Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
They were announced in the dining hall, where they found the others already present. Edmund and Alfred were in deep conversation while Mary stood beside Alfred, looking as though she belonged there. Clara was staring at the dessert tray. Nathaniel was beside her.
Charlotte assumed he was standing guard, making sure that Clara would not pluck a cherry from a bun or swipe her finger through the cake’s icing. Then, Nathaniel bent down and said something to Clara. Clara giggled loudly.
Perhaps he was not being so strict after all.
“Oh, my goodness, I had a feeling you were a woman of good taste, and now, it’s been proven!” Agatha said loudly, rushing toward Beatrice. Charlotte watched as Beatrice rose slowly to greet Agatha. It was as though she was moving through treacle; her movements were so slow.
The two women were like reflections of each other, as Beatrice was wearing a dress strikingly similar to Agatha’s.
There might well have been subtle differences, but a simple glance was not enough to discern any.
Beatrice’s face fell, looking even paler than usual.
She blinked in astonishment as Agatha came up to her with open arms.
Agatha embraced Beatrice as though they were old friends and kissed her on both cheeks.
“I wish I had known what you were wearing. I would have chosen something different,” Beatrice said.
“Nonsense, this is wonderful; it shows that both our families share similarities. A good match indeed!” Agatha cried out.
“And we must sit together tonight. There is a story I must tell you about a party where two men arrived dressed in the same outfit, and there was much misunderstanding.” Agatha looped her arm around Beatrice and led her back to the table.
Agatha signaled to a servant to bring them some champagne.
When it arrived, Beatrice took long gulps, almost emptying the glass in a matter of moments.
Agatha was moving freely, swaying like a tree in the breeze, whereas Beatrice appeared to be frozen.
She forced a polite smile onto her face but looked as though she would rather be anywhere else.
“Dear sisters, how wonderful you both look!” Edmund exclaimed as he excused himself from Alfred’s company and greeted Charlotte and Lydia. He kissed their cheeks and swept his arm across the dining hall. “This hall is fitting for you both.”
The hall was indeed grand. Candelabras were placed at regular intervals across the table, while other candles stood in holders across the walls.
The evening light was diminishing, so the outside world was disappearing quickly.
Tapestries adorned the walls, and an exquisite cream tablecloth with gold thread sewn in flowery patterns was draped across the table.
The table itself was laden with food of all kinds. There were stuffed peppers, mushrooms, thick slices of mutton, and beef that glistened with succulence. The cutlery gleamed in the light of the candles. Hunger gnawed at Charlotte’s stomach.
“It is indeed a sight to behold. My compliments and gratitude,” Charlotte bowed her head toward Nathaniel and Beatrice.
Beatrice tried to use this as an excuse to engage Charlotte in conversation, but Agatha launched into another story and placed her hand on Beatrice’s arm, preventing her from rising.
“We would spare nothing for this occasion, Lady Charlotte,” Nathaniel said, his voice strong and redolent. It was so powerful he might as well have been standing right beside her. Charlotte tilted her head to the side and ran her hand along the nape of her neck, for she felt the fine hair rising.
At least she could breathe more easily about Alfred and Mary’s relationship as long as Nathaniel was a man of his word.
“And we shall all enjoy it immensely, I’m sure! I can’t recall the last time I gazed upon a feast like this, if I ever have. I’m sure this is how they eat at the palace,” Edmund said.
Nathaniel circled a finger in the air, gesturing for a servant to approach Charlotte and Lydia with champagne.
“Please enjoy a refreshing drink before we sit down,” Nathaniel said.
Charlotte and Lydia each took a fluted glass.
Lydia’s eyes widened with excitement, for this was a novelty for her.
She laughed in surprise at the bubbly sensation.
Charlotte took a small sip. The sparkling liquid tingled on her lips and then bounced over her tongue.
She remained measured, not wishing to lose her self-control.
One thing she noticed immediately was that Nathaniel kept his distance from her. He greeted her; he was cordial, but he did not close the distance between them.
Speaking of distance, Edmund circled away from Charlotte and Lydia and approached Nathaniel.
“Perhaps we can enjoy another game of cribbage after dinner. I’m sure I’ll be dealt some better hands this time,” Edmund suggested.
