Chapter Thirty-Two
Lady Amelia, Duchess of Hayesford
“Good afternoon, your grace,” the butler greeted me with a jovial smile. He had been employed with my parents since before I was born. “Please allow me to personally congratulate you on your marriage on behalf of the entire staff.”
“That is truly kind of you. Please share my thanks with the staff.” I handed him my hat and pelisse. Oliver, Lady Gwendolyn, and I had arrived from the country that morning. In the week since my marriage, I had stayed at Hayesford Hall.
We’d traveled back to London, and the second Lady Gwendolyn was settled in at my new home, Oliver left for an appointment with the Turkish ambassador. With Hortense keeping Lady Gwendolyn company, I took the opportunity to visit my parents’ home. “Is Lord Noah in residence?”
I knew very well where everyone was except for him. My parents had a routine they followed to the letter. It was Monday, so Mother would be with Cook and Father with his estate manager. I would use their routine to sneak up to my room and retrieve Sally’s diary, along with some books I’d left behind. I hadn’t dared take it with me for fear of discovery.
“Lord Noah took Ethan to the park to fly his kite. Your mother is with Cook going over the menu for the week,” he said. “Would you like me to tell her you are here?”
“There is no need for that. I will seek her out once I see the twins. I missed them greatly.” I turned on my heel and took the stairs to the second floor, feeling a touch of guilt. It was the twins’ nap time; thus I didn’t wish to disturb them.
Once on the landing, I went down the hall to my old room. I opened the familiar door and stepped inside. A wave of nostalgia came over me. Everything looked as I had left it, yet I no longer lived beneath this roof with my family. My home was across the park with Oliver.
I strode over to my secretary and paused at the sight of the drawer that rested at an odd angle. Upon closer inspection, the lock had been broken. I slid the drawer out and inventoried the contents. I kept my stationary locked away because Ethan was fond of using my fountain pen to draw on every page.
I opened the bottom drawer and pulled back the hidden panel using my fingernail. Sally’s diary and several suggestive novels my mother wouldn’t have approved of still rested there. I slipped the diary into the deep pocket of my skirt and put the panel back in place.
The ruined drawer continued to concern me. I removed the fountain pen, my favorite gift from Oliver. The stationary had my maiden name on it, and was no longer useful to me. I was Lady Amelia, Duchess of Hayesford. The title had been my dream from an early age, and it had come to fruition. A quick glance at the clock showed the hour. The boys would be awake soon, and I wanted to see them before I had to leave. I turned on my heel and startled at the sight of my mother standing in the doorway.
“Amelia.” She said, arms crossed with a stern cast to her mouth.
How much had she seen?
“Mother, you startled me. I just stopped by to retrieve my fountain pen before I went up to see the boys.” I forced a smileand tried not to flush in guilt. Even if I wasn’t trying to sneak Sally’s diary out of the house, Mother had a way of making me feel guilty for no reason. Or perhaps I let her have that effect on me.
“All in due time. First, I need to know where the journal is Amelia?” She stepped further into the room, looking even thinner than I recalled. Her cheekbones were more prominent, and she had a desperate look in her eyes.
“Where is what?” I’d learned over the years never to admit to anything with her. She had a knack for ferreting out my secrets, which annoyed me to no end.
“The book. It was in the trunk where my wedding dress was stored. Where is it?” Strain pulled her mouth tight.
Realization clicked inside my head. “You mean Sally’s diary?”
She blanched and clutched at the cameo at her throat. “Please tell me you have it.”
I started to assure her I did but halted my confession. A myriad of emotions rushed to the forefront of my mind. Regret, sadness, anger. I couldn’t yield to any of them. I wanted some answers. “Did you hide it in the trunk, or did Sally?”
“It is a moot point. Where is the diary?” she repeated, her knuckles white.
Her cryptic statement confirmed my guess. One mystery solved, but there was much more I needed to know. “It is in a secure location. I am not foolish enough to leave it lying around where just anyone could read it.”
“It is not yours to keep. I want it back, Amelia.”
I shook my head. “I overheard you and Father talking in the drawing room on the anniversary of her death. I know everything that transpired on the day of her death, as well as the weeks leading up to it.”
“It is no great mystery.” Tears brightened her eyes, and she shook her head, glaring at me. “Sally died from ill health afterthe twins. It was a difficult birth, and she never recovered. You know that. Now I will ask again, where is the diary?”
My own emotions were raw and close to the surface. “Sally was told she was hysterical, and you locked her in her room. She was scared and alone. How could you be so cruel?”
“Cruel? Do you think I was being cruel to her? I was trying to save her life, Amelia. She was my daughter and was suffering in a way you will never understand. No mother wishes to see her child suffer.” Mother shook her head, a stray strand of hair falling from her tight bun. I rarely, if ever, saw her disheveled. “I didn’t know what else to do but what the doctor did for me.”
