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Chapter 19
“You seem distracted, Mr Blake,” Lady Helen said to Violette as they began their turn around the garden.
“No at all,” Violette said, looking away from where the Catling brothers were playing cricket and turning back to stare at Lady Helen on her arm. She would have infinitely preferred to have been playing cricket with Lord Northrive and his brothers, yet it was not to be. Instead, she had to stay within eyesight of them, leading Lady Helen through the shade under the trees.
“You are a quiet man, Mr Blake. I confess, you do intrigue me.”
“I intrigue you?” Violette said, being careful to keep her voice deep and adjust her hat so that it was a little lower over her face. She still held onto the fear that at some point, Lady Helen would turn round and recognise her.
“Yes, well, I am tired of all these airs and ceremonies,” Lady Helen said, huffing with dramaticism. “You have met my father, and his insistence on anything that is of high status or position. Lord Northrive is one of those things.”
“Oh, I see,” Violette said, biting her lip in thought.
“I must say, I find your company quite refreshing. I need hardly add that a friendship between us will go against my father’s approval. Even against my own better judgement,” Lady Helen said, laughing at herself. Violette stiffened at the plain insults. As she was pretending to be the son of a Baron, she was hardly so far down the hierarchy as to deserve such snide or cruel comments, but Lady Helen didn’t seem to notice that she had said anything offensive at all. “Yet despite all that, I find I desire your company anyway.”
“My company?” Violette said in surprise. In response, Lady Helen reached her arm further across Violette’s, bringing the two of them closer together. It was like another one of those intimate touches, yet this time they were distancing themselves from others’ eyes, and it was somehow more private.
“You are just what I need, Mr Blake,” Lady Helen said with eagerness. The strength in the tone made Violette wince, realising that it was possible Lady Helen was merely giving Lord Northrive attention because her father had told her to do so. Yet it was also possible that Lady Helen preferred Mr Blake to Lord Northrive!
Violette cursed under her breath, realising what a confusing world it had become.
“I am sure that is not true,” Violette said hurriedly. “Now, there is something I wish to talk to you—”
“Oh, but it is,” Lady Helen said keenly. “You have no such high graces as Lord Northrive and his brothers. You are more a man of the world.”
“Ahem,” Violette said, clearing her throat as she looked around the trees as she tried to think of a way to escape this conversation. “It is simply that you have not yet had the chance to know Lord Northrive as I do, my lady. I am sure when you get to know him, you will find him to be the superior man.”
“Superior in station, position, and money, perhaps. Even manners at times,” she said in jest, giggling away. The reference though, made Violette stand a little taller, knowing her manners had never been particularly fine. “Yet I like you more despite it all. Are you not pleased to hear it, Mr Blake? I should think many a man I told I liked them would be jumping for joy at this moment.”
The arrogance made Violette turn their walk around and eagerly tread a path back toward the cricket game.
“I am not like most men,” Violette said, feeling how true the words were. “I hope you have not misunderstood my intentions in approaching you today. I merely wished to speak to you of my friend, Lord Northrive, and put forward his suit to you.”
“His suit? Ha! How proper,” Lady Helen said, giggling away. “Any man who likes me should have the confidence to say so himself.”
“It is not a lack of confidence, it is….” Violette faltered as her eyes rested on Lord Northrive. He bowled the cricket ball toward Lord Catling. The strength in his arms was on display for her to see. It reminded her of all the happy imaginings she’d been having of him when he went swimming, and she had to watch at the sidelines.
“It is what?” Lady Helen said, encouraging Violette on and breaking her train of thought.
“It is nerves, my lady.”
“Then he should get over his nerves!”
“Such things are not so easy,” Violette said with firmness. Yet Lady Helen didn’t seem to hear the reproach in Violette’s tone. She giggled away and sidled herself closer to Violette, until Violette had to take a step away from her, so that their sides were not pressed together in an uncomfortable way.
“You are a breath of fresh air,” Lady Helen said, stepping toward her yet again. “If only all men could be so curt in conversation and shed off the formalities.” The back-handed compliment made Violette disentangle her arm from Lady Helen, having had quite enough of this awful conversation. “Mr Blake, we have not finished our turn yet?”
“Apologies, Lady Helen, I have just remembered I promised to play cricket with the others, and even a man of my low station cannot go back on his word,” she said the words pointedly and turned a heavy stare on Lady Helen, showing that she had not missed any of the insults Lady Helen had given her.
“Oh, you are a funny man indeed.” She giggled all the same. “I would be intrigued to watch. Please, you go play your game. I shall rest here in the shade and watch you from afar.” The way she let her hand tarry on Violette’s arm suggested she wanted to watch Violette only.
Lady Helen took a seat on a bench under an oak tree as Violette hurried off toward the cricket match, practically shuddering with horror at the intimacy of Lady Helen’s touch. She found her feet heading straight to Lord Northrive in frustration, wishing she could go back to the moment in the stream and hurriedly tell him the truth before the Duke of Overton and his daughters had arrived.
“Ah! How did it go?” Lord Northrive said as he caught the ball and tossed it in the air a few times.
“No stalling!” Peter called from where he stood ready with the bat in his hand. “Come on, hurry up.”
“Hold your horses, Peter. This is serious business we are discussing,” Lord Northrive warned.
