by Abigail Agar
“Of course! What reason would I have to feel anything different?” Isla asked.
It bothered Beatrice to think that Lord Hawthorn was being used for his title and fortune, but that was just how society worked for men of his station. If it was not Lord Seton marrying off his daughter for the sake of the family’s status, it would be another father.
She realised that even noblemen and noblewomen had to face challenges each day. Even they had to accept that there were rules within society, even if they disliked those rules.
Yes, Beatrice’s life was hard, always having to fight and work for things that others were given. But at least she was not used for the greed of others. At least she knew that when people claimed to care about her or to like her, they really meant it.
“It is going to be a very grand wedding?” Beatrice asked, shifting the subject to a more exciting aspect.
“Have I not told you? It is going to be absolutely marvelous! We shall have half of England present. And my gown is already being made. I can hardly wait to show you. I must ask Mother if you are able to accompany us the next time we go to see its progress,” Isla said, looking truly happy this time.
“Describe it for me,” Beatrice said, glad to see Isla so excited about at least this aspect of the wedding.
“Oh, it is so lovely, so grand! There is a long train at the back. Can you imagine? And there is silk from the West Indies that has been brought in for some of the accents,” Isla said.
Beatrice could hardly imagine the expense that must have gone into the making of the gown, but she was not surprised. It was reasonable enough that Lord and Lady Seton would choose such extravagance. If they wanted their daughter to be worthy of Lord Hawthorn’s fortune, it meant putting out a fortune of their own on the family’s image.
There was no point asking Isla about the comment that had been made by her mother and father. If she did not love Lord Hawthorn, it would come out in time. But for now, she just wanted to be there for her friend. If Isla decided to talk about it, she would.
“I have been thinking about what it will be like for you when I am gone,” Isla said, suddenly speaking to one of Beatrice’s fears.
She looked away, not knowing whether or not it was wise to tell Isla that she, too, had been worried.
“I do hope that you will stay. You know that my mother and father adore you. And, by the time Cecile and Mary are too old for a governess, I hope to have a daughter of my own. If I am fortunate, I shall have many sons and daughters. Then you could live with us,” Isla said.
Beatrice grinned and nodded.
“That would be wonderful,” she said.
Ignoring the fact that she wanted a husband and family of her own, Beatrice thought it would be a nice option to remain with Isla. Of course it would be difficult, living so near Lord Hawthorn.
It was silly, Beatrice thought. It was silly of her to even have a second thought about Lord Hawthorn. So they had enjoyed a nice conversation one evening; what of it? It was hardly as though he would have any reason at all to think well of her, or for her to be so sensitive to his impending marriage to Isla.
Beatrice steadied herself and took a deep breath, turning back to Isla.
“In fact, I think it would be ideal. I should love to be near you and to help raise your children. So long as I do not find a match of my own before then, I would be honored,” Beatrice said.
“Excellent. In that case, we shall always have a place for you,” Isla said.
Despite the fact that Beatrice wanted more than her friend’s charity, she was grateful. She would always have a place and that was something that most people only ever longed for.
Chapter 12
The pages in Peter’s hands were beginning to blur. He wondered how long he could simply sit there, staring at numbers like that. Was he always going to be stuck with the drudgery or would he eventually manage to find more excitement in his trade business?
He already knew the answer to that. Once he had the products in his hands, he would feel the thrill again. That was always how it went. He was bored from the monotony of staring at papers all day and then? All he had to do was smell the fresh, dry tea or the scent of tobacco leaves and everything would be worth it again.
Peter closed his eyes and tried to imagine it, inhaling the aroma of the product, indulging in the sips of quality tea that warmed his belly.
Yes, he could stare at these pages for a little while longer.
“Lord Hawthorn?” came a voice at the door.
“Just a moment,” Peter said, not looking up.
The man cleared his throat, causing Peter to finally glance in that direction. Immediately, he gasped and stood straight up from the chair, nearly knocking it backward.
“Lord Seton! Oh, goodness, you must forgive me. I did not know that it was you. Please, come in, come in. Have a seat. Tea? Something stronger?” he offered, in a rush to undo the sin of having asked his future father-in-law to wait.
“Tea will suit me, thank you,” Lord Seton said, his pride easily recovered.
