Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Charlotte arrived at the stables, finding that everyone else was already present.
They were dressed in riding gear. Honoria’s hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her clothes were utterly pristine.
Charlotte looked down at her weathered boots.
It was no wonder Nathaniel wanted someone like Honoria.
She was perfect in looks, in mannerisms, in etiquette, in everything. After watching her closely the previous evening, Charlotte came to the conclusion that Honoria was the personification of propriety, and that made her an ideal match for the Iron Duke.
“She seems like a bore to me,” Edmund offered candidly, having had a few too many glasses of champagne. There was nothing to base this on other than their brief observations, but if she didn’t catch Edmund’s attention, then it showed she was even more suitable for Nathaniel.
Charlotte hoped that a ride in the forest would prove refreshing in more ways than one.
“Can I ride with you?” Clara asked, staring up at Honoria.
“May I ride with you?” Honoria corrected her, although Clara didn’t quite understand this.
“Yes, you may,” she grinned. Honoria blanched, and Mary stepped in.
“Perhaps it’s best if you ride with me, dear. Lady Honoria isn’t accustomed to the way you wriggle.”
“A lady doesn’t wriggle,” Clara said in a haughty tone, which sounded quite like Beatrice to Charlotte’s ear. Clara flicked her hair away and then stood beside the horse, waiting to be lifted onto it. They all climbed onto stools, and the stable hands helped them mount their horses.
Bastion caught Charlotte’s gaze and Honoria’s too.
“He looks like a terrible beast,” Honoria said.
“That is Bastion, His Grace’s steed,” Mary said.
Bastion flared his nostrils and shook his obsidian mane, neighing loudly. Honoria gulped and turned away, shaking her head.
“Do you not share a kinship with horses, My Lady?” Lydia asked.
“A small one, but in truth, animals tend to frighten me. I fear they could leap at me at any moment and lose control. They are not governed by the same rules as we are,” Honoria replied.
“Then you should be careful when walking around the gardens of the estate. I’ve fallen foul of Brutus myself. He doesn’t mean any harm, mind you,” Charlotte said. Honoria blanched.
“Is that another horse? One that is free to roam the gardens?”
“Brutus is a dog, but he’s as big as a horse!” Clara said, laughing. This didn’t do anything to settle Honoria’s unease.
The servants fastened the picnic basket to Mary’s horse, and then they were away, Lydia leading the charge.
She let out a loud cry as she broke into a swift gallop, her hair flying in the breeze.
Lydia was never braver than when she was on a horse, and Charlotte was pleased to see her enjoying herself.
Mary and Clara followed while Charlotte came afterward. Honoria was lagging behind, struggling to keep pace.
“This horse is not as obedient as the ones I am used to at home. They are far more docile,” she said, straining with the reins.
“You must be strong, My Lady; remember that you are in control, not the horse,” Charlotte cried out.
“I don’t feel that way at the moment,” Honoria said as the horse lurched to the side. Charlotte held back and used her own horse to guide the other. They fell into a trot, and while there was some distance between them and the others, they were all following the same path.
They rode for some time until they reached a glade. The grass was mossy, the air redolent with the scents of nature. Charlotte dismounted from her horse and breathed in the fresh air, stretching out her hands and spinning around.
“I feel as though I am home,” she said.
The horses walked over to the nearby stream and bent their heads, slaking their thirst. Lydia and Mary unfolded the picnic blanket while Clara started to run about, peering at the flowers and chasing butterflies. Honoria moved stiffly and looked about warily.
“Do you not find the outdoors pleasing, My Lady?” Charlotte asked.
“I do, although I am more used to sitting in our garden. Being in the wild like this is… a novelty.”
“For me, this is where you get to see the true beauty of the world. Look at all the different types of trees, the various flowers, all the splashes of color. It’s astounding.”
“The trees all look the same to me,” Honoria observed.
Charlotte pointed to a cluster of trees.
