by Fanny Finch
Her bright spirit and positive energy were characteristics Hestia would surely miss. There was little light and happiness at home. Tensions were always high at Stalwood Manor, no matter who was home.
She turned back to the things she had piled on her bed and began to wrap some of the small knick-knacks and breakables in her articles of clothing. These were the items she carried with her wherever she traveled. They represented different parts of her life, memories that would always be with her.
She picked up a tiny porcelain statue of a cat sitting up with its tail curled around its feet and stared at it. This was one of the first items Lady Eugenia had given her. Throughout the year, when Lady Eugenia had a chance to go shopping with her mother, she always brought something back for Hestia.
She made sure to tell Hestia it was not charity because she knew Hestia could buy the item herself if she wanted. It was a gift between friends. She would not accept no for an answer.
So Hestia took the gifts willingly, knowing they were from Lady Eugenia’s heart, not her pity.
Lady Eugenia had never looked down her nose at Hestia. From the first day, she had accepted Hestia for who she was. She treated Hestia like a sister from the beginning.
Hestia sat on the side of her bed again, holding the little statue in front of her, feeling another wave of sadness coming on. Her life had been turned upside down. She would need to make another big transition back to Stalwood Manor.
It would be tedious and tiresome.
But Leander was worth it.
Chapter 30
Leander looked through the window at the house in the distance. It was a decent size. He had come to understand that Hestia had two older sisters and one younger sister. No brothers. That was unfortunate for the Earl of Nottingham. He would need to choose a suitor for one of his daughters who was willing to take on the responsibilities after his death.
He was surprised by the number of carriages in front of the house and worried for a moment that he might be interrupting dinner with company.
He decided that since he had come all the way here, he should at least give it a chance. He would only take a moment of the Earl of Nottingham’s time.
He got down and straightened his jacket before he walked up to the front door. He scanned the outside, noticing it was in desperate need of an update. It seemed to be sagging slightly on one side, which to Leander meant the foundation was sinking.
The outside furniture was not new but it was not ancient or broken.
He could see the house was not in the best of shape. But it was clear the Earl of Nottingham was managing to get by with what he had to keep up the lifestyle.
He raised the knocker and dropped it three times.
He took a step back, clasping his hands behind his back as he always did when he was nervous and did not know what to do with them.
After a moment, the door unlatched and was pulled open by a small dark-skinned woman. She smiled at him.
“Yes?”
“I am here to see the Earl of Nottingham if he is available.”
“Please come in.” The little woman backed up and he passed her with a nod. “I will see if he is finished with his other guests.”
“I do not wish to disturb him. I will wait.”
“I will tell him you are here.” She shuffled off without another word, obviously done with the conversation.
Leander stood in the foyer, feeling awkward. He brought his hands around to his front and rubbed them together, turning to look at the decorations. The hall was much smaller than the foyer at the Culross estate.
The walls and floor were black and white squared tile and the furnishing melded in to almost transparency. It was eclectic. Leander took an immediate liking to it.
He had time to wonder if such an artistic nature might be present in Hestia, as well.
The little black woman reappeared and waved him over.
“He is finished, told me to tell you to go on back. It that door over there.” She pointed to the one at the end of the small hallway.
Leander nodded and walked toward the door.
As he got closer, it opened. He halted in place when he saw Miss Drusilla and his own mother, the Countess of Coventry, exiting the Earl of Nottingham’s office quarters. His eyes widened uncontrollably and he stared at Miss Drusilla.
“Miss Drusilla?” He said her name with great confusion. He swiveled his eyes to his mother. “Mother? What on earth are you doing here?”
“We had business to discuss with the Earl of Nottingham,” his mother responded. She smiled at him. “Business that is none of yours, I might add.”
Leander frowned. He could think of no business either woman would have with the Earl of Nottingham.
“My lord?” The same little woman who had let Leander in came to the door and looked in. “You have a letter, my lord.” She stepped into the room and handed a folded letter to the Earl of Nottingham.
The older man took it in his hand and nodded at the little woman. She left as quietly as she had arrived.
The Earl of Nottingham unfolded the letter, oblivious to his guests. His eyes were concerned. Leander stared at him as he read what was written there. The Earl of Nottingham shifted his eyes to the Countess of Coventry and then to Leander.
“This is notifying me that Hestia has been let go of her position as companion to Lady Eugenia.” He said the words with disbelief in his voice.
Leander’s heart sank into his stomach.
He had gotten her fired.
