Prologue

 

Scarlett Hall, 1808

 

The summer breeze rustled the leaves above Lady Eleanor Lambert as she watched Bernard Forbes, her faithful butler, walking down the cobbled path of the garden toward the grand house of Scarlett Hall. Society frowned upon any form of informality with servants, but to Eleanor, what her peers thought was of no matter, for Forbes held a special place in her heart. And he always would.

Sighing, she glanced down at the letter that had arrived from her brother, Josiah. None had seen nor heard from the man in many months, and his last words to her were said in anger.

After what had taken place when they last spoke, Eleanor was uncertain if she dared to read what he had to say. Considering he had learned of his true lineage – that he was not truly a Parker, and had lost any power he once possessed over their childhood home of Chatterly Estate – it would be no wonder if he hated her as much as she suspected he did.

Summoning her courage, she unfolded the parchment and began to read.

 

Eleanor,

 

Perhaps in the battle over Amelia you have bested me. Emmaline now sits in my rightful place, and your son will inherit what should have been mine. Life can be so unfair at times.

Worry not, for I will make no attempt to regain what was stolen from me. Instead, I shall continue to keep my ear to the ground to listen for stories concerning you.

 

Eleanor frowned. What stories could he possibly be concerned with? Shaking her head, she continued reading.

 

One bit of interest you may wish to know is that I have made a new friend, a man who has told me much about you. Sadly, we cannot share these stories over a glass of brandy or a mug of ale, for the man currently resides at Conway Prison.”

 

Eleanor’s heart raced. Conway Prison? Only one man she knew had been imprisoned, or any man who would concern her - Robert Mullens, Juliet’s true father. How had Josiah found the man? And why? Perhaps he would make mention of this in the remainder of his letter.

 

Over the last few months, the man has revealed much about you, my dear sister, enough to hurt both you and the daughter you raised as your own. Therefore, prepare yourself, for my wrath over what you did to me has not yet subsided. Nor will it ever, I suspect. You left me with nothing, a life worse than death, and thus, whatever you tell others concerning me cannot abase me any more than I already am.

But know this. I will inflict such pain upon you that you will never recover. As you read this, know that your precious Juliet will soon speak to you of heartbreak that you will be unable to repair.

 

The paper floated to the ground as Eleanor fought off the panic that rose in her. Was Juliet safe? Had Josiah done as he said in his letter and already reached out to her daughter? Or was he merely attempting to frighten Eleanor?

“Forbes,” she whispered, her eyes widening as the truth of her brother’s words settled upon her.

She ran toward the house. “Forbes!”

Pulling open the door, she ran down the long corridor, the single word erupting from her lips expressing the dread that threatened to strangle her.

“Forbes!”

“My lady?” the butler asked, hurrying from the front of the house.

“I…” She paused and glanced over to where one of the maids, Alice by name, was dusting a nearby table.

As if reading her mind, Forbes bowed his head and said, “It was I who broke your mother’s vase. If you will allow me to show you how that happened, I will escort you to the drawing room to do so.”

“Yes, please,” Eleanor replied, doing her best to keep her breathing under control - and her panic. Forbes always seemed to know what to do during troubling times.

Alice resumed her work as Eleanor followed Forbes into the drawing room. Once the door closed behind them, she spun about, the panic returned. “The letter I received was from Josiah. It appears he has been in contact with Robert Mullins.” She placed a hand on her breast and her breathing came in short gasps. “Amelia made mention of Lord Parsons, that I should be careful of him, but it may be too late.”

Amelia, daughter of Eleanor’s sister Emmeline, had encountered Lord Parsons during her journey to Scarlett Hall. He had been drunk and searching for Juliet, although she had been long married and living elsewhere.

Strong hands grasped Eleanor by the arms, and she looked up into the face of Forbes. “You will compose yourself,” he said in his rare commanding tone.

“But my daughter is in danger!” she said, her voice rising. “I must leave at once.” She made to move away, but he tightened his grip on her.

“Eleanor,” he said, “you are a baroness and will conduct yourself as such.”

Anger flared inside her. How dare he! “Release me, now!” she said.

To her shock, Forbes shook his head. “If I release you, you will respond in a panic, making things worse than they may already be. Now, compose yourself and explain to me exactly what the letter said.”

Eleanor grasped the skirts of her dress to keep from slapping the man, but she did as he bade. “According to the correspondence, he has been in contact with that horrible Robert Mullins. In prison! He went to the prison to speak to him! He says that Juliet will be the one to tell me of some sort of heartbreak, which means that whatever he had planned he has already done.”

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, fear threatening to choke off any rational thought. She had to think clearly! Yet, it was difficult to keep her mind straight. Her darling Juliet!

No, Forbes was right. She had to keep a clear head.

Taking a calming breath, she released her skirts and stood to her full height. “I am no longer panicked, but decisions must be made immediately.”

The butler released his grip. “What do you propose? It will take too long for us to journey to Juliet’s home before Mr. Parker arrives to do whatever dastardly deed he has planned.”

Eleanor nodded her agreement. “I will send a letter immediately to warn her and pray it is not too late. I have no idea what else to do at this point, for I do not know what Josiah plans.” Then an idea occurred to her. “No. I will go to the prison and speak with Robert. He may be able to give me some insight into Josiah’s intentions”

“I do not believe that is wise,” Forbes replied. “It is not the place for ladies such as yourself to be. Plus, that may be exactly what Robert wants - to see you. What other reason could he have for speaking to your brother?”

Eleanor considered his words. Robert Mullins had fathered Juliet with Eleanor’s lady’s maid, and when Eleanor lost her child, Anne had given her babe to Eleanor to raise as her own. Years later, when Robert learned the truth, he had attempted to blackmail Eleanor. The man was evil, and she knew the risk of speaking to him. Yet, she also recognized that the risk to Juliet was far greater.

Now with her faculties back under control, she shook her head. “I have no choice. It must be done. Bring around the carriage. We will leave at once.”

“Eleanor…”

“Do as I say,” she said, her chin raised in defiance. “It is not your place to argue with me.” As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them. Though the pain in his eyes was brief, it was there all the same.

“As you wish, my lady,” he said with a formal bow that would have bruised if he had instead struck her.

When he was gone, Eleanor went to the study to write her daughter and have the letter dispatched in the capable hands of one of her younger servants. Then she and Forbes would leave for the prison and learn what trouble Robert had caused.

Reaching for the quill, she paused and then opened the desk drawer. From it, she took out a small box and removed several notes. A bribe would likely be in order, and she had no qualms in doing just that – or anything else to keep her daughter safe.