“Who do you think it’s from?” Gwendolen asked, abandoning her search and joining Caroline.
“I’m not sure,” Caroline said as she pulled off the ribbon and folded down the sides of the cloth. Inside was a book that looked new and a small porcelain horse that reminded her of her old mare. Caroline picked up the figurine and held it in her hands, feeling the smooth texture and the coolness of the material. She then used her other hand to open the book to peek through the pages, confirming her suspicions of the sender when she saw the name at the bottom of an inscribed message.
“I would like to say that this appears as though Sir Roberts has strong feelings for you,” Gwendolen said softly, making Caroline smile as she read the message.
My dearest Caroline,
I hope you are faring well and improving each day in your time of grief. I wanted to send you something to cheer you up. If anything, I want you to know that you’re not alone in this. I shall be reading my own copy.
All the best,
Sir Roberts
Caroline sighed happily as she closed the book and returned to observing the small horse in her hand. William had certainly gifted her an item that meant a lot to her.
She wasn’t sure when she’d see her mare again, now that her father’s estate lay in waiting for its new master. But now she would have a little piece of her favourite horse and could imagine the amazing feeling of riding through open pastures.
“And now you have a reason to write him,” Gwendolen said. “It will be good for you to focus on something happy and joyful.”
“I believe you are right,” Caroline agreed, looking up at her friend. “This was a very nice idea. Thank you for speaking to your father about it.”
“Of course, my dear. There is no point staying in town during this time of year. We must be able to enjoy ourselves, and there is no better place in the summer than on the coast.”
Caroline took a deep breath and let it out of her body very slowly. It had been what felt like a long time since she could really look forward to anything with hope in her heart. It would do her good to spend time away from town, simply enjoying a sunny day and listening to the sound of the ocean. Just the thought of inhaling the salty air filled Caroline with more life than she’d experienced since the masquerade ball.
“I’m going to go to my bedchamber and write a thank-you note to send to Sir Roberts. I’ll be sure to mention our upcoming departure from town and suggest that perhaps he’d care to do the same,” Caroline said with a smile on her face.
“I’m proud of you, Caroline. I shall see you one day happily married after all,” Gwendolen said as she turned from her task.
“There is no reason to speak of such things at the present moment. Though I do hope the same,” Caroline admitted.
She rose from the chair with her new items in her hand. She was eager to read the novel and felt a sense of connection to William since she knew that he would be reading the same book.
It was a strange feeling after only experiencing grief for so long. But Caroline had to admit to herself that she was eager to travel to the coast and perhaps share some private time there with William, much like they used to when they were younger.
Chapter 24
William was pacing back and forth in the sitting room, listening to Grendel hum as she worked on a needlepoint project. His father sat in a chair by the fire, reviewing different papers. William had to hand it to the man.
For someone who’d lived all his life in the country, he’d settled into life in town quite well. He enjoyed reading all sorts of news articles and they often talked about the war against France in the evenings—as though they were always born into wealth and had enjoyed such leisurely activities.
As William paced, he looked through the letters he’d received that day. They consisted of more invitations to various dinner parties and social gatherings. His popularity amongst the elite had only seemed to grow ever since his last dinner party. Some lords wanted to discuss matters of business with him while others offered up their daughters for consideration.
William smirked, thinking that the courting rituals of the upper class were more like business dealings. An entire marriage could be decided upon through letters, without the two individuals intended to one another ever meeting.
The only thing that remained in William’s mind was which events he should attend with the hopes of inviting Caroline to join him. It was still too soon for her to even consider being seen out in society. And if he started to appear with her more frequently, people would start to speculate. No, William knew that it was all too soon—but he didn’t want to attend any social function if it wasn’t with Caroline.
“You’re going to mark up the carpet if you continue to pace so,” said his father, causing William to stop suddenly and look up from his hand full of letters.
“Forgive me. I didn’t realize I was,” William said as he forced himself to sit down and return to rereading the letters.
“What are you so bothered by?” his father asked.
“I have many letters to reply to, all of which have invited me to one thing or another. Yet, I don’t want to attend any of them if it will not bring me closer to Caroline,” William explained.
“Son, you’ll have to maintain your reputation in society. With rank comes responsibility. You should pick and choose a few to attend just to keep up appearances.”
