Innocence (32 page)

Lisa looked around at the variously smiling and stunned onlookers.

“And now, I have the pleasure of
formally
introducing this lovely young lady whom you may have previously heard referred to as Lisa Brown, but who is, in actual fact, Miss Anneliese Barlow, the daughter of one of my closest friends, Sir George Barlow. He’s the officer who saved my life during the war and the man you’ve heard me speak of many, many times before.”

“Bloody hell.”
 

Nathaniel staggered backwards as if struck.

Chapter 28

Sacrifice

Lords Cahill and McGivern both cursed loudly.

Margaret lifted a hand to her mouth, while Lady Rebecca looked on, bewildered.

Standing abruptly, Thomas’s smile disappeared.

“Margaret, please take Rebecca with you and arrange for suitable accommodations for Anneliese. You’ll need to ask the housekeeper to collect her possessions from the servants’ quarters.” He spoke quietly, but there was no mistaking the steel in his voice.

Eleanor began to laugh, adding to the sensation of unreality pervading the scene.

“Eleanor.” Lord Cahill warned, but she took no notice.

“There’s actually no need, Uncle Thomas. Your dear
Anneliese
already has quite lovely accommodations, doesn’t she, Nathaniel?” Her tone was deceptively sweet, but there was no mistaking the spiteful expression on her face.

“Eleanor
—
”
 

“Now, Nathaniel, don’t be shy. You’ve been such a good host. Don’t you want your father to know how gracious you’ve been to his
best friend’s
young daughter? How generous and insightful of you to offer her your protection. It’s like you somehow
knew
she was one of us.”

Nathaniel stalked towards her, his face a mask of fury. Startled, Lady Rebecca cried out in alarm at the same time as Lord McGivern lunged for Nathaniel, grabbing hold of his arms to prevent him from attacking his cousin’s wife.

“Enough, Eleanor!” Lord Cahill pulled her away from where she was taunting Nathaniel with a sneering expression.

“Don’t you ‘Enough Eleanor’ me.” She turned on her husband. “Do you think I don’t know you had plans for Anneliese
once Nathaniel was finished with her, that’s if you haven’t already taken her to your bed? Edgeley and McGivern, too.”

Lisa rocked back and forward on the couch, her faint whimpering the only sound that broke the silence following Eleanor’s outburst.

“Hugh?” Lady Rebecca looked from him to Lisa and then to Nathaniel, her face a mask of confusion.

“Margaret, please get my daughter out of here,” Thomas said with deceptive calm.

“Certainly.” She cast Lisa a sympathetic look and led Rebecca from the room.

“Michael, take your wife to her suite and keep her there. I don’t want her conversing with anyone until this situation is sorted.”
 

“What! You can’t do that!” Eleanor struggled against her husband’s hold. “It’s not my fault you men can’t control yourselves around the little tart. Watch out, Uncle, she’ll seduce
you
next.”

Lisa gasped at her vicious words, while all three of the younger men began to speak at once, defending her and denying the horrid charge.

“Silence!” Thomas roared. “Eleanor, you’ll have plenty of time to think over the wisdom of making any
more
accusations, baseless or otherwise, on your journey to Ireland. The Cahill estates have been left to moulder for far too long. Michael, you’ll oversee their renovation. It shouldn’t take more than six months to set your neglected estate set to rights, twelve at the outside. I suggest you make the most of the opportunity to school your wife in civilised behaviour.”

Lord Cahill gripped Eleanor’s upper arm, his expression grim as he led her from the room.

“For what it’s worth, Miss Barlow,” he said, pausing in the doorway. “I would like to repeat my apology, though I can now see it was far from adequate. I am terribly sorry for any offence I may have caused you. I won’t offer an apology on my wife’s behalf, as I could not vouch for its sincerity, but I can assure you, you will have it in due course.”

“Wait.” Lisa summoned her courage and spoke up. “Lord Cahill, could you please ask Lady Cahill to return my mother’s pearls?”
 

