Benjamin smiled. “Are you quite certain that you are ready to settle down?”
“Yes, I am. My father’s health is not what it used to be and I need to be more responsible.”
Benjamin picked up his cup. “Well, then let us cheer to a positive outcome.”
“You shall accompany me to the fair will you not?” Christopher asked him pointedly.
“Of course. Who else would be your right hand man?” said Benjamin. They both laughed and drank.
“Your sister still does not approve of me,” Benjamin said as he lite a cigar and began smoking.
“She does not know you the way that I do,” Chris replied. “You should have gotten used to that.”
“It has been a year already, Chris. Why does she not like me?”
Christopher shrugged. “Maybe because you made a pass at her sometimes ago. You should not have done that.”
“I was just trying to be nice and friendly since she looked so lonely. Besides, at the ball, I did not know she was married, and we had yet to become friends then.” Benjamin replied. “That incident actually led to our friendship, if I recall very well.”
“Still, she is my sister and that makes her your sister by association. You need to be patient with her and show her that you are not a bad person. Besides, how could you not know that she was married?”
“I was drunk, Chris! Surely, that should serve as a genuine excuse for my behavior. It happens to just about everyone. Anyway, if I had not done that, there was a possibility that we would never have met, so I do not regret it.”
Christopher laughed. “Give her some time. She will come around. She still thinks you are a bad influence on me.”
Benjamin smiled. “I know. That was pretty evident before we left your place. And to be fair, I only introduced you to this ‘bad world’. You were the one who took full advantage and got involved heavily in drinking, gambling, and women. I just wish I knew how to make her like me.”
“Why do you care about that?” asked Christopher.
“I care about your family and your sister is part of it,” Benjamin replied.
“Or perhaps, you like my sister,” Christopher joked.
“Not in the way you think,” Benjamin replied, puffing out the smoke.
Christopher shrugged. “Just give her some time, she will come around.”
* * *
Lady Rebecca Egerton
Rebecca checked the time on the long-cased clock by the staircase. It was close to midnight and her brother was not yet back. She sighed. He was lucky that their mother was sleeping, or she would surely be crossed with his tardiness. Did not he say he would be back by midnight?
She stood up and strode to the window to see if he had arrived. She hoped that once he came back, she could talk some sense into him without his friend around.
Not that she had not done that several times before, but most of time, he had always come home drunk and would forget whatever was discussed the next day.
Rebecca held no trust for Benjamin and could not understand why her brother picked him to be his best friend. She and Christopher had always been close since childhood; practically each other’s best friends.
He knew most of her friends, but he did not have friends of his own. His only other best friend from childhood was their cousin, Jeremy who was no longer in England, but had relocated to Spain about four years ago.
For four years, Rebecca was her brother’s confidante, that was until the previous year when they had gone to a ball together. Benjamin whom they had never met before tried to ask her for a dance but she had politely refused.
He caused a scene, greatly embarrassing her and gaining disapproving stares from the other guests. The situation was finally resolved when Christopher came to her rescue. It was later revealed that Benjamin had been drinking heavily after gambling with other men of the ton. The following week, Christopher brought him home to introduce him to the family and allow him to formally apologize to her.
That should have been the end of that, but since then, things began to change. Christopher started getting drunk, coming home late, and sleeping around with various women, many of whom were of the ton. All of these things were kept away from their parents as to not worry them while dealing with the Earl’s health.
Rebecca recounted the number of letters of apology she had written to her friends on behalf of her brother. Most of them decided to dissociate from her while others remained open to her as acquaintances. She also wanted to ensure that Christopher’s antics did not tarnish the image of the family and ruin them.
She had talked to him several times about Benjamin but it had always fallen on deaf ears. She did not want to bring this to their mother’s hearing, for fear of distracting her from caring for their father, the Earl. She already had enough on her hands.
Tired of waiting for her brother, Rebecca walked away from the window and headed to her room. Once there, she shut the door behind her plopped on the bed. Sooner or later, he will fall in love and get married, she thought as she settled into bed. Once he is married, he will cease this behavior and be a proper gentleman and be more responsible. He may even influence Benjamin to become a better person. With that hopeful thought, she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3
Miss Ophelia Campbell
Ophelia strode to the mirror and smiled upon seeing how she looked. She was dressed in a red satin fabric with long sleeves that were decorated with lace ribbons. Her arms were covered in a pair of long brown gloves while her black hair was parted at the center. The rest of her hair was pinned on top of her head with a few loose curls on either side of her face.