“Look at the shape of the leaves on these trees and then compare them to the trees over there.”
“Be careful, My Lady; once she starts talking about nature, she won’t stop,” Mary said with a teasing smile as she unpacked the picnic. Lydia was helping her. Honoria sank down onto the picnic blanket.
“That’s because nature is fascinating. There’s always something new to learn, and I believe we should seek to understand the world around us as deeply as we can. When I publish my research, everyone shall be able to learn about nature,” Charlotte said.
“Your research?” Honoria asked.
“Yes, I am working on a book, a manual of sorts to help educate people about common and not-so-common plants and herbs. There are many uses for them, some of them quite incredible, and they are all sitting practically on our doorstep!”
“I see,” Honoria furrowed her brow. “Why would you want to do a thing like that?”
“Clara, come and get some food,” Mary called as she laid out the picnic.
There was an array of sandwiches as well as some fruit, a selection of cheeses, and chutney.
Clara abandoned her investigation of the surrounding area to return to the picnic.
Lydia was already leaning back, enjoying a sandwich.
Honoria took a handful of grapes and ate them one by one.
“In part, it is to honor my parents, who were both researchers,” Charlotte replied, “but I also want to contribute something to the sum of human knowledge. I would like to give something that other people can enjoy.”
“Are there no books like this already?”
“Well, yes, but none that are as approachable as mine will be. Most of them are for academic purposes, and they use incredibly dry language. I hope to create interest among those people who have a passing or casual interest in the matter. At the moment, the texts available would scare them off,” Charlotte replied.
“I see. That all sounds rather ambitious. I assume you seek to complete this work before you are married?”
Lydia and Mary glanced at each other.
“Actually, marriage is not part of my plans. I am focused on my research. I feel that anything else would prove to be a distraction.”
“What?” Honoria gasped. “Forgive me, but I cannot imagine denying marriage. How are you going to secure a home and a future for yourself?”
“I have the estate. I can’t imagine Edmund ever ousting me,” Charlotte replied with a smirk, but Honoria still looked utterly baffled. The wryness fell from Charlotte’s face. “There is more to life than marriage, My Lady.”
Honoria shook her head. “Not for me. Forgive me, but it seems like a brave and reckless path. Even if you succeed in publishing your work, it cannot protect you. It cannot raise children with you. It cannot build a future. It cannot stave off illness. It is so far removed from the life I have been taught to lead.”
“Then we have clearly been taught differently,” Charlotte said, iciness creeping into her voice. She angrily bit into a sandwich, tearing the slices of ham away.
“Tell us more about your home and family, Lady Honoria. I must admit, I am not too familiar with them,” Mary said, swiftly changing the subject. Honoria was all too happy to look away from Charlotte.
Charlotte glowered. Her cheeks burned. The woman was insolent and ignorant, and of course, Charlotte couldn’t say anything to that effect. To insult Nathaniel’s bride would surely be the cause for him to turn her family away and declare them unfit to stand beside the Blackwoods.
Knowing that she often found it difficult to hold her tongue, Charlotte rose and picked up a few apples, intending to feed them to the horses. When Clara realized what Charlotte was doing, she scrambled to her feet and chased after Charlotte.
Clara begged for an apple.
“Be careful. Keep your fingers away from their teeth. They won’t mean to hurt you, but they don’t have full control of their mouths,” Charlotte warned, making sure to keep an eye on Clara.
The horses ate loudly, destroying the apples rather than eating them. Clara took great delight in watching them. Charlotte looked down into the stream and gazed at her own reflection. To Honoria and so many other people, she was an oddity, a failure. She shunned the usual aspirations of society.
But it’s what she felt was right.
“Clara, will you promise me something?” she asked in a soft voice. “And this is a secret.”
Clara nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining brightly at the prospect of being given the responsibility of a secret.
“I want you to promise me that when you grow up, you will pursue your own interests, and you will have a strong mind. Don’t let other people tell you who you should be or how you should act. Do as you feel is right. That is the most important thing in this world.”
