Disclaimer: I do not own Trixie or the Bob-Whites. No profit is being made from their use.
Chapter Eleven
Girl's Turn
Beatrix sat forlornly in the sitting room that was connected to her bedroom. Madeline and Diana had failed in their many attempts to cheer her up. Now the three girls sat quietly contemplating her fate. Restlessly, Beatrix jumped from her seat to stare out the window down into the garden below.
"Goodness," Beatrix exclaimed as she rubbed her shoulders, "I'm going crazy just sitting here. I wish I had insisted on doing something myself."
"I understand," Madeline sympathized, walking to stand beside her. Giving Beatrix a hug, she added, "Just have faith in your brothers. They won't allow anything to stop them if at all possible."
"That's right," Diana agreed as she jumped up to join them. "None of us will."
"Thank you," Beatrix smiled at them. She glanced back out at the garden and sighed. "I guess another day is gone. It will probably be easier when I know my future for certain, regardless of the outcome."
Neither Madeline nor Diana could speak. There was no answer that could encompass their feelings. They turned gratefully when they heard a knock on the door.
Beatrix answered the door to find her mother on the other side. "Come in, Mama," she smiled. "I feel like I haven't talked to you at all since you arrived in London."
"You have been busy," Lady Belden smiled back and hugged her daughter. She looked uncertainly at Beatrix.
"What's wrong?" Beatrix asked nervously.
"I've received a message from your father," Lady Belden informed her.
The tender look in her mother's eyes was shadowed with pain. Beatrix took a huge breath before asking, "Is it good news?"
"We are to leave London tomorrow," Lady Belden explained amid the gasps of all three girls. "Lord Lytell is anxious for the marriage vows."
"But Father said we could stay until July," Beatrix said frantically.
"Lord Lytell is displeased with the attention you have been receiving," Lady Belden said regretfully. "It is at his insistence."
Beatrix bit the back of her hand to keep from screaming in frustration. "Please, Mama, just one more day," she begged. "I would like to make my farewells."
"I will see," Lady Belden said gently. "Perhaps I can delay the packing until tomorrow."
Beatrix grasped her mother's hands. "Please," she said urgently, "I won't ask anything else."
"Very well," her mother nodded in agreement, "but we must leave at dawn the next day."
"Thank you," Beatrix sighed with relief as Lady Belden exited the room.
"Oh, Beatrix." Madeline's eyes filled with tears as she spoke.
"He saw me with James," Beatrix said bitterly, the tears threatening her own eyes. "He will be angry."
"Beatrix, please," Madeline pleaded, "let me tell my father. You don't have to do this."
"And have your fiancé go to prison?" Beatrix objected. "What kind of sister would I be then?"
"Your brothers would gladly die for you," Diana told her.
"And I for them," Beatrix said vehemently. Squaring her shoulders, she said in a firm voice, "We need to dress for supper. What's done is done. There's no point in dwelling on the impossible."
Beatrix refused to discuss the topic with her friends for the rest of the evening. However, in her room later that night, her thoughts were consumed by horrifying images plaguing her mind.
"Enough," she shouted to the empty room in exasperation. Throwing back her covers, she walked to the window and laid her head against the cool pane. Something, she moaned inwardly, there's got to be something I can do.
Jane tiptoed quietly through the Wheeler's garden, bypassing the terrace. Dressed in clothes she had borrowed from the theater's costume room, she could pass as a young boy. She had to be extremely cautious. If she were found, she would be mistaken for a thief and hauled to prison without anyone realizing their error. Luckily, she knew where Beatrix slept. Now if only she could awaken her.
Beatrix had her eyes closed in thought as she leaned against the window pane. At first, she ignored the rap against the glass until it became persistent. Her eyes grew big when she saw a young boy trying to get her attention. She hesitated for only a minute. Unable to squelch her curiosity, she quickly dressed and sneaked down the back stairway. When she arrived in the garden, the young boy removed his cap to reveal his identity.
"Jane," Beatrix whispered in shock, "what are you doing here?"
