CHAPTER EIGHT: A Little Truth from Everyone (Part One)

For the next succeeding days, Elinor could not coax Marianne out of Mrs. Jennings' apartment despite bribing her with her usual favorites – fancy brunches, touring museums or attending concerts. Luckily, Lucy was spending more and more time with Robert Ferrars and Elinor had one less person to worry about.

"Do you think we should get Marianne something to eat?" asked Mrs. Jennings as they made their way through one of the London parks. They were both enjoying a leisurely afternoon stroll after a heavy lunch and decided to enjoy the sights of a nearby park.

"I'm not sure if she would be up to eat anything, really." Replied Elinor, eyeing the fish and chips stand that stood across them.

"If it makes you feel any better Elinor, he had us all fooled." Said Mrs. Jennings casually, shelling out the quid for an order of the fish and chips to go.

"It does actually. I just hope it makes Marianne feel better." Responded Elinor, not knowing if she meant the food or Mrs. Jennings' admission.


"She didn't know he was married?" exclaimed Robert with a mouthful of pie.

They were having a very lunch at one of the new places in London that Robert was featuring in his blog. They were each enjoying the complementary slice of pie given to them by the owner of the store when Robert broached about what happened back in the restaurant the other night.

"Shhhhh. Everyone will hear you." Hushed Lucy "But, yes. Apparently, they were together for months. The doctor will go to Barton Park, spend the weekend with Marianne and go back to his family in London on the weekdays."

"And she never knew?" asked Robert as he munched on the remaining crusts of the pie.

"It seems no one from Barton Park did." Replied Lucy, rolling her eyes while helping herself to a mouthful of her pie.


"Marianne, we brought you dinner!" bellowed Elinor as she entered the studio apartment, the bag of fish and chips on hand.

Mrs. Jennings and Elinor finished their afternoon stroll around the park without rain. At exactly 3 pm, Mrs. Jennings got a call from an old friend asking if she was available for tea and thus, Elinor was free to go home and see if Marianne was available.

"He emailed." Said Marianne softly while she was sitting on the couch.

"Who? Jonathan?" asked Elinor as she sat beside Marianne who handed her the laptop so she can read the email.

Once Elinor read the email, she gasped: "That fucking bastard!"

In the missive, Jonathan detailed out that he was married and that he was sorry if his friendship towards Marianne and her family made her thing that there was "more" to their acquaintance. He hoped that the email would sort it out and his wife extends her apologies for not being more cordial the other night.

"Marianne, are you all right? Talk to me?" pleaded Elinor

"What is there to talk about, Eli, eh? Apparently, I was going out with a married man." Marianne said while starring morosely at the muted television in front of them.

"There is something to talk about here, Mari! Everyone knew that he was really more of a friend! He took you out, introduced himself with you and both of you were out and about here in London! Did you not stay at his place while you went out here?" cried Elinor

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" interrogated Elinor

"No. He never introduced himself as my boyfriend and I never did so. No, we never spent a night in his house. He always booked us somewhere - either a hotel or a getaway, but never his place. It was my own fault!" Explained Marianne, tears now flowing gently from her eyes to her cheeks.

"It's not your fault, Mari! Never your fault! He made us all believe that you were together and that he-" expounded Elinor but not able to continue her thoughts.

"Believe what, Elinor? Believed that he loved me? From where I'm looking at it, I didn't see it because I didn't want to." Sobbed Marianne, as she continued to cry.


The days progressed with Marianne barely going out of Mrs. Jennings' apartment and with the owner of the flat herself otherwise engaged visiting old friends, Elinor found herself alone, expecting it to be for most of their remaining time in London. Thus, she was surprised one day when she bumped into Christopher Brandon while having a cup of coffee in one of the neighborhood cafes.

"Elinor! Fancy seeing you here at my coffee break. Do you mind some company?" he approached warmly with his own cup of coffee and a briefcase in hand.

Observing him, she saw that he was in his usual weekday attire – an impeccable three piece gray suit with matching wingtip shoes. However, she noticed that he looked more tired than usual. His hair was a bit longer and he had a bit of a beard growing. In addition, his countenance was a bit more solemn than she remembered.

"Of course! Please have a seat. It's been a long time, Christopher. How have you been?" She replied warmly.

"Honestly, I could be better. You?" he asked in return. He then took a long sip of his coffee and sighed.

"I share the same sentiments." She answered while lifting her espresso cup as if she was saying 'cheers' and consuming its contents it as if it was a shot of vodka.

He smiled wryly and said: "I will not pretend that I'm unaware of what's been happening. A colleague of mine was in an upscale London restaurant the other night and talked about what happened in our breakroom. The event was confirmed when I happened upon Mrs. Jennings having tea with a friend yesterday. How is Marianne?"

Elinor sighed and admitted: "Inconsolable. She's trying to rationalize Jonathan's actions, putting blame to herself."

They both shared a moment of silence, Elinor looking at the dark clouds that threatened the skies and Christopher taking another sip of his coffee. After a few minutes, he then said:

"Perhaps I can shed light to a few things."

Elinor focused her attention once again to him and gave a nod in response. He then sighed and whispered:

"Do you remember that night you and Marianne found me at Mrs. Allen's home?"

"Yes. Jonathan just broke up with Marianne that same day. I found out from my mother that he passed by Barton Park and talked to Marianne briefly. Apparently, he left as fast as he could." Expounded Elinor.

"Well, you see… No. I think it would be best if I start with a bit of history." He explained, scratching his scruff thoughtfully.

"What do you mean history?"

"Family history. I am not sure you are aware of my background, Elinor. Maybe Mrs. Jennings have shared it in passing?"

Elinor nodded and said: "She might have shared a bit about your parents and your brother."