“I will,” Clara said. Charlotte looked down and ruffled Clara’s hair. The girl didn’t understand fully, but she would in time. Since the horses had finished their apples, Charlotte and Clara returned to the picnic.
“…and I hope that I shall meet a suitor during the upcoming Season,” Lydia said.
“That would be wonderful. Then we would have three weddings to celebrate. We are fortunate to be given so much happiness,” Mary replied.
“I’m sure there is a good match for you, Lady Charlotte, but you may need to remain patient. I have waited for a suitable match for three years now. I had some suitors arriving at my door, but my parents did not think they were suitable. Now, they have paired me with His Grace,” Honoria said.
“And what a match you will make,” Mary beamed. “Seeing the two of you dancing last night… it looked as though it was meant to be. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen His Grace dance like that before. You can bring out a side of him that he rarely shows.”
“I shall do whatever he asks of me, and he can act however he wishes,” Honoria replied.
“What if he acts in a way that displeases you?” Charlotte asked. Mary glared at her, but Charlotte arched her eyebrows and bore an innocent expression, as though she hadn’t done anything wrong at all.
“He cannot do anything to displease me. As his wife, it is my duty to find something pleasing in everything he does.”
“Mary, would you please disabuse her of that notion?” Charlotte asked.
“Every marriage is different, and it is up to each couple to find their own way. My Lady,” Mary turned to Honoria, “I am confident that Her Grace would not have chosen you unless she was certain that you would make a good match. Having known her for some time now, I can say with confidence that Her Grace is not prone to making mistakes. You shall make a wonderful duchess.”
Honoria smiled at this.
“I hope so. That is all I want from life,” she replied.
Charlotte was about to open her mouth to ask another challenging question, but this time Lydia rose and asked Charlotte to join her. When they were out of earshot of the picnic, Lydia rounded on Charlotte.
“Do you have to be so antagonistic?”
“I am not being antagonistic. I’m only asking questions,” Charlotte replied indignantly, folding her arms across her chest. Lydia lifted her gaze to the sky.
“You know very well what you’re doing. Just because she disagrees with you doesn’t make her wrong.”
“It’s not so much that she’s wrong; it’s that she hasn’t asked herself the proper questions.
You’ve heard her, Lydia; do you really think she’s speaking for herself?
It sounds as though she’s just parroting what she’s been told all her life.
This is exactly the kind of thing I find distasteful.
We are never taught to think for ourselves. ”
“Or could it be that you are jealous?” Lydia asked. The question cut through Charlotte’s righteous tone.
“What? Of what do I have to be jealous?”
Lydia leaned in, making sure that nobody could overhear their conversation.
“That she will be the Duke’s wife.”
Charlotte drew back, shaking her head.
“Do you not listen to anything I say, dear sister?” She placed extra emphasis on these two words, using them to express her dismay.
“I have no interest in marriage and certainly no interest in marrying him. I simply pity that poor girl because she doesn’t seem to be aware that there is a better path. ”
Lydia regarded Charlotte with a cool expression.
“I find that funny, Charlotte, because I’m sure she feels the same way about you.”
Lydia turned on her heel and marched back to the picnic blanket, a carefree smile adorning her face. Her words lingered in Charlotte’s mind. She frowned, thinking about the Duke.
He could not possibly be her best path. Imagine being married to him!
All the arguments.
All the rules.
All the arrogant insults.
All the kisses. A lifetime of them. Endless nights where she would explore the mysteries of love and find out whether kissing ever became tiresome.
And that was when she realized why Honoria’s words had irked her so much. For Honoria, marriage was about duty, safety, and security. A husband was interchangeable as long as he offered these things. But it should have been more than that.
A marriage should be between two people who complete each other, who complement each other’s flaws, who couldn’t stand to be without each other.
Her parents were fine examples of that; so too were her grandparents and Alfred and Mary.
But not she and Nathaniel. No, never them.