by Finch, Fanny
Leander looked at Lady Eugenia and then Hestia. The three all smiled at each other. He stepped up to them, extending his elbows. They each took one and went to the door.
He opened it and let the women through.
None of them spoke a word until they were out of the house and down on the front lawn.
“Well, that was an awkward thing to happen,” Leander said. “Your father believes I am here for you, Lady Eugenia, but I have come to see Hestia. I am sure you are aware of this?”
Leander raised his eyebrows, his eyes on Lady Eugenia.
“I am aware,” Lady Eugenia covered her mouth, giggling. “Come, I know a path through the maze in the back where we can go and will not be seen.”
The three walked along the stone walkway toward the maze made of tall shrubs.
“I have not seen a maze before,” Leander said as they approached. He looked up and down the shrubs, seeing two other openings on either end. “How hard is it to get lost?”
“It is not hard to get lost,” Lady Eugenia said with a smile. “But it does not take long to find an exit, either. It is only for a bit of excitement and fun. It was not intended to scare anyone.”
The three went down the first aisle into the maze. Lady Eugenia stepped a little faster, turning her head to say quickly to Hestia. “I will show you two the way.”
She hurried up ahead of them, leaving Hestia and Leander behind with enough space in between that they might have a semi-private conversation.
Leander watched her with a grin. “I think she’s trying to help us out again. You have a good friend in her.”
“Yes, she is a wonderful girl. I am blessed to be her companion.”
“I am glad you are her companion, as well.”
Hestia raised her eyebrows, looking up into his clear blue eyes with curiosity. “You are? Why on earth would you be glad? It could be quite an obstacle for us.”
“I cannot help being glad of it, Lady Hestia,” Leander’s voice was smooth when he spoke. “If you were not her companion, I may not have met you. And I would be doomed to a life with a woman I do not love.”
He clasped his hands behind his back in an effort to resist reaching to touch Hestia. He wanted to rest his hand on her lower back or on her shoulder. He wanted to pull her into a warm hug. He wanted to kiss her soft lips.
But he would not. Those were things that would wait until they were married.
The thought of marrying Hestia made Leander’s heart pound like a drum. He thought for a moment she might hear it. The sound was beating a rhythm in his ears. He glanced down at her but she was looking straight forward, her face lit up with happiness.
He loved seeing her that way. When they’d first met, she seemed desperately unhappy. Though he knew she would never admit it, he’d gotten that feeling from her. It was nowhere to be seen now.
She saw him looking at her and turned her head to give him a smile.
He smiled back.
As they turned a corner to follow Lady Eugenia, he looked up over Hestia’s head to the entrance of the maze. Back where the garden started, at the gate, Leander spotted someone. It looked like the footman that had brought Hestia and Lady Eugenia to the parlor. Leander struggled to remember the young servant’s name.
Alexander.
The young man turned when Leander saw him and retreated to the front veranda of the house.
Leander saw all of it in an instant and almost stumbled when his foot hit a rock jutting up out of the ground. He nearly lost his balance but managed to regain control without making himself look much of a fool.
Hestia did not laugh. She reached out and grabbed his arm to help stabilize him, looking concerned.
“Lord Price! Are you all right?”
He got his footing and grinned foolishly. “I learned to walk many years ago,” he said, sheepishly. “But sometimes I forget how.”
Hestia laughed. “Oh, Lord Price. I would not laugh but that was funny. I am glad you are unhurt.”
“I think I may have a bruised toe.”
“That is terrible. Is it life-threatening? Shall we dig your grave?”
“It might be necessary.” Leander sighed, slumping his shoulders. “It has been a pleasure knowing you, Lady Hestia.”
Hestia laughed and after another moment of play-acting, Leander joined her, shaking his head. “Forgive my foolishness. I am fine. My boot caught most of the impact. I am pleased I did not fall flat on my face in front of someone I only seek to impress.”
“I am pleased you came to see me, Lord Price. I have been… thinking about you for some time.”
“And I you, Lady Hestia. Since I returned from Baron Wake’s house party, I have seen you behind my closed eyelids, in my dreams and you are constantly invading my thoughts. I did not know it could feel this way before.”
“What could feel this way?” Hestia gave him an innocent look.
He smiled. “Love, of course.”
Hestia’s heart thumped in her chest. Love. Leander had mentioned the word “love.” For Hestia, that meant so much.
Knowing the man she desired had the same feelings made Hestia excited. But there were still obstacles to get around. Seemingly unmovable objects. The Earl of Coventry was not going to just go with the whim of his wayward son. And there was no way around the money problems Hestia’s family had.
Her independence meant a great deal.
But her thinking had changed. Now, she was less concentrated on securing a future financially.
Now, she wanted love.
Chapter 27
“I do not think the Viscount of Culross is pleased that you are here to see me and not Lady Eugenia.”
“I am under the impression he still believes that to be true. I… found myself in an awkward position and did not make it clear to him. I did not want to appear rude.”
“I do believe Lady Eugenia realized that quickly.” Hestia was glad her friend was there to support her. It would have made things worse if she was not.
“Yes, she did. It feels… odd… to me. What we are doing.”
