Mrs. Chatterly jerked from her slumber and joined her at the bed.
Phoebe mumbled, and her eyes fluttered open. She touched her head. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she paled and then struggled to sit up. “Thomas, he—he—”
Ella placed her hand on Phoebe’s shoulder to keep her from trying to stand. “Please be calm. Stay in bed, dearest. You’ve had a fall.”
“What? How?” Panic twisted her face, and she tried again to sit up. “Thomas, where is he? What has happened?”
“Shhh,” soothed Ella, looking to Mrs. Chatterly for assistance. “He’s left. I don’t know where he’s gone.”
Fresh tears rushed Phoebe’s eyes. Unsure of what else to do, Ella embraced her friend and let her cry. Ella, too, struggled to keep the tears from flowing. She hated what this man had done to Phoebe—what he had done to her family.
“He lied to me, Ella,” Phoebe sobbed. “How could he do that?”
“I wish I had a good answer for that, but I don’t. He lied to many, many people.”
Phoebe jerked away from Ella’s embrace. Her brows furrowed. “What other lies did he tell?”
Ella hesitated, wishing she hadn’t said her last words, but even though Phoebe was weak, she deserved to know the truth. After all, she was as much a victim in all of this as anyone else. In a matter of hours everyone would know all the details, whether theyliked it or not, and she would rather Phoebe hear the specifics from her in a calm and rational manner instead of Mr. Hawthorne’s angry recounting.
As gently as she could, Ella told Phoebe everything she knew—about her mother’s journals, Mr. Rowe’s investigation, the obituary, and what she knew about Mr. Gutt’s and Miss Sutton’s involvement.
Ella’s heart broke as pain shadowed Phoebe’s face.
“So he was not even a phrenologist?” whimpered Phoebe.
“No, dearest. He was not.”
“And Miss Sutton? She was playing a part all this time?”
Ella nodded. “I don’t know the details, but she’s gone from Keatley Hall. No one knows when or why she left. Not even the servants.”
Fresh sobs shook Phoebe’s shoulders. “I—I just can’t comprehend this.”
Ella held Phoebe’s hand in her own. “At the moment you don’t need to comprehend anything. The answers will come soon enough. Right now, you need sleep.”
Phoebe shook her head, then winced at the resulting pain. “How can I ever be all right again? How could I have been so stupid?”
“You’renotstupid, Phoebe. Don’t say that. Don’t even think that. You’re trusting. And why wouldn’t you be?”
“But you tried to warn me, Ella,” Phoebe protested. “Several times, and I’ve been so awful to you. How could you ever forgive me?”
“You are my dearest friend, Phoebe. Of course I can forgive you. I know you would forgive me in a heartbeat.”
Phoebe sat still for several moments. Then she sniffed. “Have you seen my father? What is his reaction?”
Ella looked toward Mrs. Chatterly again. “He’s understandably angry. But don’t worry about that now. I want you to rest.”
She stayed with Phoebe until she again drifted into a restless sleep, but as the morning’s gentle light stretched into the chamber, Ella knew it was only a matter of time until they would all need to face the harsh realities that were waiting.
The tall case clock just outside Ella’s father’s study door chimed the eight o’clock hour. Outside the window the clouds had begun to gather, and the sky grew quite ominous—perfectly matching her mood.
She had yet to go to bed. Her eyes burned with the need for rest, and her limbs and fingers felt heavy. Even if she were to lie down and close her eyes, though, she knew she’d never be able to sleep. Even in this exhausted state, her stomach churned with restlessness, and her heart raced as if danger was imminent.
Within the next half hour, her father and Mr. Hawthorne would inform the Society members about Mr. Bauer’s deception.
And she felt sick.
The members’ response might be one of outrage at Mr. Bauer for taking such advantage of them, but more likely they would be angry with Mr. Hawthorne since he was the Society’s leader and had reintroduced the topic to the group. Regardless of how the members reacted, her father needed support, and she’d provide it.