“Do not you think that this is a bit too much,” she asked Emily who was standing beside her, admiring her handiwork.
“No, I think this is perfect. And you will look wonderful with your outer coat and bonnet,” replied Emily.
It was the night of the Christmas fair and the two of them were still in Ophelia’s room getting ready.
“Are you girls not done?” shouted her mother as she approached the room. When she came in, she stopped upon seeing Ophelia.
“Oh! Darling, look at you,” she said in a whisper. Ophelia could see the pride in her eyes. “You look so beautiful.”
Ophelia smiled. “Well then, I think we should be on our way.” They walked to the door where Martins helped them into their coats.
The three women made their way to the waiting carriage and rode to the Christmas fair which was in Eltonwood. Eltonwood was a town in between Havenswood and Westborough. People from all over London and within its provinces would come to grace the occasion.
As they rode, Ophelia could not help but feel a bit sad at the face that her father would not be joining them. She was not surprised. As her mother had stated before, it was not the first time, and neither would it be the last.
* * *
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington
Christopher groaned as the loud knock on the door interrupted his sleep. He opened his eyes. “Who is there?” he asked in a hoarse tone.
Without any answer, the door opened and Rebecca came in.
On seeing her, he relaxed and shut his eyes. He waited for her to speak but nothing happened, so he opened his eyes again. She was looking down at him and she was not pleased.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
“May I know the time you came in last night?” she demanded.
He frowned and sh0ok his head. “I’d rather you allow me to sleep.”
“That friend of yours shall be the death of you, brother! I do hope he will not be coming with us to the Christmas fair.”
Christopher sighed. He was feeling really sleepy and his head was banging, yet his sister was making things worse.
“Sister, can this not wait? It is rather too early to be pestering me.”
“It is noon!” she stated firmly, walking to his window and drawing back the curtains. The sharp glare of the afternoon sun hit Christopher
squarely in the eyes and he winced in pain.
“I do not think my friend will be the death of me. I think you are in a better position,” he said as he squinted his eyes and rose from the bed.
Another knock sounded.
“Enter!” he said aloud and the door opened to reveal the house maid, Rosa. She was an middle aged looking woman in her early forties.
“My Lord. My Lady,” Rosa said as she curtsied before tending to her duty of cleaning.
“Rosa, is my bag packed and ready for the fair?” Rebecca asked the woman.
“Yes, my lady,” she replied.
Christopher realized he had yet to pack for the fair. He had completely forgotten to do so.
“I cannot believe that you forgot about the fair!” said his sister. “You do know we are going to be late if we do not leave on time.”
“Havenswood is not really that far,” Christopher remarked. “I need to pack and we just need to wait for Ben, and we shall be on our way,” he said quickly before excusing his sister out of the room before she could say something terrible to him.
* * *
Miss Ophelia Campbell
It was a cold day for the Christmas fair, but not too cold to the point of it being uncomfortable. It was almost evening time and sun hung low in the sky. A few fluffy clouds could still be seen in the sky. There was a long line of people coming near the gated entrance that lead to multiple tents. People were becoming increasingly excited and impatient as they took a few steps forward every so often. Faint music could be heard from beyond the tall gates with the occasional sounds of laughter and cheers suddenly piercing the air. In Ophelia’s hands was a basket of food items that they had brought to eat once they had reached the bonfires that would be lite as the night arose.
Once they were past the gate, they could see the multiple tents that held food, luxury items, fabrics, clothes, toys for children, and entertainment that attracted many families. Ophelia watched as children ran around with their new toys or ate some type of sweet treat. A few others were dragging their parents to see the puppet show, the exotic animals that were on display, mummers’ plays, and a few magicians. There was even a play getting set up about Father Christmas, which attracted some of the adults. Musicians played their music and people danced in groups merrily.
She laughed. The fair was always fun, but the night was always the most interesting part, as there would be bonfires and lots of merriments within the adult’s circles. Several tents were set up specifically for them.
“I think we should go to where the adults are,” said Ophelia to her mother. They had been standing at a tent for a while now watching the happy children.
“I love seeing all those little ones,” said Emily.
“Then maybe you should stay,” Ophelia joked but Emily sent her a scowl. Together, the three left the place to move to the adult’s area which was further in.
* * *
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington.
“Oh my goodness!” Rebecca cried excitedly as they moved from one section of the fair together. They had just gotten to the fair and saw many different events happening at different tents.
“Do you think we should check the magic show? I have always loved that,” pleaded Rebecca.
Christopher was not listening for he was busy looking out for Benjamin.
