Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
“Ido adore dinner parties. It reminds me of the balls Baron Yester used to host. Oh, those were wonderful times! Just wonderful! Even now, they bring a smile to my face, although it does make me wonder what happened to them all.” Agatha sighed, the smile fading from her face quickly.
She regarded Charlotte and Lydia with a soft look, one that was filled with emotion.
“You two don’t know how fortunate you are. To possess youth is the greatest gift in the world and one that is not appreciated enough by those who have it,” Agatha continued, making a point of looking down her nose at the two younger women.
“I shall endeavor to make the most of it, Grandmother,” Lydia said, smiling as brightly as the necklace that adorned her throat. Agatha approached Lydia and kissed her on both cheeks.
“You are a vision of beauty, young Lydia, as always. You remind me of your mother in her heyday. She turned many heads. Both of you remind me of her.” Agatha then turned her attention to Charlotte, letting go of one of Lydia’s hands and taking one of Charlotte’s.
“I wasn’t aware that Mother enjoyed dinner parties and balls. I thought she and Father liked their research,” Charlotte said.
Agatha gave Charlotte a knowing smile.
“They both understood that there is more to life than research. The people you meet now will be with you for the rest of their lives. They are the people you will turn to in times of celebration and strife. The best thing you can do in the world is make friends. It makes everything better,” she said.
She went on to share some stories of old friends that Charlotte had heard many times before.
“Grandmother is correct. You really do look beautiful, Lydia.” Charlotte smiled warmly at her sister. Lydia offered a bashful smile. She was wearing a pale red dress in a modern style.
“I’m just fortunate that Grandmother treated me to this dress from the modiste.”
“I’m sure you are doing more for the dress than it is doing for you. If you wear this to other events in the Season, I’m sure it won’t be too long until you find a suitable match, if that is what you desire.”
“Oh, it is,” the words rushed out of Lydia’s mouth. “Being around cousin Mary and Lord Blackwood has only made me more certain. To see them so in love, why, it’s infectious! Are you sure that nothing has made you reconsider?”
Thoughts of Nathaniel rampaged through Charlotte’s mind, threatening to tear her apart from the inside. She cleared her throat and smoothed down her green dress. It was the color of fading leaves as summer reached its end. She wore a simple necklace and elbow-length gloves.
In her mind, she paled compared to Lydia, but that was fine because Lydia was the type of girl who wanted to be noticed. Charlotte was quite happy remaining in the shadows.
Honoria was probably the type to be noticed as well.
Charlotte frowned. There was that name again, the unknown woman taking up a great deal of space in Charlotte’s mind.
There was an uneasy feeling in Charlotte’s stomach.
Around her waist, a thin fabric belt was tied.
Charlotte pinched it between her fingers in an act of frustration as she found her lack of focus unsettling.
If it wasn’t Nathaniel, it was Honoria. Her mind was usually a calm, tranquil sea, but recently, it had become a tumultuous storm.
“Of course not. I have given this matter a great deal of thought since before I was your age, actually. Nothing has changed in the intervening years to lead me to believe that I have made a mistake.”
“Nothing? What about His Grace?”
Charlotte glared at Lydia, warning her to keep her voice down in the presence of Agatha. However, Agatha occupied herself with finding the perfect brooch.
“I’m sure I brought the peacock with me. I like the way its tail shimmers in the light. Now, where could it have gone? I hope that cat didn’t take it. They do like birds after all,” she muttered, completely lost in her own world.
Charlotte swallowed the tension and spoke quietly, but firmly.
“His Grace and I share a mutual respect, but that is all. I have enjoyed matching wits with him during our stay, but if you believe there is anything more to it than that, then I must disappoint you.”
“Don’t give up hope, dear sister! This is how all the best stories begin.”
“I have no hope to sacrifice. Besides, he is expecting his bride presently.” Charlotte tried but failed to mask the bitterness in her voice.
Confusion adorned Lydia’s face.
“His bride? I wasn’t aware he was to be married as well.”
