by Finch, Fanny
His father frowned. “Yes, Leander. You must realize this. You cannot be so dense as to not realize that. I have pointed it out to you several times.”
“You have, Father. But I have seen no one who has shown any interest whatsoever in getting to know Miss Drusilla past general conversation.”
Leander’s mother let out a snicker that she attempted to turn into a cough. She glanced in Leander’s direction just when he looked at her and it was a struggle for him not to smile at her. She blushed and turned her back to them, concentrating on her embroidery as if it meant her life.
Leander looked back at his father, who was giving his wife a loving but disapproving look.
“Father, you have not had any opportunity to meet Miss Drusilla. You have only spoken with her father. If you were to meet her, you might think differently.”
“I do not approve of your behavior in this matter, Leander. It is time you acted like the grown man you are, a man who is ready to take over the responsibilities of this estate without notice. You will not be capable of that if you are not married.”
“You are not going to die soon, Father. I have time.”
The lord frowned deeply. “My son, one does not know when one will pass through the Heavenly Gates. It is best to prepare well ahead of time.”
“Marrying someone I do not love will not prepare me for the estate responsibilities. I have said it before and I must repeat myself. I cannot bear to live my life with Miss Drusilla Sirey. She is loud and brash and bold, three things I find contemptable in a woman. I do not like myself for speaking this way and forgive me if I am out of turn. It is my life I am considering. I do not want to spend it with Miss Drusilla Sirey.”
“It has been taken out of your hands,” his father insisted. “You must do what is right for the family. You know this.”
Leander closed his eyes briefly, disappointment flooding him. “Father…”
“I have something else to say,” his father cut him off. “It has also come to my attention that you were eyeing another young woman at the house party last week.”
Adrenaline rushed through Leander. He lifted his hands and pressed them together, tapping his lips with his index fingers. He spread his fingers out, still pressing them together. He had been seen looking at Hestia?
He had not been as subtle as he thought.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I… I do not know what to say. She caught my attention.”
“Lady Eugenia is a fine woman,” his father said, making Leander’s eyes flip to the older man’s face. “But you are already spoken for and must refrain from looking in the direction of other young women. Especially when you are already accompanying one.”
Leander felt a mixture of relief and dread. He was happy it was not Hestia, a companion, that he had been caught looking at. Whoever had spoken to his father had assumed he was looking at the lady, rather than the companion.
It had to be someone who knew nothing of Hestia’s past and had only met her as a companion to the younger lady. The dread he felt came from having to explain himself at some point.
“Who told you this information, Father?”
“It is of no concern,” his father retorted in a dismissive voice.
Leander frowned. “It is of my concern. I do not wish to be spoken of behind closed doors. It is not right.”
“Perhaps you should be thinking about your behavior instead of vilifying another’s.”
“Gossiping about someone when they are unable to defend themselves is the lowest form of incivility.”
“Looking at another woman when you are a taken man can be said to be the same.”
Leander sighed inwardly. It seemed his father had a response for everything he said. He looked at his mother but she was still turned away from them. He could see the side of her face, however, and her cheeks were a bright red.
She was listening to every word they said. She was probably trying very hard not to become involved in the conversation. If she did, she would surely be on his side. She did not want him to marry for money either. She desired his happiness.
He bit back his words. He could not call on her for help. It might cause trouble between her and his father. He desired for his mother to be happy, too.
This was his battle to fight. He had no desire to involve his mother.
He knew he was lying to himself. He wanted his mother’s input. He wanted her to stand up for him and press his point with his father.
Leander was well aware that his parents’ marriage was arranged. When they married, they had known each other for all of one month. It was not love at first sight, he was sure about that. His mother had told him so herself, on a warm summer night while on the veranda.
But she had grown to love his father through the years. She encouraged him then, when he was younger, to find a woman he truly cared about. A woman he wanted to grow with and raise children with.
Unbeknownst to her, or to Leander for that matter, the Earl of Coventry already had his own plans in mind. At the time, Miss Drusilla had not been in the picture. But his plan all along had been to ensure his son married into a wealthy family so that Leander would not have to carry the burden of two families.
He was also more interested in the business a wealthy family could bring. Merging two wealthy families with successful businesses was the sign of success in his eyes.
It was not a business transaction to Leander. It was marriage, a lifelong commitment. He was not signing a business contract with a partner.
“Father, I apologize for my behavior,” he said meekly. “I do not mean to be petty or ungrateful. You know that I appreciate your efforts on my behalf.”
His father turned his eyes to Leander, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Does this mean you will ask Miss Drusilla at your next opportunity?”
Leander felt a wave of nausea. If that opportunity was the party at the Culross mansion, he would be forced to do it in front of Hestia, the woman he was truly interested in.
He wondered whether he could change his father’s mind if he mentioned he was interested in another woman. A woman that was not Lady Eugenia.
