Page 65 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“It matters not. Anyway, how long before the bread is finished?” Olivia asked, changing the subject with a sigh.
“I have very little left in the mixing and then it shall need to rise before I put it in the oven. But that is not what we were discussing, Olivia. Now tell me, what are your plans? What are you going to do in order to receive the answers you want?” Louise asked.
“So, perhaps three or four hours? Yes, I think I could be back before then. I like it best when it is fresh. And if it smells so wonderful now then I can only imagine what it will be when it has been baked. Why, the whole house is going to smell magnificent,” Olivia replied, speaking only of the bread.
“You seek to distract my attentions so easily? Please tell me what you are thinking. Who are you going to speak with?”
Olivia knew that her sister would figure it out eventually and didn’t care to stay around the house while she was prompted to behave herself. She knew that she needed to go and go quickly. Louise was intelligent enough not to fall for all of Olivia’s tactics and the two knew each other well enough to be incapable of fooling one another at most times.
“I shall return before Father does. Do not tell Gemma what I have told you,” Olivia sighed. She knew that her youngest sister would only serve to tell their father. It wasn’t that Olivia didn’t still adore Gemma, it was just that a part of her had still not forgiven her for having told their father weeks ago about the courtship that was blossoming.
“Please, why are you acting so peculiarly? Are you truly not going to tell me? Are you not going to give me some hint of what you are thinking?” Louise begged in worry. She raised up her hands as if she wished to hold onto Olivia, but dropped them, apparently thinking better of it.
Olivia hadn’t meant to cause such concern, but rather had hoped for a listening ear. She had not expected any of this reaction, although she knew she ought to have. Now that Louise was so worried, Olivia knew that she was better off simply leaving the house and dealing with the rest on her own.
“All will be well, Louise. Do not worry. And please, save me some of that delicious bread. You know I shall be quite thrilled to indulge in it later,” she laughed.
With that, Olivia turned from Louise and decided to leave the house before she was stopped by any other means.
It mattered not that propriety would be neglected. And it mattered not that she wouldn’t even receive an explanation from the Earl of Glauston directly. It was not he who had set up this whole arrangement.
No, rather it was Lady Kirby. And the dowager had been the one to bring all of this into being, the one who called Olivia to her home and then led her to fall in love with her grandson. She had been the mastermind behind every step of it and Olivia was ready to end the charade.
It was time for an explanation. Olivia knew she deserved one. Not only for the fact that she had been lied to about the character of the earl, but even the fact that Lady Kirby had arranged for this union, even the fact that Lady Kirby had known who she was.
All of it seemed hardly to be believed, but now she would finally have an answer. After all, Lady Kirby could not hide everything from her. Not any longer. Not when she had made such a foolish mistake in allowing her own grandson to enter this union when he had proven so irresponsible in a former.
Still, Olivia couldn’t help but wonder about the things the young woman had said. The Earl of Glauston had seemed at a loss, but it was evident that he knew he had made a mistake. So if it was true that the other young woman had been his paramour, and if it was true that he was going to drop Olivia as he had the other, then it was better that all of this came about now rather than later.
So with all of that in her mind, Olivia made her way out the door. She was wearing one of her old dresses, hardly presentable for someone like Lady Kirby, but perhaps that was another message that Olivia wished to convey to the dowager.
She would not wear one of the beautiful gowns that the earl had had made for her. In fact, she might find a chance at a later date to return those to him. At first she had considered selling them, but that would only have conceded the fact that he had provided her with the money she would have received.
No, she wished for the dowager, and the earl in kind, to know that she needed nothing from them. She desired nothing from them. And she would not make any effort to impress them or to maintain any image they might have of her.
Olivia walked a short distance, waiting for a carriage to come by. She had very little money on hand so it would have to be an arrangement with a number of people. Eventually, she was fortunate enough to catch a ride on a wagon that was taking merchandise out to the country houses. There were six others seated already and Olivia had to ensure that she did not step on any of the wealthy wares.
But at least she had managed to get a lift on the wagon, and it headed east, in the very direction and on the very road she needed to go.
Avoiding the glances of the other passengers, Olivia knew that her emotions of anger must be written all over her face. It was difficult for her to hide them when she was in so much of a rage. And the closer the wagon came to reaching the house, the angrier she became.
When it finally came into view, Olivia was ready to push through the doors with all her might and demand for Lady Kirby’s ear that she might tell everything that she felt and call for the answers she wanted. She played it over and over in her mind.
But when the wagon finally came close to the long road that Olivia would walk down in order to each the dowager’s home, she felt a spike of fear.
Yes, she would do her best. She would be strong and she would let the anger guide her emotions and her words so that she did not become too frightened. But even with that determination, Olivia could sense her heart beginning to race a little faster as her feet led her to the ground and onto the path.
It was there, a mere ten-minute walk away, the estate of Lady Kirby. And when she reached it, Olivia suddenly found herself quite small.
Chapter 33
It had been a good talk that Nathaniel had had with his grandmother the day before. A purposeful talk. And now he knew the truth and had all the answers that he needed. Finally, he knew why she had arranged for their meeting and all the things that had been brought together to form the union.
Nathaniel could not help but be glad for it. After all, it had brought him Miss Digby and he found he was entirely captivated with her in a way that he had never anticipated. If only Miss Hawthorne had not been in the way. If only he had thought to disclose that former union with Miss Digby so that she would not have felt so utterly betrayed.
But here he was, having to make amends with her. It was not going to be so bad, he knew. After all, it was going to bring him and Miss Digby together as they were always meant to be. Once she knew the truth of everything, once she heard the reasons behind their arrangement, she would understand.
Or so he hoped. Nathaniel recognised that even though he would ensure that Miss Digby knew the truth about why his grandmother sought their union, she might still not forgive him for his own mistakes. He had been a fool to allow her to be so wounded and that was not something he was able to take back.
