Journey's End (Marlbrook) (37 page)

Maureen took a few seconds to compose herself before progressing.  “Under normal circumstances
,
I should hate
. Y
ou have robbed me of a husband and deprived me of any natural delight in my children. However
,
I find
that
I cannot. I am not a devout person, I can assure you, and this state comes through no lack of trying to despise you. My problem, you see, is that it turns out that I am the one that must beg your forgiveness.”

Laura remained silent.  The stage was undeniably Lady Maureen’s and the show as yet incomplete.

“When your sister first found herself in
,
shall we say, “trouble”, I had already become an intimate of the late Lady Emily. I had been welcomed in
to her close circle of friends.
The group had accepted me as a confidant
e
, and I became privy to the events that had taken place within Lady Emily’s household. Consequently, I cannot hide behind honour
,
nor do I intend to. I acknowledge, quite freely, that I knew of
Thom
love for you. You were a favourite topic of Lady Emily’s and
,
whether you know this or not, she often laid scorn at your door. You see
,
you deprived her of a lover.”

Laura was unaware of her rival’s rejection
,
for Maureen could see it written in her response.  “I paid no heed and made the mistake, as many of my class have, of assuming that wealth and power eventually solve everything. You see
,
Laura, men in general are weak creatures lured by many a pretty face, but a wife’s bed is somewhere that I was brought up to believe they would always return. I
cite
this as my justification and my ruin.”

The handkerchief had ceased its struggles, the article lying limp in its tormentor’s hand.  “I did not hesitate nor did I surrender my course once I had made up my mind to marry Thomas. Again you must see, madam, th
at my plan was doomed to fail.
It turns out that you are the wife
to whom
he returned, and I have been given no more attention than a mistress could demand. Once used, I was discarded. This might sound an unnatural existence, but one I have come to accept
,
for I married Thom
a
s with full knowledge that he belonged to you. A certain recipe for a disastrous union
,
would you not agree?”

Over time, Maureen had become wise.  Pain and anguish had taught her a great deal.  Her story neared completion.  “During the period that Thomas searched for you, I had also made it my business to seek your location. The crucial difference, Laura, was that I was successful
;
hence
,
before my marriage vows took place
,
I had it withi
n my power to mend your lives.
Selfishly
,
I chose not to
do so
, and on my wedding day
,
Lady Emily revealed to my husband your true state of affairs. I could read his mind, but it was too late for both of us and from that day on I have found no peace. But the real trage
dy is in the final punishment.
Every day of my life
,
I have had to bear witness to my husband’s suffering, and every day I live in misery
,
accepting that I am the one that initiated it. You of all people, I am sure, must see the sad irony of my story.  I can never confess my sins and ask for absolution
,
nor can I ever comfort Thomas in his loss.”  Her disclosure at an end, Lady Maureen quietly slipped away.

Laura made no attempt to stop Lady Maureen.  Fated lovers and those embroiled in their lives make for sombre tales, with endings that tend to be melancholy in nature.  Laura declined the invitation to become one of those
casualties
.

#

The story had been constructed of intricate pieces, some lost and some scarred with half-truths.  The book that Laura had discovered in the library, on a night long ago, had disappeared.  Laura had always assumed that her husband had destroyed it out of spite
,
but evidence now pointed to the probability that Lady Emily had uncovered the item.  What lay within the confines of the pages Laura could only speculate, and she could only presume that some of the letter’s condemning contents and the people involved had been extracted from its pages.

The Lawyer had confirmed that it was Lady Emily’s money that had financed the uncovering of the witness
.
Despite
their recommendations to the contrary, it was Lady Emily
who
had insisted
that
they proceed with the matter.

Somehow
,
Lady Emily had managed to link Lady
Catherine
with Lady
Virginia
’s wedding ring.  Lady
Catherine
had been the warden charged with guarding the precious item, hiding it within the safe confines of her bosom.

Laura recoiled at the idea that the Lady she had grown to respect might have covered the mistakes of the father
,
as she had done for the son.

CHAPTER
FORTY
-
THREE
– New beginnings

“The desires of men are not always met,

but no guarantees were ever given

For it is said that mankind holds the future within their grasp to mould and form at will

But who probes for consent or questions the creator’s standards, and who amongst us would put their results to any test?

Countless effort had been placed into the weaving of intrigue, the future shaped under the control of a select few.  However, all concerned had neglected one factor
–
Hope
-
an entity ignored when they had hatched their schemes and fed them on hatred.

The slight figure stood tall and straight in the doorway of her “Aunt
’
s” home.  The daughter Sara
h had forsaken sought answers.

Apprehension sat with Sarah, and rightly
so, for this time there was no
where for her to run.

“Sarah,” Hope avoided the term “mother
,
” for the humble word associated itself with love and affection, none of which could be detected here.  “Are you not pleased to greet your daughter?”

