The Prizefighter’s Hart by Emily Royal

Chapter Twenty

Thea sifted through the shortlist of names for positions in the household. Her husband had left for his inn before she could speak to him about it. He’d said nothing at breakfast about their encounter last night.

Had he forgotten what he said before he’d fallen asleep? That he wanted her?

Was it such a shameful thing to want a woman—or was it just shameful to want her?

During breakfast, he’d focused all his attention on Rowena. The girl seemed high-spirited. And from Thea’s experience, a greater-than-usual sign of high spirits was the precursor to mischief.

“Mrs. Oake!”

She jumped at the voice, which seemed to be calculated at the exact pitch to convey dissatisfaction.

She turned to the newcomer. “What do you want, Mrs. Ellis?”

“I wish to discuss the child.”

The child—Mrs. Ellis almost spat the words out.

“What’s she done?” Thea asked.

“It’s more what you’re going to do,” Mrs. Ellis said. “It’s time she was sent to school. You must see it’s in her best interests.”

“You mean your best interests, Mrs. Ellis.”

“You’ve not had to endure five years of her wickedness.”

“Mrs. Ellis, you forget yourself,” Thea said. “I won’t have you speaking of Rowena in that manner.”

“You forget yourself, Mrs. Oake,” Mrs. Ellis said. “Like most second wives who cannot understand what it’s like to be a mother, you’re incapable of controlling a child who’s not your own. I only speak out of a wish to be of use to you. I have a greater understanding of these matters.”

This time the woman had gone too far.

Thea rose to her feet. “If you’ll excuse me, Mrs. Ellis, I’m very busy.”

The woman either didn’t take the hint or chose to ignore it, and she followed Thea out of the parlor, her cane tap-tapping on the floor.

“Don’t you have duties to attend to, Mrs. Ellis?” Thea asked. “I’m sure this can wait. In fact…” She met the woman’s gaze. “I wish to take tea in the morning room, now—alone. We can discuss Rowena later.”

Mrs. Ellis’s mouth creased into a scowl. But Thea didn’t care. The woman had seen fit to assume the morning room belonged to her.

“It’s time for my tea, Mrs. Oake,” Mrs. Ellis said.

“Then, take it in the kitchen.”

From the look of horror on Mrs. Ellis’s face, anyone would think Thea had asked her to parade naked to church on Sunday.

Thea swept into the morning room. Undeterred, the woman followed her.

“Really, Mrs. Ellis, I must protest!” As Thea spoke, she heard a small gasp. She glanced round the room and saw a curtain twitch at the far window. Perhaps Rosie had left the window open.

“I insist you take my advice on Rowena,” Mrs. Ellis said. “The girl has a wicked soul.”

“What utter rot!” Thea said. “Rowena’s a bright young woman, in need of nothing more than a little guidance—and, I might add, love.”

“She needs discipline,” Mrs. Ellis said, “especially if you want her to become a lady. Mr. Oake will listen to my concerns, even if you refuse to.”

How dare she! It was all Thea could do to prevent herself from smacking that pious expression off the woman’s face.

“Rowena’s welfare is not your concern, Mrs. Ellis,” Thea said, “nor, from what I’ve seen, has it ever been.”

“With all due respect…” Mrs. Ellis began, and Thea let out a snort.

“In my experience, the phrase with all due respect is the precursor to an insult.” She folded her arms and met the woman’s gaze. “You’re on dangerous ground, Mrs. Ellis. Please do me the courtesy of remembering you’re an employee—and not the mistress—of this house.”

“I’ll not stand here to be insulted,” Mrs. Ellis said. “Mr. Oake will have something to say about this.”

“Be my guest,” Thea said. “I believe he’s at the White Hart all day—much the same as any other day.”

“Then I’ll speak to him tonight,” Mrs. Ellis said. She crossed the floor to the door opposite which was half-open. “If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Thea heard another gasp from the direction of the twitching curtain. She glanced up and froze. Balanced on the door leading to the kitchen was a small wooden bucket.

Mrs. Ellis placed her hand on the door handle.

“Watch out!” Thea cried.

But it was too late. Mrs. Ellis pulled the door, and the bucket wobbled, then toppled over. Water poured onto her head as the bucket caught a glancing blow off her shoulder, then rattled to the ground.

Mrs. Ellis let out a shriek.

