Chapter 10
The following morning, while the family was at breakfast, Audrey turned to Jacob. “My darling, I think it’s time we paid a call on our neighbor. If we’re to spend time here, we should be properly introduced, especially as Grace and Kathryn have already talked with Lord Dudley.”
“That’s a splendid idea. Are visiting hours different in the country?”
“A little more relaxed, I would say. Will after luncheon suit?” Audrey asked her husband.
“Yes, that will be fine. I need to finish up a few things before we head out,” Jacob said.
“Audrey, must I attend? These visits are always so boring,” Mia said.
“Dearest, I promise we won’t visit long. You’ll have to get used to these kinds of activities when you are out in Society.”
“I’d be happy to stay behind with Mia,” Kathryn said.
“Are you sure?” Audrey asked.
“Yes. I think Mia and I shall go for a ride and explore a bit more of the estate. Would you like that, Mia?”
“Oh, yes. That’s a wonderful idea,” Mia said, practically jumping out of her seat.
Audrey narrowed her eyes as she looked at her youngest sister.
She was skeptical of Mia’s sudden enthusiasm for riding a horse.
As they’d never owned one, Mia didn’t know how to ride.
But as she was clearly feigning enthusiasm for the idea to reinforce her unwillingness to visit the neighbors, Audrey decided with a sigh to drop the matter.
“Well, that’s very kind of you, Kathryn. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Jacob, I’ve asked Mr. Wallings to go riding with me later today. May he borrow one of the horses?” Grace asked.
Jacob nodded. “Of course. I’ll inform the stablemaster of my permission. I want you to take one of the grooms with you.”
“I will. Thank you, Jacob.”
An hour later, Fletcher, Audrey, and Grace were on their way to the Berkeley estate.
As they pulled into the drive, Audrey gasped at the grandeur of the house, with its white columns decorating the front entryway.
The house boasted three stories, not counting the attic.
“My word, that is an impressive house. There must be dozens of bedchambers.”
“Indeed,” Jacob said with a chuckle. “It makes Dandridge Manor look like a cottage.”
Audrey looked at her husband. “My darling, I love Dandridge Manor. It is perfect for us.”
“Good,” Jacob said, looking fondly at his wife. “I think so too.”
The driver pulled up to the front of the Berkeley manor and jumped down from the bench to open the carriage door.
Jacob got out and handed Audrey and Grace down. They walked to the front door, and he lifted the knocker and let it bang down.
The door opened within moments. “Good day, my lord. May I help you?” the butler asked.
“I’m Fletcher from Dandridge Manor. We’ve come to pay our respects to Lord Berkeley, if he is receiving visitors today,” he said, handing over his card.
“Please come in,” the butler said, taking the card. “I’ll check—”
A young man strode into the foyer. “Tatters, I’ll be happy to receive our guests. Please inform my father we have company.”
“Very good, my lord,” the butler said.
“Please come this way. I’m Lord Dudley,” he said as they walked into the drawing room. “The earl is my father. Shall I ring for tea?”
Fletcher shook his head. “Thank you, but there’s no need, Lord Dudley. We can’t stay long. May I introduce my wife, Lady Fletcher, and I believe you’ve recently met my sister-in-law, Miss Parker.”
“Yes, we met during a walk in the woods. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord and Lady Fletcher, and to see you again, Miss Parker,” Dudley said. “Welcome to our home. My father should join us momentarily.”
“We thought it was time to pay our respects to our neighbors,” Fletcher said.
“I’m glad you did. It’s good to have someone at Dandridge Manor after being empty for years.”
“Your home is quite beautiful,” Audrey said, changing the subject, as she didn’t want to get into the reason Dandridge Manor had been empty for so long.
How could she explain that her father had chosen to live in near-poverty in London rather than at their lovely country manor?
It would be best to avoid the topic altogether.
“Thank you, my lady. It’s been in my family for many generations, and as you can imagine, each generation has added onto the manor.”
“The grounds are especially lovely,” Grace said. “I glanced at the garden on our way inside.”
