In My Darkness: La Chatte Noire

Chapter Thirty: Samuel Beaumont

Chapter Thirty: Samuel Beaumont

Two Weeks, Mireval

"So you did not know about this?" Samuel asked as he sat in the study with Camillé and Daniel.

The rest of the group that had been in the room for the reading of the will had left some hours ago. It was just the three of them now – Camillé, her childhood sweetheart, and her ex-fiancé – sitting before the fireplace trying to make sense of it.

Camillé shook her head. "I had no idea. I was absolutely sure until two weeks ago that I would never hear from my family again, and now look where I am. But… for Papa to leave me his estate…"

"You were always his favorite child," Samuel reminded her with a shrug, "And he always boasted that you were more than capable of taking over the estate and business when he moved on."

"He raised me to be capable. Besides, learning accounts and bartering techniques will always be more interesting than embroidery and fashion," she huffed, and both the men laughed.

Samuel set down his wine glass as he chuckled. "Yes, you were always different from all the other girls, weren't you? Still, that does nothing to explain why he left the estate to you. The man thought you were dead! We all did," he added, with an almost sorrowful glance.

"He must have altered his will after I told him she was alive," Daniel rationalized, "Otherwise he could not have known."

She nodded as she pulled out Erik's ring and began to play with it out of a new habit. "Seems the only explanation."

There was silence for a few minutes. Camillé simply sat there, comfortably playing with her ring. Daniel looked over and Samuel and raised an eyebrow.

"Monsieur Beaumont? Are you alright?" he asked, seeing the man's pale and shocked expression.

Samuel shook his head, but did not move his eyes from what was in their sights. "Camillé, is that a… a… an engagement ring?"

"What?" she asked, looking up at him then down at her ring, "Um… well…" she trailed off, unsure what to say. Camillé looked at Daniel, silently begging for his aid.

"It is my ring," he lied quickly, giving her a scolding look as she slipped it back in the bodice of her dress, "I gave it to her a while ago while we were engaged and when she broke off the engagement, I bid her wear it to remember me by since I had not the heart to take it back."

She sent him a grateful glance as Samuel smiled and took a long drink of his wine. "I cannot hide that I am pleased by this," he admitted aloud, and at their strange expressions, he added, "I had hoped to be able to take you to supper, since we have not seen each other since our youth, and I would worry that a fiancé or a husband would prevent you from doing so, for fear of impropriety."

"I doubt that would hinder her in any case," Daniel chuckled, though to Camillé it sounded forced, "Our dear Camillé seems not to care what the world thinks of her."

Samuel grinned at her. "Then I do hope it would not be outside my boundaries to invite you to supper tonight?"

Camillé smiled gently back and shook her head. "I suppose not. After all, we do have nine years of absence to inform each other of."

"Then I expect you to be ready and down at my carriage in ten minutes, mademoiselle. No excuses," he teased, sending her a very characteristic wink.

She stood and let him kiss her hand before departing to her rooms. It did not take much time to put in a pair of earrings and wash her face. A few minutes later, a knock echoed on her door.