Page 20 of A Victim, A Viscount, And Miss Mifford
It was an unexpected question, and it took Jane a moment to reply. No one had ever thought to ask her if she longed for anything more than what she had; if she desired to be more than a daughter who hoped to be a wife. While touched by his interest in her, Jane found that she was too shy to reveal her deepest wishes, so she answered lightly.
"I should like one day to see the sea," she said, her words inspired somewhat by her earlier thoughts on his eyes.
"You have never seen it?" Lord Crabb raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I have never been farther than Bath," Jane laughed, "I suppose I must seem provincial to you, who is so well travelled."
"You are far from provincial, Miss Mifford," the viscount replied, "You might have said that you wished to own a dozen dresses purchased on Bond Street, or to see Prinny parade along The Row, but you chose the sea—a thing which stretches the whole world. You are a lady of great ambition, I think."
Jane flushed at his praise; that she had only envisioned herself dipping a toe into the surf at Weston was not something she would now share with the viscount. It was rare for Jane to see herself through someone else's eyes, and she was rather taken by the way Lord Crabb looked at her—like someone worldly and worthy, rather than a woman on the brink of being placed on the shelf.
The air, Jane realised, had suddenly become heavy with something unknown. She felt rather strange; excited and giddy, yet nervous all at once. She longed to question him in turn, to learn of his travels, his hopes and his dreams, but a sudden shyness prevented her from reaching out.
"Nora, our maid, is a little bit in love with Mr Bennett," Jane said, abruptly changing the conversation's direction, "I shall endeavour to find out what she knows of him."
"Capital idea," Lord Crabb replied.
If he was taken aback by Jane's volte-face, he did not show it. His handsome face was unreadable, his eyes trained on the path ahead.
"Are you of a mind to think that Nora knows a lot about this Mr Bennett?" his lordship questioned, thoughtfully.
"I would wager that she knows what he had for his breakfast," Jane smiled, "She's really quite determined when she puts her mind to something."
"So, you shall take Nora aside and see what she knows," he agreed, "And I will attempt to discover if there was any disharmony between the late Lord Crabb and any of his staff."
"I will keep an ear out for that too," Jane offered, for she was not terribly confident that he would make much headway amongst the servants. Lord Crabb did not seem to realise that his new position had placed him so far above his staff that they would be reluctant to share their—or anyone else's—secrets with him. He held so much power that it was only natural that those beneath him might be distrustful.
"I will send word to Plumpton Hall, if I discover anything," Jane finished, for they had reached the point where the path diverged. She would go left to Lower Plumpton, allowing Lord Crabb to continue on straight.
"Very good," the viscount said, "Perhaps, though, I shall see you before then; I have been meaning to ask your father if you and your family would care to dine with me at the Hall."
"That's very kind of you."
"It's expected of me," Lord Crabb replied, his words stiff but his cheeks remarkably pink, "Your father does, after all, hold the living here. It has been remiss of me not to invite you all sooner."
If Jane had regarded herself as a catch, she might have suspected that there was an ulterior motive to Lord Crabb's invitation, besides getting to know her father better. As it was, she was too humble to even acknowledge that she alone might have inspired the viscount to invite the Mifford family en masse to dine with him.
"My mother will be delighted," Jane smiled in response, though her smile faltered a little bit as she realised that meant Mrs Mifford and Lord Crabb would be in the same room for an extended period, "She is—er—a very enthusiastic woman, don't be alarmed when you first meet her."
"I am certain she will be every bit as charming as her daughter," Lord Crabb replied, sincerely.
He then tipped his cap to Jane, before remounting his steed and taking off along the path at a brisk canter.
Jane's stomach sank a little as she watched him go; his sincere belief in Mrs Mifford was rather misplaced. Her Mama was many things, but restrained was not one of them, and she would see an invitation for her daughters to dine with the viscount as tantamount to a marriage proposal.
Heaven only knew how she would behave in Plumpton Hall, Jane thought miserably, as she traipsed back to Primrose Cottage.
At home, all was quiet; Mrs Mifford had taken Emily and Eudora to Cirencester in the gig for market day. As Daisy, the family nag, was old and temperamental, it was anyone's guess when they might return.
"Hello," Jane called out.
Her greeting was met by one from her father, who was ensconced in his library, under the stairs.
"I am attending to the family finances," Mr Mifford answered in reply, when Jane asked if he would like to take tea with her, "Or, rather, what's left of them. Your mother appears to think that it is she who is now a duchess, not Mary, judging by the money she has spent this last month."
Mr Mifford slashed his quill across the ledger, in a decidedly irritated manner, and Jane decided it was best not to press him on the subject of tea.
She retreated quietly from the library, and made for the kitchen, but as she approached, she heard the sound of voices within. One voice was Nora's, but the other Jane could not place—though it was definitely male.
