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Chapter 22
Crispin could not escape the coach quickly enough. He needed to see Lady Mary at once and as soon as his shoes touched the ground, he rushed up the steps to the grand door of the estate and knocked in earnest.
A maid opened, wide-eyed with surprise at his insistence.
“Begging your pardon, but I wish to speak with Lady Mary. I am Lord Hanbrooke. I shall speak with her father first, if protocol serves,” Crispin said in a rush, knowing he would likely have to get that conversation out of the way before he could see her.
“Your Grace,” the maid quickly greeted, dropping into a curtsey and popping back up again. “I fear that Lord Comstead is out at the moment, as is his wife. Lady Mary, however, is home and I do not see how her father would object to your visit.”
“Thank you,” Crispin said, sighing in relief. He knew that the maid did not necessarily have the authority to make such a declaration, but she could also not turn away a duke such as himself. His title was giving him an immense opportunity to speak with Lady Mary uninterrupted by her family, for which he was deeply grateful.
“Lady Mary is in the garden. I will show you to her,” the maid said, leading him down a series of halls and to the door in the back of the house that took him to the gardens.
Crispin saw her there, standing among the chamomile. She ran her fingers up the stems to pull off the little buds and he imagined she intended to use them for tea, but this was the work of a maid. Certainly not the daughter of an earl.
He walked towards her and, for a moment, she still did not see him. At last, however, Lady Mary turned and when their eyes met, she gasped and jumped backwards in shock.
“F-forgive me. I did not mean to startle you,” he said.
“Lord Hanbrooke! What are you doing here? N-not that you may not be here, but I am surprised. Is my stepmother aware that you have come?” Lady Mary asked.
“She is not here. Nor is your father. It is just us,” he replied, trying to calm her nerves.
Lady Mary slowly began to smile. “Lady Charlotte is with her mother as well.” She was making it clear that this was also good for them—they didn’t need to fear being caught or having anyone give them trouble. Crispin was starting to see that Mary was truly treated unwell in the house. He imagined that the staff recognised this and that Lady Mary must have some of their loyalty as well.
“That is good,” he finally said. “But before we discuss anything further—and there is much which I should like to discuss—I owe you my deepest apology.”
Lady Mary glanced away, shyly. It was clear that she was still saddened by his previous actions and Crispin was furious with himself for putting her through all of that. He wished that he had not been such a fool.
“I was wrong to have accepted what I heard and, although I had doubts, I was afraid to listen to them. When your stepmother made a comment about your father having noted a pattern of impropriety, I thought I had been fooled by you. I never imagined that she could be so devious and cunning as to say such a lie to fool me,” he explained.
“She is capable of any manipulation you can imagine. And I do hope that you know I am not so devious and cunning as to make a fool of you,” Lady Mary replied, making it perfectly clear that she wished he had not thought so little of her. But she was being surprisingly gracious, given the circumstance. Crispin was entirely thankful for her mercy in that moment.
“You are right. I should never have thought she would be more inclined to honesty than you are. I was taken aback and confused, but it is no excuse. I failed to trust you as I ought to have and that is unforgivable,” he said.
“And you have come to apologise?” Lady Mary asked.
“I have come to apologise, but I have also come to decide how we may fix this matter in the future. Lady Mary, my sister told me the truth which had been hidden about your stepsister having an improper relationship with the blacksmith. I urgently wished to speak with your father about it, but my sister tells me that you have some opposition to this?” he asked.
Lady Mary sighed and turned for a moment before leading him to a bench nearer to the bright pink zinnias. Once they were seated more comfortably, she began to open up.
“I fear that it is hopeless,” she said. “I know that my stepmother is going to find a way to make it seem as though I am responsible for all of it. I know that she will have a plan of some sort, some way to make me considered even worse.”
“But there is also a chance that your father will listen and everything will be perfectly fine,” he said.
“Lord Hanbrooke, you first need to know that my stepsister lied about all of it. Not just by hiding that she had an affair, but I hope you know that I was being honest when I told you I have no man in my life, no one courting me or betrothed to me,” she said, changing the subject quickly to confirm this.
“Yes, of course. I know that now,” Crispin said, hoping to put her mind at ease.
“But my own father does not believe that and continues to press me for the identity of the man I have supposedly been spending my time with. He does not believe me even after all of this. So why should he change his mind just because your sister says something?” Lady Mary asked.
“Surely he understands that you are not the woman that Lady Rachel and her daughter claim you are,” Crispin insisted. But the look in her eyes confirmed that he was wrong. Lady Mary had lived her entire life this way. She knew better than he did.
For a moment, Crispin was at a loss. But then, an idea crossed his mind, something that could solve the entire issue.
“I have it!” he exclaimed.
“Oh?” she asked, her eyes hesitantly hopeful.
