She thought of the mention of blood in the journal and began to piece random scenarios together. At what angle would the shelves have to fall? How much force was needed to push one over? And the biggest question of all, would one person be able to achieve the action, or were multiple people involved?
Feeling as if she was on to something, Livinia made her way to the desk and retrieved a loose piece of parchment. She sipped the tip of a long, feathered quill in the pot of ink and began to jot down her ideas.
Perhaps she should be running for the hills, but the allure of mystery and the charming side of the earl she had seen urged her on.
Chapter 10
Livinia sorted the stack of letters left on the parlour table. She had taken to doing a few of the house duties, and sorting letters was one of the easier tasks. A few days had passed since the earl had confided in her, and she’d grown more comfortable in his presence.
Early mornings were now spent in the parlour discussing the day’s lessons. She liked the fact that Benedict had taken a more active role in his sister’s education.
A gasp of shock escaped her throat.
“What is it?” Theodora asked excitedly, looking up from the book in her lap.
“Has something bad happened?” Benedict asked with a frown.
“Not at all; it’s a letter from one of the girls in my previous position,” she said delightedly before sitting on the sofa.
The writing on the envelope was neat and slanted, just like Livinia had taught them.
Dearest Livinia.
I hope this letter finds you well. Olivia and I are bored stiff at times with your absence. Mama refuses to have picnics with us in the afternoons. We do find ourselves preoccupied with the start of the new season. Who would have thought that becoming a young Lady of Society could be so much fun?
I am writing to you with very exciting news. There is to be a ball in London, and Mama says that we may see the family you now work for. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I would like to see you while we are there. It would make the trip so much sweeter.
Yours sincerely, Adelaide Fletcher.
Ps. A frightfully handsome young man asked Olivia to dance at the last ball. She turned him down because his countenance hinted at trouble. Could you please write to her and tell her how foolish she is being?
The letter brought a smile to her face. Adelaide had never been one for sticking to the topic at hand. She never used one word when a hundred would do.
“Is it very good news?” Theodora couldn’t help herself anymore and shut her book.
Folding the letter with a smile, she tucked it back into the envelope. “It’s very good news. There is to be a ball in London, and the Fletcher family will be attending. The eldest daughter hopes to see you there,” she informed Theodora with a bright chuckle of delight.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!” Theodora sucked in a sharp breath and positively beamed with longing and adoration. “I could make their acquaintance and start writing to them. We could exchange stories and become lifelong friends!”
“Absolutely not,” Benedict snapped before Livinia could say anything in response.
The atmosphere in the room soured. Theodora looked at her lap as if she were about to burst into tears.
Biting her lip, Livinia wondered what the correct course of action would be at present. She now understood the earl’s need to keep his sister safe and why. What she couldn’t ignore beyond her promise was the crestfallen look on the young girl’s face.
“Lady Theodora, it’s about time we got back to our studies. Why don’t you go ahead and start on the final chapter we looked at yesterday?” she asked sweetly, glancing at the earl to see if he would protest.
Theodora stood with a sigh and left the room without question.
“My Lord,” she began to speak, but he swiftly interrupted her.
“I know what you are about to say, Miss Campbell. And the answer is no. I told you that you would have free reign of the house, but that does not include and extend to decisions regarding my sister,” he growled at her in anger, clenching his hand around the journal he had once again been reading.
How many times a day did he read those same notes over and over again?
“My Lord, I fully understand why you react in the ways you do. Quite frankly, I do not judge for doing so; if I had been in your shoes, I do not think I would ever leave my chambers again. What we are talking about here is your sister’s future; do you plan to keep her locked up until she’s an old maid?” She spoke directly and made her point, unafraid of how he would react now that she had seen a different side of him.
Benedict was a man who cared deeply for his family. He wanted more than anything to keep his sister safe, but that would not be achieved by locking her in a tower as if she were a princess in a fairytale.
The earl clenched his jaw in frustration.
“I implore you, My Lord, to allow your sister to attend the ball. You will be at her side as a chaperone, and what could be safer than that? If Lady Theodora is continuously denied the kind of life to which every young girl her age is entitled, then I fear she may scorn those whose only motives are to protect her.” She searched his face for a response but saw the battle in his eyes.
“Leave me,” he said with a wave of his hand and turned to stare into the fire.
Livinia hoped that her words had made an impact on him. Theodora would be crushed if she were to be denied the simplicity of attending a ball. Yet no one could persuade the earl if he were a stubborn man who stuck to his guns more often than not. She made her way up the stairs with a heavy sigh. Her previous position hadn’t presented as many challenges as her current one.
A step up in life.
She recalled the baroness’s words while wondering if every step up in life came with its own peculiar set of problems.
***
Livinia made her way into the parlour with Lady Theodora at her side. Their studies had commenced with much sulking after their morning conversation with Benedict. She’d lost hope throughout the day, yet a tiny spark of hope had presented itself when Benedict had summoned them both to the parlour.
“Do you think he’s changed his mind?” Theodora asked Livinia in a whisper as they reached the door.
“It’s best not to get too hopeful,” she cautioned gently, not wanting the girl to get upset if the news turned out to be bad.
