“Have a seat,” Miles said, and there was the sound of footsteps crossing the threshold, then the door shut softly. “We can speak here, but quietly. Anika’s still sleeping.”
That’s what he thought, anyway.
“Of course, most certainly,” Sir Edmund agreed eagerly, but in hushed tones. There was the creak of springs as they each had a seat in the room’s two chairs. “Thank you for giving me a moment. I believe I should go mad, otherwise.”
“It’s fine,” Miles replied. “So… what’s going on?”
“Yes, right,” Sir Edmund got down to business. “You realize, I’m sure, things aren’t so well between me and Ash.”
I raised an eyebrow. That’s what this was about?
“Yes,” Miles acknowledged. “I am aware.”
“Well you see, I need your wife to put in a good word,” Sir Edmund hurried on. “Ash and I have been together simply forever, and this is all a terrible misunderstanding. I’ve tried, but I can’t get anywhere with her on my own. I’m absolutely desperate for help. I’m sure if your wife would talk sense to her, she’d come round, and give us another chance.”
I kept my hands over my mouth and my teeth clenched, as I fought the urge to leap out of bed, and give Sir Edmund a piece of my mind! A big one! Whatever pain and loss he felt was self-imposed, and didn’t come close to what Ashley experienced.
There was silence on the other side of the curtain for several long seconds.
“Exactly what is it that’s been misunderstood?” Miles finally asked.
“Why, absolutely everything!” Sir Edmund declared.
I clenched my teeth even harder.
“Alright. I’m listening,” Miles replied. “If it’s all a misunderstanding, then what is the truth?”
“I love Ash, and I am fully committed to her,” Sir Edmund answered.
It was all I could do not to snort in disgust, at that.
“You’re fully committed to Ashley,” Miles stated.
“Yes, of course!” Sir Edmund exclaimed.
“And you want Anika to convince her of that,” Miles said.
“Yes!” Sir Edmund replied emphatically.
There was a moment of silence.
“Your own choices haven’t convinced Ashley of this, yet you feel the words of someone else, will?” Miles questioned.
“Well—yes,” Sir Edmund replied. “Ash doesn’t understand the pressure I’m under. Mother, and this engagement she’s cooked up, it means nothing to me. My feelings haven’t changed, and neither has my commitment to Ash. Eventually Mother will come to accept it, and this will all blow over, but not if Ash insists on leaving! That was likely Mother’s intent, all along.”
“Edmund…” Miles sighed. “I question your understanding of the words love, and commitment. Can you honestly say you believe you’ve put Ashley first, in this? In any of it?”
“Of course!” Sir Edmund snapped. “It’s just as I said, it’s all a misunderstanding!”
“If it is, then it’s one we share,” Miles replied. “You say you want Anika’s help in convincing Ashley otherwise. I’m afraid you haven’t given her much to work with. What evidence do you have to back your claims?”
“Why—Ash would’ve lost her position, if I refused! It’s always been her dream to work here. She’d have been on the street straight away, otherwise,” Sir Edmund declared defensively.
“And what about yourself?” Miles questioned.
“What do you mean, what about myself?” Sir Edmund demanded.
“What did you have to lose, by refusing?” Miles persisted.
I heard the faint squeak of springs, as Sir Edmund shifted in his chair.
“Why, working together, of course. We couldn’t very well do that, if Ash was fired.”
“Do you have a source of income apart from your mother?” Miles cut to the chase.
“Do I—have a—what sort of question is that?” Sir Edmund exclaimed.
“If dependence isn’t behind your decision to sit silently by and allow Ashley to be blindsided by the announcement of your engagement to Countess Grieve, then what is?” Miles countered.
“Mother is so set on it, and with all that’s going on this week…” Sir Edmund replied doggedly.
“So your mother’s wants and feelings are more important than Ashley’s,” Miles summed up.
“What? No, certainly not!” Sir Edmund denied. “It’s only that now is very poor timing.”
