Page 43 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
The hurt they both felt over having lost a parent that was dear to them seemed to be one of the primary things they had in common. Painful though it was, it felt a great relief that they were able to share it with one another.
One afternoon, as she sat with him at his estate, Olivia opened up to the earl about her thoughts about her mother and father.
“I do not believe they ever truly had love for one another. At least, not romantically. They had a partnership, which is truly important for any husband and wife. But it is not the same, I think. It is not so wonderful as truly being in love,” she remarked.
“It is strange that you should say that, for I always suspected the same between my own mother and father,” he replied. “In truth, I believe my mother fought for his affection, but my father always seemed indifferent to her.
“Not in a cruel or harsh way. Just in that society put them together and they had no say in the matter. I think he would have preferred it had he been able to find a wife of his own choosing.”
Olivia nodded, understanding the ways of society and how that was typically arranged. And although she was not the sort of young woman for whom her parents could ever have found an ideal match, she had heard plenty of stories about young women of status and how they were forced into marriages and betrothals without their own consent.
She looked up at the earl, realising that this was exactly the sort of situation that he was in at that very moment.
True, he was not being pawned off to her for a dowry of any sort, nor a title or rise in his status. But his grandmother had, for some strange reason, arranged this union. Was he still simply trying to appease her? Why was he willing to settle for her?
“Might I ask you,” Olivia began, “why it is that your grandmother thought that you and I ought to begin a formal courtship? And how did she find me?”
The earl looked at her in confusion and surprise. Olivia wondered if he had never even thought about it.
“Why, I imagined that you had the answers to that. For my part, I have no idea. She has told me very little on the subject and I fear that I know nothing,” he remarked.
Olivia nodded, feeling somewhat disappointed. She would truly have liked to know why the arrangement had been made. It was all quite strange how this had come about and it seemed that only Lady Kirby knew the answers. But she was not the sort of woman to give them.
The conversation moved onto a discussion regarding their very different upbringings and the challenges they faced.
“I was always trying to make my father proud. It is a difficult thing, knowing that you are to inherit the family title and must live accordingly. You cannot imagine the pressures that it puts upon a man, even as a child,” the earl remarked.
“It sounds positively dreadful. I cannot imagine having to take on such stress and have so many people expecting great things of me when I am young and cannot even expect them of myself,” she replied.
“Yes, but I have seen how you take care of your sisters and that leaves me with a great deal of awe as well. After all, you have shown so much responsibility and the sort of thing that I would be expected to do if I were in a situation like yours,” he said.
Olivia considered this. She appreciated the fact that the Earl of Glauston was actually considering her as being strong and responsible. It was a compliment that she would not have anticipated from a man of his station, but one she was entirely grateful for.
“You do me far too much kindness,” she remarked.
“Indeed, I fear it is not enough. You are a wise, brave woman. I cannot avoid noticing it. I can only hope that one day you see it in yourself,” he told her.
Olivia was humbled by that. She truly appreciated everything he was saying and how he treated her each time they spent a day together.
Their conversation continued and there was very little that went unsaid between them. It was strange to feel so comfortable with a man, but Olivia was grateful that they were able to share so much. The grief and loss, the unexpected responsibilities, and even the similarities between the relationships of their parents were all quite significant.
“You know,” the earl began suddenly, “there is something I must say.”
Olivia looked at him and realised that he was anxious to say whatever it was that was on his mind.
“Please, do tell me,” she urged. Despite his hesitancy, she could sense that he was eager to tell her.
“I must tell you that I have never felt this close to anyone before. I have never been able to share such personal things. There is…an unexpected connection. One that I am utterly grateful for. I thank you for being someone I am able to trust with these things that I have never confided in anyone until this very day.”
Olivia was taken aback by this confession. She had felt the exact same way, but it was utterly strange hearing it come from the mouth of an earl and a man who, just a few weeks before, had been such a torment to her.
Everything had changed between them and it was changing rather rapidly. Olivia didn’t mind. He was more and more like the handsome stranger she had met in the market and each day she was beginning to recognise him as that. Indeed, there was nothing at all of the man she had been so offended by when his grandmother had arranged their meeting.
He had promised her that she would not see that man again and he had made good on that promise. With every passing day, he was growing more and more into the sort of man she would love to spend her life with. Their courtship was growing closer and more meaningful.
“My lord, it is a relief to hear you confess this, for it is exactly the same as I have felt,” she told him.
“Truly?” he asked, seeming to need confirmation.