"Ah. Yes, my brother." He sighed and explained:

"You see, prior to me taking on the reins in Delaford Bank, my brother, Charles, was poised to succeed my father and he often used it to his advantage. They were so alike in many ways and shared a taste for alcohol, fast cars, flying their own jets and pursuing women. I, on the other hand, was quite intent in pursuing art and was studying under an art tutor when I met Eliza Williams, a model who posed nude for me. We became good friends and started dating. When I thought we were getting to the point of being serious, I took her to several family events and she met Charles in one of them. They talked, got along well and I thought nothing about it. Months later, I came home for the holidays, and I found her and Charles in bed together. It seems that they were seeing each other behind my back."

Elinor, shocked of his revelation, numbly nodded at him to continue.

"Years later, my parents had a divorce – you know how it was then, it was a different time – and it was a bit of a scandal. My mother had left us and followed her paramour to Tuscany. My father filed for divorce. Lawyers were called in and a settlement ensued and a hefty size was deducted to what was left to our dwindling fortune. Despite the change in our circumstances, for years my father and brother continued on with the lifestyle they were accustomed. This drained out most of what was left with our trust. To add insult to injury, Charles found out that he was to be a father with his on again off again girlfriend."

"With Eliza Williams!?" gasped Elinor

Christopher nodded in response and continued:

"The night that my father and my brother died, they chartered a plane to go to a business meeting in Edinburgh for a make it or break it deal with another bank. It was supposed to be a simple one-hour flight and they decided to fly the jet together. My father was flying and my brother was to co-pilot with him. The black box would later reveal that Charles revealed Eliza's pregnancy and my father suffered a heart attack with the surprise."

They shared another moment of silence. This time, both of them stared at the afternoon downpour, causing the passerby in the street to open their umbrellas. Minutes later, Elinor curiously asked:

"What happened to Eliza? The baby?"

"Eliza was informed of Charles' death and was devastated. The stress made her give birth prematurely and she died of complications. I stayed with her until the very end and was asked by her family to be the god-father of the baby. She was named Beth." Christopher continued.

"Beth Brandon?" asked Elinor, trying to remember if the name was familiar to her in anyway

"No, Beth Williams. Eliza's family and I have agreed that it would be best if she would not be too associated with the Brandon name." He corrected

"What do you mean? I don't see anything wrong with your name. I would think it would help Beth in a way." She said

"Given how her father, mother and grandfather died, we did not want her to think that news of her impending birth was the cause of her deaths. Thus, for the past years, I made sure that the black box was to never be revealed for Beth's sake. I took it upon myself to keep a low profile as much as possible to avoid any attention to my family's affairs hoping that Beth would never find out. Thus, I was known to her as her ever so generous god-father who funded her education." He explained, resting his arms on the table.

"What does this have to do with Jonathan, Christopher?" questioned Elinor, copying his body movement and resting her arms on the table, slightly leaning towards him.

"Beth was preparing for Uni a few months ago when she saw a copy of her birth certificate which still named Charles as her father. It only took a quick search in the archives for her to connect the dots and was furious to have been kept in the dark for so long. She left a note to me and the Williams' and ran away."

"Where did she go?" a spark of panic in her voice. However, Christopher continued calmly and explained:

"We did not know at first. She closed all her social media accounts and all of her friends had no idea where she could have went. We searched for months and even called the police, but the note explicitly said that she did not want to be found. Finally, I called in a favor from an old army buddy of mine and hired him to track her whereabouts. Finally, days prior to John Middleton's second garden party, I was informed that she was in Bangkok – working for minimum wage to support herself because she was left pregnant and penniless by a London-based doctor she met while backpacking."

"Was it… Jonathan?" she asked, feeling a bit lightheaded as she remembered the doctor sharing he went backpacking in Asia months ago.

Brandon merely looked at her and nodded solemnly, the heaviness of the situation reflected on his eyes. He then expounded:

"The moment I found out it was the same Dr. Willoughby that frequented Barton Park, I immediately called John Middleton and asked if he was with Mrs. Allen. Dr. Willoughby must have been informed by his aunt that I was on my way regarding Beth. Hence, he decided to break up with Marianne and immediately rushed back to London to avoid me."

"Thus, we saw each other at Mrs. Allen's door with no Jonathan in sight." Concluded Elinor, her energy drained from the information shared with her. She quickly changed topic and asked:

"How is Beth?"

"I brought her home and she moved back with her grandparents. We have shared with her the whole story as to why we have kept everything from her. She has taken it very well, better than Eliza ever did. She will be giving birth in a month or so. A baby boy." He said with a small tired smile while showing her a picture of a sonogram in his phone. He then drank the remaining contents of his cup and stood to leave with his things. Turning to a still silent and pale Elinor, he remarked:

"I do believe we all carry things with us, Elinor. 'Baggage' as some would say. I've shared mine in the hopes that someday, Marianne's would be lighter and not for anything else. Moreover, my conscience will not let me leave this café without telling you that Mrs. Allen has informed me that Dr. Willoughby was in fact, estranged from his wife until a few days ago. I believe he had every intention to file for divorce and propose to Marianne until Mrs. Allen learned of Beth and decided to invalidate his trust. Apparently, our doctor was accustomed to certain spending habits and had a big debt to settle. Hence, he was then forced to patch things with his wife who had all the money."

Elinor could only nod in response and as Christopher continued to walk away, she saw the gravity of the weight that pulled him down.

That night, Elinor made use of Mrs. Jennings' absence to inform Marianne of the tale of one Beth Williams, and her connection to their friend, to which the younger of the two responded:

"When they say that the truth will set you free, I wonder if they ever thought of the remedy for the pain it accompanied."