Chapter 395: Accepting the truth (1)
"I am not going to fall for this. You are making up stories to force me to feel sorry for her. It will not work. My uncle took care of me," said Kate.
"Indeed, he did, but Clark was never a wealthy man. He didn’t have support from the other Barretts. They lost interest once you no longer had Simon, and you couldn’t walk. Clark needed help-"
"I had plenty to give him. There was money left in my father’s home," Kate spoke over Mark.
"What your father had was stripped away from him. When your mother was alive, she might have been surviving on money she had hidden, but it wasn’t enough to last this long," Mark said, refusing to let Kate twist the truth.
"You were to lose this home and the one belonging to Simon. Clark’s pleas to the court, and there being some pity on you for what you endured with Simon, left you with a bit of money. Originally, Alessandra was to be your guardian," said Mark.
"I know that. Like the kind sister she was, she passed on the responsibility to Clark. Trust me, I am not angry. I wouldn’t have cared for her. Don’t try to pass the good Clark did onto Alessandra," Kate said, upset that Mark tried to erase Clark’s deeds.
"I don’t know if anyone lied to you, but there wasn’t enough money. Simon was stripped of his possessions and titles. The court changing its mind and letting you keep his home felt like a punishment. You would have lasted only a year at best," said Mark.
Mark wondered if it never crossed Kate’s mind how much money would have needed to be spent to have her seen by a good doctor after her fall.
"You had a bad fall and were unconscious for long enough for many to believe you would not wake. The time you were being tended to cost money, and you only had Clark to rely on. He had become close to the duchess-"
"Stop it!" Kate yelled.
Clark didn’t speak a word of this to Kate, so why should she believe this now?
"They weren’t close," said Kate.
"They were close enough for Clark to be the one to help Alessandra against her family in the past. I wouldn’t say he was as close to her as he was to you, but they were close for him to go to her. He was given money. It would have been a good secret had Clark not spoken of it," Mark revealed.
Mark and others became suspicious of how Clark, a man who was never good with money and had none to his name, had started to do quite well for himself. The first suspicion was that he was using all of the money Kate had left to her name.
"I don’t believe you," Kate said, standing her ground.
Kate personally witnessed Clark work hard to provide for them both. She didn’t tell him that she was grateful and proud of him, but she always thought so.
"You know you both did not have enough to survive this well. For you to afford a maid, and I will guess you have a cook. The signs must have been there that you started to struggle unless you only paid attention to yourself," Mark said, unintentionally striking a chord with Kate.
"I think the duchess has her flaws, but she has been kind to all her family. It might not be the kindness you all seek because you want to use her, but she has been kind enough. I don’t know if she hid it from the duke," Mark said, curious.
It would be bold of Alessandra to send money to Clark behind Edgar’s back, but now Mark wondered if Alessandra had been able to convince Edgar to do it.
"I can’t tell you how many times she might have aided you, but I know it was once, and from it, Clark made the most of it to help you both. We thought he had been draining what was left for you, but that wasn’t the case," Mark said, still surprised by Clark’s change.
Kate stared at Noah, curious if he knew any of this. Clark never told it to her, and knowing how she would react if he did, Kate understood why it was a secret.
"I am by no means trying to push you two to act as sisters would, but I think it is good to know of each other’s good deeds. I informed her that you are trying to go on a better path. I ask you to release that hate you hold," Mark said, believing Kate could do it.
It was most likely the wrong time to ask this of Kate since there was a high chance the Collinses had taken Warren, but Kate had to know of the good deeds.
"I will leave it to you to decide whether to believe me. It wasn’t something dealt with by the court, so I don’t have any proof of it. I only know because I spoke to Clark. I have nothing more to stay," Mark said, standing up.
It was time for Mark to return to the court to help with the search for Quinn’s allies.
Noah walked Mark to the door to see him off, and once Mark was out, Noah closed the door.
"Kate-"
"Why would she do that? It doesn’t make any sense," Kate said, still yet to believe it was true. "If she did do it, she must have feared Clark running off and forcing her to take care of me. It must be that."
"Kate-"
"After the way I treated her, why would she want to help me? Is it because she wanted to look good before going to town?" Kate asked, certain this was the answer.
"Kate, that cannot be true. During my outings, I have heard the duchess being criticised for living a comfortable life while you are here. Despite your past, you are still her little sister. You share a father," Noah said, thinking there was still sibling love.
"No," Kate shook her head. "The way I tormented her, she could not love me now. She has real sisters she could spoil if she wanted. If she helped Clark, it is to fill the idea that she is kind. She wanted revenge."
Kate remembered how bold Alessandra became when she had Edgar to back her. How Alessandra invited herself to the dinner table or was so bold as to soak Kate with dirty water.
"It isn’t true. He only wants me to feel sorry for her daughters. I cannot believe it. Clark would have told me," Kate said with great certainty.
"And if he told you, what would you have done?" Noah asked, suspecting Kate wouldn’t have wanted the money and thus made herself suffer even more.