Page 30 of A Lady's Beloved Novelist
Yours,
Andrea
After making sure her letter was sent out in the morning post, Andrea was curious as to how long she would have to wait for a response. Whilst she used to simply be content with reading Dean Morris novels, she now found herself getting constantly excited at the prospect of reading James’ letters.
It excited her to think that he was taking the time out of his day to write down what he was thinking and feeling and send it to her. Andrea was loving the attention, but also the purpose it was adding to her day. She now had to make sure she was responding to him in a timely manner and not leaving it too late out of fear that she would appear rude.
Dearest Andrea,
Your letters are now the highlight of my day too. I want to see you soon, but I fear people around the estate may talk if we are always seen together. Not to mention, I quite like the way we are writing to one another as though we are in different and distant lands from one another.
Your reading habits would never be something I would have an issue with, I, myself, am an avid reader and could never deny someone the pleasure of such a hobby. In answer to your desire to hear of my time overseas, I must warn you that it is not the exciting adventure you may be thinking it was. We were fighting in a gruesome and horrible war, and that is not an experience that I find comfortable to talk about, especially with a woman.
I know you say that you are not like other women, but there are some horrors that I would not wish to burden anyone else with. I believe you are intelligent enough to make choices about what you should and should not hear, but I also believe that you do not understand the realities of war. I only write this because I wish to protect you from learning about such things, for I do not see any advantage in being wiser about far-off wars.
Of course, I would be more than happy to divulge and tell you about the journey to the east when fighting was still a distant requirement, and we could explore more than we were permitted when we arrived on the battlefield. There is a reason I did not return straight away; I did not want to be on the much emptier ships than the ones that had taken us to China.
They were filled with ghosts of men who had seen too much and lost friends back out there. I stayed behind to find my own adventures and get into my own trouble so that I could shake off the weary dregs of war. Again, I do not want to bore you with my woes and so perhaps we could talk about this more in person, only if it would so please you.
Until our next correspondence.
Yours as always,
James
Andrea held the letter in her hands and let her eyes run over it once more. She knew he was trying to protect her, and it was clear he still cared about her, but Andrea could not help the annoyance she felt at the letter.
“Do not you think he’s just being a gentleman?” Lily offered as she read over the letter too. Andrea was beginning to wish she had not enlisted her cousin’s advice.
“No, he’s denying me what I warned him not to,” Andrea fired back quickly.“I want to learn about these things, and I do not think I will not be able to handle it.”
“He is just trying to protect you. We have both heard of how horrid war can be, I do not think it is something you would like to hear about,” Lily tried again.
“I am used to reading about fights and battles, some of the books I read contain them,” Andrea said, unsure of why she was still trying to defend herself.“I would be able to handle it.”
“You are already acting as though you have gone off of him,” Lily remarked with a slight chuckle, but Andrea did not find it funny.
“I do not like the tone of his letter,” she decided.“I do not like that he thinks I will not be able to handle it. I told him when we were walking that I do not see any large differences between our two sexes. What I can do, he can do, and it goes the other way around too.”
“I think you are being a little rash with this,” Lily admitted. Andrea shot her friend a pointed look.“What? You asked for my opinion, and I am giving it to you. I do not see that he has done anything too wrong in writing this. I think you would be a fool to let it mar what the two of you have been building up.”
“You only say that because I have never paid another man the kind of interest I have invested in James,” Andrea fired back at her.
“That is not true, Andrea.” Lily sighed.“I just want you to be happy, all right?”
It cast some doubt in her mind and it was making her think long and hard about whether pursuing something with James was a good idea.
“Will you come with me tomorrow to see him?” Andrea asked.“I know that it is not conventional for me to call on him, but I would like to speak with him in person instead of through letters. I would feel better about it to have you there as a chaperone.”
“Of course, I will be there,” Lily said, smiling.
Chapter 14
An early knock at his door was not how James had been expecting to start his day. But he was even more confused to see that it was Andrea on his doorstep with her cousin at her side. James was not dressed in his best, and he suddenly felt incredibly flustered at the fact that the beautiful woman had caught him off guard by turning up unannounced.
“Lady Carton, Lady Andrea,” he said, bowing his head to them both.“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“I was wondering if you would join me for a picnic today?” Andrea offered.“It is being set up as we speak on the front lawn, though I will let you get properly ready for it if you need time.”
