A Family of Her Own by Rose Pearson

Chapter Fourteen

The two young men went into Claveston’s favored drawing-room and sank into chairs by the fire. “So, tell me what has you in such a snit?” Cormick said as he crossed his long legs and relaxed back into the wing-back chair.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Claveston admitted. “It has been the most terrible few days.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Miss Lefebvre has been accused of theft.”

“You cannot be serious,” Cormick said, his expression aghast at such a thought. “She is such a decent, upright, honest sort.”

“Yes, she is,” Claveston agreed as Mrs. Grint appeared with a tray of delicious treats and a large jug of lemonade for Cormick – who seemed to even barely notice her arrival, so keen was he to hear the details. “A tiara was found in her armoire; a very expensive tiara that my grandmother wore for her presentation at court. One my mother also wore, and one that Gertrude will wear very soon for hers.”

“I cannot believe that Miss Lefebvre would take such a thing.”

“Neither could I,” Claveston admitted, pouring a glass of lemonade for his guest and another for himself. He took a couple of gulps to try and moisten his dry mouth and sighed heavily. “My father gave me three days to get to the bottom of the matter and to find proof that Miss Lefebvre did not do it, before he puts her out – or, worse, in front of the magistrate.”

“You cannot let such a thing happen. She is a good woman. She does not deserve such a thing.”

“I am well aware of that,” Claveston snapped. “And I have the evidence to clear her name.”

“Then why the long face?” Cormick reached for a slice of cake and took a bite. He chewed a couple of times then stopped. He swallowed hurriedly. “Oh my, the truth of what happened is as bad as the thought of Miss Lefebvre being responsible?”

“Exactly that,” Claveston said sadly. “I learned that Gertrude is to blame.”

“Ahh,” Cormick said and exhaled loudly. “I cannot say I am entirely surprised by such a turn of events.”

“You aren’t?” Claveston was stunned by his friend’s reaction. He had expected shock, dismay – yet Cormick was showing neither of those things. He simply looked sad.

“I am sure that in her mind, that Lady Gertrude simply wished to cause a little trouble for Miss Lefebvre. I cannot imagine that she would ever wish to have her companion put out of the house, and most certainly would not wish her to risk facing the gallows.”

“But?” Claveston queried. “Gertrude is not a fool. She must have known the consequences of her actions, Cormick? I cannot believe that she wished Miss Lefebvre harm, yet what she has done could only ever lead to that. What possible reason could she have? I truly believed that she liked her companion.”

“Young girls are a peculiar breed, indeed,” Cormick said sagely. “And Lady Gertrude is used to being the very center of your world. You must confess that since Miss Lefebvre’s arrival here at Compton, that might not entirely be the case any longer. Lady Gertrude is very alert, she sees everything that goes on around her. Is it not possible that she felt set aside?”

“You think she did this out of jealousy?” It was a plausible explanation, yet Claveston could not think Gertrude so petty. She was still young, and her emotions were still volatile, but she was not unkind. If she had wanted to rid herself of her companion, all she would have needed to do was to say so to Mama, or to Papa. They had ever indulged her and had got rid of countless nannies and governesses for no reason other than that Gertrude did not like them over the years.

“I do,” Cormick said. “If she has seen what I have, then she has seen someone come into her home and, without intention, do something no other woman has ever done before.”

“Which is?”

“Win your heart,” Cormick said simply. “Miss Lefebvre is the biggest threat to her position in your heart, and she fears losing her place there.”

“That does not excuse her actions,” Claveston said, aggrieved. If that was Gertrude’s reason, then it made him partly to blame. He had done all he could to make Gertrude feel safe and loved, since she was tiny, to make up for the lack of their parents’ affections. He had placed her at the very center of his life. He did all he could to ensure her happiness. He could not see how Gertrude could ever think that anyone would ever usurp her in his heart. Yet he had to be permitted to find love for himself, too.

“No, it does not. But it might explain them. Jealousy can make us do peculiar things. I don’t know if she wished to punish you or Miss Lefebvre – perhaps it was both of you – but her hurt may have forced her to lash out.”

The two men sat in silence for a few moments. Claveston lost in his thoughts, Cormick intent upon devouring everything upon the tray that Mrs. Grint had brought up for him. Cormick’s explanation might well be closer to the truth than perhaps Gertrude herself realized. She had done a terrible thing, but she had done it because of the hurt that had been her constant companion. Not only was Miss Lefebvre someone Claveston cared for deeply, but she was also someone Gertrude had grown close to. He had never seen his sister open up to someone the way she had to Miss Lefebvre. Perhaps the thought that he might take Miss Lefebvre from her, as well as the thought that Miss Lefebvre might have taken her spot in Claveston’s heart made it doubly hard for her to bear?

Whatever her reasons, Gertrude needed his love and support – and he would have to talk with her. She had to confess to Papa what she had done. It was not right that an innocent woman’s life is ruined by her petty jealousies. He did not doubt that he was the last person she would want to speak to, after their confrontation earlier, but she had to know that even if he loved Miss Lefebvre, even if he was lucky enough to be permitted to marry her – if Miss Lefebvre would even consider him after all that had occurred this week - that such a thing would never change the way he felt about Gertrude.

* * *

Sophie was goingout of her mind as she waited for news. Being confined to her rooms was frustrating. She had too much time to think and wonder why anyone would do such a thing. Since Claveston’s visit, she had pondered Gertrude’s tardiness that fateful day. There had been more than enough time for the young woman to fetch her ribbons and take them to the drawing-room. Yet she could not think why Gertrude could possibly want to hurt her in such a dreadful way.