With the way things were rapidly spiralling out of control, she thought it might be her only opportunity to get them back.

Lord Cahill demanded his wife hand over the necklace, covering her hand with his and warning her to be careful when she would have torn it from her neck. He passed the strands to Thomas who eyed them curiously before handing them to Lisa. Lord Cahill then escorted Eleanor from the room, cutting off the sound of her outraged cry when he closed the door behind them.

As the numbers in the room diminished, the tension grew.

“Lord McGivern, I’m not sure what part you’ve had to play in this matter, but I believe it might be more appropriate if you were to exclude yourself from the proceedings for the time being,” Thomas requested coolly.

“Certainly, Your Grace.” Lord McGivern nodded then looked towards Lisa, his expression pained. “But first, there is something I wish to say. Miss Barlow, please forgive me for failing to recognise what I now see is blindingly obvious. You are a lady of quality and should have been treated as such from the outset. My accusations were both unfounded and unfeeling considering the ordeal you have endured. You have my most humble apologies.”

“Thank you, Lord McGivern,” Lisa whispered, relieved Lord Edgeley wasn’t there to add his two pence worth, unpalatable as they’d have been. “I appreciate you coming to my rescue that day in the village and for being a voice of reason at other times.”

“A word before you leave, McGivern,” Thomas said. “There are clearly issues to discuss if you are to have any chance of continuing your courtship of my daughter. In the meantime, I will not tolerate gossip regarding this matter coming from any quarter that can be traced back to you. Have I made myself clear?”

“Perfectly, sir. You have my word.” Lord McGivern bowed, first to Thomas and then to Lisa. She did not rise to curtsy but nodded hesitantly before returning her gaze to the pearls woven between her fingers.

“Father.” Nathaniel spoke as soon as his friend closed the door behind him. “Let me say at the outset that nothing that has occurred here, absolutely
nothing
, is Lisa’s fault in any form. She is totally blameless.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Thomas closed the distance between them and poked his son sharply in the chest. “She’s barely nineteen! The maiden daughter of a cherished friend who came to
my
home in the direst of circumstances with the expectation of finding safety, and instead she found . . .”

Turning away, Thomas paced towards the fireplace where he braced himself against the mantle.

“I was not aware of her true identity,” Nathaniel said quietly.

“And you think that makes what’s happened here acceptable?” The Duke speared his son with a look. “After everything I’ve taught you about how to treat those weaker and more vulnerable than yourself, you took advantage of an innocent girl working in service. Have my words meant nothing?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Nathaniel pointed to Lisa. “Look at her. Look at how beautiful she is. She wasn’t safe, so I offered her my protection. It was never my intention to harm her, quite the opposite.”
 

Lisa hung her head in shame. She should have kept her distance. She should have somehow known what it was he was offering.
 

But, of course, she hadn’t known until it was too late.

Thomas straightened to his full height and moved to stand toe-to-toe with his son.

“Are you saying there was no other way for you to protect this innocent girl than by taking her to your bed?”
 

Nathaniel winced, his reaction not lost on his father whose shoulders slumped with resignation.
 

“So you don’t deny it.”
 

“No, I don’t deny it, but there’s something you need to understand. I love Lisa.”

Thomas stared at his son for a long moment and then slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the word.”
 

The little colour that had returned to Nathaniel’s face leached away at his father’s words.

“Please, Uncle Thomas, don’t be angry with Nathaniel.” Lisa interrupted, and both men turned to face where she now stood. She couldn’t sit by and let Nathaniel take the blame alone for what had occurred.

“Nathaniel is telling the truth. He was only trying to protect me. In hindsight, I should have told him who I was when I first arrived, but I’d promised Papa I would trust no one but you. Lord Copeland had spread the lie we were betrothed, and I knew he and Nathaniel were friends. I was afraid I would be sent back to him or handed over to the authorities if my identity was discovered.”

