by Rose Pearson
“Of course, Lady Hayward,” she answered, just before her chaperone called for them to enter.
“You must be wondering why we have called, Lady Hayward.”
Charity reached out and lifted her teacup and saucer, glancing towards Lady Hayward as she did so. Both Lady Dewsbury and Lady Norwich had been present for some ten minutes and with the tea already poured, it now appeared time for them both to speak purposefully about what their true reasons were for coming to Lady Hayward’s home.
“You are welcome to call, Lady Dewsbury, without any particular reason,” Lady Hayward answered, speaking quite calmly and with a small, if not rather cool smile on her face. “There is no need to express any reason, as such.”
“Oh, but we must!” Lady Norwich exclaimed, as Charity took a sip of her tea and did her best to remain quite calm. “There has clearly been some sort of misunderstanding and we did not want either yourself or Lady Charity to be left in a state of confusion!”
Lady Hayward blinked in surprise, then looked towards Charity, her eyebrows lifting.
“Confusion?” she repeated, as Charity allowed herself a small smile. “Forgive me, Lady Norwich, but I assure you that there is no confusion here at present.”
“Oh?” Lady Norwich’s eagerness seemed to leave her as she looked towards her mother – and Charity did not miss the way that Lady Dewsbury frowned at her daughter, clearly encouraging her not to stray from their predetermined path. “That is to say, I am glad that there is no confusion. I should not like Lord Hosmer’s intentions to have been so misconstrued.”
Charity bit her lip and forced herself not to speak harshly, not to retort to the lady. Instead, she took in a breath and waited for a moment or two before she responded.
“There is no confusion when it comes to Lord Hosmer,” she said, quite firmly. “I can assure you of that, Lady Norwich.” Lady Norwich’s eyes glittered with a malevolence that threatened to steal some of Charity’s confidence but, with an effort, she continued to speak in the same calm, quiet tone as she had done before. “Lord Hosmer has made himself very clear when it comes to our acquaintance,” she continued, as Lady Norwich sighed plaintively and shook her head. “I have no doubts or fears in that regard, Lady Norwich, I can assure you of that.”
“I am afraid that you are quite mistaken there, Lady Charity,” came the swift reply. “Last evening, once you had departed, Lord Hosmer sought me out.”
“He did,” Lady Dewsbury interrupted, as though her word would give all the more assurance to Charity’s heart. “He did find my daughter and spoke to her at length.”
No flare of doubt stole Charity’s breath and she remained precisely as she was, with what she hoped was a disbelieving expression on her face.
“I see,” she replied, in a somewhat bored tone, before reaching for her tea again.
“He has told me that I was quite right to come to him as I did,” Lady Norwich continued, her voice growing a little more fervent. “That he had been torn between myself and you, Lady Charity. I do not begrudge him that, for I have caused him great pain. And yet, despite that, he has decided to –”
“I will interrupt you, Lady Norwich, before you can speak further untruths.” Charity shifted slightly in her chair, looking at the young lady with a steady gaze and seeing the color begin to drain from Lady Norwich’s cheeks. “I do not and will not accept any words from you in this regard. There is nothing that you can say that I will believe. Lord Hosmer has done all he can to separate himself from you and from the past grievances and hurts that he has endured. Everything that he has said to me, I believe. I trust him and his words. Therefore, I must confess that whatever it is you say, I cannot help but ignore. I will not believe it, Lady Norwich, for your words mean nothing to me.”
Silence filled the room for some minutes after Charity had finished speaking. Lady Hayward’s expression was one of pride – she was clearly delighted with all that Charity had said and willing to stand directly by her side, should it be required of her. The words themselves, Charity realized, were all quite true. She did trust Lord Hosmer. To have allowed such doubts into her mind had been quite foolish, for it was now clear that Lady Norwich was, for whatever reason, attempting to manipulate her into stepping away from Lord Hosmer, in order that she herself might then move into Charity’s place. Charity was not about to allow her to do so.
