Hello all! Sorry for the delayed upload, I was having technical difficulties yesterday. As always, votes and comments are appreciated, and of course hope y'all enjoy reading it!
The course of true love never did run smooth.
William Shakespeare
The early morning sunlight filtered in through the rippled glass windows of the morning room, spreading its luminous coruscations across the white linen tablecloth. Sleepily, I sat at the table as one of the footmen poured a cup of tea for me and then placed the Times on Sutherland’s place at the head of the table. He had not arrived yet, which was odd, as he was habitually early to rise.
I shrugged off his absence, assuming that he perhaps indulged in too much drink the night before due to our interlude with Miss Harding. I wondered if she would be gracing us with her presence once more today.
Without another thought, I began eating. His lordship could very well break his fast alone. I had just begun to consume my meal when Lord Sutherland burst through the doors, looking every bit the aristocrat I had forgotten he was. He had resumed the typical unreadable mask that all noblemen wore, and sauntered nonchalantly across the room to stand before the table.
“We leave for London in four days time.”
I paused, fork midway to my mouth, at the earl’s announcement. Why journey to London now, when the Season was already well underway? Gracelessly, with my mouth containing half-chewed food, I gave him a puzzled look. “But why, milord? Haven’t you been sayin’ that you need to be here, to manage things?"
The events of the previous day, and the encounter with his fiancé, appeared quite forgotten, as he seemed reluctant to mention it. Sutherland sighed and took a seat across from me at the table. “Have you no manners at all? How am I to take you anywhere in London when you cannot abstain from speaking with a full mouth of food?”
I swallowed the food in my mouth with one large gulp. “Aye, well, perhaps it is better for us all to avoid London all together.”
I smiled at my quip. Sutherland, however, failed to find the humor in my remark, and my smile quickly faltered. I eyed him speculatively, wondering why the sudden decision to travel into town. Could it be that he was truly in love with her? Perhaps he was more astute than I originally believed, and knew my identity. My heart fervently hoped it was the latter, for it held on to the distant hope that he was unattached to her.
However, in either instance, it was essential to curtail this venture.
He continued to find the tablecloth the most intriguing work of art in the room, staring down, unblinking. It was then, as I watched a myriad of expressions cross his face in a matter of seconds, that I realized he had yet to answer my original question: Why?
Carefully observing his expression, I resolved to hold my tongue, and find a more circumspect manner by which to reveal his thoughts. He caught my gaze and held it, breaking the trance only when I nodded in acquiescence to prepare for the journey.
He quickly stood and exited the room without another word, leaving me staring after him, striving to devise a strategy to delay our imminent arrival in London.
***
I saw little of the earl for the next few days before our departure. I was unsure if he was purposely avoiding me for some reason, or if he was increasingly preoccupied with ordering arrangements for his townhouse in Grosvenor Square.
I failed to spare any thought as to why, as I finalized my own provisions for the journey. I spent and increasing amount of my time in the stables, examining the carriage as closely as possible while remaining unnoticed by the groomsmen.
The day before our scheduled departure, I sneaked out to the stable late in the evening. I had not fully decided on my course of action, but I knew that any damage to our transportation would function to my advantage. A sliver of the moon cast a dim glow upon the ground, making it slightly more expedient to maneuver across the lawn under the cover of the darkness. Not one person remarked upon my departure from the servants’ quarters out into the cool night.
I pulled my cap lower down over my face and hurried to my destination, not wanting to squander a precious second. I slipped between the doors, careful not to make a sound lest I spook the horses within. Once inside, I glanced around, blindly searching for the mallet I knew was located somewhere close to the first stall.
I knelt down upon my knees and grasped around the stone for the wooden handle. When I finally found it, I hastily stood and brushed the loose straw from my clothing. Caught unaware, I felt a warm breath caress the back of my neck.
Immobilized by the fear of capture I panicked, and with eyes clenched shut, swung the mallet as I spun around to face my adversary.
To my utter surprise and chagrin, there was no one there, only a horse’s muzzle peeping through the bars of the stall, which must have been the source of the warm breath. I took a deep, calming breath and put my hand to my heart, willing it to slow. However, apprehension swelled within, and I recognized the need for expedience.
Setting my jaw, determined to complete the task I set forth to accomplish, I walked forward through the aisle of stalls to where the carriage idled. I lithely slid beneath and lay staring up at the undercarriage of the conveyance in bafflement. What damage could I possibly induce without causing the whole damn thing to come crashing down on me at this very moment?
