Chapter 15
****
By the time the pungent, musty odor wafted in, Jeffrik had settled back down on the couch.
"Don't bother. I have no intention of getting involved with that bastard."
"Honey, just calm down and think about it."
"Calm down! Even if he’s half Karnus, it’s only half. Do you know where the other half comes from? Gypsy, gypsy!"
Jeffrik’s shout reached Aubrey's ears without breaking a sweat.
"Sure, he was born that way, but things are different now."
Barbara said in her usual calm tone.
"Duke Karnus still hasn't returned, and it's been years since he went away to convalesce. Why would the Duke bring back a bastard and give him a title?"
"......."
"Maybe to make him his heir."
Jeffrik snorted in disbelief.
"Unless the Duke has gone mad."
"He'll carry on the family name somehow, even with his own blood."
Barbara said firmly, as if she could be sure of this.
"Only you don't know that even those who once thought as you do now agree that Count Lavonne will become the Duke of Karnus."
"I don't care what they say, even if he does become the Duke of Karnus, Emily will be the Duchess of Paddingham."
"Honey."
"You better behave yourself, or I'll never hear you say in my ear again that you're involved with him."
Just as Barbara was about to add an insulting word, Jeffrik drove a wedge.
"I've sponsored your niece, isn't it about time you broke your stubbornness?"
With that, Jeffrik stalked off to his bedroom without a backward glance. Barbara, left alone, sighed deeply and went the other way. Aubrey and Trin huddled behind the pillar until everyone in the parlor was gone.
"My God....... Count Lavonne was really the illegitimate son of the Duke of Carnus."
Aubrey leaned her head against the pillar, unable to believe what Trin had so far dismissed as rumor. Even when she thought about what she'd heard, it was clear.
There was no weakness in Khaled Karnus. He had risen to the point where he was now spoken of as the heir to the family name, having even been an illegitimate child. The man who knew her secret was such a man.
* * *
When the Count and Emily left the manor, it was while Aubrey was writing to the Duke of Paddingham.
It wasn't until recently that she realized that when a party or banquet was hosted by one party, it should be reciprocated as soon as possible.
After writing a letter to the Duke of Paddingham, she wrote a letter to Nicholas Artherton thanking him for his willingness to be her partner.
As she placed them in envelopes, each bearing the coat of arms of the Ravant family, Trin entered the room.
"The lord and lady Emily have just departed."
Trin set down the cookies and milk she'd brought with her, as if she could relax now.
"They probably won't be home until late tonight, as they always do on days when there is an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. The madam told me to make sure the young lady is well fed."
Aubrey hadn't put any real food in her mouth since her encounter with Khaled. Whatever she did eat, she would quickly wash it down or throw it away.
"Miss, are you listening to me?"
Aubrey was lost in thought, her fingers clenching on the envelope. There was no life in her dull green eyes. Trin picked up the milk with a worried look.
"Miss, just a sip."
"......."
"What are you doing, are you going to......."
Inwardly, Trin had thought so. She wondered if this young lady had set her heart on Count Lavonne, and then she got too many shocks and lost her mind. The shocks were, first, that Emily liked him.
Second, that the count was the illegitimate son of a duke. This was understandable, as he was confronted with one out-of-the-ordinary fact after another.
"Trin, do me a favor."
Aubrey was sorry, but even Trin's small attention was too much for her; she was already so full of anxiety and worry that she felt like she could burst at the seams if someone poked her.
It wasn't until Trin took the envelope and left the room that silence returned. Aubrey looked out the window and saw an unusually clear sky and a garden with colorful flowers below.
Boris was sweating beads in his plaid shirt and suspenders. She just wanted to keep this peaceful routine going. It was all she had.
For days, she'd been trying to figure out how to keep it together, but she had no answers. She had only stew in her stomach for days, and now she had no energy. Dead eyes scanned the beautiful garden and slowly drifted away.
She found a handkerchief lying carefully on her desk. Trin had washed it and folded it neatly, and it had been there for days. Aubrey slowly slid off the bed and approached it.
She looked down at the wispy handkerchief. It was spotlessly white, with the owner's name embroidered on the hem in gold thread. At the same time, she remembered the sweet face that had held the handkerchief out to her.
His demeanor at tea was that of a gentleman. Enough for the ladies and Emily to praise him at every turn. Maybe, just maybe.......
A weak hand gingerly clutched the handkerchief.
It was then that she realized she needed to talk to him. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding, a mistake on her part. Maybe he was a kinder gentleman than she thought. Maybe the worst case scenario was just a fantasy of her own frightened mind.