Nathaniel smirked. Charlotte knew exactly what he was thinking because she had thought the same thing many times before. It wasn’t Edmund’s cards that were the problem.
“If the opportunity arises, I will be happy to play again,” Nathaniel said.
Meanwhile, Clara came running up to Charlotte and Lydia, greeting them both with a warm hug. She then spun, her dress billowing out around her. She didn’t look like a girl so much as a little woman.
“Look! Do you like it?” she asked, striking a pose.
“I think you look beautiful,” Lydia said.
“Indeed, you are the prettiest maiden in all of England,” Charlotte offered.
Clara giggled and clasped her hands together.
“One day, I’m going to wear a dress like this to all the events, and I’m going to dance and have lots of fun, and I’m going to find a husband of my own. And we’re going to be happy. And he’s going to have a big estate. He’s going to be a prince!” she said.
“Is that so? It seems that you have it all worked out,” Charlotte said.
Clara nodded enthusiastically. Her words brought to mind Agatha’s earlier warning. All Charlotte wanted to do was tell Clara to enjoy the freedom of being a child, because the older one grew, the more limits were placed upon them.
Clara then beckoned to Charlotte with a curled finger. Lydia moved to speak to Mary. By the way they admired each other, Charlotte assumed they were complimenting each other’s outfits.
Charlotte bent down to offer Clara her ear.
“Mother told me that Hector and Brutus aren’t allowed into the dining hall, but if they do come in, I’m going to sneak them food under the table. I don’t think it’s fair that they should go hungry while we’re all eating. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course not. Your secret is safe with me. But I’m sure they are being fed. They’re probably just eating in the kitchen. A table is no place for an animal.”
“They’re part of the family. They should be here. That’s one of the things I’m going to change when Mother and Alfred get married.”
Charlotte was about to correct Clara and suggest that she use Alfred’s proper title, but she assumed that Alfred and Clara had come to some sort of understanding.
“Is that so? Have you thought of any other changes?”
“Yes,” Clara nodded firmly. “We’re going to have tea parties every day, and we’re going to go riding, and we’re going to sing. I have another secret,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper again. Charlotte struggled to hide the smile on her face.
“What is this secret?”
“You have to promise not to say anything.”
“Do I have to promise this every time you tell me a secret, or can I just promise it once and that covers every secret?”
“No, you have to promise it every time,” Clara said with a serious expression.
“Very well, I promise not to tell anyone.”
“The Duke said that I can have the biggest slice of cake.” As the words slipped between her lips, she grinned, and the expression took up her entire face.
Charlotte arched her eyebrows in surprise.
“Did he? Well, that is incredibly generous of him. Are you sure you’re going to be able to manage it all? You have to eat a lot of your dinner too. We can’t just eat cake all the time.”
A thoughtful look came over Clara’s face.
“Hmm, that’s another thing I can change. We can have cake for every meal!”
“I think you might grow tired of that,” Charlotte said, but Clara shook her head, adamant that she knew best.
Before anything more was shared between them, they were shown to the table, joining Agatha and Beatrice.
Nathaniel took the seat at the head of the table while Alfred sat beside him, opposite their mother.
Mary sat beside Alfred, then came Clara, and then Charlotte.
Edmund took a seat beside Agatha, and Lydia sank into a chair beside him.
A course of soup was served—carrot and coriander.
It was thick and flavorful, but before they ate, Alfred cleared his throat and rose.
“I just want to make a small toast, thanking you all for coming. I have been enchanted with Mary ever since I first met her, and it brings me such joy to host her family at our estate. I sincerely hope that this is the first of many dinners we share.” He raised his glass.
Everyone else raised theirs in turn, including Nathaniel.
Charlotte wondered if he would use this opportunity to give his blessing to the wedding.
He did not.
Was he going to wait until the very last moment?
Was there still a chance that everything might fall apart for Mary?
Charlotte took her napkin and dabbed beads of sweat from her temples.
She wanted to believe that Nathaniel was a man of his word, but there was still so much mystery surrounding the man’s motivations.
As dinner continued, the conversation around the table became lively.
“Are you looking for Hector and Brutus as well?” Clara whispered.
Charlotte caught her gaze and tore it away from the door. She and Clara had both been glancing in that direction, but for very different reasons.