Page 14 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
“Actually, we were wondering if we might speak with Miss Jennings?” Lord Galbury mustered the ghost of a smile.
Very good, My Lord. I suppose you think this means you have the upper hand over me.Victoria once again found herself being pushed down on the scale of priority, for the butler had not so much as looked at her again, now he had seen Lord Galbury.
“Miss Jennings? Of course, My Lord.” The butler dipped into a bow. “Is this in regards to what happened to Lady Helena?”
“It is,” Lord Galbury replied.
“Then I will bring her to you at once.” The butler ushered them inside and deposited them in the drawing room. Another grand display of fortune that Victoria simply did not care for, though she still rather liked the aesthetic that Lord Galbury had selected forhisdrawing room. This one gave an air of gloomy, old money. All drab oil paintings and dimmed colors.
The pair perched on opposite seats as they waited for Miss Jennings to arrive. It annoyed Victoria to admit it, but having Lord Galbury here did come with its benefits. She could only imagine how long she might have spent on the front step, trying to gain entry, if she had come alone. Indeed, she would not have even known who Miss Jennings was, or the important role she had in their investigation, if it had not been for Lord Galbury.
This does not mean you can get in the way of our pursuit, however. If you say or do anything to divert my questioning, I will not be pleased.She didn’t say it aloud, for she wanted to maintain the companionable silence for a while longer. It gave her time to watch Lord Galbury, and study him further. He tapped his fingertips on the armrest and looked about the room, but he didn’t look uncomfortable. Merely pensive.
“Do you know the Haverstocks well?” Victoria broached some conversation, while they waited.
“In passing,” Lord Galbury replied. “During the season, the majority of those with London homes happen to see each other here and there, at one soirée or another.”
“How nice that must be.” Victoria dug her fingernails into her palms. “Tell me, do you ever wander outside this world? Do you ever see the lives of those less fortunate?”
Lord Galbury looked sheepish. “I confess, I have not. When my mother and father still lived, we resided mostly at our residence in Cornwall, leaving the exploits of London to itself. I only came here because…” he stopped abruptly, his voice hitching. “Well, because my home in Cornwall no longer felt like a home without them.”
Victoria immediately felt guilty for having slighted him, albeit subtly. He’d suffered, and just because his suffering didn’t equate to that of the poor, that didn’t negate his right to pain. Death couldn’t care less if a person had money or status or power… it came for them all the same, and those who remained were left to contend with the loss.
“You sound as if you cared for them deeply?” Victoria prompted softly.
He smiled so sadly that it almost broke her heart, though it was made of sterner stuff than that. “They were everything to me, and everything to each other. I have never seen, nor do I think I shall ever see, two people so wholly in love. When my mother passed, I sensed my father would not be long for this world. His life didn’t make sense without her. He told me as much, when she took ill.”
“I am sorry for your loss.” Victoria folded her hands in her lap. “Tell me, do you and Lady Helena share the same affection? You must be eager to have her returned safely.”
His brow furrowed. “I am desperate to have her safely returned, but… no, I should not say.”
“Please, go on,” she urged.
He hesitated, before continuing. “The relationship that Lady Helena and I share is a complex one. We have known each other since we were children, and our families often shared summers and Christmases together. As for love… I am fond of Lady Helena, and she is fond of me, but it is more of a friendship. I am protective of her, as a brother may be. However, it is not the same as the love my mother and father shared. They were fortunate to have found one another.”
“Is that enough to wed a person?” Victoria genuinely wanted to know. She had observed the strange courtship rituals of high society with great amusement, for it made little sense to her. Very few married for love. So why marry at all? Marriage, in her mind, should be a union of mutual adoration, not a business transaction. That’s why she had never entertained the idea, for she knew she couldn’t love any man as much as she loved her employ, and they would no doubt ask her to desist if she were to become a wife.
Lord Galbury shrugged. “It is better than feeling no affection at all. There are many young ladies and gentlemen who enter into marriage, hardly knowing the person they may marry, or knowing them, and hating the idea altogether.”
“But you are an Earl, are you not? Why not find a young lady youdolove and marry her instead?”
Lord Galbury emitted an exasperated sigh. “That is not how things are done. I’ve been betrothed to Lady Helena since we were children, and it is my duty to keep the promise that my mother and father made to her mother and father.”
“Forgive me for being brusque, but that’s entirely stupid. How can you be happy in that circumstance? How can Lady Helena? Surely, that misplaced sense of duty is robbing you both of the chance to discover true love?” She chuckled tightly. “If such a thing exists, anyway.”
“Did your mother and father not love one another?” Lord Galbury jumped on the defensive.
Victoria shrugged. She had no reason to sugarcoat the truth. “They tolerated one another, and were occasionally affectionate, but I imagine they would’ve been happier with other people. My mother would claim otherwise, but I’m not convinced. You see, my father was like me—he favored his employment above all else.”
“Then, is that not equally as sad as the idea of marrying someone out of duty?”
Hmmm… an interesting point.
“Maybe.” Victoria was about to say more, when the door to the drawing room opened and a mousy older woman, with graying hair and nervous eyes, entered. She dipped into an awkwardly low curtsy upon seeing Lord Galbury but paid little mind to Victoria.
As per usual…
“My Lord, I hear you wanted to speak with me?” Miss Jennings trembled before him, as if he were a mighty king instead of a marginally imposing human being.
