Page 73 of An Earl to Save the Diamond
“I am sure, the question you might be asking yourselves is why this meeting is happening. I called you all here to announce that I and the original founding members will be stepping down as the heads of the book club. We have served our time, run our course, and done a lot of good, but I believe that it is about time that we let some other people who would cherish the vision and goals of this book club continue where we have stopped.” The Dowager Countess paused to catch her breath, and the rest of the ladies broke out in a round of applause.
“Thank you very much, Ladies,” the Dowager Countess said as she waited for the applause to die down. “After careful deliberation and thought, it is most pleasing to announce to you the next heads of the book club. This pair of ladies, and I have been privileged to watch, and I have seen them conquer love, family, and Society which is really what this club is all about. Lady Marjorie Bamber, the Duchess of Grant, and Lady Ellen Hann, the Countess of Ridlington, would you both please come forward.”
Marjorie and Ellen who had been paying attention to the Dowager Countess’s speech had been genuinely shocked to hear their names mentioned at the end of it. They stood up, shyly walking toward the center stage to a round of applause. As they got near the Dowager Countess, she held both their hands.
“I leave this book club in their safe hands, and I ask you, that any iota of trust that you have for me, please pass it on to them.” Then turning to them, she hugged him and muttered congratulations.
Later, when everyone had dispersed, and it was just the Dowager Countess and Marjorie and Ellen, the Dowager Countess said, “I am not getting any younger, and I can feel my health declining each day. It would be my immense pleasure to watch you both carry on the torch and make it brighter. You have both been an inspiration to me and reminded me of my younger self. I feel very honored to have watched you both blossom and even luckier that you are my granddaughter, Ellen.”
“I do not know what to say,” Marjorie started.
“Promise me that you will keep the book club alive and as a community for other people like you who need a place to be themselves.”
“We promise, My Lady,” Ellen said and looked at Marjorie who nodded in agreement.
* * *
Andrew and Marjorie got the news of Lady Grant’s death two days later at dawn. She had expected it, knowing that the Dowager’s health had drastically declined in the last two days, but the thought of it happening had not prepared her for the ripple of pain that she felt. She wondered, as it suddenly began to rain if the sky was also mourning the loss.
Ellen had been in the library trying to read a book when Gerard came to tell her the news. The library had become her new favorite place in the Manor. She had found herself going there whenever she needed some privacy. She had tried to also start writing new letters afresh to her mother there but still could not seem to find the courage to complete one. She had been hunched over an empty paper and a quill when it started to rain which she had thought was surprising because the day started off with the promise of clear skies. When she shut the windows and saw Gerard standing there, his face gloomy, she had instantly known from the hunch of his back and the crack in his voice he had been trying to disguise.
“She is gone, My Diamond. She fought so bravely, but your mother is gone.”
“Gone where? What do you meanshe is gone?”Gerard, in his distress, realized that he would have to be straightforward.
“She is dead. She died this morning, My Diamond.”
Ellen kept looking at him in unbelief, waiting for him to admit that he was joking, that it was not possible that it would happen so soon, but he did not. He simply went to her and let her cry in his arms.
It rained heavily all morning the day of the funeral. The funeral was supposed to be held at Grant Manor but could not because they all wanted it to be an open-air event.
Gerard and Ellen, Andrew and Marjorie stood before the coffin dressed in black as people came to pay their respects. Ellen hated everything about being there. Her eyes were stained with tears, and Marjorie was on her other side weeping softly. When they were finished with the rites, they all went back inside the Manor. While they were there, Ellen who was holding Gerard’s hand, suddenly laughed out loud, and surprised, the rest of the family looked at her, wondering what it was that was funny.
“To think that she was stubborn to her grave. Mama certainly deserves a toast for that.”
Andrew smiled. “I remember when Mother would spank me for not bowing as well as she wanted me to or not paying enough attention to my lessons. She might not have been a great mother toward the end, but she did a great job bringing us up.”
“I think that we should raise a toast to her life. For doing her best to be a good mother to us both.”
They all raised a cup, but Andrew had taken Marjorie’s cup, and she protested, “I deserve at least one for this least one for this occasion.”
“My apologies, Your Grace, but doctor’s orders are doctor’s orders.”
They all laughed at Marjorie pouting. “I cannot wait until I can finally give birth.”
“Anytime now, Marjorie, and we will have our first baby,” a voice said from behind them. They all turned to find the Dowager Countess, who was entertaining mourners in the other room. Her color had greatly improved in the last two days, and she looked better now that she was getting adequate rest.
“Have you decided on a name yet?”
Marjorie turned to Andrew who shook his head. “We are still undecided. I do not want my father’s name, but Marjorie thinks that her father’s name Caleb would be a great fit.”
“You don’t?” Gerard asked.
“Caleb Bamber sounds a bit odd, do you not think?”
“So does Andrew Bamber,” Marjorie retorted, and they all laughed.
“I truly believe that when you behold the child a name will come to you,” Ellen said.
