by Fanny Finch
“It is like my father to want to be in his own home when he is discussing something so personal that will also affect the family in such a big way.”
Lady Eugenia nodded. “That does make sense, Hestia. Come, show me your library. I want to have some of your cook’s tea and biscuits. I want to see your room. We must distract ourselves while the men have their serious discussion.”
Lady Eugenia’s refreshing spirit filled Hestia with happy excitement once again. She smiled at her friend and took her hand. “Come, let us go see Cook first. I know Father will be expecting the tea and biscuits shortly. Then I will show you my room and then we will go to the library. My father has some decent titles. I believe you will be impressed.”
“I do not know if I will be,” Lady Eugenia’s voice was teasing. “My father has so many.”
“That is true,” Hestia had to give it to her friend. “Your father has shelves of books everywhere.”
“It is a matter of pride for him.”
Hestia led Lady Eugenia down the hallway and pushed open a door to her left. She went down one flight of stairs into a damp but clean downstairs kitchen. The cook, a short, plump woman with a large smile that pushed up her cheeks like two ripe apples, turned to look at them.
She was holding a peach in one hand and a skinning knife in the other.
“Good evening, Lady Hestia!” the cook said. After a moment, her eyes widened and her jaw fell open. She set the peach and the knife aside and came toward Hestia. “Good evening! Lady Hestia, you have returned? You have come home? My lady, I have missed you and your quirky tastes. My lady, how can I ever express how fond of you I am. I did not know until you were gone!”
Hestia laughed. She hugged the short, round woman. “It is good to see you, Thelma. I have missed your cooking. Father would like tea and biscuits in the parlor for himself and Lord Price, who is our guest this evening.”
“Lord Price?” Thelma smiled. “Is he here to inquire about Marianne or Virginia?”
Hestia tried not to be disappointed that Thelma did not think Leander could be there for her. When the cook saw the look on her face, she blinked rapidly and a new look of delight took over.
“Is he… here for you…?” Thelma sounded less surprised than gleeful. She lifted her hands and clapped them together in front of her. “Oh, Hestia! I am so happy for you!”
Hestia’s disappointment was taken over by happiness. She giggled and hugged Thelma again when the woman threw her short arms around her.
“I will have the tea and biscuits to your gentleman and your father as soon as I can!”
“And if you would bring some to myself and Lady Eugenia in the library. Leave them if we are not in there. It is where we will be at the end of the evening.”
“Yes, my lady.” She turned to Lady Eugenia. “You will be staying for dinner, my lady?”
“This is Lady Eugenia Callow, Thelma. She will be staying for dinner.”
Chapter 39
Leander followed the Earl of Nottingham into the parlor, glancing once over his shoulder at Hestia, who was taking Lady Eugenia by the hand down the hallway. Her body swayed back and forth as she moved. He could tell she was happy just by the way she moved.
He was looking forward to learning a lot more about her as time went on.
“Please have a seat. I must check my study for any new reports. I will return shortly. You may look around the room if you like.”
“Thank you, Lord Stalwood. I will.”
Leander took a seat, watching the Earl of Nottingham leave the room. He glanced around and then stood back up. There was one bookshelf in the room, on the other side near the windows. He strolled to it, noting the room was much larger than he had expected it to be.
Looking around as he walked, he noticed the reason the room looked so big.
It needed more furniture.
Leander suspected there had once been lavish furnishings in the home. What was left was stylish and did not look ancient or decrepit. It was obvious, however, that the family had very little money for extras.
Tabletops went uncovered, lacking the decorations that people would normally adorn them with. There were spaces in the bookshelf where more books had once been stored. Artwork that had once graced the walls around the room had left impressions from where they had once hung.
Leander scanned the titles of the books, noticing many were familiar to him. He did not believe there was one that he had not seen at Baron Wake’s home. The Viscount of Culross also had an impressive collection.
The Earl of Nottingham’s was left wanting.
Leander did not choose any of the books and instead returned to his seat, surveying the rest of the room as he did so.
The silence in the room was nearly deafening. The entire house seemed to carry a weight with it. Though he did not feel a great deal of tension or anger in the house, he sensed that where there had once been laughter and happiness, there was now sadness and bitterness.
Four portraits lined up on the left wall caught his attention. He went to study them. One was a portrait of Hestia. Leander assumed the other three girls were her sisters. One looked to be about ten years old. Hestia looked the same, if a few years older. The other two were older than her and only slightly resembled Hestia.
