by Fanny Finch
The Dowager Duchess gave a wry smile. “It is because he is with you, Eleanor. You do that to him.”
There was another pause as the Dowager Duchess sat up in her seat.
“I am not one to interfere in matters of young love. The Lord knows this. I say my piece, and I rest my back against the chair to see how it all plays out.
“Nevertheless, I am a mother, and a mother shall always worry about her children. She shall always seek the best for them.”
Eleanor nodded. “I understand, Your Grace.”
“Rachel tells me Charles has offered an apology, and has made his intentions for marriage known?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I see. The boy himself wouldn’t tell me anything. I suppose he is ashamed of how he subtly asked me to stay out of his matters all those weeks ago.”
She stared into the distance. “Ah, I knew it would come to this. Foolish men, they never listen until it’s too late. Not even to their own hearts.”
She returned her gaze to Eleanor then. “I do hope, it is not really too late with you, Eleanor?”
“I do not know what you ask of, Your Grace?”
“Rachel says you have forgiven him, but you have not given an answer regarding the latter of the subjects he spoke to you about.”
“Yes, I have forgiven him. As for matters of marriage, I find it is taking a while to properly ponder on and give an answer.”
“That is something to begin with, is it not? I also hear you had intentions of marrying the gentleman… Manson, what was his name, again?”
“Peter Manson. I shall not be marrying him, Your Grace. I have long realized the foolishness in that decision.”
“I suppose in some ways, when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all fools. Charles has hurt you, yes?”
“Yes, but it is forgiven.”
“Forgiven, alas, not forgotten. That is perfectly fine. Forgetting is quite difficult to do, even more difficult than forgiving.
“That boy I call a son, I wonder why it took him so long, why he ever did it at all. He was never happy with his decision, not for a moment. It made him miserable. But pride and fear kept him away.”
She reached out and took Eleanor’s hands in that moment. Eleanor had no other choice than to hold her gaze. Why was the Dowager Duchess telling her these things?
“Marriage may be a little too much to consider now, but I have come to reason with you, Eleanor.
“Would you consider courtship? Would you give my son the chance to woo you, and make up for his misdeeds?
“Selfish of me to ask, I know. But I am a mother, and I desire to see him happy. You give him that, Eleanor. Only you. You make him happy.”
She paused to take a deep breath. “I would not be asking you this if I was not certain he makes you just as happy as you make him. You love him. Do you not?”
Eleanor could not deny this truth. She did love him, she loved him with all her heart, and even more these past few days that he had been doing all he could to win her back.
She nodded.
“I understand love is quite different from trust, and the two need each other if you and Charles must flourish.
“Trust broken is not easily fixed. Sometimes, it is never fixed at all. All that I ask is that you give Charles the chance, is that you give one another the chance, to find something truly worth fighting for in each other. Could you do that, Eleanor?”
Could I? I have been courted and wooed before. I have been hurt both times. I love Charles, but is this a risk I can take?
She wondered. Her answer came quickly, as a voice in her head whispered in return.
Yes… and it would be a risk worth taking.
It was all the persuasion she needed. Taking a deep breath, she took the first leap of faith.
“Yes. I can. I shall.”
***
Charles did not visit that day, but he visited the next. And he brought flowers. Daisies, that were one of her favorite flowers.
She took them from him and brought them close to her face. She took a deep breath, drawing in the fresh, heavenly scent.
“You picked them?”
He gave her a nervous grin in return. “Yes, myself. I thought to do something special today. I know how much you love them.”
“That was truly thoughtful of you, Charles. I shall put them in a vase by my bedside. Seeing it every morning will remind me of you.”
She held his gaze, even as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Her stomach was in a frenzy from the fluttering feeling the butterflies had given her.
She was happy to see him, and after her decision that day at the park, she could not contain the emotions he awakened in her.
The Lord knew that she was deeply, hopelessly in love with this man. When the fear she felt was taken away and replaced with hope, it was a glorious feeling.
“I would like that, Eleanor.”
“As would I.”
She called out to the maid who was nearest to her.
“Diana, have this put in water and placed in my bedchamber, would you?”
“Right away, my lady,” Diana said, curtsying as she took the flowers. She was on her way the next moment.
As she left, Eleanor gestured at the gardens.
