Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Lady Esther, your mother wishes for you to wake and dress as soon as possible. You have a tea party to attend,” Ruth told Esther, right after Esther had opened her eyes.
“Let me sleep a little longer. I am tired and do not wish to attend any tea parties,” Esther replied, closing her eyes once again.
They had returned home late last night from the soiree at Gilendale Manor.
Even after that, Esther couldn’t fall asleep for much of the night.
She had been busy thinking about Ian and the beautiful evening she had shared with him.
The fact that she was in love with him had been a shocking discovery.
There was no point in shying away from her feelings since she had no control over them.
Sleep had finally overtaken her just a couple hours before sunrise and she felt worn out this morning.
“Your mother was insistent, My Lady,” Ruth said, and Esther knew she had no choice but to get up. If she didn’t, her mother would be banging on her door soon enough, and there was no way she could deny her. The woman was adamant.
“All right. I’ll get up.”
Ruth prepared a warm bath for her, which helped her wake up further. She then dressed in a pretty pink dress that had a flower pattern running through it. Esther loved how she looked and felt considerably better after getting dressed. Last night had been one of the best nights of her life.
She went downstairs, where her mother and Astrid were already waiting for her.
“Esther!” Her mother exclaimed as soon as she entered the drawing room. “You took far too long to get ready.”
“I apologize Mother. I did not sleep well last night and was slow to rise today. Where are we going?” Esther asked.
“It is Lady Juliet’s party, and she made it clear that I must bring you.
Your name has been constantly appearing in the gossip sheets, and everyone wishes to see you.
Most of them saw you last night and whispered about Lord Gilbert not leaving you alone for even one second.
I am sure they will want to congratulate you on landing a future duke!
” Her mother said and Esther turned crimson.
“I understand Mother, but I have not ‘landed’ anyone as I have received no proposal,” Esther replied.
Though she had no desire to discuss her relationship with Ian with anyone.
She was sure that everyone invited to the tea party would be notorious gossips, ready to take facts and mold them to their liking.
Esther hated interacting with such women, and she was sure that their aim was find out more details about her and Ian.
However, she couldn’t refuse her mother so she decided to focus on the day she had ahead of her.
The three women reached Lady Juliet’s mansion a short while after.
It was a lovely day, and the tea was served in her flower garden.
Most of the ladies had already arrived, and Esther immediately knew she had been right.
The ton’s most famous gossipers were in attendance, and the only thing that was happening around Esther was women discussing other women.
What Esther truly hated was that no woman ever had anything good to say about the others.
The agenda of their gossip was demeaning others, and it was evident through their comments.
“Lady Hathershire,” Lady Juliet, a very good and old friend of her mother’s called out. She was tall and lean and walked towards her with a full smile.
“Lady Juliet,” her mother said in the same overtly bright tone as the two women embraced. “It is a lovely day for a tea party.”
“Yes it is. I am so glad you accepted the invitation and brought along your beautiful daughters,” Lady Juliet said sweetly, turning to look at Esther and Astrid, who stood just behind their mother.
“Thank you for having us,” Astrid said sweetly, trying to include herself in the conversation. Lady Juliet nodded at her, not paying much attention, and instead turned to look at Esther.
“I saw you last night, Lady Esther, you looked lovely,” Lady Juliet said.
Esther noticed how Astrid’s face fell at this, and Esther herself was stunned.
Now that Esther was on the verge of making a prominent match, everyone suddenly cared about her and found her beautiful.
She hated the falsity of it but knew that she had no choice but to endure it.
“You are too kind, My Lady,” Esther replied with a tight smile, not having much else to say. She knew she needed to be careful at the tea party. One wrong sentence or divulging too much private information could very well cause her trouble in the future.
“Well, why don’t you ladies mingle and enjoy the party? I have a few more guests to greet,” Lady Juliet said, once again addressing Esther’s mother, and Esther sighed in relief. She had no interest in being subjected to an interrogation about last night.
“Of course, dear,” Hildred replied before walking further into the garden. Esther noticed the elaborate flower beds in the garden and was quite impressed with the design.
“Lady Hathershire,” a squeaky voice suddenly called out from behind them, and Esther knew who it belonged before she even turned around. Lady Danbury. She too was a terrible gossip and would take no time in spreading rumors if offended.
“Lady Danbury, what a pleasant surprise!” Her mother exclaimed, clearly delighted to see her friend.
The two women hugged, and Esther stood silently as they caught up about events from the past few days.
Lady Danbury had been sick and had been unable to attend most of the parties in the past week, thus she wanted to know every detail about them.
Esther knew it was going to be a long conversation and one that she had no interest in participating in
“Mother, if you don’t mind I would like to take a walk around the garden,” Esther said, before the conversation began in earnest. She was in fact hungry and wanted to help herself to refreshments since she had missed breakfast.
“Lady Esther! How beautiful you look today!” Lady Danbury suddenly said as if extremely happy to see Esther.
“So do you, My Lady.” Esther replied with a smile.
“I hear the future Duke of Gilendale is on the verge of proposing,” Lady Danbury stated, and Esther couldn’t help but blush deeply. She had no idea how older women spoke so directly with such ease.
“Oh, come, Genelia, do not tease my poor daughter,” her mother came to her rescue and Esther breathed a sigh of relief on not having to reply.
“I was merely making conversation. Lady Esther is about to make the most prominent match of the season,” Lady Danbury said once again, and Esther had no idea what to say. She only smiled before looking at her mother asking for her permission to leave.
“You may go, of course, dear,” her mother replied to her previous suggestion.
Esther noticed how Astrid completely ignored her and went in the other direction to her friend Ingrid, who was involved in conversation with another lady.
