Victoria considered her words. She wished Kit could be with her. He had been the perfect companion to take to Nanny Iris’s yesterday. She’d been close to breaking down when Nanny Iris had told her the truth, but Kit stayed calm and was able to quiet her almost like Prudence used to do. But Victoria knew this was something she had to do alone. Originally, she had planned on telling Rowena and then confronting their aunt and uncle together, but after today she didn’t know whether she would ever be able to trust Ro again.
“I am sorry if our argument embarrassed you, Auntie,” she said. “But you must understand the shock Prudence and I felt to discover that we were not going home at Easter and indeed that we didn’t have a home to go back to. And that is part of why I need to speak to you now.”
Her aunt’s pretty features remained both aggravated and disturbed. “Don’t concern yourself with such things, my dear. You will be staying with us in Belgravia for the season. It’s much larger and will accommodate all of us, as well as guests.”
Her uncle finally spoke: “That is precisely what I told Rowena. It’s not as if I didn’t take your and your sister’s wishes in mind. I didn’t sell the home; I just let it out until you and your sister are in a better position to make such decisions. Even though it belongs to the estate, I did that as a courtesy, as that is where you both grew up and where you were closest to your father. And I’m sorry if it’s old-fashioned, but it is impossible for you two to live there on your own at your age.”
Victoria wanted to protest his last point, but she wouldn’t let herself become distracted. Arguing with her uncle about women’s suffrage and rights would not attain her objective. “While I don’t agree with your decision, it would be pointless to argue about something that is already done.”
“And yet that is exactly what you and your sister were doing and at the top of your voices, I might add,” Aunt Charlotte said, her face twisting wryly.
“But it’s not why I insisted that I meet with you both,” Victoria put in quickly. She must get this out or she might lose her nerve, and she did not wish to lose her nerve. The reason they were in this mess in the first place was because her sister had lost her nerve. Or maybe Rowena didn’t have any nerve to begin with.
“And why did you insist on meeting with us?” Uncle Conrad consulted his pocket watch as if she were keeping him from an important meeting.
“I have come to discuss Prudence with you.” Her aunt waved her hand as if there were nothing to discuss, and her uncle shook his head in disgust. “Or rather Prudence’s mother.”
The hand waving and head shaking stopped.
Victoria took a deep, careful breath even though she felt herself shaking inside, as if she were having her own personal earthquake. “I would like to discuss Prudence’s position in this family, or rather, why she is living in the servants’ quarters when that is the farthest place from where she should actually be.”
Her uncle stood, but Aunt Charlotte’s eyes never wavered from Victoria’s face. Victoria tried to meet her gaze, but her aunt’s will and character were too strong and Victoria finally turned her eyes to her uncle.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said, but his neck, slowly turning the color of a ripe tomato, gave lie to his words.
“She knows,” her aunt finally said. “The child knows.” Aunt Charlotte turned to her husband and patted his hand. “Let me deal with this, darling. Victoria is family, it will be fine.”
Victoria watched relief spread over her uncle’s features. “Thank you, my dear. I will see you before dinner in the drawing room?”
Aunt Charlotte nodded. “Of course. I sat that American, Mr. Danworth, next to you for dinner as you requested. You’ll be able to talk horses all through the meal now.”
“Thank you, my dear.” The Earl inclined his head at both Victoria and his wife and left the room.
Victoria wanted to scream. Here she was sitting on a secret that could destroy the Buxton family and they were talking about the seating chart!
Victoria settled back in the chair and readied herself to face down her aunt. The way Prudence was being treated—and lied to—was completely unjust. Victoria could gain strength from the notion that she was fighting for what was right. If she couldn’t save her father’s home, at least she could defend her sister.
* * *
Lady Summerset sat perfectly upright in her chair and took her young niece’s measure. While Rowena was far more beautiful—and less fragile—she’d apparently misjudged just how much steely resolve this particular child possessed. It no doubt came from being infirm so much of her young life. If you were sickly, you either overcame it or it overcame you. It gave one a sense of strength. And the chit certainly had more pluck and strength of character than her own daughter, who only cared for having a good time with that group of friends of hers, the Coterie or whatever it was they called themselves. No, Elaine was a darling girl and would make a good match, but she would never be a ruler within society.
