Journey's End (Marlbrook) (18 page)

The letter occupied the wastebasket in her chamber, and the venom that had accompanied the destruction of the message was obvious in the repeatedly torn remnants of paper.

Sarah did not need anyone to tell her that youth and beauty were hers or that her experience was way beyond that of her spinster sister.  Life was unfair and the injustice of it all caused Sarah to vent her violent temper
up
on anything within her reach.  Her chamber
took on
the appearance of a war zone.

“I hate her
!
”
Sarah
screamed, before proceeding to yell a steady stream of obscenities until
,
exhausted
,
she halted, thoroughly bored with the whole affair.

Sarah waited for the last of the guests to take their leave, observing the closing scenes from the private recesses.  Miss Emily and her maid had been safely locked away
,
leaving Lord Henry to his own company.  He surveyed his territory from the balcony below.

The smell of
Lord Henry’s
cigar enticed Sarah.  Quietly
,
she left the safety of her chamber
,
attired in a see-through nightgown.  Her ink black hair hung seductively to her waist, the dark locks gleaming from the brutal brushing they had received.

The impact took place in the corridor
,
and for a split second
,
the incident reminded Lord Henry of his encounter with another
,
but this time the eyes that captured his were not those of an innocent.

And as
the door closed behind them, Sarah began on the road that would eventually bring about her downfall.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-
TWO
– The Marriage

The chapel was small and the adornments dramatic and ancient.  The original foundations
of Marlbrook
had been laid prior to those of the few remaining ruins dotted about the vast
estate
. 
Marlbrook’s
church signified more than just hallowed ground
;
the house of worship represented the resilience of its masters.  Politically aware, the House of Marlbrook had succeeded in reading the times and while most had succumbed
,
they had not.  The face may have altered over the centuries, but the core of its significance had never mutated.

Lady
Catherine
’s grin appeared smug.  Her
manoeuvring
had secured her son's marriage and she harboured no regrets
;
such feelings were redundant.  There would be no love match for Henry, but in all fairness
,
he had shown no signs of achieving the same for himself.  If her estimations were correct, Henry would continue his womanising away from home, and Emily would enjoy the freedom afforded a woman bound by a marriage of convenience.

Friends joined with family
lining
the church pews, their finery in conflict with the sombre setting of the ancient chapel.  Lord Henry’s aristocratic statue made a fine spectacle
.  H
e carried about him an air of resignation
,
his grim condition unbecoming
to
the festive nature of the ceremony.

Melodic music, produced by a lone flute,
accompanied
Miss Emily
,
as she
walked the final
few
steps to join Lord Henry.
 
A triumphant dressmaker had created a
n illusion of
purity.
 
Miss Emily’s gown
,
overlaid with a garment of gossamer
,
shimmered in the subdued candlelight, the
intricate
bodice supporting
her
ample
bosom.  Strawberry tinged locks, supported by buckles of gold, fell in ringlets, providing a colourful framework for her flawless features.  Together
,
the ensemble outwardly made for perfection.

The preacher,
solemn
in his duty, appeared to be predicting events to come.  The priest spoke of the failings of man, and perhaps his consideration of Marlbrook’s various scandals
throughout the years
helped him assemble his words.

The weddi
ng festivities continued until
the majority of
men
had drunk
themselves into a stupor, which in some cases had been a protracted task.

Laura was thankful.  The
heavy
workload distracted her mind which
of late
had taken to wandering to a dark place.  Lord Ashley had been notably absent.  He had made no attempt to contact her
since their last meeting
, his failure to do so inflicting pain on Laura’s very core.  Any declarations of love were
now
redundant.

Over the lonely days, r
emedies were sought and applied but they failed to
lessen
Laura’s heartache.  Laura’s journal recorded her phrases in hesitant waves, her flow of thought obstructed.

“I raised my expectations to a degree that now haunts me, and I am duly paying the price.  My instincts shunned - no, refused outright to accept
-
the reality that Thomas was of a class that I could never have hoped to attain.  My thoughts of my mother are
now
confirmed.  Had Thomas been a caretaker
,
I am sure that we would be together now.  I do not feel betrayed, but I have come to realise that it is not just the women of my mother’s class that suffer.  I pray that he is not a casualty as am I.”

Sarah had no idea as to the depths of despair to which Laura had descended
;
Sarah’s excessive self-indulgence sheltered her.  Sarah struggled with her own set of woes
; s
he had gone to great
lengths
to ensure that Lord Ashley did not attend the wedding.  He could only have spoilt her plans.  His timely diversion to
London
on urgent business had
personally
cost Sarah
dearly
.  The messenger had reneged on their original
agreement
and extracted a hefty price in payment for his work.  The man had been greedy, and it had taken Sarah a long time to wash the disgusting traces of his hands and lips from her body.