Aubrey grabbed the handkerchief and left the room, dreading the thought. She had to see him before this newfound courage vanished. For now, she had to hold on to what little hope she had. She had to see Khaled.
* * *
"Suddenly?"
When Aubrey said she had to go to Duke Karnus' residence, Trin cocked her head.
"I need to return this handkerchief, can we go out now?"
"Well, I don't think it would be possible, as the master and the madam are away, so why don't you go tomorrow?"
"Ah, it has to be now, now."
Aubrey couldn't hesitate any longer. The courage she had finally summoned could be gone at any moment.
"I'll look into it, miss."
With that, Trín left and went straight to see Boris the gardener, not Henna. Henna would surely object if she tried to visit Duke Karnus while Lady Emily was away.
She thought very poorly of Aubrey, and she'd tell her right away that Lady Emily was secretly seeing the man she liked.
When Boris heard the news, he had an idea. He used it as an excuse to go to a dessert shop in the square to cheer her up.
It was no secret that she hadn't eaten well in days, and it bothered the madam, so if he could cheer her up, she would be allowed to go.
"You must be on time."
And indeed, Henna agreed. Trin was excited to go out with Aubrey, so she got dressed for the occasion.
Aubrey quickly changed into a cream-colored dress, donned a purple bonnet, and pulled on her gloves. As the carriage pulled away from the manor, Aubrey tapped her foot on the carriage floor as if she'd been waiting.
"You called for me, my lady?"
"On our way out, I hope you'll stop by the Duke of Karnus’ residence, for I have a handkerchief from Count Lavonne that I need to return."
Aubrey held up the white handkerchief, and the coachman nodded approvingly. Aubrey stared out the window, trying to control her racing heart. Her desire to get home safely and undetected was mixed with a desire to finish her story with Khaled.
* * *
When Aubrey arrived at the mansion after a long drive, she realized something she hadn't expected. Today was the opening day of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.
The Duke and Duchess of Karnus, as well as Khaled Karnus, were all out of town. Too scared to get out of the carriage, she had nowhere else to go, as she had sent Trin and the coachman to the square first, with the word to meet them here in an hour.
"There's a banquet afterward, so they probably won't be back until after nine."
The guard at the mansion looked at her regretfully.
"Can't I wait?"
She asked cautiously, because today really did feel like her last chance. To confront the man who knew her secret. It had to be today or never.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's possible. It's not like you had an appointment, and there's too much time left until the master returns."
For a moment, Aubrey wondered. Was this guard refusing to let her in because she hadn't made an appointment, or because she was not a noble?
"Do you mind if I wait here, then?"
"Yes?"
The guard repeated in disbelief.
"I'll stand here and wait for a while, just an hour, and if your master doesn't come, I'll go, so don't worry about it too much."
He nodded, unsure of what to do. Aubrey had said she would wait here, but if she had been Emily Ravant instead of Aubrey Sandalwood, she thought things would have been different.
She stood under the mansion's porch for a while after that. She walked slowly through the large space and watched the fountains gush. She really didn’t want to come back empty handed.
By the time her calves were pulling and the soles of her feet were tingling, all that came out was a deep sigh. She thought about walking away, but she couldn't, because her heart was burning.
The soles of her feet were aching to the point where it was uncomfortable to stand, so she put one leg in front of the other and hopped up and down. As she stomped her feet together like she was dancing, she could feel herself shaking.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black carriage approaching. Aubrey knew in her gut. The man would be in there. Kicking up dust, the carriage came to a stop by the porch. The door opened and the man dismounted.
He spotted Aubrey, raised one eyebrow, and handed his rumpled coat to a footman who rushed out.
"What's going on?"
He asked, running a hand through his already disheveled hair as if he'd been annoyed on the way over. Even standing a few feet away, she could smell his scent.
Aubrey was speechless for a moment as she realized he wasn't the sweet gentleman she'd been expecting, but the chilling figure that filled her with dread. The man who had said he had gone to a function at the Royal Academy of Arts and would not return until late at night had returned home in broad daylight.
And he looked so disheveled. Something bad must have happened. Perhaps…
"She’s come to see you in a hurry, master."
The answer she lost came from the footman's mouth, and it made Khaled frown. He turned and headed back into the house, his long legs striding as he did so.
What the hell?
As she pondered, the footman who had followed him into the house turned and spoke up.
"I’ll show you to the study."
At that word, a tiny spark of hope flickered in her dying heart.
****
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