𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒

Chapter 30

SUNDAY NIGHTS WERE KNOWN universally to be entirely uneventful. Polite society preferred to have excitement on Friday and Saturday nights, but on Sunday, preparations for a dutiful fresh week began, so Sundays always flew by in a blur of quiet solace or calm company. However, this particular Sunday night in Portsmouth promised to be everything but. Lady Diana Beaumont and Lady Alicia Kirkpatrick weren't exactly sure if everyone in Portsmouth had gone through a Sunday night such as theirs. Inside, they hoped so, because that would entail a dozen other people feeling and going through similar predicaments as them, and surely that thought was comforting. As the carriage started pulling up to the Brockenhurst estate, Diana saw the figures of her family standing at the gates, their presence darkened and made prominent by the yellow lights blaring from inside the main hall. The night was a blanket of cool darkness, and the same moon shone overhead. It was calming, coming out of the chaos to return to the stillness of the night.

The stillness didn't last however, as the carriage came to a halt and Isaac Algernon quietly helped the ladies out of it. The Countess rushed towards Diana, throwing her arms around her niece and bursting into sharp sobs that made Diana's heart feel as though it was being pierced. Her hands shook as she sucked in a sharp breath, trying to stop herself from crying, placing both of them on her aunt's back in an attempt to comfort her. Oh, how a loved one's sobs shattered her like nothing else.

Over the Countess's loud sobs directly echoing in her ears, it didn't take long for Diana to notice that her other aunt, had been bursting into sobs of her own as she embraced Alicia. Arthur Fleming and Frank Templemore stood a few paces behind, their hands behind their backs and their faces trained into stern composure, yet Diana could feel her Uncle's stance weaken as his lips twitched and eyes crinkled. She was grateful for her little cousins being nowhere in sight, the sad looks on their faces would've broken her beyond repair.

"You both are staying here for the remainder of your time in Portsmouth, and I refuse to be argued with," The Countess Agnes Templemore declared, authority evident in her voice as she sniffed and stifled another sob.

Diana and Alicia had been sent to their rooms with ladies maids, bathed, dressed in comfortable linen gowns with warm shawls draped around them, and were now seated in the drawing room of The Countess's private wing of the Brockenhurst estate, with cups of warm chamomile tea in their hands, all on the lady of the house's strict instructions. Diana tucked a strand of her loose raven hair behind her left ear as her gaze dropped to the singular tiny white chamomile floating in her tea.

"I second that," Frederica Fleming spoke up, determination clear in her voice, "I am beyond thankful for all you girls have done for me and Arthur and our children, but I cannot fathom the danger you have been through, it is horrific to even think about."

"All because of Lord Buxton and Lord Algernon," The Countess agonized, "How dare they involve you and risk both your lives for their disputes?"

"Lady Templemore," Alicia pleaded, "It wasn't their fault. It was that William Percy who sought to involve us. His sole purpose was to have something to hold against the gentlemen." She put her half full tea cup on the table and reached her hands up to gather her loose brown hair to the side, sighing.

"Aunt Agnes, Aunt Frederica," Diana spoke as she addressed both her upset aunts with quiet desperation lacing her voice, "They were willing to give everything to him for our sake. Their business, all their hard work, to feed whatever demands that reptile made of them. Please don't hold them in contempt; they don't deserve your disapproval."

The Countess sighed, before making her way to her niece and sitting beside her on the sofa. She brought up a hand to Diana's cheek and stroked it, her eyes softened and affectionate; "You have come to care for him, haven't you?"