“For whom?”
“For all concerned!”
“What will it take for that to change?”
“What will it take… what do you mean, what will it take?” Sir Edmund snapped.
“Do you have a source of income apart from your mother?” Miles asked again. “Just answer the question.”
“No, though I work very hard doing my part here,” Sir Edmund answered heatedly.
“I don’t question that,” Miles replied. “What I do question, is whether you feel free to make your own choices, or if you’re captive to your mother’s wishes, because of your financial dependence on her.”
It sounded like Sir Edmund slumped in his seat, and there was a long sigh.
“I never realized how precarious my position in life was, until my mother lost it over Ash, then insisted I marry Ava, or we’d both be out on our ear,” Sir Edmund finally answered somewhat ruefully. “There now, are you satisfied at last?”
“About this, no,” Miles responded. “Now that you realize the price for living and working at the manor is your freedom, what do you intend to do about it?”
“What can I do, but hope to catch Mother in a more agreeable mood at some point,” Sir Edmund said in resignation. “At the rate Ava’s going, she’ll surely decide there are worse things than marrying an untitled commoner.”
“Perhaps, but the question is, what do you intend to do about it?” Miles replied.
“I shall try and patch things with Ash, though it would help if your wife would put in a good word for me.”
“Are you still engaged to the countess?”
“Only in a manner of speaking,” Sir Edmund declared.
“Then regardless of the consequences, you prefer to remain dependent on your mother,” Miles stated.
“I most certainly do not, but what choice do I have?” Sir Edmund protested indignantly.
“You attended a university and have a degree to show for it,” Miles pointed out. “Find a job in your field, and gain your freedom.”
“It’s not as simple as all that,” Sir Edmund protested.
“If that’s your position on the matter, it’s reasonable to assume you prefer to remain dependent,” Miles concluded.
“No!” Sir Edmund disagreed. “That’s not how it is!”
“Then explain,” Miles replied.
“The manor is home,” Sir Edmund contended. “I can’t imagine living or working elsewhere, and Mother is usually rather easy to get along with. She’ll come round before long, I’m sure.”
“Whether she does or not, in order to remain here, you’re willing to submit to her authority,” Miles summarized. “Even if that means betraying the trust of the woman you claim to be committed to.”
“No, that’s not how it is, at all!” Sir Edmund protested in frustration.
“Yes, Edmund, it is,” Miles replied steadily. “You’re in denial, if you believe otherwise. The control you allow your mother to have over you is not normal, nor is it healthy. Not for you, and not for any woman with whom you’re involved. If your top priority is adhering to your mother’s wishes, then you can’t very well put another’s wants and needs first.”
There was a sigh of frustration on Sir Edmund’s part.
“I can’t say I care for that assessment,” he said ruefully.
“It’s true, none the less,” Miles replied. “Now, the question is whether you feel motivated to change, or are content in remaining the same.”
There was another sigh.
“I’m afraid
I haven’t the faintest idea where to start,” Sir Edmund said, then hurried on. “That’s not to say I’m satisfied with my current state of existence, or wish to continue as I have been. You’ve made me see my circumstances differently, and I can’t possibly be content any longer.”
“I assume you receive an allowance of some kind?” Miles questioned.
“That’s right,” Sir Edmund replied sheepishly.
“Then start saving,” Miles said. “You need the means to provide a living until you acquire a job, and your first paycheck comes in. I’m texting you the number of one of our employees. He’ll assist in developing your resume. Just be mindful of the time difference.”
“Yes, I shall do that,” Sir Edmund responded, and his voice was as eager, as it was nervous. “I feel freer, already. Perhaps if I can show Ash that I’m taking steps to gain independence, she’ll be willing to stick it out.”
“Don’t count on it, and don’t attempt to manipulate her into tolerating more mistreatment by promising it will end,” Miles said firmly.
“I should hardly call it mistreatment,” Sir Edmund said in surprise.
