The Earl did not budge, his eyes set on her despite the rejection.
“Then perhaps you will change your mind if I am honest in my intentions. I do not like the idea of leaving you here and not knowing that you are well. I would welcome your company tomorrow if only to know that you are truly well.”
Eveline smiled and looked up at the star jewelled sky as she wrestled with herself for an answer.
“Very well, my Lord. You may call on me tomorrow. I cannot say for certain what condition you may find me in, but I promise I will accompany you to the festival and hopefully allay your fears for my wellbeing. For now, though, I will bid you a good night.”
Chapter Six
Eveline could not remember the last time that she had felt genuine excitement to be attending the All Hallows’ Eve festival. For the last two years, at least, she had looked down on the festival and its antiquated traditions. Still, the present feeling of excitement she felt was mixed with a feeling of deep trepidation, for which she had abundant cause.
Her first and greatest concern lay with Mary. The admonition she had received from her the previous night was still fresh in her mind, and definite fear set in that she might be in danger of losing her friend, if she did not make amends. Second on her list of concerns was Mr. Byrd. Assuming that the rumours were true, and the gentleman held his nerve, Eveline was sure that he would try to propose at the festival. It was the kind of grand gesture he would think romantic. Moreover, being of a superstitious mind, it was more than likely that he would wish to make his proposal there. He had, after all made his decision by consulting the spirits through the traditional divinations of the season. Surprisingly, this left her meeting with Lord Darlington the least of her concerns.
Despite the revelations and heightened emotions of the previous night, Eveline had slept rather well. Most nights she lay restless in bed, plotting all the ways that she might escape the pull of her tiny little village. That night, however, sleep had come fast, and she was permitted a deep and dreamless slumber that let her awaken refreshed, and ready for what would doubtless be a trying day.
Choosing a fine but practical morning dress of dark green to wear, Eveline began the day by sitting in her usual window perch. She did not while away the hours staring out at the world in a melancholy malaise. Instead she had taken a paring knife from the kitchen and began to carve up a turnip to ward off Stinky Jack.
Eveline still felt no great belief in evil spirits and devils, and she was not about to change her world view just to please her friends and neighbours. Even so, the simple, childish act of carving funny faces was pleasurable in and of itself. The half-remembered actions brought forth to her mind memories of autumns past, and carving up turnips with Mary in the Carter’s family garden. Thinking back, she had not believed in demons or devils then, but she wouldn’t let that stand in the way of enjoying it. Just when had she become so cynical and how had she never seen how ridiculous her obstinate refusal to partake in these little rituals had been?
Her father, of course, found it strange to see his daughter so suddenly engaging in the rituals of the season. He watched her work from his chair for some time, his forehead creased in confusion and suspicion. Though he did not admit it openly, Eveline suspected that her father was worried for her. He likely assumed that she was only opening up to the spirit of the festival in order to please Lord Darlington. Perhaps she might have done, if not for the awakening she had been given the previous night.
By the time a knock was heard at the door, Eveline had made up eight dubiously carved faces. She had not intended to do quite so many, but after the first two came out so terribly, she found herself continuing just so that she might improve her craft.
“That will be the Earl then, will it?” Her father spoke in a slightly derisive tone. “I suppose you are going to show off your little collection there to curry his favour. I hear the man really is quite taken with our village customs.”
Eveline put the knife down on the table and wiped down her dress to shake off the odd flecks of turnip stuck to her.
“No, I don’t wish to trouble him with them. They are hardly masterpieces and I am sure that he has seen enough of them about the village in his travels.”
She looked at the little collection she had made and shrugged her shoulders. “Feel free to put them outside our door if you like. We haven’t done so for a few years now. Or you can just put them back in the kitchen for cooking.”
As Eveline moved off to answer the door she smiled to herself. Though she was not doing it to gain attention, her father’s reaction had been quite amusing.
The hour was only just past eleven and Eveline felt a slight thrill run through her as she opened the door to see Lord Darlington standing waiting for her. Though she had convinced herself that she could not obtain his heart over his short stay, it was still flattering to see him so attentive to her.
“Lord Darlington, good morning.” Eveline gave a polite curtsey, her cheek blushing a little when she noticed the stares from two of her neighbours, two women who gazed at her with palpable envy. Eveline forced her brown eyes to focus on the gentleman, so as not to be intimidated by those watching on. “You are exceedingly early, my Lord. The festival will not begin in earnest until this afternoon.”
This time, it was Lord Darlington who blushed. He too seemed transformed today. The serious uncaring countenance he had worn on their first meeting was gone. Now he was all nervous smiles.
“Forgive me. I had hoped we might take a stroll together before the festival begins. Though it is none of my business, I must confess that I would like to hear just what happened yesterday at the Inn. I will confess it troubled me greatly through the night.”
Eveline gave a soft smile and a little chuckle.
“I am truly sorry to have worried you so, my Lord. As I hope you can see, I am much improved from yesterday.”
He nodded approvingly.
