Page 2 of A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance
“I just don’t like this feeling of being unable to do anything. I want to help in so many ways.” Caroline leaned on her knees and rested her head on her folded arms. William rubbed her back, and his hands on her sparked fire to the desire she had for him. She sat up and leaned towards him, placing a soft kiss to his lips.
“One day, William, we will be together. I just know it,” she asserted as she leaned back.
“As do I. I promise that there will come a day when I shall have your hand in marriage, regardless of our situation,” William replied. The way he gazed down into her eyes made her feel like she could give her life over to William and never have to worry about anything ever again.
“Now, my love. You must return home. Your evening ride has already been longer than what your parents would like. And I must return to my father.” William stood and lifted Caroline to her feet. Then, he guided her over to her horse and helped her get situated in the saddle.
“When shall we meet again?” Caroline asked, steering her horse back towards the narrow pass that led through the grove of trees surrounding the pond.
“I shall let you know when the time is best,” William assured her. “Now go. We’ll see each other soon enough.”
Caroline blew him a kiss from where she sat on her mare and then turned forward to urge her mount into a trot. Once they were clear of the trees, she pressed the horse into a full gallop, her heart filled with love for William. She raced back to her father’s stables, knowing she’d be expected for tea shortly.
But all her mind was worried about was the next time she’d find time to be alone with William, and how they ever were to be together forever.
Chapter 2
William never liked watching Caroline go. He had watched her from afar for so long that it almost pained him every time he sent her away. Eventually, William pulled himself onto his own mount and headed down the same narrow path. But when the tree line broke, he turned his tan gelding and headed towards his father’s small cottage.
It had been almost three years since he’d started working for the Earl of Venderbock. He knew it had been his attractive features that had landed him the position when he’d spoken to the butler of the house, Mr Westley.
He was good enough at following orders, often being the one assigned to the coach when the family was in need of the vehicle because he was the handsomer of all the footmen. The family liked to be seen with only the best, which was why William was selected to accompany the family or be present during dinner parties.
At first, William thought his good looks had been a curse. He had been hired quickly and put to work doing many various jobs where he would be seen. But when he started to develop feelings for the beautiful Caroline, he decided to try his luck and attempt to convey his feelings for her.
At first, he’d started with flirting with her whenever he got a chance. He’d speak to her before he was spoken to, often surprising her that he would be so bold to do so. And in return, he saw how intelligent and witty she could be. She would find all sorts of ways to avoid him or give him unusual commands. But he would always reply with the same words and smirk on his lips, “As you wish.”
Eventually, Caroline gave in to his persistence. His hard work had paid off. When he brought her flowers, she repaid him with a small kiss on his cheek before sending him away. It was hard to sneak Caroline small items of his endearment while they were together in the household. The Earl employed a large staff, and Caroline was very rarely allotted any time alone without having to succumb to the demands of her mother. Nevertheless, William still found time to woo her.
As William rode across the Earl’s lands to a small cottage on the other side of the village, he thought about his actions and what they would all amount to. He couldn’t deny his love for Caroline; it had only grown stronger with time. He wasn’t sure what would come of it, if anything.
The thought of her one day marrying someone else caused his innards to hurt. But he knew that Caroline would only grow more beautiful in the coming years and would no doubt enthral other lords that would be more appealing in her father’s eyes. William knew that he had to do something to gain Caroline’s hand in marriage, but with his father so ill, he had no idea how to do it.
After settling his horse in their small manger, William went inside the cottage and was soon greeted by Grendel, the widow who looked after her father. “How is he doing?” William asked as he shrugged off his coat and placed it on the hook by the door.
“He’s doing well today. He was moving about this morning and ate a hardy lunch. Now, he is resting,” Grendel explained. “Are you hungry?”
“I’ll take a small bite of cheese and bread. I’m needed back at the Earl’s manor for a dinner party this evening.”
“Would you like me to stay later?” Grendel asked as she fixed William a small plate of food.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I don’t like the idea of you walking home at night,” William said. She gestured towards him as though it was of no consequence, but even though the spring nights had grown warmer, he didn’t want to risk something happening to her on the dark roads.
As William sat and looked around his father’s cottage, he saw so many memories of his childhood. His mother playing with him by the fire on a winter’s night, the stones of the cottage seeming to radiate with the heat. Chestnuts roasted near the embers and they played with wooden figures while they waited for their special treat to be done.
His father would come in from the cold, happily displaying the meat he’d been able to capture that day. He was the village’s best hunters and had often been commissioned to help with local hunts or even lead them for all the lords in the neighbourhood.
But when his mother had died of a terrible cold, his father seemed to lose all the life in him. He hunted less, and made less money. Therefore, when William was old enough, he went to work. And when his father had captured a winter cold, William had been terrified he to lose his father, as well. But now, his father seemed plagued with a cough that never got better nor got any worse.
“I’d best be off, Grendel. Thank you again for all that you do,” William said as he stood from the dining table and set his plate in the dry sink. He’d take care of the dishes later. “I have to get back to the manor and dress for the dinner party.”
“I know it’s work, but try to have fun, William. You must fill your soul of good tidings and not worry so much about filling your pockets with coins.”
“I will do my best,” William offered as he left the cottage, making sure the door was securely shut behind him. The other families in the village knew his father was sick because he was heavily relied on to provide local meat to the village’s butcher. It made William nervous leaving him alone with Grendel. She wasn’t much protection against thieves or robbers. Not that they had much to offer such men.
William saddled up his gelding once more and head back towards the Earl’s manor. He took the back way as he approached the grand house, following the trail only for servants. There was a separate stable, separate entrance, and private men’s quarters for all the footmen.
He went the way he’d gone for the last three years and quickly collected his uniform from the wardrobe before he found his assigned room and changed. Though he rarely used the room, he still kept it clean and tidy, leaving his non-working clothes folded on the bed for when he’d return later, change, and head home once more.