“I’m glad you approve, Miss Parker. I must say, I was quite surprised and delighted to meet you and Lady Kathryn during your stroll. I’ve walked those woods for years without seeing a soul.”
Before Grace could respond, a gentleman, looking very much like an older version of Dudley, walked into the parlor and stopped short. “Mary?”
Lord Dudley walked over to his father. “Father, this is Lord and Lady Fletcher and Miss Parker of Dandridge Manor. They’ve come to pay their respects.”
The Earl of Berkeley stood frozen and stared at Audrey until Dudley took his arm and escorted him to a chair.
Audrey felt uncomfortable under the earl’s intense stare but managed to say. “Lord Berkeley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“So you’re not Mary? I could have sworn—”
“No, sir. Mary was my mother,” Audrey said. She could see that the earl was struggling to grasp the situation.
“Well, that explains the resemblance,” Dudley said.
“I see. How is your lovely mother?” Lord Berkeley asked. “I’ve not laid eyes on her in quite some time.”
Fletcher reached over and grasped Audrey’s hand in support.
“Unfortunately, my mother passed away several years ago. We miss her a great deal,” Audrey said.
His hand flew to his chest. “She’s dead? My lovely Mary is dead?” he asked, tears filling his eyes.
“Your home is quite impressive, Lord Berkeley,” Grace said, trying to steer the conversation away from their dead mother.
Berkeley looked at Grace, and a light seemed to come into his eyes. It took a moment before he answered. “Yes, my late wife decorated most of it.”
Evidently, that was another sad subject for the earl, as he began to mumble about the losses he’d endured in his life. The moment of understanding and clarity was now gone as he continued to talk to Audrey as if he were speaking to her mother. “Mary, my love, I’m so happy to see you again.”
Dudley placed his hand on his father’s sleeve. “Father, enough now.”
The visit wasn’t what they’d planned, and Audrey thought it best to take their leave before the elderly earl became overly agitated again. “Well, we must be on our way. It was lovely to meet you both. Thank you for receiving us,” she said, standing.
Dudley seemed to understand her intentions and stood as well.
“Let me see you out.” He turned to his father.
“I shall return momentarily, Father,” he whispered in his ear.
The poor man was still mumbling about dead loves.
Dudley escorted the trio out to the foyer.
“Please excuse my father. His health has not been robust of late. He gets confused easily.”
“I’m truly sorry to have upset him,” Audrey said. “That was not our intention in coming here.”
“Lady Fletcher, believe me when I say you did not upset him. My father’s mind often wanders back to the past.”
Lord Dudley turned to Grace. “Miss Parker, may I call upon you?”
Grace was startled by this sudden change of subject and stood open-mouthed before quickly nodding.
“Excellent. I shall see you soon. Good day.”
After the family left to visit the neighbors, Kathryn and Mia walked to the stables. Mia was dragging her feet, and Kathryn turned to her. “Mia, is something amiss? You seemed excited to go for a ride at breakfast, but now, it doesn’t seem like you want to.”
“I have a confession to make,” Mia said, kicking the dirt.
“Oh?”
“I didn’t want to visit the neighbors. I’ve been on social calls before, and I find them boring and awkward, so when you offered to go riding with me, I was overjoyed at the prospect, since it meant I didn’t have to go on the visit. But…”
“Mia, what is it? You can tell me. Whatever’s on your mind, I’ll be happy to listen without judgment.”
“I actually don’t know how to ride a horse. We could never afford one when Papa was alive, and the mere thought of being around them terrifies me. I’m very sorry I misled you.”
Kathryn chuckled. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. How about if we go to the stables so you can get to know some of the horses? Perhaps in time, you’ll feel more comfortable around them and then the stablemaster can give you lessons on riding.”
“You’re not upset with me?”
“Not at all. It’ll be fine. Come. Let’s go meet some of the horses,” Kathryn said, walking to the stables.
When they entered the barn, Kathryn was surprised to see Mr. Clifford there talking with the stablemaster.
She shouldn’t have been because they were cousins after all, but she hadn’t expected to see him down here at the barn.
