That following afternoon, as Edwina and Anthony went on their promenade along the lake with the rest of the ton present there, Eleanora did not expect an invitation from Lord Price to promenade with her that day also. What she also didn't expect was that they were to promenade along the lake, where Viscount Bridgerton and his soon to be viscountess would be, too.
"It is fine weather we are having, Miss Fitzwilliam, is it not?" Daniel asked.
Eleanora's eyes widened momentarily, thinking back to when Anthony had asked that very same question earlier that day. She tightened her grip around Lord Price's arm.
"Lovely weather indeed, my lord," she answered, forcing a smile.
Meanwhile, as Anthony was promenading, he didn't expect to find Eleanora doing just the same. The sight of her with Lord Price caused his nostrils to flare and his jaw to tense. How she looked at him, the way she smiled at his jokes, how she would lean ever so slightly in his direction as they walked.
Violet approached Anthony and Edwina, starting conversation with them. The viscount, too, felt the need to smile ever so brighter and laugh ever so louder in the company of his diamond, hoping to catch the attention of Eleanora.
"Miss Fitzwilliam, I suggest we take a turn about the lake," Daniel suggested, motioning his free arm to the lake and all the long and fancy boats that cascaded through the water.
"I would be honored to accompany you, my lord," Eleanora said, staying by the lord's side as they made their way to the dock.
Though unfortunately, to get to the dock the couple would have to make their way past Violet, Anthony, and Edwina, which was the last thing Eleanora wanted to do. She and Lord Price nodded politely towards the trio as they headed towards the dock.
"What a handsome couple they make," Edwina noted as the two walked past.
"Pardon me?" Anthony asked after a beat, pausing too long. He was too busy admiring Eleanora in the sun and wishing that Lord Daniel Price wasn't the one escorting her to the lake. Anyone but Price.
"Lord Price and Miss Fitzwilliam, of course!" Edwina said with a giggle. "I noticed he was quite smitten her the last time they met. Over tea earlier today, Miss Fitzwilliam told me of the unfortunate news she will leave for the Americas after the wedding. Perhaps he will convince her to stay in England!"
Just the thought of them traveling together, alone, unsupervised, and unmarried, made Anthony's hands wants to ball up into fists.
"She barely knows the gentleman," Anthony pointed out. His eyes were like daggers as he watched Eleanora socialize with Price by the water, and smiling in a way that he hasn't seen Eleanora do in a long time.
The sun practically made her emerald dress shimmer, with silver hemming stitched into it that complemented her complexion, making her beauty all the more a bold statement. She had slight crinkles in the corners of her eyes, of course not from age - but from pure joy . . . Joy that Anthony wanted to gift Eleanora, not Price.
"Nor did I you, at first," Edwina said, turning to Violet. "But love moves swiftly, does it not?"
"Miss Edwina, you must tell me your favorite colors, so I may plan to incorporate them in the ornamentation for your engagement ball," Violet said, taking Edwina's hands into hers.
The conversation between the two women in front of Anthony drifted to the back of his mind, for he was far too focused watching Price and Eleanora. What was it that she sees in the man? He's a traveler, and that's all that accompanies as his personality.
Anthony watched as Daniel's hand took Eleanora's, assisting her into the boat. He rowed her out, and the viscount could hear the genuine laughter from Eleanora as she sat across from Price out on the lake.
". . . Is that not so, Anthony?"
"Absolutely," Anthony answered absentmindedly to his mother.
Violet forced a small laugh, quickly catching where Anthony had kept his eyes.
"It is most refreshing in the water," Eleanora sighed. She shook the excess water from her hand from running her fingers in the lake. "These days, I find it is hard to even find a moment of peace."
"One of the things I enjoyed most when I visited the Americas. Many think it a bustling, noisy place, but I found the country most tranquil in nature," Price recalled, squinting his eyes in the sun. Eleanora found Price's rowing stamina quite impressive, given that he was able to row against the water for an impressive amount of time. She could only fathom how his arms and chest looked under his jacket and waistcoat.
"What you've been telling me of the Americas, I find myself counting the days until I travel there." Eleanora glanced at Anthony on land. "Given the chaos that I have unknowingly surrounded myself in, I shall need to escape it."
Eleanora glanced once more to Anthony, who was still observing her, while Edwina and Violet were smiling and talking to Newton, who barked in response.
With a small smile, Eleanora leaned forward in her seat. "My lord, have you had the chance to meet Newton?"
~~~
As their boat came up to the dock, Eleanora could tell that Price was having trouble tying the rope connecting the boat to the dock, but attempted to pay no heed to it.
