AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mrs. Henri Caplette
Frenchtown. The word made a chill race down Gabe’s spine. He knew quite well the horrors that had transpired in Frenchtown and during the captured Americans’ march to Fort Malden. He glanced at his sister and his stomach churned. Was that how she’d come by her injuries? A missing eye, a severe limp? The Indians had been quite brutal to those who were not able to keep up during the march northward.
Sophie nudged him and he looked down to see her waiting for the second letter. He handed it to her and then returned his gaze to Augusta. “You survived Frenchtown?” It was no wonder his youngest niece was terrified of his uniform. If he had anything else to wear…
“The three of us, yes,” Augusta replied. “My Henri and our daughter Eloise did not.” She shook her head, looking miserable as though she couldn’t shake the awful memories. And how could she possibly? Frenchtown had been a massacre. “And Charles, of course, our brother.”
Brother. An older brother. Had he lived, he would have been the rightful Earl of Northwold.
“I am so sorry for your loss,” he muttered the words that could not possibly bring his sister any peace. They were, after all, merely words. And nothing could restore all that she had lost.
Gabe opened the next letter. This one in Clayton’s distinctive hand…
Mrs. Henri Caplette
Fort Malden
Amherstburg, Canada
Dear Sister,
I was quite surprised to receive your letter, and relieved that you have sought my assistance in the matter of your family’s capture by British forces. I offer my most sincere condolences for the loss of your husband, brother and daughter at Frenchtown and can only imagine the heartbreak you have suffered these many months.
Please rest assured that your plea for my help has not fallen on deaf ears. As I write this letter, I am sending Mr. Burroughs to retrieve you and your daughters from Fort Malden and to bring you to England so I may see to your safety and your rightful place in our family. I do look forward to meeting you in person and being able to soon exchange family stories among other things. Please do help Mr. Burroughs in acquiring a few family records in America before you depart for England. He has a list from me in his possession.
Your brother,
Northwold
Clayton had come to their rescue. A lump lodged in Gabe’s throat. He had no idea who Mr. Burroughs was, but he had a very good idea why Mr. Hill had received bills from New York and Canada. He had a very good idea why Clayton hadn’t sold the unentailed cottage. He had a very good idea why Clayton had spent so much time in Cumberland before his admittance to Rosewood, spending a small fortune on dresses and other female fripperies.
Sophie was still finishing the second letter.
The youngest girl, Ismérie, stood in the doorway, eyeing him warily. The uniform. There was nothing he could do about that. He did send the girl a reassuring smile, though it seemed to have the opposite effect as she ran to her mother’s chair and hid behind it.
She must have whispered something to her older sister as both girls made a hasty retreat back into the corridor.
Sophie glanced up from her letter, her cheeks a bit flushed and her gaze locked with Gabe’s. He handed her the letter that Clayton had sent their sister at her prison.
There was only one letter left. This one addressed to him in his brother’s hand. Gabe broke the Northwold seal and unfolded Clayton’s words.
Gabriel,
I am dying. My life of debauchery has finally caught up with me. Of course, by the time you read this, I will be dead and you will already be aware of this miserable fact. I have nearly summoned you home a dozen times over the last year. However, I am stopped from doing so each time as I do not want you to watch me waste away in the state of decline that awaits me. I do not look forward to experiencing it myself, but there is no way around that, unfortunately. Please know that I have always held you in the highest regard, and I am certain that Northwold will prosper under your care.
Northwold is yours, Gabriel. By God’s grace or just dumb luck, it turns out that our parents were, in fact, legally married. Father had no way of knowing that, of course. He is still the scoundrel we accused him of, that is unchanged. In going through Father’s papers after acquiring the earldom, I discovered the name of his first wife – Anne Hendley, prior to their marriage. Together Father and Anne had two children, Augusta – whom I am certain you have now met. And Charles – whose birth caused his mother’s death, an entire year prior to our parent’s marriage. Legally, you and I are legitimate heirs to Northwold as our brother Charles met his own death in the Michigan territory.
Should Beckbury or anyone else from Father’s regiment question our legitimacy, Augusta has brought with her from America, both her parents’ marriage license and her mother’s certificate of death. These documents are a treasure I had never dreamt we would acquire when I first attempted to locate Anne. I simply wanted to right whatever I could in regards to Father’s wrongs all those years ago. I never expected legitimacy, I never expected to be reunited with a sister and nieces I did not know existed. They are also a treasure, Gabriel. In the short time I have known Aurelie and Ismérie, they have brought me immense joy, like the children I never had. I only wish I had been able to spend more time with them, but my time has grown short.
Our sister is a dichotomy. Augusta is both incredibly strong and incredibly fragile at the same moment. I know you will see to her care as well as that of our nieces, just as I have done. They, along with Northwold, could not hope for a better protector. And just like Northwold, they have been through much.
As I see my time on Earth coming to an end, I have given quite a lot of thought to life. I do not know if God is real, if there is a Heaven or Hell. I am also not certain where I will spend eternity should either location truly exist. However, I like to think that I shall have the chance to watch you from above, my dear, honorable brother. And I am equally certain that you will prove to be more successful than I could ever hope to be.
Your devoted brother,
Clayton
The treasure Clayton still screamed for. That lump that had lodged in Gabe’s throat broke and an anguished cry escaped him. Sophie reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. Why wouldn’t Clayton have called him home before now? Together they could have—
