by Fanny Finch
Leander pressed his lips together in a soft grin. “You must tell me. You have mentioned it and now you cannot leave me wondering.”
“I do not know if I want to. I wonder if you will change your perception of me.”
Leander chuckled. “That is not likely to happen, Lady Hestia.”
“Well…” Hestia rolled her eyes. “There was a time when I was afraid of my shadow. I was afraid of any shadow. I refused to walk over one.”
Leander laughed respectfully. “That is an odd one,” he said.
Hestia giggled. “It proved to be quite a nightmare for my parents. They did not enjoy carrying me over every shadow I came upon.”
They both laughed softly.
Chapter 24
The library was so quiet, Hestia felt like her thoughts would echo out for everyone to hear.
It was only herself and Lady Eugenia in the room anyway.
The Viscountess of Culross had taken leave to rest in her room. Hestia had a book open in front of her and was attempting to absorb herself in the story.
Her attempts were unsuccessful for longer than a few paragraphs at a time. She would end up reading the same paragraphs over and over because halfway through, her mind would wander to thoughts of Leander.
She found herself humming the song that was playing while she danced with Leander, remembering his touch and the look in his eyes as he moved around her. Her heart sped up every time she saw his eyes looking at her in her memory.
She sighed, content with herself and completely at peace. Before he had left the party the night before, he had mentioned that he would be pleased to call on her if she wished. She had happily agreed.
She sighed a second time and her attention was drawn to Lady Eugenia when her friend giggled. The young woman was gazing at her with a look of delight.
Hestia raised her eyebrows. “You are looking at me very strangely, Eugenia. What is the odd look on your face?”
“I can see how happy you are this morning, Hestia. You are thinking about Lord Price, are you not? Do not fib. I can see it in those hazel eyes of yours.”
Hestia blushed fiercely. “My goodness, Eugenia, how you are embarrassing me. Do stop.”
Lady Eugenia laughed. “I will not. I believe it is the most heartwarming thing I have seen in some time. Our plan worked out perfectly, did it not?”
“It seemed to, yes,” Hestia replied, trying to make her blushing cheeks cool off again. If Lady Eugenia knew just how right she was, she might have been blushing as well.
“The decorations were beautiful. I am glad your parents agreed to your wishes. And your garden was very well received. You are in good competition with Lord Faulkner. I am happy for you. Your first party was a success.”
Lady Eugenia raised her eyebrows. “Those are the things you remember about the party? Surely not. I know who you are thinking of.”
Hestia giggled, covering her mouth with one hand.
“I know he is going to come calling on you at his first opportunity. It has been less than a whole day. He will show his face soon enough.”
“I wonder, though, Eugenia, whether his parents will object because of my current station.”
“No matter what you are doing right now, you were born a lady, the daughter of an earl, and you will be treated that way once more. This is only a temporary station for you. Lord Price seems to me the kind of man who is willing to look past what is now and into the future of what could be.”
“That is very poetic of you,” Hestia said with a smile.
Lady Eugenia smiled back. “Thank you.”
“I did have such a lovely time at the party. I am so grateful to you for bringing it together.”
“I am glad, too. When you stepped off the dance floor with Lord Price, why, you were practically glowing. It truly made my heart sing to see you so happy.”
Hestia raised her eyebrows. “I looked like I was glowing?”
“You were radiant. Your smile was… so genuine. Mind you, Lord Price looked much the same. I would not be surprised if we hear from him today. He knows you are here. I expect he will come calling any time now.”
Hestia’s first thought was to wonder if she was presentable to be seen by Lord Price. She reached up and smoothed down her wavy hair, hoping it did not look dry or unkempt. She noticed when Lady Eugenia’s teasing grin was back.
“You look lovely, Hestia. Do not trouble yourself.”
Hestia had to laugh at herself. “I suppose I am quite taken with Lord Price. The more I think about him, the stronger the feeling gets that… well, I miss him. I hardly know him but I find that I miss him more than anything else. It is an odd feeling… to miss someone you barely know.”
Lady Eugenia listened with a peaceful, happy look on her face. “I cannot imagine,” she said in a breathless voice. “I do hope to be as in love with my future husband as you are with Lord Price. Those must be such pleasant feelings.”
Hestia had not thought about her feelings in those terms before. She became aware of the peace she felt, the warmth in her soul and her heart. It was unmistakable. She was in love with Lord Price.
“I believe you are right, Eugenia.”
“Will you tell him when he comes calling?”
“I suppose it depends on his behavior and what he is seeking.”
“He is seeking a wife, Hestia. You know this.”
