Page 5 of A Maid's Fateful Courtship
“I suppose. At the very least, we seem to be making good time,” Cedric said as he moved the fading curtain that covered the window. “On the matter of Anthony’s absence, I thought we were all to travel home together?"
“Anthony’s friend Thomas turned up at the club last night," Ethan informed his brother as he smiled at the elderly lady who sat opposite him in the coach. “He has to return with him.”
“Lordy, if Thomas brought his own coach, you would have thought he could have offered to take us all home,” Cedric remarked.
The lady scowled at Cedric as she had already taken a disliking to him when he had not allowed her extra baggage to be placed in the empty seat by his side. He had forcefully reminded the couple that the roof was the place for baggage. Cedric was not one to shy away from confrontation; he was a moody character who always spoke his mind.
“I am not sure what their plans were,” Ethan said, noting that their travel companions listened to every word that passed between them. As the gentleman caught his eye, he asked, “How far are you to travel, sir?”
“Hmph… We are going to the Fox Inn, whereby lays a junction. There, we will await a different coach to take us to our destination,” was all he would divulge.
“I hear the Fox Inn is very pleasant for an overnight stay,” Ethan said, preferring to speak to a stranger than listen to Cedric complaining.
He loved both of his brothers dearly, but Cedric was one to argue until the ends of the world that his opinion was always the right one. Sometimes, he did not make for a very good travelling companion. For this reason, Ethan had decided that he would befriend the gentleman who travelled with them.
“Indeed,” said the gentleman. “My wife and I are to make our way to Bristol. We are to attend the wedding ceremony of our grandson.”
“There is nothing more joyous than a merry wedding to bring a family together,” Ethan said with a smile.
“And you, sir?” the man inquired.
“We are returning from our grand tour abroad,” Ethan replied.
“You are well-travelled then, sir?” the man asked. “I am George Gardiner, sir, and you are?”
“Ethan, erm… Ellsworth, sir. We are returning to our home where our father resides, the Marquess of Sarandale.”
“Ah… the Sarandale Estate is grand indeed, Lord Ellsworth,” George remarked. It was clear he was now impressed with his travelling companions.
“I am a coal merchant, Lord Ellsworth, and from the north. But I know of a thing or two beyond my garden gate. Since the improvement of the roads and the introduction of turnpikes, my wife and I have enjoyed much travel in England. We have toured many of the grand houses. I am not afraid to knock on the door of a grand manor house, sir.”
“My father’s estate is an interesting one,” Ethan said, rather taken with the friendly approach of the coal merchant. “If ever you find yourselves back in the area, please do call upon us. I would gladly arrange a tour of the estate for you and your good wife.”
Ethan was immediately nudged by Cedric, who had appeared to be dozing and paying little attention to the Ethan’s conversation.
“What my brother means, sir," Cedric interrupted. "Is that my father does not permit tours upon his estate.”
At that moment, the coach jostled from side to side. George’s wife took hold of her husband's arm to save herself from falling off the bench seat.
“Please ignore my brother," Ethan spoke up. "He does not travel well, and my offer still stands.”
Cedric glared at Ethan but said no more on the matter. Instead, he discouraged further conversation with the merchant.
“Father may not too pleased at seeing me as it is,” Cedric said in a low voice. “As you know, I left under a bit of a cloud.”
“Father is a forgiving soul, Cedric,” Ethan assured his brother, for he knew this bothered Cedric a great deal. “You will find he has all but forgotten his harsh words to you. After all, they took place over three years ago. Did he not pay for your tutor in Italy, so you could still study law?”
Ethan saw the good in everything and everyone, but he knew that Cedric always seemed to see the negative side of all situations and people.
They travelled in silence for a time. Ethan contemplated upon the reception they would receive when they reached home. Before long, the coach slowed as it pulled up at the junction where the coal merchant would change coaches.
They stopped to take refreshments in the Fox Inn and rest the horses. Soon, they were on their way again, only now they had the coach to themselves. Ethan had paid extra to the drivers to take them all the way to Sarandale Estate instead of the normal drop-off point in the local town.
They trundled on through the green countryside. Ethan noted that the tall British trees were adorning full green canopies. The English countryside was a wonderful sight to behold in the summer months.
Staring out of the coach window, Ethan began to recognise some of the surrounding vistas. He knew that they neared closer to the estate. It surprised him how much still looked so familiar. For some reason, he had assumed everything would have changed in their few years away.
But no, there stood the ancient, lonely, gnarled oak in the middle of a field. In another was the charred remains of another grand tree that had burned bright one stormy night. It had been struck by lightning when he was a boy.