Hestia looked at him. “What do you mean, Lord Price?”
Leander gazed down at her, taking in the depth of her hazel eyes. It was easy for him to see the intelligence behind them. They were sharp and focused. Her features fit so well on her face. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. “I am not used to… sneaking around. I am an open person. I try not to disrespect the will of my parents. But now…”
He stopped. Hestia knew what he was thinking about. Miss Drusilla came to her mind and she pulled in a deep breath.
“It is because of Miss Drusilla that you say these things, is it not?”
“I do hope you are not feeling any jealousy in that regard, Lady Hestia,” Leander kept his voice low. “There is truly no need. I am not willing to marry the woman, nor court her in any manner. It is only the will of my father that I…”
“I understand,” Hestia said hastily, cutting off his words. She would not be worthy of going against his father.
Leander looked down at her in surprise. He had not expected her to cut him off so abruptly. Looking at the disappointment on her face hurt him. “Please do not be offended, Lady Hestia,” he said. “I do not want to choose her.”
“But ultimately you will. You must. It is what your father will direct you to do.”
Leander fell silent for a moment. She was angry with him and he did not understand why. He did not want her to be angry. He sought for the right words to make her see that he was not going to marry Miss Drusilla.
In the end, he decided to be blunt about it. Honesty was the only way.
“Lady Hestia, I will not marry Miss Drusilla under any circumstances, no matter who tells me to. I feel odd having to hide what I am doing with you but I do not regret it. I will do what is necessary to spend just a little time in your presence.”
Hestia stopped walking and looked directly at him. His gaze was warm and inviting. She felt he
r fear subsiding. She had not been angry with him. She was afraid she was heading toward a painful heartbreak.
His words steadied that fear. She wished she could move into his arms and feel what it was like to be hugged by him.
“I do hope that you believe me, Lady Hestia,” Leander said earnestly. “I am speaking the truth.”
“You will not marry Miss Drusilla?”
He shook his head. “No. No matter the foolishness of hiding our relationship, I cannot deny it. I will not deny it. I will not marry her when I love another.”
Hestia sighed softly. “I feel the same for you, Lord Price.”
Leander looked ahead of them. “We must hurry to catch up with Lady Eugenia. She has turned a corner and did not notice we were not behind her.”
“Oh dear,” Hestia said but could not help giggling. “Yes, we must hurry.”
The two moved quickly down the aisle made of shrubs, glancing down the openings for a sign of Lady Eugenia. Hestia fell into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth. Every time she tried to get under control, she would look at Leander, meet his eyes with hers and burst into another round of uncontrollable giggling.
His smile was wide as he started whistling. “Lady Eugenia! Where are you? Lady Eugenia?” He did not call too loudly, just enough to be heard around the immediate area. He looked at Hestia. “Surely, she did not get far.”
Hestia shook her head. “We will arrive at an exit shortly anyway. We will meet her outside the maze.”
Leander followed Hestia down a bit further and to the left twice. Hestia was still smiling back at Leander when she came up on the opening. “You see? I knew it would…”
She snapped her mouth shut and stopped at the opening. Leander halted himself from hurtling into her. He looked over her head into the eyes of the Viscount of Culross.
The older man did not look pleased. Hestia had not seen him look the way he did just then. He was eyeing Leander as if there was something wrong with the young man.
“Oh my!” Hestia blurted out. “I am sorry, my lord. We became lost in the maze. We could not find Lady Eugenia.”
The Viscount of Culross turned his eyes to her. They lost some of their sharpness and he said, gently, “She is not with you?”
“No. She must have turned a corner and I lost track of her. I have always found her before.”
The Viscount of Culross shook his head, a small grin touching his lips. “You two should not play hide and seek in the maze. It is a child’s game, not the game of a lady.”
“But there is never anyone else with us, my lord,” Hestia replied, using the softest voice she could. She blushed, glancing over her shoulder. “There was this time but generally there is not.”
“Lord Price, how is it that you came to lose my daughter but remain with her companion?” His words caught both Leander and Hestia off guard.
“I apologize, Lord Callow, we were talking and…”
“Yes, you were talking with the servant rather than the daughter of the house. That is a bit inappropriate, is it not?”
“Forgive me, Lord Callow,” Leander struggled to keep his voice even. “Lady Hestia is Lady Eugenia’s companion in name only. She is also from noble blood and has a title that befits it. I do recall when you mentioned before that Lady Eugenia respects her servants.”
“Not as equals, Lord Price,” the Viscount of Culross said. He looked at the footman, Alexander, who was standing behind him. “It is as my footman suspected. You did not come here with the intention of speaking with my daughter. You chose the servant over her.”
“Again, Lord Callow, she is not just a simple servant.”
Hestia was about to say something when Lady Eugenia spoke up from behind her father. “Father, this is all my doing.”
The group turned their eyes to Lady Eugenia, who was very red in the face. She was coming from the next opening. She looked at Hestia and Leander. “I went back in to look for you. I suppose we must have missed each other.”
Her eyes moved up to Leander. “I often play hide and seek with Hestia in this maze, Lord Price. I forgot that was not what we were doing. I knew she would find her way out without me.”