Cautiously, I examined the axles and the joints that attached them to the wheels. My heart pounded a rapid tattoo within my head, making it difficult to keep my breathing controlled. I lay beneath the carriage, completely still, trying to control the shaking in my hands. I did not want to cause bodily harm to neither the horses nor the passengers, but I had to find some way to inflict some flaw in its construction.
Closing my eyes, and hoping that the blasted thing would not collapse, I swung the mallet. When I felt it hit something solid, I opened my eyes to find that I had caused a slight fracture futchel of the left front axle.
If I were fortunate, the junction would come loose and drop the axle when we were quite a distance from the estate and far from any stopping point along the way.
Satisfied with the slight and assumable damage I inflicted, I crawled out from beneath the carriage and slowly stood in the darkened stable. The quiet peace ceased to produce an awareness of foreboding, and my breathing became easier with each step I took towards my exit.
I replaced the mallet in front of the first stall on the end, and rose from my bent position to find the horse staring at me through the bars. He snorted and a flurry of dust blew into my face, eliciting a cacophonous sneeze. I swiftly covered my face with both hands to curtail yet another noise, hoping that no one had heard the first. The horse nickered, stirring another film of dust, and thrust its muzzle towards me.
Waving away the dust, I reached out and placed my palm on the horse’s nose. The action appeared to satisfy is want for attention, and appeased, he took a step back and resumed nibbling on his feed. Entertained, I smiled and continued my exit through the double doors.
I walked slowly towards the house, feeling lighter and calm now that the task was complete. My mind was thoughtless as I gazed into the dark distance with only the slit of moonlight eliminating the treetops. It was a beautiful night, and likely the last one in the countryside I would enjoy for some time.
Coming upon the final distance to the door, I noticed an unfamiliar coach pulled by four bays in front of the house. Curious, I hastily walked up the steps and met Bennet in the hall.
He nodded in greeting, but said nothing. “Whose carriage is that?” I asked.
“That would be Lord Westover,” he intoned, turning to walk away. I searched through my mind for the peerage report Mama had me commit to memory during my first Season. I did not recognize the name, but perhaps I had forgotten more than I realized.
“And what does he want?”
Bennet paused and turned back at me. “To speak with his lordship. And what, pray tell, were you doing out at this hour?”
Hell's bells. “I, ah, was…taking a walk.” Bennet eyed me suspiciously, making me fidget slightly. “I think I’ll go up to my room now. Good evening Bennet.”
I turned expeditiously to the staircase and hurried away from Bennet’s probing questions. All the while, however, I tried to think of who this Westover could be, as well as what it was exactly he wanted with the earl.
Allowing my curiosity to get the better of me, something that would no doubt land me into trouble, I detoured away from the staircase towards Sutherland’s study. The doors remained closed, as they normally were, but I could hear the faint sound of masculine voices from within. I fastidiously stepped closer, stopping short of pressing my ear against it.
“So who is this impertinent blunderbuss Miss Harding has been defaming among the populous of the ton?”
I held my breath, waiting for the earl’s answer, slowly crouching down to the carpeted floors to hear out the length of their conversation. “What exactly, has she been saying about the poor chap?”
“From what I have heard, this person has been entrenching for far too long on your hospitality.”
I heard Sutherland sigh, and I wondered how he would respond, what he would tell this other man about me. “He has done nothing of the sort, I owe him a favor. In fact, he is accompanying me to London on the morrow to attend the remainder of the Season.”
“Have you had too much blue ruin Sutherland? What exactly do you know about the fellow?”
“He seems honorable enough. Bennet has been keeping watch and has not reported anything untoward. He’s still a boy from what I can tell, obviously no prospects in life. He actually saved me from being pummeled by a drunkard hoping to ensure a position on my staff.”
The other man snorted and coughed, presumably choking on his drink. “He what?”
“That, my friend, is a story for another time. Now tell me, what has brought you out at this hour?”
There was a short pause in the conversation, and I felt myself inch closer to the door, eager to hear what Westover had to say.
“Right, well, since you plan on traveling to town, what I have to say is irrelevant. Though, I should warn you, your father appeared absurdly eager to see you when I saw him last at the Carlisle’s dinner last week.”
“What more could that blackguard want of me? I have already agreed to marry the chit.” Sutherland slammed his glass on one of the surfaces in the study, jolting me upright, hitting the side table behind me. Before I could prevent its inescapable fall, a resounding thud pierced the silence of the house. My pulse beat loudly in my ears, and my breathing increased tremendously.
I stumbled back into the wall, and watched in horror as I saw the knob of the study door turning.