of notes. Henry was certainly a gentleman who knew how to play to a woman's heartstrings. The sweet gestures, his appreciation of her gowns at balls, and how her cousin comported herself within society would make anyone think that an offer of marriage would be forthcoming.
"A maid had packed it away with some of Laura's things upon her passing. The trunk was forgotten in the attic. On a whim, I decided to look through her old things, reminisce I suppose. See if I could still smell her." Tears welled in her aunt's eyes, and she dabbed at her face with her hand. "It was sitting atop of all her gowns and shawls. I was so lost in my grief when we were in London. I did not think of her things that were left to pack away at our country house. The staff took the initiative and did that for us, and I never sought to check on that myself. I wish I had, for had I done so, these many weeks you've been living estranged from His Grace would not have happened."
Molly reached out, clasping her aunt's hand. "What I do not understand is why Laura did not name her lover. The man who ruined her. Why protect the late duke when he'd treated her so poorly?"
"This letter may explain that, my dear." Her aunt handed her a missive that she carried on her person.
Molly unfolded the note, discolored by time. She gasped, unable to accept what she was reading. "He promised her that although he could not marry her, he would take care of her after the birth of their child. Send her away to one of his country estates and gift her a house on his land, including a maid and cook. Do you think he would have done this, Aunt?"
"I do not know, but if you read farther, he states that should she tell anyone of their affair, name him as the father of her child and not Hugh, he would leave her to rot."
"Sounds like Henry," Sarah said, her mouth pinched in a displeased line.
Molly looked back at her aunt. "So how did it come about that Hugh was cited as the villain?"
"That, my dear, is your uncle's cross to bear. We knew someone had meddled with our Laura. After all, she was pregnant, terribly discouraged and lonely, leading up to the birth of her son. We had not been blind in society, we had seen Laura about the St. Albans brothers, but then one evening, your uncle remembered seeing the then Lord Hugh Farley talking to Laura, and he believed what the duchess was saying.
“By the time this occurred, Lord Farley was already bundled into a carriage and headed for the continent. Spain supposedly, but that was what society was tittering. They refused to help Laura, the duchess would not allow either of her sons to marry a woman whose inheritance came from trade. That was not good enough for the St. Albans."
Molly placed the missive in with the rest of the letters and closed the parcel, placing it on the small table before them. "I know what that conversation had been about. Hugh told me himself. He told Laura to keep away from Henry. Tried to warn her of his brother’s fickleness, his using nature when it came to women. I'm ashamed I did not believe Hugh any more than Laura had."
"You can, however, my dear, repair the damage the late duke and his mother have caused. You can mend the rift between you and His Grace. My Laura did not have the chance to fix her mistake, but you do. I suggest you return to town post-haste."
"You're right," Molly said, standing and striding toward the door. She wrenched it open, yelling for Thomas the butler.
The butler appeared from somewhere behind the stairs, bowing. "Your Grace?"
"I'll be leaving today for London. Have my maid pack my things and prepare a carriage. We need to leave within the hour."
The old household retainer started at her demand, before bowing and moving off to do her bidding. She turned, facing her aunt and sister-in-law. "Thank you, Aunt Jossalin for bringing me this news. I know it could not have been easy."
"Laura loved you like a sister, and would not want you to suffer because of her love for the duke's brother. Had she been of the right mind and known that your husband had been deemed the gentleman responsible for her downfall, she would not have