by Fanny Finch
“I know you are anxious to get to your little woman,” Miss Drusilla said, flashing a smile at him. “But we must decide how to dispel the rumors that are going through the society that you and I are together. I do not wish to be seen as a harlot if I am with Mr. Wake.”
“I will not hesitate to tell the truth to anyone who knows. You may do the same if you wish. I will simply say that you and I were not compatible and I have found someone else who is. From what you have told me, you will soon be able to say the same thing. I do hope Mr. Wake will understand.”
“I am sure he will. He has mentioned he and his brother are expected to marry well. I do believe he was referring to me when he said it. I am hoping so.” Her voice became slightly giddy and Leander had to smile at the sound of it.
“I have no doubt you will be happy with him, Miss Drusilla. You do appear to know what you want in life. You have a good head on your shoulders.”
“I do not know a lot about Lady Hestia… that is her name, is it not? The daughter of the Earl of Nottingham.”
“Yes, that is her name.”
Miss Drusilla nodded. “I do not know a lot about her but from what I have heard, she seems very independent and carefree. She is the woman you prefer over me?” He could hear the teasing in her voice. He took a moment to decide how to react to it.
“I cannot help what my heart wants.”
“I am on your side, my lord. Together, we will break this marriage bond and go our separate ways to live happy and successful lives not married to each other.”
Miss Drusilla said the words with such passion and flair, she made herself and Leander laugh. “I must remember to extend an invitation to my wedding to Lady Hestia and to you, Lord Price. I will not be surprised if you two arrive together. It will be my intention, in fact.”
Leander laughed. “It does seem that I am constantly being set up by the women around me.”
Chapter 36
Hestia had no time to answer Lady Eugenia’s question. A carriage was making its way up the road and took their attention away. It was the Earl of Nottingham.
Hestia felt a jolt of nervousness. “I… I will return for the rest of my things as soon as I can, Eugenia. I will miss you very much.”
Lady Eugenia’s eyes went soft and she tilted her head slightly. “Must you leave immediately? Perhaps we can work something out. We can talk to Father…”
She stopped when Hestia shook her head. “It is done now. We cannot change what has happened. And I do believe some good will come of this. You and I will both be married soon, God willing, and we will not come together as we have been but will come together as friends.”
Lady Eugenia pulled in a deep sigh. “I do like the way you think, Hestia. Thank you for being my friend.”
When the carriage pulled up in front of the house, Hestia was surprised when her father got out instead of waiting for her.
Alexander was suddenly behind her, lifting her bags and carrying them down the steps. The Earl of Nottingham passed him without a word. He was looking up at Hestia and Lady Eugenia.
“Hestia!” he said, reaching out to touch her cheek. “It has been a while since I have seen your face, my daughter.”
“Hello, Father,” Hestia said, hesitantly. He was being friendlier than usual. And it had only been a few weeks since he had visited the Culross estate. “Are you feeling well today?”
“I have had better days, I must admit.” He looked at Lady Eugenia. “Is your father about?”
“I will fetch him for you, sir,” Lady Eugenia curtsied and backed away.
“It is good to see you looking well, Lady Eugenia,” the Earl of Nottingham said abruptly.
Lady Eugenia looked surprised but pleased. “Thank you, my lord.”
She turned on her heel, giving Hestia a smile before she went back inside to find her father.
“I wish to speak to you, Hestia.” The Earl of Nottingham took her elbow and steered her down the long veranda.
When he began walking, she walked alongside him. Her heart was beating hard in anticipation of what he would say.
“It has come to my attention that you have been seen with the young Lord Price. Is that true?”
Hestia swallowed hard and nodded. “It is true, Father.”
“You have sincere feelings for this man?”
“I do.”
Her father was uncommonly quiet. She could tell by the working of his jaw he was thinking deeply. He pulled in a quick breath and clapped his hands together behind his back. He took long strides that made Hestia have to hurry to keep up next to him.
“I know that Lord Price comes from a… noble family. But I question the motives of anyone whose mother objects so strenuously to a marriage between her son and a young woman.”
Hestia frowned. “What do you mean, Father? How did the Countess of Coventry do that?”
“She paid me a visit earlier today with the lovely young Miss Drusilla Sirey.”
Chills covered Hestia’s body. The Countess of Coventry had gone to her home and spoken to her father? With Miss Drusilla there? She scowled.
“Why would she do that?”
“She threatened our family if I did not force you to stay away from her son. She was quite adamant about it.” The Earl of Nottingham looked closely at his daughter. “I do not take kindly to threats. I may have financial trouble but the happiness of my daughters is more important to me than any amount of money in the world.”
