Page 25 of The Earl's Reluctant Bride
“Ezra, you must have some refreshments before you depart. I will go to the kitchen and have the cook prepare something for you.” Elizabeth walked briskly to the kitchen where she asked the cook to prepare a meal for Ezra. Once satisfied that this was in hand, she bounded up the stairs to her bedchamber where the first of her trunks had arrived. Her lady’s maid and one other maid were present and there was a chest on the floor.
Elizabeth opened the chest to find an array of clothing and personal items. The included silk undergarments, daytime dresses, ball gowns, hair ornaments, gloves, scarves, and stockings. The footmen entered the bedchamber with another trunk so Elizabeth instructed the maids to store her gowns in the armoire. Elizabeth had been crouching over the first trunk and as she stood, she glanced out of her bedroom window to see a second carriage approaching.Who could that be? It was becoming a busy day indeed.
She descended the stairs and the butler met her at the landing.
“Lady Seymour and Lady Eleanor are here.”
Elizabeth was breathless with excitement. “Thank you.”
Her friends had finally arrived and she could not wait to see them. She hurried toward the drawing room and flung the door open. Amelia and Eleanor were sitting in armchairs next to each other.
“My dearest friends. I am so pleased you came.” Elizabeth bounded over to Amelia and Eleanor who both stood to greet her. They hugged affectionately.
“We missed you dreadfully, Lizzy.” Amelia broke the hug and her eyes held Elizabeth’s in an intense stare.
Eleanor lifted her gaze and held Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Are you well, Lizzy, truly well?”
“I am indeed. Please have a seat and I will ring for tea and tell you all about it.” Elizabeth called for tea and sat across from her friends. Once they were alone Elizabeth recounted what had transpired since she met Lord Salisbury. As she told the tale her friend’s expressions went through a myriad of changes from shock to amusement to horror. They leaned forward and listened to Elizabeth with ramp attention until she paused.
Eleanor was the first to speak and she scolded Elizabeth, “I cannot believe you kept Lord Salisbury a secret from me, Lizzy.”
“Eleanor, believe me when I say that it was for your own good. I realized that my family would seek out my friends and there would be pressure to bear. They would try to find me at all cost and I did not wish to put you in that position.”
Amelia nodded in agreement. “That is so, Lizzy. Your brother rushed to Codicote and demanded to know where you were. He was quite upset. I was pleased my husband was not there to witness it, nevertheless, I had to inform him upon his return. I was not quite sure if he believed me, that I did not know where you were.”
Elizabeth was apologetic. “I am so sorry. You are my dearest friends.”
“As you are our dearest friend, Lizzy,” Eleanor said.
“I cannot believe Lord Salisbury turned out to be such a beast,” Amelia said.
Elizabeth jerked her head back as if she had been slapped. Both Amelia and Eleanor were wide-eyed, no doubt surprised by her reaction.
“Do you still fancy yourself still in love with Lord Salisbury?” Amelia could not keep the shock from her voice.
“I have had much time to think on this, Amelia. I do not understand why I still feel the way that I do. Alexander has been nothing but kind to me.” Elizabeth shifted her gaze between her friends. “It may very well be that Lord Salisbury also represented choice. I chose to be with him rather than the odious Duke of Rochester.”
“Perish the thought,” Eleanor quipped.
“I really thought Lord Salisbury would make me happy. He was affectionate in his letters and he professed his love at every opportunity. I was disappointed when I discovered that he took great advantage of me and I suppose I was a bit resentful toward Alexander when he exposed him.”
Eleanor remarked, “I suppose he would be rather charming considering what he set out to do. If he was marring you entirely for your inheritance you must admit that did not bode well.”
“. Lord Thornton’s noble gesture has saved you from total ruin, he rode to your rescue,” Amelia said.
“Amelia is right, Lizzy. Lord Thornton saved you from the worst of it,” Eleanor said. “We are always told a virtuous young lady can never be alone with a man who is not her kin. We must be pure and seen to be pure.”
“It is enough that you were alone in with Lord Salisbury,” Amelia said.
Her friend did not say anything Elizabeth did not already know. It was one thing for her to know and another for her to accept it.
“We are bound by this unequal society that attempts to control all that we do. Mysupposedscandal does not rise to that of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. After all, he moved his mistress into his home with his wife and they survived it.”
Amelia raised a brow. “That was in the past, Lizzy. I know you are not pleased that you cannot do whatever you choose, but this is the world that we live in. Do I think it is unjust? Yes, but where does that leave us?”
“Do not frustrate yourself,” Eleanor said. They all took sips of tea.
“Now tell us, where is the lord of the manor?” Amelia stared at her expectantly.
