Page 26 of Falling for a Footman

Sixteen

“Lady Charlotte, howgood to see you, you look radiant in that dress,” Violet, the eldest of the Huntley girls, exclaimed as she practically flowed into the drawing room where Charlotte and her parents were receiving their dinner guests.

Violet Huntley was twenty, almost as tall as Charlotte, with wheat colored hair that curled fashionably by the side of her head and almost cerulean eyes. Nineteen-year-old dark-haired Lily and eighteen-year-old Marigold was soon to follow suit and compliment her and she complimented them in return.

“How was London?” Marigold exhaled and smiled.

She was shorter than her sisters with angel blonde hair and a sweet, almost honeyed voice. She was the one of the girls that Charlotte liked the best. Charlotte had played with them all as a child but found it easiest to play with the mild-mannered Marigold that was the same age as she. When Violet and Lily were there, they tended to dominate the game.

“London was fine,” Charlotte allowed as she tried to search for words. How did one sum up four months in a couple of sentences? “A whirlwind. So much was happening I do not even know where to begin,” she tried as she looked into Marigold’s eager eyes. “Have you been to London? I can’t remember,” she asked, hoping that they might be able to talk about the places that they had both been.

“I have not, but I would like to go,” Marigold conveyed in a dreamy voice.

“Violet has been,” Lily interjected. The two younger sisters turned almost synchronically towards their older sister as if she would now reveal a grand secret.

“I stayed there last season with our aunt and uncle,” Violet explained.

“Right, I remember,” Charlotte said in a clipped voice.

Charlotte remembered hearing a lot about this trip last autumn. For someone who used to live in London for half the year, Violet’s tales were not exactly riveting, but of course she could not be expected to take part of the ton events that Charlotte had been invited to this year.

“You went to Vauxhall Gardens, I believe,” she mumbled.

She knew that Violet had been to Vauxhall Gardens, but it was a good topic to distract the three other women with since Charlotte did not know how to explain her first season. She should probably practice it, before she had to attend the Winterbottom house party she thought absentmindedly as she listened to Violet drone on about how amazing Vauxhall Gardens had been when she had visited with her aunt and uncle.

Her eyes strayed from Violet to the rest of the people in the room. Her parents were talking to the vicar, Mr. Page and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Huntley. They were still waiting for Colonel Southerden and his wife to arrive from Farleigh Cottage. Lucy was not invited to the dinner, since she technically had not come out yet. This suited her quite fine, but Charlotte would have liked her there.

Charlotte’s eyes wandered to Jeremy and Kenny that was standing immobile by the doors. She did not know whether to feel pleased or sad that it was not James standing there. She wanted to be near him at all times, preferably as close as possible, but when he was not there, she was able to act herself, which was in many ways a relief. There were too many unanswered questions between them – or simply on her part, and she needed those answered before... well, not before. Nothing could come of the connection between them. She just needed the questions answered. Period.

“You have been as well, haven’t you, Lady Charlotte?” Charlotte heard Marigold’s low and honeyed voice say to her right.

Charlotte looked down into the shorter woman’s cerulean eyes without having any idea what the others had been talking about. She really should pay more attention to what was going on around her.

“To Vauxhall Gardens?” Marigold clarified.

“Oh, yes,” Charlotte exhaled. “Many times. It is indeed a wonderful place.”

She saw the corners of Violet’s lips twitch and realized that she had not needed to add the “many times”. Most likely the Huntley’s could not afford to go as often as Charlotte and her family, which she did not have to rub in their faces.

“I always enjoy the fireworks,” she hurriedly added and hoped that that would appease Violet Huntley somewhat.

“I did as well,” the other woman bit out even though she was still smiling.

Charlotte smiled back and asked whether there was any news from the area from when she had been away. They all eagerly started talking of engagement, marriages, deaths, and childbirths, and even though Charlotte was the one that had brought the topic up, she found her mind once again straying to James.

How was she supposed to find the answers to her questions? The only true way seemed to ask him, but could she be certain that he was telling the truth? And if she was to ask him, then when? Even though they saw each other regularly, they were never alone. Her pathetic attempt to stalk him today had only proven to her that he was rarely alone. At least during the day. And she could not be stalking him through the night or seek him out in his room.

Marigold touched her arm and Charlotte saw that the colonel and his wife had arrived and was making their way towards them. She sent Marigold a grateful smile before greeting Colonel and Mrs. Southerden.

Soon after Curtis announced that dinner was served. Everyone strolled towards the open doors since it was an informal dinner and they did not have to line up. Charlotte walked next to Marigold behind Violet and Lily and was glad to have the undivided attention of her friend even if it was just for about a minute.

“Have you seen Mr. Tr...?” Charlotte started and wanted to know whether Marigold has seen Mr. Travis, a young gentleman farmer that she was interested in, before Charlotte left for London. But she was cut short by Violet’s whispered comment to Lily:

“Have you seen that footman? He is probably the most handsome man I have ever seen.”

Lily giggled and agreed and Charlotte at the same time felt her cheeks flush and a sensation like an ice pit settle in her stomach. Because even before she had looked, she knew exactly who they were referring to. James was standing along the wall by the long side of the table and both the elder Huntley daughters were casting glances in his direction. She could not help but feel relieved when both of them were seated with their backs to him, but when Jeremy helped her into her chair, she realized that she herself was sitting right across from him. If she looked up at Mr. Page sitting across from her, she would see his seafoam green livery jacket over the vicar’s shoulder.

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