Page 39 of Under the Seductive Ladys Charm
“I wish Lord Easterly all the best. He has done much good for my family, and me.” Charlotte thought of how the man had brought her brother’s body home, even though he had not had to. She could not scorn his invitation. “I shall visit them. After all, your husband shall be leaving abroad soon, and I do not wish to take away any time from you that you could use to spend with him.”
“You are very kind, Charlotte,” Mrs. Lennox said, and Charlotte smiled at the use of her given name. The woman was usually quite formal, but clearly, this was her way of saying she had grown to hold affection for Charlotte, and it warmed her heart to hear it.
Charlotte embraced the woman in a hug that caused much merriment from Mrs. Lennox as the woman hugged her back. “I shall miss our talks.”
“I shall miss them as well. Now, you must get ready for your visit. If for any reason you need to stay with us longer, please do not hesitate.” Mrs. Lennox stepped away and gave Charlotte a smile. “Come, let us write a letter in return to Lord Easterly and then we shall set about making arrangements.”
Charlotte nodded. They sat down and wrote the letter with little trouble. Mrs. Lennox was an astute and knowledgeable woman when it came to social interactions. It was easy to do things with her guidance.
It was not until they had finished, and Mrs. Lennox went to have the letter sent off via messenger, that Charlotte became nervous. Amanda would certainly be ill with her as she had left so abruptly. Charlotte wished now that she had had the courage to reach out to Amanda and mend things.
Lord Easterly would have certainly made excuses in her stead, as he had for Amanda to Charlotte. But Amanda probably took them to heart as little as Charlotte had. No. She knew Amanda had not said those words or sent those warm regards.
Charlotte pushed down the nervousness that welled up. She would be fine. Lord Easterly would not invite her to come back if he thought it would cause trouble, would he? She was sure he would not.
She looked at her room here at Mrs. Lennox’s. Being here had been so peaceful. She did not know if she could truly take Amanda if the woman began treating her as just another servant again.
Perhaps Amanda had never truly viewed her as a friend? Charlotte could only speculate, and her father had always looked down on such things. Creating rumours and conspiracies in one’s mind never led anywhere good, so they were best avoided.
Charlotte set to work on arranging her clothes so that she would be ready when they received word from Lord Easterly’s household. She was determined to keep her mind clear and on the task at hand.
When Mrs. Lennox returned she handed Charlotte a letter. “The courier had just brought this as I was about to send the letter to Lord Easterly.”
Charlotte took the envelope and broke the seal. She did not readily recognise the family crest. Her question was answered when she saw the letterhead was that of the Earl of Brunswick.
Lord Stanhope had written to invite her to a tea party at his family estate. Charlotte’s heart leapt at the thought of it. She might not have been in love with the man, but she did find him exciting.
She smiled at the letter and ran her finger along Lord Stanhope’s signature. “I have been invited to a tea party by Lord Stanhope.”
Mrs. Lennox smiled. “Sounds promising, that is if you deem to go?”
“I find Lord Stanhope a pleasant and entertaining companion. I think a tea party sounds like fun.” Charlotte folded the letter back up together. “I shall need to tell him of my changing address.”
Mrs. Lennox waved her hand as if to dismiss such a thing. “You can simply tell him when you send the RSVP, or you can tell him when you attend the party. He certainly will not send you a correspondence before then.”
Charlotte nodded as she put the letter on her dressing table. “I suppose I shall just keep myself busy with getting organised.”
“Do you need any help? I or one of the maids could certainly pitch in?” Mrs. Lennox rubbed her hands together as if she were eager to get started.
Charlotte gave the woman a smile. “Thank you. I do not truly have that much to pack, and I do not know how long it will be before we hear from Lord Easterly. I think I can manage.”
“If you need anything you know where to find me,” Mrs. Lennox said as she conceded with a gracious incline of her head.
It took two days to receive a reply from Lord Easterly. He would have a carriage sent to bring her to their estate in two days’ time. Charlotte did not mind that. She was ready to go and only had to pack away the few dresses she had used in the last few days.
The tea party would be the morning after her return to the Easterly family. She did not know how that would work out. She did not know if Amanda had given up her designs on Lord Stanhope and she felt a twinge of guilt.
Charlotte stamped the guilt down. She did not have a thing to be guilty for. She was just as worthy of the man as Amanda, and it was Amanda’s fault she had originally crossed paths with him anyway.
*
Amanda was fuming. Not only had her brother the audacity to invite Charlotte to live with them again, now she found out that Charlotte was also invited to Lord Stanhope’s party. She glared across the breakfast table at Charlotte.
“I do not know why you even wish to go, Lotte. These things are usually dreadfully droll.” Amanda sipped her mint tea and eyed Charlotte.
Charlotte’s big doe eyes looked at Amanda, and for the life of her, Amanda thought there could never be a duplicitous thought in the woman’s head. Yet, Amanda knew otherwise now. Despite Charlotte’s claims that she saw nothing for herself and Lord Stanhope in the future, the woman was eager enough to accept the gentleman’s offers.
Charlotte sighed and put her teaspoon down on her saucer. “Why is it so important to you that I do not go?”