“It is a rather fine morning for a walk, do you not reckon?”
“Yes, I do. It is always peaceful in your gardens.”
“I hear many people have thought of it that way too.”
She almost said something concerning Benjamin, but stopped herself.
Was it discomforting for Charles that he visited her in a house where she had been married to another? That man she had loved?
“The late Earl must have loved it here.”
As he said those words, her heart soared and she turned to look at him. The love she felt for him grew deeper and stronger.
“Yes, he did. Very much. But not as much as he loved it in Grenshire. The village, it is magical.”
If she did get married to Charles, she would make Finchester her home, but she would terribly miss Grenshire all the same.
“I am certain, if you ever have to leave, you could always return for a visit.”
She heard the hidden meaning behind those words. She was gladdened by them. “Yes, I suppose I could.”
“I do not see your companion anywhere around,” he noted as they stepped out onto her balcony.
“She has stepped out with my brother once again.”
“Their marriage will be a happy one.”
“Indeed. I have never seen two people more suited for each other.”
“And the preparations?”
“Well under way. We cannot wait for the season to be over.”
“There is only a fortnight left for the madness to end.”
“Ah, glory!”
“I do hope I get an invitation to the wedding. I shall very much love to see Grenshire.”
“Once the date is certain, I shall send you a handwritten invitation myself, Your Grace.”
“That would be so kind of you, my lady.”
They both turned to look at each other then. Eleanor’s stomach brewed laughter, and when she saw his lips begin to twitch, she broke into gale laughter. He followed, right after.
Their voices mixed in sweet harmony, and it carried through the air to the ears of whomever was blessed enough to catch such beautiful music.
As they finally recovered, Eleanor discovered that her stomach hurt, and her ribs ached. She could not remember the last moment when she had laughed so hard.
Finally, as they reached the gardens, Charles came to a halt, causing her to do the same. She too spun on her feet as he did, so that they faced each other.
“As mad as the season can be, this time I am grateful for its madness.”
“Indeed? Pray tell me, why is that?”
His fingers sought hers, and she freely let him find them. As he took her hand in his, blue eyes clashed against amber once more.
&
nbsp; Those eyes, she had once thought they held a million secrets - stories which she now knew, and a million emotions - pain which she now knew as well.
However, in that moment, she did not see pain, she did not see secrets. She saw something else, that had her thinking about how far they had come in such a short while.
She saw sincerity. She saw a vulnerability that was heart-wrenching. She saw hope and, most of all, she saw love.
She hoped that her eyes mirrored the same.
“Eleanor, despite all that has happened, in this madness I found you. In this madness, I learned to let go of my past. In this madness, I learned to hold on to you. So yes, I am grateful for it.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Her vision of him blurred.
“So am I, Charles. So am I. It is why I have decided that I shall give this a chance. I shall give us a chance. Wherever this takes us, I want to see it.”
The tears fell then, and as her vision cleared once more, she saw that he too had tears in his eyes.
“Eleanor… are you saying?”
“It is not an answer to your proposal of marriage. It is simply saying that I agree to be courted by you. If you so wish to.”
His face transformed from awe to happiness.
“Certainly! Of course, I do.”
He took her into his arms in a loving embrace, and she happily went. As his hands came around her, one word danced across her soul.
Home.
Chapter 34
Sarah
News of Charles and Eleanor’s reconciliation quickly spread through town.
Sarah had been living in her blissful world of oblivion, simply waiting for the right time for the engagement between Peter and Eleanor to happen, when the news came to her through her darling husband.
They were in their bedchamber, getting ready for the night, when he broke the news.
“Dearest?”
“Yes, my love?”
“Have you heard the news?”
She arched her brow in question. “What news?”
“The one the ton cannot stop talking about.”
“Which?”
He looked at her in amazement. “You truly have not heard?”
Her irritation began to grow. “You know how much I despise being stalled, James. Simply tell me what news this is.”
His face fell in remorse. “I apologize, dearest. I was simply amazed that you have not caught wind of it, is all. Everyone who should know, know it already.”
“Know what?”
“Eleanor and that man, the Duke of Finchester, Charles Duncan, he called himself? They have begun to court, formally.”
Sarah’s entire being felt like it had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil. Her head instantly began to ache as bile rose up her throat.