"Oh, Beatrix," Jane murmured and motioned for Beatrix to come closer. "It's Lord Lytell. He's insisting that I leave with you. He's given me until tomorrow to make my decision."
"Just tell him no," Beatrix said firmly. "He can't make you."
"That's just it," Jane cried. "He's threatening to ruin me if I stay. He'll stop my stage debut before I ever have a chance to prove myself."
"I'm leaving tomorrow, maybe the day after," Beatrix explained. "Lord Lytell has to return to marry me. Stay hidden away until he's gone."
"Daniel, I mean, Lord Mangan, has told me about how he forced you father into agreeing to the marriage," Jane informed her.
Beatrix shivered in the cool night air. "He won't touch you once he is at his home."
"That's why I'm here," Jane said. "I know where he keeps the voucher."
"You do?" Beatrix asked incredulously.
"I saw it in his inside coat pocket," Jane told her. "He removed his coat in my dressing room and it almost fell out."
"Are you sure?" Beatrix asked doubtfully, yet she couldn't suppress the hopeful tone creeping into her voice.
"Lord Mangan had just told me about the voucher," Jane explained. "I know what they look like. My father had to redeem several of them before he was ruined."
"We need to get that voucher tonight," Beatrix said as she fought the urge to curse. "We need a plan, a quick one, at that."
"I have one," Jane admitted, "if you want to try it."
"What do I have to lose?" she asked wryly. "Let's hear it."
Jane pulled out a small bag from beneath her coat. "First, put these on," she said. "If we look like boys, we will be less likely to draw attention to ourselves."
Beatrix grinned at her friend. She quickly tossed off her dress and shucked into the clothes that Jane had brought her. "My brothers would die if they saw me now," she giggled as she examined herself by the light of the moon. "I haven't dressed like this since I was a little girl. My brothers disapproved even then." Becoming serious, she asked, "Now what?"
"I know where Lord Lytell lives," Jane stated. "Lord Mangan told me how he and your brother broke in to his residence. We can do it, but Lord Lytell will have to be home."
The two girls exchanged wary glances. If they were caught, Lord Lytell would not be very forgiving. He could have them both thrown in jail, and call in the voucher on Brian. Beatrix and Jane nodded in silent agreement. The risk had to be taken.
Lord James Frayne sat solemnly in his library, listening to Brian and Martin discuss the turn of events. The brandy he swirled in his glass glowed uselessly back at him. With remarkable control, he prevented the glass from shattering against the wall as he waited until the Belden brothers ended their tale.
"How is Beatrix?" James asked, his first thought on her well-being.
"It was late by the time we got Father's message," Brian told him. "We plan on seeing her first thing in the morning before she leaves."
James nodded silently, unable to speak for the pain in his chest.
"She'll go," Martin sighed. "I've tried everything to convince her otherwise."
"I'll be there," James said quietly. "I…" he hesitated, unable to voice his thoughts.
"I understand," Brian interrupted. "She'll be grateful you came."
"Will she?" James asked bitterly.
James continued to stare into his glass long after the Belden brothers had left. Sighing, he thought of Beatrix and the way things should have been. The way things were going to be. He tried to be practical as he thought about his future. His second choice for his bride was everything that a duchess should be. Cassandra Meadows was beautiful, witty, charming, and gracious. Damn it, she was likeable. Any man would be blessed to have her for his wife. He had no doubt that they could have a decent marriage. He would be faithful. He just wouldn't love her. He felt guilty even though he realized that Cassandra probably would never love him either. He felt guilty because he couldn't save Beatrix. It felt wrong. He felt hopeless. The glass shattered against the wall.
With shaky knees, Jane and Beatrix crept quietly through the back of door of Lord Lytell's London home. Armed with a small pick, Jane had easily opened the door.
"How did you learn how to do that?" Beatrix asked in awe.
"Easy," Jane grinned, "one of the prop boys showed me how."
"I don't think it was so easy for Dan and Martin," Beatrix almost laughed. She would have if the situation wasn't so terrifying.
