Chapter 28
They left for the city two days later. Christmas would soon be upon them, and per tradition the entire Hartwick family, even distant relations would congretagte at London to share the holiday season.
And it was cold, blustery, with a few snowflakes twirling a giddy dance in the air. Lillian watched them fall as she stared out the coach window, pulling the blanket higher on her lap to protect against the chill. She sat with John inside the coach, while Evan decided to ride with the men, in spite of the weather.
News of the birth of Madeline newest baby had arrived in london only a few days before. To everyone's delight, the child was a girl. Despite being only recently out of childbed, Evan's cousin Madeline was determined to show of her prized infant.
Lillian's own happiness had been squashed with the memory of Evan's harsh and cold words,
Isn't it? It is one thing when it comes to adultery, but it is another thing when I made it clear that you stay faithful until you bear me my heir
since that dreadful evening when she'd gone to his room, with mind of seducing him and seeking pleasure she had recieved the pure opposite. She and Evan had barely spoken to each other after that, passing less than a handful of minutes in each other's company. Which was more then fine to her considering he made himself very clear,
that he indeed wanted nothing to do with her.
He believed she was an alduterous liar. A cheater. And to be fair, he was half right.
She was a liar.
She wanted to defend herself, prove to him she hadn't been unfaithful, but how could she? Not without giving away her other secret. In order to disprove one falsehood, she would have to reveal too much about the other. Like a loose thread in a tapestry, once picked free, the whole piece would soon come unraveled.
Perhaps she should simply admit the truth, confess her identity and end the charade. Then Evan could decide to which of his many estates he would prefer banishing her. Or would he divorce her instead and simply turn her out? She shuddered, both of them sounded horryifing now. She sighed, watched more delicate snowflakes wing toward the earth,
"Eleanor...."
the voice of John made her look away from the window, "Yes, John" a smile despite her inner sadness came out,
"I think Evan is odd... he doesn't laugh at my jokes no longer and he didn't even scowl me when professor told him how i slept through his lesson...."
Odd?
Lillian smiled, god if only that was the case.
"Well... it is nothing to be worried off, your brother has---stuff going on,"
"Yeah, but he never spaces out, and when he took me out for riding he rode like a beast, it was utterly mad, and trust me i have been asking him to teach me how to ride fast... just not that fast"
Lillian swallowed, she couldn't think she was the one to blame, surely there was something else that drove him that mad,
chuckling lightly she forced her attention back to John, "It's christmas, he will return to just as he was, you will see"
"Do you love Evan?"
the question catched her off guard, a loopsided grin formed on John's face, Lillian's mind went back to the night those words slipped out of her mouth, it felt so right and it seemed to be the only words she felt.... and yet know she felt it
love him....
yes she loved him... and blast if not more than that!.
"What do you know of love, little young boy" she decided to turn the interrogation,
His cheeks burned into a pink tint, "Uh... not much, but everyone says that..."
"everyone says what?"
"That evan is in love with you, the servants... and remember when you taught me to gamble? well in town people gambled for----"
he stopped chattering as the carriage door suddenly opened, there stood the man that carried all her problems, his gaze landing on hers for a quick second before drifting to John, "We've arrived,"
he held his hand out, Lillian looked at it for a moment, then she clasped it in hers as he helped her down the carriage, her body crashing onto his, her nose took in the scent of his that left her wanting for more, holding the urge to sink into him she held her ground and looked at the huge place.
The house was so big that it seemed that the whole city could fit in there. as they entered she heard the noisy hive of people. Children and adults scattered into bands of determined revelers. Amid much frivolity, Evan had overseen the lighting of the yule log in one of the older sections of the house, where the fire place was large enough to accomodate the great length of the wood. According to tradition, the log would burn for a full twelve days. Reduced to ashes by the conclusion of the holdiay celebration on Twelfth night.
The lighted christmas candle held a position of prominence on the mantel in the first- floor drawing room, where the women and children spent their time fashioning paper ornaments and bows and streamers made from lenghts of pretty gold and red ribbon. In the meantime, the men took to the fields to shoot game or ride over the frost-covered hills, returning flushed and famished in the evening. Tonight- Christmas Eve-- everyone would exchange presents, sing wassailing tunes and drink syllabub and hot rum punch.
Usually Evan loved this time of year. Visiting with his family and friends. Making rounds by horseback and carriage to call upon his neighbors and tentants, leaving gifts of food and drink to brighten their holiday table.
Though Eleanor had pretend for comapny that all was well between them, he had not been able to do the same, the act was a great strain.
Everyone gathered to admire Melanie's new baby, Elise.
A tiny bundle of rosy cheeked joy, the infant gurgled and blinked at the sea of strange faces, waving a tiny fist in the air before falling into a deep slumber. Evan's other cousin sisters all took a few minutes to hold the baby.
Then it was his wife's turn.
He couldn't help but watch as she bent over the child. Cradling the infant against her breast, she cooed silly, soothing nonsense phrases. With the tip of a single finger, she stroked the baby's delicate cheek, an expression of pure pleasure lighting her face.
Evan's chest squeezed painfully until he had to tore his gaze away from her, god how bad he wanted a child with her, see her grow round with his child... if what he found out was true... he didn't know what he would do...
"When are the two of you going to give me one of those?" His grandmother came up beside him and laid a hand on his sleeve, "A grandmother cannot become a great-grand mother too many times you know"
A fist clenched inside his gut, a dreadful melancholy filling his heart. He forced a hearty smile and prayed his grandmother would not see through him to the truth
"We're working on it, Grandma. We're working on it"
But they weren't working on it
He no longer touched his wife and didn't know if he ever would again. He needed to find out the truth that was plauging him badly,
And he had a feeling that he would find out a great part of it tonight if everything turned out his way,
"What do you say of a drink and ciggars?" the voices of his cousin drew him back to reality as he looked at his wife for the last time,
"certaintly"
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A/N : what do you think Evan has in mind?
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Lillian's Deceit
Historical Fiction[COMPLETED] Lillian Windsor has been shunned from society after a huge scandal, the twin sister of the royal family vanished and were sent to Ireland. But a vow she kept for years made her return to England where something she weren't prepared for...
