Page 3 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“Will you be long?” Louise enquired.
“I think not. It is only a very small list.”
A quick search of the room she shared with her sisters and Olivia discovered the notebook among her few possessions. Yes, it was time for her to track her ideas once more. Feeling inspired and free for the first time in an age, Olivia departed the home and made for the market.
Chapter 2
Nathaniel Norton tried to engage in the conversation with the men at his gentleman’s club. They were playing a round of cards, but he continually found himself distracted.
As the new Earl of Glauston, he had to maintain the reputation of the family. He had to balance his friendly charm with an effort to be respected and remain in good standing among society.
It was a great deal of pressure for a man in mourning, but there was little else he could do. He had to keep up appearances.
“I do say, you are not a man for cards, are you, Lord Glauston?” teased Lord Kensington.
Nathaniel chuckled at the reality of it. He was not a man for cards. And even if it was his duty to not shame his family, he hardly thought that he could be blamed for being so unskilled at a game that depended entirely on chance.
“I fear not, Lord Kensington, but if you are clever enough to teach me to play as you do then I shall forever be in your debt,” he joked in reply.
The chat was tiresome, but it was exactly the sort that Nathaniel knew he was expected to make. These men took their cards very seriously and they would respect him if he gave it some effort, even when he disliked it so.
“Well, your father was not so much of a man for cards either and he was quite beloved by us all, nevertheless. I expect you shall be no different,” the earl said in a kind tone, having been a friend of his father’s before taking Nathaniel under his wing.
Nathaniel nodded in gratitude for the words. His father truly had been a man that society adored. Society and family.
The loss of his father, so shortly after that of his mother, had been a tragic turn of events. But hearing these men speak so highly of the late earl was a bright spot on an otherwise dark season.
Indeed, the past two months had been a whirlwind of expectations despite his grief. In addition to having to arrange for his father’s burial, he was taking on the duties and responsibilities of an earl when all he truly wished for was the chance to sit with his grandmother in peace and talk for long periods about what a great father the former Earl of Glauston had been.
And while Nathaniel did not feel that he could ever live up to the reputation of his father, he knew he would do all he could to make him proud in his death.
These men were among those who would determine whether or not he had succeeded.
“Well,” he conceded with a sigh, “you have me. I believe you have won every round, Lord Kensington. But perhaps I might challenge you to the billiards table? Now that is a game in which I am proficient,” he remarked.
The earl nodded in agreement, leaving the card table and joining a group of men in the billiards room. Three tables were spaced out and dozens of noblemen crowded around two of the tables in order to see who might best whom. Adding the two earls into the mix, men began including them in their wagers.
Most of the gentlemen bet against the young newcomer. After all, Nathaniel was not so seasoned as the rest of them. But he was rather determined to prove them wrong. And, indeed, with every motion of the game, he did just that.
“I think I like you better at cards,” Lord Kensington laughed.
“I shall challenge the young man to his next round,” came a volunteer from among the crowd.
Nathaniel found the source of the voice and knew it to be the Duke of Morningside. He felt unnerved by the confidence of the duke, but knew that it mattered not a great deal whether he played well or poorly. He was still new and had plenty of time to stake his claim among these men.
But, once more, Nathaniel proved himself. Repeatedly, he outdid the other men and was already becoming somewhat of a small legend in the club.
All of this was a good distraction for him. The challenges, the competition, the time amongst men who considered themselves the betters of society, it raised his expectations of himself to be around them.
And while it was still quite early in the day for all of this activity, Nathaniel was grateful for it.
Upon the conclusion of the game, the men sat in large, leather chairs with their small crystal glasses of brandy. Some sipped lightly, and others drank greedily, but Nathaniel was amused in their company.
Doctor Fairweather was not far from him and Nathaniel listened as the man spoke of a recent surgery he had participated in. It was a rather advanced, new technique that he was trying to develop. The medical realm continued to fascinate Nathaniel and he wished only that his station had afforded him the opportunity to indulge in that dream.
“And the patient was perfectly fine after the fact?” asked Lord Kensington.
“Absolutely. Honestly, it was quite a relief. No one had ever done this before so we were well aware that it was a risk. When we saw her come out well enough in the end, myself and my assistants were all quite at ease,” Doctor Fairweather said with a satisfied sigh.