He could not help feeling it was going to be one of many hits he was going to take with the bad decisions he had been making lately. But he had never meant to hurt anyone else.
He wondered how Hestia felt about this. Would she hate him now that he had gotten her fired?
It was all his fault. He should have kept his feelings to himself.
He shook his head. If there was one thing Leander knew, it was that the feelings he had were not something avoidable.
“That is terrible, Lord Stalwood,” he said with regret.
“It says I must prepare to receive her. I am sorry, Lord Price, ladies, I really must get back to my family business.”
“I must speak with you, Lord Stalwood, if you have a moment.”
The Earl of Nottingham stared at him but before he could say anything, the Countess of Coventry interjected with her opinion.
“Lord Stalwood, I would like to speak to my son for a moment. If you would like, I know Miss Drusilla is willing to help you prepare with whatever you need to do for Lady Hestia’s return.”
Miss Drusilla looked like she would rather jump from a high cliff than help the Earl of Nottingham do anything. But she put on a fake smile that was too wide for her face and did not come close to reaching her eyes. She tilted her head to the side and said in a voice too high, “Well, of course I will help you, Lord Stalwood. What can I do?”
Before she moved away, Miss Drusilla gave Leander a look he could not quite read. She did not look disgusted or happy, sad or angry. It was a blank look as if she might not have even seen him standing there.
The Earl of Nottingham gave Miss Drusilla his own look, one that very plainly said he did not need nor want her help. He turned and the young woman followed him, chattering about the decorations he had placed around the foyer.
The last thing Leander heard the Earl of Nottingham say was, “I need quiet to think, Miss Drusilla.”
Leander looked at his mother. “What is going on? Why are you here?”
“I knew that you would not want to do it yourself, son, so I took it upon myself to come and tell the Earl of Nottingham about your infatuation with his daughter.”
“I do not need your help in these matters, Mother. I am a grown man and can handle this on my own. But even if you were concerned, why did you bring Miss Drusilla? Surely, she does not need to know that my attention has been drawn elsewhere? Not yet anyway.”
His mother shook her head. She looked around and took hold
of the upper part of his sleeve. She pulled on it, indicating she wanted him to follow her. She walked to the far side of the foyer and stood in front of a large rectangular window, taller than her by a few feet.
The sun was shining in through the window, bathing her in orange. She turned to look up at him when he came up next to her.
“I was sure that upon her return, Lady Hestia would tell her family about you and the love you two feel for each other.”
Leander frowned. “I was not as sure of her love as I was until today. How did you know she felt the same way?”
“The way you described her to me, my son, there could be no doubt. I sent for Miss Drusilla and brought her here so that the Earl of Nottingham would know that you are already spoken for and not to encourage his daughter’s feelings in any way.”
Leander closed his eyes. The pain of betrayal sliced through him. He should never have told his mother about his feelings for Hestia. They had been his undoing.
It seemed nothing and no one wanted him to be with Hestia. But that fueled his desire even more.
“Mother, I cannot believe you would do such a thing to me. You know how I feel about Lady Hestia. After today, seeing her at the Culross mansion, I know we were meant to be together. I cannot go through with a marriage to Miss Drusilla. I simply will not do it.”
“You must. It is what is best for the family. The Earl of Nottingham will not give his approval.”
“He would be a fool not to.” Leander huffed. “I am not a poor man.”
His mother narrowed her eyes up at him. “Every man has his price, Leander. You would be wise to remember that. When a fool is offered an amount they deem rich, they will snatch at the first chance.”
Leander felt sick to his stomach. His mother had given the Earl of Nottingham money so that he would not approve of a marriage between him and Hestia.
He would never have admitted it to anyone else but he was holding back tears of rage. When he was able to speak, it came out as a shaky hiss, “Mother, what have you done? Why would you do this to me?”
His mother looked at him and he thought for once she was actually seeing him. His eyes were focused directly on her. He realized he was clenching his fists and relaxed them.
“I told you, Leander. What is done is what is best for the family. You cannot marry into a family with no money. The wife you take must be financially stable if not better in order to be accepted into our family.”
“Miss Drusilla has no grace, Mother,” Leander tried not to lose his temper. He refused to yell in the home of the woman he wanted to marry. “She is not dignified. Lady Hestia may not come from a family of wealth but she is beautiful inside.”
“I told your father you were not taking this courtship seriously, Leander. Your father and I have spread the news of your courtship with Miss Drusilla all throughout our circle and I know many of those in yours know as well. To have you seen with this Lady Hestia is a disgrace to our entire family.”
