by Lucy Langton
“We all did,” Martha encouraged Sophie, and Louisa groaned.
“If you two are going to keep talking like this, I am retiring to my room and will not come out until he has gone!” Louisa cried somewhat dramatically, taking her hands off her face and glaring at Sophie and Martha.
Sophie looked at Martha, and both women shrugged. “I suppose we have no choice then but to drop the matter,” Sophie said, sounding disappointed. “But why don’t you tell me about him, so that I can decide if I want to take up cupid’s misplaced arrow for myself and aim it right at that fine young man’s …”
“His name is Isaac Quince,” Louisa conveniently interrupted Sophie right when she was about to get inappropriate. “He’s the son of the late Duke of Grenfell, and the younger brother of the current Duke of Grenfell. He just completed his time at the university as he wants to become a lawyer.”
Sophie raised an eyebrow at Louisa and said, “The son of a nobleman, and studying to become a lawyer in his own right? Mrs Pelham, could you or I have dreamed up a more perfect match for little Lulu?”
Louisa rolled her eyes. Even though Sophie was almost the same age as her (perhaps only a few years younger) and the two young women were quite good friends, Sophie loved to tease Louisa at every chance that she got. She was a playful, vibrant young woman who had been Louisa’s almost constant companion since Sophie was hired on in the house. Even if she got on Louisa’s nerves from time to time, she was still incredibly grateful to have her in the place.
“Don’t call me that,” Louisa scolded her, “and I shall decide for myself whether or not I believe him to be a suitable match for me. Although ...”
She had wanted to continue telling Sophie off for assuming that she had wanted to court Isaac right away, but then she remembered that since her sister’s disappearance with Nathan, not a single man had paid even a scrap of attention to Louisa. It seemed that not only had Evelyn ruined the family’s social ties and standing, but she had also barred her sister from ever making a good match.
That made her think that the pleasant conversation that she and Isaac had was nothing more than that – just polite small talk. There was absolutely no way that Isaac could ever see Louisa as a potential wife, and so any interest that he had shown in her must have simply been because he was interested in buying their home.
“Never mind,” Louisa said abruptly. “I am going to take Lloyd for a walk and shall likely not return until our visitor has left. Please give him my best.” Before either Sophie or Martha could respond, Louisa was out the door with Lloyd trotting along happily beside her.
When Louisa was out in the bright early afternoon air, she suddenly felt much less suffocated. Standing there in the sitting room, she had begun to feel like she was watching a wave that her sister had created come slowly crashing down upon her. She felt enraged at Evelyn once more and knew the only way to deal with that was to walk.
Lloyd was as happy as a pig in night soil with this decision, for although he was left to roam about the grounds of the house for much of the day, he rarely ever got to go for a proper, purposeful walk. Louisa looked down at him as she tried to encourage the storm inside her head to dissipate, and seeing him so serenely happy just being out there with her did wonders for her mood.
The girl and her dog reached Louisa’s favourite spot in the whole area after a long traipse through the woods. It was a lush section of the forest that had a small stream running through it. When Louisa was little, she and Evelyn used to come here and pretend they were runaway orphans, and they made this little area into their outdoor home.
That memory only made Louisa sad now, as she realized that Evelyn was a runaway for real now. Of course, Evelyn was not the same type of runaway that the girls had played make-believe, but regardless, the memory was still tarnished by reality.
Despite this, however, Louisa decided to sit by the water and try to focus on anything other than all of the things that were troubling her. Louisa let Lloyd wander around the area, knowing that he was so loyal and obedient that he would go no further than anywhere he could see her from, and then she closed her eyes.
And while she tried to encourage herself to focus on anything other than what was going on at the house right now, her mind kept drifting back to Isaac. She imagined she and Isaac living in her house together with Lloyd, and that made her feel a little happier for a few minutes.
Then, she imagined what it would be like to have Isaac come home to her after a long day of work and how their idyllic little life would seem. That engaged her for another short while. Finally, she allowed herself the sinful pleasure of imagining what it would be like when she and Isaac turned out the light at night, and their bodies were pressed against each other beneath the quilt ...
“Oh ...” Louisa let out a quiet moan at that thought.
But then, she was rudely jarred from her fantasy when she heard a voice say from behind her, “Are you hurt?”
Louisa’s eyes sprung open, and she whirled around to see Isaac on his horse, looking at her with concern in his eyes. “What? Yes, I’m ... I’m fine,” Louisa stammered, trying to stand up.
“It’s just that you made a sound like you were hurt when you were sitting there,” Isaac said gently, “so I thought …”
“No, no,” Louisa reassured him, finally managing to stand. “I was just ... Why are you out here?”
