Page 7 of A Lady's Passion Knows No Distance
“William, please be careful,” his father said as he was about to walk out. William turned and looked at him, seeing the tears in his eyes. William nodded, mustering up a smile for him. Then, he left his father’s room and asked Grendel to go to the apothecary for more medicines.
“Go on with you, then,” Grendel said as they were done talking. “I can take care of things here.”
“You are a Godsend,” William told her with a smile before he left the cottage and made his way to the grand estate. It was sometimes hard working for the Earl when he would leave his simple cottage and travel to such a fine home. William wished he could provide something similar for his father, be able to afford the best medicine in all of England. He would even feel better if he had wealth so he could give Caroline a similar home to what she was already used to. But as William travelled around the village to reach the Earl’s estate, all he felt was dread at the idea of being close to Caroline and not being able to really be with her.
~*~
The days seemed to pass by in a blur for Caroline. She attended social function after social function just to appease her parents. During the day, she had tea with neighbouring lords and their families. Most of the families would have an eligible son in attendance, forcing Caroline, the only eligible woman in the room, to keep the man company.
In the evening, it was varying dinner parties. Sometimes, her parents would host the social affair, and on other nights she was led out of the house and into the carriage to travel to the home of another lord. But no matter what she was forced to do, Caroline was paired with every eligible gentleman in the entire region.
After a time, her father started to gain more requests for her hand in marriage. And each time, she would refuse them. She did not want to marry anyone other than William and would keep buying time for as long as she could. She knew eventually that either her parents would die, giving her the opportunity to marry whomever she chose, or she would be forced to marry someone she did not like.
“Lord Canton is coming to dinner tonight,” her mother announced as she came into the sitting room and disturbed Caroline, who was trying to lose herself in a good book.
She often did this when she felt overwhelmed and stressed. And it was during these times that she longed for William to come to her, to give her a bouquet of wildflowers from the banks of the pond where they visited each other. It was his sign of saying they could meet again at the pond, but with her busy social schedule and William needing to be with his sickly father every chance he got, they hadn’t had time to see each other in private lately.
“Thank you for letting me know, Mother,” Caroline said, unmoved by the announcement. She looked down at her book and tried to continue reading. But after a moment, she realized that her mother hadn’t moved from the room and was still standing there.
With a sigh, she closed her book and set it aside, giving her mother her full attention.
“There is a new ballgown in your wardrobe. You will wear it tonight, along with the new set of pearls and jewel-encrusted bracelets. They are gifts from Lord Canton, and you should honour him by wearing them tonight,” her mother explained. She folded her hands in front of her and peered down at Caroline as though she was a servant to command.
“I wouldn’t want to give Lord Canton the wrong impression. I have a very lovely yellow silk gown that I would prefer to wear,” Caroline said, not wanting to argue with her mother, but not willing to be ordered around, either.
“Caroline, you must understand that Lord Canton is your best option. He is the son of an earl. You’ll live a life similar to the one you have now. You shall never be in want of anything, for you shall have it all,” her mother said, her voice rising as she stepped into the room. “Give me one reason why you should not accept his offer.”
“Because I am in love with another,” Caroline said, standing to her feet suddenly and startling her mother. The woman looked at her with wide eyes, but then a smile came to her face, surprising Caroline.
“Really? You have fallen in love with someone? Then why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, coming to Caroline and taking her daughter’s hands in hers with glee in her eyes.
“I don’t know if the man returns my affections,” Caroline lied, knowing she shouldn’t have spoken up. Now her mother would demand to know who, and she knew that if she really did tell her that she’d fallen in love with a footman, it would go rather poorly.
“Do I at least know him?” she asked, seeming excited.
“Yes, Mother. You do know him. I was simply waiting a bit longer to see if things would work out between us,” Caroline said, reclaiming her hands and folding them in front of her. “I would be afraid to offend him if I wore the gifts of another man.”
“Sure, sure. I completely understand,” Lady Goldman said as Caroline stepped past her. “But you should surely tell me the man’s name so I can invite him to dinner and encourage him.”
“I will consider it, Mother. But for now, I wish to be alone.” Caroline looked at her mother for a moment, wondering if she should just tell the truth. But she decided it was best to hold her tongue and turned away, hurrying to the comforts of her bedchamber and regretting ever saying anything at all.
“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t,” she muttered to herself as she made her way up the stairs, dreading the idea of spending another evening with Lord Canton.
However, when she returned to her room and found a bouquet of wildflowers on her bed, her heart soared. She knew the time had finally come that she could go and meet William. Quickly, she dressed in her riding clothes and made her way quietly out of the house and towards the stables.
Now was her chance to finally feel at peace, if only for a short while.
Chapter 5
William stood on the edge of the pond, knowing he wasn’t needed back at the estate until the household was preparing for dinner. There would be another dinner party and all the servants had been talking about Lord Canton’s undoubted proposal to Caroline during the course of the meal.
William had panicked when he’d heard the news, collecting a bouquet of flowers for Caroline in a hurry and even sneaking into her room to leave them for her in a place only she would find them. It had all been rather risky, but he knew he needed to talk to her at least once before tonight.
The sound of a galloping horse approaching filled his ears, and he turned his head to see Caroline hurrying towards him. She didn’t even wait till her mare had stopped before she slid off the saddle and ran into his arms. He clasped his arms around her, holding her tight and wishing he would never have to let go. He wanted this moment, of him holding her tenderly, to go on forever—as if time could stop for the both of him.
“I’ve missed this,” she whispered to him, raising her head so they could look into each other’s eyes. He could get lost in the depths of her brown eyes and spend hours running his hands through her golden locks. She was indeed beautiful, and no doubt why Lord Canton sought her out though she was still considered young. Any man would be proud to have such a beauty for a wife.
“I’ve missed you so much, Caroline. Being close to you every day but being unable to touch you has almost been like becoming mad or crazed. I long to be with you each day, and every day I try to think of a way for us to be together forever,” William said, placing kisses on her hair as he spoke.
