by Abby Ayles
The serious expression left Mr. Edwards’ face as well and he let out a laugh. “I hope so too,” he agreed. “I daresay our little party was getting on just fine without him.”
Noelle felt a wave of relief flow through her again. She wondered if it would be possible for her to find a gentleman to marry whilst still being able to spend time with Mr. Edwards. If only she could marry the man himself!
The two of them walked back towards Kitty and she rose up from the bench. Then the trio made their way back into the drawing room and found the duchess still sitting with Lord Drake, rapt in another conversation that was predominantly led by the gentleman. Despite this, Noelle didn’t believe that they’d really missed anything.
“Well, it is getting late and I don’t imagine that you shall be sleeping in tomorrow morning,” the duchess said to Lord Drake after giving Noelle a vaguely questioning look. As she rose from the couch, Catherine came to stand beside Noelle, forcing Mr. Edwards to stand removed from her now. The marquess stood up from his chair when they stood, proving that he could still be proper when called to be.
Noelle bade him goodnight and turned to do the same to Mr. Edwards. She gave him a lingering sort of look and then prayed that her mother didn’t notice. She went upstairs with her mother and her sister and returned to the guest bedchamber, readying herself to sleep once more in the bed with Catherine.
The lady’s maids came in and helped them get into their sleeping attire.
“Well that was a rather eventful evening, was it not?” their mother asked, giving a great yawn immediately after. “Noelle, I assume that you and Mr. Edwards had a nice chat on the porch?”
Noelle blushed even though she really had nothing to be embarrassed about. It had been completely chaste. “Yes, we did; he really is such a kind gentleman.”
She was thankful that their mother was too sleepy to give much thought to it. The Duchess simply nodded her head and then got into her bed, shutting her eyes and going quiet immediately. Catherine and Noelle looked at each other and smirked a little, getting into their own bed.
“What did you two discuss?” Catherine asked her, gazing at her in the darkness. Noelle could barely make out her sister’s face.
Noelle gave a slightly wistful sigh. “Mostly we discussed how I did not wish to be here any longer. The marquess annoys me to no end and his father frightens me a little.”
All of this was said in a whisper, in case their mother could overhear bits of their conversation.
Catherine gasped quietly. “The marquess annoys you?” she asked her as if this was the most shocking thing a person might ever admit. “But he is so attractive and dashing.”
“Maybe on the surface,” Noelle said. “But I know that I can never marry him or any man like him. I feel nothing for him, and I don’t believe for a moment that he feels anything for me either.”
Catherine got rather quiet after that and Noelle eventually believed that her sister had fallen asleep. Now that she was the only one in the room who was awake, she lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling that she could only barely make out, and she prayed that she would not have to marry the marquess.
She knew that simply telling her parents that she did not wish it was not an option. So, Noelle thought that she might be able to appeal to the divine maker.
Chapter 26
Once the ladies had gone upstairs to sleep, Rodrick finally had his opportunity to speak with Alphonse alone. He didn’t quite know what he was going to say; he had not prepared anything. Yet he knew that he must say something in order to try and keep fair Lady Noelle Fletcher from being hurt by this man.
He sat down on the couch where the ladies had been, so that he could be closer to Alfie instead of having to speak across a great distance. The last thing he wanted or needed was the ladies to somehow overhear him, especially the duchess. Alphonse noticed at once this attempt at an intimate space between them and he went so far as to lean in.
“I know that I do not have a lot of power over the situation,” Rodrick began. “But I implore you, Alfie, to give up on your pursuit of the Fletcher girls. One shall never make you happy and the other could, quite frankly, lead you to ruin.”
Rodrick knew that he might have been being a tad overdramatic, but he also knew – as Lady Noelle did – that the duchess could place an awful lot of emphasis on the propriety of things. As such, it was not prudent for Alphonse to continue to flirt with the younger lady.
People would start to talk. And when people began talking, it wasn’t long before scandals occurred. And then it was all over.
Rodrick didn’t quite care what happened to Alphonse. He knew that the young man could handle a scandal. He had in the past.
But he cared about Lady Catherine and what it could do to her. And more than that, of course, he cared about the effect that such a thing would have on Lady Noelle and the rest of their family.
Instead of just calmly taking his advice, Alphonse leaned back in his chair away from Rodrick, eyeing him suspiciously. “I must remind you, at this juncture, that we are not equals. What you wish for me to do is not necessarily what the proper thing to do would be.”
Furrowing his eyebrows in bewilderment, Rodrick shook his head slightly. “I don’t presume to tell you what to do, I’m merely cautioning you, Alfie.”
“You forget your station, sir!” he argued.
