The House of Broken Hearts, Judy Colella [electronic reader txt] 📗

but even her imagination had its limits. By the time the skies seemed ready to desist sending their icy deposits to the earth below, everyone’s patience had begun to wear thin. To avoid any unnecessary flaring of tempers, Giles decided to let the boys take a break from their studies in order to go visit an uncle whose estate was a good distance south of Grey House. There, they could perhaps do some early hunting, and at the very least, get outside for a ride once in a while. They were to stay until the Spring, at which time their studies would resume upon their arrival back home.

This seemed to please everyone, and Mrs. Trellain commented to Giselle that she would finally be able to air the house out a bit and get some early Spring cleaning started. Being somewhat at loose ends without her charges – Jocelyn had been bundled off to the City to stay with cousins – she volunteered to help with the housework. Unknown to any of them, all of these arrangements provided the perfect setting for what would happen next, something that would change all of their lives forever.

The situation began to unfold the very evening after Giles and the boys had gone off in the carriage to start their holiday. Mr. Lanford would be returning alone the following week, and in the meantime, one of the maids bundled Jocelyn into another carriage and headed north to the City. Julian, everyone believed, was off on one of his many jaunts, and no one knew when he’d be back.

So it was with some surprise that he arrived in the front hall at about seven o’clock, accompanied by a young lady whose background was questionable, to say the least. She was loud, her hair was an unnatural-looking blonde, and she wore entirely too much makeup and too few clothes. She was also unmistakably with child.

“Ah, Mrs. Trellain!” Julian exclaimed when the woman came downstairs to see what the commotion was about. “Allow me to introduce to you my beloved fiancee, Serenade duBois.” He made a bow toward the badly-coiffed young lady, holding one hand and kissing it. “She is to be the mother of my children.”

“Mr. Julian, I do believe you are drunk!” Mrs. Trellain had stopped on the bottom step and was refusing to come any further.

“Drunk, you say? Ha, very likely! You see, my devoted brother has made sure over the years that I was tightly reined in, that I could never have anything as nice as he did. So I found myself something nicer! Beautiful, isn’t she?” He gestured toward the bulging girl again.

“Really! Well, this is your brother’s house and he has allowed you to live in it, so I fail to see why you would even bother to tell me…anything about this.”

“Allowed me, yes. How kind. Serenade, my dear, would you like to see my room - our room?”

Giselle, having also heard the young woman’s vociferous, strident tones, was standing at the top of the stairs during this exchange, totally shocked by what she was hearing. Julian may have been forward and perhaps too bold, but he’d never displayed such a horrifying lack of decorum before. She’d also never witnessed him in a state of drunkenness. Why was he being like this? She couldn’t see this Serenade duBois from where she stood listening, but curiosity finally won out and she took a few tentative steps down and peered over the bannister.

Julian, who may have heard her movements, chose that moment to look up. His expression changed to one of deep anger, but it wasn’t clear if this emotion was aimed at Giselle or his situation. “Ah, and here is the lovely Giselle Moreaux, our charming Governess and love of my life!”

Serenade bashed him on the arm with her reticule after favoring Giselle with a furious glare. “I though I was the love of your life, Julian!” she whined. “I mean, I’m carrying your child, after all.”

“So you are, my dear, so you are. But look at her. Is Miss Moreaux not the most magnificent specimen of womanhood you’ve ever seen? God, I would love to get her in your condition!” He winked stupidly at Serenade and patted her tummy lightly.

That was simply too much. Giselle gave a small cry of mortification and disgust, and quickly went back up the steps and down the hallway to her room. How dare he say such horrid things! Such…inappropriate things! Just before shutting her door, she heard Mrs. Trellain telling Julian he’d gone too far this time.

Was this what Giles had been trying to warn her about? She decided she’d stay in her room until either he returned from dropping off the boys, or Julian and his consort had gone. She was devastated and had no wish to ever see Julian again. That realization caused her to acknowledge that she had been entertaining the thought of being with him after all. That she had, despite all her denials, found him not only attractive, but someone with whom she could easily fall in love.

She sat at the desk in front of the window, looking out but seeing nothing, her heart aching with a feeling she hadn’t allowed herself to accept until now. How could she have been so foolish? Maybe the best thing to do would be to leave. After all, the children would be away for at least two or three weeks, which would give Giles plenty of times to find another governess. And that way, she wouldn’t have to see them….no, the fact was, she absolutely adored those children, loved them almost as if they were her own – except for Granville, who felt more like a little brother than a child. To simply leave was out of the question; that was the coward’s way, and those four deserved better than that from her.

