by Abby Ayles
“Then, who?” Lady Abigail asked, thoroughly confused.
“I meant me, of course.”
“You? You knit mittens?” She spoke laced with shock.
“I’m just full of surprises, aren't I?” Lord Gilchrist replied with another one of those half-sided smiles.
Chapter 14
It had been agreed that, over the course of the next week, Lord Gilchrist and Lady Abigail would meet in his drawing room to complete the task set before them.
So, it was with great trepidation that Lady Abigail came to stand in his drawing room.
“Lady Abigail, how good it is to see you,” Lady Louisa said, coming in the room. “It’s so lovely to have a caller on these muggy days,” she added, referring to the drizzle that seemed to never stop outside the window.
“On days such as this, most would rather stay held up in the comfort of their own homes if possible, and surprise visits are less likely.”
“I actually came upon a request.”
“Request? From whom? Mother?” Lady Louisa inquired as she simultaneously called for tea.
They both sat down by the hearth that was not yet lit. Lady Abigail wasn’t exactly sure how to tell Lady Louisa that she had come to call upon the Earl of Gilchrist. It was not at all proper for a lady to call upon a single man.
She also feared that if her reasoning was explained to Lady Louisa she might not entirely believe her. To be honest, Lady Abigail wasn’t altogether sure herself that the earl knitting was believable. Perhaps it was all a joke he was hoping to play on her.
“She came to call on me,” the Earl of Gilchrist said, entering the room.
He bowed to both his sister and Lady Abigail, who stood from the start of his entrance. Lady Louisa wasn’t used to seeing Colton out of his office. In fact, she could confirm that she hadn’t seen him at all for the last two days since their visit to the Foundling Hospital.
Lady Abigail was wracked with all sorts of nerves. Part of her was dreading this afternoon and she had almost turned her carriage around on several occasions.
She was still unsure if the invitation had been a joke. If so, she was prepared to give the earl a piece of her mind. On the other hand, she had been intrigued and a bit confused by this previously unseen side of the earl that revealed itself at the boys’ school.
She had seen a light and hopefulness in his eyes that day. It made her curious to see if there was such a man as had been described to her beneath the rough exterior.
“Call on you?” Lady Louisa said with a surprised look on her mousy brow.
“Yes,” Lord Gilchrist said, coming to stand before the ladies as they took their seats again.
Lady Abigail couldn’t help but notice how smartly dressed he was again. For a man who never seemed to leave the confines of his house, he did still take care to dress the part of an earl.
“I invited Lady Abigail over to complete a little project with me. It’s for the benefit of the school children,” Lord Gilchrist added when the first explanation seemed even more of a shock to his sister.
“Are you willing to share what that might be, dear brother?” Lady Louisa asked.
“I’m afraid I would rather not.”
She nodded, seeming to know something of this mysterious side of Colton that Lady Abigail couldn’t understand.
“Well, I promised to go with Mother to check in on Mrs. Fredrickson today. She has not been at all well as of late and could use the company.”
Lady Louisa seemed to look between her brother and Lady Abigail with a twinkle in her eye. She could have no way of knowing that this meeting was strictly a business arrangement for the good of the boys. Lady Louisa seemed to see more in it than Lady Abigail would have liked.
“I will call in Sally to sit with you,” she said before bidding her brother and Lady Abigail farewell.
For a few moments, the earl and Lady Abigail shuffled uneasily. Neither one knew quite what to say to the other.
Sally came in with a tray of tea and set it before them. Then, without a word, she took a seat in the far corner where there was a basket of mending which needed to be done.
Sally worked silently, pretending not to notice the goings-on between the two. It seemed to Lady Abigail like a proper chaperone for a meeting with a beau.
She had not intended this at all and wished that Lady Louisa and her mother were present in the room.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Lord Gilchrist started as Lady Abigail busied herself with serving the tea. “I picked this time purposefully knowing Mother and Louisa would be gone.”
Lady Abigail looked at him with pure fear. She couldn’t see why he would want to get her so relatively alone.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing?”
He smiled at her shyly, and for the first time, she saw that he was fidgeting nervously. He cleared his throat and adjusted his seating.
“They don’t know,” he said. When the meaning wasn’t clear to Lady Abigail, he corrected, “About the knitting, that is. I would rather they didn’t. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“How did you come by such skills anyway?” Lady Abigail asked, taking the opportunity to retrieve the grey wool yarn and needles that she had brought with her from a small basket.
“I can’t imagine an earl would need to learn things like this?”
“No,” he said, clearing his throat again. Lady Abigail could tell he was even more nervous to be here with her than he had been on the carriage ride to the Foundling Hospital.
She noticed he had no tools for himself, so she passed him an extra pair of needles and some yarn.
“Thank you,” he said, taking it. "I wasn’t sure how I would be able to come by it myself without anyone finding out.”
“So, will you share with me the big secrecy behind all of this,” she said, motioning between their two hands, “or shall we just work in silence?”
He relaxed a little at her joking words. He began his work and Lady Abigail was surprised to see how fast his hands moved.
