Chapter 2 #2
“And you’d better not do that to everyone in your life, or people will think you’re odd.” David ruffled her hair, which had Gwen squealing and wriggling away from him. “Are you hungry? I know MrsLazenby is preparing lunch, and I’m sure you’re starving.”
“I’m always starving!” Gwen declared.
Henrietta simply smiled.
“That would be perfect,” she said.
#
“Oh, this is divine!” Eleanor sighed as she took a mouthful of cake off her fork, closing her eyes with a sigh. “I love how it melts in your mouth.”
“Your cook is certainly good at making something marvellous,” Mr Talbot agreed, using his fork to take another piece off his slice. “She’s wonderful with her hands.”
Eleanor laughed.
“Richard, I keep telling you, it’s Olivier who is in charge of the kitchen and his brother Patrice who baked the cakes and biscuits. They’re both men.”
“But …”
Mr Talbot’s face went a little red, and Caroline smiled.
“To be fair to Mr Talbot, Eleanor, if you heard the names Olivier and Patrice without any context, you would assume you were talking about women.”
She got a grateful smile in return. Eleanor was still giggling as she squeezed Mr Talbot’s arm.
“Forgive me, Richard. I didn’t mean to be so rude. I’m used to it, so it feels amusing when I hear the mistake.”
Mr Talbot mumbled something and concentrated on his mouthful. Eleanor leaned towards him, whispering something that made him smile, and he looked less embarrassed. Caroline sipped her tea and watched them. The pair were quite sweet together.
When Eleanor had told her that she had some attention from the young man, the youngest son of a viscount was interested in her, Caroline had encouraged her.
It was nice to have any attention from a gentleman, and Eleanor shouldn’t be fussy because of her social standing.
Eleanor didn’t want to marry to advance herself in Society; she simply saw it as a bonus.
And from how she and Mr Talbot were together, it was clear there was an inkling of an attraction. Mr Talbot was sweet on Eleanor, and she liked having him around. Caroline couldn’t begin to count how many times she talked about him to her friend. It was adorable but also a little annoying.
It had only been a month, and while they weren’t officially courting, it would only be a matter of time.
“Eleanor,” Lady Archer admonished gently from her chair across the terrace, looking up from her book, “don’t be unkind to Mr Talbot. You shouldn’t laugh at someone for an honest mistake.”
“Mother!”
But Lady Archer had gone back to her book. Caroline leaned over and touched her friend’s arm.
“Ignore her,” she whispered. “We’re allowed to tease each other every now and then. It’s nothing bad.”
Eleanor gave her a grateful smile and turned back to Mr Talbot.
Caroline decided to leave them to it for the moment.
With Lady Archer so close by, she wasn’t going to leave them completely alone.
And she needed to get a bit of air away from everyone for now.
Much as she liked how happy Eleanor looked, it was a little tough for her to watch.
It made Caroline remember her shortcomings.
She wandered to the end of the terrace and looked out over the gardens.
It was a pretty place, far better than her own home.
That felt awful to say, but with money issues being a problem and their land not bringing in the money it used to because there were fewer people to work it, things had fallen by the wayside.
Including the garden, as they didn’t have a gardener to look after it. Her parents felt awful about it, but they couldn’t do much about it. Caroline was trying, but she wasn’t very good at it. She was going to have to figure it out and very quickly.
Maybe she could ask Eleanor’s gardener for a few ideas. Then she would know what she was supposed to be doing.
“Caroline?”
Caroline turned. Eleanor was walking towards her, the sunlight making her golden blonde hair glow. She looked like she had a halo, especially with her white gown. Caroline frowned.
“Aren’t you and Mr Talbot …?”
“Richard’s gone inside. He needed to talk to Father about something.”
“But I only just left you.”
“You’ve been deep in thought for a long time, Caroline.” Eleanor tilted her head. “Time seems to have slipped by you.”
“Really?” Caroline hadn’t realised, having thought it had only been a few minutes. Her face was getting warm. “I guess I wasn’t really paying attention. Forgive me, Eleanor; I didn’t mean to be so inattentive.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Eleanor slipped an arm through Caroline’s and leaned into her. “I love you, Caroline. And given the situation, I’m surprised you’re still here even after I said you could leave.”
