by Abby Ayles
“Oh, what does that matter?” she asked him with a smile. “You know that you wish to see more of her. That’s a sure sign of your affections.”
She said all this with a sad sort of smile. He could tell that she wished him well, but there was clearly a bit of caution that needed to be applied to the situation. After all, Noelle was a lady; she couldn’t be romantically linked to just anyone.
Rodrick was painfully aware of this fact. Still, Lady Noelle had come to see him. She made the decision to spend further time with him, and that had to mean something!
He never would have suspected that Alfie would show up at Westwood and make such a show of flirting with the younger sister of Lady Noelle instead of the lady herself. It had been cruel and rather heartless, especially knowing that the lady had so looked forward to being his dance partner at her parents’ ball.
What in the blazes could have possessed the man to flirt with Lady Catherine? I doubt very much that he was there to see James on business matters or to give regards to Uncle Alexander.
Rodrick just knew that Alphonse had somehow found out about the ladies being in Hertfordshire and invited himself over in order to finally view what he’d tried so hard to ignore before.
And he paid very little mind to poor Lady Noelle, not that it seemed to bother her all that much. She mostly seemed shocked that her sister… And then there’s poor Jamie.
Rodrick frowned as he gazed out of the window at the rolling hills beyond his house. It was no wonder, then, why Alphonse had so quickly left the party with the arrival of the Earl of Montgomery. He knew that he wouldn’t get away with his licentious flirting in front of the old earl.
Uncle Alexander likely knows of James’s regard for the girl, too, Rodrick thought. And he surely wouldn’t stand for Alphonse’s impropriety.
He couldn’t help wondering why on earth Lady Catherine had flirted back. She knew of James’s affections. Indeed, according to James, she’d told him as much – and said that she returned them.
Otherwise, Rodrick wouldn’t have ever thought to invite her along… But for the fact that Lady Noelle needed a companion on the journey.
“Suppose I do love her,” he said to his mother then with another wistful sigh. “It’s not as if anything would come of it. She’s destined to marry Alphonse or someone like him.”
Eleanor looked at her son with sad eyes as well as a sad smile now. “I wish that there was something that could be done about it,” she said to him. “But we both know that you’re more suited to marry a nice girl from here in town, not the daughter of a duke.”
Rodrick indeed knew that. But that didn’t mean that he had to agree with it.
After a few days of trying to keep his mind off of things, he decided to go back to Westwood and pay a visit to his cousin on his own. James received him most joyously and they sat together in the mansion’s grand drawing room.
The Earl of Montgomery was off on another adventure in the woods with his dogs. Rodrick wasn’t surprised by that at all. The old man should enjoy his land.
“How have you been getting on?” James asked Rodrick as they sipped their brandy together. “Does your home feel as unenchanting as mine does now that our lovely guests have gone?”
Rodrick nodded. “I feel silly because it isn’t as though I felt completely at ease when they were there. But all the same, I miss their presence.”
“It is an adjustment to be around new people in a setting that’s your own,” James said thoughtfully. “I noticed that Lady Noelle seemed quite taken with the land here.”
“Oh, she expressed fondness not only of your home but of mine as well! What are the odds of that?” Rodrick smiled at his cousin.
He knew that Wildhill was a nice home, but it was, in essence, a cottage in comparison to James’s and Uncle Alexander’s castle. But then he remembered the way Lady Noelle had looked when she was on his land, exploring his cottage. She’d seemed rather at home there and had never complained.
He didn’t believe that it had been purely politeness. Noelle’s eyes didn’t light up like that when she was just anywhere.
James gave him an understanding, sympathetic look. He carefully placed his glass on the table in front of him. “I’ve always thought that Wildhill was such a pleasant and comfortable home myself,” he replied.
“This house may be lovely, but it’s also so… cavernous and cold.” He looked around the opulent drawing room. “It’s no wonder that I grew up believing that there were ghosts roaming these halls.”
Rodrick smirked a bit at his cousin. “You should’ve regaled Lady Noelle about that. She seemed to take a particular interest in the abandoned old rooms upstairs.”
James chuckled, shaking his head. “I didn’t wish to subject her to so much filth,” he said. “Perhaps it’s true that we ought to have those rooms cleaned and prepared for more guests.”
“They’d make some very handsome rooms for children someday,” Rodrick said casually.
James smiled and Rodrick noticed that there was some amount of sadness in that smile. “Yes, that is my hope,” he said softly. Picking up his glass again, he took a long, slow sip of his brandy.
“Lady Catherine was looking quite lovely, wasn’t she?” Rodrick asked him, prodding a little. He was concerned that his cousin had yet to make his intentions known. “She would certainly keep a man on his toes.”
“Yes,” James said with a nod. “It is a pity that she is to marry Fairfax.”
