Page 46 of Everything But the Earl
“Anyway, perhaps it is for the best that my husband is in London. He spent a month with me here before returning to the city, and it was lovely, but sometimes I worry our relationship may sour.”
“In what way?”
“Well, I can’t help thinking of my parents. After many years of marriage, they loathe each other.”
Penny nodded knowingly. “But then, I have doubts they ever liked each other. There’s no reason to think you and the earl will end up like that. My parents are quite fond of each other, even after all these years. Why, just before I left London, they celebrated their anniversary, andit was quite a fete. Father could hardly keep his hands off Mother, and she giggled the whole time. Embarrassing, if you ask me, but nice in its way. It’s honestly given me some hope that if I find the right man, I can be happy well into my old age, just as they are.”
Grace supposed that was something. She still felt she’d made the right decision, that it could be that once the initial euphoria of the wedding wore off, she might grow tired and annoyed with Owen—she had always assumed this was what would happen in a marriage. But she hadn’t anticipated the pleasure Owen had shown her, nor had she expected to like his company so much. She supposed Penny was right that not all couples succumbed to the fate that her parents had.
“Well,” said Grace. “What else is going on in town?”
Grace wanted to hear more about the goings on back in London, but as Penny told a long story about a bit of gossip pertaining to one of their mutual friends, Grace found her energy waning. Penny paused as if she anticipated a laugh, but Grace said, “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted.”
“Go to sleep. We can resume our talk tomorrow.”
A solid night’s sleep did Grace a lot of good, although she woke up the next morning with her stomach still unsettled. Indeed, it proved a bit of a challenge to keep the Hastings girls occupied. They took a walk around the estate. They admired Owen’s sheep and horses. They ran into one of the Williams brothers—Alex or Artie, Grace still had trouble telling them all apart—who indulged the ladies with some jokes about sheep. The day after that—once Grace sent word to warn Morfudd—they went to Caernarfon Castle.
Grace did everything she could to keep her guests entertained, and she did have a good time. She’d always liked Elizabeth and Helena, though they were not as close as Grace was to Penny. And it was nice to be around other women, to indulge in gossip, to hear about what she was missing in London. Truly, it was gratifying that she wasn’t truly missing anything except for the exact things she’d been looking to escape.
But after a full week of playing hostess, Grace felt as though she’d been drained. Penny and Morfudd both noticed, and Morfudd agreed to take the Hastings to town that day to give them a taste of Welsh culture. Penny stayed behind to keep Grace company.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Penny said. “You’ve seemed not yourself the last day or two.”
“I’m fine, truly. I might be coming down with something, though. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. But you’re right, I have not felt quite myself the last few days.”
“What is wrong, precisely?”
“Mostly I’m just tired, which I attribute to having to entertain. And…I’m nervous, I suppose. Unsettled. I’ve never hosted on my own before and I want to make sure all of you are having a good time, so I’ve been putting some extra pressure on myself, perhaps more than necessary.”
“As long as you aren’t seriously ill,” said Penny warily.
“I do not believe I am. A bit overwhelmed, is really all it is. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine.”
“All right. We shall be out of your hair soon enough.”
“Please stay as long as you like. I will try to be less fussy about everything.”
Penny smiled. “I love you like a sister.” She gave Grace a quick hug. “I would do anything for you. If you need us to leave, we will.”
“No, no. Stay. I like having you here. I think Lady Lenora just unsettles me.”
“She is quite intimidating.”
Grace giggled at that.
“And perhaps next time I come visit,” Penny said, “I will leave the Hastings behind.”
“Oh, I would never presume to—”
“Grace. It is just the two of us here.”
“All right. The Hastings are…a lot to manage,” Grace conceded.
Penny laughed. “I do adore you, my friend. I am glad we made this journey.”
“I am, as well. Truly, come visit anytime you like. The one thing I regret is that I am so far now from my friends.” Although, to be honest, Grace had mostly only missed Penny. She didn’t have many other close friends. Grace intuited that the Hastingses mostly tagged along with Penny so that Penny would not have to make the five-day journey alone.
“Maybe Baron Beckwith has some use of a country home near the Welsh border.”
