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Chapter 35
“You look horribly nervous,” Kate whispered as they stepped into the dining room.
Eloise allowed her eyes to focus once more, studying the scene of the grand dinner in front of her. Everyone was here. Aunt, Uncle, Felicity… and the Hackberrys. Felicity wore her usual sour expression, Uncle offered her a supportive nod, and James smirked, taking a sip of his wine. He somehow always looked villainous now, which Eloise couldn’t help but find ironic considering the past. His family, on the other hand, seemed to be a bundle of smiles. Lady Hackberry would beam at everyone and everything, while Lord Hackberry held a serious and stern expression momentarily replaced with a grin as she entered.
“Oh, there she is!” Aunt Alexandra said, standing up and hurrying to the entrance door. “What took the two of you so long?” she whispered to both of them.
“Sorry, mama,” Kate said, “I couldn’t find my perfume, so I asked Eloise to help—I didn’t mean to delay us.”
“Oh, it’s all right. Eloise, you’re fortunate they’ve only been here for five minutes, and I must say, Lord and Lady Hackberry are thrilled to meet you. Come, let’s sit.”
In quiet obedience, Eloise allowed everyone to push her around and guide her to the table, to a seat next to James. She flinched as his chair scraped slightly closer to hers, memories of him almost striking her returning. Uncle certainly remained oblivious to it all. His face held an expression of pride and contentment. He truly was happy for her.
Eloise did everything in her power to avoid James’ gaze, who tried, perhaps for the sake of propriety, to offer her a smile. It was difficult to even sit next to him without desiring to lash out at him over the malicious threats he had made earlier.
“Lady Eloise,” Lady Hackberry said in her high-pitched and scratchy voice, “have you been well? We heard you came down with an illness—I hope it isn’t anything worrisome.” She took a sip of her cinnamon tea, the pin in her graying blonde hair slightly shifting out of place.
All Eloise could do was offer a forced smile and try her best to push the uncomfortable feelings aside. So, that was the story Aunt and Uncle had contrived in order to excuse her absence and salvage her reputation; it made sense, really. But a side of her wondered if anything would change if they discovered the truth; would the marriage still continue, or would they call it off? One could only hope—though she had no intention of revealing it herself.
“It was fever,” Uncle said.
“Scarlet fever?” Lady Hackberry’s voice pitched even higher.
“Goodness, no. It was a simple chill due to the weather. The doctor said plenty of rest is all that’s necessary, and well, here we are.” Uncle Marcus reached across a table and grabbed a fork and spoon in his hands, as if preparing for the food to arrive.
“Oh, yes,” Aunt continued, “We, of course, apologize we haven’t been able to dine together earlier.”
“There’s no need to apologize.” It was Lord Hackberry’s turn to speak. His voice was distinct, soft and raspy, and it made Eloise realize it was the first time she had heard the man speak the whole night. Unlike the rest of the Hackberry’s, his demeanor was cold and stoic, and he seemed unaffected by everything that was happening as his slightly tanned face didn’t hold any emotions. “We’ve all been there, indeed.”
Unlike James, his parents appeared to be calmer and kind-mannered, though with a certain degree of deception thrown in the mix. It was difficult to judge them when she’d only seen them for less than thirty minutes, but their smiles at least radiated some kindness and understanding. James’ didn’t.
“Lord James!” Uncle exclaimed in an attempt to rid of the silence. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself? I’m afraid, unlike my dear wife over here, I never learned much about yourself.”
James shifted in his chair, fixing his gray cravat with a smug expression on his face. “I’m afraid there isn’t that much to say, but of course,” he continued, and it took everything in Eloise to stop her from rolling her eyes, “Well, I graduated from Oxford with one of the highest grades and have had my works presented in a few art galleries, such as the Osmoth and Almur.” He straightened his back in pride as Aunt exclaimed some praising words. “As for my extra-curricular activities, I’ve had some luck in equestrian sports and won the Rockford fencing competition, which only allows a very select—the best—players to participate.”
“I heard about that!” Kate suddenly blurted. “But if I remember correctly, My Lord, wasn’t it His Grace, Simon, Duke of Richmond who won? I recall the papers writing about it for days instead of the really important news of Lady Sophia’s cut short betrothal.”
For the first time tonight, James seemed genuinely at a loss of words as he struggled to put on that fake-confidence façade he held earlier. After crossing his hands together, he finally spoke, “Well, I—”
“Interesting, Lady Kate,” Lady Hackberry said, “I didn’t know a Lady of your status would be interested in trivial gossip, especially ones pertinent to men's endeavors. Oh, how the times have changed—I can’t say I’m surprised.” Her voice reeked of sarcasm, and it was enough to show her true colors momentarily. So she was as peculiar and unpleasant as James. Was Lord Hackberry the same?
A servant walked into the room, placing the first metal plating and meal on the table; lamb roast with vegetables and wine. It interrupted the conversation temporarily, but not Eloise’s thoughts that incessantly latched back onto Simon and their fencing escapades. Was he really so accomplished? So all that time, he was willingly allowing her to win?
“It is interesting, My Lady. Times have indeed changed.” Kate replied wryly, taking a bite of her roast and swallowing it down quickly to speak. “So Lord James, I heard you were courting Lady Urania not longer than three weeks ago. What happened?”
If there was a clear awkward atmosphere before, Kate’s question managed to magnify it. It was no longer surprising to hear James had been courting another woman not long ago. What was surprising, however, were his parents’ reaction, who refused to make eye contact and instead continued to take bites off their food.
Aunt Alexandra’s giggles rippled through the silence. “Well, let’s not dwell on the past. Eloise, why don’t you say something about yourself?”
Eloise jolted back a little as she was summoned to speak and clenched her fork tightly. “I…I like the pianoforte,” she said quietly.
“You and every other Lady in London,” Lady Hackberry joked.
“Yes, of course. After all, it is indeed a remarkable hobby, I must say,” added Lord Hackberry.
Kate leaned in a little, placing a hand on Eloise’s lap below the table. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“…It’s all right, I’m sure it’ll be over soon.”