A knock jolted her and she spun around in her chair. “Who is it?”

“Only me,” said Mrs. Trellain. “May I come in, dear?”

Giselle rushed to the door and pulled it open. “Oh, please do,” she cried, stepping back. “I’m afraid this incident has left me in quite a state.”

“You poor dear! I am so sorry you had to witness that display of – of – ”

“Please – it’s all right now. Let’s sit and perhaps you’ll tell me all the things no one would say until now about Julian.” She gestured toward the two comfortable chairs by the small hearth at the other end of the room. “After this, I don’t believe it matters any more.”

Thus Giselle learned of Julian Lanford’s wastrel existence, his devil-may- care attitude toward life, responsibility, family, and everything in between. Apparently, he’d always been a rather flamboyant youngster, but when he learned that his older brother was to be the sole recipient of the family estate, he’d become despondent at first, then rebellious, finally embarking upon a lifestyle that appeared to be blatantly self-destructive.

By the end of the narrative, Giselle found herself feeling terrible for Julian, wondering if perhaps his father had been too dismissive of the younger Lanford. Was it possible that had Julian been more acceptable in his sire’s eyes, he might have become closer in temperament to his older brother? Ah, but no one would ever know, and her heart went out to him.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Giselle was wakened by the sound of voices. Her sleep had been disturbed before by quiet arguing downstairs, but she’d always ignored it, figuring it to be none of her business, and certainly not her place to eavesdrop. But the tone of this argument was different somehow, and after sitting up in bed and straining to hear for several minutes, she realized Giles must have come home, for she recognized one of the voices as his.

Not knowing why she did so, Giselle threw back the covers, pulled on her night shawl, tucked her feet into her bed slippers, and went out into the hall. The voices were slightly louder here, but still unintelligible. As if drawn by an invisible force, she eased down the steps and went silently to the door of the study, leaning close to the door to hear better.

“…leave her alone! She’s nothing like that floozy you claim to be carrying your child and I will not allow you to destroy her innocence!”

“Oh, you would say that, you horrible cretin! You know I could have her any time I want her. She’d be clay in my hands, by God! Problem is, big brother, you want her for yourself!”

Silence followed this outburst, but then Gile’s voice, an intense, hoarse whisper, responded, “How dare you! I have nothing but respect for her and –"

“Respect? Is that what you call it? I see how you look at her, how your eyes follow every little movement! My God, man, Christiana is barely cold in her grave and you go and hire…Put that gun down, Giles. You look stupid. You know you could never shoot me.”

Giselle backed away from the door, horrified.

“You? Why, you self-centered young thug! This is for me, Julian! If I have to live with the thought of you violating that beautiful girl, I’ll go mad! And do not ever, ever mention my deceased wife’s name again!”

Julian began to chuckle, the sound penetrating the thick door with its deep resonance. “Oh, how rich! My beloved brother’s sense of honor won’t let him touch the lovely little orphan, but he’ll try and make me too guilty to do anything with her, either. Is that what you’re playing at, Giles? Well know this – if I can’t have her, neither will you!”

“And what kind of threat is that, little brother? No, I think you have it backwards. You’re the one who will never have her; I can see to that, believe me! Now gather your things, including that pile of trash you claim to be the mother of your child, and get out of my house! Tonight! I want you gone before dawn!”

Giselle heard movement on the other side of the door that indicated someone would soon be coming out, and she dashed up the stairs, her heart pounding crazily. This was absolutely the worst night of her life, and she had no idea what to do. Should she waken Mrs. Trellain? Or perhaps run down to the stables and ride into town to fetch a constable! No, no…

The study door slammed, and a moment later she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She flew down the hall to her door, went in, and eased it shut right as someone – Julian, she was sure – stomped furiously past her room. He and Serenade were sharing a bedroom in the adjacent hallway, and she could hear him go in, slamming that door behind him.

Somewhat dazed, she went to the window and sat on the wide, cushioned sill, leaning her head against the cool glass. So both Lanford brothers “wanted” her. What, exactly, did that mean? Was it pure desire or was there something more? This had never been an issue in her life and she abolutely did not know what to think or how to deal with it. It was flattering, to be sure, but was any of it right?

Ah, Julian. How infuriating he could be, but he was so charming, too. With a little coaxing and a lot of love, he might become something better. But no, that certainly wasn’t her job in life, was it? Besides, he had that woman – Serenade duBois, of all the names! Yet he had clearly professed his desire, not