Page 26 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
Andrea was almost certain there was something going on that she was not party to, but she knew it would be rather rude of her to say anything on the matter.
“Lara,” Andrea called, the maid appeared at the door only a few short seconds later.“Would you be able to bring Lily in when she arrives?”
“Of course, my lady.” Lara nodded before rushing off to give the instructions to whoever was at the door that morning. Andrea was thankful to know that her cousin would be with her throughout the morning, though she knew Lily would be expecting a full debrief of information when the men had gone.
“Has James told you of our many adventures?” Cecil asked, cutting through the silence of the room. It was a sentence she had not been expecting from the man, though he appeared lighthearted about what he was saying.
“You fought in Asia too, Sir Blakewell?” Andrea asked with a slight tilt of her head.
“I did indeed, and please call me Cecil, Sir Blakewell is my father,” he said whilst sitting up a little straighter.“James and I fought side by side whilst journeying across the sea and through thick jungles.”
“I cannot even begin to imagine the things you must have seen,” Andrea said. Whilst she knew war was horrific, she wanted to hear the details of the jungles Cecil spoke of. For her, a jungle was no different than the cluster of trees at the edge of the lawn, except it held different species of plants and animals alike.
“Yes, there was so much that was just…new to us both,” Cecil said whilst glancing up at James.“I could not believe the things I was seeing, it really was incredible. Some of the animals, they reminded me of the kind of creatures that were born out of mythology and imagination. I had not even realised they could be real until we were stealthily passing their habitats in the thickest jungles.”
Andrea was trying her best to not get too sucked into what James’ friend was saying, but it was as though he knew this was exactly what she wanted to hear. Cecil was not quite as handsome as James, but he still could hold his own. Andrea was surprised at herself with how much she wanted to hear what another man had to say, but it was all of the details that James had refused to tell her.
“The one rule we applied in the jungle was that you should encounter everything with the mindset that it could kill you,”Cecil continued.“Even the plants…even the foreign people should not be trusted. It was a difficult rule to stick to because you of course have your basic needs, but it was so important because it could be the difference between staying alive and dying.”
“I think that is enough talk about that, I can hear Lady Carton coming,” James muttered.
Andrea thought about what she had written to him in her letter; she had expressed how much she desired to hear such stories. Yet James was still playing the righteous gentleman. It made her wonder if he had even read the letter at all.
“Ah, Lily, so wonderful of you to join us.” Andrea smiled as her friend stepped into the room. It felt like a slight weight off her shoulders that she would have Lily by her side as another woman in their small group.
“Well, it is indeed a lovely morning for a walk,” Andrea said whilst looking to her cousin.“Perhaps you would like to escort Lord Churchill and me? This here is Sir Cecil Blakewell, I am sure you would not mind keeping him company?”
Andrea could see a sudden hesitation in her friend’s eyes. It was not as though Andrea was asking her to take part in a courtship, but it was sometimes safer to not entangle oneself in certain situations.
“Of course,” Lily said nevertheless.“It is nice to meet you, Sir Cecil.”
Andrea could not place the look on James’ face as she turned back to him; there was a certain level of annoyance in his gaze that made her uncertain.
“Then it is settled,” Andrea said, keeping her smile on her face as James stepped around the various chairs in the room to join her.
The sun was shining down on the grounds of Sudeley, and Andrea remarked on how beautiful of a morning it really was. She was pleased to have James at her side once again, though the stubborn part of herself had resigned to not speaking about the letter first. Instead, she was going to wait for him to be the one to bring up the topic of conversation.
“We really have been blessed with good weather recently,” James remarked as they continued down the gravel path that led them towards the manicured gardens.
“Yes, it has been a particularly warm spring,” Andrea said, forcing a smile onto her face. She did not want to speak about the weather, she wanted to talk to him about the letter.
“I..um…” James stammered, before clearing his throat to try again.“I did receive a letter from you, by the way. I just thought I would acknowledge it so that there was no awkwardness.”
“Is that why you really called on me this morning?” Andrea asked, making sure that they were not in earshot of Lily and Cecil, who were traipsing behind.
“Well, it is perhaps part of the reason, but I really did want to see you as well,” James answered whilst shrugging his shoulders.“I think we have good conversations, and it always brightens my day when I get to see you.”
Andrea could feel a deep flush rushing to her cheeks, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“You are quite charming, James,” she said, remembering that he did not want her to use his title.
“And I find you entrancing, Andrea,” he responded, his blue eyes intently gazing into hers.
Yet Andrea could feel her smile falling from her face. There was still something she was not happy about, something that had not been addressed.
“I mean it when I say that you are charming and interesting,” she continued, spotting a slight crease in his brow as she spoke.“But I cannot continue if you view me as merely another woman that you could wed and have children with. I want you to know that I am so much more than that. Many women actually are, but they are not brave enough to say so, and men are not smart enough to recognise it.
As I said in the letter, I have interests that stretch further than just marriage; I adore reading and hearing of travel and adventures, the books I read often quench that thirst I have for something more. I will not resign to a husband who disagrees with my ways, and that was the point I was trying to get across in my letter.”