Esther walked silently towards the refreshment table and put a few pieces of cake on a plate.
She scanned the area to find a quiet corner and walked towards a small table placed at a little distance from the patio and sat down, busying herself with the cake.
She failed to notice when someone walked towards her and sat beside her on the other chair.
“Lady Beatrice,” Esther acknowledged the other woman as soon as her eyes landed on her.
Lady Beatrice was a spinster who was well into her forties and was known to be the biggest gossiper of the ton.
It was speculated that most of the gossip columns that ran in the newspapers were fueled by her.
Esther had no idea why she had never married but the fact that she was seated beside Esther was extremely troubling.
Esther knew that a conversation with a woman with such a reputation could harm her greatly.
“Lady Esther, I believe this is the first time we are formally meeting,” Lady Beatrice said, and Esther smiled.
“No, My Lady, we have been introduced in the past,” Esther corrected her, trying her best to not sound rude. She did not wish to make Lady Beatrice her enemy, but she was annoyed that the woman had taken no interest in her before Ian began courting her.
“Ah, my memory must have failed me. Though it doesn’t matter, we are talking now, and we have all the time in the world,” Lady Beatrice replied, making herself comfortable.
Esther had no idea what to say next, so she simply nodded before resuming to eat.
She needed to do something to escape this situation though there was no way she could stand up and leave.
“I must congratulate you on your courtship with Lord Gilbert. I was so delighted to see you two together last night. He looks quite devoted to you,” she said, and Esther turned crimson. She looked down before finally replying.
“Thank you, My Lady.”
“I have seen several young couples, Lady Esther, but you and Lord Gilbert look as if you were made for one another. Each extremely devoted to the other,” she went on while Esther simply stared down at her plate.
Esther knew that Lady Beatrice was simply trying to get Esther to divulge something private.
Esther was raking her mind to find an escape. She needed an excuse to leave the table immediately. If it were not for Ian, Lady Beatrice would have never even acknowledged her, much less sat down for a chat. This sudden attention was unsettling.
“After what happened three years ago, I thought the poor man would never find true love again. Though, I couldn’t be happier that he has found a soulmate in you,” her words hit Esther like a brick.
The long dramatic sigh at the end of her sentence was enough indication to Esther that whatever had happened three years ago was supposed to be sad.
Though what had happened, Esther had no idea.
Esther suddenly remembered that Ian had told her about being estranged with Adam, though he had never told her the reason. Could this be somehow linked to that, Esther wondered.
“Poor child, your confused expression tells me that you have no idea what I am talking about! Of course, the Duke of Gilendale used all his power to conceal the matter to save his family name from scandal. I only found out through a mutual friend of Lady Lisa’s mother.
But I thought that perhaps Lord Gilbert had let you in on the secret,” Lady Beatrice went on, confusing Esther even further.
Esther knew she was doing it all on purpose. She was hiding the actual information and simply building suspense to make it sound even more dramatic. But how was Lady Lisa a part of this? Esther knew only that Adam and Lisa were married.
“I am not aware of any secrets,” Esther said, her voice small. She didn’t know if she really wished to find for she was sure Lady Beatrice had only sat beside her to give her this snippet of information.
“Well, Lord Gilbert was madly in love with Lady Lisa and courting her for marriage. However, Lady Lisa and Lord Gilbert’s younger brother Adam were seeing each other secretly and fell in love.
Poor Lord Gilbert was left devastated after this betrayal at the hands of his own brother and the love of his life.
He left London without even attending the wedding.
He was so distraught that he felt the need to find solace in many women’s arms,” Lady Beatrice narrated the entire tale with a sigh, and Esther stared at her, shocked.
The matter was far worse than she could have ever imagined. Ian must have been devastated over it.
Esther felt suddenly insignificant. She wished Ian had told her about this himself. When she had noticed Lady Lisa staring at Ian last night, she had seen something odd about her gaze. An unwavering heat that had radiated through her eyes directed straight at Ian.
Esther would have been perfectly fine if Ian had told her himself but perhaps he still harbored feelings for Lisa? A sudden sense of fear gripped her heart.
“That sounds like a terribly awful situation, Lady Beatrice,” Esther whispered, knowing that Lady Beatrice was waiting for a reply. She had to choose her words wisely and not display any emotions on her face. The task was challenging as Esther’s insides were roiling.
“Of course, if it weren’t for the prominent position of the Duke and their immense wealth, it would have been a huge scandal. Even Lady Lisa’s mother only told very few friends. Hardly anyone in the ton knows. I only mentioned it because I thought Lord Gilbert would have told you,” she said.
Esther breathed in sharply at the well-concealed taunt. Why hadn’t Ian told her?
“I do not think that Lord Gilbert felt there was any need to bring up the past,” Esther said, not caring about offending Lady Beatrice any longer.
The woman had pointedly singled out Esther to tell this tale so she could hurt her or coax a reaction out of her.
This was another reason Esther preferred being invisible amongst this vicious lot of humans that formed high society.
Lady Beatrice nodded, a forced smile on her face. Esther’s lack of reaction must have come as a shock to her as she had been expecting drama.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my Mother,” Esther said standing up.
“Of course,” Lady Beatrice replied as Esther turned and walked away.
Her heart was raging inside her chest and dread encapsulated her senses. She couldn’t help but be hurt that Ian had not told her this himself, even after he had mentioned his strained relationship with Adam. But Ian would probably have a logical explanation for not telling her.
Lisa most likely didn’t matter much to him anymore, and he might have not wished to worry or hurt Esther needlessly. Also, she knew she could always ask him. Ian would never deliberately hide anything important from her.