“I need to know what kind of wife he is looking for. I am not the kind that will shrink into the background. I have plans for my future that may or may not include a husband. If necessary, I will make my own way.”
Lady Eugenia lowered her book and closed it on one finger. She leaned forward a little in her chair. “Hestia, we have not wasted our time and Lord Price’s emotions for you to take a step back. It was our intention to find you a husband, as well as me. Now, we can both have our way.”
Hestia tilted her head to the side, setting her book open on the table next to her. She had not read the last two pages, though she had turned them as if she understood what she read.
“What do you mean, both have our way? Have you set your eye on someone? Tell me who it is. I must know.”
“I have. And I have not let you know or see a thing because I did not want to distract you from your own endeavors.”
Hestia was grateful. If she had noticed Lady Eugenia with someone, she would have been filled with guilt for concentrating more on her own future than the lady she was a companion to.
“You must tell me who you are thinking of, Eugenia,” Hestia used a demanding voice.
Lady Eugenia’s smile was filled with warmth. “It is the Honorable David Wake, the baron’s second son. Baron Wake.”
Hestia could not help smiling from ear to ear. She remembered meeting David. He had a nice smile, dark brown eyes and a curly mop of brown hair on his head. She remembered thinking he had a very friendly face and his voice was gentle and soft.
She could see the soft-spoken man being a perfect contrast to the outspoken Lady Eugenia.
“That is such a wonderful thing to hear, Eugenia. I am so glad you finally told me. Is he aware of your interest?”
Lady Eugenia nodded. “I believe he is. I have expectations that he will come calling. Perhaps at the same time as Lord Price. Would that not be something?” She laughed, a tinkling sound that made Hestia smile.
“That would be something, yes.”
“I have been watching you all morning, you know,” Lady Eugenia’s voice was light and giggly. “You look different. You are carrying yourself with much more ease than you were before.”
“You have noticed a difference in such a short time?”
“Of course. I have seen you every morning for more than a year now. I know how… guarded you were before. I saw you change the moment you laid eyes on Lord Price. I am excited for you, Hestia, almost as much as I am excited for myself! I will soon not need a companion and will be able to say friend instead.”
She laughed again, making Hestia grin wide
.
Suddenly, Lady Eugenia was on her feet. She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and did a small spin on the carpet. “My body feels so stiff, Hestia. I have been sitting in that chair for too long. Let us do something else. Perhaps you would like to take a walk?”
Hestia stood up, realizing she, too, had been sitting for a little too long. “It looks as though it might rain. How about a promenade around the parlor? We can stretch our legs and you can tell me stories about your family’s history.”
Lady Eugenia closed the distance between the two young women, sliding her small hand around Hestia’s arm. “If that is what I have done more than once before, Hestia, I do apologize.”
“No need to apologize. I like the stories you tell me. If you were in my home, I would have some things to tell you too. We still have many of the artifacts my grandfathers gathered over the years. I remember the stories attached to them because my father was very proud of them. Even those things that belonged to my mother’s side of the family. He regarded them as treasures.”
She felt a sense of sadness cover her joy when she thought about how her parents had been forced to sell some of those treasures, those priceless artifacts that had to have a price put on them.
She allowed Lady Eugenia to lead her around the room, pointing at small statues and telling Hestia a story she had heard at least once before if not twice. She was entertaining as a storyteller, her eyes lighting up when she spoke, her hands gesturing wildly when appropriate.
Hestia found her stories to be twice as entertaining each time Lady Eugenia would tell them. They were halfway around the room when the door opened and a footman came in. He glanced in confusion at the chairs where they had been sitting.
“What is it?” Lady Eugenia said in a loud voice. The magnitude of it made Hestia look at the small woman in surprise.
The footman turned his head sharply, looking at them. He came to where they were with quick steps, stopping a few feet away from her.
“I thought you might like to know, Lady Eugenia, there is a young man in the parlor speaking with your father, Lord Callow.”
“Oh?”
Lady Eugenia and Hestia shared a look. Which young man was the servant referring to?
Hestia’s heart hammered in her chest. She could only hope it was Leander, coming to call on her.
“Who is the gentleman caller?” Lady Eugenia asked.
“It is Lord Price, son of the Earl of Coventry. He is speaking to your father regarding Lady Hestia.”
The two young women looked at each other with excited eyes. Hestia noticed the satisfied look that crossed her friend’s face.
“You have been a blessing to me, Eugenia,” Hestia said, turning to her friend and grabbing her hands. “I do know what I wish to do with the rest of my life now. And I am hoping I have found the one to fulfill my dreams with.”