“He is. Her name is Lady Honoria Everstone, and she is due today. I imagine she might join us for the dinner party. Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess, has made the match, and I’m sure she has found someone perfect for her son. I imagine His Grace will be very happy.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lydia said, looking despondent.
Charlotte laughed lightly.
“What are you sorry for, Lydia? I told you I had no designs at all on His Grace or on marriage.”
“I just thought that if you met the right man…”
“And that still remains the case, but His Grace is most decidedly not the right man for me. For Lady Honoria, he is, I’m sure, and I will wish them many happy years together.”
Lydia remained unconvinced, but Charlotte did not wish to endure a conversation about this any longer than necessary. She took herself away from Lydia and went to help her grandmother, who was rummaging through a chest of jewelry.
“Allow me to assist, Grandmother.” Charlotte gently nudged Agatha aside. It took her only a few moments to pick out the peacock. It was a well-crafted brooch with small jewels embedded in the peacock’s tail, making it shine when it caught the light.
“Ah, wonderful! You never let me down, Charlotte. Please, would you attach it for me?” Agatha tilted her head back and pushed out her chest. Charlotte slid the pin through the purple fabric of Agatha’s dress.
“I meant to say, but you look beautiful too, Grandmother. Perhaps you should look for a suitor when you attend next Season’s balls.”
Agatha tittered with laughter and waved an embarrassed hand in the air.
“That’s too kind of you, but those days are long behind me.
Your grandfather won my heart, and he took my love with him when he passed.
Charlotte, feel free to borrow one of my brooches for the evening.
It would complete your outfit. I really wish you had allowed me to buy you a dress from the modiste. ”
“This one suits me fine,” Charlotte said. “While I appreciate your kindness, I would never be able to do them as much justice as you and Lydia can.”
“Nonsense, you are far too modest to the point where it’s unbecoming.” Agatha wagged a finger in the air. “Now, both of you, come and pick something to wear.” She rattled the box of brooches.
Lydia came over eagerly and rummaged through the box, picking out a small rabbit, smiling delightedly.
“Go on, Charlotte,” Agatha urged, unwilling to put up with Charlotte’s reluctance. “I remember when you were younger, I couldn’t keep you out of my jewelry box. You were like a little magpie, always searching for something shiny. On one occasion, you managed to fasten all of them to your dress.”
“Did I really?” Charlotte asked, puzzled. Lydia chortled.
“Most definitely. You were jingling and jangling as you bounced around, happy as anything. Those were good days,” Agatha said, her face falling somewhat, her words falling to a sigh.
Charlotte decided to take a brooch for her grandmother’s sake if nothing else. She dipped her hand into the box and found one that suited her—a demure single flower with a long stem and a single jewel nestled among the small petals. She placed it against her breast.
“There, perfect,” Agatha said. She linked arms with the two of them. “Look at the three of us; it’s such a shame your mother can’t be with us. Let’s make sure we have enough fun to make up for what she’s missing.”
With these words, she led Charlotte and Lydia to the door and got the attention of a servant, indicating that they were ready to be taken to the dining room.
Charlotte’s heartbeat quickened as they approached the dining room in anticipation of seeing Nathaniel again.
Their conversation kept echoing in her mind.
The lively discussion about The Iliad had been refreshing, and his willingness to consider her argument showed a different side of him.
There had even been a moment of tension, a moment where she thought the kiss was going to be repeated.
The most frustrating thing of all was that she wanted him to kiss her. In that moment, she would have thrown caution to the wind.
What had he done to her?
Something inside her had been undone, and she wasn’t sure how to tighten it again. His kiss was a curse, and she would never be the same after it.
It was strange, though, to think that a curse for her would be a blessing for Lady Honoria. And if Charlotte had been a different woman, it would have been a blessing for her as well.
For now, the best she could do was to endure this visit and then put Nathaniel out of her mind entirely when she returned to the Stonewood estate.
There, she could throw herself into her research and fill her mind with thoughts of plants and herbs rather than this man who had gotten under her skin like a particularly irritating nettle.