“I did not give you permission to spread a rumor of my courtship with Miss Drusilla.”
“It was not a rumor. It is what your father wanted and so it is what was arranged. You would do well to listen to me when I give you advice on how to handle your father. Once he has something in his sights, he will not let go until he captures it.”
Leander was struggling with his emotions. One moment he wanted to cry and give up, the next he wanted to scream and fight. He had to make his parents understand he would never go in front of a priest and say, “I do”. Not unless the woman standing next to him was Hestia Stalwood.
He had a feeling even if he put it as bluntly as he possibly could, she would not hear him. He could repeat the same words to his father and go unheard.
His feelings about it did not matter.
The only thing that mattered was what would benefit the family coffers the most.
“Lady Price!” Miss Drusilla’s resounding voice was heard from across the room. Both mother and son looked over to where the young woman was standing in the doorway they had come from. She was waving one hand high above her head.
“She is so uncouth, Mother. She has no manners whatsoever.”
“Then you will teach her manners,” his mother replied to him without looking at him. She lifted her folded fan and waved it in the air toward Miss Drusilla. The young girl started across the room.
The Countess of Coventry looked up at her son. “You will be the gentleman you are supposed to be, Leander, and you will get used to it. Miss Drusilla is the only woman your father will approve of in marriage to you, no matter who you find. He has made a deal with Mr. Sirey and he plans on keeping his side of it.”
Leander felt like all the wind had been taken out of his sails.
He felt defeated. The closer Miss Drusilla got to them the worse he felt. His mother was overly friendly with the young woman as if they were already the best of friends.
From that, Leander took a signal from his mother that if he were to choose anyone else, she would not be so friendly.
Leander was beginning to hate his life.
Chapter 31
“Dear Drusilla,” the Countess of Coventry said when Miss Drusilla was a few feet away. “Were you able to provide help to the Earl of Nottingham?”
Miss Drusilla shook her head energetically. “No. He just stood and yelled at the servants to make a room ready and get some food out and some other things that I do not remember just now. He did not sound very happy. I said something to him and he told me my help was not needed and to come back to you.”
“When did your father require you to be home, Miss Drusilla?” the Countess of Coventry asked.
Miss Drusilla shook her head. “I do not recall him giving me time, my lady.”
“Did the Earl of Nottingham say anything more about what was in the letter of Lady Hestia’s dismissal?” This time it was Leander who asked the question.
Miss Drusilla might be a bit over the top but she was not a stupid girl and he was positive she was a listener, absorbing information she probably should not have and using it later for possibly nefarious purposes.
The young woman looked up at him. Again, he got the feeling she normally was not looking at him, so when she gave him an intense stare, he knew he had her attention. “He did not say anything that I heard, my lord. She is on her way, as far as I know, or will be soon. She is arriving in two hours.”
“It does not take two hours to get here from the Culross estate,” he said and then regretted it. It sounded like he had taken the trip many times and would know it well. He tried to keep his cheeks from flushing with embarrassment. He looked away from the women.
“I… I mean…” Stammering did not help his cause in any way. He was further embarrassed and had to keep himself from turning completely away from the women.
“We know it does not take that long, Leander,” his mother said in a cold voice. “She has obviously been given time to pack her things. You need not worry about her anymore. She is not your concern.”
Leander was shaking with anger on the inside. He attempted to stay as calm as he could on the outside. He would remain a gentleman and force himself to find a way to resolve the problem so everyone would win.
He would not be able to offer the man more money than his mother. And if Hestia found out he was trying to buy her, she would probably go into an uncontrollable rage. If he was a woman, he probably would.
“If you have no time when you need to be home,” his mother was saying, “I suggest we go for a walk through London’s finest gardens. I have already instructed our coachman that is what we will be doing. Leander, I expect you will want to accompany us? It will be good for you to be seen in public with the woman you are supposed to marry.”
Leander almost said that was wrong because Hestia was not there but he kept the comment to himself. He did not want to leave the premises. He wanted to talk to the Lord of Nottingham, try to win him over to his side.
He wondered if the Earl and Co
untess of Nottingham were in love with each other. He wondered if they had a strong marriage. Thinking about the earl’s problems with money and the chaos he caused in their lives, coupled with the fact that they had essentially driven their daughter from home, he had to doubt there was much deep love in the family.
He wanted a love that ran to the very soul, something that would last a lifetime. The feeling he got when he was in the presence of Hestia. He was fascinated by her. He felt a prolonged sense of energy whenever he was around her for a few minutes.
