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Chapter 24
The following morning at breakfast, Aunt Margaret seemed overwhelmed with emotion. She lifted her fork and knife on either side of her broad chest and bellowed, “I’ve incredible news for our household.”
Marta, Baldwin, Ewan, Tatiana, the two boys, Uncle Everett, and Laura blinked up from their sausages, mesmerised. The table seemed to shake with her excitement. Later, Laura would remark that she’d never seen an English person so passionate. To this, Marta would laugh sadly and say, “Yes. Unfortunately, it seems, passion isn’t one of their strong suits.”
“What is it, Mother?” Ewan finally asked. He lifted a sausage towards his mouth and chomped at the edge. His eyes seemed dull, bored—as though he wished the drama with Marta, Baldwin, and the Duke would finalise itself immediately.
“The Duke sent correspondence this morning. It seems he’d like to come to the Thompson Estate for lunch. Today.” Aunt Margaret’s grin widened. “This means only one thing, my darling girl. Marta. You must have really put on a show last night. He wouldn’t come all this way for the likes of me, that’s for certain.”
“What about Tatiana?” Ewan returned. His smile was playful, knowing.
“Whatever do you mean? Your sister is happily married,” Aunt Margaret spat.
“Of course. I know that,” Ewan said.
Tatiana furrowed her brow and turned her eyes towards her plate. Malcolm and Walter shot up from their chairs, grabbed two biscuits each, and scampered out into the hallway. Laura grabbed her own biscuit and raced after them, calling out in German, “I can hardly keep up with them! These children have no chance of normality.”
Tatiana seemed not to notice the hubbub. Marta realised that Aunt Margaret’s eyes had turned back to her, seemingly requesting some response. After all, all of this had to do with her future. Wasn’t she meant to be pleased?
“That’s interesting,” Marta said. She rolled her sausage about on her plate and blinked several times. Her tongue found no creativity.
“Interesting? I suppose that’s a word for it,” Aunt Margaret returned. “Perhaps you’d better change before lunch. I wouldn’t want you in such a drab day dress. Marta, you do understand that everything you do throughout this time could make or break the Duke’s affinity for you.”
Marta’s eyes turned towards Baldwin. He blinked down at his plate, seemingly uninterested. Marta knew that this was a front. How she wished for him to stand now, to blare that the Duke wasn’t welcome there—that he and Marta would be together for good.
“It’s quite exciting, isn’t it?” Marta said. Her words were regretful, staggered.
Still, her aunt seemed not to notice. “I dare say we can begin to consider engagement parties,” she said. “When the Duke knows what he wants, he gets it. He hasn’t made many house calls like this, not in the previous few years. Oh, goodness. We must have something special for lunch. What do you suppose?” Her eyes searched the table, looking like mighty lighthouse lights cast out across the ocean. She seemed to find nothing that satisfied her in the empty faces she found.
“I will discuss this with the cook immediately,” she said.
“Darling, you really should eat something,” Uncle Everett said. The words were lacklustre, an obvious front. It was clear that he had to “put on” this sort of show, although he seemed not to care.
“You know that I cannot eat when I’m so excited,” Aunt Margaret called back. Already, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving the rest of the breakfast table in silence.
Uncle Everett clucked his tongue. Ewan heaved a sigh. Marta felt unsure if she could live through the remainder of the day, given her immense hatred for the Duke. “You must be kidding me,” she muttered.
“You should be thankful for it,” Tatiana said suddenly. Her eyes were like daggers. “My mother has gone out of her way for you. She cares for your eternal happiness.”
“To be frank, Sister, I don’t think Mother’s actionable response to Lord Remington has anything to do with Marta’s happiness, and everything to do with what her friends will say when they learn of the match,” Ewan recited.
Tatiana grumbled to herself. Marta mouthed, “Thank you,” to Ewan, who simply shrugged and said, “It’s true. Nobody else in this family seems willing or able to speak the truth. I’m tired of it.”
**
Marta was convinced that Baldwin would take his leave after breakfast. After all, it seemed that he’d neglected many of his business duties to spend more time with her, to attend parties, to laugh and banter in the gardens. However, after the plates were cleared, Baldwin announced to Ewan that he would remain at the Thompson Estate throughout the early afternoon, if that at all suited Ewan. Ewan gave a lacklustre shrug, as though he’d already suspected this might occur.
“Do as you wish, Baldwin. It’s not as though I can control any of this.”
Tensions seemed high. Everyone seemed caught up in their own simmering passions. Laura, for one, seemed wild with apprehension about her brewing love for Matthew, the vegetable stand man. To get out this adrenaline, she chased the boys around the back garden and grounds with far more abandon than usual. Marta watched from the side, seated in the sun alongside Tatiana, Ewan, and Baldwin.
Ewan, then, seemed annoyed about his own lust—or perhaps love—for Baldwin, something Marta knew he could never pursue or even formulate with words. This left him sarcastic and irritable, apt to point fingers at anyone else and blame them for their own unhappiness.
Tatiana, then, seemed filled with unrest due to her potential affair.
This left Baldwin and Marta, both of whom found themselves falling in love and unable to tug themselves from the constraints Aunt Margaret had put upon them.
Still, Marta wondered what might happen next.
Was Baldwin remaining at the Thompson Estate to make some sort of stand to the Duke?
Or would he step aside and allow Lord Remington whatever reign he wanted--including his claim over Marta?