Rodrick looked at him, alarmed. There really had been a transformation within his oldest and dearest friend, and he had no idea why or how. “Forgive me, my lord. I am only concerned for everyone’s happiness and well-being.”
Lord Drake sighed. “I appreciate that,” he said, his voice softening a little now. “But you cannot keep treating me like we’re in the same societal ranking. You forget your place because we were boys together, but the ton doesn’t care about that.”
Rodrick nodded his head slightly. He felt that his friend was making a mistake and behaving improperly, but it really wasn’t his place to tell the marquess what to do. “I pray that you will think about how your actions will affect the rest of the family.”
He wished that he could tell him about his feelings for Lady Noelle – that they were genuine and strong – but he could see now that not only would the marquess not listen to him, but he would also more than likely take offense. Feeling at a loss, Rodrick rose from his chair and left the room, going upstairs for the night simply to be away from him.
Before getting into bed, Rodrick paced about the room. I don’t know what I expected. I should have known that he would be stubborn and insensible.
Oh, but I can’t help feeling now that I have made the situation worse. Perhaps instead of protecting the ladies, he’d just doomed them. There was no Alphonse Drake like an Alphonse Drake who’d grown mad with power.
Lord Drake was certainly not lacking in power. He had the wealth and status necessary, but now he also knew that he had the upper hand in this situation and he could make a great many of the people in his circle miserable. Alfie was not a man who would want to do such a thing, but this new person that stood in his place most certainly would.
He has been bewitched, Rodrick thought. Perhaps as his father grows older and weaker, he grows more and more ready to ascend. The prospect of becoming the Duke of Cumberland, once so far off, was now close to his grasp.
Rodrick didn’t have to wonder why the marquess had been avoiding being here in this house. Though it was a beautiful old castle, it was rather desolate especially for a young man who enjoyed socializing and taking in the sights of London. There wasn’t much to do at Stone Hill Manor, and so the young marquess had gone out looking for ways to feel less alone.
It made Rodrick sad to think about that, and to know that his friend would never talk with him about that. Alphonse would rather wallow by himself and then appear debonair and jovial later as if nothing at all was going on inside of him.
After getting into bed that night, Rodrick slept fitfully and dreamt about going home. He was no use i
n this castle anymore. No use to Alphonse anymore either.
He awoke early the following morning and decided to forgo breakfast and seeing the ladies again. Rodrick knew that he would feel sad indeed if he saw Lady Noelle again with the knowledge that he hadn’t been able to help her escape the marquess if he so chose to adhere to the wishes of her mother. Even if he didn’t, she was doomed to be tarnished by him in some way.
Rodrick met with Lord Drake in the hall and shook his hand, bidding him adieu. “I hope that we shall see each other again soon,” he lied convincingly. “Peace be with you and your father.”
He felt false for saying such a thing. After this brief exchange, Rodrick got into a carriage with his trunk out front and rode home to Hertfordshire. He wished that he had more to tell his mother, but she would be happy to have him back regardless.
As soon as he arrived back home, he found his mother sitting on the couch. She smiled and came to him right away to give him a hug. “You’re back earlier than I expected,” she said. “How did it go?”
Rodrick gladly hugged his mother, wishing he had better tidings to share. As it was, there wasn’t so very much to say. “The ladies seemed quite happy to be there,” he fibbed.
“Even Lady Noelle?” his mother asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
He nodded. “Yes. Though I suppose that she shall be ready to quit the place soon. She does always seem a bit restless.”
Another thing he liked about her. She didn’t settle and she didn’t suffer fools… God, he wished that he could help her be happy.
It was difficult to be a gentleman and a friend to a lady without society stepping in the way and saying that it was somehow not correct. He supposed that when she was married it might be deemed more acceptable but wasn’t so sure about that either. That conversation with Alphonse the previous night had really left him feeling drained.
“And how was the duke?” his mother gently prodded him, wanting to know everything about it.
Rodrick thought about the best way he might word the way that the Duke of Cumberland had appeared to him. It was not easy to find gentle words for the man who was certainly as grumpy as ever. “Quite feeble,” he said honestly, “and rather reliant on his son.”
That was something else that gnawed at Rodrick. Alphonse spent all of that time in London and visiting other places, doing things with anyone but his father. Meanwhile, his father was the most vulnerable and needy that he had ever been.
He thought that if his father for some reason became like the duke in temperament, he would still do whatever it took to ensure that he was as healthy and comfortable as possible always. He wouldn’t leave him alone so often.
Rodrick knew that he shouldn’t judge. As Alphonse had said, he was below the duke and the marquess, so he was being impertinent to even assume that he could know what was right for them. He really hadn’t forgotten himself when he offered advice to his friend, though: he never forgot the years they’d spent together, supporting each other…
Perhaps he was being too rash in his insistence that Alfie behaved differently. It was one thing to advise him; it was quite another to tell him what to do. He may not have been happy with Alphonse’s actions, but they weren’t his to control.