"I see you are smiling, Miss Fitzwilliam," Edwina beamed, her and Anthony approaching them. "See the amusements London has to offer."
Edwina was right, in fact. Eleanora was smiling up until she saw Anthony get on the dock, hands firmly clasped behind his back. One of the Danbury maids with Newton was behind the viscount.
"That knot will never hold," Anthony criticized, walking past Edwina to the tied rope.
"Anthony, please," Eleanora sighed, shaking her head. "Lord Price is perfectly capable of doing it himself."
"It is perfectly adequate," Daniel assured.
"Then I must question your nautical skills, Price," Anthony retorted, bending down and redoing the knot himself. "Allow me."
Price jokingly put his hands in the air surrendering-like, making Eleanora smile. As Anthony hastily did the knot, Daniel took the opportunity to get out of the boat and offer his hand to Eleanora, before being ushered aside by Anthony.
"Pardon me," the viscount said, paying no heed to Price. He then did the same, offering his hand to Eleanora. "Nora."
"Anthony," she said, looking up at him.
She took his hand and stepped out of the boat, but Anthony still held a grip to Eleanora's hand when she gently attempted to pull away. After a split second she surrendered to his hold, as he ran his thumb over her knuckles and the back of her hand. Realizing that the whole ton and Price were present and could've been watching their exchange, she pulled away.
Anthony attempted to take her hand again, before tripping over Newton, who let out a yelp. He fell into Daniel, and the two men fell off the dock and made a loud splash in the water, making everyone present at the promenade turn their heads to the source of the sound and gasp.
"Oh my!" Edwina said, trying to stifle back laughter. "Are you hurt?"
"Not at all!" Daniel answered, resurfacing from the water. "The water is a rather welcoming refreshment, is it not, Bridgerton?"
Anthony was too busy hastily taking off his jacket and waistcoat before throwing the sopping wet clothes onto the dock. Eleanora couldn't help but admire the sight: the viscount's disheveled and wet hair, his white shirt that had gone transparent and exposing his chest and arms.
"Refreshing, indeed," Edwina agreed absentmindely, under the same spell that Eleanora was at the sight of the viscount.
Anthony frustratingly pulled off his cravat and pulled down his suspenders before putting his hands on the dock, using them as leverage to hoist himself out of the water. The water dripped off him almost majestically as he reached the dock. This thought never occurred to Eleanora, but she had never wanted to be a drop of water residing on a body as badly as she did now. She pulled out her fan and began fanning herself at the thought.
~~~
"Lord and Lady Sheffield's return is certainly a surprise," Violet said, entering Anthony's study as she put on her earrings. "But it shall be pleasant seeing the family reconciled, will it not?"
Anthony was busily focused on paperwork at his desk, doing so to get his mind off the inevitable dinner with the Sheffields.
"I shall be finished in a moment, Mother, we shall not be late," he assured, neck craned down at his work.
Violet took small steps towards his desk, fidgeting with her hands and giving a small smile. "It is not that," she sighed. "I have been watching you all week. I told myself I would support your choice, but I must admit, I am finding it quite difficult to continue to stay silent."
The viscount finally looked up from his papers. "You've been anything but silent."
"This is your betrothal, Anthony. Your marriage! To the woman that shall replace me as head of this household, might I add-"
"You question Miss Edwina's suitability for the role?" Anthony accused.
"I question the example you are setting your siblings, marrying a woman for whom you clearly hold no great tenderness or love."
He set down his quill, reclining back in his chair and forced himself to look up at his mother. "Why will you not accept that the love match between you and Father was the exception, not the rule?"
"Because I wish for you two to know the joy of an exceptional marriage! You should be excited to wed Miss Edwina, but for all I have seen, you act as if you are approaching the gallows instead. If anything, your face lights up when you're around Eleanora! If this is not what you want, you must say something now, Anthony, before-"
"What I want is beside the point," he interjected. "I could never dishonor Miss Edwina by begging off now."
"You are right," Violet said with a shrug. "A gentleman cannot take back his word . . . but a woman may." Anthony's irritability was coming to a gradual increase at what his mother was insinuating. "It happens all the time with young ladies, swept up in the dizziness of receiving a proposal before the reality of marriage becomes clear. If Miss Edwina were to call off the engagement, no one would find fault with her. And you would not be dishonoring her in the slightest, releasing her from the obligation before any vows were exchanged."
"She does not wish to end the engagement," the viscount said in a whisper.
"But does she know your true feelings on the matter?" Violet retorted. "Your true feelings for the woman who has been your right hand since adolescence?"
