by Elaine Hart
“I thought that he liked me as well, the way he said that he did,” Lady Caroline said.
“How did you realize he did not?” she asked.
“I saw him with another young woman. Young, beautiful with amber-colored hair.”
“Lady Abigail?”
“I am not certain,” Lady Caroline shrugged. “I saw them through the window. She kissed him and he made no attempt to stop her.”
“He would never resist a kiss from a woman,” Lady Harriet muttered.
“I have realised this,” Lady Caroline shrugged.
Lady Harriet sighed, but still glanced at Lady Caroline with slight suspicion. “You only kissed him, right?”
“We only kissed, I swear,” Lady Caroline said with a nod. “I would certainly not allow him to do anything else to me.”
Lady Harriet glanced at her friend and smiled slightly.
“I am truly sorry that I did not tell you,” Lady Caroline apologised.
“Were you that afraid that I would be upset with you?” she asked.
“I was,” Lady Caroline admitted, “but I should have listened to you, Harriet. I had listened to you speak of your brother your entire life, about the kind of man he is and of his behavior. I knew what I had gotten myself into, and yet I felt betrayed when it happened. I was foolish for believing his lies, and I was foolish for not telling you about it.”
“Is that why you have been as distanced as you were?”
“Indeed.”
“I thought it was because you were growing tired of my company,” Lady Harriet admitted.
“That is the silliest thing I have ever heard, Harriet,” Lady Caroline said as she approached Lady Harriet and took her hands. “You are my favorite person in the entire world. I could never tire of your company.”
“Promise?”
“Never,” Lady Caroline said with a sincere smile.
“That is certainly a relief.”
“You should never fret over that, as it would never happen.”
Lady Harriet nodded with a smile and sighed in relief.
“Perhaps we can take a ride in the coach, or have lunch under the large oak tree,” Lady Caroline suggested.
“I might have a better idea,” Lady Harriet said with a smile.
“And that is?”
“Shopping for gowns,” she answered.
“Of course. His Grace’s ball,” Lady Caroline smiled. “We can do whatever you wish to do. I simply wish everything to be alright between us. I cannot lose my dearest friend.”
“You will never lose me, Caroline,” Lady Harriet said and embraced her friend.
“I am truly sorry,” Lady Caroline said with the deepest remorse and sincerity.
“And I forgive you, Caroline, but I must apologise as well.”
“Whatever for?”
“For expressing my disdain for my brother so intensely that you felt the need to hide it from me,” Lady Harriet answered.
“You are forgiven,” Lady Caroline said with a smile. “And it will never happen again.”
“May I ask you one last question, and then we will never speak of it again?” Lady Harriet asked.
“Of course. You may ask me anything,” Lady Caroline answered.
“Why could you not have developed a fondness for Erasmus instead of Thomas? He is much like you, intelligent, kind. He does sadly resemble Thomas, but that is the only thing they have in common,” Lady Harriet said with a cringe. “Despite all that, he is such a gentleman, and his interests resemble yours.”
“You are wrong about one thing, Harriet,” Lady Caroline said and Lady Harriet glanced at her with a furrowed brow.
“And what is that?”
“Lord Erasmus’s eyes are much more magnificent than Lord Dundee’s will ever be,” she said honestly.
Lady Harriet glanced at her for a moment and smiled. “Dare I even ask how you knew that? Or was it in the library that you realised this?”
“Perhaps I only realised now that he is the kind of man who is worthy of my time,” she answered.
“Indeed he is.”
“But the only problem is that he does not glance at me the way he used to. He is upset with me regarding Lord Dundee, and I do not blame him.”
“You are fond of Erasmus,” Lady Harriet said with a slight smile.
“Truthfully, I think I always had been, I simply was not aware of it.”
“Well,” Lady Harriet sighed, “there is only one more thing left to do then.”
“And what is that?”
“Come along. I think it is time we visited the dress store,” Lady Harriet answered.
“Harriet, shopping is not going to solve my problem,” Lady Caroline said and glanced at Lady Harriet.
“It will as long as you find the perfect gown. You will make Erasmus realise what a buffoon he has been all this time,” Lady Harriet said nonchalantly.
“There is something that I fail to understand,” Lady Caroline said with a frown.
“What is that, my dearest friend?” she asked.
“You were angered when you heard that I had been spending time with Lord Dundee, but now you are urging me to find a gown and impress Lord Erasmus. Why is that?”
“Erasmus has been fond of you for a very long time, Caroline.”
“He has?” she asked in a heightened tone.
“Indeed,” Lady Harriet answered, “and now that I am aware that you have the same feelings for him, it simply feels right that you and Erasmus should be together.”
“But he is upset with me.”
“He is only upset that you chose Thomas, and not him,” Lady Harriet pointed out, “and with himself that he had not had the courage to tell you how he felt a long time ago.”
“Did he say that?” Lady Caroline asked.
“He is my brother, Caroline, he did not need to say it,” Lady Harriet answered with a smile. “Now let us prepare for Father’s ball.”
“You are much too enthused than you should be,” Lady Caroline pointed out.