Rodrick looked at him in surprise. “Indeed, sir, you are wrong. Lady Catherine is not betrothed to anyone, last I heard. It is her sister Lady Noelle…”
James seemed to be thinking the same thing that he was; the way that Alphonse carried on with Lady Catherine made it seem as though he was intended for her. But Rodrick thought that everyone knew Alphonse was a rake.
“Why do you think that he spent so long speaking with Lady Catherine then?” James asked.
“Perhaps he got them mixed up,” Rodrick suggested with a small smirk. “Upon my word, they don’t look so very alike but they are after all sisters. And anyway, we don’t exactly know what their conversation entailed.”
Rodrick supposed that merely talking together at a gathering didn’t mean anything. After all, he’d spoken at great length with Lady Noelle, and that didn’t mean that they were all set for the marriage altar. That seemed rather silly to him.
This seemed to pluck up James’s spirits. He smiled a genuine smile at his cousin and nodded his head again. “That is true; though they are sisters, they do not seem very like one another to me.”
“You should make your feelings known,” Rodrick said to him, gently clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a friendly shake. “For if you don’t, surely someone will.”
“Isn’t it proper for her sister to be engaged first?” James asked, unsure. “I wouldn’t want to cause a stir.”
Rodrick smiled at his cousin, appreciating him all the more for hearing him say such a thing. James was a proper and polite sort of gentleman. He put the gentle in ‘gentleman.’
“I suppose, then, we must wait until Lord Drake makes his intentions known to Lady Noelle,” he said. Alphonse is the opposite of James. He makes a real show of being a gentleman, when the mood suits him.
“And what if he does not?” James asked him. “I thought that you and the lady made a fine match. I saw the way you were together – so easy and full of smiles.”
As nice as Rodrick felt it was to hear, it didn’t exactly help him. “Lady Noelle will never marry me,” he told his cousin dismissively, trying to keep a smile on his face. “Even if she consented, her parents never would.”
James’s smile faltered somewhat and then he nodded his head. “Yes, you’re quite right… I’m sorry.”
Rodrick laughed softly, shaking his head. “I think that you should wait and see what Lord Drake does, but you should waste no time in letting Lady Catherine know of your intentions. I know you’re shy, but you should speak with h
er as often as you can.”
He knew, of course, that this must be left to Jamie but he sincerely hoped that his cousin would find the nerve to court the lady before she lost interest in him or was swept away by another suitor. He stayed at Westwood for a while longer, and then he returned home to his mother. As happy as he was to be in Hertfordshire, he was restless. He wished that he could meet with Alphonse again and suggest the union to him.
There is quite a bit of truth in what James said. As much as it would pain me to see Lady Noelle with someone else, I would much rather she be happy. I don’t know what I should do if she moved away and I never saw her again.
Rodrick told himself not to even think of such things. It would do him no good to imagine a future without her in his life, especially as it was highly possible.
He went into his study and took out some paper and a pen. Sitting at his desk, he quickly scrawled a letter to his friend. He wished that he could confess to Alphonse the way that he felt about Lady Noelle, but instead he did his best to simply urge his friend to consider marriage to her.
Alphonse was not the sort of man who took advice; that was the problem. That was one of many problems. Rodrick fondly recalled the times they’d shared together as boys at school, but he felt as though he’d grown up and matured whereas Alfie was still the same old Alfie.
Dear Lord Drake,
I know that you live a life of enjoyment and leisure, but I implore you to think of the future. Your father is not going to be around forever, and when he is gone it would be far better for you if you had a wife. Lady Noelle may not be your choice, but she is a wonderful young woman and she will do you great credit.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rodrick Edwards
He felt so awkward, writing about the lady in such a way. He never thought of her as a ‘credit,’ but he supposed that was one of the few benefits of not being involved in all of that nobility ton nonsense. Rodrick was free to love her even if Alphonse never would.
Chapter 17
When Noelle and Kitty arrived back at Grosvenor Square, there was a flurry of excitement that they couldn’t help but get swept up in. Word had gotten out that the Viscount of Kent – dear Mr. Andrews – was engaged to marry none other than Miss Lydia Quinn! Noelle was overjoyed for her best friend.
The Viscount of Kent was an old family friend. Noelle had known him for as long as she could remember. Indeed, she’d been little more than a baby when her parents met him.
There’s a certain symmetry to this, she thought with a smile as her mother fluttered around, talking of nothing else but the future Viscountess. Two of my oldest and dearest friends getting married.
Of course, it reminded her yet again that she didn’t have any current prospects herself. Catherine was besotted with Lord Edwards, a man who was going to be an earl someday, and now her best friend had found herself a match with a viscount. Meanwhile, the Marquess of Fairfax evidently wanted nothing whatsoever to do with her.
She had done her best. She’d smiled at him when he greeted her; she’d shown interest in him; she’d been enthusiastic when he spoke. Yet he’d chosen to spend more time walking and chatting with Kitty.