"My feelings are of no concern." At that, Violet had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "What matters is my responsibility, which has always been to wed."
"My darling," Violet whispered, her voice quivering as she shook her head. "If you have doubts, do not simply set them aside. This is the most important choice you will ever make! And it would break my heart to see you spend the rest of your life in regret. I dare say it would break your father's heart too." With that, Violet left the room.
Anthony believed he had some time alone to ponder over what his mother had said, before Eleanora entered the room in a scattered state.
"Apologies," she said quickly, before scanning about the room.
"Is something the matter?" Anthony asked, finally looking up from his work.
"I seem to have misplaced my book," she answered, fidgeting with her hands. "I checked practically every nook and cranny of the house and have yet to find it."
As the viscount watched Eleanora flip over the pillows that resided on his couch, knowing she would put them back, a pivotal question churned in Anthony's mind.
He awkwardly cleared his throat. "While you're here, Nora, I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor? Whatever for?" she asked absently, focused on finding her book.
"With the Sheffields coming to the engagement dinner tonight, I find myself entirely too anxious, and I've been thinking . . . would you accompany me and my mother tonight to settle my nerves?"
Eleanora straightened, turning to the man behind his desk. Pulsing blood rushed to her ears and her knees felt weak. She only managed to let out a short laugh. "Why would you need me at the dinner?"
"Moral support, I believe. You've always seemed to calm my nerves in very overwhelming situations."
"I don't believe the Sharmas and Lady Danbury would be very happy in me . . ."
"You mustn't worry about that. I am the viscount, and what I say, goes. If I want you at that dinner, no one shall object," he promised, giving Eleanora a small smile.
~~~
Violet, Anthony, and Eleanora sat across from the Sheffields in the Danbury drawing room. The elderly couple scanned at Eleanora when she initially introduced herself to them, as they wondered aloud what her purpose was in joining for dinner. She had to explain her relationship to Anthony, and emphasized every so often to remind the Sheffields that she was courting Lord Price so that they had no ridiculous suspicions of her.
"Ah, Lord and Lady Sheffield, it has been too long!" Lady Danbury said joyfully, as she entered the drawing room with the Sharmas following behind her.
Everyone gathered around the fireplace stood up from their seats to greet the host of the dinner.
"May I present Miss Sharma, and Miss Edwina Sharma," Lady Danbury introduced, as the diamond approached the lord and lady.
"Oh, my dear, look at you!" Lady Sheffield exclaimed joyfully at the sight of Edwina. She turned to Lord Sheffield. "Isn't she quite as lovely as the report said?"
"You are too kind," Edwina beamed. "I am most happy to make your acquaintance."
"We have been waiting so many years to meet you," Lady Sheffield said as she placed her hands on her granddaughter's shoulders. "I wish to know everything about you - do you enjoy dancing? Music?"
"You must accompany us at the opera," Lord Sheffield proposed. "We have a fine box which has been gathering dust."
"Indeed, it has been too long since we've seen you both in town, Lord and Lady Sheffield," Violet agreed.
"Yes, indeed, it has."
The Sheffields turned to Mary, who clasped her hands in front of herself. "Mother. Father."
This left an awkward tension in the room, which Edwina tried to avoid. "I do enjoy the opera. My sister, Kate, is the one who introduced me to it." The Sheffields turned to Kate, who gave a terse smile.
"Shall we go through to dinner?" Lady Danbury suggested.
"Yes," Lady Sheffield agreed, taking Edwina's arm. "Come with me, child."
Everyone filed out of the drawing room, and Eleanora gave a reassuring nod and smile to Anthony.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a whisper once the earshot of everyone else was out of range.
"I should be asking you that, you're the one that invited me to calm your nerves," Eleanora retorted with a nervous laugh.
~~~
". . . And of course, you must be our guests at the Sheffield Manor," Lady Sheffield rambled on during dinner. "It is nothing compared to the estates of Aubrey Hall, to be sure, but I think it a most pretty part of Hertfordshire."
Eleanora focused on her dinner. The order on her side of the table was: Edwina, Anthony, her, and Mary.
"Do you shoot?" Lord Sheffield asked Anthony from the head of the table. "We have a fine stock of birds, and you are always welcome."
"Thank you for the invitation. I do enjoy shooting," Anthony confirmed.
"As does Kate!" Edwina chimed in, gesturing to her sister who was across the table, along with Violet and Lady Sheffield. "The two of them, along with Miss Fitzwilliam, almost bagged a stag on our trip to the country."
Anthony and Eleanora exchanged a look, both with the memory of what happened in the forest fresh in their minds.
