Chapter Twenty-Three
The arrival of Charlotte, Frederick, and Lucy at Haverstone sent the entire household into an uproar—made worse by the fact that Lord Gillingham was not present, as he was attending to duties with his steward.
Charlotte entered the dining room first with Frederick carrying Lucy close behind, and the butler, Mr. Dawson, nearly running to try to properly announce them to his mistress.
When Dorothea looked up and saw the party, along with her daughter in such disarray, she was so astonished that she set her tea cup down carelessly, tipping it over and spilling its contents all over the tablecloth.
Not that she noticed, as her attention was firmly fixed on her daughter, who was crying and apologizing to her mother.
“It is all my fault, Mama. I was being naughty and ran away from Auntie Charlotte for fun. Then, I slipped on a wet rock and twisted my ankle. I am sorry. Please, do not be angry.”
“Set her down here.” Dorothea gestured to a chair by the mahogany sideboard. She knelt to examine her daughter’s swollen ankle. Looking up, she said, “Dawson, please send for our physician at once. We must make certain her ankle is not broken.”
“I did take the time to gently feel her injury, Lady Gillingham,” Frederick said. “It appears to be just a bad sprain but, of course, you will wish to have that confirmed by your own physician.”
Dorothea blinked as if seeing Mr. Morton clearly for the first time. She stood and looked from him and then to her sister.
“And, just how is it that you happened to be a part of all this, Mr. Morton? My governess told me this morning Lucy had gone for a walk with Charlotte. Did you meet with her by design, perchance? I sincerely hope you were not having an unchaperoned assignation with my sister. Her reputation must not suffer from tawdry gossip.”
“Dorothea, that is unfair,” Charlotte broke in. “It is just as Lucy said. She had injured herself and fortunately Mr. Morton came across us. If he had not done so, I would surely still be trying to figure out how to get my niece back to Haverstone. We owe Mr. Morton a great debt of gratitude.”
Dorothea pressed her lips firmly together a moment before replying, “Forgive my rudeness, Mr. Morton. My concern over my daughter’s injury must be my excuse. But, tell me, how is it you were even on our estate this morning?”
“I was taking a ramble as I often do in the morning,” Frederick answered.
“I apologize for not asking your permission first. But, it was so early, and I did not wish to wake anyone. I heard crying in the woods and went to explore. There, I found your daughter, wet and injured, and Miss Kendall in quite a state.”
“Yes, Dorothea, again, I must impress upon you the good fortune for us that he was walking on the estate,” Charlotte said emphatically. “Truly, he is our hero.”
Dorothea narrowed her eyes at the two a moment before turning her attention back to her daughter. “Dear, I shall have Dawson carry you up to your room, and we shall await the doctor. Does it pain you dreadfully?”
“Not so much as when I first fell, Mama. Mr. Morton carried me ever so gently all the way back home. I felt like a princess in one of my stories, being rescued by the gallant knight.”
“Well, it was very fortunate he arrived and was able to help you. We shall have a talk later about your naughty behavior that led to all of this.” She nodded to the butler, who lifted Lucy and carried her out of the room, with Dorothea rushing ahead to notify the governess.
Over Dawson’s shoulder, the girl smiled and winked at her aunt and Mr. Morton.
When everyone was gone, Charlotte and Frederick exchanged a sly glance.
“Would you care for some breakfast, Mr. Morton?” Charlotte asked, gesturing to the sideboard where many covered dishes sat. “I feel it is the least I can offer you after your tremendous assistance.”
“Thank you, but I should be on my way, I suppose. Your sister seems less than pleased with my presence.”
“She will return to her good humor once she is assured Lucy is not seriously injured. And, she will be up there with her, waiting for the doctor, so we shall not see her for a time. Please. I would appreciate your company. I find the events of the morning have given me quite an appetite.” At his smile and nod, she gestured to the footmen to set a place at the table, then she and Mr. Morton filled their plates.
Knowing there were footmen still present, Charlotte kept the conversation bland and simple. She did not wish to give even the servants any reason to gossip about her. Still, she found herself so at ease with Mr. Morton that the meal was a pleasure.
They had just finished eating when they heard someone at the front door.
Expecting it to be the physician, Mr. Christopher, Charlotte and Frederick were both stunned when Dawson announced, “Mr. Robert Morton, Miss,” and Frederick’s brother walked into the dining room holding a large bouquet of flowers.
