by Joyce Alec
Lady Gregory pouted her bottom lip like a young girl. “You could not miss even this one class? The children would understand! You are a busy woman with many people who wish to have your attention! Myself included!”
Lady Margaret smiled at her friend and squeezed her hands. “I could not very well shirk my duties when I have just been added to the board of directors. That would not be very responsible of me.” Her face softened sympathetically. “No, I must go. Besides, I want to go and see them. Not that I do not wish to spend more time with you,” she added hastily, nodding her head to affirm her words. “I shall write you when I return home in a few days, and we shall make a plan of it.”
Lady Gregory sighed dramatically. “Well, all right, if you insist. My heavens, those children are so blessed to have you.”
Richard caught Lady Greenshire’s eye. Apparently, she had been watching him as he had watched Lady Margaret. She wore the same smirk that she had the night before.
He scowled and looked away.
That woman is infuriating, he thought to himself.
Lord Greenshire called for a light luncheon for their remaining guests, and again he found himself seated beside Lady Greenshire.
Lady Margaret was deep in conversation at the other end of the table, and no sooner had they been seated when Lady Greenshire turned on him.
“You should go with her to orphanage,” she stated plainly.
Richard blinked dumbly at her. “What do you mean?”
He was getting rather tired of saying that to her.
“You have donated large sums of money to support the orphanage. And it is clear that you wish to spend more time with her. This would give you the chance to let her get to know you as well.”
It was as if she had read his thoughts.
“She would never let me go with her,” he continued. “It is so precious to her. I would be intruding.”
“You will never know until you ask,” Lady Greenshire murmured, leaning a little closer to him. “It may flatter her.”
Richard’s brow furrowed. “Are you setting me up for sabotage?” he asked her.
This drew a hearty laugh from the woman. “Oh, Lord Barkley, heavens, no! I would not do such a thing.” She smiled at him, and regained her composure. “No, my sister is stubborn and does not know what is good for her. It is only my intention to help her along, in a way.”
“And you intend to use me to do that?” Richard asked, plainly seeing her meaning.
“Perhaps you are stubborn as well, Lord Barkley,” she replied calmly, and she took a drink from her goblet.
These Stone women will be the death of me, he thought darkly.
He was almost surprised, however, to find himself approaching Lady Margaret after the meal. She stood outside on the porch, watching the water ripple over the surface of the lake out in front of the estate.
“Lady Margaret,” he said, inclining his head to her.
She looked up at him almost as if she had never seen him before. She blinked.
“Good afternoon, Lord Barkley,” she answered, and returned her attention to the lake.
“I heard that you intend to visit the orphanage today,” he began. He still was not sure that he felt entirely comfortable asking to accompany her, but something about Lady Greenshire’s confidence was enough to instill him with some of his own.
“I am,” she replied.
“I was wondering if I might accompany you there.”
She turned to look up at him, and he was troubled when he could not discern her expression.
“Whatever for?” she replied eventually.
He swallowed to pass the lump in his throat. “I myself have some business to attend to there.”
It was not entirely the truth, he knew. He did have to make a visit there soon, and Mrs. Franklin would surely be surprised to see him so early. But after his mother’s visit and her scathing words, he believed that spending more of his father’s wealth to care for the children would soothe his own soul.
And yet, he did not think he would have the strength to tell her exactly why he wanted to go with her. What would she think if she knew that he just wished to be with her and get to know her more? He had spent much of the last week with her around catching snippets of conversations or impressions of her from others. It was not enough to truly make up the full character of a person.
She stared up at him for a few long moments. He was grateful that she no longer frowned at him or dismissed him. Perhaps she would be considered downright rude if she were to ignore him now. But he believed there was more passing through her mind.
“Fine,” she answered, and he had honestly thought he had heard her wrong.
“T-truly?” he stammered, unable to hide his shock.
She looked back over the lake, as if he had asked her nothing more than if she preferred orange or rose water. She shrugged her shoulders.
“I know that you care about the wellbeing of the children as much as I do. I must depart soon, however.”
“I am ready to go whenever you are, my lady,” Richard said, recovering some of his composure.
“Very good,” she said, and as if she had waited for him to say that, she turned on her heel and returned to the house to fetch her coat and her hat.
They were on their way within the hour.
The orphanage was only a few minutes further from the Greenshire estate than from his own home, and he found himself admiring the view from outside of the window. Lady Greenshire had agreed to come with them, and she and Lady Margaret were happily conversing while they traveled. Richard was perfectly content to allow them to talk, feeling as if he would not have much to say to Lady Margaret had he been a part of the conversation.
He purposely avoided looking at Lady Greenshire, believing that he would see her giving him meaningful looks. He knew that Lady Margaret would notice, and it would cause strange questions to be raised, questions that he was not sure that he was ready to deal with.
