Page 48 of A Lady’s Fairytale Come True
“As I told you, things did not begin so well with her. I was quite harsh and I treated her badly. But she chose to forgive me. She gave me another chance and has allowed me to prove myself to her, to prove that I am not the man I showed her on that day,” he said with gladness.
“And why did she do that?” Lord Kensington asked.
Nathaniel had wondered the same thing, time and time again. But he knew the answer well by now. He had seen who she was as a young woman.
“She has done so simply because she is a good woman. A wonderful woman, in fact. Miss Digby has the sort of character that you might never imagine a woman having. She cares for others deeply and chooses to give grace even where it is highly undeserved,” he said.
“Grace is never deserved, that is what makes it what it is,” Lord Kensington pointed out.
“True. And yet she is a woman who is always happy to give it. Even to a fool like me when I behaved like a brash child,” he laughed.
“And then what occurred?” Lord Kensington asked, disinterestedly.
“Then we began to know one another. And in our knowing of one another, we have seen who one another truly is. She is kind and filled with feeling, intelligent and wise. She cares for her sisters a great deal and understands responsibility. And she understands grief,” he said.
“What has any of that to do with you choosing to fall in love with her?” his friend challenged.
Nathaniel was quiet and looked at Lord Kensington with intensity, trying to understand why his friend was not being more understanding and why he seemed to have such a cold attitude regarding this. Had he not encouraged Nathaniel to be open to these things? Had he not been a comfort to him when he was facing the challenge of all these decisions?
“Is there something you wish to say?” he finally asked.
Lord Kensington shook his head innocently, taking another sip of tea.
“I believe there is. If you have some concern regarding this courtship, it would be best if you speak about it now,” he remarked, feeling a little rage inside.
“I have nothing to say on the matter,” Lord Kensington replied, showing very much that he did.
“Out with it, will you? I do not wish for you to remain silent if there is something that concerns you,” Nathaniel urged.
“Is there anything about which you think I ought to be concerned?” his friend replied.
“Nothing at all, but it would seem that that does not matter. You show a great deal of disinterest on your face, or perhaps denial. What is it? Will you not just tell me?” he asked.
“Fine, then. If you really wish it,” he conceded.
“I do,” Nathaniel replied sternly, feeling his anger rise despite the fact that he did not know exactly what the disapproval might be.
“You have rushed into a courtship with this young woman. And I believe her to be using you for your wealth and status. She is a mere social climber,” Lord Kensington accused.
Nathaniel felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He never would have imagined this being said of Miss Digby. She was a kind, gracious young woman, far too good and kind to be slandered in such a way.
“Whatever do you mean by that? What has led you to such a conclusion? How could you even consider that as a possibility?” Nathaniel asked.
“Easily. Have you not listened to yourself? Can you not see how she has manipulated you?” Lord Kensington asked.
“Manipulated me? In what way? She has done nothing of the sort and I cannot believe you would have the audacity to accuse her of something like that.”
“She is a young woman in need of a great deal. She has no mother, a poor father, and two sisters to look after. She has nothing. And here, a great gentleman comes along and treats her terribly. She had every opportunity to do away with you. Instead, she led you into her web. She used your rudeness to convince you to treat her well,” Lord Kensington said.
“That makes no sense. How could she have known that I was faking that behaviour and that I would regret it?” he challenged.
“Your grandmother was the one who made you to go and apologise, was it not? It had not been your own will. She already knew that your grandmother wished for the match, so it would have been easy for her to surmise that you would return and beg her forgiveness,” he said.
“That is nonsense,” Nathaniel shrugged.
“It is the truth. I am sad that you cannot see it. She used your initial behaviour against you, making you feel as though you had to make up for it. Through that, she has ensnared you with her femininity. You cannot see it because men are blind to the ways of women, but I do not believe for a moment that you would be rushing into all of this if she had not fooled you somehow,” he said.
“You are the one who is fooled,” Nathaniel said, his face growing warm with anger. “You have been fooled by a society that claims that we are somehow better than others simply because of our status. You have been fooled by those who tell lies about our neighbours who have to work significantly harder than the rest of us just to have a fraction.”