“I think you should show Lady Charity the letter which was sent to you, only this morning,” Lady Dewsbury said quietly, as Lady Norwich suddenly began to nod, her fingers feverishly raking around her reticule as she looked for the item in question. “That, perhaps, will make her believe what you say.”
Charity frowned and glanced towards Lady Hayward, who gave a small shake of her head. It was a clear indication that she ought not to believe this either, but a letter, however, was a good deal more important than mere hearsay. Lady Norwich finally pulled out a folded piece of paper and, with a look of triumph, handed it to Charity, who chose, instead, to simply place it on the table between herself and Lady Norwich rather than opening it to read.
“Whatever are you doing, Lady Charity?” Lady Dewsbury exclaimed, as Charity turned her gaze towards the lady. “This is proof that what my daughter says is quite true.”
“I shall not accept it either,” Charity replied, steadily. “I do not know whether or not Lord Hosmer has written this to you, Lady Norwich, save for your word.”
“And,” Lady Norwich interrupted, a gleam in her eye, “by his signature and his seal, which you will find both of kept within the letter.”
For a moment, a stab of doubt pushed its way into Charity’s heart, but she tossed it aside with an effort.
“I do not wish to read it.”
“Then I shall!” Lady Dewsbury rose from her chair in a flurry of skirts, making her way across towards Charity and snatching up the letter. Charity was so caught up in this that she did not notice the butler enter and speak quietly to Lady Hayward. Nor did she see the lady nod and reply to the butler, who then left the room on hasty feet. Rather, she watched as Lady Dewsbury shook out the letter and, as though she were about to make a great speech, cleared her throat gently, looked meaningfully towards Charity and then began.
“This letter reads, ‘My dearest lady, I cannot help but allow my thoughts to return to you. Many times they have done so and I now permit them to consider you whenever they wish. I have struggled with our parting, have found myself lost without your presence and your company. Tell me that you will return to me soon so that I might no longer feel such great torment within my heart!’” Lady Dewsbury turned the paper around and, with a confident smile on her face, thrust it in Charity’s direction. “And there, Lady Charity, you will see his signature and his seal.”
Charity looked unwillingly at the letter, seeing the signature of Lord Hosmer as well as the small wax seal that had been pressed beside it, as though to assure the reader that it was from him and could not be mistaken as to be from any other. Her mind began to whirl with questions, her brow furrowing as she looked back into Lady Dewsbury’s face and saw the triumphant confidence there.
Had she been mistaken?
“That letter may very well have been from me, Lady Dewsbury, but was not written last evening, nor last week, nor last month,” came a firm voice from behind Lady Dewsbury. “In fact, I believe I wrote that to Lady Norwich some years ago.”
Charity’s hands gripped the sides of her chair and she made to rise, only to sink back down into her seat as Lord Hosmer strode towards Lady Dewsbury and plucked the letter from her hand. Clearly somewhere between astonishment and horror, Lady Dewsbury’s color became somewhat ashen and she dropped back into her chair without a sound, allowing Lord Hosmer to make his way towards Charity, looking down at her with a firm yet tender gaze.
“This letter was written when I was courting Lady Norwich,” he told her, handing her the note. “I have written the date at the top of the page, although the year, it seems, has been inexplicably smudged
.”
Her heart beating furiously, Charity took the letter from him and saw that what he had said was quite true. Her hands trembled as she looked back at Lady Norwich, seeing the lady’s face also now deathly pale, her plans and schemes entirely interrupted.
