Page 65 of Bluebell’s Fate

“I’ll speak to Ian tonight and ask him to accompany me back.” Grandmother dropped her hands from his face—apparently assuaged that he wasn’t going to force any answers from her—and they continued walking. “I ought to have brought up my concerns about their connection earlier, but I selfishly loved being here with you, and Bell.”

Nathaniel felt the tug of a smile on his lips. “If you can rid me of Ian, I’ll come collect you myself anytime you are available.”

Chapter Forty-one

There was a tension that hung in the air when Bell came down for breakfast, or was Bell just imagining it? Godmother was distracted enough that she didn’t even notice Bell’s approach, and Nathaniel, who had made a point of being in the dining room every morning between eight and nine, was nowhere to be seen. If she hadn’t spent the night beside him, she would have worried that he was ill. But she’d woken when he left before the sun was above the horizon.

“Good morning, Godmother,” Bell pretended everything was normal, not wanting to add to the pile of trouble she’d gotten into yesterday.

Godmother started a little. “Bell, it’s good to see you.” She motioned to an empty seat beside her. “Won’t you join me?”

Bell smiled as she filled a plate with eggs and toast. “Is everything alright? You seem a little…distracted.”

She waved a fragile hand in Bell’s direction. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, I believe it is time for me to return to London.”

Bell exhaled sharply. “Oh no!”

“It’s not a tragedy, dear child,” Godmother chuckled a little. “You don’t need me here anymore. I’ve seen the way you look at Nathaniel, and the way his gaze shifts to you every time you enter a room. At this point, the best thing I could do is step away.”

“Or,” Bell interjected, “you could stay with us here forever. I’m sure Nathaniel would love the idea as much as I do.”

Godmother laughed, low and rich, and long. “You’d change your minds over time. There is good reason for a newlywed couple to have a place of their own. Besides, I still plan on going to visit Linda later this autumn.”

It was nonsensical for Bell to feel jealous of a widowed woman with a rundown estate and a troublemaker illegitimate son, but Bell would love to claim her godmother for a solid six months each year. “If any fairies block your path, be sure to come back, won’t you?”

Her godmother’s eyes twinkled in mischief. “If I can’t take care of them on my own, I know where to come. Besides, I’m waiting to hear back from Ian to see when he is available to go.” She stood from the table. “I’m going to go see where his decision lands.”

The last thing Bell wanted was to wish for Ian to extend his stay, but she still hated the idea of her godmother’s leaving being connected to his. “Very well.” She ate her eggs and toast, now almost cold.

Just as Bell was pushing herself up from the table, Nathaniel came into the dining room, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. He saw her standing, and took long, confident strides toward her. He put his hands on her shoulders and searched her face like he was looking for a fairy in a world of humans. Bell’s breath caught in her chest. Something was wrong. She could tell by the set of his jaw.

“Are you injured?” she asked.

His jaw clenched even as he shook his head. “I just wanted to see you.” He let his hands fall from her shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not often late for breakfast.”

Bell tried to bite back a smile, but she was fairly confident she failed. Oh, how their roles had reversed. “And what kept you?”

“My meeting with the architect ran longer than I expected.”

Bell smiled. “Are you hungry?” She allowed herself to think back on the ledger as Nathaniel filled a plate at the sideboard. It was truly shocking what a single day could do to set a person off balance. Yesterday, she’d spent some time familiarizing herself with the tidy book after Nathaniel left her. She had no doubts that if he wanted to build a conservatory, he could.

Most of the time yesterday afternoon, her attention had been snagged by a shelf across from the desk. It was lined with ledgers from the past, clearly labeled on their spines, dating back to before Nathaniel was born. It was as if she’d just been given the final piece to a terrible puzzle.

All night she’d been trying to come up with a different solution than what had fallen into her lap…but she couldn’t un-know what she now knew. Linda was Ian’s mother. Bell had learned from the letter that Linda had loved Nathaniel’s father so fiercely she had chosen to ignore society’s expectations and become his mistress.

It wasn’t unheard of—nor spoken of either—that many gentlemen had other women keeping them company on the side. It had always been one of Bell’s fears for her own marriage. The idea of being a piece of jewelry for her husband to show off in public, only to leave her to rot alone in private, was something Bell couldn’t stomach.

She wanted to believe that Nathaniel would never change from the faithful, steady man he was now, that he would remain true to her. But even his father, straitlaced as he seemed, had given in to temptation. And he’d fathered an illegitimate child. Unless Bell had checked the math…that child had to be Ian Cutler. How many people knew about his true status? Could she trust herself to be correct on such a terrible discovery to broach the topic with anyone? It wasn’t something she was comfortable putting into a letter to send to Rose to ask for advice. Bell knew how incriminating that simple letter could be.

“Bell,” Nathaniel put a hand on her forehead. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yes. of course. I…I was just lost in my thoughts. What was it you were saying?”

Nathaniel studied her for a moment longer before he answered, “I was on the road this morning when I saw Miss Stone arrive home.”

“Oh.” Bell struggled for words. The way Bell’s emotions were fraying made her feel like she was trying to catch the glass beads when a necklace breaks; she might catch one or two, but everything was falling to pieces around her.

“Would you like to call upon her with me this afternoon?” he asked.