An idea formed in his mind. He glanced at his mother before he spoke. “Father, if I was truly interested in Lady Eugenia, what would be your objection to my asking to court her instead of Miss Drusilla?”
As he’d suspected, his mother stopped sewing, freezing in place. She lifted her chin slightly but did not turn to them. She wanted to hear her husband’s response.
The Earl of Coventry gave Leander a contemplating look. “Are you interested in Lady Eugenia? Is that why you were looking at her at Lord Wake’s house party?”
“I was not…” He stopped himself. “I was not intending to look directly at Lady Eugenia. She is a beautiful woman and very refined for her age. I found her to be quite mature. But I did not intend to give the wrong impression when I was obviously standing with Miss Drusilla.”
His father grunted, shaking his head. “I was told you looked very directly at her on several occasions and that you were not as pleasant with Miss Drusilla as you could have been.”
Leander looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap. He was struggling not to rub them together in his nervousness. It was a habit he’d been fighting since he was a small child.
“I apologize, Father.”
“You are apologizing to the wrong person. Perhaps you should apologize to Miss Drusilla and her father. Then you can ask him for her hand and be married by the end of the year.”
That was the last thing Leander wanted. He would rather have jumped off a bridge than be married to Miss Drusilla by the end of the year. He hoped that thought did not show on his face.
“I do not know when the next opportunity I have will come about.” He hated the weak tone of his voice. He respected his father more than anyone else in the world. But on this occasion, he could not help feeling resentful.
“Father, your marriage may have tur
ned out wonderfully, as you were able to marry a wonderful woman. I fear that will not be the case with Miss Drusilla. I… I fear I will be unhappy for the rest of my life.”
At last, his mother turned to her husband and son. He looked at her but her eyes were not on him. They were on the Earl of Coventry.
“It would do you well to listen to your son, my lord. He is not a child anymore and should be allowed to make his own decisions when it comes to something this important. It is not as though you are choosing guests for a party.”
Leander looked back at his father with wide eyes.
Chapter 16
Hestia and Lady Eugenia looked at each other before going through the door into the parlor. The Earl and Countess of Nottingham were seated facing the Viscount of Culross.
Both girls stopped at the door, looking at their parents.
“Here they are,” the viscount said in a cheerful voice. “Come in, girls. I was just telling your parents how wonderful it has been to have you here as a companion for Eugenia.”
Hestia smiled, sharing a fond look with the younger lady.
The Viscount of Culross looked back at Lord and Lady Stalwood. “They have become very good friends. Hestia has given my daughter some very good advice and has introduced her to some fine people. I am ever so grateful.” He patted the cushion next to him. “Come and sit down, Eugenia.”
His daughter dutifully took her place next to her father, folding her hands in her lap and smiling at the Earl and Countess of Nottingham.
Taking his cue from the viscount, the Earl of Nottingham looked up at his daughter. “You may sit here, Hestia.” He scooted to the side, making room for her in between himself and his wife. Hestia felt a brief moment of surprise and tried not to show it.
She took the space in between her parents and emulated Lady Eugenia, sitting straight with her hands folded in her lap. It was amusing to think of because she had taught Lady Eugenia that move to begin with.
“We were just talking about the party Friday night,” the Viscount of Culross said, patting his daughter’s knee.
Hestia liked the viscount. He was nice to his daughter, taking her opinion into account whenever possible. The Viscountess of Culross had taken ill the year before, during the spring, and had never recovered. She stayed in her rooms and rarely left the house.
Hestia was not surprised that she was not present at the moment. She herself had only seen the viscountess a handful of times in the last year she had been Lady Eugenia’s companion. The Viscount of Culross treated both his wife and daughter like fragile porcelain dolls.
Hestia wished her father was more like the viscount. The thought made her feel ashamed and guilty but she could not help it. She locked eyes with Lady Eugenia, who looked delighted that she had an opportunity to talk about her party.
“Yes, I am very excited about it, Father,” she said, smiling wide. “I have asked all the people I met at Baron Wake’s house party. I had a wonderful time there. I would like to see if I can give a party as enjoyable.”
“I am sure you will, Lady Eugenia,” the Countess of Nottingham said with a returned smile. “You have a lovely home and your family is so charming.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Lady Eugenia said. “I have been trying to convince Father to let me expand the flower garden. I do not know if you have seen Lord Faulkner’s? It is quite amazing.”
The Countess of Nottingham shook her head. “I did attend a house party there last season with Hestia and her sisters. But we have not participated in many events this season. Has he added to it? It did not look special last year. I do not wish to say it was not pleasant and pretty. The scent of flowers was quite overpowering at times.”
“I was not attending parties last season,” Lady Eugenia replied. “So I cannot say whether it has been expanded since then. It is my desire to have a garden that rivals his, with my own variations to it so as not to be in competition with him but more to emulate him.”
Hestia quickly became bored with the conversation of flowers and gardens. She drifted off in thought, wondering why her parents had come to the Culross mansion. In the year she had been there, they had never visited without reason.
