Chapter Ten
Florent frowned. He would never have thought the lady had it in her to be nervous. That had obviously been a foolish supposition. Everyone had it in them to experience the full range of emotions, he supposed. But Lady Constance was not the type to allow those emotions to control her.
That wasn’t to say she appeared controlled by anything but her will at the moment. Florent was quite convinced the woman had herself under a very tight grip. And that was the problem. She had appeared much more free and comfortable when he had first encountered her at the house party. Now she seemed almost brittle.
It was very strange. From the way her eyes kept flicking around and landing on that Wagner fellow, Florent couldn’t decide if the woman was pleased or appalled at the man’s presence. It made him suspicious of her and all the more determined to keep Daisy away from the beautiful, independent, young noblewoman.
Florent himself would prefer the man had never come, but he couldn’t decide if it was a type of jealousy making him feel that way. The other man certainly garnered a great deal of attention from everyone, especially the female members of the group. Except his sister. Aside from her initial rather snide comments about the man, she barely seemed to take note of him.
That in itself caused him to worry a little more about Daisy, but he dismissed the thought. She had been clear in her view that Mr. Wagner made her instinctively distrustful, so that could explain her lack of interest in him. One thing you could say about his sister, Florent thought. She was certainly not wishy washy in her actions. If she didn’t trust the man, she wouldn’t give him another thought.
So, was he worried about Lady Constance having feelings for the strange new arrival? Florent hoped his disquieting thoughts were being kept to himself, but he couldn’t be sure. He forced himself to interact with his fellow guests despite the feeling that he really didn’t know how.
“How are things at Merton this year?” He knew estate affairs so felt confident he could have that conversation easily. And the viscount appeared personable enough.
“It has been a good year. The rains seem to have all arrived at the right times for our crops, so we are pleased. What about Alcott?”
“We could claim similar success, blessedly,” Florent agreed. “You take your Seat, do you not? Do you find it hard to leave your estate behind for that long?”
Lord Merton raised an eyebrow. “No, why would I? Generations have been doing it. The lucky thing about the land is the crops will grow whether I watch them or not.”
Florent laughed but heat climbed his neck. The man was right, but he had always felt the need to watch anyway, just in case. He was likely a fool.
“Of course, if you have many animals, I suppose you could have reason to need to give more attention. At Merton we haven’t been as focused on expanding our flocks as I’ve heard you’ve been doing.”
The man’s understanding put Florent a little more at ease.
“Have you found it to be worth the extra effort?”
Finally, Florent was on surer footing. This he was convinced of. “We have, so far, been very happy with the results. Our horses are starting to gain a reputation.”
“Ah yes, I’ve heard of your hunters taking some recent prizes.”
It took effort not to puff out his chest with pride. He nodded in acknowledgement, as controlled as possible.
“But still, with good enough stewards on staff, you should be fine to do your duty in the House when it’s your turn,” Lord Merton continued, in answer to Florent’s original question.
“As I told your sister, though, a few days ago, I was late arriving in Town due to the state of the roads in my area. I hadn’t realized that I hadn’t left home in so long nor how the roads had deteriorated in the meantime. That made me realize, one has to remain aware of their surroundings, so remaining ensconced on your estate is a trifle short-sighted, in my opinion.”
The heat returned to bother Florent’s neck. That was nearly a direct hit upon him. He knew the conditions between his house and the village, that was the extent of it.
“So true,” Florent murmured, wishing he hadn’t approached that viscount first in his quest to find an appropriate husband for his sister. Or perhaps, he assured himself, anyone he started with first would be awkward. But he hadn’t yet completely made a fool of himself, for that he would have to be grateful, he supposed.
“Mr. Alcott!”
Florent wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or disappointed to be hailed thusly, but he turned with a polite smile to greet the one calling to him.
“Being formal, are we?” Florent greeted his neighbour and childhood friend, Viscount Adelaide.
“Apparently it is expected,” the gentleman answered with a grin. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint my lady.”
“No, I suppose not, although your viscountess doesn’t strike me as the most formal woman I’ve ever met.”
Florent’s childhood friend laughed and shook his head while he clapped his guest on the shoulder. “I’m glad you came, Flor, it’s been much too long since we’ve spent any casual time together.”
Florent grinned. “I know. It’s hard to believe we’re neighbours and all. We really ought to have been having regular dinners and such, at the very least.”
“I cannot disagree with you, but there you have it, it’s better that we’re late than never.”