The Spells of Paradise

Chapter 38: The Truth Never Sleeps

Chapter 38: The Truth Never Sleeps

While her mother slept, Lydia dug through her things, sifting through every paper she could find, every note. She didn't know what she was looking for, but finding answers was a good start. Lydia didn't like to think she was a trifling woman, but she disliked be lied to. She was good at detecting lies, and such a talent meant that one realized just how much they were being lied to and who was doing it.

Lydia snagged a pile of old papers from her mother's chest and sat down on the edge of the bed to sift through them. They were condolence letters, for the most part, for the death of her father. Some of them were from family members that Lydia had never heard of before. One was a particularly long letter from Aunt Anne in Brighton which Lydia didn't bother to read.

Basically, nothing that had anything to do with whatever it was that had upset Lucy in Lanfore. There was no letter written to Arthur Denning from her mother in the pile, so did Lydia have to submit to the fact that such a letter didn't exist? But then why would Beatrice lie about that? Of all the things to lie about, why that? No, Lydia knew there was a letter; she just had to find it, or get the answers from somewhere else. There had to be something, a keepsake of sorts that her mother kept.

"Blast!" Lydia threw the papers down in frustration after an hour of searching in vain.

If this helps find Lucy, then why is my mother hiding it?

Lucy had been disturbed before finding out about the letter. Something happened at that ball.

Lydia thought about it for a moment. The ball had been at Dawn-Bridge, so perhaps she ran into someone, like an old friend, and they had had a falling out? Lydia remembered Lucy expressing to her before leaving that she had no intentions of accepting marriage proposals any time soon. Lydia had warned her that James would possibly try, and she told her that she would refuse.

Lydia ran a hand over her face and shook her head. There was nothing to find here. If there was anything connecting her mother to Arthur Denning, it was hidden well, or long gone.

So instead, Lydia left her mother's room disheveled, knowing that her mother would know that she had been the one to leave it in such a state.

Then, Lydia would force the answers out of her in any way possible.

XXX

Lanfore, Hertfordshire

Late in the hour, Sebastian Lucas stood impatiently, waiting for Bertha Denning to arrive to their meeting spot. She was late, which was not unusual. As a maid, she did not have the luxury of leaving at convenient times from her place of work, but this time she was later than usual. What could be keeping her?

Tapping his foot, Sebastian started pacing, folding his hands behind his back as he did. His thoughts ran a mile a minute; with everything he had gotten himself into with James. His engagement to Elizabeth Donaldson was inevitable, but now he had to deal with the Magistrate, which was easier said than done. The man was like a pestilence, at best. A part of Sebastian wished he had never gotten involved with him. All of this for what? A good and decent wife? Sebastian wondered if it was even worth it anymore.

"Ah, there you are."

Sebastian stiffened and skidded to a halt. He turned and saw Bertha standing there, hands folded in front of her. "About bloody time, I wasn't about to wait here all day!"

"For me you would have," Bertha replied swiftly. "You want to know what the Magistrate is up to, right?"

"I have other matters to attend to, I do not exist solely to spy on your employer."