Charlotte could see the gentleman’s countenance abruptly change from one of pleasure to astonishment.
“Frederick,” he blurted, forgetting to even greet the object of his visit. “What in heaven’s name are you doing here?”
Both Charlotte and Frederick rose, Charlotte making a small curtsy. Before Frederick could answer, she spoke.
“Your brother has been of great use to me and my family this morning, Mr. Morton. I was with my niece near the stream by the woods when she took a spill and badly injured her ankle, rendering her unable to walk. Mr. Frederick happened upon us, and how very lucky we were that he did. He carried little Lucy all the way home, so I insisted on feeding him before he returned to Brentwood.” After a pause, during which Robert and Frederick continued to silently stare at each other, she pointed to the flowers and added, “Mr. Morton, are those, by chance, for me?”
Her question seemed to break the tension of the moment.
“What? Oh, yes, I brought these for you, Miss Kendall.” He gave a little laugh.
“Not that Haverstone is lacking in any flowers of its own, of course, but I had a thought they would please you.” He walked over and handed them to her, hovering close by.
“Anything I can do to bring pleasure and happiness to the dearest young lady in the county, I find myself bound by duty to accomplish. I hope you enjoy them.” He bent his head toward her, although his eyes briefly cut over to glare at his sibling.
“Yes, thank you—how very kind of you.” Charlotte handed them to a footman to put in water. “Your brother and I were just finishing, but may I offer you anything?”
“Your company, if you will. I was hoping to entice you for another walk on this fine day,” he replied.
“Ah. That is so very considerate of you, but I am quite walked out at present, Mr. Morton,” Charlotte said. “And, I should join Dorothea upstairs to check on my niece. Perhaps another day?”
She could see her answer did not set well with him, but he covered his disappointment with a quick smile.
“I look forward to it. I hope very soon.” He took her hand and bowed over it. Then, he turned to Frederick. “Are you coming, Brother?” he asked curtly.
“Yes, Robert.” He turned to Charlotte. “Thank you for breakfast, Miss Kendall.”
“You are quite welcome. Thank you again for all your assistance this morning. I truly do not know what I should have done had you not happened upon us when you did.” Charlotte walked out of the dining room with the two gentlemen.
She could feel the tension between them.
As they reached the door, she made a point of thanking Robert again for the beautiful flowers.
He took her hand. “Pray, think on me when you look at them, Miss Kendall. And know that I am counting the days until the upcoming ball and our promised three dances.”
The two men bowed again, Frederick picked up his art case, and they left the house. Heaving a sigh of relief, Charlotte hurried upstairs to join her sister.
Outside, Robert took his horse by the reins, and the two men walked along the gravel sweep away from the house.
“Why, precisely, were you out this way, Frederick, and why did you not ride? It is a good eight miles from Brentwood.”
“I enjoy a long walk. My goal was to do some sketching at the Greek temple on the estate. It is not easy to balance my art kit while on horseback, so I went by foot, is all.”
“I see. How fortunate you were there to assist Miss Kendall in her time of need.”
Frederick thought it best to downplay his actions. “Oh, if it had not been me, I am certain a groundskeeper or someone would have come along soon enough. Really, Miss Kendall is making entirely too much of my role in the whole affair.”
“Her gracious manners are but one more reason why I wish to marry her and make her the new mistress of Brentwood.” Robert emphasized the words “marry” and “mistress” strongly.
“It is all but settled between us, actually. She has promised me three sets at the upcoming ball. That will signal to all our special attachment. Then, it will be but a short time before I make her an offer, and we can read the banns and exchange vows.”
Frederick nodded, his eyes downcast. “Yes, and may I be the first to wish you every joy, Robert. She will be an exceptional and gracious mistress of Brentwood. You could not have chosen better.” He caught a satisfied smirk on Robert’s face.
“Thank you, Freddy,” he said. “And, do not fret—in another year or so, you can propose to your young lady, and we shall all be so happy in Brentwood together.”
Frederick gave a weak smile. “Indeed,” he murmured.
“Well, I have so much to do—you do not mind if I ride on ahead, do you? As you say, you enjoy a long ramble.”
“Not at all, Robert. I am happy to walk.”
With a final nod, Robert climbed onto his steed and urged his horse off at a gallop, leaving Frederick to slowly make his way home.