A Time for Honour

Chapter 22

'But,' Lady Sophia said, not convinced by her husband's plan, 'what if he remembers everything before the marriage takes place? Anyway,' she said, looking at her husband, 'what if Captain Laws, I mean Lord Silverton, is already married.'

'That is the best thing about the whole affair,' Sir Henry said victoriously, 'he's not married. Mr Morton, the solicitor in charge of his estate, told me that he is definitely not married.'

'But, what about the miniature you found in his jacket pocket. The one of the beautiful girl with the golden hair,' Julia, his daughter, timidly asked, 'she may be his sweetheart.'

'What! That poorly painted picture of the chit we found in his jacket pocket,' Sir Henry said disdainfully, 'she's of no consequence to us, just a soldier's fancy. It is not as though he can even remember her. And, once he's happily married to you, it doesn't matter how much of his old life he remembers. It will be too late for him to change his mind.'

'Papa!' Julia's voice rang out, 'how could you be so cruel. I will not marry him if he is in love with another woman. It is not fair.' Julia was a diminutive young lady, not used to asserting herself in front of her overbearing parents. She was finding the injustice of her father's despotism, was awakening within her a responsibility towards the sick gentleman upstairs. 'I will not do it,' she then said defiantly.

'You, young lady,' Sir Henry said, with the authority of the master of the household, 'will do as you are told.'

'But,' she said, looking at her father imploringly, 'you should at least show him the miniature. Please, Papa, I know you keep it in your jacket pocket. It may help him remember his past.'

Sir Henry had no intention of showing the miniature to Damien. As far as Sir Henry was concerned, the miniature, he now kept in his jacket pocket, was his. Over the past week, since he had found it amongst Damien's possessions, he had, many times, studied the beautiful face of the young woman encased in the small enamel gilt frame. There was a familiarity in those expressive blue eyes and rosy pink lips, and he knew that he had met her before.

'I will not do it,' Julia said standing up from the chair she was sitting on and putting her hands on her hips, 'I will not take part in deceiving that poor man.'

When Sir Henry was confronted with the full force of his daughter's dissent, a dark foreboding expression crept into his eyes. 'You, young lady,' he said firmly, 'will do as you are told.'

'But, Papa,' Julia said, looking at her father in the eye, 'I will not!'

Sir Henry, now furious, strode over to his daughter, grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her. 'You will do as you are told,' he said again harshly, through gritted teeth. 'If you disobey, young lady, I will have you horsewhipped.'

Lady Sophia, feeling the need to intervene said to her husband in a commanding voice, 'Henry, threatening Julia will not be necessary. I will make sure that the girl does as she is told.' Lady Sophia then turned around to her daughter, who was now crying, and said, 'come with me, my dear, and I will send for a maid. She will make you look a little more presentable.'

The young woman looked at her mother and the fighting spirit, she had exhibited only moments before, vanished into thin air. 'Yes, Mama,' Julia said meekly.

'Good,' Lady Sophia said, looking victoriously at her husband, 'I told you, Henry, there is no need to threaten her.' She then turned to Julia and said, 'I shall go and find a suitable betrothal ring for you to wear, and when his lordship regains consciousness, you can tell him that he gave it to you.'

✽✽✽

When Damien finally regained consciousness, he was lying in a strange bed, in a strange room. Sitting on a chair next to the bed, was a young woman, who he did not recognise. He tried to sit up, but he quickly gave up and laid it back on the pillows. Why did his head feel like a block of lead? And why was his mind a jumble of hazy memories that he could not decipher?