“He just kept saying she needed more time. She had to think this through properly for her own sake.” Kitty spoke with fear now, her voice desperate. “He didn’t want her to be forced into marrying a Moore for the sake of avoiding a scandal.”
Helena reeled, in danger of falling over.
Good God… I blamed Christopher and his family for this. I thought it was a Moore!
“But the note…” Helena found the note from where she had stuffed it up one of her sleeves. Holding it open, she pointed to the signed ‘M’. “What of this?”
“He wanted you to believe it was a Moore. He didn’t want you to trust the Moores,” Kitty explained in a rush.
“So instead, he betrayed us more than a Moore has ever done!” Benjamin raged, making the windows ring. Matthew stood a little behind Helena, and she happily shielded him.
“No, how can you say that?” Kitty asked in a small voice. “When I joined this family, you and Gibbs told me at length of the betrayal the Moores had done to you all those years ago. How that lady… she was stolen by their ancestor.”
“Or did she choose the Duke of Bridstone?” Helena asked.
“What?” Benjamin barked. All faces turned toward her.
“It was something I heard.” Helena shrugged. “We believe the Moores stole the lady in question away, but the Moores believe she chose their ancestor. Either way, we can never know the absolute truth. Not now. If it is the case…” Helena turned her gaze on her aunt, finding her vision grew blurry as tears filled her vision. “Then they never wronged us. The only one to wrong us was our own flesh and blood. Uncle Gibbs took Julia? How can it be?”
“I cannot understand it. I cannot.” Benjamin paced around his chair.
Anna had stopped crying altogether. She sat limply, with a handkerchief crumpled in her hand. As Kitty leaned toward her, appealing for support, Anna skulked back from her. That hand dropped between them.
“He didn’t do it to hurt you, any of you,” Kitty said in a rush.
“What did he say to you exactly?” Benjamin rounded on Kitty again. Her breath hitched, and she pulled herself back into the chair.
“He… He said she needed more time, that perhaps with space from the wedding she could make her own decision without the fear of scandal.”
“She already made her own decision.” Helena spoke plainly. “Julia loves Lord Robert. God’s wounds, what does Gibbs think he is playing at?”
“He was trying to help.”
“No, he wasn’t.” Helena shook her head and looked over her shoulder at where Matthew hid behind her. “Matthew saw something earlier today.”
“What of it?” Anna asked, speaking up for the first time. When Matthew showed no sign of speaking, preferring to hide behind Helena, she spoke up for him.
“Gibbs was the one to start that argument with Lord Moore. Matthew saw it all.”
“And we lambasted the old fool for it,” Benjamin muttered and shook his head. “What a family we have become, eh?” He looked sharply at Kitty. “We unfairly accuse others, all of us.”
Helena hung her head, knowing she was one of them. How passionately had she accused Christopher when it was all so unfair?
“And amongst all of this hate, this lingering resentment, one of our own blood has caused another of us complete and utter misery.” Benjamin broke off as Anna’s breath hitched again, and she cried fresh tears. “I am finding my daughter and bringing her home at once. Kitty, where is she?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Anna was wild this time. She reached for Kitty’s arm and shook her. “How can you not know where she is?”
“I didn’t ask,” Kitty said miserably. “Gibbs just told me this morning he intended to do something, to halt the wedding, to give Julia more time to think. I didn’t know what he truly intended, not until this all happened.” She escaped Anna’s hold and jumped out of the chair, rounding it to keep herself safe. “I have no idea where he has taken her.”
Benjamin marched toward her.
“You are a part of this —”
“Father,” Helena called to her father. Her sharp tone made him stop. She released Matthew as he scurried around her and went to their mother. He fell into Anna’s arms, who held him tight, and they both cried together. “Kitty has told us what she does know. We may not like the secret she has kept.” Helena hesitated, glancing at her aunt and seeing the guilt in her expression. “Yet she has told us what she can. Now, we must look elsewhere.”
“Yes, you are right. We must find Julia.” Benjamin stepped away, drawing level with Helena. “And the Moores must be told the truth.”