“Never. It is not every day that my dearest friend may possibly become my brother’s wife,” Lady Harriet said with an excited chuckle.
“You are being rather presumptuous, my dearest friend,” Lady Caroline said and shook her head.
“I prefer the term optimistic,” Lady Harriet said with a smile as she grabbed Lady Caroline’s hand and practically dragged her to the great hall. “Now let us go.”
Chapter Six
August 1812
Upper Hallway
Fursdon House
Exeter
Devonshire
England
Lord Erasmus closed the door of his chambers and made his way down the hallway. The sound of the sweet melodies performed by the string quartet downstairs in the ballroom floated through the hallway and he straightened his shoulders. He was not the kind of person who enjoyed these formal events, but he endured them for the sake of his father, and for Lady Harriet, who was filled with more excitement than he had ever seen in his entire life. She had been looking forward to this ball ever since their father had mentioned it to her.
He descended the main stairwell and as he was about to walk in the direction of the ballroom, he heard his father call his name.
“Erasmus,” the Duke said and Lord Erasmus glanced at him.
The Duke stood in the doorway of the parlour and Lord Erasmus approached him.
“May I have a word with you, son?” the Duke asked.
“Certainly. I was about to enter the ballroom,” he answered.
“This will only take a moment.”
“Very well.”
Lord Erasmus entered the parlour and to his surprise, the Duke closed the door behind him. He frowned at his father and asked, “Is everything alright, Father?”
The Duke’s brow furrowed and he was silent for a brief moment before speaking. “I had thought a long time about your brother, ever since I received that letter from Paris. Due to Thomas’s erratic and irresponsible behaviou
r, I have decided that he must do the right and noble thing.”
“Which is?”
“He will go to Paris to Miss Genevieve and look after her and his child. Their child,” the Duke answered.
“Is Thomas aware of these plans?” Lord Erasmus asked.
“He is,” the Duke answered simply.
“And I can only assume that he is not happy about this.”
“You assume correctly,” the Duke answered. “Furthermore, I have decided that Thomas is undeserving of the inheritance of my title and I wish to bestow it onto you.”
Lord Erasmus’s eyes widened and he stared at his father in shock and disbelief. “I beg your pardon, Father?”
“I wish for you to become Duke Fursdon after my passing,” the Duke said, officially confirming his decision.
“You are certain of this,” Lord Erasmus asked.
“Erasmus, I have never been as sure of anything in my entire life, and that includes falling in love with your mother.”
“That is rather comforting,” Lord Erasmus whispered. “What says Thomas regarding this?”
“He was angered by the fact that I am denying him his birthright, but I informed him of the morals that my father had bestowed onto me, and of the duties of carrying forth the title. He is neither moral nor responsible enough to sufficiently carry out those duties. I offered him the opportunity to redeem himself, but he agreed that you are much more deserving, and you will do our family proud,” the Duke answered.
“Father,” Lord Erasmus said in a hoarse voice and cleared his throat, still feeling shocked by his father’s decision, “I am honoured that you wish to hand me the inheritance of the title.”
“Please do not tell me that you must decline,” the Duke said with a furrowed brow.
“I considered it for a moment, but I will not decline. You have done me a great honour, Father, and for that I am grateful.”
“You have always done me proud, Erasmus, and I believe that you must be rewarded for that.”
“Thank you, Father,” Lord Erasmus said as he placed his hand against his chest.
“I will make the announcement later this evening. For now you may dance with all the beautiful women you wish. Perhaps you may even find yourself a wife,” the Duke said with a smile.
Lord Erasmus’s smile faded and his hand dropped to his side. “That is rather unlikely.”
“And why is that?”
“The only woman I wish to be my wife is now too far beyond my reach,” Lord Erasmus answered.
“My son,” the Duke said as he placed his hand reassuringly on his son’s shoulder, “nothing is too far beyond your reach. You must never forget this.”
Lord Erasmus nodded gratefully and left the parlour. He made his way to the ballroom and was surprised at the magnitude of people who were inside. He stepped inside and was immediately swarmed by acquaintances greeting him politely. He was certain that none of the guests were aware of his father’s announcement, and was relieved that the guests only wished to speak briefly to him before carrying on with their evening.
Lord Erasmus sighed in relief as he finally managed to reach the refreshment table and took a glass from the table. He scanned the ballroom for either Lord Dundee, who would after tonight be Lord Thomas, or Lady Harriet and Lady Caroline. Finally, after he had almost abandoned his search for his siblings, he saw Lady Harriet waving at him from across the room.
Lady Harriet smiled as she approached him with an empty glass in her hand, and said, “Brother, you look rather dashing.”
“Am I mistaken, or are you a trifle disguised,” Lord Erasmus asked his sister.
Lady Harriet laughed heartily and placed the glass on the table. “Of course not,” she said cheerfully but as soon as she noticed the expression on his face, her smile faded. “Erasmus, are you alright?”
“Yes, I am. Have you seen Thomas?” he asked.
“Did you not hear?” she asked.
“Hear what?”
“He is leaving for Paris in the morning to be with Miss Genevieve and the baby.”
“Where did you hear that?” he asked.
