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“My father was a very different man than he appears to be today, Your Grace. I’m sure Diana has no memory of him from her childhood. He worked late hours and rarely was ever home. His life’s work was more important to him than anything else. Having a large fortune was his overall goal in life,” Lord Duncan explained. After seeing the way Lord Casey treated his grandchildren, it was hard to imagine the man as anything other than loving and doting. But Fitz knew that people could change as life events happened.
“Then I’m sure we did not grow up in the same manner, Lord Duncan,” Fitz offered.
“No we did not, Your Grace. I was left to take care of my mother and her other children. It’s not much of a childhood when you’re forced to grow up so fast.”
“Then is that why you and your siblings didn’t offer Lord Casey any aid when he needed it most?” Fitz asked, feeling bold.
“I can’t speak on behalf of my other family members. But it was part of the reason why I did not. I couldn’t understand why my father’s fortune did not exist anymore after all the tiring years he put into it while neglecting his family obligations. I always thought it was a farce.”
Fitz studied the man before him, wondering if he’d been too hard on the Earl. Even so, it still did not sit right with him that none of Lord Casey’s children were able to help out in his dire time of need besides Diana. Regardless, there was no need to dwell on such things, Fitz reminded himself. This was supposed to be a time for celebration. Not an event to relive the past.
Once the gentlemen had recouped from the large dinner, they made their way to the drawing room to join the women. The children seemed to be putting on a play as they now had on various items for costume purposes. One of the young ladies was wearing a top hat, seeming to be playing the villain while the others acted like soldiers to put an end to her evil ways.
“They are pretending they are out at sea and little Renee is the unlucky pirate who had tried to steal all their gold. Now the seamen must fight back,” Diana explained as Fitz came to sit with her on the settee. Lady Casey was resting in a chair near the fire and seemed to be dozing off. Diana’s other sisters were close by as well as they all turned to watch the children playing.
“Aren’t they just darling,” Lady Casey said with a happy sigh.
“A bit loud if you ask me,” Vivian commented as she took a long sip of her sherry.
“No louder than normal children,” Melissa countered as she looked at her sister. “You are simply not used to such things.” Fitz watched as Vivian rolled her eyes in a very unladylike fashion before finishing the rest of her glass. She rose and slowly made her way over to the banquet table to refill it. It seemed to Fitz that the woman was used to such an evening drink.
“Are the musicians ready for us in the ballroom?” Diana asked in an excited tone.
“I suppose they will be shortly if they are not already. I figured the children would be ready to retire for the night by now,” Fitz explained.
“The missus and I will be retiring as well,” Lord Casey spoke up, helping his wife to her feet. “We’ll also help the children to bed as well.”
“Very well, Lord Casey. We shall tell you of the festivities in the morning,” Fitz promised with the dip of his head. The parents then rose and ushered their children to bed with Lord and Lady Casey following closely behind. Fitz thought how nice it was to see the loving way that Lord and Lady Casey treated their grandchildren. It was hard to imagine Lord Casey as anything other than kind and loving, making him wonder if what Lord Duncan had said had been true at all.
As the parents ushered their children to bed, Fitz led Diana by the arm to the ballroom. It had been years since the room had been used, and therefore it had taken all day for the servants to prepare the room. Stepping inside with his bride-to-be, he was instantly taken back to the day he’d married Marian. He had been so happy that day, dancing with her as she was still dressed in an elegant wedding gown. It was at that moment that he only saw their future together.
“You look frightened all of a sudden,” Diana whispered to him as they walked into the grand room, candelabras standing erect through the outer portion of the room. The marble flooring glistened in the candlelight, and already the chalk lines had been drawn for the ladies so that their slippers wouldn’t slid on the floor. A small group of musicians were set up on the far side of the room and had started to practice their instruments for their performance.
“Forgive me,” Fitz said as he forced himself to focus on his reality. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in this room and sometimes the memories leave me with a sense of pain in my chest.”
“It’s understandable,” Diana reassured him, the rest of the guests soon coming into the room, filling it with all sorts of voices and chatter.
“I hope one day the memories of the past won’t haunt me anymore,” Fitz confessed, wishing they were the only ones in the room.
“Time heals all wounds,” Diana offered. Fitz gave her a smirk, thinking that time had only seemed to preserve the memories he once had with Marian. He supposed that the only thing that really erased the past were new memories and experiences.
“May I have this first dance?” Fitz asked, taking Diana’s hand and bowing over it.
“You shall,” Diana replied with a bright smile. Together, they walked over to the musicians to decide on the music for the evening. And once the three musical numbers had been decided upon, they took their places in the ballroom, signalling that the dancing was about to begin.
