Page 34 of Earl of Excess
“I know where you are going, Aunt. Please do not. I am eighteen years old, and Papa and Grandmère trained me to be accomplished. I went about my life. It was simply bad luck that I was at the plantation that morning, picking herbs. I knew the British had camped there and had hoped to come and go unseen. I almost accomplished it.” She grew quiet. “Now that I think on it, I recall nothing more than a slight cut in your hairline. It was not such that I needed to stitch it. I do not think you can even see it now, Matthew.”
Matthew guffawed. “I think we have digressed, and it was my fault. We did indeed go from the alligator chase to the battlefield.” He felt to his head. “Aunt Theodosia, what I recall is flashes of fire and light. And I may have hit something on my way down. I remember being shot. That is all.”
It was so nice to hear his warm laugh—a laugh that came from his belly. She watched his face as he talked, noticing how his lips moved. It had been too long since he had kissed her, and she craved his touch. Looking around the table, she noticed that Matthew and her aunt were now talking, but her grandmother was watching her, a slight grin on her face.
“Grandmère,” she said softly. “Can I help you with dinner? It’s been a long day, but my stomach is, once again, hungry. I brought a sack of dried pork and cheese.”
“I thought we might enjoy some crab,” Grandmère responded softly, also letting her sister and Matthew talk.
“I hope that Matthew’s eyes fully regain sight,” Bethany said, glancing back at her aunt. “I had hoped Aunt Theodosia could help him.”
“She may know what he needs. This is not an area that I am overly familiar with. Come, let us ready your beds while they finish talking.”
Bethany nodded, and she and her grandmother slipped down the hall to the linens. They took clean linens and blankets into the rooms. Her grandmother’s bed was fairly clean, so she left things as they were. Her aunt inherited the furnishings with the house. Each bed had wooden frames with mosquito netting surrounding them.
In the room Matthew would occupy, they took off the dust cover for the bed, carefully folding it, keeping the dust contained. After making the bed, her grandmother sat on the edge.
“Come here,mon petit,” she coaxed, patting the edge of the bed.
Bethany sat next to her and leaned her head onto her grandmother’s shoulder. “I missed you, Grandmère.”
“I missed you, as well. Papa’s and my little angel has grown up.” She looked at Bethany. “You did a good thing, Bethany. I am proud of you.”
“Thank you, Grandmère.”
“I am concerned for you, though. I see that your heart is engaged with this one,” Grandmère said, putting her arm around Bethany and tugging her close. “Hearts can be fickle things. They can make everything soar and make you feel immune to any pain. But when the heart breaks... everything appears bleak, and the physical ache can hurt worse than you would think.”
“We were good, Grandmère,” Bethany said. “He kissed me. And I do like him, very much. He asked me to go back with him,” she admitted.
“What did you say?” Grandmère probed.
“I said no. His family could not accept my type. I am not cultured, do not know of their society...”
“Pish,chérie. You are every bit the woman the ladies in England are. He should be lucky to win you. Promise to follow your heart.”
“Grandmère, I would only marry for love, and his offer mentioned nothing of his own heart. It felt like gratitude. I don’t want gratitude. I want what you and Papa had,” she admitted, pushing back a rogue tear.
“That is what I want for you, too,mon petit. I want you to have a life—wherever that may be—that makes you happy.”
“Thank you, Grandmère.” Bethany looked around the room. “I suppose we should get back to the others.”
Grandmère nodded.
The two women stood and walked back into the main room where her aunt and Matthew were still deeply involved in a conversation. She laughed to herself. Had they even noticed they had disappeared?
“Sister, we still have that delicious crab soup we made yesterday. I would be in favor of having it tonight if it would suit you,” Grandmère said.
“Yes. I think that would be marvelous. Let me help you in the kitchen.” Her aunt started to stand, but Bethany put her hand on her aunt’s shoulder, stopping her.
“No, Aunt Theo, you and Matthew stay here and let me help Grandmère.”
A short time later, the smell of bread wafted through the small house. Bethany walked into the room carrying a tray with a basket of the delicious baked good and set it on the table. She took a smaller dish and set it on the floor. “Dandie, I hate to pull you away from the fireplace, but if you are hungry, your supper is ready.” She watched her pet shake off her sleep and walk to the bowl, apparently gaining enthusiasm as she neared it. She bent over to eat, wagging her tail—which propelled her back end to move back and forth as she settled into the meal. It was always entertaining to watch.
Satisfied Dandie was happy, she turned to the others. “Grandmère has the soup heating. It should be ready in a minute. Matthew, would you be able to grab a couple of logs from behind the house for the fireplace? They are just outside the door.” She held her breath, realizing that she was asking a blind man to get wood.
“Certainly.” He stood with his cane and walked to the door.
She smiled, thinking about how easily he did that and noticing that he seemed different, somehow.