He must surely know that his father’s time is coming, he thought. That’s the only reason I can think of for his change. But shouldn’t that mean he’s spending more time at Stone Hill Manor, not less?
Rodrick’s mother was staring at him, admiring his face. He wondered if she could somehow tell how sad and fatigued he felt.
He went upstairs and into his room so that he could take a bit of a nap and try to forget the events of the past day. Clearly, nothing good would come from him attempting to meddle, so he would have to just let things be and see what came of it. He’d become so tense about everything and he felt in need of a break.
He thought that perhaps he ought to pay a visit to town there and see what kind of people he could meet in the town of his birth and home.
The rest of his day back at home settled into doing normal things again. He gratefully ate a calm dinner with his mother and worked on some things in his study, managing their funds and the like. He may not have owned an estate, but this manor was his responsibility and he was going to be a good son and take care of it.
Rodrick didn’t even think about going into Hertford until the following day. He rose fairly early and after breakfast with his mother, he went for a stroll down to the little sleepy town. It was close enough that he didn’t bother hiring another carriage.
Besides, he wanted to keep a closer eye on his expenses.
The town was quaint. There were all of the usual things, like a butcher shop, a few inns, a bank… Little houses that seemed to house more people than could possibly fit in them.
I can’t really imagine living here like this, he thought, realizing that even if he didn’t have a title, he really did belong to the aristocracy. He was still the grandson of an earl.
Rodrick saw several young ladies walking around Hertford, but none of them caught his eye or captured him in any way. None of them gave him that spark that he felt between himself and Lady Noelle…
Perhaps it is hopeless, he thought. I’m out here looking for something that I’m just never going to find.
He supposed that he should be the way she told him that she must be – dutiful to his family and an adherent to what society expected of him. He was never going to find a bride who was anything like Lady Noelle, and that simply had to be enough.
One would get nowhere dreaming for something that would never happen. I don’t have to find a wife today, he told himself. But I should be more attentive to this town and stop setting my sights on London.
As much as Rodrick enjoyed that world, he was merely a visitor there. He did not belong there the way that James did. And he must remember that or he was going to keep finding himself disappointed.
He walked back to Wildhill, making mental plans to visit the town again as soon as he knew more of what he might do there.
Chapter 27
Noelle was more than glad to leave Stone Hill Manor in the morning with her sister and mother after the big conversation in the drawing room with the Duke of Cumberland. She especially wasn’t keen to stay there anymore upon learning that Mr. Edwards had left earlier. He came here just to see me, didn’t he?
She didn’t believe that she was flattering herself. Everything about his behavior indicated that Rodrick had only been there at the Duke of Cumberland’s estate because he knew that she was there.
On the ride back to London, all that Catherine would talk about was Lord Drake. Their mother did absolutely nothing to discourage her, either, which made Noelle feel quite aggrieved. “Isn’t it sweet how he cares for his poor father?” Catherine asked in a simpering sort of voice.
“Yes, he seems like such a gentle and kind soul,” their mother agreed, looking from Catherine to Noelle. “What did you make of him?” she asked her curiously. “I noticed that you were rather quick to exit the room while the old man was there.”
“You missed so many great stories,” Kitty said, pouting a little as if she had worked on them or told them herself.
Noelle shrugged a shoulder. “I felt a bit uncomfortable, honestly. I didn’t think that Lord Drake or indeed his father were very kind to one another.”
She wished that she could impress upon them how much she felt as though Lord Drake was actually a charlatan who only enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice as he made up stories. She didn’t believe that he took great care of his father, and she felt as though there really was no love lost between them.
But of course, there was no delicate way for her to say any of this, so she just kept it to herself.
Noelle supposed that she really didn’t know their situation. But if her father were as sick as his father was, she surely wouldn’t leave him at home alone all of the time. And she would’ve perhaps done more to make sure he was warm in that draf
ty old room.
She wondered if she was the only one to feel this way and if she was going to be expected to just keep quiet about it for the remainder of her days. Goodness, I hope that Lord Drake won’t be relevant to me for the remainder of my days…
When their coach at last arrived at their London townhouse, the three ladies were quite asleep. They woke up and wearily climbed down from the coach, walking inside and going straight up to their beds. After long naps, they were able to better greet the rest of their family, who surely were filled with questions.
Noelle most looked forward to seeing her father again. She wondered if she might be able to tell him of her discussion with Mr. Edwards, or if it would be met with as much annoyance as if she had told her mother. I could perhaps tell Emily, she thought.