Chapter 10
‘This is quite adequate.’ Drew grinned as he strode around the vast entry foyer of Branston Hall, hands in pockets.
Aaron had felt the same awe when he’d first set foot in his new property. Before he’d set foot in it. As the carriage had driven along the oak-lined approach to the vast lawns in front of the imposing stone edifice. Of course he’d been in fine manor houses before. Drew and Richard both had their own country houses which he visited regularly. But this one was now his. He’d had a privileged life, come from a wealthy family, but not an titled one.
‘So these are the relatives you knew nothing about?’ Drew indicated the row of portraits lining the broad staircase.
‘Apparently so.’ Aaron came to stand next to him, peering up at staid looking faces. ‘They will be the first thing that go once I take official possession.’
‘After the wedding?’ Richard asked.
‘After the marriage,’ Aaron corrected.
‘When and where will it be?’ Drew added his question. ‘Kitty insisted I get all the details.’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint her, but it will be a mere formality, not a celebration.’
‘And when will we meet the lady of the manor? Or are you going to keep her hidden away here in the country?’
‘That, I can’t tell you. I haven’t met her myself, yet. The lawyer has sent them an invitation, so the formalities are in hand. There are many things to work out. If, as I hope, she is of the same mind about this arrangement, then she will be content to live here and run the house while I livy my city life.’
Aaron led his friends into the library where he’d found a very pleasing collection of whiskey. He’d been surprised the lawyers had allowed him access to Branston Hall prior to his marriage, but they had seen it beneficial to have someone residing in the house. He was still coming to terms with the immense size of his unexpected inheritance.
‘So we don’t sell the club quite yet?’ Drew accepted a tumbler of whiskey and sprawled on couch in front of an unlit fireplace.
‘Heavens, no.’ Aaron poured a glass for Richard, and they sat down as well. The beauty of this marriage would be the shared acknowledgement that it was merely a mutually convenient arrangement. ‘If things go to plan, I will be back there in a month or two.’
‘The parish priest is prepared to call the banns as soon as you have a date.’ The solicitor bundled up his papers on Aaron’s desk and stood to leave, holding out his hand.
Aaron shook his hand. ‘I should have that by tomorrow.’
‘And I will have the title deeds and banking documents ready for signature on the day.’ Aaron walked him out, closing the tall front door and leaning against it, still unable to fully grasp that he was now, or would be on the day of his marriage, the owner of this magnificent house. But its beauty and magnificence wouldn’t hold him there. His life, his friends, his business, were all in London. The house and its associated title merely ensured his financial security. Oh, and the wife that it necessitated.
The wife, and her family who would be arriving sometime that day. Lord and Lady Chester. And their daughter Elizabeth. His mysterious fiance. The savior of his financial future. If nothing else, he would be eternally grateful to the woman who, for whatever reasons of her own, was willing to set this process in motion.
He’d met the staff and had their rooms prepared. He’d left the menu for dinner to the cook and wasn’t sure he’d get used to being called ‘your lordship’. Trying to explain that he wasn’t yet officially able to claim the title had no effect, so he’d given up.
He paced through the entrance foyer, his footfall echoing in the silence and wondered again how anyone could find such vast, empty spaces desirable. He much preferred the ambience of his small city bachelor apartments. While the countryside was undeniably beautiful, he couldn’t see himself as a country squire. He would stay here for a suitable length of time after his marriage, long enough for his wife to be settled in her position as mistress of the house, but all his enjoyments were in the city.
A welcoming fire had been lit in the drawing room, so he went to wait. It was an attractive room. The things that women took into account, furniture, draperies, decorative pieces, were of excellent quality. As they were in all rooms. The staff were polite, attentive and hardworking. There was no practical reason for Lady Elizabeth Charters to withdraw from the agreement. As she was free to do. As he hoped she wouldn’t.
He reached, yet again, for his pocket watch. It was coming to mid-afternoon. It shouldn’t be long now. He tried to interest himself in the latest report from Parliament in The Gentleman’s Magazine, but it couldn’t hold his interest and he didn’t want to take a walk in the grounds lest he miss their arrival.
Finally, he caught the distant rumble of hooves and a glance from the drawing room window showed a coach and team of four making its way out onto the broad path that skirted the central lawn. Anticipation suddenly twisted in his gut.
