Victoria hesitantly sipped the brandy. It made her throat burn, but she welcomed the warmth that soothed her shaken nerves.
“We haven’t wanted to press you, my dear,” Chloe said, “since you only arrived last night. But the more we know about the incident, the more we can be of assistance to you.”
Dominic and Chloe had insisted that she relax after her precipitous arrival in London. They’d had a quiet family supper and then spent an hour playing with Chloe and Dominic’s little boy. Victoria had been almost pathetically grateful for their sensitivity, welcoming the small break from the nightmare of the last few days.
“Aden and I can wait in my library,” Dominic said, “so you can speak freely to the ladies.”
Victoria had known Dominic since she was a little girl. He’d never been anything but kind and supportive, especially after the death of first her mother and then Grandpapa Knight a few years later.
“I have no secrets from any of you,” she said. “If my account of that horrid day can help, then I’m happy to tell you more. I promise I will not succumb to the vapors.”
“That’s the spirit,” Aden said. His easy acceptance of her was a surprise, and quite wonderful.
She returned his smile, then absently rubbed the plain twill fabric of her sleeve. “I hardly know where to start.”
“Perhaps by telling us about Mr. Fletcher,” Chloe suggested. “After all, he’s the cause of this dreary state of affairs.”
Drearyhardly began to cover it. “Very well. Thomas Fletcher was Lady Welgate’s brother. I met him shortly after I took up my duties as governess to the Welgate daughters. He often visited his sister’s household.”
“I attended school with one of Lord Welgate’s sisters,” Vivien said. “I found him to be a very kind gentleman. Lady Welgate, however, is a rude, sour-tempered woman. I was surprised when Welgate married her.”
“He didn’t have much choice,” Dominic said. “Welgate’s father was a gambler and a spendthrift who all but destroyed his legacy. Serena Fletcher’s father, however, built substantial fortunes in shipping and tobacco. Her dowry saved a distinguished family from ruin.”
“No one inthisfamily would hold Lady Welgate’s background against her,” Chloe said. “Most of us have what can only be described as mixed parentage, at best.”
“True,” replied Dominic. “But Vivien is correct in her assessment. While I have a great deal of respect for her husband, Lady Welgate is another matter entirely.”
Dominic had counseled Victoria not to take the position, but the lure of working for such a well-regarded family that could give her excellent recommendations and a good salary had been too enticing. She should have listened to him.
“Her ladyship was not the easiest person to please,” she said, “but I’d been managing it without too much trouble.”
While Lady Welgate had been something of a harridan, Victoria had grown up in a houseful of brusque, sometimes-difficult women and was versed in dealing with the type. She’d made a point of performing her tasks with alacrity, and she’d never contradicted her mistress. Fortunately, her two charges, surprisingly well-mannered girls of six and eight, had taken a shine to her.
All in all, life in the sometimes-volatile household had been perfectly satisfactory until Thomas Fletcher had slinked onto the scene.
“Clearly her brother was not as easy to manage,” Aden said.
“He was not. I made a point of never being alone with him. Unfortunately, he became . . .” Victoria hesitated, groping for the right word. Even now it seemed ridiculous. She was the last sort of woman for any man to pursue with such single-minded focus, especially not a roué like Thomas Fletcher.
“Obsessed with you?” Chloe said.
Victoria winced. “I suspect he saw me as something of a challenge. The more I avoided him, the more determined he became.”
In the weeks before the incident, Fletcher had all but moved into his brother-in-law’s household. It seemed that every time she rounded the corner of a quiet hallway or went to the library to fetch a book, he would be lurking about, waiting to catch her alone.
“I’m grieved you had to endure such a dreadful situation,” Vivien said, her voice tight. “Before I married Aden, I found myself in similar circumstances. One feels enraged and helpless.”
Victoria nodded. “That’s exactly how I felt.”
“But you took action even before Fletcher attacked you,” Dominic pointed out.
“Yes. When he insisted I become his mistress, I knew I could no longer manage the situation.” Victoria shuddered, recalling the way he’d backed her against the door of her bedroom and put his hands on her. Fortunately, a maid had come along, allowing her to make her escape. “I spoke to Lord Welgate immediately, who promised to instruct Mr. Fletcher to leave me alone.”
“And yet the bounder did not obey,” Chloe said in a quietly furious tone.
“For a few days he did,” Victoria said. “In fact, he made a point of ignoring me if Lord or Lady Welgate were nearby, or if I was with the children. But it was evident he was very angry that I’d gone to his brother-in-law to complain.”
When she was out on the terrace, playing with her charges one day, she’d glanced at the library’s French doors and caught sight of Fletcher standing there. The look on his face, a horrible mix of hatred and lust, had almost stopped her heart.
