No love for Louisa

SIXTEEN

So, he had decided it was best to leave London and his political colleagues behind, to go and speak of his concerns, and seek advice from his Father, the Duke. He, unlike Alex, was an expert diplomat in dealing with such pompous people with great patience, which his son found he  was sorely lacking right now.

It was going on for late afternoon, and the sun was sitting low between the trees along the road, and already he was feeling a little more at peace being away from the  tense environment of London, and he  idly mused  that in truth, that seeking his father had not been his only decision for this journey. It had been made more enticing when he had discovered that  Mrs Marshall and her company, which included Louisa, would be staying over.  

Alex found himself wanting to speak and see her again, as they had not encountered each other from that day he had accidently ran into her in London, when she had almost been stranded. He had truly taken aback when  he had  discovered she thought his attention towards her had been down to some sort of pity, which was had happily been able to refute.

  In truth, He wasn't even  sure himself why he sought her approval, and company. Only that she seemed different from all the other women he had been acquainted with she seemed to have an unusual interest in life, beyond the usual confines of females in general, and she had certain hidden depths he wished to  further discover.

 He liked to think it was more out of empathy than pity .After all, they both had suffered from certain social scandals  in their lives that had left them open to the gossip fodder and left them a little stigmatised in  the society in London, so he understood a little what she was going through.

Now, he found he wanted to know her thoughts on his home, and if  she was finding it comfortable there. He realised she would most likely be spending most of her time dealing with his younger brother, flirting with her pretty cousin  He found himself hoping his company might prove some relief. for her.  He knew her company would certainly provide him  relief and a welcome distraction, after dealing with his political rivals, which made him quicken the pace of his horse, as he got nearer home.

When he got through the front door and a servant relieved him of his outdoor garments, the first person Alex encountered was his Brother Adrian, who had just been walking across the spacious entrance hall to head for the stairs, intending to go to his room to change to go riding with Miss Chapple.

Adrian's eyes widened at the unexpected sight of his brother, but then he looked pleased to see him, and now detoured from his route to the stairs to join his brother, "Well Alex, this is a surprise, we weren't expecting you to show up this week. I thought you had your hands full with all that parliament stuff" he then recalled.

"Too full, unfortunately" Alex  replied dryly.

"Things not going as how you would like them to?" Adrian enquired sensing his brothers slight despondency.

"No, I am afraid not, which was why I decided to get away for a while, to recoup and speak with father, and see if he can help" Alex replied.

"Hmm, understandable." Adrian replied with as much sympathy as he could muster, not having an interest in such things as his elder brother. "I don't know how you can be bothered with all that political stuff, and worrying about poor peoples rights, you should give it a break and relax and have some fun for a change, that's what you need" he informed him.

"I will keep that in mind," Alex replied with slight bemusement knowing  that his brother thought having fun should  something one should do all the time.

"Speaking of which, you just arrived at a good time. We had some unexpected guests show up of Fathers, The Hanson's, but thankfully they were on their way this morning, and we are free of them again" Adrian then informed him cheerfully, which is just as well, as we are entertaining with a private ball tonight for close friends, and you know what that Amelia Hanson is like, she would just spoil it"

"Ahh yes, Miss Hanson, I have had some interesting conversations with her, now there is a woman who can make people listen, whether they like it or not" Alex recalled almost wistfully

"Oh, I can imagine" Adrian replied with slight disapproval, not taking this as a particular compliment.  "It was as well for us, that Rosemary's cousin, Miss O'Mara, was able to keep her of our backs, and was happy to listen to her prosing on during her stay here. Amelia Hanson practically demanded that the poor woman keep her company, though still, I think Mother was glad of it, because her talk and actions don't really affect Miss O'Mara as the rest of our guests" Adrian then revealed 

"Is that so?"  Alex raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, taking this to mean because of Miss O'Mara's station in life, her opinion didn't particularly matter in the grand scheme of things, which irked him slightly

"Well yes, Rosemary explained to me that her cousin Louisa is bookish and likes all that stuffy educational nonsense anyway, so she would not mind as much" Adrian then informed him, "Though she did say her aunt Hettie was concerned about Miss Hanson's influence on Mrs O'Mara with her outlandish ideas, and  she was glad to see them go in the end"

"From what you have told me, I think I have missed the most interesting part of the week" Alex exclaimed with slight disappointment

Knowing his brother well, Adrian sensed the slight mocking humour in his brother's tone, and he just grinned.  "Well, never mind all that, mother will be glad you have come.  I shall let her know, and you can go and get refreshed for later this evening"

"Thank you" Alex replied gratefully looking forward to having a conversation with the Duchess later about the Hanson's unexpected visit, and even more so,  to get speaking with Miss O'Mara, and finding out her viewpoint on it all,  when he had the chance.