Nathaniel stared at her aghast. “You believed I would do such a thing . . . to you?”

“I wasn’t sure in the beginning.” Lisa’s words tumbled together in her haste to explain. “By the time I realised I could trust you, we had spent too much time alone together. Remember? You said my reputation was already ruined, even though you hadn’t . . . we hadn’t . . .”

Nathaniel groaned and closed his eyes, but Thomas urged her to continue.

“I didn’t want to bring any more shame on my father’s name, so I decided it was best if I kept my identity a secret and remained Lisa Brown, a
servant
, forever.”
 

“And what of my son’s offer of protection? Did you understand what that entailed?” Thomas asked, his tone gentle.

“Of course she didn’t.” Nathaniel barked the words. “I took advantage of her innocence and
seduced
her. But I never intended to set her aside. I planned to make her my mistress.”

“You’ll make her more than that, I’m afraid. The only way this situation can be redeemed is through matrimony. I’ll contact the bishop immediately, as the wedding will need to be arranged as quickly and discreetly as possible.”

Lisa had imagined this would be Thomas’s response if he ever discovered what had transpired between Nathaniel and herself, and a wild and unreasoned hope fired in her chest. For a fraction of a second, she thought she saw the same flash of exhilaration in Nathaniel’s face, but it faded abruptly at his father’s following words.

“Thank God George is no longer on the throne.” Thomas shook his head. “Though who knows how William will respond. You’ve put your inheritance and the reputation of this family in grave jeopardy, Nathaniel. I had hoped you would take your place beside me in the House of Lords, but you’ll be unable to offer much support considering the battle that lies ahead. If the marriage isn’t approved, you’ll have to leave the country. Maybe Michael will rise to the challenge. An unlikely outcome, but one can only hope. You will have to enlighten me as to his and Hugh’s involvement in this matter, but that can wait for another time.”

Nathaniel hung his head, and Lisa’s heart ached for him.
 

“Anneliese.” Thomas turned towards her, his expression softening. “I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for your shameful treatment at the hands of my son. Try not to be afraid. We will weather the storm of controversy with a united front and pray our new King shows some compassion. Having only just been reunited with your father, it would be cruel, indeed, if he forces your banishment. Whatever happens, you shall have my unconditional support.”

Willing back the tears that stung her eyes, Lisa summoned the courage to act as she knew she must.

“That won’t be necessary, but thank you, Your Grace.” She spoke with intentional formality and as much dignity as she could muster. Miss Brewer would have been proud.

Father and son stared at her with matching expressions of bemusement.

“Lisa.” Nathaniel came close enough to take her hands in his. “You
must
marry me. You’ve no other choice.”

“Yes, I do.”
 

Pulling her hands free, she turned to face Thomas. She couldn’t do what she needed to do and look at Nathaniel at the same time.
 

“I do not wish to marry your son knowing his opinion of the institution and the devastating consequences our union would cause.” She forestalled any objections with a raised hand. “And I do not believe marriage is the only solution to this problem.”

“Lisa, please. You’re taking things out of context.”
 

“What do you suggest?” Thomas cut off his son’s protests.

“The staff know me only as Lisa Brown. If we do not enlighten them to my true identity, and I leave quickly and with as little fuss as possible, there’s no reason for them to believe otherwise. I’ve been seen fleetingly by a few guests to Worthington Hall, but only in the role of a servant. I doubt I would be recognised in a different setting, as people tend to see what they
expect
to see, not that I have any intention of leaving my home once I return to it. With Lord McGivern’s promise and Lord and Lady Cahill
occupied
, the only members of society we need to be concerned about are Lord Edgeley, whom I believe Nathaniel has already suitably threatened, and the Earl and Countess of Gladstone and their daughter, Lady Lucinda. I’m not
likely
to ever meet them again, but I fear they would recognise me if a meeting were to occur, having seen Nathaniel and me together at fairly close quarters.”