Page 3 of A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance
The moment he stepped out into the hallway and locked the door behind him, Mr Westley was walking by in a hurry. “Come along, William,” he said over his shoulder. “We must prepare for the guests.”
William didn’t respond but simply trailed after the butler, trusting the man to lead him in the right direction. He soon followed the older man into the common room for the servants. There, meals were served, and the servants of the household were able to gather for important meetings to understand the daily happenings of the household.
“Now that we are all assembled,” Mrs Franklin, the housekeeper, said once Mr Westley and William had entered the common room, “Lady Goldman is hosting a dinner party this evening with many families traveling in from town. Seems like it’s their way of enjoying the Season.”
William chuckled with the other servants at the comment, knowing how much the elite families loved to enjoy the Season to flaunt their wealth and status for all to see.
“Guests shall be arriving within the hour. Footmen are needed at the courtyard to help the guests inside and lead them to the drawing room. William, that means you.”
“Yes, Mrs Franklin,” William replied with a swift nod.
“Refreshments will be served, followed by dinner, followed by dancing and more refreshments. ‘Tis the same old, same old, so I don’t feel I need to repeat myself,” Mrs Franklin said with a sigh. William smirked, knowing how much Lord and Lady Goldman loved to host dinner parties. But William also understood that as the household’s favourite footmen, he’d be expected to be present for every part of the evening. He mentally prepared himself for a very long and exhausting night.
~*~
Caroline stood in her mother’s dressing room, waiting for her to ready so they could go down together. It had been her mother’s idea that they attend all social functions in this manner. It made Caroline feel dreadfully bored, because her mother always took her time readying and she was eager to go down and become lost in the drawing room amongst so many. Her parents would become distracted by who was in attendance, and she would be free to wander without needing to talk to anyone. She disliked these social functions immensely and thought the only good thing that would come of it is that she’d be able to see William and find ways to somehow become close to him throughout the evening.
“What has your thoughts so preoccupied?” Lady Goldman asked, causing Caroline to look up at her mother and see her eyes through the looking glass. She was seated in front of it as her lady’s maid fixed her hair into gorgeous curls.
“I was only thinking of this evening,” Caroline said as she forced a smile onto her face. “We will get to dine with several families that we don’t often get to see.”
“That is true,” Lady Goldman said with a chuckle. “Lord Canton, the Earl of Humdinck’s son, will be dining with us as well.” Caroline looked away from her mother’s reflection then, her heart pounding at the mention of the older man. Her parents had mentioned Lord Canton several times in the past as a possible match for her. She’d had no idea that he would be in attendance that evening. Did that mean something particular that she was unaware of?
“I’m looking forward to speaking with Miss Madeline and Miss Tera. They are wonderful young ladies my age that I do enjoy speaking with,” Caroline said, wanting to push the conversation away from Lord Canton.
“Yes, they are amiable enough ladies. But compared to you, they will not likely receive any offers. Your beauty surpasses most, and yet you are still so young. I dare say that you shall be married before you are sixteen.” Lady Goldman smiled happily at herself in the mirror, and Caroline was thankful because her mother couldn’t see the scowl on her face at the idea of marrying anyone but William.
It was a relief when her mother was finally ready. Together, they departed her dressing room in elegant gowns made of rich silk. Caroline liked the feeling of her new gown, a dark sapphire colour that brought out the blue in her eyes. Her mother was dressed in a lavender-coloured gown that made her dark brown hair seem lighter. Caroline had inherited her father’s features, and it made her wonder if it ever bothered her mother that her daughter looked more like him than her.
As Caroline walked down the hallway in her house slippers, she could hear the dinner guests talking below. She held onto her gown and raised it a bit so she could walk easily down the polished wooden stairs, their colour a dark mahogany. The one thing about her home that was true from room to room that it was smartly designed.
The first-level floors were cut from marble and polished to a point that she could see her reflection. Candles illuminated the house from chandeliers, candelabras, and even wall scants. The house glowed with candlelight as though it was midday instead of evening when the sun was mostly departed below the horizon.
“It sounds like splendour in there,” Lady Goldman said with excitement, her pace hurrying. Caroline didn’t try to keep up and instead took her time, not as eager as her mother to interact with others. As they neared, footmen stood at the ready outside the door with platters of refreshments. She spotted William in the line but did not smile at him or look at him for longer than what would be appropriate. If she did, it would be too obvious, and the servants would all chatter about her attachment.
As Caroline walked past him, she mentally wished him all of her love. She longed to be in his arms once more, pressing her mouth against his luscious lips. But for now, she would guard her heart against any other man in the drawing room and hope the evening would pass with a quickness.
Chapter 3
It didn’t take William long to discover why Lord and Lady Goldman had hosted this dinner party. As he served refreshments to all the lords and ladies, a kind smile always on his lips, he saw Caroline sitting amongst the throng with her mother by her side.
Her father was with the other married gentlemen in the room, while the eligible gentlemen seemed to swarm Caroline like she was a fine piece of cooked venison. It made William sick to his stomach since he knew Caroline was only sixteen. All these gentlemen were much older, and very repulsive in comparison.
William tried not to stare at Caroline for too long throughout the evening. But when he did look, he saw the permanent smile plastered onto her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. He could tell that she was putting on a show for these men, but in reality, she wasn’t loving the attention. In fact, he knew personally just how much she disliked social gatherings and being the centre of attention, even though her mother often craved it.
“Aren’t you a handsome devil?” came a young lady’s voice.
He looked over to see a woman approaching him. He lowered the silver serving tray towards her and smiled kindly.
“Thank you.” She took one of the small tarts and popped it into her mouth, never taking her eyes off of him. William was used to such flirting from the women that often came to the manor to attend such dinner parties. He’d been given all sorts of offers in the past but had remained loyal to the Earl.
When she was finished, he turned from her and continued on through the room till he was summoned to serve others. All the while, he remained cordial to all and kept eye on Caroline. How he wished to steal her away from everything she disliked and provide her with the life she desired. A simpler way of life, she had explained to him. One where she could focus on what she wanted most in life, which was to someday have a large family. Since they were both without any other sibling, they both desired this same thing.
“William, will you return to the kitchen and replenish this tray?” asked Marcus, one of the other footmen. He seemed to be concerned about something, by the way his eyebrows were furrowed together and sweat beaded his forehead.
“What’s wrong?” William asked in a soothing voice.
“I dearly need to use the privy,” Marcus explained. William sighed as he took the man’s tray and followed him quietly from the room through the servant’s door. As soon as they were free of the room, Marcus took off down the servant’s hallway while William hurried to gather another silver tray.