As he had suspected, Mrs. Franklin was incredibly surprised to see him get out of the same carriage as Lady Margaret. She was gracious to not ask questions until Lady Margaret was guided into a room where he assumed she would be teaching her class.
“I had no idea that you and Lady Margaret were acquainted?”
Her face was curious and intent on his, and she appeared amused.
“It is a recent occurrence,” he stated, gazing into the room. He saw Lady Margaret laying out some clothing, most of which were dresses. She set a small sewing kit on a table, and affectionately ran her hand along a ribbon that hung loose from a bonnet.
“Well, I think it is quite a nice thing to see,” Mrs. Franklin said. “Will you sit in on her class today?”
Lady Greenshire appeared at his elbow. “Yes, we both will.”
“Ah, hello, Lady Greenshire. I have not seen you since your wedding. Congratulations to you and your husband.”
Lady Greenshire smiled at her. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Franklin. Do you think the girls will mind if we are there in the room to observe the class?”
Mrs. Franklin shook her head. “Not at all,” she said. “In fact, I think they will be pleased to have an audience.”
She gestured to a pair of high-backed arm chairs in the room, against the far wall. Lady Margaret still had her back to them as they crossed the room to the chairs.
“Well, I think I will leave you here,” Lady Greenshire said, not taking the seat beside Richard as he sat.
“Leave?” Richard asked. “We only just arrived.”
“Oh, I am aware,” Lady Greenshire said, and that foul smirk returned. “I simply wished to ensure that you two were not alone on your way here. I only wished to suppress the rumor mills, as Margaret’s reputation is very important.”
Richard felt a hollow fear spread in his chest. “But now you are going to allow me to be alone with her here?”
“You are not alone,” Lady Greenshire said. “Mrs. Franklin is here. And the girls.” She pat
ted Richard on the arm as it rested on the chair. “I shall see you both when you return to the estate. I am meeting a friend for tea, and I will ask her to arrange for a carriage to take me home.”
Before he could say another word, or before Lady Margaret even noticed her, she was gone.
Richard frowned.
He did not have long to stew on his thoughts, however. He was glad to see the children file into the room just a moment after Lady Greenshire disappeared.
The girls all wore wide, happy grins when they saw Lady Margaret, and Richard was surprised when he saw the same smile mirrored on her own face. She embraced each one as they came in, asking after particular things in their lives. It made his heart warm to see the affection in her movements and her expressions toward the children.
Lady Margaret sat in front of one of the dresses that she had brought with her, a wide sewing needle in hand. “Have you all brought your projects?”
All of the girls murmured to one another excitedly, and she graciously drew their attention back to herself.
“She is quite gifted, is she not?”
Richard looked up to see Mrs. Franklin standing beside him, pouring some hot tea into a pretty green cup. She passed him the cup.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he replied.
“Those girls always look forward to her coming,” she continued, her eyes still on Lady Margaret.
Margaret had seemed to entirely forget that he was there, her attention solely on the children. This pleased him, as he was able to watch her without her typical glares or frowns.
She was such a different woman here, in this room with these girls. It was obvious that her personality shined when she was away from her sisters. She always seemed so stiff and irritated when they were around. Perhaps it was because she was the youngest and had always been overshadowed.
But here, doing something she enjoyed, she was gracious, joyous, and almost flamboyant. When one of the girls missed a stitch, she gently guided them back to where they should be, correcting them. If one of them was discouraged, she smiled at them and gave them confidence to finish the task.
“Lady Margaret?” A little girl named Ellie called out, her tiny hand waving in the air. “I forgot the number of the stitch I was on again…”
Her tiny blonde head hung against her chest dejectedly, and her little pink bottom lip pouted. Richard wondered if there were tears in her eyes.
Lady Margaret smiled and swooped down on her like a mother bird. She nestled herself beside the child and lifted the tiny swatch of fabric in her hands.
“Well, that is a very easy fix, my dear,” she said, and she ran her finger along it, and to his surprise, Lady Margaret began to sing.
“One stitch, two stitch, push them through. Three stitch, four stitch, that is what you do.”
The little girl picked her head up, and looked at Lady Margaret through her wet eyelashes.
“Five stitch, six stitch, tell me when, seven stitch, eight stitch, do it again!”
The young girl sniffed and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. She beamed up at Lady Margaret. “There now,” Lady Margaret said, and she gingerly brushed a stray strand of hair from the girl’s eyes. “Keep up the good work.”
Richard realized that he had stopped breathing.
An image flashed across his mind. The windows of the study in his home were thrown open, and the fireplace empty. There was a wonderful breeze blowing into the room, the blinds ruffling against the panes. Something about it was different. It felt… lived in.
Some of the darker pieces of furniture had been replaced or reupholstered with brighter, more cheery fabrics. The photo of his father above the fireplace had been replaced with another portrait; of himself, three children, and… Lady Margaret.
