Page 4 of A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance
“Hey there, William!” Cook called as he came into the kitchen. “You don’t usually make runs.”
“Yes, I know. Marcus needed a hand so I’m here to take back another to the drawing room,” William explained.
“Well, don’t be gone for long,” Cook encouraged. “Everyone knows you’re the favourite footmen.”
She chuckled as she returned to the stove. Her many assistants bustled around the kitchen and William made sure to stay out of their way. They were all busy preparing the seven-course meal, and the last thing William wanted to do was disturb the flow of the kitchen.
As William carried the full tray back to the drawing room, he took a deep breath. He was grateful for the well-paying staff position, and he often laughed at the idea that his good looks did so well for him. But the one thing that was really starting to aggravate him were these dinner parties, where Caroline’s parents placed so many eligible men before her. William decided that tonight he’d have to think up a plan, or he could very well lose the love of his life.
~*~
Caroline knew she should be grateful. She was in a lovely drawing room with plush green carpets, elegant floral paper covering the walls, and the latest designed furniture from France. She sat comfortably on a settee with her mother as she chatted happily with all the gentlemen that had positioned themselves around them.
She smiled and talked with them all, especially when she was specifically addressed. But on the inside, she hated having all this attention on her. She knew these men were only trying to convince her that they were the best in the room, the most desirable option.
Sitting in the chair next to her was Lord Canton himself. He was an older man, perhaps even her father’s age, with hair the colour of coal. He was smartly dressed in a fine dinner jacket, black with black embroidery.
His clothes, the cuffs on his muslin shirt, the shine on his boots—this was all a testament to his wealth, and soon to be even greater wealth when his father passed the earldom to him. Lord Canton had a smile for Caroline every time she looked his way, but the look did little for her.
“Lady Goldman, when do you think you and your family will come to town for a Season?” Lord Canton asked. Caroline watched him carefully, wondering what the question would imply. It seemed to be the only thing that really kept her focus during a social gathering. She loved to figure out what a person meant by their statements, what underlying motive they might have. After all, the elite always had a motive for everything they did.
“Well, my daughter is but sixteen. Perhaps in a year or two she will be better prepared for a Season,” Lady Goldman replied with a bright smile.
“It’s hard to imagine that Miss Goldman is so young,” Lord Canton said as he looked towards her, a smirk on his lips. “She is a vision of beauty and has such a good disposition.”
“That is very kind of you to say,” Lady Goldman spoke. This was one of the things Caroline hated most—how everyone would talk around her about her, but never to her. She was respected hardly more than a horse being sold at auction.
Caroline looked across the room as the gentlemen talked around her, addressing her mother more than she. Caroline spotted the other young ladies sitting together, most of them leaning towards one another as they whispered. She saw their eyes on her and she wondered what they thought of her.
Did they envy her, or were they all displeased that she was getting all the attention while they were forced to sit alone? Caroline would give anything to be sitting with them and allowing one of them to choose who would be best to be subjugated to these men’s practically pawing eyes. They saw only her beauty and nothing more.
Only once did Caroline dare to find William in the crowd. As their eyes locked, her heartbeat seemed to still for that one moment. She wanted to rise to her feet and flee with William, despite how scandalous it would be or how furious her parents would become. She wanted to be happy and with the man she loved.
Caroline watched as one of the ladies, the wife of a viscount if she remembered correctly, approached William and broke their eye contact. William smiled down at the woman as he served her, like he was trained to do. After all, he was only serving in the drawing room because he was the favourite footman. But Caroline noted the way the woman batted her eyelashes at William and appeared to be flirting with him. Joy soared in her chest as William eventually turned away from her to serve another, as though unaffected by the advancement. She truly knew that William was in love with her and would have eyes for no one else.
Eventually, dinner was served, and Caroline got a break from all of the attention. She enjoyed the short walk from the drawing room to the dining room as she followed after her parents. But when she went to sit down next to her mother, her father suggested she sit across instead.
“Lord Canton wishes to sit next to you for the meal,” Lord Goldman explained. Caroline stared at him for a moment but eventually moved to the other side of the table. There, she would be pinned down by her father on the right as he sat at the head of the table, and Lord Canton on the left. She thought it was the most intolerable way to dine, since one of her close acquaintances had sat down on the other side and she did dearly wish to sit next to her and enjoy a bit of female conversation with someone closer to her own age.
“How have you been enjoying your evening?” Lord Canton asked as he took to the seat to her right. The idea that he was going to bother her with conversation all evening didn’t settle well with Caroline.
“It’s been a pleasant evening,” she replied as others came into the room and were seated. And the moment they were all sat, the footmen came forward to serve the first course. Caroline looked over her shoulder and saw that William had taken the position of serving her that evening. She felt delighted to have him close to her that night and could dearly use his strength in getting through the rest of the evening.
“You know, you don’t have to lie to me,” Lord Canton said, leaning in close and speaking rather softly.
“Whatever do you mean?” Caroline asked in the same tone as she picked up her spoon and began to prepare herself a sip of the bone broth with lentils.
“I can see the way you smile, how it’s forced. You do not love all the attention that has been bestowed upon you,” he said, his voice sounding amused. Caroline considered his words for a moment and wondered if she should respond at all.
“I believe the other young ladies present deserve some of the attention from the eligible gentlemen,” Caroline reasoned.
“I agree with you. You must feel so overwhelmed by it all,” Lord Canton replied between sips of soup.
“On the contrary, I am not overwhelmed. Instead, I find it all rather boring,” Caroline admitted, wondering just how bold she could be with this man.
“Then, Miss Goldman, what would you prefer to be doing, if not talking, dining, and dancing with others of your status?”
“I love to read and draw,” Caroline explained. “I could spend hours doing both.”