He moved to stand near the fireplace. The coach stopped and the butler, Roberts, would be greeting his guests and arranging for their bags to go up to their rooms. The front door closed and there was a quiet murmur of voices, no doubt while they were ridding themselves of their coats.
And then, a knock on the door.
‘Yes?’ Aaron responded.
The door opened and Roberts stood in the opening. ‘Lord and Lady Charters, your lordship. And Lady Elizabeth,’ the butler announced.
‘Thank you, Roberts. Show them in.’
The butler stepped aside and a tall, middle-aged man with thick dark hair strode towards Aaron, hand extended. Aaron took the firm clasp.
‘Joseph Chester. And this is my wife. Eloise.’ He turned to indicate the petite, also dark-haired woman following in his wake. And, of course,’ he beckoned, ‘come, come, Lizzy.’
Lizzy?
His Lizzy stepped from behind her parents, her eyes widening as much as his.
‘Where are your manners, Lizzy,’ her father chided, and she dropped a quick curtsey.
‘W…welcome,’ Aaron managed after what seemed like a long stretch of silence, forcing his attention back to Lord Chester. ‘Please, have a seat.’ He indicated the cluster of couches and armchairs near the fireplace.
His mind was in turmoil, both from the shock of realizing who his fiancee was to be and how to pretend that they had never set eyes upon each other.
They all sat, Lizzy next to her mother and the two men taking armchairs. The awkward silence was thankfully broken by the housekeeper and a maid carrying trays for tea.
‘Lizzy, perhaps you should pour,’ Lady Chester prompted. ‘You will be the lady of the house soon enough.’
‘Certainly, Mama.’ Lizzy stood. ‘If his lordship doesn’t mind?’ She gave Aaron a quick glance.
‘Please.’ Aaron agreed, already fascinated watching Lizzy’s hands on the delicate teapot, but his attention was taken by Lord Chester wanting to talk about local politics. He was an easy man to talk to, pleasant and jocular but with an underlying seriousness that brooked no nonsense.
The men talked while Lizzy busied herself with the tea, and as Aaron picked up his cup it struck him that this would most likely be the first of many such afternoons with these people. With Lizzy. And he smiled.
‘Would you like a biscuit, Papa?’ Lizzy offered the plate of delicate pastries to her father, then to Aaron. ‘Your lordship?’ Their eyes met over the plate, and he knew with certainty that she was remembering when he had offered her a biscuit. His finger in her mouth. His hand was the tiniest bit unsteady as he took one from the plate.
It was difficult to maintain polite conversation when all he wanted was a quiet place to settle his thoughts. To fully comprehend that he had agreed to take Lizzy as his wife. When he was to be wed to someone unknown, he hadn’t given too much thought as to the other person’s feelings. They were entering into what was, for all intents and purposes, a business arrangement. But now…now the only thing he wanted to know was how Lizzy was feeling about this unexpected turn of events. It was one thing to enjoy some random hours together but another altogether to be committed—confined—to his company. To his house so far from her friends and family.
He needed to talk to her alone.
Lizzy chose that moment, when he gave her a glance, to run the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip as if seeking a non-existent crumb. Aaron breathed deeply, warning his body not to disgrace itself in the company of his intended inlaws.
‘Would you like to take a walk around the grounds, Lady Elouise?’ Aaron asked, once tea had been drunk. He was unused to playing host as it was, let alone lord of the manor. He barely knew his way around yet.
‘That would be delightful, wouldn’t it Lizzy?’
‘I am quite partial to walking in the garden.’ Aaron didn’t need to see Lizzy’s face to know exactly which walk in the garden she meant.
The group made their way outside, Aaron walking between Lizzy and Lady Elouise while Lord Chester strolled behind as they passed the ornamental pond and towards the topiary garden.
‘I’m afraid I am still familiarizing myself with the place,’ Aaron admitted. It was merely a place he was staying for a while and would be maintained by his staff. He had no need to understand the intricacies of the grounds, or the Hall. But now…
But now he wished he could grab Lizzie’s hand and run off to get lost in the maze he’d been told was there somewhere. Thankfully, Elouise was content to stay close to the house and admire things from a distance.
‘Some lovely places to have a table set and enjoy afternoon tea, Lizzy. Perhaps hold a garden party.’
Elouise was too busy indulging her own vision for the future to even be interested in her daughter’s response, but Aaron wished he could know what Lizzy was thinking. Was she also planning afternoon teas or planning to get out of the arrangement?