Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The day was a pleasant one. The sky was blue, and the gardens were a sun trap.
Golden light splashed over colorful flowers, bringing out their vivid shades.
The air was sweet with the aroma of the plants.
With every deep breath, Charlotte felt more relaxed.
Trees and thick hedges ran around the perimeter of the garden, obscuring the walls of the estate.
With the imposing building at her back, Charlotte could almost forget that she was on the estate at all.
“What a beautiful sight! Mary is a fortunate woman to be able to live here,” Agatha observed. Charlotte walked at a slower pace than usual to accommodate her grandmother. She held a notebook close to her stomach.
“That is yet to be determined. The Duke makes the final judgment.”
“Why would he want to stand in the way of love? Alfred and Mary look wonderful together,” Agatha said. She had reached a point in her life where she addressed most people by their first names in private conversation. Sometimes she even referred to the monarch as though they were old friends.
“I wouldn’t begin to guess his reasons.”
“He strikes me as a wise man. Handsome too. If I were a younger woman…” Agatha trailed away and tittered with laughter.
“Grandmother!” Charlotte gasped, her cheeks flushing crimson. She looked around quickly, relieved that nobody else was within earshot.
“It’s just the two of us here, dear. A man like him would make a good match. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s not married already. Then again, I find myself surprised by many unmarried people.”
“I agree. It would do Edmund some good to settle down. A wife might provide a sense of calm to his life.”
“I wasn’t talking just about Edmund.” Agatha stared at Charlotte, who made a point of looking away toward a particularly impressive arrangement of flowers.
“Getting married was the happiest time of my life. William was a fine man, like the Duke in many ways. I remember the first time I met him; I knew I would marry him. It was as though it was written in the stars. Oh, we had a grand time together. Dancing and riding… life is best when it’s lived with someone else. ”
“He does not sound like the Duke at all. The man is, frankly, unpleasant and proud.” And entirely self-absorbed, she thought to herself.
Their conversation in the library lingered in her mind.
He still thought her aim was to trap him into marriage.
He couldn’t even conceive of a reason that went beyond him.
Agatha waved away her words.
“Men often appear hard at first. When I was introduced to William, he barely smiled at me. When we danced, he was as stiff as a board. It took some time for him to show me his true self.”
“I would prefer not to be deceived. That’s why I prefer being out in nature. Nature doesn’t lie.”
“It’s not deceit; it’s just part of the game, my dear. A game all of us must play at some point because that is the purpose of life. Even your parents, as devoted as they were to their research, knew that well enough.”
Charlotte felt a twinge in her heart.
“They were fortunate to have met each other. They were of the same mind, with the same ambition. They understood each other.”
“Yes, they did,” Agatha sighed. “They were such a good match. I miss them dearly. They would have loved a place like this.”
Agatha looped her arm around Charlotte’s and patted her arm.
“They would have been proud of all three of you to see how you’ve all grown.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I do.”
“I want to make them proud, but I do not wish to compromise my own beliefs. And I would not want to sacrifice my interests for a husband. I cannot imagine someone like the Duke would approve of his wife researching nature.”
“As you said, it is difficult to discern the man’s mind. Every marriage is different.”
“But they all assume certain things. A marriage begets children, and during that time, I would have to stop my research. I wish to continue my parents’ work. A marriage would interfere with that.”
“Unless you met a man as understanding as your father.”
“And as mother was always at pains to point out, such men are rare.”
“There is still much we can learn about the Duke.”
Charlotte had to bite her tongue, for she knew him far better than the rest of her family.
“I’m unsure why everyone seeks to praise him so readily. He could make this entire stay much easier if he just gave his blessing. Then we could all relax. Doesn’t he think of poor Mary, fretting about whether she will be able to marry again?”
“I’m sure he has plenty to think about, things that we cannot fathom. Dukes are different from us, Charlotte. They have estates to manage, responsibilities to bear, honor to maintain.”
“Even so, I believe he could be kinder to Mary.”