She moved her gaze back to her father. “I am the one who set this up, Father. I did not know Lord Price would come calling but I had a plan if he did. Having him meet with Hestia is the reason I wanted to have the party last night.”
“You have been playing matchmaker for your companion?”
Hestia could not tell what the older man was thinking by the tone of his voice. She thought it almost sounded amused. He was not looking at her. His eyes were directly on his daughter. Lady Eugenia was staring back at him. She nodded.
Hestia was afraid for a moment when the Viscount of Culross turned his stare to Leander. “You will please depart my premises, Lord Price. I recommend you seek out Lord and Lady Stalwood, Earl and Countess of Nottingham. I am sure you can get the whereabouts of their home from Hestia.”
Leander swallowed hard and nodded. “I will do that, Lord Callow. Thank you for your hospitality.”
He turned to Hestia and, in full view of the Viscount of Culross, Alexander the footman, and Lady Eugenia, took Hestia’s hand and held it in the air, bowing.
Hestia flushed when his fingers touched her skin. Tingles went up her arm and she covered her smile with splayed fingers.
He looked up at her, still bent in a bow. “I will see you soon, Lady Hestia. It has been a pleasure speaking with you.”
“Thank you, Lord Price,” she said quietly.
He released her hand and she watched him walk toward the front veranda, where his carriage was waiting. He did not look back, but she suspected he knew they were all watching him.
Leander felt as though he was leaving his heart behind him. He felt a strange longing sensation that he could only construe as missing Hestia merely moments after leaving her presence.
He remembered dashing through the maze looking for Lady Eugenia and it made him smile. It was something he knew he would never forget.
He climbed up in the carriage and told the driver to take him home. He dared to look out at the group still standing at the end of the garden, just outside the maze. Hestia looked uncomfortable and unhappy.
He felt an ache in his heart. Was he being foolish? What course of action could he take now to rectify this situation?
He regretted going to the Culross estate. Of all the foolish things he could have done, that was at the top of the list.
He shook his head and tapped the top of the carriage. The driver opened a small door and looked down at him.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Take me to the Stalwood estate. I have business there.”
“Yes, my lord,” the driver replied and closed the door.
Chapter 28
For the first time since she had come to the Culross estate, Hestia felt out of place. She was uncomfortable standing with Lady Eugenia and the Viscount of Culross. Even the presence of Alexander made her feel like she was somehow the only one not wanted in the group.
She felt utterly guilty, though she really had done nothing wrong. She was a lady by title and therefore had just as much right to be courted by Lord Price as any other lady of the ton.
But there were no other ladies who had taken employment to bolster their own future.
The Viscount of Culross looked at Hestia. “Lord Price is a gentleman,” he said in a deep voice. His face was no longer red and his deep-set eyes were sympathetic. “If a bit naïve. I must say I have not met another young man who is as emotional as he is.”
“I have noticed the same thing, Father,” Lady Eugenia said, giving her father a warm look. She took a few steps toward him. “Must you have sent him away like that? He is a good match for Hestia.”
The Viscount of Culross nodded. “That may be so, Eugenia. But he came to the wrong place, did he not? He must go to her parents, not to her employer.” He gave Hestia a gentle look. “Even if she is very close to them.”
He began to walk across the lawn to the house, Alexander trailing just behind him. Hestia caught the look of satisfaction on Alexander’s face. It gave her a disgusted feeling and she moved her eyes away from him so he would not see it.
The footman had taken joy out of catching Leander in an awkward position. It made Hestia angry. She walked a little faster to catch up with Lady Eugenia, who was next to her father.
They went up the stairs together. Once inside, the Viscount of Culross waved a hand at Alexander. “That will be all for now, Alexander. Thank you.”
Lady Eugenia looked at Hestia with slightly widened eyes. The look was questioning. Hestia wondered if she should excuse herself. When Lady Eugenia flicked her eyes up the stairs, Hestia decided that was what Lady Eugenia wanted her to do.
Feeling dismissed, she nodded at the Viscount of Culross. “I will take my leave for the evening, my lord,” she said softly.
“I wish to speak to you and my daughter in the parlor, Hestia,” he said firmly.
Hestia felt nervousness slide through her. She glanced at Lady Eugenia, who looked bewildered and afraid.
“Yes, my lord,” she said.
The two young women followed him into the parlor. They sat in the two chairs angled toward each other that they normally took when in the room. The Viscount of Culross sat in his larger chair near the fireplace.
He was quiet. The longer he was quiet, the more nervous Hestia got. She did not dare say a word. The look on Lady Eugenia’s face told her she was feeling the same way.
When the Viscount of Culross finally spoke, it was to Hestia’s relief. No matter what he said, at least he was speaking.
“I have no problem with Lord Price,” he said. “He seems like a fine young man. I do not know a great deal about his family but I know they are prominent in some areas of London. Their name is well received. That is why I was anxious for you to meet him, Eugenia.”
Lady Eugenia nodded. “I understand, Father.”
“I am disappointed, however, that you planned all along to match him with your companion. A companion has a duty to her charge. And it is not being matched up with a future husband.”