“You came to convince Lady Charity that there was something of great importance between us, Lady Norwich,” Lord Hosmer said, turning to face the lady as Charity folded up the old letter again. “Lady Charity, I can only beg your forgiveness at my tardiness. I thought to come to you as soon as I could, to explain all, but the matter of discovering precisely why Lady Norwich and Lady Dewsbury had attempted to do such a thing was of great importance. I wanted to understand it so that I might explain.” His lip curled and his jaw tightened as he held Lady Norwich’s gaze, making Charity realize just how angry he was at what they had done. Her heart began to pound furiously as he placed his hands behind his back, his voice now more of a low growl than anything else. “You lack the financial security you once had, do you not?” he said, as Lady Norwich put one hand to her mouth. “Lord Norwich did not leave you with much in his will, and you were required to return to Lord and Lady Dewsbury. However, it seems that Lord Dewsbury has a few debts of his own, that he also struggles to maintain the financial standing that you were both quite used to enjoying a few years ago. Therefore, the only way that you might be able to relieve yourself of such a burden, Lady Norwich, was to find someone who might wed you. Someone who was of good standing. And the match had to be made in haste, for the matter was urgent and you could not afford to allow any other to discover the truth of your situation.” He glanced back towards Charity, who felt a great swell of relief flow through her soul. “Therefore, you chose me, despite the fact that I have secured my interest in another.” Charity smiled at him a little tentatively, aware now that Lady Dewsbury and Lady Norwich had attempted to manipulate both herself and Lord Hosmer for their own ends. Lord Hosmer’s expression softened for just a moment as he held her gaze, before he turned back to speak to the other ladies. “You had made discreet enquiries and discovered that, not only did I return to London every Christmas season, I also remained in dull spirits and seemed to find no enjoyment in anything at all. Therefore, you hoped that I would be easily encouraged back into your arms, back into your embrace – whereas, Lady Norwich, the precise opposite is true.”
“Please!” Lady Dewsbury exclaimed, swiping the air with her hand. “That is more than enough, Lord Hosmer! You have said all that is needed.”
Lord Hosmer shook his head.
“I thought I had done so, Lady Dewsbury,” he answered, gravely, “but it seems that both you and your daughter are unable to either hear what I say or accept it as the truth. You have tried to set myself and Lady Charity asunder, in the vain hope that I will return to the lady I once believed I cared for. I can assure you both, for what is the final time, that I will never again return to your company or to your affections, Lady Norwich.” His shoulders lifted slightly and Charity felt the strength of his words fill the room, her heart swelling with the determination that was expressed within them.
“I have come to realize my foolishness in losing the happiness and the joy that could have been mine these last years, if only I had been willing to set the past aside and look instead to the future. But, at the same time, I am glad that I did not for, had I done so, then I might never have encountered Lady Charity, I might never have discovered the depths of affection that can be in one’s heart. I could never have found the true satisfaction and contentment with knowing that deep sense of trust which can form between two persons. And therefore, Lady Norwich, nothing you can say or do will ever tempt me to neglect the happiness which I have found here. You must find another man willing to step into your scheme.”
Nothing was said for some minutes after Lord Hosmer had finished. Charity discovered that she was breathing very hard indeed, looking from Lady Dewsbury to Lady Norwich and back again, seeing equal expressions of shock mingled with dismay written on both their faces. Evidently, they had both been quite certain that Lord Hosmer would return to Lady Norwich’s arms without hesitation, and the fact that he had not done so had ruined their plans entirely.
“I think,” Lady Hayward said briskly, as she rose from her chair, “that the matter here is concluded. Lady Norwich, Lady Dewsbury, allow me to show you to the door.”
She did not wait for them to agree nor even to rise from their chairs but walked promptly to the door and stood there, patiently waiting. Charity too rose from her chair and made her way to stand by Lord Hosmer, who looked down at her with a gentleness in his eyes that restored every last piece of her heart.
“Your refusal leaves us with almost nothing,” Lady Dewsbury said, her voice shrill and cutting through the room with a great fierceness that stole Charity’s attention away from Lord Hosmer. “If you would only agree, then Lady Norwich would be restored! Your selfishness is utterly breathtaking, Lord Hosmer.”
He inclined his head in a half bow.
“Good afternoon, Lady Dewsbury,” he replied, clearly no longer willing to argue with the lady. “I do not think that any selfishness in this matter is mine, Lady Dewsbury, nor do I think that we will often be in each other’s company again.”