“What in damnation is this?” she cried.

Water dripped off her hair and shoulders, a dark stain spreading across her dress.

“Bloody brat!” she screamed. “I’ll wring her neck!”

Thea recoiled at the force of her anger.

A snort came from behind the curtain. Miss Ellis strode to the window—surprisingly agile for a woman who professed to need a cane—and pulled it back.

Rowena stood in the alcove, shaking with laughter.

“You ungodly little bastard!” Mrs. Ellis cried. “You should be beaten for this—and I’ll gladly be the one to do it!”

Before Thea could stop her, Mrs. Ellis raised her cane and brought it down hard on Rowena’s shoulders. Rowena gave a howl of pain.

“No!” Thea cried. She rushed toward the window, but not before Mrs. Ellis landed another blow. Rowena crumpled to the floor, fending off the older woman with her hands.

Mrs. Ellis raised the cane again.

“You—spawn of the devil!” Mrs. Ellis cried. “How many times must I do this!”

Thea grasped the cane. “Stop!”

Mrs. Ellis turned, and Thea flinched at the hatred in her eyes.

“Give me my cane!” she cried.

“I most certainly won’t,” Thea said. “You’ve no right to treat Rowena like a dog. How long have you been beating her?”

“I’ve only done what any God-fearing woman would do.”

“That’s rot!” Thea cried.

Mrs. Ellis yanked at the cane, and Thea lost her balance.

The two women crashed to the ground, wrestling for the cane. Thea rammed her knee into Mrs. Ellis’s chest. The act made the other woman lose her grip, and Thea wrenched the cane free. She struggled to her feet, then poked Mrs. Ellis in the chest with the tip of the cane.

“Get up,” she said coldly.

Mrs. Ellis propped herself up with her arms. “I’ll need my cane.”

“Your cane is forfeit,” Thea said. “You’ve shown that you only have one genuine purpose for it, and I’ll not tolerate that in my house.”

She glanced at the cowering girl in the alcove.

“Rowena, dear, can you stand?”

The girl nodded and stood. Thea moved in front of her, shielding her from Mrs. Ellis’s spiteful gaze with her body, then she addressed Mrs. Ellis.

“Leave,” she said. “Now.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Mrs. Ellis said. “Mark my words, no good will come of it. The brat will never love you.”

“I don’t care,” Thea said. “Rowena’s under my protection, and I’ll fight to the death to defend her from a creature such as you—who has no understanding of what it means to love—or to be loved.”

Mrs. Ellis wrinkled her nose. “Do you speak of me, Mrs. Oake, or yourself?” she sneered. “A woman such as you is the very last person Mr. Oake would have wanted to marry. It’s plain to see he’d rather spend the day drinking and fighting in an inn than suffer your company.”

Did the whole village laugh at Thea behind her back—laugh at how her husband avoided her at all times?

A hand touched Thea’s arm, then squeezed it. She reached behind, and the hand slipped into hers.

“Mrs. Ellis, I suggest you leave forthwith,” she said. “I’m sure the parson will take you in. I’ll arrange for a month’s wages to be sent on, together with your belongings.”

Mrs. Ellis opened her mouth to protest.

“I’ll make it six months’ wages if you leave now, without protest, and never return to Sandiford again.”

“Mr. Oake won’t like it,” Mrs. Ellis said. “He’s a fair man.”

“That he is,” Thea said. “You know what else he is?”

Mrs. Ellis shook her head.

Thea gave her a cold smile. “Not here.”

She glanced at the ormolu clock on the mantelshelf.

“You have until eleven o’clock to pack your valise,” she said. She turned to the shivering girl behind her.

“Rowena, my dear, would you fetch Will? Mrs. Ellis will need help vacating the manor.”

Rowena reacted to the calmness in Thea’s voice and nodded. Then she retreated through the door.

Thea raised her eyebrows in challenge. But Mrs. Ellis, like all bullies, knew when she’d been cowed.

“Mr. Oake will hear of this,” she said.

“That he will,” Thea replied, smiling. “If I were you, I’d make sure you’re several miles away by the time he learns the truth about how you’ve been abusing his daughter. And if he doesn’t believe her, I’ve seen the bruises—and today’s little demonstration of how you inflicted them leaves no doubt in my mind.” Thea folded her arms and cocked her head to one side. “I wonder if the local magistrate would join me for tea tomorrow afternoon?” She glanced at the clock again. “My offer won’t last forever, Mrs. Ellis. I’m inclined to let you have only five months’ wages. One more word of protest, and it’ll drop to four.”