But who would have thought that little Victoria with the peculiar passions and big eyes would be staring her down as if she could actually win this little skirmish?
Would she have pulled such a stunt at eighteen? Challenging those with authority? She certainly maneuvered and manipulated those with control, but rarely challenged them directly. Lady Summerset thought of the suffragettes in prison, starving themselves for the vote. So many of this new generation of young women had no qualms about defying authority face to face.
But would it achieve their objective?
Letting Victoria stew a bit, Lady Summerset arose from her chair and walked over to her husband’s desk. Taking out a piece of paper, she scribbled something quickly on it and then rang the bell board. Victoria looked on, puzzled and a bit apprehensive. Good. When the servant arrived she handed him the piece of paper. “Please give this to Hortense, immediately. Thank you.”
Taking her time, Lady Summerset sat back down in the chair and settled the folds of her lace dress around her. Then she gazed at her niece, unperturbed. “I asked your uncle to leave because some of the things we are going to discuss are a bit delicate for a girl such as yourself to be talking about in front of a man.”
“Really, Auntie. I’m almost nineteen.”
“Still. I don’t care what modern manners say, sensibilities demand certain decorum. Now, why don’t we come straight to the point? What do you think you know and what do you want of it?”
Victoria tilted her chin. “I know who Prudence’s father is.”
“And how is it you know the answer to a question that only God knows the real answer to?” Lady Summerset asked quietly.
Victoria faltered but only for a moment. “You know, when my suspicions were first raised, I thought perhaps Uncle Conrad was her father or worse.” Here Victoria closed her eyes for a moment, but then took a deep breath and continued. “Or worse, perhaps my own father. But it wasn’t either one of them, was it?”
Lady Summerset had a biting retort on the tip of her tongue, but she knew how much it must cost the child to even consider her own father, so she held it in. “No, it was not.”
Victoria looked down at the ground, and Lady Summerset felt a pang of pity for her. Life was so much more painful for those who faced it head-on.
“My grandfather was some kind of monster, wasn’t he?” Victoria said.
Lady Summerset gave a surprised laugh. “A monster? Hardly. He was a man who had certain tastes and had the power to get what he wanted. I’m sorry to put it so bluntly, but as you said, you’re
almost nineteen
.”
“But if it was against her will?” Victoria cried out.
“Who knows if it was? We weren’t there, we don’t know.”
“So you’re not denying that the former Earl of Summerset is Prudence’s father?”
There was a cry at the door where Hortense stood with Prudence by her side. Prudence was as white as a sheet. Victoria rushed to her side and she and Hortense helped Prudence into the chair next to Victoria’s.
“You may leave us now, Hortense. Please have hot tea waiting in my boudoir. And have my bath drawn, please.”
Hortense disappeared while Victoria knelt down next to Prudence, rubbing her hands. The girl looked as if she was going to faint.
“I’m sorry, Prudence. I was going to tell you after I spoke to my aunt.”
Prudence just shook her head.
Lady Summerset watched both of them. There was no doubt the family resemblance was strong in Prudence, which was one of the reasons Philip had listened to her pleas and not brought her back to Summerset. What a fool he was to rescue the girl’s mother like that and raise the child as family. As if she had a right to it all! She shook her head. No matter what her husband and brother-in-law told her, the girl had no rights whatsoever.
But even at that, she wasn’t an unfeeling person. There would be a respectable resolution to the issue. There would have to be. They had kept the scandal at bay for too long to have it exposed by two foolish young girls. She brought her attention back to the matter at hand.
“I don’t understand,” Prudence finally said.
“Victoria? Don’t you think you should be the one to tell her?” she said.
Victoria stood, still holding Prudence’s hand in hers. “I went to Nanny Iris with my suspicions last night and she told me the truth.”
Prudence looked around, confused. “Nanny Iris? Sir Philip and the Earl’s old nanny? What would she have to do with anything?”
