When the maid arrived with a tray of food and tea, Natalie poured cups for them both, adding liberal amounts of cream and sugar to Aunt Eleanor’s.
Leaving the sandwiches untouched, they drank quietly for several minutes.
It was Lady Eleanor who finally broke the silence.
“He died in a duel,” she said. And then, almost as an afterthought, added, “With the late Earl of Hawthorne.”
Natalie swallowed her tea and sat up straighter than normal. She could not help imagining one of her brothers being killed on the field of honor. Or her father. Or Garrett. It was every woman’s greatest fear. Honor be damned.
“The old earl killed your brother?”
With a resigned nod, Lady Sheffield leaned into the cushioned back of the settee and rehashed the great scandal of 1793.
“I am not a lady by birth,” she began. “I came by my title through marriage to my late husband. We were gentry, not nobility. My brother, Arthur, was a barrister.
“Lady Cordelia was the only child of a duke. Naturally, her family had high expectations for her. Throughout her youth, they anticipated her marrying an earl or higher. Perhaps a viscount if the title was an old one and the estate very wealthy.
“Knowing this, one would have expected her to be very highin the instep, nose in the air. But I came to know her as a lively, tenderhearted, and delightful young woman.
“My brother and Broderick, your father, befriended one another at Eton. After your father became the earl, he did not sever the connection as many others might have.
“If not for your parents, Arthur and I never would have come to know Lady Cordelia. We attended manytonevents, and Lady Cordelia came to be one of my closest friends. At these same social gatherings, Arthur and Cordelia developed an attachment to one another.”
Wiping a tear from her face, Lady Eleanor went on. “I blame myself for Arthur’s death. Thinking it romantic and exciting, I made it possible for them to spend time together alone. I distracted our chaperones, and they fell in love.
“So very, very stupid. Arrogant of me to think with my help, true love would conquer all. If I’d but known what the consequence would be, I would have done everything in my power to keep them apart.”
Natalie reached out and covered the woman’s powdered dry hand with her own.
“They attempted to elope.” Lady Eleanor shook her head sadly. “Sometimes, I think it was the bravest and most wonderful thing Lady Cordelia ever did, whereas the worst decision she ever made was to tell her maid.
“Lord Hawthorne and the duke apprehended them a mere twenty miles out of the city. Arthur’s second-hand carriage and pair of old hacks were no match for the duke’s magnificent team. They were overcome a few hours after they attempted their escape.”
Natalie surmised the situation. “And the earl challenged your brother?”
“He did.” Reaching for a sandwich, Lady Eleanor took a moment to chew the fine meats and fresh baked bread. “My brother loathed the notion of fighting. But he had no choice.As the challenged, he chose the weapon.” She looked over at Natalie. “My brother was an academic his entire life. He was slim and fit; he was not brawny.”
“He chose pistols,” Natalie guessed.
“He did.” Setting the crust of her sandwich back down on a small plate, Lady Eleanor brushed some crumbs from her hands. “The irony is he drew before Hawthorne. The first shot was his.”
“He deloped?” Natalie asked.
“Yes. Shot straight into the air. But the earl, such a horrible man—evil—aimed right at dear Arthur’s heart.” Taking another sip of her tea with a shaking hand, Lady Eleanor came to the end of her tale. “And shortly afterwards Lady Cordelia and Lord Hawthorne married and then retreated to Maple Hall. I never saw her again. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of Lord Hawthorne. And then what he tried to do to my very own niece, to Lilly…”
Lilly was lucky to be alive.
“I met the man on a few occasions but never came to know him in any way. I must admit, I am thankful. He sounds like the devil himself!”
“He was.”
Natalie felt utterly drained. She was shocked and exhausted by the recounting of Mr. Winter’s death. “Would you care to rest a while, Aunt Eleanor?” Natalie stood, preparing to take her leave.
Her godmother grasped her hand. “Natalie, Garrett Castleton will be a wonderful earl. He will bring honor back to his inheritance. Do not judge him by the acts of his father.”
Natalie looked into the woman’s watery eyes. “Of course.”
Walking back to her own chamber, Natalie shivered. Garrett’s own father was a murderer. He had murdered more than once. He would have killed Lilly if she hadn’t escaped first.