He stopped and turned around when he reached the end of the veranda. It wrapped around the house on all sides but he did not attempt to turn to his left and continue walking. She turned around, staring up at him with pride in her eyes.
“You must see, Hestia, that is why I allowed you to work and did not make it difficult for you when you made this decision. I must say I am disappointed that things have turned in the direction they have. I trusted the Viscount of Culross with my daughter and he turns her out at a moment’s notice.”
“He felt I would bring shame to the family because Lord Price would be coming to see a companion and not the daughter of the house.”
“I am fully aware of what the Viscount of Culross is thinking. It is a terrible shame, nonetheless.”
Hestia could not believe she was having this conversation with her father. Despite the loss of her job, with every passing moment, she felt more and more that she was going to have a happy future.
She saw the passageways opening before her. They would lead her straight into the arms of the man she loved.
“I am disappointed that the Viscount of Culross, whom I thought of as a friend, has been distinctly unfriendly behind my back. It is the behavior of a rake and a scoundrel.” The Earl of Nottingham shook his head sadly.
“I am sorry I lost my job, Father. It was not my intention to bring discord to the unity of our families and your friends.”
“People oftentimes reveal their characters when something drastic changes in the plans they made.”
The front door opened and the two of them saw the Viscount of Culross come out with Lady Eugenia behind him.
“Lord Callow!” Hestia looked at him when her father lifted one hand and called out to the Viscount of Culross.
The large man turned to see her and her father and began to walk toward them. Hestia noticed his face was slightly red. She wondered if he was angry that she was not already gone. When he looked at her, it was not a look of anger, but one that looked like fear.
She did not know what he had to be afraid of.
When her father spoke, it was made clear to her.
“I am disappointed that I made a mistake letting my daughter work for you, sir. You have created a mountain from but a small issue that could have been resolved quietly and without prejudice.”
“I did not mean to anger you, Lord Stalwood,” the Viscount of Culross said in a meek voice. “I felt I had no choice in the matter. I must protect my family’s honor.”
“You did not need to protect anyone�
�s honor from my daughter. She did nothing wrong. She has been caught in a difficult situation and you have only made it harder on her.”
“As I said, that was not my intention.”
“Intention or not, you will not be highly regarded by those in society after I speak to them.”
“Father, really,” Hestia was shaking her head as she spoke. “There is no need to carry this further. We have all made mistakes. We must be able to forgive one another.”
“I do not appreciate disrespect,” the Earl of Nottingham sounded like he was not going to stop. Hestia took his harm and squeezed it gently. Her father looked at her, pressing his lips together.
“I do not feel disrespected, Father,” she said, lightly. She had felt disrespected but after her father’s lecture, she no longer did. “We should go. We can all get together and discuss this another time.”
“I am not ready to leave.” The Earl of Nottingham did not take his eyes from the Viscount of Culross, whose round cheeks were red with embarrassment.
“Please, Father. Let us…”
She stopped and the four of them turned to the sound of yet another carriage coming up the road. Hestia let out a shaky breath, recognizing Leander’s carriage.
He had come back.
She was overcome by a sense of longing. He was brave, coming back to confront both her father and the Viscount of Culross. He could not have been certain they would all still be here but he had taken the chance on getting banished from the property once again.
He was willing to bear any humiliation for her.
She was the first one to take a step toward the front veranda steps. Leander’s carriage was halfway up the road.
She glanced over her shoulder at Lady Eugenia, knowing her eyes were wide with excitement. Her friend’s face was also lit up with surprise and glee.
They shared a look, smiling at each other.
“Why is he here?” the Viscount of Culross snapped. “I told him once to leave the property.”
“Father, calm yourself. You must take care of your heart.” Lady Eugenia put one hand on her father’s shoulder.
“I do not like having control of my own premises taken from me. Now I cannot say who is and who is not to come on my property?”
“It is not like that. These are special circumstances. Do not fret. He is here to see Hestia anyway.”
“That is the problem!” The Viscount of Culross threw his hands up in the air as if he was giving up. He moved away from the group toward the front door as if he was going to go inside but stopped just before he did.
Hestia looked at the carriage, following its path as it came toward them. She could see Leander inside, his face pressed close to the window. He was gazing at her the entire way. She smiled.
His returned smile washed warmth through her body.
“Lady Eugenia, come here,” the Viscount of Culross demanded. Hestia looked behind her at her friend, who had not moved from her spot. She was holding her shoulders with the opposite hands, biting her bottom lip. “Eugenia!”
“In a minute, Father,” Lady Eugenia said over her shoulder. She never took her eyes from the scene in front of her.
