Rumors Among the Heather (27 page)

Pari Passu was a
rambling three-story stone house. Ivy climbed the walls, dividing
it into charming sections. The greenery added character to what
would have been a plain stone building. The lawns in front and on
the sides of the house were lined with rhododendron just beginning
to come into bloom.

Julie continued
walking up the brick-paved driveway to the massive front door. She
knocked timidly before she saw the bell. With a trembling hand, she
rang the bell and waited. A stern-looking woman in her late fifties
opened the door. Julie hoped with all her heart this was not her
aunt. If it was, she had no hope of finding refuge here.

“Well?” The woman
stared at Julie, and her frown of disapproval grew deeper.

Julie cleared her
throat and said weakly, “May I speak to Lady Catherine Blair,
please? I’ve come a long way.”

“We’ve no time for
peddlers or gypsies. Be gone with ye.”

“Please, I’m not a
gypsy. Is Lady Catherine in? Would you ask her if she will see me?
I can’t go any farther, please.”

“You’re wasting my
time. This is not a house of charity,” she snapped and then
grudgingly asked, “What’s your name?”

“I’ll tell Lady
Catherine myself. Tell her I’ll only need a few minutes of her
time.”

“Of all the nerve,
I’ll do no such thing. You be on your way,” she said haughtily.

She tried to slam the
door, but Julie placed her foot quickly in its path. She did not
have the strength to push her way in.

“Now see here, you
ruffian. Remove your foot this instant, or I’ll have the bailiff
down on you,” she shrieked at Julie.

“What’s going on here,
Maggie?”

Before Maggie could
answer, Julie spoke up quickly. “Are you Lady Catherine?”

Julie looked with hope
at the small, neat figure before her. Where her father had been
tall and lean, Lady Catherine was short and plump, but she had the
unmistakable nose and green eyes of the Hastings, which Julie and
her father both possessed.

Those shrewd eyes were
also looking back at her. Julie relaxed a little before she
remembered how stubborn the Hastingses could be. She wanted to rush
into her arms and confess everything as she would have to her
father, but she knew she had to go slowly. This lady was not her
father, and for all she knew, she might not be sympathetic to her
plight.

“I’m Lady Catherine
Blair. Why are you here, and what is this about?”

Before Julie could
answer her, she invited her into a pleasant sitting room where the
ocean could be seen through the windows. She looked around at the
wicker furnishings and chintz cushions and thought how well they
suited their owner. Her aunt motioned for her to sit down. Julie
quickly took the chair opposite Lady Catherine.

Maggie followed,
sputtering with indignation. Julie began, “Lady Catherine, I have
come to talk to you about Christmas presents and mercy. I am…”
Julie looked from Lady Catherine to Maggie.

Lady Catherine seemed
to realize the hesitation she felt to speak with Maggie present.
“Maggie, you may leave us now.”

Julie and Lady
Catherine watched her leave the room like an ill wind. When she
finally closed the door to the sitting room, the two women turned
to face each other.

“You mustn’t mind
Maggie. She means well. Now, what’s this all about, my dear?” Lady
Catherine asked.

“As you, I think, have
already guessed, I’m a woman and not a boy. I have traveled a long
way to find you. Please hear my story before you turn me out. I
know the trouble in our families, but I also know you sent us
Christmas presents for almost ten years. Presents we were not
allowed to keep. My name is Juliana Hastings, and my father was
Garrett Hastings.”

“
Was
Garrett
Hastings? Then he’s dead?”

Julie nodded her
head.

“Poor, poor, stubborn
Garrett. When we were growing up, he was my favorite brother. I
wish I had known, but you see it has been six or seven years since
I have heard any news of the family. I never go home anymore since
my husband died. I needed his strength to face them. They’re a
formidable bunch. How long ago did Garrett die?”

“It will be a year in
June. So much has happened, it seems longer,” Julie said, suddenly
realizing everything that had happened to her in this short space
of time.

“Seems like there was
another girl. A cousin, I believe, from the other side,” Lady
Catherine commented.

“Yes, her name is
Hannah. She came to live with us after her parents died. She is
married to Robert St. Clair, and they live in Bath. They were on
their honeymoon when I left.”

