CHAPTER 4
James
The following morning, James opened his door and poked his head out, looking up and down the hall. Finding it clear, he stepped out and made his way down to the breakfast room.
After the unfortunate meeting with Miss Frances Langley at the Farside ball, he had no wish to encounter her again. But of course, he had no choice.
He heard the clink of cutlery against a plate and paused, bracing himself. He stepped into the breakfast room.
He might not want to see the young woman again, but his stomach was growling most fiercely, and he was not going to keep himself from indulging in Aunt Eugenia’s breakfast. He’d already made excuses for dinner the previous day. Fortunately, he found her at the breakfast table instead of Miss Langley.
He exhaled and slipped into his seat. Hot cross buns sat on the platter before him, and he grabbed one, slicing the fork through the soft dough and watching the steam rise in the air.
“I think it is considered polite to say good morning before one indulges in breakfast,” Aunt Eugenia teased.
“I beg your pardon. I was rather famished.”
“I can imagine. You didn’t come down for dinner yesterday.”
“Do you blame me?” he scoffed. “After my encounter with your houseguest?”
“I still do not understand what happened. You met at the ball?”
“Yes,” he said, buttering his roll. “I was on the balcony, observing and passing commentary to an acquaintance of mine. She overheard me and felt it necessary to issue a stern rebuke.”
Aunt Eugenia tilted her head to the side and drummed her fingers on the pristine tablecloth. “And pray, what were your observations? Knowing you, they were likely not kind.”
“They were not unkind,” he protested. “They were practical, reasonable, and based on past experiences. I merely said that a lot of the ladies were behaving like country girls, desperate to set their caps at a rich gentleman. I might have mentioned Bedfordshire, which is likely the cause of the offense.”
Aunt Eugenia shook her head. “Then I am not surprised that she was upset. You see, Frances is a country girl..”
James placed his knife down. “A country girl? She looked like a gently bred lady. Her gown and jewelry all spoke of a noble lady. I thought that you had taken in one of your friends to help with her debut, given all the experience you have with the girls.”
Aunt Eugenia took a sip of her tea, her pinky finger sticking up into the air. “Well, it is true that I have taken in a young girl, but she is not an acquaintance. She is a family member. A distant relation on the Langley side.”
“Lowey,” he echoed. “Like the Earl of Lowey? Your brother?”
“The very same. The original Langley estate in Bedfordshire still stands, though it no longer belongs to the family and hasn’t for centuries, but there are still family members who live there. They kept in touch more when my brother was still alive – for the connection.”
James sobered and placed his hand on hers. Sometimes he forgot that his godmother’s brother had passed away. He had barely ever met the man, and they had never been close. All he had known was that the Earl was the sort of man who would spend money quicker than he could earn it, and it was well known that he had used his daughters to attempt to rectify his mistakes by marrying them off to rich titled men.
“And Frances is a descendant of the family?”
“Indeed. Her father and I are second cousins. I knew her mother very well. She was not a blood relation. She married into the family, but I adored her. I told her that I would ensure her daughter’s safety, but circumstances got in the way. Frances has had a difficult life, so I’ve decided to take her in and find her a good husband.”
Aunt Eugenia paused for a moment, her thumb and index finger resting on the edge of her roll as she spun it before her, as though gathering her thoughts.
“I made a lot of mistakes with the girls. I should have protected them from their father, especially Marianne. After my brother died, it was up to me to make sure she was settled, and I did not listen to her. I should have. I should have done right by her. This time, I will make sure to do right by Frances. I will not let her go back to Bedfordshire, where she will be married off to who knows who, to live in poverty.”
“So she is a charity case,” James said flatly.
“I beg your pardon?” a voice came from beside him, and both he and Aunt Eugenia turned around.
Frances stood in the doorway, her face thunderous. She was dressed in a light pink muslin dress with a tulle overlay that looked lovely against her skin, which was far ruddier and sun-kissed than it had been the previous night.
Her eyes blazed with anger, and her shoulders were pulled back, pushing her chest out in a way that would have been delightful if she didn’t look so angry.
“I am not here seeking charity. I came here thinking that I would work as a companion. I did not ask to have a debut. I did not ask to attend the balls. I came here to work. I am grateful to Aunt Eugenia for what she is doing for me, but I did not come here asking for that, nor would I ever.”