The Viscount of Culross walked back to the group, standing to the side, glaring at Leander as the young man got out of his carriage. Leander did not seem to notice the look.
He swept his eyes over the people on the veranda, ending with Hestia. Once his eyes settled on her, they softened and he smiled.
“Lady Hestia,” he said in a deep, gentle voice.
“Lord Price.”
“Why have you come back to my property? I told you earlier you are not welcome here.”
Leander hurried up the bottom steps, taking them two at a time until he was halfway up. He stopped with one foot above the other on the steps. “Please, Lord Stalwood, Lord Callow, allow me to apologize to you for the way I have behaved. I have simply not been thinking clearly. I assumed facts that were not true and was torn between loyalty to my family and my love for…”
He stopped, his eyes on Hestia.
The Earl of Nottingham cleared his throat. Leander looked at him and continued quickly, “Lord Stalwood, I have acted in an inappropriate manner. I must apologize.”
“You have been seeing my daughter on occasion, have you not?” the Earl of Nottingham said.
Leander nodded.
“And you are in a rumored courtship with Miss Drusilla Sirey, the merchant’s daughter?”
“If I may speak plainly, sir, I…”
The Earl of Nottingham held up one hand. He glanced toward the young ladies and Lord Callow, who was still huffing and puffing, glaring at Leander.
“Perhaps we should take this up in my carriage, Lord Price, if you would care to ride with me to my home. I am sure the Viscount of Culross will see to it that no harm comes to your carriage. Is that not true, Lord Callow?”
Hestia heard the warning tone her father used. He was very angry with Lord Callow and there was something about his demeanor that suggested he knew himself to be of superior noble blood. Hestia had never seen her father treat another human being as if they were less than him as a person.
His reputation may have been ruined by innuendo and heavy gambling debts but the Earl of Nottingham was still an intimidating presence.
“I… I will secure the carriage in the stables for now, Lord Price. You may retrieve it at your leisure.”
“I have a better idea,” the Earl of Nottingham’s voice boomed out. “His driver knows the way home I am sure. Send your driver home, Lord Price, so that you may ride with me and we can discuss the future.”
Leander could not help smiling. The Earl of Nottingham did not seem the outrageous character he had been made out to be. If his fault was gambling, it was not because he was not a gentleman. Leander was amused to think his debts were a result of simple poor card playing.
Chapter 37
“Father, if you are going back with Lord Price in the carriage, shall I follow you in his?”
The Earl of Nottingham looked at her as if he had forgotten she was coming with them. She grinned.
“Well, I do not see why you cannot ride in his carriage but if so, you must have a friend with you.” He turned his eyes to Lady Eugenia, whose face lit up with delight. She looked at her father.
“Father, I would like to go to Hestia’s home. May I?”
The Viscount of Culross seemed to give up. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head. “You have done what you will up until now, daughter. You may go if you wish.”
Lady Eugenia slid her eyes to Hestia, making a squeaking sound and clapping her hands together. “Come with me to get ready, Hestia,” she said in an excited voice.
Hestia grabbed her skirt with one hand and passed Leander, glancing up at him lovingly. His smile told her how he was feeling.
She looked back twice, watching her father and Leander head toward the Nottingham carriage.
Lady Eugenia reached out and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her back into the house.
The two young women dodged the Viscount of Culross to go up the stairs, both of them giggling terribly. They did not notice when he went around the stairs, shaking his head.
Hestia’s heart hammered inside her chest as she followed Lady Eugenia into the bedroom. Lady Eugenia dropped herself into a chair and reached for her going-out boots. She pulled off one of the slippers she was wearing and shoved her foot into one of the boots.
“I am so excited for you, Hestia!” she said, trying fervently to push her foot into the boot. She looked down and laughed. “Oh, it’s the wrong foot. I am so happy, I am not paying attention!”
Hestia laughed. Her body was tingling, thoughts of Leander floating through her mind. His attentive behavior made her feel as though she was walking through the streets of Heaven. When his eyes settled on her, she was covered with a blanket of warm love.
“Do you think it will be this way when I introduce Mr. Wake to my father?”
“Has he not met Mr. Wake? I thought he had.”
“I do not know.” Lady Eugenia stopped moving for a moment, looking up and touching her chin with one finger. After a moment, she laughed. “It does not matter. I can see how happy you are and how happy Leander is. This is going to be a momentous occasion. I am so glad I get to see it.”
“Do you think Lord Price will ask my father for my hand in the carriage ride back to my house?”
Lady Eugenia’s face fell into a slight frown. “He better not,” she said firmly, making Hestia grin. “He must do that when you are present. It is only right.”