And so began the conversation between a mother and her child.  What transpired remains their secret
;
the outcome
,
however
,
left no one in doubt.  Whether attributable to the discussion or
to
pure coincidence, Mr and Mrs Pritchard announced their plans for departure that same day
,
their exit accomplished with far less grandeur than their entrance.

#

On that fateful day, Lord Ashley had ridden
,
with his demons at his back
,
to escape Laura
, b
ut he did not run far
.  H
e never did
,
from Laura’s love.  Nevertheless he had accepted, as she had, that their roads had divided, and they would not meet again for a long time.  Life carried with it some poignant moments.

Thomas had stabled his horse.  The steps he walked were laden with sadness, but his slate had been wiped clean.

Lady Maureen understood her husband.  Change had resulted for them
,
but neither solicited the reason.  Thomas managed to share a measure of his troubles with his wife and Maureen
had
alleviated hers.  Effort would be rewarded.

The weight they had supported over the years would always exist, as injuries of such proportion are almost impossible to erase
;
however
,
the ability to place life in perspective can be mastered.

Maureen never acquainted her husband with her what transpired between his wife and his lover
.  S
he knew she would not have contributed to their lives by doing so.  Maureen accepted the past; it was their tomorrows that required mending, and for an infinitesimal grain of time
,
Thomas succeeded in making her happy.

Lady Maureen died two years later.  The birth of her third child involved complications that no doctor could have foreseen, but she had lived long enough to lay eyes on the baby that she so desperately craved.  Of all her children, this one had been born of affection.  Her passing had been a peaceful event.

The child, a girl, had thankfully survived.  They named her Chloe, after her great grandmother on her mother’s side.

The squalling, unceasing noise originated from a small red face, the newborn baby appearing angry at the world, irate at the disruption that her dying mother had brought about.

#

Marlbrook was appeased.  Three heirs ensured the continuation of a tradition, three lives that would unfold, and on one, if not more, duty would impose its obligations.

Laura knew the role she had to play in Marlbrook’s future, her apprenticeship undertaken at the feet of a master.  She would stay true to her word and assume the role of caretaker, until her children were prepared.  To guide youthful souls through life would be a colossal task.  Others had failed, and she knew her judgement day would come.

Daily existence had taken on a relatively normal passage.  Laura and Hope did not talk of what transpired between a mother and her daughter.  The day would come when Hope would be ready.

Ashley Manor had not established a legal case before the courts.  Therefore history pardoned Marlbrook from its crimes, and excused the present from having to lie.  The news had come as no surprise to Laura.  Trust was something that she naturally associated with Thomas.  However
,
the celebration had been sombre in nature, marred by the knowledge that their friendship had come to an end.

The day was grey.  Clouds loomed, threatening to dump their precious loads on the expectant land below.  Laura pulled the curtains to a close.  She had need of intimacy and had no want to be disturbed.  The children were safely tucked away out of harm
’
s reach and speech did not irritate the quiet.  Thomas had been wrong in his assumptions.  Her husband no longer held her with threats or cajoling.  Their years together had seen an alliance form, one that both parties worked hard at.  Henry was the father of her children, and she would not abandon him in his time of adversity.

Lord Henry sat in his drawing room
,
surrounded by comfort and enveloped in solitude, as he attempted to bring together all the pieces of the puzzle.  A guilty verdict for his father’s heinous transgression had never been in doubt.  He did not require a lawful court to confirm what he knew deep down in
side.

Lord Henry’s reflections included his mother.  She had to have been a knowing conspirator
,
for his father had been too weak to have survived the fallout alone.  Did either ever feel remorse?  Sadly, he did not know the answer.

His mother had always presented her marriage as something he should try to attain, and he wondered if the woman would have appreciated the sick satire in that wish.  What outcome would have been produced had Laura rejected him outright?  He cared not to think.

There had been no love match between his parents, just another fabrication that his mother had constructed under the guise of protecting him.  If he were completely honest, he had to admit that his mother had also guarded her one love - Marlbrook.  The son also knew that she had sheltered herself.

His family, steeped in tradition, had paid the price for the selfishness of the generations.  Their greed had been escorted by the arrogance of the rich.  He was a part of that heritage and no better than the rest.  The sins of his father could just have easily been his over his want of a woman.

Under the strain of confronting the truth
,
his posture crumbled and his hands were called upon to cradle his head.  He prayed with all his being for his children and their future.  The mistakes of two generations past must not be repeated.

With care, Lord Henry removed the precious item from the cloth wrap that cushioned it.  His hands were reverent, as he handled the object
, packaging
the ring that had belonged to Lady
Virginia
.  Lord Henry addressed the parcel to its rightful owner; a small token that he trusted would be taken in the right context.