“This is a short cut that I usually take,” Isaac explained gently. “I told my driver to take the carriage home with one of the horses as I felt like taking this route home. I promise that I did not come here to spy on you. I simply came upon you and heard you ... well ... make that noise.”
Louisa could feel herself panicking. She could not honestly tell if Isaac knew that the unintentional noise she had made was a sexual one but knew that she needed to get out of that forest so that they did not have to continue this conversation. “Yes, well, I must be getting home, so I shall leave you to your journey. Goodbye,” she said hurriedly.
But unfortunately, in her haste to leave the situation, Louisa did not notice the algae-covered rock just in front of her, and when she put her foot on it, it slid out from beneath her. She fell backwards and hit her head on another rock, and before she knew what was happening, her world plunged into darkness.
Chapter 4
“Louisa!” Isaac cried upon seeing her fall. He instantly dismounted from his horse and ran to her. She was lying with the upper half of her body in the stream, and her lower half was on the level riverbed. Isaac quickly pulled her out of the water and onto the land. “Are you all right? Please open your eyes, please ...”
But Louisa was obviously knocked unconscious by her fall, and so Isaac knew there was only one thing to do. “Come on, boy,” Isaac said to the dog that was with Louisa. Lloyd did not know who this strange man was, or why when he licked Louisa’s hand she wasn’t responding, but he knew that it was his duty to follow this man wherever he took her to ensure her safety.
And so, with great difficulty, Isaac re-mounted his horse with Louisa in his arms and cantered back to his estate with Lloyd running right beside them the whole way. He momentarily considered taking her back to her home, but it was much further away, and so he thought this would be swifter.
When he was within sight of his home, he could see his brother sitting in the back garden, reading. “Gregory!” he called to him, and he saw his brother look up in surprise. “Call for the doctor, quickly!”
He did not need to see his brother’s face to know that he was stunned by the sight that lay before him, but to his credit, he did not hesitate in running to fetch the doctor. Evidently, Gregory had also called upon his mother to assist them, as moments later, she flew out the back door with two servants to assist them.
Before Agnes could even say anything, Isaac heard himself saying, “I went to enquire about a house for sale this morning, and this is the daughter of that family. I’m sorry I lied to you; she slipped on a rock and hit her head when we were …�
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“Joseph, Andrew, help Isaac get this young woman off the horse and into the guest bedroom on the first floor,” Agnes ordered, interrupting her son. “The doctor should be here any minute, but I want to make her as comfortable as possible.”
Joseph and Andrew gently helped to take Louisa from Isaac’s hands, and together, they took her into the house with Lloyd following close behind him. Isaac was about to call the dog, but there were so many other things on his mind that he didn’t. Isaac looked to his mother, panicked. “Will she be all right?” he asked.
“You said she slipped and hit her head on a rock?” Agnes checked, and Isaac nodded. “I can’t say for certain, but I know that Doctor Abbott is very capable, and he will take the best care of her. My prediction is that she will come out of this with nothing more than a bump and a nasty headache.”
Isaac gave her a weak smile. “Thank you, Mama,” he said gratefully.
Agnes looked in the direction that Louisa had been carried off in, and then said, “And she is who again?”
“Louisa Pelham, the daughter of Archibald Pelham, the banker,” Isaac informed his mother.
Agnes’ face went pale, and for a moment, she said nothing. “Oh my,” she whispered finally, “did anyone see you as you rode here?”
“I ... I don’t believe so,” Isaac responded, confused. “Why do you ask?”
“That family is ... complicated. I did not want anyone knowing that we were associated with them in any way, let alone that you were carrying their unconscious daughter through the woods,” Agnes said in confidence.
“I know about their family’s history,” Isaac replied, annoyed, “but I did not think it was important when I saw their daughter in need of dire assistance.”
With that, Isaac strode past his mother and went to check on Louisa. However, when he arrived at the room, Gregory was standing outside the door, still wearing his muddy riding boots from his mad dash to request the doctor’s presence at their estate.
“Thank you for acting so quickly,” Isaac said seriously.
Gregory simply nodded in response. “The doctor is with her now, so you should wait before you go in there.” He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Do you know who that girl is?”
Isaac nodded. “Very much aware of that fact, thank you,” he responded, his voice dripping with annoyance. “I do not need to hear your opinion of her if you think the way Mama does.”
Gregory looked taken aback. “Isaac,” he said quietly, “do you not recall that it is I who used to constantly get into trouble for having connections with young women who I had no business dealing with? I truly do not care what her background is and what does it matter if ...”
But then Gregory trailed off. A sly smile came upon his face, and Isaac knew that his brother had discovered his feelings for Louisa. “You dog,” Gregory continued, “you like her, don’t you?”