Noelle decided that she shouldn’t dwell on such a thing, even though she knew that her mother would be curious and care about his neglect. There were, after all, other gentlemen in the world. But I certainly shouldn’t tell Mother who my mind first goes to when I think that…
Since it had been a long time since she’d seen her friend, she sat at her desk and wrote a quick note to Lydia, inviting her to come to pay a visit to her house in London.
Dearest Miss Lydia,
Please come visit me at my house in London. We have much and more to discuss!
You know how dreary it can be here for me sometimes. Between Mother and Catherine, I should lose my wits if I’m not careful! Time spent with you will help me a great deal, and I cannot wait to hear more about you and the Viscount of Kent!
Fondly,
Lady Noelle
She sent this letter off in the hand of a servant and thanked her lucky stars that at least her father was understanding. And there was always Emily; her younger sister was much more sensible than anyone gave her credit for. What had her smart sister been up to while she was gone to Hertfordshire?
Noelle found Emily in the library, happily leafing through another one of her leather-bound tomes. She was safe there for the moment because there wasn’t a ball planned, though their mother could still be in a mood. “Is this where you’ve been the entire time we were elsewhere?”
Emily looked up from her book and smiled at Noelle. “No, sometimes I was in my room,” she replied. She set her book aside. “How was Wildhill?”
It was impressive that she recalled the name of Mr. Edwards’s home. Noelle had only mentioned it but once in conversation with her.
“It was quite nice,” Noelle replied with a smile of her own. “It was something out of a storybook, actually. A fairy tale.”
Emily lit up even more at this. “Was Mr. Edwards very charming?” she asked her. “I remember how sweet he was when you first met.”
Noelle blushed a bit. She’d nearly forgotten that her little sister had been there when she met the gentleman at the ball for the Viscount of Kent. It seemed like so much had happened since then, but she supposed that it really hadn’t been that long ago.
“Yes,” she said with a smile, feeling a little embarrassed. “He was quite charming and kind to me. But you know it doesn’t matter.”
Emily blinked at her, confused. “Why shouldn’t it matter? He’s a handsome gentleman and I think it is good that you should have him as your friend.”
“If only Mama felt the same way you do,” Noelle said. “She would likely tell me that I’m wasting my time on him when I should be waiting here in the hopes of the marquess visiting me. You know she only approved this visit really because of Lord Edwards.”
“Mother doesn’t always understand things like she thinks she does,” Emily said. She could be profound sometimes. Noelle figured that it was because she was always reading.
“I do envy you and our younger sisters for your ability to choose for yourselves rather than worrying about all of this nonsense,” she said wistfully.
Not wishing to disturb Emily’s study of her precious books, she left her there in the library and went off to the sitting room to join their mother there and have some tea.
“It sounds as though your sister did well for herself last weekend,” her mother said without looking up from her knitting. “She tells me that the marquess was dashing and friendly towards her. But why was he not so with you?”
Noelle hadn’t really brought up the business with the marquess with her mother. She didn’t wish to start on that now either, partially because she felt rather embarrassed about it. Leave it to Kitty to make sure to mention it, though.
“I don’t know, Mother,” she said with a shrug of a shoulder, leaning in to pour herself some tea. “Perhaps he has decided that he doesn’t like me for one reason or another. One can’t always assume that such things will work out just because he is a marquess and she is the daughter of a duke. It’s not always that simple.”
Her mother frowned, clearly displeased that Noelle wasn’t more perturbed by this. “I do wish you’d stop all of this nonsense and secure a match for yourself – a decent match. I don’t want to hear any more of this Mr. Edwards rubbish.”
Noelle frowned right back at her. “It’s not as if I’m doing any of this on purpose,” she countered. “It’s not my fault that the marquess didn’t come to the party and it’s not my fault that he chose to speak more with Catherine.”
The duchess rolled her eyes at Noelle. “Really,” she said. That was a common complaint noise of hers when she didn’t quite know what to say but she nevertheless expected one to understand that she was frustrated.
“Really,” Noelle said emphatically, nodding her head. “Ask Emily about it. I’d tell you to go ahead
and ask Mr. Edwards, but you and I both know that you’d never deign to speak with him even though he’s only ever been completely sweet and charming towards all of us.”
Noelle could feel herself becoming heated now. She didn’t wish to argue with her mother, but she was just so tired of being the one who was at fault in some way or other. She finished sipping her tea quickly and then left the room, stalking up the staircase back to her bedchamber where she could seethe in peace.
She was thankful when not a full day went by before she received a call from Lydia. As soon as their butler announced Miss Quinn’s arrival, Noelle went to the stairs and rushed down to greet her in the doorway. The two ladies curtsied and smiled at each other in their excitement both at seeing each other again and at all the news they had to share.