She had almost finished her packing. She knew all too well that whatever the outcome of Lord Wycliffe’s investigations that she would be leaving this house tonight. She was tempted to call for the carriage, to leave now rather than wait to have her fate decided for her. But she knew that she needed to see this through, to be brave and face up to whatever might be.

She opened the doors of her armoire and began to pull out her gowns to lay them on the bed. She had left this part of her packing until last, because the armoire was where the tiara had been found. She felt as if everything inside it had been soiled by the presence of the stolen tiara. She vowed to wash every item as soon as she found somewhere to stay.

Normally she would roll each gown in velvet carefully, to prevent creasing during her travels, but today she took much less care. She folded everything and crammed it into her trunk, leaving behind all of the new gowns that the duchess had insisted her dressmaker make up for Sophie. She would not take a thing that she had not paid for herself.

A timid knock on her door made Sophie glance up. She called out that whoever it was should enter, but the door did not open. She shook her head and assumed that perhaps she had just misheard, maybe a bird had just flown into the window or a breeze had made the door rattle a little. But a few moments later, there was another knock.

Sophie got up and moved to the door. She opened it and was surprised to see a shamefaced Gertrude stood before her. “Lady Gertrude,” Sophie said softly. “Would you like to come in?”

Gertrude bit at her lip and fidgeted from one foot to the other. “I…I’m sorry,” she said, then burst into tears.

Sophie sighed heavily, put her arm around the girl, and took her inside her room. She sat Gertrude down and gave her a glass of water and a clean handkerchief. Gertrude wiped her eyes and blew her nose, loudly, then took a sip of the water. “I truly am sorry. I never meant for things to go this far,” she said earnestly.

“I am sure you didn’t,” Sophie said softly, trying hard to maintain her composure. Gertrude was just a child in so many ways. She had never had to face up to the consequences of her actions, everything had been given to her before she’d even asked. She was spoilt in every way – except for the one thing she needed the most, unconditional love.

“I was so angry,” Gertrude said desperately. “I don’t know which I feared most, losing you – or losing Claveston.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Sophie said, perplexed by such a statement. “Why would you lose either one of us?”

“Because it is clear to anyone with eyes that he loves you. He flirts with you and pays you attention he used to pay to me. He seeks you out. He only spends time with me, because by doing so he can be with you,” Gertrude wailed.

Sophie shook her head. “Your brother loves you, how can you doubt it? He has done all in his power to ensure that he is there for you. He gives you time he does not ‘ave, every single day so you will not feel this way.”

“Not since you came,” Gertrude protested. “It has been different. I know it has. He is there with me, yet he looks to you for your approval at every turn. He seeks your opinion, rather than mine – and the way he looks upon you.” She sighed. “He dotes upon you, hangs on your every word.”

“I do not think he does,” Sophie said, “but if you are right, it does not change anything. He is still your brother, and he loves you. He will always love you and be there for you. I am simply a member of the ‘ousehold staff. There can never be anything more than that between us.”

“You do not know Claveston if you think that,” Gertrude said with a sad smile. “Once he knows what he wants, he always gets it.”

“That is as maybe, but that assumes that I would want the same thing,” Sophie said, feeling uncomfortable at the turn this conversation had taken. “I told you when I first came here that your brother would not be the kind of man I would ever see in that way.”

“But that has changed, you cannot deny it,” Gertrude said perceptively. “I see it in your eyes. You care for him.”

Sophie did not know how to respond. The girl was right. Her feelings for Lord Wycliffe had changed since she’d told Gertrude that she wouldn’t leave her and that she had no designs to ensnare Lord Wycliffe in marriage. She still had no intention of trying to entrap him, but she did love him. “Gertrude, even if we did both love one another, as you believe, there is nothing that can come of that.”

“I know, which would mean that you would probably leave – and you promised that you would not leave me.”

“So, you came up with a scheme that was bound only to end in my banishment?”

Gertrude started crying again, great hiccupping sobs. “I did not think it through,” she said. “I just wanted to punish you both for breaking your promises to me. But it went so wrong. I never meant for you to be sent away. I just wanted to tarnish you in Claveston’s eyes. I should have known better.”

“Oh, Gertrude,” Sophie said, putting an arm around the girl’s shoulders and pulling her close. “You are such a child. There has been so much pressure put upon you these past months, with the preparations for your debut. But you must learn to think before you act. This could have not only lost me my position but my life.”

“I know that now,” Gertrude cried. “I am so sorry. I truly did not think there would be anything like this. I didn’t know. I didn’t. I would not want to see anyone hung for something I did. And Claveston knows, and he will tell them that it was me and I cannot bear that he thinks me so cruel.”

“Then you must tell your parents before they find out from someone else. Prove to them, to Claveston, how grown-up you can be. Show how contrite you are, as you ‘ave done to me.”

“But they will punish me. Can you not tell them for me?”

Sophie laughed. She had not meant to but could not contain it. “They will not listen to me now, Gertrude,” she reminded the girl. “I doubt they’d even see me if I asked for an audience.”

Gertrude stared at her with wide eyes. Sophie had the strangest feeling that though she had realized that what she had done was wrong and some of the harm that her actions had caused, Gertrude had only just seen that she had lost both of her champions. Her actions had brought about what she had feared the most.

If Claveston did indeed know what she had done, then he would be torn right now. He would wish to save both Sophie and his sister, but Gertrude obviously feared that he would choose Sophie. And given what she had done to Sophie, she would no longer be in a position to intervene on her charge’s behalf. Nobody would listen to a woman charged with being a thief.