Peter stuck his head out of the little room that he used as an office in the main building where his business was based. He got the attention of Miss Heel and gave her wide, pleading eyes. Immediately she got up and grabbed an empty teacup.
He pulled back into the room and sat down across from Lord Seton.
“The tea shall be just a moment,” he said.
“Excellent. I had a moment, you know, to look over your operations. Impressive, to be sure. You clearly know what you are doing. I am always astounded by a man who has a head for business,” Lord Seton remarked.
“Thank you, My Lord. I am glad that you can see the work that we are doing. It has been a good business, certainly,” Peter said.
“And with a flourishing profit, I suspect?” he asked.
It was a somewhat invasive question, but did not cross the line of offense. Peter simply nodded.
“Indeed, Lord Seton,” he replied.
Miss Heel entered the room with the tea and set it before Lord Seton, who appeared pleased.
“Very good, very good. I can see that there is nothing to worry about in terms of your work ethic. My daughter is very lucky to have the interest of a man like you, no doubt. I do trust that you are going to take excellent care of her,” Lord Seton said.
“I have every intention of doing just that,” Peter replied.
“I am glad to hear it. And how have things been between yourself and my daughter?” Lord Seton asked.
Peter straightened his back, not entirely sure how he was meant to answer the question. After all, things had been perfectly well between him and Lady Seton. There had not been a remarkable spark, by any means, but he understood that he was being given the chance of marrying a lovely woman and it was in everyone’s best interest that he proceed with the marriage.
“She is a most genial girl,” Peter said. “I am glad to know that you would consider me to be worthy of her.”
“Oh, I can think of no better man to marry my Isla than yourself. She is precious to me, in every way. And because of that, I believe that she deserves a good man. Your father was an excellent man before you and now, you have taken his position and have done a splendid job of continuing in his footsteps,” Lord Seton said.
“Thank you very much, Lord Seton. I am looking forward to marrying your daughter. She really is an excellent woman,” Peter said.
Not only was it the right thing to say, but he did mean it, in a way. Perhaps he did not know her very well yet, but that hardly changed the fact that she was kind and appeared to be as excellent a woman as he would find.
And they had enjoyed small bits of conversation thus far. Yes, she was a creature of society more than he, but that hardly made a difference when Peter considered that his future bride was still far better than many of the others that he had met.
She did not have the shallow, desperate sensibilities that so many young ladies had. That much was a comfort to Peter. And,
although he was not certain why Lord Seton would come like this and be so determined to find out his opinion regarding Lady Seton, Peter convinced himself that he would just have to show Lord Seton that he would be a good husband who would value her, no matter what.
“Now, Lord Hawthorn, I am very glad that you see the value that is to be found in my daughter. However, I should very much like to remind you that young women are often not so well aware of the opinions of men,” Lord Seton said.
“Pardon me? What do you mean by that?” Peter asked.
“Well, you must always consider that a young woman isn’t necessarily going to recognise your opinion of her unless you share it with her. For instance, I do not know if my daughter sees that you care for her,” Lord Seton said.
“Ah, I see, Lord Seton. You think your daughter believes me to be uninterested in the marriage?” Peter asked, suddenly feeling panic wash over him.
Had he failed to make himself appear eager? Had his misgivings been too strong? How could he better have avoided this?
Peter was frustrated with himself, having thought that he had done well to show his interest and happiness at being betrothed to Lady Seton. She certainly was the best that he might hope for.
“I cannot say that she believes you to be uninterested. It is only that I have not seen her as confident as I might have hoped for or expected. Tell me - do you think that she knows that you care for her? You have spoken to her on this matter more than I have,” Lord Seton asked.
Peter was extremely uncomfortable, but understood the response that was expected of him. He had little choice other than to tell Lord Seton that he would make a greater effort to show his interest.
“You are right that she must know that I care for her. I shall make an effort to express it, Lord Seton,” he promised.
A smile spread across the man’s face and Peter understood that he had made the precise declaration that had been desired of him.
“That would be ideal, Lord Hawthorn. Please, if you will, make certain that my daughter knows of your interest in her. I do believe that young women need such verification before they are willing to share the feelings of their own,” Lord Seton said.
“Of course, Lord Seton. You are a wise man,” Peter said.
