Page 9 of The Brooding Duke's Fateful Letter
Charlotte leaned toward the door in order to better hear what the conversation between her nanny and the maid servant at the door might be about. She leaned a little too much. Her feet that were under her chair could not find a place to stand with the fabric of her dress in the way. She corrected herself and was seated properly when her nanny returned.
“Your father wishes to see you in his study.” She announced. “Go…” she added when Charlotte did not react to the news as she would have wanted.
“Thank you Nanny. It is an improvement over this boring playing,” she said merrily as she made her escape.
I wonder what father wants? I do hope he will take me on another voyage with him. Charlotte wondered as she happily made her way to her father.
This might be about what I heard them speak about earlier. Surely they didn’t mean immediately! Charlotte gave it some thought as she took pause just before her father’s study. She gathered her nerves and made the last few steps to the door.
The door to her father’s study as slightly ajar. “Hello? Father?” She called inside the room.
“Do come in dear girl,” Lord Wentworth said in an overly happy way that sent the hairs at the back of her neck upright.
“What did you call me here for father?”
“There’s a very exciting development my dear girl.” Lord Wentworth said as he got up from his chair behind his desk.
“What is it father?” Charlotte asked nervously when he took too long to share his news.
“I’m going to take you to meet a wonderful man. He is a good family friend and will make a fine husband,” Lord Wentworth went on hastily.
She tried not to let her father see her face. She felt weak and was sure it showed her face.
“Father is there no other way? What about Bethany? She wants to be wed where as I…” Her words died in her throat as she saw the anger in her father’s eyes. She had been given more chances at freedom than most, at least when it had come to her father. There were times it was unwise to push one's luck, this was one of those times.
“Little bug, please understand that this is what I truly believe will give you the chance of a real future. The courtship will last a month, if you find he isn’t a good match then we will find you another.” Lord Wentworth gently put his index finger under her chin to make her look at him.
Tears brimmed in her eyes she stepped forward to embrace her father. “I love you.”
“And I love you.” Lord Wentworth said, his tone sincere. “I’m doing this because I will not always be here to protect you. I would never want to be rid of you.”
“I know.” Charlotte choked out. All she had ever wanted was to see her father happy. Yes, he had shown poor judgment, then again her very life came into being because of it. To most it might seem like a curse. To Charlotte it was magical and overflowing with possibilities. She would make the most of it as she did with most things in life.
Lord Wentworth held onto his child, who he’d no longer have the luxury of seeing daily.
“We must pack. I will have the maids ready to assist you” Lord Wentworth said and turned to leave.
“Daddy what are those red ones?” Charlotte’s six-year-old voice echoed in her own mind.
“Those are apples, my dear girl,” her father had answered.
“What are they for?” She had asked with interest.
“They make the best pastries. Here, why don’t you try one?” he had said, lifting her onto his shoulders. She had giggled as shehad wrestled with the tree. The apple had been heavier than she had thought it would be. The apple had fallen out of her hand and had hit her father on his temple. He had laughed so boldly that he had almost fallen over.
What I would give to have just one of those days over again. I should have enjoyed being young more than I had...
For the first time, Charlotte found herself resentful of her stepsister, Bethany. She would have been a better fit for this. She craved leaving and starting her own life. While Charlotte still had further to go.
She sat in the old gardens—she had always loved them at night, imagining the life she might have ahead of her. She sensed that there was someone standing behind her. She took a deep breath and turned to see who it was. She was alone and there were no other people about. Yet, she could not put aside the notion that someone was watching her.
She moved from where she was seated to ensure her family were safe. She went to her stepmother’s room to find her having her hair brushed. Next, she went to find Bethany and found her doing embroidery in the sitting room. She then went to find her father and hoped that she would not find him heartbroken.
Charlotte looked for her father, starting with all his favorite places. First, she went to the library and then his art room.
Her gaze wondered to the stables and she noticed the lamp burning inside. Her pace quickened as it dawned on her that it might be her father. She made her way inside to see her father sitting in the fresh feed. Her horse’s head in his lap, as if she understood Charlotte was leaving.
“You have me and the entire manor out looking for you!” she yelled. Her frustration at the situation and fear that he would be harmed had taken her as close to madness as she had ever been. “I’m sorry, Father, I should not have raised my voice. But I could not find you.”