Lady Dewsbury’s face flushed a deep crimson and, for a few moments, it appeared as though she were about to say something in retaliation, only for her to turn her head away and flounce towards the door. Lady Norwich, Charity noticed, had dropped her head in evident shame and when she lifted it for only a moment to glance up at them both, Charity saw tears on the lady’s cheeks. A stab of compassion ran through her, realizing that the lady was truly in difficulty although, of course, she had attempted to resolve the situation in a most improper and incorrect fashion.
“Good afternoon, Lady Norwich,” she said, gently. “I do hope that you will find a resolution to your difficulties soon.”
She spoke genuinely but the lady did not answer her, shaking her head and turning away from them both with hurried steps. In only a few minutes, Charity found herself entirely alone with Lord Hosmer and, looking up at him saw the same relief etched into his features as she felt within her heart.
“My dear Lady Charity,” he murmured, turning towards her so that he might take both of her hands in his. “Forgive me for last evening. I should have spoken with more decisiveness, with greater firmness!”
She shook her head.
“It was not a situation of your making, Lord Hosmer,” she told him, softly. “I do not blame you for what occurred, truly.”
“Then you are most generous,” he replied, lifting her hand to his lips for a moment. Charity’s cheeks warmed as heat rushed up her arm towards her heart, her smile dazzling. “But I know already of your great kindness of spirit, your generosity of heart and your sweet nature, Lady Charity. When I feared that I had broken things between us, when I grew afraid that you might turn from me, my heart was aching with such a great and desperate pain that I could barely sleep! This morning, I awoke with a resolve to sort the matter out entirely – and thus, I have done so.”
“You have,” she answered him, letting go of his hand for a moment so that she might reach up and press her palm to his cheek, seeing the tenderness in his eyes and finding herself quite overwhelmed by it. “But you would not have lost me, Lord Hosmer. I confess I was a little confused, a little doubtful, but realizing now what Lady Norwich was attempting to do, I have full understanding.”
Lord Hosmer closed his eyes and pressed his hand to hers.
“There is so much more that I wish to say to you, Lady Charity,” he told her, his eyes opening and meeting her own. “I – I should like you to know that everything I said to Lady Norwich about what I have learned from you and what I now feel for you is nothing but the truth.” Taking her hand in his, he settled it over his heart and bent his head just a little, his words quiet and yet spoken with such force that Charity could barely catch her breath. “My heart is filled with none but you, La
dy Charity. I should like to speak to your father about my intentions, but before I do, I must know if I am to have any hope.”
Charity looked up into his eyes and felt her heart singing with joy.
“Can you not hear the song of my heart, Lord Hosmer?” she asked, gently. “Can you not hear it sing with the joy of knowing that the affection it has within it is returned?”
His eyes flared and he put one hand to her waist, pulling her a little closer.
“Then you will accept my courtship?” he asked, a little hoarsely. “You will be glad of a closer acquaintance with me?”
Charity smiled back at him, her whole being flooded with joy.
“Very glad indeed, Lord Hosmer,” she answered, quietly, “for, in truth, it is all that I want.”
Epilogue
Benedict could not recall when he had enjoyed a happier Christmas. The ivy and holly that decorated each and every room they entered filled his heart with an almost inexplicable joy, and the company had been most excellent indeed. Much to his surprise – as well as to the surprise of Lady Charity – the Duke of Landon and his younger daughters had all arrived in London in time for Christmas Day. Lord and Lady Ramsbury had invited the Duke and his daughters to join the rest of them for Christmas Day and, thus far, Benedict had enjoyed every moment.
Apparently, the Duke had been thinking of coming to London for Christmas Day for some time but had not informed Lady Charity of it, in case he had changed his mind. However, Benedict was very glad that the gentleman had chosen to come, for it gave him the opportunity not only to greet the man, but also to speak to him openly about his intentions towards Lady Charity. He and the Duke had already spoken at length earlier that day, prior to their attendance at church and, much to Benedict’s relief, the Duke had appeared quite at ease over the match.
He sighed contentedly to himself as he sat back, his plate of plum pudding now quite empty. Across the table, he smiled at Lady Charity, who blushed but smiled back at him.