whittier are getting along well, dear,” her mother commented. “I was worried that you would remain stubborn.”
“So did I,” Tabitha replied a little darkly.
“The wedding will be such a grand event! I have already spoken to several dressmakers who all wish to have a hand in your trousseau.”
Tabitha was secretly pleased that she would never get to wear any of the items made for her. She let her mother carry on about the wedding, only catching her breath when Ellie appeared.
“I’m glad you have returned, Lady Whittier,” the duchess said happily. “Tabitha and I were just discussing the wedding. What do you have there?”
Ellie seemed to be carrying several things in her hand, one of which was a shawl Tabitha had sold to Mr Reynolds. Her blood ran cold.
“Just a few things I purchased that I’d like to show you and get your opinion on,” said Ellie with an ugly glint in her eyes. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all,” the duchess said.
Ellie proceeded to place each object on the table, her eyes never leaving Tabitha’s. By the time she was done, Tabitha had counted four items that had belonged to her. Her gaze slid to her mother, who appeared to be confused as her eyes fell on each item. The duchess finally looked up and gave Tabitha a hard stare.
“What is going on here, Tabitha?”
Chapter 14
Tabitha thought about barricading her room, but that wouldn’t make any difference because her mother would find a way to get in. It wouldn’t make sense in general because barring entrance into her room meant no water, food, or freedom to move around.
“I would have made me my own prisoner,” she said solemnly to herself.
Tabitha had had no words to give her mother when the duchess demanded to know why she had sold so many of her things. Her excuse of ‘because they are mine’ had not gone down well with her mother.
Sighing, Tabitha sat with her chin in her hands as she stared miserably at the door. She knew her mother would make an entrance any moment now and do what her eyes had promised. Tabitha was surprised the woman hadn’t come in yet, but she was well aware that it was only a matter of time before her door was pushed open and her mother came marching in. There was no possibility of the duchess letting this matter go, not when she believed she had been embarrassed in front of a guest. The woman had probably informed Tabitha’s father by now, which meant double the trouble for Tabitha. How was she going to get out of this mess now?
Ellie had looked on smugly, evidently pleased with the commotion she had caused. How had the woman come to buy so many of Tabitha’s belongings? It just seemed odd and too much of a coincidence to readily accept.
“’Tis almost as if she wished to get me into trouble,” Tabitha said thoughtfully.
Unfortunately, Tabitha had no way of knowing if Ellie had deployed nefarious means to get her into trouble. What else could she do but let the matter go? For now, anyway.
Tabitha lifted her head when she heard hurried footsteps nearing her door. There was more than one pair, but they were both too light to believe them to be anything but women. Her mother had likely brought one of the servants to help search her room.
“Oh, no,” Tabitha groaned.
Her room was going to be turned upside down, wasn’t it? Tabitha had a split second to decide whether she should chance to lock her door, but she decided against it. Her actions would only aggravate the situation, so Tabitha sat as calmly as she could and waited for her mother to barge in. The duchess didn’t bother knocking but pushed the door open with more force than was necessary, her face full of determination.
Tabitha winced when the door banged on the wall, almost smiling when it nearly knocked into the women standing with their hands on their hips. The duchess had chosen Mrs Cummings to help her search, which was rather ironic because the housekeeper had been the one to help Tabitha sell her belongings. Would the woman help her to protect her own involvement in the matter, or would she throw Tabitha to the wolves and pretend to know nothing about it?
“Mrs Cummings, you start on that side, and I’ll start here,” the duchess ordered.
“What are you doing, Mama?” Tabitha asked unnecessarily.
“Do not speak to me, young lady,” her mother snapped. “You know precisely why I’m here. It is only through good manners that I did not scold you in front of Lady Whittier.”
The duchess turned away and started digging through a chest of drawers. Tabitha had taken the handkerchiefs from one of the drawers, but she didn’t think her mother would notice anything. How could she when Tabitha had so many of them? She had sold her rarely used and least favourite items in return for some money. Didn’t people usually do that?