Lady Eugenia nodded vigorously. “Yes, Hestia. I am so happy. I hope both our dreams come true!”
She turned her eyes and looked at the footman, who had not left. He seemed to be waiting for a response from her or Hestia. “You may go. We will wait here. If we are needed, I am sure Father will summon us.”
“Yes, my lady.” The footman turned and went to the door, disappearing on the other side.
The two women looked at each other again, their smiles radiating like the sun on a bright blue morning.
“I wonder what they are saying? I wonder how Lord Price is approaching this?” Hestia murmured the questions, not really expecting an answer from Lady Eugenia.
“I just cannot wait to see what they decide.”
Hestia frowned. “I just had a thought. Do you think your father will take kindly to a gentleman caller that is more interested in the companion than the daughter of the house?”
Lady Eugenia’s eyes reflected concern but she slowly shook her head. “No. I… I am sure Father will not mind it. I will find a husband. I may have already.”
Hestia thought her friend’s voice sounded doubtful. Both girls looked at the closed library door.
Chapter 25
The two young women stood side by side for a few minutes. Hestia’s mind was whirling with the knowledge that Leander was in the house with her. He was here.
Whether the end result was good or bad, she knew he had come calling on her. It meant he had been thinking about her. And he was willing to risk humiliation by coming to see if he could be given permission to take her out.
She thought how odd it was that if Lord Callow approved of it, Lady Eugenia would probably volunteer as a chaperone. Their roles would be reversed. She giggled at the notion.
Her laughter caught in her throat when she looked at Lady Eugenia. The young woman’s eyes looked nervous.
“Eugenia? Are you all right?”
“I am a little concerned, Hestia. Perhaps we should go out in the hallway and wait for Father to send for us?”
Lady Eugenia’s worried look dampened Hestia’s good spirits. She bit the inside of her bottom lip and looked at the door. “If you feel we should wait out there, I will stand beside you. I am your companion. I will go wherever you want.”
“I want to stand in the hallway.”
Hestia hurried after Lady Eugenia, who took off across the room at lightning speed. She made a beeline for the door and once she got there, she abruptly stopped. If Hestia had been directly behind her, she would have bumped into her.
She stopped just short of knocking into Lady Eugenia and stared at her friend’s face.
Lady Eugenia opened the door slowly and quietly. She stepped through softly and motioned for Hestia to do the same. Once Hestia was through, Lady Eugenia closed the door behind her and turned toward the parlor door.
Hestia followed the young woman as she walked directly past the parlor doors and went to a small round balcony on the other side. She sat on a bench and patted the cushion next to her. Hestia sat down.
“What are we doing, Eu…”
Lady Eugenia shook her head, putting one finger in front of her lips. She motioned for Hestia to look down towards a large vent on the wall behind the bench.
After a moment, the sound of men’s voices could be heard. Hestia’s eyes opened wide. She could not believe she was eavesdropping on a conversation. And was fully aware of what she was doing.
She stared at Lady Eugenia. How many times the young woman must have used this area to hear what was going on in the parlor. How many parties she must have listened in on.
“Your parents are not aware of this?” she whispered as softly as possible.
“I am sure they are not daft. They must be aware of it. If I am the only one who knows, I would be very surprised. But I do not think they remember when they are in the parlor because I am never caught.”
“I feel bad. I should not be eavesdropping.”
Lady Eugenia shook her head. “Nonsense. You are the topic of their discussion, I am quite sure. That gives you the right to know what is being said. I am right about this.”
Hestia wanted to think her young friend was right but she’d never been one to approve of listening in on the conversations of others.
The men were speaking in low tones and she was unable to catch most of what was being said anyway. She looked at Lady Eugenia once or twice to see if any knowledge was registering on her slender face. She kept shaking her head.
Finally, she looked at Hestia and said, “I do not suppose we will get much from this conversation. I cannot hear what they are saying.”
“Neither can I. We should move before we are caught.”
Lady Eugenia put a hand on Hestia’s knee to keep her from leaving. “Wait. I want to see if we can make anything out. I thought I heard your name but I also thought I heard my own.”
“Yours?” Hestia drew her eyebrows together. “Is it possible Lord Price knows a gentleman that would be right for you? Or does he speak to the Honorable David Wake very often?”
“I do not know the answer to either of those questions. I know h
e cannot be here for me. I would not know how to behave in a situation like that. I may have to slap him.”
“That would be a sight to see. I am sure there is an explanation.”
The two women fell quiet. Hestia strained her ears to make out and understand any of the words. She did hear what sounded like her name and the harsh tones made it sound like the two men were arguing.
Her stomach turned and she felt her muscles tighten.