Anthony dreamed of that intimate moment with Eleanora practically every night, refusing to forget the smell and texture of her hair that grazed the side of his face when he instructed her on how to hold the rifle.
Eleanora only managed to let out a shaky breath at the thought, feeling her whole body heat up.
"How . . . unusual," Lady Sheffield said, eyeing Kate and Eleanora. "Do they teach young ladies to shoot in India?"
"Only the fortunate ones," Kate muttered under her breath, before noticing Lady Danbury's warning gaze. "Erm, Lord and Lady Sheffield, how long do you plan to remain in town?"
"We shall stay for the wedding," Lady Sheffield answered matter-of-factly. "Imagine, the queen herself overseeing my granddaughter's nuptials. Her Majesty is kind to be so forgiving after everything that has happened."
Eleanora grimaced at the statement and at how Lady Sheffield eyed Mary.
"Now, now, we are all family here," Lord Sheffield reminded calmly.
"Oh, yes, of course we are . . . even after our daughter so callously rejected the match we had found for her."
"My dear, we agreed-"
"An earl, no less, with twelve thousand acres! Any other young lady would've fallen to her knees in gratitude that her parents were showing such care-"
"This sauce is delicious, Lady Danbury!" Violet interjected, desperately trying to change the subject. "Have your cook give mine the recipe."
"It is the gooseberry, I believe," Lady Danbury responded. "Lady Sheffield, you've got quite the sweet tooth, I do recall?"
Lady Sheffield's eyes, much resembling to those of daggers, looked to Lady Danbury before turning back to her husband. "And all for what?" she rambled on, continuing from her previous and insensitive topic of conversation. "A mere clerk, was he? And with a child from a previous marriage to God-knows-who."
"My mother has a name," Kate retorted, her cutlery making a sound as she slammed it down.
"Lady Sheffield, I really must ask-" Lady Danbury warned.
"We could not show our faces in society for years!" Lady Sheffield complained. She turned to Mary. "Not that she should care."
Eleanora shifted in her seat from hearing how the despicable woman spoke of Mary and Kate, grasping her wine glass at a strength that was more than reasonable.
"She simply sailed away from all of us with that man, robbing us of our grandchild," Lady Sheffield continued, adding a quiver to her voice in an attempt to gain pity - though any chance of that was far too gone by that point.
"Grandchildren," Mary corrected. "I have two daughters, with whom you have had every opportunity to form a connection. But the choice to shun us was yours alone."
"I beg your pardon-" Lady Sheffield scoffed.
"And do not think I took it lightly," Mary interjected, raising her voice slightly. "Being cast out by the only family I had ever known. I was heartbroken, indeed. But in time, I came to see that in your cruelty, you did us all a great service."
"I hardly think this is proper dinner conversation," Lord Sheffield stated.
You and I both.
"I quite agree," Lady Danbury said. "Please-"
"When you cast me out, what you did was set me free," Mary continued. "Free to raise my daughters far from your constant judgement and craven demands that they should chase wealth and titles above all else!"
"You are a fine one to talk!" Lady Sheffield scoffed. "You speak of scorning riches, and yet you have come crawling back to snatch at our fortune."
"Lady Danbury is right," Kate chimed in, looking rather uneasy, which both Anthony and Eleanora took note of.
"Believe me, I want nothing from you," Mary stated, ignoring her eldest daughter.
"Oh, you may not, but your daughter certainly does!" Lady Sheffield said, waving a nasty finger at Edwina.
"Mama?" Edwina asked, looking to her mother for an explanation.
"The trust fund we have set up for her. The condition of which clearly states that she must marry a man of good English breeding to inherit."
Eleanora glanced at Edwina, who looked like a bucket of ice water was just dumped onto her.
Clearly she had no idea of the trust fund, and considering how Mary was speaking of her mother just now, she couldn't have either. But what of Kate?
Anthony's jaw tensed, and he slowly shook his head, realizing now that possibly to Edwina, he was only good enough as "good English breeding."
"You did not think we would allow another generation to pollute the Sheffield name, do you?" Lady Sheffield spat.
"Didi . . . what are they talking about?" Edwina asked, her voice quivering.
"What have you done?" Mary demanded to Kate.
"Anthony, did you know about this?" Violet asked.
He shook his head, refraining from speaking a word, too busy absorbing this inordinately large scheme that was just revealed at the dinner table. Anthony turned to Eleanora and with just his eyes, asked if she knew of the plan. She shook her head slowly, her eyes watering.
"I shall explain everything," Kate assured, more to Anthony than anyone else at the table. Her expression seemed panicked.