Before Victoria could answer, Lady Summerset shook her head. “Perhaps the story should be told by someone who knows all the facts.”
“Nanny Iris had enough facts that the family paid her off handsomely,” Victoria flared.
“Sit down, Victoria,” Lady Summerset snapped. “You forget, this isn’t just Prudence’s story, it’s Halpernia’s, as well. This isn’t just a family scandal. It’s a tragedy, so let’s conduct ourselves accordingly.” Victoria fell quiet. Lady Summerset looked at Prudence. “You know who Halpernia was?”
Prudence nodded.
Lady Summerset stood and poured herself a glass of brandy from the crystal decanter her husband kept on his desk. She took one sip and then another while the girls watched her silently. No wonder he enjoyed his brandy so well. It really did calm the nerves.
“Victoria is right, Prudence. As far as we know, you are the daughter of the late Earl of Summerset, Harold Xavier Conrad Buxton. Your mother was a maid here during that time. He took a liking to her and as happens, she soon found herself with child.” Victoria tried to interrupt, but Lady Summerset held up her hand. “No, I will not speculate on whether the interlude was forced or mutual. That hardly has any bearings on the current situation anyway.”
“That’s because it’s not your mother, Lady Summerset, nor the story of your birth.”
Prudence’s voice was tight and bitter, and Lady Summerset had an urge to slap her.
“Your mother wasn’t the only one,” Victoria broke in. “There was more than one town girl and one of them even killed herself!”
“Enough!” Lady Summerset snapped. She looked at the glass in her hand and then took another sip. “Let’s not stray too far from the story at hand. What may or may not have happened with other young women has no bearing on Prudence’s mother, or Halpernia for that matter.”
Victoria subsided and Lady Summerset went on. “Alice and Nanny Iris were quite close and Nanny Iris tutored the girl when they were done with their duties. Little Halpernia took a liking to Alice, and when Nanny Iris had an afternoon off, Halpernia wanted no one else but Alice to care for her. Once, when they were out walking . . .” Here she paused and wasn’t sure she would be able to go on. She and Conrad had been out walking with little Collin that morning and heard the cries. She’d never wanted to speak of these things again, and now here she was being forced to. She took a deep breath and continued, resolutely. “No one knows exactly what happened, but somehow Alice neglected her duties while with the Earl, and little Halpernia drowned in the pond.”
Prudence gasped and Victoria drew closer to her.
“So girls, what do you think the family did after that? Lady Margaret, the Earl’s wife, had a nervous breakdown. The Earl never quite got over it and had his first stroke nine months later. They pensioned off Nanny Iris generously, as her services were no longer needed. Alice was discharged, of course. She would have been let go anyway, as soon as her condition became public knowledge.”
“Of course,” Prudence said, her voice bitter.
“What would you have them do? Decorate her for finding the body?” Lady Summerset snapped. Prudence looked away. “Philip had recently married and left for London. Knowing that your mother was expecting a child, he hired a private investigator and found her in dire straits, so he spoke to his wife and they offered her a position in their household. I’m sure he felt some obligation to you as you were his half sister. The rest you know.”
Lady Summerset folded her hands across the top of her dress and waited.
Victoria was the first to speak. “So knowing all of that, why did you try to make her into a servant? She is a Buxton! She’s my aunt!”
Prudence leapt to her feet, her eyes flashing. “No, I’m not! I’m living proof of both a scandal and a tragedy. I’m the bastard child of either a shameful situation or a vicious attack. My mother was the reason your real aunt died. Why would anyone, except your father, who was the kindest person in the world, welcome me into his arms and home? According to your class, I am worse than a nobody!”
“But we don’t believe that!” Victoria cried out.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe, Vic. That’s the way the world works. They didn’t want me here, so they made it unbearable for me to be here.”
Silence descended upon the group. The ancient clock behind them was the only sound in the study besides the slight wheezing of Victoria breathing.
Lady Summerset finally cleared her throat. “I think when Victoria came to me this evening, she wanted to have her story confirmed and she had some grand idea that you would somehow be accepted into the family so she wouldn’t have to worry about losing you, but that’s not going to happen, is it, Prudence?”