Albert took his drink and sipped it, rolling his eyes.
“She’d be better off with young Henry, I fear,” he said.
Neil gave him a dumbfounded look.
“I almost believed that there was nothing between the two of you,” he said. “But after today, I realise that one would have to be blind to not see how attracted the two of you are to one another, and how much you like her.”
Albert shook his head.
“I know you and Rachel liked her,” he said. “And I do not blame you. She is a very lovely person, very sweet and warm.”
Neil nodded, looking at Albert expectantly.
“She is a gem of a woman, Albert,” he said. “I really think you would be happy with her.”
Albert shrugged.
“So?” he asked. “You read those papers, same as I did. Does it really matter if I would be happy with her? There’s no way she’d ever be happy with me.”
It was Neil’s turn to shrug.
“Why don’t you let her decide that?” he asked. “The ton has no business poking around in your business. I’m telling you, Albert. You must take a chance on finding happiness again, with her. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Martha awoke feeling sad the following morning. It was going to take her some time to adjust to not seeing Isabel when she went down for breakfast every morning. She even already missed all the excited chatter about her cousin’s wedding. She was happy that her cousin was now living the life of her dreams. But she thought it would take a long time before she could be delighted for her cousin without feeling a sense of wistfulness.
When Lily came to help her dress, she chose her favorite painting clothes: a plain brown dress with a tan smock and large pockets on both. She didn’t quite know what she was going to paint just then. But she knew that painting would help ease her loneliness and settle her thoughts. After Lily tied back her hair and protected it with her big, plain brown bonnet, Martha made her way upstairs and to her little art studio.
“Would you like for me to bring you a breakfast tray?” Lily asked.
Martha nodded.
“That would be wonderful,” she said.
While Lily went to get the tray, Martha rummaged through her watercolors. It wasn’t until she picked up the chestnut color that inspiration struck her. She gathered up the chestnut, as well as white, black, red, gray, and two other shades of brown; one lighter and one darker than the original. She grabbed a few more; enough to sufficiently paint a picture of a horse and a young boy. Then, with a bright smile, she readied her paint pallet and charcoals, and began sketching.
Lily left the tray wordlessly when she saw her mistress sketching away. Martha was too focused to concern herself with the food right then. She was excited about her latest painting idea. She wasn’t sure where the painting would end up, but she knew that she wanted to finish it as soon as she could. She told herself that she would eat as soon as she had finished the preliminary sketch of the animal and the boy.
However, she was well into her painting before she realized she had forgotten it. That wasn’t what mattered to her, however. She was deep in thought about her painting. The inspirations for the painting were Lord Billington’s great love for horses, and young Henry. She had noticed that the viscount had loved the boy almost as much as his own parents did. And she could just imagine little Henry standing beside a majestic horse, preparing to mount the animal.
Lunch passed her by, and she was busy chewing her lip. She wanted the painting to be as perfect as she could make it, as she hoped that Lord Billington and Henry both would see it. She could imagine it hanging in one of the rooms of her new home, after she married Lord Billington. She couldn’t help smiling as she imagined the expression of interest and awe on her future husband’s face. It was the first thing she had ever considered doing for him, and she was thrilled to do it.
When Lily came to fetch her to get ready for the ball that evening, she clucked her tongue.
“Miss Elwood,” she scolded gently, staring down at the wasted breakfast tray. “You haven’t eaten a thing all day.”
Martha looked at her sheepishly, but she was smiling, pleased with the progress she had made with the painting throughout the day.
“I lost track of time,” she said apologetically, quickly cleaning up her mess and removing her paint covered smock.
Lily took the apron and shook her head.
“Come,” she said. “I have your bath ready. While you bathe, I shall make you a tray of snacks. You must eat something before you go to this ball, or you will surely faint.”
Martha giggled at her maid’s concern, but she nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “But not enough to ruin my appetite.”