"I see this one has inherited your penchant for avoiding the truth!" Lady Sheffield said to Mary. "Or maybe that's something she inherited from her father-"
"That is quite enough, Lady Sheffield!" Eleanora interjected, her chest rising and falling from pent up anger. All eyes turned to her. "I can only think you've been exiled from good society because of your deficient manners rather than any other sin. Since the moment you have arrived, you have failed to show the proper respect for the Sharma family. Since their arrival in London, I have become closely acquainted with them, to the point where they see me as part of their family. So I will not, with every bone in my body, stand for it.
"Lady Mary has done admirably in raising her daughters. They are intelligent, kind, and loyal women whom I yearn to be just like. And a credit to both their parents. And since you clearly do not wish to jeopardize your social standing by associating with such company, then I have advice prepared for you: simply do not.
"You wish to speak poorly of those below you in social class?" Eleanora had to pause to hold back a laugh. She only smiled and shook her head, somewhat amused and looking forward to Lady Sheffield's reaction in what she had to say next:
"Then do I have news for you: I too, was of similar social class as Miss Sharma's father. I worked for the Bridgertons, in fact, from when I was a teenager until I was married! With my parents, caring for their horses. And look at me now. My wealth, or lack thereof, didn't define how I came to be in the world, but it were my morals, which you, Lady Sheffield, clearly do not possess."
Eleanora stood up, setting down her napkin, and smoothed down her dinner dress before pushing in her chair hastily.
"I bid you all good night, for I cannot stand one more second in such an immature and disrespectful atmosphere."
She stormed out of the room, before Lady Sheffield called out, "You cannot be serious!"
"Oh, but I am!" Eleanora exclaimed back, not bothering to look back at the guests as she turned a corner.
Anthony, and the rest of the table were left dumbstruck and flabbergasted. The gentle Eleanora Fitzwilliam, causing a scene (rightfully so) before storming off. But the viscount knew that what Eleanora said was true, and admired her for speaking up for his bride-to-be and her family. Now he found the chance to use his position as viscount: what he says, goes.
Clearing his throat, he threw his napkin on the table, standing up and pushing in his chair. "You may leave at once!" he commanded. "Please be so kind as to send for Lord and Lady Sheffield's carriage, they can wait outside. And do not trouble yourselves for an invitation for the wedding, for you shall not receive one."
"This is beyond the pale," Lord Sheffield said, utterly shocked. He stood up, also throwing down his napkin on the table, and looked down angrily at his granddaughter. "If you think you shall inherit a single sovereign now, you are sorely mistaken."
With that, the lord and lady left the dining area, without bothering to take another glance at the other people in the room.
"Lord Bridgerton, Lady Bridgerton . . . I must apologize-" Mary began shakily.
"We should take our leave," Anthony interjected, too full with rage to look at the Sharmas.
"Yes," Violet agreed. "Thank you for the evening, Lady Danbury. It was certainly enlightening."
"If you will excuse me, I shall find Nora before we leave-"
"My lord!" Edwina pleaded.
"Good night."
As Anthony and his mother descended down the stairs, Kate was following after them. "Lord Bridgerton, I beg a word, please," she insisted.
"Make it quick. I must go find Nora," Anthony said hastily, turning to Violet. "Mother, I shall meet you at the house."
Violet descended down the stairs, and Kate led Anthony into a nearby room.
"You must know, Edwina was innocent in all of this - she had no idea," Kate defended, out of breath from catching up with the mother and son. "Coming to England, finding her a match, I only wished the best for her. You cannot be angry at her."
"I am not. It was clear she was as much in the dark as I was about your schemes," Anthony responded nonchalantly.
"There were no schemes-"
"I take it there is to be no dowry? Now that the Sheffields have withdrawn their support."
"You care about a dowry?" Kate asked in a whisper. "It is because of what Miss Fitzwilliam just did that the Sheffields withdrew it!"
"Do not bring Nora into this," Anthony said sternly, raising a warning finger. "Clearly, Miss Edwina and I have both been misled, and it is best to call off this doomed engagement before it is the cause of any more strife. Of course, I would never bismirch her reputation. My mother and Lady Danbury will make a plan-"
"There shall be no plan," Kate interjected with a disgusted expression. "I do not understand, why are you suggesting this? All along, you have been set on marrying my sister, despite my every objection, might I add, and now you intend to cast her aside. Why? And do not talk to me of dowries, sir, for we both know you have no need of it. So tell me, what has she done?"
Anthony stayed silent, thinking of Eleanora. "Miss Edwina has done nothing. If you'll excuse me, I must find Nora."