“Christopher!” his sister called out again and this time he looked at her.
“What are you looking for?” she demanded. “Please do not tell me that Ben is around this corner. I will be greatly displeased.”
Christopher sighed. “Surely sister, you do not hate him that much. Is there not anything he can do to make you tolerate him?”
Rebecca stubbornly shook her head. “No! There is nothing he can do. I simply find him intolerable and I do not trust him one bit.”
Christopher sighed. “You do know that I am a man and I do not require your permission to befriend anyone, even if you are older than me.”
He could see the hurtful look that passed over his sister’s face and he immediately regretted it.
“I apologized for that, sister. What I mean is that…”
Rebecca did not wait to hear the rest. She simply stormed off and was immediately lost in the crowd.
“Rebecca, come back!” he shouted and then turned towards his footman who was standing behind him. “Find Ben and take him to our tent.”
The footman bowed and left while Christopher went in search of his sister.
* * *
Miss Ophelia Campbell
The adult’s area was not as crowded as the children’s but it was all the same. There were several shows happening at the same time that was meant for a more mature audience.
“Why do not we go and see what’s happening there,” said Emily, pointing to a gathering of few people not to far off.
“What are they doing?” asked Ophelia’s mother.
“I think it’s a magic show,” replied Ophelia, watching from afar.
The man in the middle was bringing a hat out of a cat and the audience was clapped.
“It is indeed a magic show. Why do not we move closer,” suggested their mother.
Excitedly, the two ladies gathered their skirts with their hands and rushed towards the tent. Ophelia had her mind focused on the man performing the show and was not looking at where she was going. She bumped into man who seemed to be going in the opposite direction.
The next thing she knew was that her went basket flying out of her hand and she lost her balance. Before she could hit the ground, a steady arm supported her and instead of seeing the auburn sky, she was staring at the most handsome face she had ever seen.
His blonde hair was cut shorter at the sides while falling in loose curls on top of his head. Along his jawline and high cheekbones was a thin layer of facial hair which gave him an even more dashing appearance. His nose was sharp and pointy and his eyes were the shades of blue with specks of silvery pattern.
She blushed as she realized he was staring at her. As a matter of fact, her mother and Emily were staring at both of them. She flushed in embarrassment and mumbled some words before the man lifted her to her feet. Immediately, he saw to the scattered things on the ground and began picking them up. She glanced at Emily who could not stop giggling.
* * *
Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington
He had been so busy walking and searching for every blonde with a blue bonnet who he thought resembled his sister that he had not bothered to look at where he was going before bumping into someone.
He had managed to catch a woman before she could hit the ground. While he helped her back to her feet, he could not help but stare at her.
Her hair that peaked from under her bonnet was jetty black and her symmetrical face was almost white except for the slight pink on her cheeks. She was staring at him with so much intensity that he was afraid the lady might die of shock. Her lips were the reddest pair of lips he had ever seen and he was mesmerized by them.
She seemed to be mumbling some words which snapped him out of his daze. He stood her up right and made sure she was well-balanced before tending to some of her things that were lying on the ground. Finally, he picked up the half wrapped food items and realized most of them were either dirty or spoiled.
He lifted the basket and faced the three ladies. One of them looked older than the other two, possibly their mother or aunt. The other woman looked to be the same age as the woman he had caught just a few moments ago. He was confused and slightly embarrassed as he saw the amused looks on the two women’s faces.
“My lady,” he started, removing his hat while grappling with the basket in his other hand. “I sincerely apologize for my clumsiness. I was in a haste to catch up with my sister who is very angry with me and I was not looking at where I was going. I do hope you are not injured in any way for if you are, I will not hesitate to host you so that my phsyician can take a good care of you. And about your basket, I do apologize for that t
o. Please,” he said, looking up to the other woman and lady standing by. “You are all invited to our tent. We can sit and watch the proceedings of the fair from there since it is pitched upon a hill. I daresay it will give you a better view of the events. And once the cold comes as night falls, we can keep warm in there.”
None of the ladies spoke at first, but then, the one he had bumped into came forward, took her basket from him and the stepped back.
“Thank you very much sir,” she stated sheepishly. Your apologies are accepted but your invitation will be declined, I’m afraid. We will manage on our own.”
“We insist,” said a voice behind him and he was surprised to see his sister whom he had been looking for. Clearly, she must have seen everything that happened. Still, he was surprised that she would support him in this.
Regency Diaries of Seduction Collection: A Regency Historical Romance Box Set Page 87