Rushbrooke End (Book 4)

Chapter 33

 "Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break."

― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Luke and Lilly joined the rest of the Bingham Park residents downstairs. They found them waiting in the parlour, looking expectant.

"Luke, it's good to see you back," Nathaniel was the first to speak and he shook Luke's hand and smiled warmly.

"I am glad to be back, it has not been an easy ten days." Luke replied.

"I take you and Lilly have made up now?" Alice asked.

"For now," Lilly said before Luke could respond and he looked at her ruefully, taking a seat.

They spent the afternoon making slightly stilted conversation, the topics light and inconsequential. Finally Luke stood up and spoke: "I think it high time that I told all of you why I really left for London and how your sister really injured her ankle and what happened to Arabella on Christmas Eve. I'm sorry I've kept so many secrets until now but once I've explained myself I hope you will understand." He looked slightly breathless and Lilly felt a sharp twinge of guilt.

"No Luke," she said gently. "You really don't have to do this.s"

"I want to Lilly, I've spent too much time lying and keeping secrets." He took a deep breath, his eyes focused on a spot above Nathaniel's head. "I have a sister. Her name is Charlotte and she did not die twenty-two years ago. She is still alive, now a woman of five and thirty and she is in Bedlam. She has not always been there, in fact I have spent most of my life since I was seventeen trying to keep her out of there. I have done everything in my power to keep her hidden and to take care of her. I love her very much and since I know you all have siblings I am sure you can understand.

"However my plans to keep her away from the world started to crumble when you came to Hertfordshire a month ago. Lilly soon found out about Charlotte and I was forced to tell her everything. My sister has been living with me in secret because her doctors deemed her mad. She's not mad, merely disturbed and she is not a bad person." He looked nearly seasick but he kept his composure, though Lilly noticed his hand was trembling slightly on the back of the settee. "She has had a troubled life so far and is very attached to me. When she noticed that I had been spending time with your family she grew suspicious. She is easily envious since, well, my father had many affairs and she was constantly jealous as a child, misreading the situation and thinking my father was replacing her. She heard the name Lilly and on Christmas Eve she managed to leave Rushbrooke End's grounds and came to the skating rink where we were celebrating. I believe she saw me buy Arabella a hot chocolate and she grew jealous, thinking Arabella was Lilly. So she attacked her.

"Of course I was furious with her but still I could not send her to Bedlam.

"So she remained at Rushbrooke and myself and her nurse looked after her and best we could.

"But still she was envious and when she saw Lilly in the house she grew angry and pushed her and well, Lilly was injured.

But after I came here I received a telegram from her nurse, Ursula, who told me what Charlotte had attacked her and that the doctor had ordered Charlotte into Bedlam, which is why I left so suddenly. Lilly and I argued about it and I left, furious with her and well, I suppose you know the rest." He said down and Lilly took his hand, squeezing it lightly as Richard stood up, his face pale.

"Lord Grimshaw," he spoke heavily, seemingly weighing his words. "You seem like you care for your sister very much which of course I can understand. Do you know what will happen to your sister now?"