Page 50 of For a Lady's Fiery Heart
"Ahh, here is Sir Knowles," Grace said, rising from the chair.
Caroline nodded but said nothing in response. She was in low spirits, indeed.
A few minutes later, Sir Knowles made his appearance, and so did the rest of the family and their guest. "You were down so early, Lady Caroline. It is a wonder you got enough rest last night. I heard your maid knocking about well after midnight." Lady Beatrice said as she came down the stairs. Lord Highclere and James followed close behind.
Her eyes met James's gaze for a moment, and she felt her heart flutter with longing. She missed him terribly but had still not found a way to reconcile what she had seen. And in a way, she was ashamed to speak with him and admit that she had not trusted him. Grace had spoken with her several times about the conversation they had had a few nights previous.
"Forgive me if I kept you awake. I had much to get accomplished before our departure this morning and was only allowed to see to my own preparations late last night," Caroline said tersely.
"Oh, my dear friend, I was not scolding. Oh, no. Please do not misconstrue what I say. I speak only out of a wellspring of concern for your welfare." Lady Beatrice came to her side and linked arms with her. Caroline clenched her jaw. Caroline would scream if the woman did not cease to make her cloying presence odious to her.
Caroline stepped away from her, disengaging her arm from the woman. "All is ready, Lord Highclere," she said.
"Very good. Well, now, I see Sir Knowles has arrived. How do you do, Sir Knowles?" her father-in-law said and stepped forward to shake the young man's hand. "Shall we go?" he asked.
They all moved out the door and climbed into the prospective carriages. Thankfully, Grace did not abandon her and took the seat beside her. Lady Beatrice sat across from them and began chattering as soon as the carriage pulled away from the house.
"I do love Thorneby Manor, but I am glad to be travelling to London. Are you not? I do love London." Lady Beatrice said, her face beaming with a brilliant smile.
"I cannot say that I love London, no. Since coming to Thorneby, I much prefer it to any place we have stayed in the capital," Caroline said shortly. She looked out the window as Thorneby Manor disappeared in the distance.
"Oh, that is right. You hail from London, do you not? However, you are not accustomed to the more fashionable neighbourhoods, I think? Lord Highclere knows all of the best people and may introduce you to whomever you wish."
Lady Beatrice gave a smirk that alerted Caroline and Grace alike to the fact that she had not spoken out of unaffected tactlessness. Grace straightened and opened her mouth, but Caroline grabbed her arm and stopped her. Lady Beatrice deserved a tongue-lashing, to be sure. But Grace would not be the one to do it if and when the right moment presented itself.
"We already know our fair share of thebest people,as you say. Indeed, it is not only the upper crust who may boast of knowing the best humankind has to offer. We have met many common folks who are not half self-obsessed as some people who can boast of pedigrees down to William the Conqueror."
Lady Beatrice's eyes narrowed, understanding the dig. Several times she had mentioned being a descendant of William the Conqueror. Caroline gave a sweet smile as she turned to look out at the scenery, satisfied that her words had hit the mark.
She and Grace quieted and were afforded a blessed reprieve from Lady Beatrice's blathering.
However, the stay from idle chatter did not last long. Within half an hour, Grace had fallen asleep, as she was in the habit of doing almost as soon as she entered a carriage. Caroline inwardly groaned as Lady Beatrice turned to her after their long silence.
"Ahh, there is a sight for sore eyes," Lady Beatrice said. She pointed to a pillar made of rocks on the side of the road, held together with rudimentary mortar. "The boundary stones marking Thorneby land."
Caroline had not realised their holdings were so extensive, but she said nothing on that end. "What makes a pile of rubble so special?" she asked.
Lady Beatrice smiled, looking off into the distance as she reminisced.
"My parents and I used to come and stay with Lord and Lady Highclere every summer. That is, until my coming out. How I loved those times."
She met Caroline's gaze and went on. "James was like a brother to me then. But as the years went on, I started to see him as more than a friend or a brother figure. He changed considerably during the summer between his fifteenth and sixteenth birthday."
Caroline did not appreciate the lusty gleam in her eyes. "Most young men do," Caroline observed.
"Yes, but you must admit that the Viscount is no ordinary young man," Lady Beatrice argued. She sighed and did not allow Caroline a rebuttal. "No man is like him."
Caroline shifted, hoping that the movement would wake Grace. However, she only snorted and fell back to sleep, resting her head against the window sill. "I know," Caroline replied.
"Of course you do. You married him, and I do not have to tell you what a wonderful person he is." Lady Beatrice said.
"He was always so sweet to me. Once, when I was twelve, we were walking out on the green, and I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. He carried me in his arms all the way back to the house, even though he was scrawnier than me at the time. He got me back to the house by pure willpower."
She shook her head at the memory.
Caroline raised her chin. She wished Lady Beatrice would go to sleep. She could not stand to hear about Lady Beatrice's past with James. It was enough that she was with them, intruding on their private lives for the next eight months–possibly more. Caroline closed her eyes and glanced out the window.
"James asked me to marry him when I was eighteen," Lady Beatrice said after a long silence.