Shortly after, Rowena returned with Will.

“Ah! Excellent!” Thea said brightly. “Will—Mrs. Ellis is in need of an escort. She’s visiting Reverend Flight, and I’m afraid she’s lost her cane. So she’ll be in need of assistance on her journey if you’d be kind enough to walk with her and carry her belongings.”

“Very good, ma’am.”

“Dear Mrs. Ellis, in her eagerness to appear independent, is averse to being given any help,” Thea continued, “but I won’t take no for an answer, Will. You must take her all the way to the reverend’s door. There’s no accounting for the ruffians who prowl the streets these days. Nobody is safe—not even in our own homes. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Ellis?”

The woman nodded, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Perhaps you’d be so kind as to wait outside her door, Will, while she changes her attire, just in case she changes her mind also.”

Will bowed to Thea, then held his arm out. Mrs. Ellis took it, and they shuffled out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Thea drew Rowena into her arms. The girl didn’t resist but began to weep while Thea rocked her to and fro.

No words were necessary. Rowena cried, not only for the hurt she’d suffered but out of relief—that her torment was over. Thea saw no need to ask why Rowena hadn’t asked for help before. In her own way, the girl had been asking for help in the manner by which she strove to gain her father’s attention.

Her father…

What would Griffin say?

As if she read Thea’s mind, Rowena stiffened in her arms.

“What will Pa do when he finds out?”

“You needn’t worry about your papa,” Thea said. “I’ll explain it to him.”

“Why didn’t he punish me? I tell him I hate him, but he never beats me.”

“Surely you don’t want him to beat you?” Thea asked. “Do you want him to only see you as a wicked child—like Mrs. Ellis does?”

“Better that than not see me at all.”

Thea’s heart broke at the words of a young girl who just wanted to be noticed.

“Will you beat me?” Rowena asked.

“I don’t advocate physical discipline,” Thea said. “I can think of worse punishments to teach good behavior.”

A ripple of fear glittered in Rowena’s eyes.

“What could be worse?”

“The very worst punishment is that which we inflict upon ourselves,” Thea said.

“Ourselves?”

“To reflect and understand the consequences of our actions—who we’ve hurt, what they’re compelled to do to ease their pain. Often, the knowledge that the joy in someone’s life is extinguished at our hand is punishment enough.”

“What if I don’t care?”

“I think you do,” Thea said. “And though you may believe otherwise, your father does see you. And he loves you.

“He doesn’t love me,” Rowena said, “and he certainly doesn’t love you.”

Ignoring the stab of pain, Thea smiled.

“You know, Rowena—despite your best efforts, I’m beginning to like you.”

“So, you won’t punish me for what I did to Mrs. Ellis?”

“I didn’t say that,” Thea said. “You need to understand the consequences of your actions, and I have something in mind.”

The fear returned in Rowena’s eyes.

“With luck, you won’t see it as a punishment,” Thea said. “But it may not be easy for you.” She held Rowena at arm’s length.

“I don’t expect you to like me, Rowena, but will you promise, from now on, to trust me enough to tell me the truth whenever I ask it? Sometimes confessing can be frightening, but it can save a lot of hurt.”

Rowena met Thea’s gaze, then the fear left her eyes, and she nodded.

“Good,” Thea said. “And now, perhaps after your ordeal, you’d like a little solitude. Do you wish to spend the rest of the morning in the garden?”

“Yes,” Rowena replied. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not. You may go.”

Rowena approached the door, then hesitated.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Thea asked.

“For saying that Papa doesn’t love you. It was unkind—when you’ve been nothing but kind to me.”

Thea smiled. “Consider it forgotten, my dear.”

Rowena returned the smile, then exited the room.

Poor child—how she must have suffered! And the more so for having nobody she could trust to speak of it. It was too painful to consider how long Mrs. Ellis had been beating her—but at least Thea had sufficient evidence to rid them all of that woman for good.

But as Thea watched her stepdaughter run across the lawn, she couldn’t help but believe that what she’d said in the heat of the moment was true.

That her husband didn’t love her—and never would.