“Perhaps you should say something to him then.” Agatha chuckled at the notion. “My dear, look around us. It is a beautiful day, and we are on a beautiful estate. Everything will work out for the best. I know I’m not as sharp as I used to be, but you can’t deny my wisdom.”
“Of course, Grandmother. I shall keep what you say in mind. Although we are not here for me. We are here for Mary. The point of this visit is to ensure that she gets married. Anything else is entirely secondary.”
Charlotte felt that she had to say this in order to prevent Agatha from interfering. Charlotte’s heart sank at the thought of Agatha hinting at marriage to the Duke after everything that had transpired. It would simply be asking for trouble.
“Do you mind if we rest at that bench for a while? My knees are beginning to ache. Don’t get old if you can help it, Charlotte.”
Charlotte led Agatha to a small bench. They settled on it. Agatha sighed deeply. Charlotte opened her notebook and began making notes of the various flowers. She made rough sketches first and then added some descriptive notes. Agatha watched intently.
“You remind me so much of them. It’s said that parents live on through their children, and I’m glad that yours live on through you. It’s such a shame they are not here to see you now.” Agatha’s words became heavy with tiredness. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
“I think about them often,” Charlotte said.
“Everything I am, everything I do, is because of them. And I can’t even thank them for it.
” She paused for a moment and looked up toward the sky.
“Sometimes I even wish I had said something back then, that I had been able to dissuade them from going on that expedition. Things would be different if they were here. They could help us understand. They could—”
She paused when she heard Agatha snoring. The woman’s eyes were closed, and she breathed deeply. Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. She tilted Agatha’s hat slightly to protect her face from the sun.
Charlotte remained on the bench for a while, continuing her research. She was familiar with most of the plants as they had been gathered from the English countryside, but she was surprised by the sight of more exotic specimens. Some of these she had only read about in books.
It seemed that, as well as collecting a vast collection of books in his library, the Duke had also amassed plants in his gardens. Did he appreciate nature, or had someone else curated this collection of plants?
Charlotte eventually grew tired of sitting. Agatha was sleeping soundly, and the gardens seemed quite safe. The path meandered around and split off in various directions, inviting exploration.
“I’ll be back shortly,” she whispered to Agatha. The woman did not stir.
With her notebook in hand, Charlotte walked along the path, pausing whenever she saw something that caught her interest. There were plants of all different colors and scents. Insects buzzed around, and bees crawled along flowers, their bodies dusted with pollen.
Charlotte stretched out her finger and allowed a caterpillar to crawl across it.
She giggled at the tickling sensation and then watched as the caterpillar moved along a leaf.
Life must have been so easy for the caterpillar, she thought.
It did not need to worry about etiquette or scandal, and certainly did not have to concern itself with bothersome dukes.
The only saving grace was that Nathaniel made it clear he did not want to speak about the kiss. She hoped this meant that he was putting it out of his mind and would not even use it as a black mark against the family.
He had asked her to keep her distance, and she was more than happy to keep to the terms of that arrangement. If she did this, she hoped that he would come to realize she had no desire to marry him at all.
She shuddered at the thought and moved on, walking beneath shadows, pinching leathery leaves, feeling a sense of contentment that had been absent so far.
But then she heard a loud rustling sound. She turned, trying to gauge the origin of the noise. At first, she thought it might have been a strong wind, but there was no accompanying gale. Then, she saw a bush tremble.
“Oh!” she gasped when a dark shadow emerged from the bush. It was a furry blur, all limbs and jaws and claws. Loud, raw barks shattered the air as a huge dog came barreling toward her, saliva dripping from its mouth, its jagged white teeth visible with a pink tongue lolling out.
It looked hungry, and it was coming straight for her.
Charlotte didn’t have any time to react other than to brace herself for the impact.
She clutched her notebook close to her chest, seeking to protect this above everything else.
Then, she clamped her eyes shut and turned her body, fearing that she would soon feel savage teeth sinking through her flesh.