“Robert St. Clair, you
say? So that takes care of Hannah, but what of you, Juliana?” Lady
Catherine gave her a stern look. “Before you start your story, I
feel it only fair to tell you I will not tolerate lies. I’m too old
a cat to be kidded by a kitten.”

Julie held on to the
arm of her chair to steady a tinge of nerves and fear. She fought
off another tremor coursing through her body. She took a deep
breath and began.

“It’s a long story,
and it’s my shame I’ll be telling you. Please do not judge me too
harshly. I came to you because I did not have anywhere to turn, and
I hoped the kind person who sent us those presents so long ago
might understand,” Julie said somewhat shakily.

Her head began to feel
light. She stood up to go over to the window for some air, but the
room turned dark.

* * *

Julie came to when
Maggie placed sal volatile under her nose.

Lady Catherine looked
on, wringing her hands. “How long has it been since you have
eaten?”

“It has been almost
four days, I think,” Julie said weakly. The room seemed to whirl in
front of her every time she opened her eyes.

“You just rest for a
while. I’ll hear your story later, but for now we need to get some
food in you.” Lady Catherine patted Julie’s hand gently. “Maggie,
be a dear and bring us some tea and some of the soup we had for
lunch,” Lady Catherine ordered. Maggie relinquished her fan into
Lady Catherine’s hand, and she continued to fan Julie.

Julie drank the
strong, sweet tea and ate the soup with pieces of fresh bread. She
had a second helping of everything. She looked at Lady Catherine
from under her eyelashes and knew the time had come to tell her
story.

She could almost hear
her mother’s words telling her she did not deserve this lady’s
kindness. She felt shy when she looked at her stern face. She knew
she would shock her aunt, and the possibility of being sent packing
weighed heavily indeed. Be that as it may, she knew nothing but the
complete story would do.

She tried to clear the
hoarseness from her throat. She straightened up and began her
story. She told her everything from the time her father died, to
her trip to Lord Bonnleigh’s estate, to the sham marriage,
continuing with Geoffrey’s treachery, her pregnancy, and her flight
to Stonehaven. When she finished she sat back in her chair and
looked at her aunt, who sat quietly in the darkened room, and
waited for her to speak.

Lady Catherine’s calm
voice cut through the breathless stillness of the room. Her voice
seemed to magnify her sound many times in Julie’s ears.

“My, my, you have
certainly had an adventure. I’m astonished you managed to find your
way here, but I’m glad you did,” she said, shaking her head in
disbelief. Her eyes misted over when she looked at Julie again.
“You know, you’re just like your father. I was the youngest, but
Garrett always let me tag along with him growing up. From a kind
boy, he grew into a kind man. Even then he never thought about the
future, only the here and now. He never seemed to worry about
anything. I suppose that was good for a preacher but not for a
family. He should have provided for you better.

“I wrote him several
times after your mother died, offering to take both of you girls.
You see, I could not have children of my own. He sent me a letter
with just the one word on it,
No!
I tried several more times
to write to him, but he always returned my letters unopened.
Finally, I just quit writing, but I see now I should not have. If I
had continued, then you girls would have come to me when this
happened and you would not be in this trouble.”

“Ma’am, it’s not your
fault, truly it is not. I love Matthew, and I think I always will.
I fully realize what I have done, and I know I will have to pay the
consequences. I have saved a little money, and I plan to support
myself somehow in the future. I did not come here for charity, only
a small amount of your mercy.

“What worries me is
the time when my baby will be born and my confinement. I came to
ask you to let me work here for room and board. A place in the
servants’ quarters would be all I need. When the baby is born, I
would stay only long enough until I can secure work. You need not
tell anyone I am related to you. Just shelter and food are all I
ask,” Julie finished simply.

“Tsk, tsk, child,
don’t talk nonsense. Food and shelter you shall have, my dear, but
I will not have you working in your condition. There can be no talk
of going away after the baby’s born, either. You must know there is
nothing out there for a penniless woman with a baby. You would both
die or be put in debtor’s prison or worse. No, my dear, you have a
home here with me for as long as you like, as my niece and not as
anything else.”