Lord Seton took a sip of his tea and placed it back on the saucer, gently, before setting it off to the side and leaning forward as though he was really ready to speak his mind.
“Young ladies are such delicate creatures. You know, when I married Lady Seton, my dear Audrey, I was a bit of a fool myself. I thought she was lovely, the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. But I was young, and nearly every woman who crossed my path was the most beautiful that I had ever seen,” Lord Seton said with a laugh.
Peter smiled, politely, and glanced away.
“What I mean to say is that we can hardly help it that there are so many young women to choose from. But, just as I made the right choice in proceeding with my engagement to Audrey, you are making the right decision to marry Isla, my dear daughter. I just know that the two of you shall be happy together,” Lord Seton said.
“Indeed, I am sure that you are right,” Peter replied.
“And she is every bit as good a dancer as her mother was. Better, perhaps. She is well-known for it among society. You might even think that she was born to the skill, although I daresay that she has trained rather extensively to be such an elegant and graceful dancer. The most exquisite in any ballroom,” he said, continuing to lay compliments to his daughter for the sake of prestige.
“I did notice that she is rather skilled. I fear that I am somewhat lacking in the area of dance,” Peter said, acknowledging his failure.
“Well, with my daughter on your arm, you can rest assured that no one will ever even notice that you are present. At any ball, during any dance, all eyes shall be on my dear Isla,” Lord Seton said.
“That is a great assurance, Lord Seton. Thank you,” Peter said, trying to continue in his friendly manner, even if he did find the whole conversation a bit tedious.
There was a part of Peter that was beginning to wonder why he had allowed himself to get into this whole situation. Having agreed to the marriage for the sake of his father’s memory now felt a little bit foolish.
It was not because of Lady Seton that he was suddenly uneasy about the whole matter, but rather because her father was so intense about the subject. He was not simply encouraging the match, he was manipulating it.
That did not sit well with Peter in the least.
Nevertheless, he was fond of Lord Seton and his entire family, so Peter could not break the bonds of friendship now. He was committed, for better or for worse.
Peter was also frustrated with himself. He ought to have done a better job getting to know Lady Isla Seton, rather than pining for the governess, Miss Cloud, with whom he had been so taken.
He had never thought himself to be the sort of man who would have feelings for any woman other than his wife, and he realised that this was as close to that as he could come.
Then again, he had only seen Miss Cloud on a few occasions. There was no reason to think that his feelings had gone too far. After all, he didn’t even know her. He had only experienced a few lovely conversations and encounters. Nothing more.
And yet, even as he told himself this, he knew that his intrigue with her had already made an impression upon his mind.
“Would you like more tea, Lord Seton?” Peter offered, hoping to redirect his own thoughts.
“Oh, no, no, thank you,” Lord Seton said. “I ought to be going now. But, you must tell me, was this the tea that your company is importing?”
“Yes, it is. Are you fond of it?” Peter asked.
“Certainly. It is quite good. I believe that having you as my son-in-law will have yet another benefit,” Lord Seton said with a laugh.
Peter laughed as well and nodded to him.
“Yes, Lord Seton. Any time you wish it, I shall have tea brought to you,” he said.
With a bow and a farewell, Lord Seton departed, leaving Peter feeling bewildered and overwhelmed by the future that lay ahead of him.
Whatever was to come, he would have to gather his feelings and hide them away.
Otherwise, he would be risking everything.
Chapter 13
Relief flooded Beatrice as the little house came into view.
She was home.
It had been quite some time since her last visit home and Beatrice was thrilled for the chance to see her mother and her eldest sister, Louise. But now that she had arrived, she couldn’t be happier.
The cart took her along the road and Beatrice called for a stop so that she could jump off, grab her bag, and walk the short distance to the home. After reaching the door she knocked, and entered without waiting for a reply.
“Oh! Bea!” her mother exclaimed, having just passed by the door.
“Mother, I am so happy to see you,” Beatrice said.
“I wasn’t sure when you would arrive. How was the journey? You must be exhausted. And hungry. Do you need something to eat?” her mother asked.
“That would be lovely. I brought some bread and cheese with me for the journey, but I shared it with a couple of the people who were also traveling. I don’t believe they had enough money with them to buy anything,” Beatrice said, sad for the thin young man and woman.
