Being the only one to know about his predicament save for her, he was certain that the burden was lying heavily upon her. He could see it more and more in her letters.
“Thank you,” he said through gritted teeth, taking the letter from his cousin. “I wish you a good rest.”
“And I, you, cousin,” Harold responded, dipping his head respectfully before he turned and continued up the stairs. Elijah watched him go, relieved not to have any more talk of Lady Belmont.
Only when he was certain that his cousin would not come back down, he turned back to the library and headed inside, clicking the door closed before he finally tore open the letter and started to read.
My dearest son,
I do hope that this letter finds you well. I am eagerly awaiting news that perhaps you have found something in Oxfordshire that could not be found in London. I hold out hope every day and pray that the doctors here were wrong, but with every hour that passes, I find a dread coming over me.
I have asked your father that I might come and visit you, to be with you should the worst happen, but he shall not allow it. Perhaps if I were to tell him the truth, then things might be different.
I plead with you now that I might tell your father; perhaps then we might both come and be with you. In the meantime, know that I am doing all I can to ensure a smooth handover when the time does eventually come.
Your brothers are well, as are your sister and your father. Though your father is still quite angry with how things were handled in the last few months of your being with us, he seems to be cooling down. I do so wish we were able to visit you in the countryside. I find the air of London much too thick and heavy without you here, my darling.
For the love I have always borne you, please, consider my request.
Love always,
Your mama
Elijah shivered and bit his lip several times while reading his mother’s letter. It was similar to those he received almost daily, pleading with him to finally allow her to tell his father of his illness and all that was sure to come in the future. And yet, Elijah couldn’t bring himself to give her the permission she so desperately requested. Though it pained him to think of her bearing the weight of such things alone, he couldn’t stand the thought of his father finding out, nor his brothers or his sister, at least not until he was too sick to do anything about it. For now, he simply wished to leave as though he were healthy and remain so for as long as possible.
I shall write back once I have slept,Elijah decided quickly. It would not do him any good to respond while he was so sleep-deprived and still raw from the events of the evening. The conflicting emotions twisting about his gut were not at all something he wished to convey in his letter to his mother. She already had enough to concern herself with.
And so, he placed the letter on the top of the pile of correspondence that he still had to reply to and headed off to bed, trying his hardest not to think of her request or how Lady Belmont had looked at him after he had kissed her. The women in his life were making everything exceedingly more difficult than it needed to be.
Chapter 15
The walk down the lane into the small hamlet of houses where the farmers of her estate lived was one of Melissa’s favourite walks, especially when she needed to clear her head. And so, the afternoon after the ball and her kiss with Lord Spurnrose, she headed there to check up on her tenants.
For once, Flit walked at her side as though he couldn’t be away from her, clearly sensing that she was not quite feeling herself. Every so often she leaned down to give him a reassuring pat, hoping he might wander off up the lane and be his usual self.
Still, he remained close, and by the time they made it into the hamlet and the small courtyard at its centre, Melissa was almost tripping over him. That was until he saw a group of young farmers’ children who always made such a fuss over him that he simply couldn’t help himself.
He ran towards them with his tail straight behind him and ears flattened to his head, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. And the second the children saw him, they squealed with glee. The farmers’ wives, all congregating near the front of one of the houses, looked around at the commotion, and the moment they saw Melissa, their faces lit up.
One waved, and the rest followed, all smiling and shouting out greetings as she approached. Melissa breathed a deep sigh of relief, enjoying their welcome and immediately feeling a bit better about what had happened the night before.
“Good morning, My Lady,” Anna, the wife of the head farmer, greeted her as she made it over to the group. “We weren’t expecting you today. Did you need something?”
“No, no, I was rather hoping I might be able to offer my assistance in some way,” Melissa insisted, shaking her head. Anything was better than sitting at home alone with too much time to think.
“Oh, My Lady, you already do so much for us all,” Anna insisted. “We couldn’t possibly ask any more kindness from you.”
“You did not ask it,” Melissa pointed out with a friendly smile. “It was offered. Besides, I am here now. You may as well put me to work.”
Anna looked over her shoulder to the other farmers’ wives as if silently asking them if they had any work fit for a lady. It was not unusual for her to offer her services to them, though they were always a little reluctant at first.
Yet the women accepted her help with smiles as one of them stepped forwards to say, “My Lady, I have been wanting to ask you for some … advice on a matter.”
Melissa’s heart swelled with joy to hear the words, and she nodded, gesturing the woman forward. “I am happy to help with any ailments or other such concerns.”
“It is just this cut on my hand, My Lady,” the woman said. Melissa thought her name was Louise. “It does not seem to want to heal.”
Melissa watched as the young woman removed a rather dirty-looking rag from around her hand. She tried to keep the judgement entirely from her face as she held out both her hands to look at the woman’s injury. A straight gash, the wound did not look too deep. It was, however, angry and inflamed, and Melissa immediately felt sorry for the poor woman as she looked over her palm.