For a short time
,
Sarah’s mystery ailment inconvenienced everyone.
As a new bride,
Lady Emily could hardly have been expected to travel without her companion
,
or her husband without his mistress.  However
,
it did not take Sarah long to declare herself well enough to
accompany the newlyweds
and
to
allow
quiet
to
once
again
descend
up
on Marlbrook.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-
THREE
–
The Return

Winter naturally brought with it isolation, compacting the resources of the estate,
with
most of the inhabitants content not to stray too far from an open fire.  The absence of Sarah and Lord Henry deprived Laura of her normal chaotic routine, the quiet playing havoc with her thoughts.  The weeks treated Laura poorly
.
Despite her best efforts
,
she sustained her faith in Thomas
,
and until she conquered
her
self-pity
,
she
knew she
would continue to suffer.

With the passing of time
,
the snow transformed into a grey slush
,
the deposits warranting removal from the immediate area of the front steps.
 
An icy chill bit at the bones of the staff
,
made to stand
at
attention
by
the entrance
.  White aprons decorated
stark
black backgrounds, the flimsy material fluttering in the breeze.  All appeared in harmony with the setting nature had provided.

Lady Emily stepped from the carriage to the sound of the butler announcing her new title.  Lady Emily flaunted her newly acquired supremacy, exhibiting her power for all to see and heed.  The display was designed to war
n the staff of things to come.

Laura had taken up her position at the top of the stairs.  Lady Emily approached her last and
,
for whatever reason
,
Laura came to understand that she had an enemy and she wou
ld be wise not to dismiss her.

What Laura had yet to find out was that Lady Emily owned another virtue to add to her erstwhile repertoire of negative ones, a quality that would soon rear its ugly head and impact all within her radius.

             
             
#

Upon Sarah’s return
,
Laura enjoyed a brief lull in their relationship struggles, a welcome
change in Sarah
having taken place.

“Laura,” Sarah began, “
w
hen I a
m
wealthy
, I shall live in
London
and
not here in the boring countryside.”
 
Sarah’s features came alive and her manner
was
animated.  “
Although,
I
admit to being overwhelmed by
a
world
where money has no meaning, so
much so that
then I dare not think what surprises it would hold for
the likes of
you.”

Sarah recounted stories of a place neither sister had ever dreamed existed, while Laura sat quietly and listened attentively.  Sarah shared her gossip,
along with her knowledge of
fashion and food from the
London
bill of fare.

Instinctively
,
Laura gave Sarah a hug, grateful for the temporary reprieve from at least one of her troubles.  Sarah, it seemed, had come to accept her role.  In all honesty
,
Laura had expected Sarah to be sent home
,
banished and in disgrace.  To be proved wrong was a happy event.

Weeks passed and
Laura had an imperative need to confide in someone, her renewed relationship with Sarah
giving her
confidence to speak out.  She found Sarah
seated at her bedroom mirror.

“
S
ister,” Sarah’s tone was patronising, “I cannot believe that you have learned nothing of men and their ways that are so very different to our own.”

“Sarah, I do not think –.”

Sarah held up her
right
hand, indicating to Laura to cease her efforts.

“You must listen to me Laura. While I wholeheartedly sympathise with your predicament, all I ask is that you stop and think the situation through to its natural conclusion.”  Sarah did not plan at being evil
,
it just happened.  “If this man loves you, then pray state his purpose for leaving you without hope? Surely
,
any gentleman of his calibre would
have
written of his intentions?”

Laura widened the opening between Sarah and herself, the gap designed to help
buffer
her from the ongoing verbal assault.

“For goodness sake, Laura. Stop blinding yourself to the man’s flaws. Forgive me for my forthrightness, but I cannot share your views on the subject of class. I believe, had he truly loved you, he would not have hesitated in expressing his desire to take you as his wife.”

Sarah was good.  Compunction did not fetter her words, and she harboured no unease at their conclusion for her part in her sister’s
abject
misery.

Had Lord Ashley been
extremely
wealthy then Sarah might have come to benefit from their match, but she had seen his hovel and could not be expected to exchange Marlbrook for the Manor.  Besides Lord Ashley’s bed did not beckon her as Lord Henry’s did
,
and she had no plans to swap the warmth of the one she currently occupied for the remote possibility of another.