“Your humours do seem much improved. Forgive my impertinence though, I would still like to know just what happened last night to throw you into such a state.”
Eveline smiled and nodded.
“Well, since you went to the trouble of escorting me home I can’t refuse you. Let me get my shawl and gloves and I shall tell you all as best I am able while we walk.”
~~~~~
Eveline was pleasantly surprised to find Lord Darlington so easy to talk to. She did not know if it was the fact that he was easier to confide in as a stranger, or whether some aspect of his character made it easier to trust in him. Whatever the reason though, Eveline found no difficulty in confiding in him.
She spared no detail as they spoke. Even when her revelations cast herself in a bad light, she soldiered on with her tale, laying bare her very soul to the relative stranger who walked with her. She spoke of her mother, of the hardships she had faced settling into quiet village life. She spoke of the pain of losing her at a young age and the belief that her mother had instilled in her, that Old Bridge was a prison she had to one day try to escape from.
As the river began to turn eastwards and the path became narrower, Eveline began to confess her own shortcomings. She did not give herself any quarter as she described all the ways in which she had been an insupportable neighbour, a terrible friend and an ungrateful daughter. As she spoke, she felt gratitude to her walking companion for simply being quiet and letting her tell her story in full without passing judgement.
The two had just come to the turnpike, which would lead them to the neighbouring village of Richford, when Eveline drew to her sad conclusion.
“So that brings us to today. I find myself besieged by a suitor who I do not wish to marry, but whose feelings I cannot bear to hurt, a best friend who has suffered under my petulant moaning of my situation, and the sudden realisation that my entire way of living has been in error these last few years. I became so focussed on the idea that Old Bridge was some sort of prison which I had to escape, that I managed to forget all of the good that exists here
.”
She sighed and let her fingers run over the heads of the tall grass on the side of the path.
“I will not pretend that I have a ready wish to remain here my entire life. I still have a powerful wish to see what else is out there in the world. But, for the first time, I feel like I wish to see the world because I wish to expand my horizons, not simply so that I might leave this place behind.”
Eveline grew silent, her eyes darting to Lord Darlington as she awaited his verdict. A part of her expected him to admonish her, as Mary had, before storming away without her.
Rather than continue walking, Lord Darlington guided Eveline to the edge of the river, where the grass was just a little shorter. He tested the ground to ensure that it was not too wet, and then sat down, bidding her to do likewise. Only when they were both sitting comfortably did he begin to speak. He turned his body to face her and his eyes seemed to bore straight into her, like he was trying to communicate with her very soul.
“Well, Miss Carter, I must confess that I am impressed.”
Eveline blinked and drew a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Impressed? Of all the reactions that I might have expected, I had not anticipated that.”
He gave a good-natured laugh and picked a blade of grass. Eveline watched as he began to absent-mindedly fashion it into a whistle.
“I mean, I am not saying that I am approving of the actions that have led you here, but I am impressed that you have so wholeheartedly thrown yourself into improvement. It is a rare gift to be able to accept the criticism of others. London is full of people - grand, noble people - who have never been able to accept a single criticism or harsh word in their life.”
Eveline blushed. It felt strange to be complimented, after all that she had said - she didn’t think herself worthy of it.
“I suppose the great men and women of London have money and status to help console themselves when they become victims of critique, or else to buy new friends. I have neither power nor money, so if I do not look to improve myself I might well lose everyone dear to me in time.”
Darlington laughed again and gave a blow on the grass whistle he had made. It made a high-pitched noise which caused him to smile like a child. It was really quite endearing.
“For what it’s worth, I know the frustration you feel though.”
“You do?” Eveline learned closer, curious about what parallelism’s he could see, that she did not.
“Yes,” Darlington said directly. “Do you think that my father was happy to see me wanting to gallivant across the globe to the Americas in my youth? While I cannot deny that my rank affords me many privileges, and I should hardly complain about my lot in life, for the longest time I felt as you did: trapped in a cage. I can understand how desperate that longing for adventure and experience can make a person. Goodness, I dread to think what I might have become if I had not seized the opportunity to travel to America when I did, to undertake business there.” He sighed and shook his head. “The only difference between us was that I had the means to break free of my cage.”
Eveline’s lips drew thin and she nodded sadly.
“Yes. The opportunities available to a woman of only mediocre fortunes are never broad. I will confess, it was that which had me begging Mary to introduce us yesterday, and why I tried so hard to curry your favour.” She blushed and shook her head, eyes turning to the river. “Silly of me really.”
Darlington put out a hand, surprising Eveline as his fingers wrapped about hers consolingly.
“No more so than every other single young lady who has tried to steer themselves into my path. Your attempts at flirtation were perhaps the worst I have experienced to date, but now that I know your situation, I will not hold that against you.”
Eveline found a smile returning to her face. The gentleman had a sense of humour very much like Mary’s, teasing without ever seeming insulting. It was unfair to think that, after having come to terms with the likelihood that she would not gain his affection, she should find her heart begin to truly feel for him.
She did not know if he had some power that let him pick up on her mood, but his next question seemed all the more relevant.