“That makes it no less so,” Miles replied. “If I treated Anika this way when we were dating, I would hope she’d care enough about herself to leave me, rather than suffer through more abuse.”
“Yes, well you’re fortunate you inherited directly, and that your grandmother approved your choice,” Sir Edmund declared wryly.
“It sounds as though you feel appropriateness of action is dictated, or justified, by circumstance and consequence,” Miles remarked.
“Most certainly, to some extent,” Sir Edmund answered. “You disagree?”
“I agree with the young woman who once told me it isn’t the outcome which determines whether our actions are right or wrong. It’s the actions themselves which are either right or wrong, all on their own. Although my circumstances were favorable, they’re not responsible for my treating Anika with respect, and valuing her above others. Because of the love I professed and the commitment I made to her, to do so is right, regardless of either circumstance, or consequence.”
“I see your point, though to do other than I have, would’ve resulted in a trip to the curb for the both of us,” Sir Edmund remarked.
“Do you consider the consequences of bowing to your mother’s wishes to be preferable?” Miles questioned.
“No,” Sir Edmund sighed. “I’ve lost Ash’s trust, and unless I change her mind, I shall lose her. I’ve lost my sense of complacency, and am soon to lose my home, as quickly as I can manage it. Had I chosen differently… we’d be cast from the manor, but not without one another. Ash has already acquired other employment, and surely I could have done the same. I wonder now, why I ever thought giving in to mother, at Ash’s expense, would prove to be anything other than disastrous.”
“Then you’re making progress,” Miles said approvingly.
“I suppose I am,” Sir Edmund acknowledged.
“You are,” Miles affirmed. “Start making your exit plan, and in four to five hours, call the number I gave you and get started on your resume.”
“I shall do that,” Sir Edmund replied.
“We’ll talk again soon,” Miles said, and there was the creak of chairs and faint rustling, as they stood. “I support the changes you intend to make, and will assist however I can.”
“Thank you, I shall need the moral support,” Sir Edmund answered gratefully.
Footsteps traveled to the door, and it opened.
“Oh yes,” Sir Edmund said abruptly. “I very nearly forgot! There’s an expedition planned for the lumber room this afternoon, in pursuit of period costumes for the ball.”
“What time?” Miles asked.
“Two o’ clock, after a buffet in the second dining room, at one,” Sir Edmund replied. “I expect a good many of our guests will be on the hunt, if you care to join us.”
“We’ll see you then,” Miles said.
“Very good,” Sir Edmund acknowledged.
The door closed, and a moment later, Miles quietly and carefully held the bed curtain aside, then gingerly slid back into bed.
“I’m awake,” I enlightened him, as I bounced up, grabbed his arm, and pulled. Despite a momentary loss of balance, he stopped just short of landing on me.
“And then some,” he noted with a laugh. “It’s lucky for you, I have greater than average reflexes.”
“Much greater,” I said admiringly, as I wrapped my arms around him, and he pulled the blankets around us. “Your communication skills are pretty amazing, too. Everything you said to Sir Edmund was perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Miles replied. “It’s encouraging that he made a turnaround in his thinking. It’s a start. Now, back to sleep.”
“What’s your hurry?” I asked in surprise.
“Were you in the middle of a long-ago dinner party, when Edmund called?” Miles replied.
“Well… yes,” I answered. “Why?”
“I have a confession to make,” he informed me.
“Okay… go on,” I said.
“Not so long ago, I couldn’t understand the fascination with soap operas,” Miles declared. “Now, I do. Don’t tell me you’re not as anxious as I am, to find out what happens next!”
I couldn’t help laughing, but I did refrain from pointing out that it wasn’t up to us to determine when, or for how long, these broadcasts occurred.
“You’re right, I am,” I replied instead.
Who knew, maybe there was more yet to be viewed. For curiosity’s sake, I sure hoped so!
