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“You mean that you wish to know I am telling the truth and I have not been trying to lie to your brother all along? Well, I can assure you that I have not. I was being honest when I said that this is all false. I have no such gentleman to whom I am engaged,” she said.
“That is what I had hoped to hear. But you must understand that it is difficult for a man to trust a woman through something like this. My brother wants to believe you, but it is hard for him under these circumstances,” she said.
“Circumstances?” Mary asked, not knowing to what Lady Beatrice referred.
“Think of it this way, Lady Mary: my brother is not quick to trust and to open himself up to others. When he met you, I think it came as a shock to him that there was a woman in this world who was someone he could care for. And when you showed him that he could have that hope, it wiped away all the times he had told himself that good women are not out there,” she said.
“But why would he think that to begin with?” Mary asked.
“Because he has never been able to get to know a woman very well. Every time he dances at a ball, he finds that the women are quite…shallow. They always speak of foolish things in regard to society.
He liked you because he sensed that you were true and genuine, that you could be the sort of woman for whom he might learn to care. He appreciated so much about you. And then, he thought he had been betrayed by you. It was very hard for him,” Lady Beatrice explained.
Mary was beginning to understand, but she was still bothered that she had the entirety of Lord Hanbrooke’s mistrust thrust upon her. If he had never before learned to care for someone or believe them to have good intentions, that was not her fault. She didn’t want that responsibility.
“I wish that he would have paid attention to more than just the words of my stepsister. I never gave him a reason to doubt me,” she said, in defence of herself.
“I know that. And because I know that I want to know the truth, Lady Mary. The whole truth,” she said again.
“And am I to trust that I shall be believed?” Mary asked, still hurt by Lord Hanbrooke’s rejection.
Lady Beatrice gave her a comforting smile and cocked her head to the side. “You must remember, Lady Mary, that men are foolish at times. My brother would never admit to being frightened, but when it comes to the safety of his heart?
I can think of nothing that would frighten him more. And the weight of the charges against you—added to the claims that your father has seen it as a pattern of your behaviour—was all rather unnerving for him. It was more than he was able to consider at that moment in time.”
“I see…” Mary said, finally understanding a bit better.
“But the only way for us to move on from this is for you to be honest with me,” Lady Beatrice said, prompting her once more.
Mary nodded, knowing that she had no choice. Although she had wanted to protect Charlotte’s reputation, this was Mary’s only chance to save her own.
“Very well. I have heard rumours and I am hoping to verify them. But it would seem that my stepsister may be using her own story as a means of lying about mine,” Mary said.
Lady Beatrice looked surprised. “Oh? I imagined she was jealous that my brother liked you and she wanted his affections for herself.”
“At first, that was my belief as well. But it would seem that she actually has a gentleman for whom she cares. But I do not wish to ruin Charlotte’s life and I do not think I could tell anyone about it. I am not sure what to do. I simply want to have my own happiness and I am finding that very difficult, given the situation with your brother.
I wanted him to know me and know that I would only ever be the sort of woman he believes me to be, but if he believes her, I can only tell him the truth by ruining her life,” Mary said, explaining the complexity of the matter.
“That is very noble of you, not wanting to hurt Lady Charlotte. But it is important that you take a stand, Lady Mary. You need others to know that you are not the sort of woman she claims you are.
If you do not, you will not only lose your opportunity with my brother, but with any man out there who may come to care for you,” she reminded her.
Mary knew that Lady Beatrice was right, but she still feared the consequences of sharing what had happened between Charlotte and another man. What if people learned the truth and Charlotte lost everything? Lady Rachel would never forgive Mary for revealing the truth.
Everything would fall apart, and the family would be disgraced. They would lose all their position in society and Mary didn’t think her father would be very forgiving of that either.
“Lady Mary, if you think there is a way around this, let me help. What do you intend to do?” Lady Beatrice asked.
“I am hoping that I might go and speak with the gentleman in question. He is a blacksmith and he either is the man or he knows the man with whom Charlotte has been spending her time. I know very little thus far, but I am curious to find out more,” Mary said.
She looked over at Miss Anne and Sarah who still stood a short distance away.
“I fear that if we all go together, he might be frightened by our presence,” Lady Beatrice said.
“What do you suggest?” Mary asked.
Lady Beatrice made her way over to Sarah and Miss Anne. She was hesitant, but determined.
