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“Let us go back to the house,” said Olivia. “We shall have some tea.”
“Oh, alright,” said the girl, springing to her feet.
Olivia rode hard on the way back to the house, leaving Lucy far behind. When they reached the edge of the park she stopped, waiting for her. She had needed just a short vigorous ride to try to clear her mind. But it had not worked. She was still as confused as ever. Maybe even more so.
***
Emma and her mother were sitting in the parlour, drinking tea, when they walked in. Olivia and Lucy sat down next to them.
“You are just in time,” smiled Olivia’s mother. “The tea has just arrived. How was the ride in the park?”
“Invigorating,” said Olivia, accepting a cup. “It clears the cobwebs out of the mind.”
“And how are you progressing, my dear?” Lady Henrietta turned to Lucy. “Are you gaining your confidence?”
The girl nodded. “Yes, Lady Olivia is a good teacher,” she said. “I feel I can manage alone. Although I cannot gallop. I would feel rather too frightened to do it.”
“You will in time,” said Olivia, smiling at her. “One day you shall just want to do it. It will be a beautiful day, or there will be a stretch of clear ground ahead of you, and then the urge shall overtake you. The first time you stretch a horse’s legs like that is the best thing in the world.”
“You must come for an extended stay with us at Essington Manor, Lucy,” said Lady Henrietta, in a warm voice. “You can ride every day. I am certain Lord Weaver would be thrilled to have you.”
The girl looked so gratified that it almost looked like she might burst into tears.
“And Captain Fletcher as well, of course,” continued Lady Henrietta. “You should both come for an extended stay. Essington Manor shall belong to him one day after all. It would be good for him to get to know the lay of the land, so to speak. To really become familiar with the house and estate.”
“That would be delightful,” said Lucy, her green eyes shining. “I shall speak about it with Alexander as soon as he returns from Cornwall.”
“Is Captain Fletcher away?” asked Emma. “For how long?”
Lucy shrugged. “It has been a week now. He did not say when he plans to return. But I cannot imagine it will be very long.” She hesitated. “He has spent a lot of time in Cornwall. It was where he met his first love.”
Olivia almost choked on her tea. “His first love?”
Lucy reddened. “He never likes me to speak of it, for it ended badly,” she said, in a faltering voice. “He was only twenty. Her name was Rosalie and he wanted to marry her. Not long after they parted, he went to sea. And he has hardly been back for long since. In fact, this is the longest he has stayed in England in years.”
Olivia felt her heart begin to thud. “Why did they part?”
“She was not faithful to him,” said Lucy, her colour deepening. “He was so upset. He did not eat for days. And then, he abruptly left home. The next thing we heard he had become a sailor.” She frowned. “He changed after Rosalie. I love my brother dearly, and know he has a very good heart, but he is so cynical. Especially about love and marriage.”
“A broken heart can do that to a person,” said Lady Henrietta. “The pain can be so strong that often people become detached, for they never wish to go through such a thing again.”
Olivia sipped her tea, trying not to show how shocked she was by this revelation. It was the first personal thing she had really heard about him. And it explained why he was so disdainful of love and marriage. He was not just a cad who did not respect women. It was because he had his heart broken by a woman called Rosalie.
She put down her cup, ignoring her shaking hand. This did not mean hewas nota cad. Not at all. In fact, the broken heart had probably turned him into one. But it did mean that she understood him a little bit more now.
Could it be possible he cared for her and had fled London to escape his feelings, because of his broken heart?
But as soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. No, that was not a possibility. He might enjoy playing with her but he did not like her. He most certainly was not falling in love with her. Olivia knew she infuriated him too much for that. And he had admitted that his attraction to her was happening against his better judgement. What had he said to her again?
I cannot leave you alone. Lord knows I have tried.
If hedidlike her, even a little, it was obvious that he did not want to. It was all too much for him. Captain Alexander Fletcher liked to be in control of his emotions. He did not like anything interfering with the careful life he had built for himself. Anything that might penetrate those high walls he had built around his heart.
She was suddenly intensely irritated at herself. Why was she ruminating about it? She did not want him to like her. She did not want him to fall in love with her. She wanted to marry Bertie. He was the prize, after all. A noble man, a charming man, a wonderful catch. Captain Fletcher was still a common man, a seaman, even if he was going to become the Earl of Weaver one day. And he was infuriating, patronising and irreverent. Impudent.
It really was as simple as that. Or at least… it should be.