They all had the same narrow eyes with long eyelashes. That could easily be seen.
Leander made a promise to himself that he would ask about the portrait artist. He had captured Hestia’s essence well. Leander wanted a portrait of himself and his wife after they were married.
And another when they had their first child.
His lips lifted in a smile. He was making plans for his family.
It was a wonderful feeling.
His thoughts wandered as he waited for the Earl of Nottingham to return. When the older man did, he was carrying several pieces of paper, which he set down on the table next to him when he sat.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting, Lord Price,” he said, huffing and puffing as he settled into the chair. “I would like to show you some papers that might interest you.”
Leander looked curiously at the documents as the Earl of Nottingham handed them to him. He fingered through them. They looked like pages from a logbook.
“What are these, Lord Stalwood?”
“These are a representation of the state of my finances at this time. I want you to see them so you know the situation before you get into it. I take it you are interested in courting Hestia. That is why you wished to speak to me?”
“Yes, that is correct, sir.”
The Earl of Nottingham nodded, flicking one finger at the papers. “You will need to know about these. Your father will want to know.”
“My father is not involved in this decision, Lord Stalwood. It is I who will be marrying your daughter, should you give your permission and blessing. My father holds no authority in this matter.”
The Earl of Nottingham looked closely at him. “I have asked a few trusted people about you and your family, Lord Price. I was told you are an obedient and loyal son. That you care deeply about your family and will stop at nothing to defend their honor.”
“These are true statements, my lord,” Leander replied, sitting forward. “However, I must also think about my future and how to best represent my family not now, but then. I have made my choice. There could be no other.”
The door opened and Thelma came in holding a tray. She looked directly at Leander. He felt a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny for a moment. But the feeling disappeared when she smiled at him.
She set the tray down and backed out, leaving her eyes on Leander for a prolonged period of time before giggling as she went back down to the kitchen.
Leander and the Earl of Nottingham exchanged looks. “I believe Thelma has been told the reason for your visit.”
“It would seem so.”
Both men chuckled.
“I want to be sure you are aware of what will happen if you tie yourself to my f
amily.”
Leander shook his head. “Lord Stalwood, you must not worry yourself about what my family thinks or what the ton says. I see no reason why you cannot recover from your current financial status. I am perfectly willing to help you.”
“I have never been the kind of man who would accept help, suggestions, or recommendations.” The Earl of Nottingham gave him a direct look. “Perhaps now I should change that.”
“It may behoove you to do so, sir.” Leander gave him a smile.
“You must also realize that Hestia is a headstrong and stubborn young woman. She took the position of companion because she wanted to secure a future for herself. I asked my friend, the Viscount of Culross, to watch after her and treat her with the respect her position is due. We may not have as much wealth but as an earl, I hold a higher place in society than he.”
“Yes, sir,” Leander said politely.
“It appears he has disrespected Hestia and our family for some time now. I believe the rumors of our financial situation were spread by him. It is disappointing, to say the least.”
“Yes, Lord Stalwood.”
The Earl of Nottingham placed one hand over his mouth and stared at Leander.
“The actions that caused Hestia to make the decision to become a companion are mine to bear. I have not been wise in many of my decisions. Hestia has a firm disposition and she will not hesitate to put you in your place if need be. Are you prepared to handle the consequences of choosing her and taking on that burden?”
Leander listened closely to the older man and took a moment to think about the question before answering. It did not take him long before he knew what he wanted to say.
“Lord Stalwood, I have not been able to think of anything other than your daughter since first meeting her some weeks ago. She bumped into me quite by accident and I was smitten from the first moment. My father, when he was willing to talk to me as an equal, spoke of the need for patience and that love sometimes has to grow.”
Leander sat back, swallowing. His mouth was dry and his nerves were on edge.
“It has only been a few weeks but in that time, my interest in your daughter has only grown. I do not want to waste the opportunity that I feel has been placed before me.”
“You know that your mother and Miss Drusilla Sirey visited today. You left with them.”
“Yes, Lord Stalwood.”
“Do you know why they were here?”
“I believe they were here to inform you that my father made an arrangement with her father for Miss Drusilla and me to be married.”
The Earl of Nottingham nodded. “Yes, that is correct. But I have a feeling I was not being told the truth about the situation. They made a mistake.”
“What mistake was that, sir?”
His voice deepened. “They said my daughter was flaunting herself in front of you and threatened to destroy my name further if I did not stop all contact between you.” He shook his head. “I did not appreciate the threat. I am a man who makes mistakes. But I will not be disrespected or have my family disrespected that way.”