“I just feel that it is all for naught if it does not give me some sort of benefit.”
“‘Tis a great benefit, because you’ll be seen better in the eye of society when your own engagement to Caroline is announced in the papers. Everyone will think it is a good match simply because of your status.”
“My word, this all sounds rather boring,” Grendel spoke up. “Attending dinners with others simply to have a reputation. It would be dreadful if the company was boring. And most wealthy people are quite dull.”
William and his father couldn’t help but chuckle at the older woman’s words. William understood that Grendel had been raised with a very different lifestyle and that luxury later in life would not change her mind when it came to certain things.
“I agree, they can be rather boring affairs,” William confirmed. As they were talking, the sitting room door was opened and the butler came walking in with a tray which held a letter.
“My word, another letter?” his father asked as the butler came towards William and offered him the tray. William took the letter and thanked the butler before looking at the letter in his empty hand to determine who had sent him a letter in the middle of the day. He set his other opened letters aside once he realized the author of the letter, a smile playing at his lips.
“It’s from Caroline,” William explained as he quickly opened it and read the few sentences contained inside. His smile only grew larger as he continued to read.
“Well, what does it say?” his father asked after a while.
“Caroline wrote to give her thanks for the gifts I had sent her. She explains that the Murphys will be travelling to the coast to enjoy the refreshing seaside. Caroline then encourages me to also make my way there, giving details of the local tavern that has a good reputation,” William explained.
“That seems rather forward,” his father remarked.
“Yes, yet she explains that Miss Gwendolen has made the same suggestion to her beau, Lord Sergio.”
“Seems like the young ladies are up to their own plans,” Grendel said, drawing William’s attention to the older woman. He saw the way she was smiling pleasantly as she worked on her needlepoint.
“It will be easier to converse with Caroline outside of town. And it should be cooler on the coast,” William said. “We could make plans to leave in a few days.”
“No, son. This sounds like an adventure you must take on your own. Grendel and I are very much comfortable here in town. I can easily send one of the footmen for my elixir, and Grendel shouldn’t be travelling when it is so hot outside,” his father explaine
d.
“Are you sure? Both of you? I’ve never liked the idea of leaving you two alone,” William said, truly concerned for the welfare of his family.
“We can certainly take care of ourselves, William,” Grendel assured him with a chuckle. “We were well enough when you went out to sea.”
“Yes, because I made sure you were well looked after by Daniel. All that would remain this time are the staff members.”
“And they are all capable people,” his father said. “Write to Caroline and tell her that you’ll make your way to the coast so that you two might spend time together without all the pressure of being in town.”
“Thank you, Father. I shall go and make the arrangements right away. But I promise not to be gone for long,” he said as he rose from his chair, gathering all his letters in order to reply to them all that he was expected to leave town in a few days.
“Take your time, William. We are not going anywhere,” his father said with a smile. William nodded before leaving the sitting room in a hurry, excited about the idea of spending some time alone with Caroline so that he might finally fulfil his heart’s greatest desire.
~*~
As Caroline rode in the carriage with the Murphys, having left the day before, she did her best to focus on her new novel. She was enjoying the romantic story, told with plenty of humour and wit, yet she couldn’t wait to get settled at the seaside manor.
She was eager to know that if, during their month along the coast, she would have opportunity to see William. She had received no response to her letter, though they’d left only two days later. It was likely that Caroline could have missed William’s response.
While Caroline looked down at the books in her hand, the sound of the carriage rattling along the road filling her ears, she thought mostly of William as she tried to read the novel instead. She thought about how William used to look when they were younger, when he was a footman in her father’s household. And now, William looked so much more grown up.
His blonde hair was much shorter, his clothes of fine quality and in the latest style. Even his mannerisms had improved. With all these new changes that William had experienced over the years, she was curious to know his true character once more. His gifts proved he had feelings for Caroline, but did she truly understand him like she once had?
With all these thoughts rummaging through her mind, at first Caroline didn’t realize that the carriage was drawing closer to Lord Murphy’s estate on the coast. The days had only seemed to grow warmer and Caroline was thankful that she’d decided to end her time of mourning and resume wearing clothing appropriate for the season. She wore a crème-coloured muslin dress with only one petticoat underneath, else she would fear becoming too warm.