“I won’t answer that,” Isaac said defensively. “I ... I’m too distracted by my concerns for her well-being right now.”
Gregory crossed his arms and chuckled. “Of course,” he said sarcastically. “We’ll pick up this discussion when the girl that you love isn’t unconscious because she hit her head.”
“I’m not …” Isaac tried to protest, but Gregory just walked away from him without listening any further. Isaac could feel his frustration building, and he desperately wanted to tell his brother that he absolutely did not have any feelings for Louisa. But he also did not want to have to chase after Gregory like a little brother would when his older brother was teasing him, and he also wanted to wait right here so that he could hear the report that the doctor would give.
Which, thankfully, he appeared not but two minutes later to give. Dr Abbott left the door open when he exited the room, and he looked so relaxed that Isaac couldn’t help feeling far more at ease. “Hi, Isaac,” Dr Abbott greeted him. The Quince family knew the good doctor quite well, as he had been here many times to attend to Isaac’s father when his health began failing him.
“Good afternoon, Dr Abbott. What’s Miss Louisa’s prognosis?” he asked, rather desperate to know how she was doing.
“She seems to be absolutely fine. She woke up while I was examining her, so I was able to gauge how she was doing both externally and internally. She did hit the rock quite hard, so I would like you to keep her here to observe her for twenty-four hours, but the only real thing that I can see wrong with her is a small bump on the back of her head. I don’t need to come and visit again, as I can see that she is going to make a quick and full recovery,” the doctor said.
Relief washed over Isaac. “Thank you, Doctor, truly,” he said, shaking his hand. The doctor bid Isaac farewell and then left. Isaac stood outside the door, too nervous to go inside for a time, but then eventually summoned up the courage to see how she was doing.
When Isaac entered the room, Louisa was lying in bed, gazing sleepily out the window. Lloyd sat by her bedside with his head resting against the side of her hand, looking heart-wrenchingly worried about her.
She seemed relieved to see him. “Mr Quince,” she said quietly, “thank you ever so much for springing to my aide. I feel so foolish for having had an accident like that.”
“You have absolutely nothing to feel badly for,” Isaac said pleasantly, pulling up a chair beside her bed. “I am just so glad to see that you are all right. I was so worried ...”
Isaac was about to launch into his concerns for her, but then he stopped himself. So much had already happened today, and he did not want to make her feel anything that she did not want to, especially when recovering from such an awful fall.
“You were worried about me?” Louisa asked.
Isaac nodded slowly and then said, “Oh yes, of course. You fell, and so I worried ... as anyone would worry ... for someone who they hardly knew who had suffered a fall. No more or no less, of course.” Upon finishing talking, Isaac wanted to kick himself. No more or no less?! he shouted in his head. Why did you let yourself say that to this incredibly beautiful young woman? Why couldn’t you have just said ‘yes’?
Louisa looked as though she wanted to laugh, but she did Isaac a kindness and did not. “In any case,” Louisa responded, “I must thank you for that. And now, if you’ll allow me, I must return home, as I know that my parents must be worried sick about me.”
“No, no!” Isaac said a little too loudly when Louisa tried to rise from the bed. She looked very surprised and froze, and so Isaac explained himself. “The doctor requested that you rest here, and we monitor your condition for twenty-four hours. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that you won’t be able to return home until tomorrow.”
Louisa looked annoyed at first, which concerned Isaac because the last thing he wanted to do right now was upset her, but then she seemed to accept what Isaac was saying to her. But before she could say anything else, he said, “Oh, and of course, I shall return to your home to inform your parents of what has happened so that they do not continue to worry.”
Finally, Louisa seemed contented. “Thank you very much, Mr Quince,” she said formally and respectfully, and then lay back in bed. “I do believe I owe you a great deal of gratitude for your actions today.”
Isaac couldn’t help smiling. “You are most welcome, Miss Louisa,” he replied. Then, he was seized by a bit of bravery and continued, “All that I ask in return is that you simply call me Isaac.”
Hearing this seemed to please Louisa greatly, for she responded, “That is very kind of you. I shall only do that, though, Isaac, if you refer to me as Louisa as well.”
“Not Lulu?” Isaac asked. Then, his eyes widened in panic. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and now he was terrified that Louisa thought he was teasing her. “I’m so sorry,” he stammered, “I didn’t mean to say that. I was in no way trying to make fun of you, and I shall never mention that nickname to anyone.”
Louisa’s face was frozen in surprise, and so Isaac braced himself for the impact of her anger. When her look turned
to one of delight, however, Isaac had never felt more thankful in his life. Louisa laughed out loud rather uproariously, and then said, “That was quite well timed, Isaac. But yes, if you ever call me that again, there shall be far more serious consequences.”