Leander did not know how to respond to the Earl of Nottingham. He had never met the man before today but he was sure the look on the older man’s face was one of sorrow and longing. Leander felt sorry for him.
“You do not need to worry about any of this, Lord Stalwood,” he said with compassion. “I will care for your daughter with great respect and will tolerate no one who gives her less than she deserves. I will help you build up your financial empire so that you will be restored to good standing in society. If that is what you desire. But know this…”
Leander sat forward once more and made sure to make eye contact with the Earl of Nottingham. “I will not give up on my quest to have your daughter’s hand in marriage. I am not betrothed to Miss Drusilla Sirey. If we were courting, she has broken off all contact today. She has given me the freedom I desired to marry who I wish.”
“You will do this in spite of your father’s wishes?”
“I do not want to go against my father in this, Lord Stalwood. I do respect my father a great deal. But I cannot do this for him. It is my life and I am determined to be happy. This means I must marry a woman I love.”
“Do you love my daughter?”
Leander smiled. “Yes, Lord Stalwood. I do love her.”
“I would ask one favor of you then, before I give my blessing.”
Leander’s heart skipped a beat and then began to race. That had gone much easier than he had thought it would.
“Tell me what it is, please.”
“You must promise me that in the face of your parents, you will protect my daughter’s sensitivity. I fear she will be hurt by the words and actions of others. It was something I thought about a lot while she was gone. I often wondered if she was happy or sad. I thought of her as happy as often as I could. I do not want her sad.”
Leander’s smile was gentle. “I will do my best to make her happy. I do promise you that. And I will defend her honor before all others, regardless of who it is I am confronting. My parents will not hurt her with words or actions, Lord Stalwood. I will not let them.”
“Do you think it is something that might happen?”
Leander heard a smidgen of alarm in the Earl of Nottingham’s voice. He shook his head. “No, I do not think they will confront Hestia. If they confront anyone, it will be me and I know how to handle them.”
He felt an uncomfortable twinge, the thought of his mother’s lies making him frown.
“I hope they will not behave in a manner unbecoming to their station. We shall set up a meeting then. They will be invited here for a celebratory dinner. Let us set this up for two days from now.”
“I do not know their schedule but I will be glad to ask.”
“Thank you. I will bring Hestia in so that you may speak with her. I will bend the ear of Lady Eugenia. The poor girl often finds herself in the company of the older folk.”
“I did not realize you knew Lady Eugenia well, Lord Stalwood,” Leander said with a bit of surprise.
The Earl of Nottingham laughed. “I have watched the girl grow over the years but have not been a presence in her life. The Viscount of Culross, as I said, has been my friend for some time.”
With that, he stood up and went to the wall, where a long cord was hanging from the wall near the ceiling where the other end disappeared through a hole.
He looked back at Leander.
“Welcome to my family, Lord Price.”
Chapter 40
Hestia felt like she was walking on clouds, her feet were so light. She clasped her hands in front of her and lifted her shoulders, tensing up in a brief self-hug.
Leander walked along next to her. Neither of them had spoken for a few minutes.
They were both enjoying the beautiful evening air along with Lady Eugenia, the Countess of Nottingham and the Earl of Nottingham. Hestia’s youngest sister, Lillian, had joined them and was talking excitedly to Lady Eugenia, whom Lillian titled “the most beautiful girl in the world”.
“I do not know about you, Lady Hestia,” Leander said, leaning down slightly to speak in a low voice. “But I do believe I am already walking next to the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Hestia giggled. “Oh Lord Price, you are so flattering. Thank you for the compliment.”
“I do hope to make you happy. It is all I want to do.”
“It is what I want, too.”
Hestia noticed when Lillian turned around and cast a bright smile in her direction. She sensed she was being talked about.
“Excuse me, sister dear,” she said in a loud but amused voice. “Do I detect my name being spoken?”
Lillian giggled, putting one hand over her mouth. “I did say your name, Hestia. I did!”
“And what might you have to say about me?”
“I said you are going to be the most beautiful bride in the world.”
Hestia felt her heart melt for her sister. “That is very sweet, Li
llian. Thank you.”
Hestia scanned her mother and father, who walked with their arms linked together. She could not remember the last time she had seen them walking so comfortably together, talking as if they were the best of friends again.
It was the kind of relationship she wanted with her husband. Looking up at Leander’s strong, handsome profile, she felt that was what she was getting. He caught her looking and turned his eyes to meet hers.