How Long Can You Resist Ch. 06

Standing and wiping her tears on the sleeve of her gown, she walked up the stairs and knocked on Theodore's door. "Come in," Mrs. Winshaw's voice called out weakly.

Intense guilt swept over Elizabeth when she saw how small Teddy looked, lying unconscious in his bed with his arm in a sling. Their mother was sitting beside him on a short wooden stool, stroking his hair and looking at Elizabeth worriedly.

"I am so sorry for what happened to him, Mama," Elizabeth said faintly, afraid to have her mother lash out at her. She had already withstood her father's anger; she didn't know if she could take another blow.

"Why did you let him go off alone, Lizzie?" Mrs. Winshaw asked softly, her eyes searching her daughter's.

"It was stupid of me, Mama," Elizabeth said, looking at her feet as her face heated with shame. Wiping angrily at the tears that stung her eyelids, she continued, "I allowed Mr. St. Claire to convince me it was alright, and..." Not able to continue, she simply met her mother's gaze and stood in the doorway.

Mrs. Winshaw stood and walked quickly toward Elizabeth, enveloping her in her arms and hugging her tightly. "Yes, it was stupid, dear girl," she admonished, holding Elizabeth at arm's length. "Your father and I were worried sick when you two didn't return!"

Elizabeth nodded, her voice failing her.

"Your father went out to look for you," Mrs. Winshaw went on. "He came upon the accident." Her voice cracked, her emotion evident in her tone. "We thought you had both... been killed."

Elizabeth nodded again, angry at herself for causing so much pain to her family. "I do not know what to say, Mama," she croaked.

"When he didn't find you, we thought you had been kidnapped, or had disappeared," Mrs. Winshaw whispered, pulling Elizabeth close to her once again. "I am just so thankful you are both safe now."

Elizabeth clung to her mother, crying into her comforting shoulder. "I will make things right again, Mama," she swore, sniffling.

And I will start by forgetting Gerard St. Claire, she promised herself silently.

*

"Gerard?"

Henry stuck his head into the dim hallway, having heard a noise. "Is that you, young master?"

Gerard removed his coat and hung it in the closet. "Yes, Henry," he replied, raising his head to look at the butler. "Where is Mother?"

Henry was startled by the look of immense sadness in his master's eyes. He hadn't seen such sadness since the death of the elder Mr. St. Claire.

"She is upstairs," he said. "Shall I call her down for you, sir?"

Gerard shook his head. "No, Henry, thank you," he said, turning and starting up the steep stairs.

During the climb, Gerard tried to gather his thoughts. It was as though a vise was clamped around his insides; Elizabeth's dismissal echoed in his head as the image of her distraught face seared his brain. His hand gripped the railing as he pushed his ebony hair out of his face. Every muscle in his body was tensed. He made up his mind what he was going to say to his mother.

Knocking on her door, he didn't bother to wait for a response before he opened it. "Gerard!" Mrs. St. Claire said, startled. She was sitting at the writing desk, the pen poised above a piece of paper. "Where have you been, young man?"

"You are right, Mother," Gerard said abruptly, not in the mood to listen to one of her lectures. "It is time to return to London."

Mrs. St. Claire's eyebrows rose, indicating her surprise at his sudden change of mind. "What about... that girl?" she asked, watching her son closely.

"It has become evident to me that she and I were not meant for each other," Gerard replied stoically, not wanting to show the agony he felt as he heard the words exit his mouth.

His mother didn't miss the struggle in his eyes; she knew he was not telling her the entire truth. She chose not to pry. "Alright, son," she said, turning back to her letter. "We can leave tomorrow, if you would like."

Gerard turned to stalk out of the room. "The sooner the better," he said over his shoulder, leaving his mother to wonder at the depression that had stolen over her son so completely.