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Chapter 27
“Thank you for allowing me this walk, Father,” Mary said, breathing in the fresh air as they made their rounds through the garden. She had asked Miss Lilly to deliver a note to her father requesting a walk outside and he had agreed. It was the kindest thing he had done for her in so long.
“Yes, Mary. I know that you have been stuck in your room quite a bit lately, but you understand that we must work hard to prevent you from going out,” he said.
Mary kept silent, pursing her lips as even this sounded like an accusation. Still, she had been very happy when he agreed to join her for the walk. It was a chance to be alone with him, away from her stepmother.
“You know, Father, I understand being kept in my room at night. But during the day? Do you really believe that I am going to sneak away? Even if I were so devious as to have this plot of which I am accused, I would not be foolish enough to leave when it is daylight,” Mary reasoned.
“I am doing what your stepmother says I must to keep you safe. You know that she cares for you and simply wants to see you live the best life that you are able. I know you are probably angry that she has restricted you so, but it is for your own good,” he said.
“Is it? I am not sure how. I have been taken from society and yet, I have been told that I must learn how to be a better member of it,” Mary said.
“We will allow you to spend time in public again once you have confessed to this arrangement you have and once you tell me the name of the gentleman. After that, I will know that you are ready to change,” he said.
Mary was deeply tempted by the suggestion Lady Beatrice had made the previous week when they spoke with the blacksmith. She wanted to send word of Charlotte’s affair to the society pages and expose her stepsister to public ridicule. It would surely be better than this, better than suffering. Charlotte deserved it; she was the one who was truly guilty, and she had been perfectly happy to make Mary suffer.
But Mary still couldn’t justify it, knowing how much she hated those pages. She longed for her revenge, but would not allow herself to take that step, fearing that it would make her no better than her stepmother and stepsister. After all, if she did follow through and take away Charlotte’s reputation, the repercussions would come back against the entire family anyway.
As it was, only the family knew about the lies against Mary. It had not been made public and no one was speaking ill of her or saying anything in the society pages. It truly was best to keep all of this scandal quiet for now. Mary had to respect that.
“Father, why is it that you believe Lady Rachel rather than trusting in your own daughter? I must ask you because I cannot understand it. I have told you, time and time again, that these are all lies, and yet you refuse to believe me. Is there a reason? Have I given you reason not to trust me?” Mary asked.
Her father sighed and shook his head. “No, Mary. You have never given me a reason not to trust you. Until now, that is. But I married your stepmother because she is a virtuous and decent woman. She lost her husband, just as I lost my wife, and she had a daughter just as I did. I could see that we had much in common and I thought that would aid in our bond. I was right.
“You see, once a man finds a wife, he must entrust her with all the things of the home. She has taken care of our home very well and she has been a good mother to you and to your stepsister, so why would I ever doubt her? You have never given me reason to be dismayed, but neither has she. I must believe one of you and she is the logical choice,” he said.
“Logical because she is not the one who stands accused?” Mary asked.
“Well…yes. Precisely. She has no reason to lie,” he said.
“Unless she wanted me out of the way so her daughter might have a better chance of being courted by Lord Hanbrooke,” Mary pointed out.
“Ah, but I shall never allow anyone in my household to marry that man. He is a dreadful creature,” her father said.
“I think you misunderstand him,” Mary said.
“You were not there, my dear. There was nothing to misunderstand,” he replied.
Mary had gathered that the argument was quite intense, but she still wondered what exactly had happened and what it meant for Lord Hanbrooke in his quest to help Mary break free of everything she was suffering through.
Would they be able to get her out of the house? Would they find a way to rescue her from her stepmother? Or had this been the end of it? Was there no more reason to hope?
“Is there nothing I can do to make you believe me, Father?” she asked, running her fingers through the primrose.
“Your stepmother tells me that there is evidence of you paying that blacksmith to lie about Charlotte. She also said that Charlotte saw you with the man you are engaged to marry without my consent. How am I to refute such evidence?” he asked.
“Because you have not seen it with your own eyes. How do you know that they have told you the truth? Why would I have been so foolish as to have been caught like that? And what is the evidence that I paid the blacksmith?” Mary asked.
Her father clenched his jaw and she could see that Miss Lilly was right. He knew in his heart that something wasn’t right, and yet he had made the choice to trust his wife regardless. He had decided that all his faith should be in her.
No matter what Mary might be able to say or do to convince her father of her own innocence, it would not matter unless she could get him to realise that his wife was the mind behind all of this. She was the one who was poisoning the entire family.
“Mary, I have told you that I trust my wife and that is final,” he said, infuriating Mary even more.
They walked a little further before Mary decided to try once more to be bold, but this time on another matter. If he was not going to believe her, at least he could give her a chance to enjoy parts of her life.
“Father, I see that I cannot convince you, but I also would like to ask for a bit of mercy. You have sent away Miss Anne at the behest of Lady Rachel, but I wondered if I might be permitted to see Sarah?