“As I said before, many of the younger enlisted men would only have the items issued to them as we travelled across the Channel. My regiment was stationed in Belgium to assist the Prussians there.”
Lady Abigail struggled to start her first mitten as she listened to Lord Gilchrist weave his tale. She must admit that she knew little about what had happened to him during his military service. All that she knew for sure was that he had seen hard battles.
“We were there all winter before the battle I am sure you are familiar with.”
“Waterloo?” Lady Abigail asked. Its infamy had made it to her ears. It was the ultimate fall of Napoleon.
“Yes, well, winters in Belgium are harsh, to say the least. Many of the men’s winter clothes were left in rags. Unlike myself, who was new to the fight, many of them had joined as young as, well, as young as the Foundlings.”
“Years in duty and little funds made it difficult for them to replenish what they needed for the cold winter. Some had wives, sisters or mothers back home who would send items when they could. Many of them, however, had to make do without.”
“I decided that I would learn how to make these simple items and gift them to the men most in need.”
“That was very considerate of you,” Lady Abigail said.
It was more than she would expect of any earl, let alone one who seemed so sour in disposition.
“It was less about kindness and more about necessity.”
“How so?” Lady Abigail asked, noticing that where he was moving quickly through his first mitten, she was much slower.
“Warm hands reload muskets much faster than frozen ones,” he said honestly, concentrating on his work.
“After I gave them to the men, I swore each one to secrecy. I didn’t need them telling others that the commanding officer was sitting in his tent doing women’s work,” he added with a little embarrassment.
“And that is also why you don’t want even your mother or Lady Louisa to kno
w. You are too afraid that they will make fun of you?”
“Oh, I know Louisa will,” he said with a chuckle. “I have teased her so much during our lives together that she would be happy for the opportunity to repay me.”
“I can imagine,” Lady Abigail agreed but thinking about her own brother.
“My mother on the other hand, well, I have disappointed her so much already. I would hate to cause her to think even less of me.”
“I am sure she doesn’t feel disappointed,” Lady Abigail said with surprise. She hadn't realized that Lord Gilchrist had thought that.
He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps explain why his mother was ashamed of and disappointed in him. Thinking better of it, Lord Gilchrist shook his head and motioned to her work instead.
“I can’t imagine if I had asked you to do this on your own. At the rate you're going, it would take all year to complete the task.”
Lady Abigail put down her needles, exasperated. It was true. She kept making mistakes and having to go back over her work.
“I warned you, I am terrible at this sort of thing,” she said, ready to give up.
“No, you’re not,” he said, coming to sit next to her on the sofa. “It just takes patience. I am guessing that is something you don’t have in large supply.”
“I just don’t see the point of sitting indoors all day long, clinking away with needles. Life is so much more exciting out there,” Lady Abigail said, motioning to the dreary weather beyond the window.
“I understand,” Lord Gilchrist said. “I was much like you before…” He let his words trail off as they both understood his meaning.
“Here,” he said, shaking himself from his memory, “if you hold it this way, you can move a lot faster.”
Lord Gilchrist demonstrated with his own hands how to work the needles with speed. Lady Abigail watched and then tried on her own. She gave a giggle.
“You know,” she said, looking over at him, “I never thought, of all people, I would be learning to knit next to you.”
At that moment, Lord Gilchrist realized that when he came to sit next to Lady Abigail, he had taken no care of his face. He was seated so that she was looking right at his scars. He was sure it was a ghastly sight.
He moved away back to his usual place with his face towards the hearth. He gave a soft apology.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Lady Abigail said as she concentrated on her work.
Lord Gilchrist gave her a look like he didn’t believe her words.
“I mean, at first it did, but not now. It isn’t the scars that are offensive.”
“Just myself,” Lord Gilchrist said.
Though his words hurt, Lady Abigail could hear the undertone of humor in them.
“You can just be so cross at times,” she said, never one to hide her thoughts as she should.
“I know,” he said softly. “It is something I am trying to work on.”
“Well, I don’t see how shutting yourself away from the world will improve anything,” Lady Abigail retorted.
“I suppose when I am alone, I am no longer constantly reminded of how I have changed. It is those reminders that often set me off.”
“But don’t you miss society?” Lady Abigail asked.
Lord Gilchrist thought this over for a few minutes. There were aspects of it that he did miss, such as having conversations with others. Until today, he hadn’t realized how much he missed just spending the afternoon in the company of a fine lady.
It also came with less than desirable looks and words spoken about him. That always resulted in him losing his temper. It wasn’t worth the risk.
“Perhaps,” Lord Gilchrist said, “you will tell me of the things you do when you are not here. In that way, I can still have some connection to society.”
Lady Abigail smiled at the idea. She was strangely happy to be of help to the Earl of Gilchrist. Perhaps this was the right way to help him find his place, now that he was out of the service of the Royal Army.
Lady Louisa and Isabella were so bent on getting the earl back out into society, they never stopped to wonder if he sincerely wished to be there. In this way, he could still have the company of others without the anxiety that the peerage seemed to give him.
