The next morning, Aileen awoke to noise around her as servants scuttled about, packing trunks and bags.
"Bonjour, Miss Barnes, when you are ready, your travel clothes are by the paravant and Juliet is here to help with the corset. Breakfast is in the solarium when you are ready."
The sleepy Aileen only nodded before walking to her dressing room to find a robust grey dress, dark riding breeches and a black coat with matching shoes, hat and gloves. She was dressed quickly and then left her rooms with the accessories in her hands, not interested in wearing them until absolutely necessary.
In the conservatory, her brothers were lounging around, both dressed in similar clothes of grey and black.
"Aileen! I was worried you had forgotten about us."
She gave Wesley a tight-lipped smile,
"Oh, good morning to you too, brother dear."
Aileen silently moved around the room and sank into an armchair, after which she picked up a few sparse pieces of food, her stomach too knotted up to be able to eat properly.
When their mother entered, her eyes quickly filled with tears and her skin flushed,
"Oh, my babies, all grown up."
Their father entered as well, with less emotion but a sad smile, which made Alexander chuckle,
"We'll be back in a fortnight, no need to be so emotional."
Their mother let tears fall anyway and gave them all quick embraces before rushing to her rooms. General Barnes shook his sons' hands and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek before walking away.
Taking that as goodbye, the siblings finished dressing, now all wearing black or grey coats with matching riding boots.
Outside the manor awaited a luggage carriage and two saddled mares. Recognising her mare as a saddled one, Aileen leaped onto her horse, the dress and coat fluttering in the wind and gracefully falling over her blue dun's rump.
"Come on, brothers, we have quite a stretch to ride."
She said, excitement filling her at the chance to ride to the Manor rather than sit in a boring carriage.
When they were all ready, they rode off, Wesley and Aileen cantering ahead on horseback and Alexander behind with a stable-hand to guide the two chestnut horses that pulled the carriage.
Riding on Atlantis freed Aileen more than anything. She adored books and learning but riding, it felt like flying. Like she could go anywhere and no one could stop her.
All too soon, the black wrought iron gates of the Estate came into view and Alexander - who was now at the front of their small cavalcade - spoke to the guards,
"The family Barnes, here by the wishes of the Dowager Marquise and the Marquise."
The guards nodded and the gates, which resembled the branches of olive trees, opened. Ahead of them was a stretch of fields, some sections with horses, others with dense forests, others with ponds and trimmed bushes and flowers. The avenue that brought them to the entrance was lined with birch trees and made the reveal of the building that much more striking.
Grand and cream-colored with hundreds of arched windows, stone grey turrets, the building almost resembled a Manor. Trees were scattered around with guards, servants and visitors of the Manor wandering around as if they had all the time in the world. The family halted by the entrance to the Manor, where the Marquise and her family awaited them.
The siblings unmounted and the brothers bowed whilst Aileen curtsied.
"The Barnes children. What an honour to meet the delightful children I have heard so much of through the grapevines."
The siblings smiled shyly as the Dowager Marquise continued,
"Aileen, Wesley and Alexander. Such beautiful names for such beautiful children, the resemblance to your parents is almost uncanny."
The three of them smiled and Alexander, as the eldest, spoke to the family and mainly their host, the young Marquise Isabella,
"Thank you, Lady Estrus. We are most honoured to be allowed to stay at your home."
The Marquise shook her head,
"Enough with these formalities, I am grateful that you are here and am flattered by your manners, but that can be saved for strangers. I am just Isabella to you. Let me introduce my family."
She said and they approached,
"My mother, Dowager Lady Estrus - or just Lady Catherine. My younger sister, Mistress Estrus - or once again Catherine and my younger brother, Master Estrus - or Connor."
The Barnes children bowed in respect before the rest of the family, like their sister, stated that they needn't use formalities and fancy titles, first names was enough.
"If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to, but I do hope you enjoy your visit to this marvellous Estate."
Lady Catherine stated before walking away to the gardens.
After the luggage was taken away by servants and the horses taken away by the stable-hands, only the six of them remained.
Isabella looped an arm through Alexander's and they excused themselves, stating that they would explore the Manor and Wesley walked away with Catherine to find his rooms. Only the youngest remained; Aileen and Connor, though the man was still three years older than Emily,
"I'm not quite sure what my mother or my sister expected from this but I hope you do not expect a marriage proposal by the end of the day."
He said briefly and looking towards the gardens, which made Aileen chuckle dryly,
"Oh, I don't want a proposal at all. I've been forced to attend and am only here now because my brother is intrigued by your eldest sister and our families are pushing them together."
Connor frowned,
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"That you aren't hanging on to my every word and praying that you will be the one to tame the roguish Master Connor of Estrus."
She rose one of her brows as a smirk played on her lips,
"You have quite the ego, My Lord, but alas it does not make my knees weaken, quite frankly, I'd have no issue walking away from you if I knew where the hell I would be going."
Nothing but silence came from Connor. Aileen would have been worried about what she had said but she had very little tolerance for idiots or egoists.
"Well, Miss Aileen, if my sister could hear you talk, she may not be so keen on having you stay here for a fortnight."
Connor said somewhat smugly, thinking he had managed to get the upper hand,
"Tell her what you wish, if she sends me home, at least I'll be in my haven and not in the middle of enemy lands."
"Enemy lands? How so?"
"You're rich, you're an aristocrat, you're not my preferred company, so I'd say enemy lands."
Connor, for the first time all day, felt a smile across his face,
"May I show you around the Estate? Only the rooms you wish to see, of course, otherwise we'd be walking for hours, if not days."
Aileen smiled, she felt somewhat complacent now that she had gotten Connor to drop his false attitude and speak like a normal person.
"Show me your favourite rooms."
Connor smiled again, failing to hide the excitement that rose in him, like a child showing all of their hiding places.
"Well, I tend to favour the libraries and studies over the drawing rooms and conservatories. Is that still interesting to you?"
"They are all I want to see, I do not care for drawing rooms and whatever is to be done in them. Books, however, and history have a strong grip on my mind."
Connor nodded in understanding and gestured to the stairs for Aileen to walk ahead before following her up the staircase that led to the Manor,
"Well, then I may add some galleries into our tour, considering we have portraits and paintings from throughout history."
Aileen smiled and slowed her strides to walk beside the man into the large building.
YOU ARE READING
To Love and To Be Loved
Historical FictionEmily Barnes came from an old family with old money and old beliefs - a lifestyle she despised and was ready to get away from. Lord Connor was the youngest of three children and far from ever sitting in his Estate as Marquis, so he allowed himself t...