Putting her finger against her lips, Jane beckoned for Beatrix to follow her. As the floor creaked beneath them, both girls held their breath and stood motionless. "The servant stairway," Jane whispered. "We can hide there if necessary."
Just off the kitchen the stair way was easy to locate. More relaxed now that they were hidden away, both girls took in deep breaths to calm their nerves.
"Where do you think Lord Lytell's coat would be?" Beatrix asked as she sank down to sit on one of the steps.
"It's either in the front entrance or in his dressing room," Jane guessed.
"Perhaps the footman is away for the night," Beatrix said hopefully.
"Only one of us should go," Jane decided. "That way if we get caught, the other one can continue the search."
"I'll go," Beatrix insisted. "Lord Lytell will be unlikely to throw me in jail. He won't be pleased with my actions, but he will be happy that he was able to stop me."
"Be careful," Jane nodded fearfully.
With a small reassuring grin, Beatrix slipped back into the kitchen. Taking a deep, calming breath, she stole quietly toward the front of the house. The chair where the footman usually sat stood alone in the dark entryway. She sighed inwardly with welcoming relief. Now, if only the small room just off the front entrance was unlocked. Carefully, she edged along the wall preparing to flee if necessary as she trained her eyes on the door. Glancing quickly and making sure she was alone, she stealthily opened the door and stepped inside.
It was a cramp fit even for someone as small as she. The aroma of the dusty room filled her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose in an effort to stem back the sneeze threatening to break the silence. With a determined effort, she held back the dreaded sneeze and began searching blindly in the dark for Lord Lytell's outerwear. Even in the darkness, the contents of the dark room were evident. No coat. Shoes, small items of furniture, an occasional piece of artwork…nothing that would remotely resemble an article of clothing. Gritting her teeth, Beatrix began to push silently on the door when a noise outside alerted her. The footman had returned. Trapped in the small room, she began to pray feverishly for Jane to escape.
Peering through a small crack, Beatrix could see the footman leaning back, his lantern hung above him. In the darkness she might have a chance, but the glow cast by the flickering flames would reveal her position immediately. Afraid to move, afraid to breathe, she stood frozen as she fought the panic rising in her throat. A noise from the kitchen gave her a start, causing her to jump slightly. The footman rose from his slumped posture and stared toward the kitchen. Frowning, he stood and went in search of the cause of the commotion.
Seeing her chance, Beatrix slipped from the closet into the nearest room. She held her breath until the footman returned to take his post by the door. Only then did she look around the room. It was a small parlor, probably used to entertain callers although she doubted Lord Lytell received very many visitors. The room, although clean, was cluttered. Perhaps, he used it as his study.
Intrigued, Beatrix began to examine the small items placed haphazardly throughout the room. The desk in the far corner seemed to beckon her. Dodging the furniture, she stepped tentatively forward. It would pass the time while she waited for the doorman to doze off. Grateful for the light of the moon shining through the window, she began to search Lord Lytell's desk. Not certain of why or what she was looking for, she paused to look closely at each item. A small piece of round metal gleamed in her hand. A seal. Could this be Brian's seal or did it belong to Lord Lytell? Beatrix was unsure. Pocketing her small discovery in her trousers, she continued to look for more. She was so engrossed in her search that she didn't hear Jane approach.
"Beatrix," Jane whispered as she laid a hand upon Beatrix's shoulder.
"Ooh," Beatrix jumped back, "you scared me."
Jane placed a finger against her lips. "Shh," she cautioned, "don't wake the footman."
"How did you get in here?" Beatrix asked in a low voice.
"There's another door at the opposite end of the room," Jane explained. "I saw you slip in here when I distracted the footman."
"Jane, you are a genius," Beatrix smiled. "Now we can get out of here."
"Not yet," Jane reminded her. "We still have to check upstairs."
Beatrix nodded in agreement. "It shouldn't be too hard. Lord Mangan and Martin said the hallways upstairs were deserted."
"We still have to be quiet," Jane said. "If Lord Lytell were to hear us…"
She didn't finish. Both girls knew that was something that could never happen.