“Are you certain of this, James?”
“You know I do not concern myself with such gossip. I have simply paid heed to this because it concerns my daughter.
“Estranged or not, though I have done her so much wrong, in my own way I still love my daughter. I love both my children.”
Sarah gave in to the urge to scowl. “Are we going to have that discussion where you blame me for the bad blood between you and your children again, James?”
He looked like he may say yes, but changed his mind when her eyes lightly narrowed.
“Err… no, of course not. They chose their path in life. To know that they are doing well is enough for me. Goodnight, dear wife.”
Sarah tried not to flinch as he leaned over to drop an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Not that she despised his touch - she did not. She was simply too angry at him in that moment.
Well, it’s not enough for me. “Goodnight, my love. Dream sweet,” she replied with a smile.
She went to bed as he did, but her eyes stayed open, her mind alert as she began to think again.
When she was certain that he was deep into the land of dreams, she crept out of bed, out of their chamber, and found her way downstairs to the study.
With a lit gas lamp, she found a sheet of paper, a quill, and ink bottle. Then, she settled at James’s table and chair, and began to write her letter of summon.
***
Sarah tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in her hired coach. They were parked somewhere in Santon, and she was nearly losing her patience.
Where are they?
Thanks to her quick thinking, she had written a letter to Peter last night, requesting to meet. He had sent a letter in return that morning, agreeing to do so.
Peter was now a known face and many knew of his friendship with Eleanor. She could not risk being seen with him anymore. It was why she had chosen to meet here instead of her house.
Whatever would tie Peter to her, she simply did not want it. It was also her reason for using a hired coach. That way, no one would be able to say they saw Peter entering the Wimbledons’ coach.
Goodness, but she was beside herself with anger. How long would the child continue to remain several steps ahead of her? How long would she continue to win her in this game? After all of the strength and time she had put into this.
Oh no, she would not have it.
Three taps on the carriage door came, and she instantly knew who it was.
“You may enter.”
The door opened then. It was the redhead who entered first, helped up by Peter.
Sarah had told him to bring her along. She had a master plan. One that would put an end to all of this charade, and make certain that she emerged the winner.
Alexandra would be needed for it. As the girl settled in the seat opposite her, Peter joined them.
“My lady,” they both greeted.
“Beckett, Manson. Gracious of you two to finally make it here.”
“Our apologies, my lady. We were caught up on the way. It is nothing you should concern yourself with. All that matters is that we are here now,” Manson responded.
“I have been waiting for nearly an hour.”
“A small sacrifice to make for victory, do you not reckon?” Alexandra asked.
Sarah looked at the younger woman. She still had not managed to grow any fondness for her, but she knew that she had to put her emotions aside if the woman would help them.
“I suppose it is,” was her simple reply, before returning her attention to Manson.
“You have heard the latest?”
He nodded. “Yes. As I said in my letter, I have been away. I had to return to the country for some days to tend to my niece - she is my ward, you see, and she took ill. The news reached me as soon as I entered London. It was about the same time your letter did.”
“Terrible. You go away for a few days and she crawled back to that man?”
“Charles is a fine man, my lady. He is every young woman’s dream,” Alexandra said.
This time, Sarah ignored her.
“We must not rest. Their courtship is now formal. It never was before. This means that a marriage is very much in sight. There are only seven days till the season ends, and one ball left for this season. It is then that we must act.
“If we make certain to destroy that night whatever it is they have, we will have destroyed it for good. They both will return to their homes and with such distance between them, there shall be no chance for a reconciliation.”
They both nodded in agreement, and she proceeded to tell them the entire plan she had cooked up in her head.
It pleased her greatly when the man and woman told her it was a brilliant plan. The meeting ended soon enough, everyone aware of the roles to be played.
As they begun to leave the carriage, the redhead stopped to ask.
“I know why I am doing this. I want Charles for myself. Peter is doing this for the fortune. Forgive me if I overstep, my lady, but I must ask… why are you doing this? What has the countess done to you?”
“She has defied me with her refusal to stay at the bottom, where I have tried so hard to throw her to. Sarah Wimbledon does not take losing lightly,�
�� Sarah stated proudly.
Chapter 35
Not many people got second chances, Charles knew this. It was why he was grateful for the chance Eleanor had agreed to give to him.