Page 18 of The Baroness of Sin
Thus, the shock of her servants when they brought a message from Lord Barristen a few days later was understandable as she snatched it right from them in a very unladylike fashion. Only after she opened and read the invitation did she apologize to the footman. She sent him to retrieve her sister for her immediately afterward.
Emma arrived looking both flustered and perturbed. “What is it, Martha? The footman looked absolutely flustered. Is this something dire?”
“Not dire, sister. We’ve been invited to dinner at Barristen Manor, and we need to arrange a date,” Martha told her sister excitedly.
“We have? He was only just here the other night. I understand that he is close by, but he has other matters to attend to as a Lord, I would surmise,” Emma said while she made what Martha felt was a judgmental expression.
“It is only proper to him to extend the gesture in return for ours, is it not?” Martha pouted, not liking her sister ruining the good mood the invitation had put her in.
“It is quite proper, in due time. You have seen him on multiple occasions recently,” Emma cautioned. “I have no issue with you spending time with the lord. I think he is a fine and upstanding gentleman, but people will start to talk if you aren’t careful.”
“Don’t people talk no matter what is done in any fashion? It seems to me that is what the ton is good for,” Martha snapped.
“Maybe, but actions have consequences, regardless of if they are fair or just,” Emma said with a sigh.
“Are you saying you don’t want to go?” Martha finally asked straight out.
“No,” Emma huffed, understanding that she could do little to dissuade her sister. “No, I would like to go. I strongly suggest we request a date a little farther off. If not for your state, then for Lord Barristen’s. The gentleman may be smitten with you, but he still has an Earldom to tend to.”
Martha was vexed. Outside her own desires, which had no merit in this conversation, she had no reason to justify meeting sooner. As frustrated as she was, she penned a letter requesting a date for two weeks from that one.
Chapter Fourteen
Examined from the outside, the plight that faced both the Lady of Carrington and the Lord of Barristen for a whole fortnight would have seemed like a secret tragedy, a shadow that hung over both their hearts. In reality, if others had known the real reason why the non-couple were so despondent, they would have, at best, traded jests at their expense or, at worse, ridiculed them. And while the pair’s behavior might not be able to be labelled as “mature”, there does exist a specific term for the condition they suffered: lovesickness.
No one in the household understood directly the reasoning for James' dreary mood, and, arguably, that was to his detriment. James was well loved amongst his staff and servants, and to see their lord struggling made their hearts heavy. So, for the duration, James was subject to many small gestures by the men and women around him to lighten his mood.
All James longed to do was see Lady Carrington, so his mood wasn’t as dark as it appeared. This made the gestures both endearing and somewhat comical at first. His favorite meals were served, and small gifts were given to Amanda to give to him. The problem was that his mood could not be elevated until the dinner came to fruition. Thus, the staff became more desperate to find something to help the Lord.
This meant one day he had a full table of out-of-season sweets waiting for him for dessert after dinner, and the next he had to listen to a rather lengthy, bawdy joke from Mr. Page. While he enjoyed the intent of these gestures, he made sure the cook, Nann, didn’t let Amanda fill up on the sweets, a full-time job if anyone asked her, and he insisted that Mr. Page promise to never tell the joke again, much to the delivery man’s amusement.
James could not deny that he felt cared for. He also could not deny, while not precisely the involved parties’ intent, that the interesting week went by slightly faster for the sake of his activities. James always felt confident that while Barristen Manor was a great many things, it was never boring. This was very much how he liked it, despite how his sensibilities, or his claims, might sometimes indicate otherwise.
* * *
Martha’s week, on the other hand, was much more tumultuous. Emma was there for her daily luncheon visit when she informed Martha that their brother and aunt would be coming to London for a visit.
“You say that with such a sense of foreboding,” Martha laughed lightly. “I will be happy to see Benjamin and Aunt Barbara. Family is one of the few treasures I have left in this world.”
“You don’t understand. It would appear that you haven’t been as discrete as you thought. Benjamin is coming because he has been hearing... rumors about you behaving in a manner unbefitting a lady and a widow.” Emma chewed her bottom lip as she spoke, a terrible habit she had for expressing nervousness since when she was young.
Martha was dumbstruck. “How would he find out? We haven’t even socialized in public. Who could have told him?”
Emma chewed her lip a moment more before becoming defensive. “I can assure you that I didn’t.”
Martha nodded, “I never suspected. That's what's so astounding. If not you, then who could it have even been?”
“Perhaps one of the staff?” Emma ventured.
“Who among them would feel the need to inform our family?” Martha countered.
“It may not have been intentional. Gossip travels quickly and with little regard to truth or origin. I cannot even rightly say what Benjamin has heard; all I know is that he is unhappy, and he is coming here to address it.”
Martha let out a long-frustrated sigh. “Why has he not written to me directly?”
“He had sent word in a letter, asking me about any rumors I had heard on the matter and mentioned coming in response. He may have drafted a letter for you but…” Emma trailed off.
She didn’t need to finish her thought; both of them knew what Benjamin was like. They both loved their brother dearly, but he had their father’s religious devotion with none of the empathy or wisdom that came with age. This made Benjamin seem rigid and uptight, even if he had the best of intentions. Chances were he purposely did not send a message ahead, intending to surprise Martha and not give her an opportunity to hide any of her supposed misdeeds.