Chapter 15
Lady Abigail enjoyed the rest of the week much more than she had expected to. On two more occasions, she came to sit with Lord Gilchrist as they worked to complete the task for the Foundling boys.
The sideways looks from Lady Louisa and the duchess were not lost on her. Both ladies most likely suspected something beyond the simple task occurring between them.
For Lady Abigail’s part, she couldn’t say that she wasn’t enjoying their afternoons together. He seemed so much more relaxed and easy to talk to in the comfort of his own home. Lady Abigail saw how the stress of others’ gossip had weighed on him so much.
It also made her rethink her own love of gossiping. She had always enjoyed finding new tidbits of information and passing them along to others. Now she saw, for the first time, how much words could genuinely hurt another. In a small way, it made Lady Abigail grow more than she even realized she needed to.
She also spent the afternoons sharing with him some of the adventures she would have while not in his company. As she told him of races that she attended or balls and dinners, he too seemed to share in the fun of the events.
For some reason that Lady Abigail couldn’t understand herself, she never seemed to find a way to mention Lord Heshing. Though the lord was present for most of the events that Lady Abigail spoke of, she could never seem to bring herself to vocalize his name to Gilchrist.
In fact, as the week went on, she found herself in Heshing’s company for most of the time she was not in Lord Gilchrist's. It was such an opposite experience. Where Lord Heshing was charming, flirtatious and bold about his desire to court her in earnest, Lord Gilchrist was instead a good friend that she felt at ease with and comfortable to be herself around.
It was almost as if the time she spent with each earl was also splitting her person in half. With the Earl of Heshing, she had a fun, spirited adventure. In many ways, it felt freeing and exhilarating. It was often filled with mixed emotions of trepidation, as Heshing seemed always to be pushing the boundaries of society.
With the Earl of Gilchrist, Lady Abigail was eased into the comfort and peace of his tranquil home. After he had shared his secret with her, they had this unspoken bond where they seemed able to share with the other what otherwise couldn’t be spoken. It was a kinship she had never felt with another.
There was still so much of Lord Gilchrist she didn’t know or understand. He would mention, at times, his inability to control his anger, but could never describe in words what brought such ranging storms within him.
Lady Abigail took solace in her brother’s previously expressed views, that the Earl of Gilchrist had seen and experienced much. It would take time for him to sort through these complicated emotions. She was surprised to realize that she wanted to be there to help him through it.
She still had a fear of that deep-seated anger inside him but, at the same time, she wanted to help him let go of it. Lady Abigail, just a short week earlier, would never have dreamed to think on Gilchrist with more than contempt, and was surprised to find that in only this short time her opinion of him had changed so drastically.
“You seem quite lost in thought,” Heshing said to Lady Abigail, almost waking her from a dream.
They were seated on a blanket amidst friends, having a lovely afternoon picnic in the park. She had been tasting some delicate, early season strawberries when she had become lost in wondering about the Earl of Gilchrist.
“I was just thinking on a friend of mine,” Lady Abigail said, a little embarrassed that she had been so neglectful of her companion.
“And who would that friend be?" Heshing asked, taking his own strawberry from the bowl in front of them.
From his tone, Lady Abigail expected he was hoping
she said him. She did care for him genuinely. True, she had begun to feel what Lady Abigail could only assume was affection as she had never experienced it before. But she also was not the type of lady to lie, even if it was to appease a gentleman.
“It is the Earl of Gilchrist. My family has very close connections with his. Do you know him well?” Lady Abigail said.
The Earl of Heshing visibly bristled at the mention of the name. “I met him briefly. He seemed to me a horrid fellow. I can’t imagine you being able to stand his garish company long enough to consider him a friend.”
“He is not garish at all,” Lady Abigail said, not pleased by his description.
It was for these exact words that Lord Gilchrist felt the need to imprison himself.
“I must admit, he was very coarse the first few times I met him. Over time, I have seen he is much more than that,” Lady Abigail did her best to explain the feelings she herself didn’t quite understand.
“Of course,” Lord Heshing said with a soft smile on his lips. “I have only met him one time and very briefly at that. I am sure once I get to know him better, I will think differently.”
Lady Abigail felt relief to hear Lord Heshing say such words. She didn't know why, but it was necessary to her that Heshing see the good that she had found in Lord Gilchrist.
“And what would give you cause to meet him on a more regular basis?” Lady Abigail asked, wondering at the meaning of his words.
For surely Heshing wouldn’t take it upon himself to call on Gilchrist, and she doubted Gilchrist would ever find himself in Heshing’s societal circle.
Where Lord Gilchrist was entombed in his home, Heshing was always out and about with the liveliest lords and ladies. Lady Abigail smiled at the thought that the two could not possibly be more opposite in character.
“Well, you say he has close connections to your family?”
“Yes. Isabella, the duchess I mean, was basically raised inside the Gilchrist household. Her father was often away and she spent many a holiday and social occasion in their company. She has often referred to him as a brother.”