Love, Liberty, and Other Bad Ideas

2. Family Ties

Though the Eastcombe family appeared to be utterly joyous at all social gatherings and showed perfect propriety in front of all their acquaintances, a happy family they were not. Countess Eloise Eastcombe of Pinchford Manor, previously known as Miss Eloise Caldwell, married the Earl of Pinchford Manor only five months ago, as there must always be a mistress of the estate, and Lady Elizabeth and Lady Catherine were not old enough to hold the responsibilities of such a title.

If there is one thing Countess Eloise cares about more than anything else, it is her family. But do not be mistaken, the Earl and the two young ladies of the house are not her blood, the only true family she has left is her son, Mr. Robert Caldwell, now referred to as Mr. Robert Eastcombe. He could change his surname but he couldn't change his title so easily. It was the Countess' aim to have her son, a man of no nobility, become head of the estate when Earl Richard dies, and ascend the ranks as the new Earl of Pinchford Manor. As the only male in the family, it is natural for him to do just that, so long as his daughters do not find suitable matches in London this season and, in turn, marry a man that would replace her son as the future Earl of Pinchford Manor.

"Ah," Earl Richard Eastcombe starts as his new wife, the Countess, descends the stairs and meets him in the foyer, "this is my wife, Countess Eloise," he introduces, gesturing to his wife as she curtsies for the Earl's friend. "Countess Eloise, this is Mr. Pimston from Harveyside House, it is but a short ride from here."

Mr. Pimston himself bows in return to the Countess, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Eloise," he starts, "I've already met one of your lovely daughters, Lady Elizabeth."

The Countess' smile falters for a brief second as he says this, but she recovers quickly without him noticing, "Lady Elizabeth is not my daughter, Mr. Pimston, she and her sister, Lady Catherine, are the daughters of the Earl's previous wife. Though I should be delighted for you to meet my son, Mr. Robert Eastcombe."

"My apologies," Mr. Pimston says with a small, apologetic nod of his head, "I was not aware. Though I would be delighted to be introduced to the son of such a fine lady."

She beams at this remark, Mr. Pimston has always known exactly what to say to charm a woman, especially those of older years with great regard to other's opinions of themself.

"Mr. Pimston shall be accompanying yourself and the children to London tomorrow morning," The Earl announces to the two of them. Though Mr. Pimston was aware that Earl Eastcombe had been kind enough to offer him a carriage, he was not aware that he would be sharing one with the Eastcombe daughters. "I have extended my offer to him and he has gratefully accepted. I shall stay here to manage the affairs of the estate whilst you, my wife, overlook the children whilst at the London Townhouse."

"Of course, my Lord." The Countess replies, knowing better than to argue with her husband in front of company.

"I thank you again, my Lord," Mr. Pimston starts, "for your hospitality in this matter. If there is anything I may do for you, all you need do is ask and it will be done."

"For now you must rest," he replies with a small smile, "Dinner will be served shortly and the carriage will be leaving early in the morning in order to arrive promptly in London."

And with a nod, Mr. Pimston departs, leaving Countess Eloise to turn to her husband with a bitter look on her face, "was I to have no say in the matter?" She asked, spitting the words out at her husband, "I am to share a carriage with a man I have never met and you only now wish to tell me about it."

"I tried to tell you earlier, dearest, but you told me you were busy." The Earl argued back calmly before walking away without another word, leaving the Countess furious at the whole circumstance. Not only did she have to share a carriage with the two women who can ruin her son's chances at becoming an Earl, but now she must make small talk with a man she does not know, an act which she utterly despised.

Meanwhile, as Mr. Pimston departed the conversation in which he deemed oh so pleasant, he made his way up the stairs to his chambers for the evening. Opening the door, however, he immediately realised that he had entered the wrong room entirely. Elizabeth and Catherine, joined by their step-brother, Robert, all looked to the door as Mr. Pimston entered. "My apologies, I appear to have gotten the wrong room."

"That is quite alright, Mr. Pimston," Elizabeth starts, taking a few steps closer to him, "have you met my brother and sister?"

"I'm afraid I have not." He replies with a small smile, walking further into the room to meet his newest friends.

"Catherine, Robert, this is Mr. Pimston, he shall be joining us on our journey to London tomorrow, father is an old friend of Mr. Pimston's father." She explains with a small smile, reciting what her father had told her not too long ago. "Mr. Pimston, this is my older brother, Mr. Robert Eastcombe, and my younger sister, Lady Catherine Eastcombe."

Mr. Pimston introduces himself accordingly in a perfectly gentlemanlike manner, but his eyes catch sight of a small, familiar bouquet of flowers, now in a vase on a table. "What a beautiful bunch of flowers." He comments, gesturing to them; his eyes flit to Elizabeth, who chuckles at his remark.

But it is Catherine who responds, "Elizabeth picked them for me just this morning. She is too good to me for they are my favourite colours," she remarks, beaming with joy.

"And what of this one, over here by itself?" He asks, pointing at the singular hybrid flower of blue and white.

"This one I could not resist picking, even though I risked my life in doing so," Elizabeth starts with a small giggle, making light of the instance in which she first saw the man before her, "there is beauty in imperfection, do you not think, Mr. Pimston?"

He looks from the flower to Elizabeth's striking green eyes, glowing in the afternoon sun shining through the windows, highlighting the specks of amber in her eyes that resembled tiny shards of honeycomb, "yes, I do believe there is."

"Come, Pimston," Robert starts, gesturing to the door, "my sisters have much to do before our departure in the morning and we must not delay them any further. I will show you to your chambers."

"Thank you, Eastcombe," Mr. Pimston smiles in reply, then turns to the two young women, "I look forward to seeing both of you at dinner," he tells them before leaving the room with Robert, who escorts him politely to his chambers, one room down from where he originally believed them to be. A simple mistake resulting in a wonderful encounter. If only he could spend some time alone with Lady Elizabeth, he thought, but this would be impossible. To be unchaperoned would cause a scandal, and he could not risk her virtue being subject to ill-gotten rumours. That is one thing he does not remember fondly of his time in London, the speed at which rumours circulate, no matter how true or false they actually are.

Thankfully, the worst of Pimston's scandals remained concealed from London's society, though there are a handful of people that know the truth about what happened to his first wife. People whom he prayed he would never set eyes on ever again. However, though London is brimming with people, the circles in which high society run in are extremely small, and it is inevitable for paths to cross eventually.