“Why wouldn’t I be here for you? You and I are friends, and I want to be there for my friend.”
“Caroline, I know you too well. How long have we known each other?”
Caroline didn’t need to ask what Eleanor meant by that. It was unspoken by now. The fact that Eleanor was moving along with her life while Caroline was stuck and unable to go anywhere. It was difficult not to be sad, knowing that happiness was happening to everyone else except her.
That was unfair, yes, but Caroline couldn’t stop her feelings.
Sighing, she glanced over at Lady Archer, who barely glanced at them before going back to her book. Then she led Eleanor down the steps and onto the grass.
“I’m happy for you, Eleanor. There isn’t much I can say beyond that. You know I’m pleased you’ve got an opportunity to find happiness.”
“But you wish you could have it for yourself, don’t you?”
Caroline groaned.
“We’re not going to go through this again. Love and happiness passed me by, so I must accept it and walk away.”
“Who said you had to walk away?” Eleanor asked. “Maybe love will come for you now. It isn’t a requirement to have it before the age of twenty. After all, you can’t force love. It’s simply natural.”
Caroline had to admit that Eleanor was right.
She found it easy to love her parents, Eleanor, and those very close to her, but romantic love was hard to come by.
When she was in Society as a young woman, she was excited and full of dreams. But as time passed, finding someone interested in her had been really hard work.
Love didn’t come easily to her when everyone turned their backs on her.
Not literally, of course, but it felt a lot like that.
Then her parents’ health began failing, and their finances went down.
That wasn’t something that became public, but somehow everyone learned about it.
Now she barely had any money to her name, and her father was merely a landowner rather than anything important; Caroline wasn’t considered a good catch.
It was so frustrating to go to a ball or a dinner party and listen to people talk to her as if she were stupid and didn’t have a mind of her own because she wasn’t married. It felt like she was treated worse because she was unmarried and not under a husband’s thumb.
Why didn’t anyone look at her, other than those close to her, and see a strong, intelligent, and funny person? They only saw no money and low social standing when they looked at Caroline. Nothing that could be of any use.
Eleanor, on the other hand, had nothing to worry about with that. It was a miracle that they were still friends given how different their situations were now.
Sighing, Caroline looked back at the terrace and watched Lady Archer, happily engrossed in whatever she was reading. She wished she could while away her hours doing that. It looked like it could soothe her nerves and get her to think about something else.
“I suppose it’s something I’m going to have to accept; love simply passed me by, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m going to move on.”
“Move on? How are you going to do that?”
“I was talking to my parents about that.” Caroline turned away from watching her friend’s mother. “We need some more money coming in, and I want to help my parents somehow. So I’m going to look for a job as a governess or a chaperone.”
Eleanor stopped, still holding onto her arm, so Caroline nearly fell over when her arm didn’t move. She was staring at Caroline.
“What? You’re going to become a governess?”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m well-educated, and I am patient. I can teach small children that need their education, which can keep me busy. Plus, a governess does get paid well, depending on the family. I can see it being a good way to help my family’s financial situation.”
Eleanor still looked rather bewildered.
“Erm, I never thought I’d hear you say that. So you’re not going to be attending London for another Season?”
“When I’m going to be bored and have to listen to how I should have taken advantage of my youth when I’m not being ignored? No, thanks.”
“It’s not that bad, is it?”
“You’d be surprised.” Caroline shrugged. “Anyway, I think this will be good for me. I will feel like this is a way to gain some self-worth and help my parents.”
Eleanor smiled.
“You’re going to be fine. Even when things get tough, you end up landing on your feet.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. Although,” Eleanor folded her arms, “I still think you could find a gentleman for yourself. You’re still beautiful and intelligent, and I’m sure you’ll draw in the right man.”
Caroline frowned.
“I think you’re forgetting that I’m too old for the marriage market now. I’ve been put on a shelf.”
“But someone can still reach to bring you back down again.”
“You’re making me sound like an old toy nobody wants to play with again.”
Eleanor giggled.
“I suppose that’s the case. But, seriously, you’re an incredible woman, and those who haven’t noticed are just blind and stupid. You’re going to find someone who is going to appreciate that.”
Caroline did appreciate the vote of confidence, but she didn’t think it would happen.