Her breath caught a little when she looked at his handsome form.
Working outside had given his skin a bronzed glow and enhanced his hazel eyes.
Even his brown hair had been kissed by the sun, and she found it hard to look away.
“Lady Kathryn,” Mr. Swifton said. “How may I help you today?”
“Good day, Mr. Swifton, Mr. Clifford. I wanted to introduce Miss Mia to the horses. She’s not had a chance to meet any of them yet.”
“Of course. I’d be delighted to introduce her to them,” Mr. Swifton said. “Miss Mia, let me tell you about our horses,” he said, walking farther into the barn with the young lady.
“Were you hoping to ride today?” Mr. Clifford asked Kathryn.
“Yes, until I realized Miss Mia has no experience with horses. She’ll need to be comfortable around them before we attempt a ride. I wouldn’t want to scare her needlessly.”
“Of course, Lady Kathryn.”
Kathryn looked into Mr. Clifford’s beautiful eyes and saw nothing but sincere interest. In the background, she could hear the stablemaster talking with Mia and explaining how to approach a horse. “Well, I remember the first time I ever saw a horse.”
“Will you tell me about it?”
“Mr. Clifford, I doubt very much that you want to hear the story of a frightened little girl and her first encounter with a horse,” she said with downcast eyes, afraid she was making a fool of herself.
“I would very much like to hear that story or any story you wish to tell me.”
Kathryn looked up, startled at his response.
She wasn’t sure what to say to that. Mr. Clifford had always been kind to her, tipping his hat to her in London while he tended the neighbor’s garden, but she had no illusions that his kindness was anything more than that.
Now he was showing interest in her, asking to know more about her, not her family, not her large dowry, just her.
That had never happened before. No gentleman in London had ever asked her anything personal.
It was a rare occurrence, and it left her rather breathless.
“Lady Kathryn, are you feeling faint? Would you care to sit down?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I’ve never conversed with a gentleman who was interested in anything but my dowry.”
“Well, I’m not interested in knowing about your dowry, but I would very much like to know you better if you’ll allow it.”
“You would?”
“I would indeed.”
“Well then, I certainly don’t want to disappoint you,” she said with a chuckle. “You may regret your interest.”
“I could never regret spending time with such a lovely lady.”
Kathryn swallowed the lump in her throat at his compliment. “Well, my first experience with a horse happened when I was five years old.”
As she told the story, they walked along the stalls. She loved being around horses and felt such a connection with them. Having Mr. Clifford by her side, listening to her recount an incident from her childhood, was a joy she’d never thought to feel.
“Lady Kathryn, look at me!” Mia shouted.
Kathryn and Mr. Clifford walked to the last stall. “Oh my goodness! Mia, you look marvelous,” she said, watching as Mia sat tall in the saddle on a sweet bay mare.
“Mr. Swifton thinks I’ll be a good rider with practice.”
“I’m so very pleased to hear that.”
The mare whinnied, startling Mia. “I want to get down now,” she pleaded.
“Of course, Miss Mia,” Mr. Swifton said, helping her dismount. “Don’t be alarmed. Horses whinny all the time; it doesn’t mean she dislikes you.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear. Perhaps I’ll come back soon and try again,” Mia said.
“Of course. Anytime you’d like more lessons, I’ll be happy to provide them,” Mr. Swifton said.
“Thank you, Mr. Swifton.” Mia looked at Kathryn. “Are you ready to return to the house?”
“Of course.” Kathryn turned to Mr. Clifford. “Good day, Mr. Clifford, and to you, Mr. Swifton. Thank you for Mia’s lesson today.”
Both men nodded and said their goodbyes.
As Kathryn and Mia walked back to the house, all Kathryn could think about was how nice it was to talk with Mr. Clifford.
He was genuinely interested in what she had to say, and she didn’t feel like she was being a burden, which was how she usually felt in London. Mr. Clifford was so easy to talk to.
She would be sad when it came time to return to London. Being in the country and interacting with Mr. Clifford had quickly become a safe haven for her, and she didn’t want to leave.