“Father told me,” Lady Harriet answered. “What is the matter? Did you not know of this?”
“I know, I was simply not certain that you were aware of it,” Lord Erasmus said.
Lady Harriet smiled and leaned closer to her brother. “Father also told me of his decision to revoke Thomas of his title inheritance. I do believe congratulations are in order, brother.”
“Thank you, sister. Although I feel rather undeserving of it.”
“There is no one more deserving of the title than you, Erasmus,” she answered with a smile. “I am proud to call you my brother.”
“Thank you, Harriet,” he said with a grateful smile.
“That reminds me,” Lady Harriet gasped suddenly, “I must speak with Father. Pardon me, brother.”
“Very well,” Lord Erasmus said and watched as Lady Harriet scurried off, disappearing into the crowd of people.
He did find it rather odd that Lady Harriet’s story and his father’s story of Lord Dundee’s decision to go to Paris were very different, but then realised that their father only told Lady Harriet that Lord Dundee had decided on his own. The Duke did not wish to make Lord Dundee seem any more selfish than he had been already, as that would put Lord Dundee in a permanent bad light in Lady Harriet’s eyes. The Duke’s first priority had always been their family, and he would stop at nothing to ensure that the integrity of the Hardy name stayed as it had been all these years.
Lord Erasmus sighed slightly, and even though he was relieved that things would soon return to normal, he could not help but feel rather unsettled.
“Pardon me, my lord,” he heard a woman’s voice behind him and he slowly turned around.
He did not expect Lady Caroline to stand in front of him, looking even more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. She looked exquisite in a dark green gown with golden accents and intricate beading on the bodice. The skirt of her gown was soft and draped perfectly around her hip and waist. Her hair was pinned away from her face, her eyes sparkled brightly, and her skin glowed in the soft ambient light inside the ballroom.
“My lady, you look truly beautiful,” he managed to say after a while.
“You look very handsome as well, my lord,” she said with a smile.
“I do not wish to overstep my boundaries, but would you care to dance?” he asked gallantly.
“That would be lovely,” she answered and as he held his hand out to her, she placed her hand on his.
Together they walked to the middle of the ballroom and slowly swayed to the tune of the melodies provided by the string quartet in the corner of the ballroom.
“Is something the matter, my lord?” she asked and he glanced at her. “You seem rather distracted.”
“Only a little.”
“Would you care to tell me?”
“No, I would not,” he answered confidently.
“Very well,” she answered, rather taken aback by his answer.
“There is, however, something else I wish to share with you,” he said.
“And what would that be?” Lady Caroline asked.
“Not here,” he answered as he took her hand and urged her to follow him, leading her across the ballroom towards the door that led to the terrace.
As soon as they were outside, Lady Caroline had expected him to stop, but he carried on walking and led her down the side steps of the terrace that led to the back of Fursdon House. Lord Erasmus eventually let go of her hand and slowly paced along the lush green grass that spread out as far as the eye could see. The large oak tree towered out in the distance and Lady Caroline glanced at Lord Erasmus with a frown. He seemed equally conflicted and distracted.
“What is the matter, my lord?” she asked once again, hoping that he would answer her properly this time.
“I have been a fool for a very long time,” he said and turned to her.
; “What on earth do you mean?” she asked.
“Are you familiar with the concept that you only realize what you had when it is brutally ripped away from you, and you cannot have it any longer, and you wished that you appreciated it when you had the chance?”
“I am familiar with a less graphic version, but familiar nonetheless,” she answered in a perplexed tone.
“I am not as glib as my brother, not as charming nor deceptive for that matter. I am an honest man who appreciates the things and the people in his life, or at least that was who I thought I was,” Lord Erasmus mumbled, continuing to pace around the lawn.
“My lord, I do not understand.”
“I had made a horrible mistake.”
“Which was?” she asked.
He stopped pacing and glanced at her, his eyes filled with terror and regret. “I had never told you how beautiful you are.”
Lady Caroline cocked her head and smiled shyly. “Thank you, my lord.”
“And I am not merely saying this to win your favor, or because Thomas is leaving for Paris and I might stand a chance with you.”
“My lord—”
“The truth is, my lady,” he said and took a couple of steps towards her, stopping in his tracks, “I have loved you from afar for a very long time, and I never had the courage to tell you. When Thomas started paying you more attention, I did not warn you of his ways because I was concerned that he would hurt you... I was, but I was afraid that you might prefer him to me. I could not allow him to hurt you, but I was too afraid to tell you what was in my heart.”
“Lord Erasmus—”
“Now I am bearing my soul and my heart to you, and I am not even certain that you feel the same about me, but it does not matter whether you do, or you do not, because I cannot go another single day without telling you that I love you, and you deserve to be with me, not because I am the better brother, but because I will love you more than any man in this world will. I possibly already do.”
Lady Caroline smiled at him, her eyes filled with tears and she slowly approached him.
“Although now that I have said it, I am even more terrified than ever.”
“And why is that?”
“Even if you tell me that you feel the same way, I cannot bear the thought of you looking at me, and thinking of him,” Lord Erasmus said sadly.