There was a quiet humming, and he saw Lady Margaret standing behind one of the low-backed arm chairs, and to his surprise, there was a young girl seated on the chair, with eyes that looked exactly like his own.
Lady Margaret had a gentle smile on her face and a brush in her hands. She was brushing the young girl’s hair slowly and thoroughly, and the little girl was swinging her legs that did not quite reach the floor.
He blinked, and he was back at the orphanage, and Lady Margaret had just risen from the chair beside little Ellie.
Richard felt his heart begin to beat quickly against his chest. His fingers tightened on the arms of the chair, and he swallowed hard.
Where… where did these images come from?
He felt as if he had just intruded on some very private part of her life, even if it was obvious that nothing like that had ever occurred.
His wife? His child?
Mrs. Franklin had not seemed to notice his sudden change in body language, and neither had Lady Margaret.
He got to his feet, unable to conceal his flushed face any more.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Franklin,” he said, and he bowed his head to her. He did not wait to see her reaction; he let himself out of the room.
He was not sure why he felt that he had to flee, but being in the same room with Lady Margaret suddenly made him uncomfortable, and he felt that only free and open air would be able to clear his mind.
What had caused him to think of her in such a personal way? Was it all of Lady Greenshire’s suggestions? Was it an image of his own desires?
Was this what he truly wanted?
Lady Margaret was obviously tender and loving with the children, but why had he immediately resorted to thinking of her as his wife, of his children?
He walked out into the afternoon sun, realizing that he did not care how humid and hot it was outdoors. He walked away from the church, out the gate, and began walking down the street.
I cannot go back, not until I can get these thoughts out of my head. What would she do if she knew?
He did not even know.
He groaned.
The image had been wonderful, he admitted to himself. The house had felt like a home, something that he had longed for as long as he had lived in it. It felt warm, happy, and comforting. He wanted it more than he wanted to admit to himself.
And it was Lady Margaret who had appeared to have changed it all.
He sighed.
There is something about her character that makes me want to be a better man. She reminds me of how I do not want to be like my father. She is the only one who was able to see through my indifference and challenge me. Does that show that she has good characteristics for a wife? Or would she be nothing but trouble?
It was hard to imagine a woman who loved children so much was the same woman who glared at him and told him that he had the emotional depth of a puddle.
She is not wrong, he thought.
But, what would she say? Lady Greenshire seemed to think that it was not only amusing, but she encouraged it. Did that mean that Lady Margaret also secretly felt the same way? Or was she entirely oblivious to her sister’s meddling?
He looked out over the landscape, over the hills, toward the Greenshire estate.
He did not know what he could use as an explanation of why he had left.
“Well, I better start walking. It will be dark before I get there,” he told himself, and began to walk toward the hills.
Besides, it will give me more time to think and make up my mind, he thought. It might be just enough time to cool down, and then I might be able to look Lady Margaret in the face when I next see her.
7
Where did that man go?
It was not until her class was over and she said goodbye to all the girls, all of whom were in very good moods, she was pleased to see, that she noticed that Lord Barkley had disappeared somewhere.
Mrs. Franklin was at a loss as well, saying that she had been sure that he had been there, and had spoken to him at length about Lady Margaret and the class that she taught. The idea of Lord Barkley being interested in her class seemed so absurd to her, but she allowed the frustration to pass in her search for him.
He w
as nowhere to be found in the orphanage, and he was not out in the grounds. She stood exasperatedly beside the carriage, waiting for him to appear.
A helpful child appeared and told her that she had seen a tall man with dark hair and a frown walking away from the orphanage.
What am I do to with him? I cannot babysit the man like a child!
She huffed.
After she was seated in the carriage, she said aloud, “Lord Barkley can find his own way back.”
She frowned angrily out the window as they set off, fuming at the insensitivity of the man.
"And my sister as well! Where has she gone?"
She had almost forgotten that Lord Barkley had come with her, and that he had even been in the room with her and the children.
The image of him approaching her that morning passed across her mind, and she had seen something in his eyes that had surprised her.
Humility.
She did not think that a man like him was capable of such an emotion, but she had seen things in him in the past week that had surprised her. She often saw him watching her closely, and while he was scowling, she always felt her cheeks color.
He was rather pleasing to look at, even if he was dark and brooding. There was something about his standoff personality that led her to believe that there was something that he was attempting to keep everyone away from, and she could not for the life of her figure out what it was.
The day was hot, hotter than any day that summer had been. When she saw a man walking alone on the side of the road, she rolled her eyes and huffed.
What a fool.
But the man was well dressed, and she wondered what in the world he was doing. She peered out of the window as they passed him, and he looked up as the carriage sped along away from him.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She pounded on the front of the carriage.
“Stop! Stop! That was Lord Barkley!”
The carriage came to a very fast stop, and she had to grab onto the door to keep from falling over.
She threw open the door as soon as they had fully stopped, and peered back down the road.