Chapter 21
Helen’s shoulders ached with tension, as she followed Douglas’ lead, and they took their place behind the couple preceding them to the dining room. She controlled the urge to rub her aching forehead, and stifled the sigh intent on escaping. The stiffness of the arm on which her hand rested, combined with the grim set of Douglas’ jaw and the coldness in his eyes, was very nearly unbearable. Her own eyes would plead with his for understanding, if he would but return her gaze.
Douglas sensed her desire, and resolved to maintain his focus on the backs of those ahead of them. Not for anything would he give reason to believe he was at peace concerning her decision, or ever would be again. If Helen’s own sense of peace suffered injury as a result, then as far as he was concerned, he was only returning the favor.
Daniel alternated between watching his brother with sympathy, and watching Evie with concern. Their correspondence led him to expect a warmer reception than he had yet to receive. Her gaze was less than friendly and fixed straight ahead, while her fingers rested so lightly on his arm, he wondered if they touched him at all. He decided her loyalty to her intended husband was so great as to allow no room for an exchange of pleasantries with any other. The quality disappointed him personally, as he did enjoy their correspondence and would have appreciated a friendly relationship with his future sister-in-law. It bode well for his brother however, so long as he overcame his disappointment with the woman on his arm and married Evie, as such singular devotion held the promise of future commitment as well.
Katharine kept her eyes on the two couples, as she and James took their place in the procession of guests. Was Helen yet aware that Evie bore witness to her meeting with Douglas Carlisle? If it were so, perhaps that knowledge would serve to erode her certainty that a marriage between the two would cause anything but grief.
The thought brought with it a ray of hope. If Helen’s intent in imploring Douglas to go through with marrying Evie was motivated by kindness toward her, then surely she would now wish to spare her that very thing.
Evie couldn’t possibly wish to marry Douglas, and he clearly did not wish to marry her. With so many opposed, the plan to wed the two could not but fail.
Daniel rethought his earlier assumption, as he observed Evie politely conversing with everyone seated around her. Everyone except himself. It puzzled him deeply, and fueled the desire to gain her attention. He
was known to be quite charming, particularly when he wanted to be, and never did he feel so compelled, as now.
Evie was the picture of complacency as the dinner’s many courses made their unobtrusive way onto the table, then off again. Not by the flicker of an eyelash did she acknowledge Daniel, or his endless parade of anecdotes. Perhaps she would find them as amusing as those of their neighbors who hung upon each word, if her heart were not utterly broken as a result of the letters written by this man. But, it was. And she did not.
As Douglas grimly made his way through each of the dinner’s many courses, the cheerful talk of the other diners was as vinegar to a freshly opened wound. He was grateful, despite that, for his brother’s ability to draw the attention he generated to himself, and away from Douglas.
Though determined to maintain as cold a shoulder to Helen, as her heart was toward his, Douglas could not but notice her discomfiture each time his gaze drifted toward the woman she was determined he should marry. Perhaps her heart was not so cold after all. Given enough incentive, perhaps it would wrest control from her foolish head. Whether his own heart would welcome her after the blow she inflicted, he did not know, but regardless of the final outcome he was grimly satisfied with the stiffening of her spine and the tremble of her fork each time he glanced at Miss Bannerman.
Thus encouraged, he did so frequently, much to the gratification of Lady Frances. He was clearly eager to make the acquaintance of his future bride. As for said bride, Lady Frances was even more pleased to see the quiet refinement which characterized her interactions with those around her. Not a glance did she cast in her groom’s direction, which filled Lady Frances with a sense of pride and satisfaction. It was to be expected that Douglas would display such rapt attention toward his intended, but that same measure of interest on Evie’s part would be unseemly. Instead, her expression was serene, and her movements smooth and gracious, without a hint of the nervousness that accompanied her since the day of Douglas’ arrival. Neither did she join in the hilarity of those around her, who were well on the way to making fools of themselves. Evie sailed above it all with nary a smile in response. Indeed, Lady Frances was pleased. Perhaps James’ wife was a positive influence, after all.
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