“So, what will you do about Mr Byrd’s upcoming proposal. You mentioned that he would ask for your hand today.”
Eveline nodded and tried to swallow the lump suddenly growing in her throat.
“Really, I would be a fool not to marry him. After all, he really is a good man and I do not wish to see him hurt by rejecting him. With a distinct lack of any greater prospects on the horizon for me, I run the risk of courting spinsterhood if I refuse him. While I hope, one day, to mend the hurt and insult which I have given my other neighbours here, I imagine that it will be years before they fully accept me, and my time for finding a husband will have passed.”
“A grim image indeed. Still, if you would permit me to wade into the matter with my opinion, I do not think that you should marry him.”
Lord Darlington’s expression was stoic and certain and Eveline was surprised to see the singular conviction in his eye.
“You think that I should not?”
She hesitated. She wanted to snatch at his counsel desperately, but was it really the correct course?
“I know that you wish to make amends to your friends, and to the people whom you have wronged in this town. I know too that you do not wish to wound the heart of a good man. Even so, it seems that Mr Byrd is basing too much of his decision on superstitions and the prompting given him by one divination around a bonfire. If you do not truly love him, yet marry him to spare his feelings, you run the risk of destroying both of your hearts in the end.”
“Then, what am I to do. I know that it sounds weak willed of me, but I do not wish to embarrass him in front of the community by rejecting him when he asks for my hand. I couldn’t bear to let him face such a humiliation.”
The Earl thought for a bit, stroking his chin as he looked out over the river.
“If you’ll let me, I think I have a trick that might work.”
“A trick?”
Eveline repeated the word, puzzled.
“It means that I might have to forgo the pleasure of your company for the festival tonight, but if it will help you through this predicament, it is the least I can do.”
Chapter Seven
Though Eveline had agreed to the plan, she had one regret, as she set out that evening to the bonfire festival. With Lord Darlington now focussed on helping to convince Mr. Byrd to abandon his proposal, Eveline found herself walking to the event alone. Ordinarily, she would have had no qualms stepping out alone, but she had come to enjoy the Earl’s company after their morning’s walk and was becoming more and more aware that, once All Hallows had passed, he would likely follow the road out of Old Bridge and back to London.
That thought made the time which they spent together seem doubly precious, as such a meeting would surely never be affected again in the future. Still, even as Eveline’s mind dwelt on the possibility of her acquaintance with Lord Darlington being short lived, her eyes became captivated by a sight she had not beheld for two years past.
The sun had all but set below the western horizon and the sky was slowly being given up to the moon and the stars. Added to these lights though, an earthly body of lights had arisen to hold back the darkness. In the middle of Potter’s Field, just on the edge of the village, a roaring bonfire of truly prodigious proportions had been set alight, bathing the field in a bright orange glow which easily rivalled the blaze of the setting sun. Even from a great distance, Eveline was sure that she could feel its warmth, and it drew her to it as if she were a doomed moth: thoroughly entranced.
Savouring the journey, Eveline walked at a slow pace, determined to take in all of the smells and sensations around her as she went. Her body felt awakened, as if for the first time, and she was able to take in the world in a way that she had not thought possible. She revelled in it, enjoying the bite of the chilly autumn night on her sk
in as dearly as she enjoyed the thick smell of smoke that rose up from the great pyre in the middle of the field.
Others passed her, many whispering their surprise at seeing the ever contrary and haughty Miss Carter deigning to grace the All Hallows celebrations with her presence. One particularly loud young woman suggested to her friends that Eveline had only come so that she could look down on them, or make snide comments whenever the opportunity presented itself. Eveline made no reply to the barbed comment. She had more than earned such suspicion and censure in her last few years, and her neighbours were not about to forgive and forget because she happened to attend one village festival. Aside from Lord Darlington, there was only one person at the festival whose mind Eveline hoped to influence that night.
As soon as Eveline entered the field, she began her quest. She walked about the field in a round, passing through the groups of villagers and the makeshift stalls, looking for her friend. It was hard not to be distracted though. So many of the games people played caught her eye. In one corner, young women were carving their initials into apples then throwing them eagerly into barrels of water. Apple bobbing had always been a fun game, though women did not play it for fear of messing up their hair. It was always amusing though to see young gentlemen and children dunking their heads eagerly into the cold water, emerging soaking wet and dripping all over their good clothes. Whenever any found an apple with an engraved initial upon it, men and women alike would try to work out to whose name they had found. Like all the traditions around All Hallows night, it was a long-standing belief that couples divined through these games were destined to love each other. It really was a charming diversion so long as those indulging in such games did not take the results too seriously as Mr. Byrd had. Eveline reminded herself that she had put her trust in Lord Darlington to deal with that particular issue and she continued to wind her way around the field, drawing nearer to the bonfire as she looked for her friend.
Love in the Moonlight: A Regency Romance All Hallows' Eve Collection: 7 Delightful Regency Romance All Hallows' Eve Stories (Regency Collections Book 6) Page 46