Tears burned Julie’s
eyes. She hugged her aunt. Lady Catherine dried her tears as well
as Julie’s and said, “All the servants have this day off. We are
lucky no one is about. Maggie and I always do for ourselves. I kind
of like a quiet house. When they come back, I will introduce you as
my niece who is married to a sea captain. We will say this sea
captain is reported lost at sea, and being your nearest relative
you came to me. I’ll send Maggie to Aberdeen to buy you some
clothes. She can have the clothes put in some old trunks and sent
down to us. We’ll just say your carriage broke down, and you came
on ahead.”

“Thank you, Aunt
Catherine. I appreciate all you are doing for me. Someday I will
think of a way to pay you back for your kindness,” Julie said
humbly.

“Stuff and nonsense!
You’re family,” she said, putting her arm around Julie. “Let us
tell Maggie the good news and draw you a bath so you can get out of
those ridiculous clothes. I have a nightgown that I think will fit
you. We’ll get you to bed and some much needed rest, I think. Get
away from that door, Maggie, we are coming through,” Lady Catherine
called loudly. “She always listens in. She has to know what’s going
on at all times. Her only character flaw, you might say. It’s hard
living with perfection, my dear.”

She jerked the door
open and caught Maggie straightening up. Maggie had the good sense
to blush when Lady Catherine and Julie went past her toward the
stairs.

“I’m sure you heard
everything, so don’t just stand there. Get ready to go to
Aberdeen.”

Maggie sniffed,
looking as if her senses were offended, but she followed them up
the stairs. She found two of the servant girls had come back early.
They drew the water for Julie’s bath. Lady Catherine and Maggie
left Julie to enjoy her bath. Maggie received her final
instructions on what to do in Aberdeen.

Julie took off the
clothes she had worn continuously for several weeks. They almost
felt like a second skin, and they smelled definitely like something
that should be buried six feet deep on a moonless night. She slid
into the warm scented water and felt her muscles relax. She closed
her eyes and let her cares float away. She felt her muscles relax
and even her bones stopped aching. A sense of euphoria enveloped
her.

She was wrapped in a
thirsty towel and drying her hair with another when Lady Catherine
came back into her room. She brought a hand-embroidered cotton gown
and wrapper. On her heels, Maggie brought in another cup of tea and
some oatmeal scones. Julie went behind the screen to change into
the soft nightgown and wrapper. She sat down to talk to her aunt
when she started shaking violently.

“Julie, what’s wrong?”
Lady Catherine asked in alarm.

Maggie felt her
forehead and brought her hand back quickly. “Lordy, lordy, she’s
burning up with fever. We’d best send for the doctor. It has to be
pneumonia. She probably caught it traipsing about them mountains.
She’ll start coughing, running a high temperature, and having
chills if it is. I’ll go for the doctor,” Maggie said, rising from
her chair to leave, shaking her head in disapproval and clucking
her tongue.

“No, Maggie, you go to
Aberdeen just as we had planned. Send one of the stable boys for
the doctor. Jem always comes back around this time.”

“But you’ll need
help,” Maggie insisted.

“Nonsense, I can
handle this. I’ve been through a siege of the plague and the
outbreak of smallpox that took my husband. I think I’m up to a case
of pneumonia. Now hurry, please. I have just found a long lost
relative, and I have no intention of losing her.”

Catherine helped Julie
into bed, but Dr. Mudd could not come until the next morning. The
night passed slowly, with Julie suffering bouts of fever followed
by chills. The coughing started right before daybreak.

By the time the doctor
arrived, Catherine was fighting exhaustion as well as apprehension.
When he entered the sickroom, Dr. Mudd was out of breath. He moved
to the bed without greeting Catherine, and laid his hand on Julie’s
forehead and took her pulse.

“What are her
symptoms?” he asked before unpacking his bag.

“She started having
violent chills about eight o’clock last night. Her fever is very
high, and she has a dry cough. She’s also complaining of pains in
her chest,” Lady Catherine said, wringing her hands. She looked on
with concern while Dr. Mudd examined his patient. “Oh, and doctor,
she is with child.”