They had come when her sister, Virginia, had taken ill. Even then, they did not come until Virginia was well on her way to recovery. There was nothing she could have done about it anyway. She had a feeling they were checking on her, making sure she was behaving herself, rather than informing her of the family’s crisis.
She was brought back to the conversation when Lady Eugenia answered her father’s inquiry about the guests who would be attending the party Friday night.
“My wife is quite excited to come. She will bring Hestia’s sisters, Virginia and Marianne. They are also anticipating a good time.”
“There will be many eligible suitors here for them to meet,” Lady Eugenia said, flicking her eyes briefly to Hestia before looking back at the Earl of Nottingham. “I have been told the sons of Baron Wake will be here. They have not yet chosen a woman to court. Lord Faulkner’s son will also be here. I can think of several others who would be a good match for Virginia or Marianne. I am sure they will enjoy themselves.”
“I am sure they will.”
Hestia noticed Lady Eugenia did not mention Lord Price. She was glad. She did not want his name brought up. She looked at the Viscount of Culross, wondering if Lady Eugenia had confided in him about her plan to partner Hestia with Leander.
For his part, the viscount was sitting next to his daughter in complete silence. His face showed his affection for his daughter as he gazed at her while she spoke. His plump face was pleasant, as was his typical nature. He was a short man with a round body and a jolly spirit. He was often laughing and was sometimes seen enjoying a pipe on the veranda.
Unlike her husband, the viscountess had always been tall and slender. She had dark hair that fell all the way to the bottom of her back. Her eyes were the color of chocolate. Before she had taken ill, it was Hestia’s impression she was loved by many and had friends all around London.
When she became ill, she isolated herself and it seemed she was almost forgotten by the friends she had made. Hestia had seen no one visiting her in all her time of being at the Culross mansion. But that did not mean she had been forgotten. She could have given instructions not to have any visitors.
Hestia saw a love between the Viscount of Culross and his wife that she did not see between her own parents. She wondered if their love was somehow genuine in a way few other marriages had.
Had their marriage been arranged? Was that something she could ask Lady Eugenia? She did not want to overstep her bounds. She was just curious.
If their marriage was not arranged, that might come to explain why they were so willing to let Lady Eugenia find a man that she could love. They seemed to care little about money. They had quite a lot of it, much, much more than Hestia’s family.
The Viscount of Culross had never even mentioned money when it came to his daughter’s happiness. Lady Eugenia enjoying her life seemed more important. He was not a greedy man and was generous to a great degree.
He also made good business choices, which bolstered his income and allowed him to be as generous as he was.
Hestia wondered if Leander was being forced to marry for money. If he was, judging by the wealth his family already had, that could only mean that the Earl of Coventry was a greedy man who did not care about his son’s happiness.
She did not know if Leander would be happy with her. She had truly not seen him looking at her at the house party. She did choose to believe Lady Eugenia and that made her think that perhaps what she had seen herself, Leander’s apparent disinterest in anything Miss Drusilla had to say and Miss Drusilla’s returning indifference, was not a figment of her overactive and hopeful imagination.
Perhaps both of them were miserable with the arrangement.
She did not want to open the door for herself if she was afraid to step through. She needed reassurance that
she was not doing the wrong thing. The pursuit of happiness had not been on her mind for several years.
Even during the parties last season, when she had presented as a lady, she was still keenly aware of the family financial troubles. Though she had met many people and socialized as much as she could, she felt an overwhelming weight on her shoulders that something bad could happen at any moment, creating chaos and ruin for her family.
She had also worried the entire season that any man she chose to enter into courtship with might run at the realization of her family’s financial depreciation. Since she wanted to fall in love with the man she married, that would mean a great deal of heartache for her.
For Leander, she was willing to take that chance. She would put her heart on the line for Leander. She had already decided. If he was willing to give her a chance, she would give him a chance, as well.
She did not want to think about what the Sirey family would think of that.
“I do not know what to think about that.” Lady Eugenia’s voice sounding curious brought her back to their conversation once more. “What do you think, Hestia?”
Hestia’s cheeks colored and Lady Eugenia pressed her lips together, realizing Hestia had not been paying attention.
“I must assume you think like I do,” Lady Eugenia said quickly.
Hestia nodded. “Yes, absolutely, my lady.”
“Well, it is settled then,” the Viscount of Culross said, clapping his hands together. “I will serve all manner of lemonade, tea, and coffee along with any other delicacies these ladies can think of. Your wish is my command, daughter. If you and Hestia would like to create a menu for the party, I am perfectly willing to let you.”
Lady Eugenia grinned at Hestia as if to say, “I just volunteered you for a new task.”
Hestia could not help chuckling.
“I do want to say, my lord, my lady,” Lady Eugenia moved her eyes between Hestia’s parents. “I am blessed to have your daughter here to keep me company. She is such a delight. I can always find a new companion but I cannot replace the friend I have found in her.”