The Guardian's Dilemma by Gail Whitiker

Author:Gail Whitiker
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Helen thought about what Oliver had said for a long time after she returned to the school: '...a mistake once made, no matter how innocently, stays with us for a very long time...'

Had he been referring to the mistake he'd made with her twelve years ago? Helen thought it likely, given the note of regret she had heard in his voice. She also remembered what he'd said about Mr Wymington, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that he was right. Mr Wymington was not as harmless as he seemed; a conclusion confirmed a few days later when a small parcel arrived from the gentleman. The package was addressed to Helen but inside was a sealed enclosure for Gillian.

The remarks Mr Wymington made in his note to Helen were both pleasant and innocuous, expressing again his delight at having met her and at having seen them both in Abbot Quincey. But they were also followed by a request that she forward the enclosed letter to Miss Gresham at her earliest convenience.

Helen did not pass the note along, of course, nor had she any intention of doing so. But when a second letter arrived a few days later, accompanied by a note which suggested in more forceful terms that she forward the letter, Helen knew she had to do something. It seemed she had not mistaken the look in Mr Wymington's eyes. He was just as determined as Gillian when it came to getting what he wanted—and what he wanted was Gillian.

Helen thought back to some of the remarks he had made just before she and Gillian had taken their leave of him, and in particular, to the remark he had made about Helen having compromised herself by allowing Gillian and Mr Wymington to meet. Had he intended the remark as a threat? Helen hadn't thought much about it at the time, but now she realised it was a very good possibility. Was it also his plan to tell Oliver what she had done if she did not allow him to see Gillian or to allow her to receive correspondence from him?

Helen couldn't be sure, but she knew it was imperative that she find out. She had inadvertently put herself in an exceedingly awkward position and the only way she could see her way clear to getting out of it was by being truthful to all. There would be time enough to worry about the consequences later.

So saying, she sat down at her desk and wrote another letter to Mr Wymington, asking him to do her the favour of meeting with her. She told him they had a most urgent matter to discuss, and suggested they meet in Abbot Giles, the village the farthest removed from the school. She then addressed the letter to his uncle's cottage in Abbot Quincey and gave it to one of the kitchen lads to post.

Not that it would matter if anyone did see her, Helen reflected as she threw her shawl about her shoulders and went out for a walk.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.