“Ah, there it is,” Gwendolen exclaimed as she leaned forward to peer out of the carriage window. Caroline leaned forward as well and looked at the manor situated above the sea on an outcrop of land. It reminded Caroline of lighthouses she’d seen along the coast before, though rather larger and more grand. Caroline couldn’t wait to see the inside and to enjoy walking along the beach in her bare feet.
“As lovely as ever,” Lady Murphy remarked as the carriage was drawn up the lane towards the house and came to a stop in the courtyard. Caroline knew that everyone was eager to stretch their legs and relax from all the travelling they’d been doing. As soon as the carriage was stopped and secured, the footman came forth to open the door and help everyone out.
“Father, can we go straight way down to the beach?” Gwendolen asked once they were all out of the carriage. Already, she was tugging Caroline by the hand towards the stone path that Caroline assumed went down to the beach.
“Yes, but do be careful. The stone stairs can become quite slippery when wet,” he advised.
Gwendolen didn’t need any more encouragement as she tightened her hand around Caroline’s and together they took off at a steady run. Caroline couldn’t help but laugh as they went, feeling much younger than she was. It was exciting to behold the vastness of the ocean and to hear it crashing upon the shore. There was something about being close to the salty water that made Caroline feel lighter than ever before.
Once they reached the stone stairs that led down to the beach, Gwendolen slowed her pace and helped Caroline down the steps for the first time. “When it is particularly windy, it’s hard to make one’s way up and down the stairs. You must always be careful,” she warned.
“I will remember,” Caroline promised. Once they reached the last step, Gwendolen let go of her hand and they both paused to pull off their riding boots and stockings. With bare feet, they left their shoes behind and made their way along the beach, holding up the hems of their gowns to prevent them from being stained by the water and sand.
“There is nothing better than being at on the beach on such a warm day as this,” Gwendolen declared.
“The wind from the ocean does make me feel cooler,” Caroline agreed. “The smell alone is heavenly.”
“So fresh and clean,” Gwendolen added. “Come. Let us find seashells to take back to the house to show my parents. I do love finding the different shells.”
For what seemed like the next few hours, Caroline walked up and down the beach with Gwendolen, laughing and playing in the sand. It didn’t take long before they no longer cared about the condition of their gowns—the closer they came to the water, the more often their hems would become drenched in the sudden waves crashing against the shore. Eventually, their hands became so filled with seashells that they decided it would be best to return to the manor to showcase their spoils and change into something a little more fitting.
“I had almost forgotten what it felt like to simply do as one pleases,” Caroline declared as they made their way across the beach towards the stone stairs.
“It’s important that you never forget again, Caroline, how spending time outside in the sun is good for your health,” Gwendolen said with a bright smile. “I have always loved the beach and can now share that love with you.”
“You’re the kindest friend in the world,” Caroline said as they made their way up the stairs. “Every young lady should have a friend like you. You are good at reminding me how to simply live.”
The women laughed together as they made their way to the house, both certain that Gwendolen’s parents would be crossed with their state of dress. As expected, they were surprised when Gwendolen and Caroline came into the drawing room with all of their shells, covered in sand and sea water.
“You two didn’t waste any time, now did you,” Lady Murphy said in a stern voice. Yet, a smile played at her lips as they laid out the shells on the table for them to see.
“It’s such a lovely day,” Gwendolen said. “It’s hard to be mindful of manners when the sand feels so good on your bare feet.”
“Oh, we did forget to collect our shoes,” Caroline declared. “I could hurry back and gather them.”
“No, there is no hurrying, Miss Caroline,” Lord Murphy spoke up. “We can all go down to the beach after tea. It is never good to hurry, because of the stone stairs.”
“You’re right,” Caroline concurred with a dip of her head. “Gwendolen had said such words to me earlier.”
“Wise words, I assure you,” Lord Murphy added.
Gwendolen and Caroline made quick work of getting changed out of their wet gowns and into something that would be light and airy for when they did return to the beach. Caroline loved the design of the seaside manor, with its marble floors that felt so smooth and cool underneath her feet.
The walls were made of white plaster with intricate designs of flowers and seashells along the moulding. The manor reminded her of an airy fairy-tale home from a child’s storybook. It was so fashionably done that Caroline wondered why the Murphys hadn’t come to this manor as soon as the Season had let out.
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