“They are, ma’am,” William bowed. “He is a great man, he just has a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth.” He looked to the side at Lord Stanton disappointedly. It seemed he had wanted this to go as well as Charlotte had. They seemed like a good match, but their spark burnt out before it had even a chance to catch.
“We must prepare her for his approach, then,” Charlotte said to her sister-in-law. Mary Ann agreed and turned to walk away. Charlotte turned and gave William a knowing glance. Hopefully they would get some time to themselves before the evening wore on.
After another thirty minutes, Edward and William were approaching the group and Arabella’s cheeks were thick with blush. She glued her eyes to the ground and waited. The two men bowed and Arabella and Regina hesitantly curtsied. Regina was soft-spoken but fiercely protective. She was quick to wedge herself ahead of her daughter.
“My Grace,” Lord Stanton politely nodded.
“MyGrace,” William hummed. Regina blushed and almost instantly William grinned at Charlotte as if to taunt her over how much her own mother adored him. It was sort of funny if she was willing to admit it. “My friend wishes to apologize for his blunder the other evening. It was foolish–”
Lord Stanton cleared his throat, interrupting William.
“Very, foolish,” William replied sternly, “Wholly crass, but sincerely accidental. Is that right?”
“That is…” Lord Stanton took a deep breath. “Correct. I should not have said it. I can only blame myself, however I find your daughter so bewitching that I am ten times more likely to swallow a toad than any other time.”
Charlotte snicked. That was a funny visual indeed. Arabella looked up dubiously, catching his eyes to check for sincerity before turning away.
“Your apology is accepted,” Regina said. “However, you must give her time to decide how she may wish to proceed.”
“Of course, ma’am,” he bowed. His voice faded into background noise as Arabella stepped across the group and took Benedict’s arm. He quickly escorted her away from the conversation for a promenade to save her further interaction. William was closer to Charlotte’s side now that everyone else was engaged with their own conversations. He looked down at the gloved arms she had wrapped tightly around her waist.
“Body language would dictate that you are on the defensive. Why is that?”
Defensive? Maybe. Now, more than even before, the bittersweet realization that she may truly be in love and, moreover, a loser was rattling around her head. He seemed sincere when he spoke to her mother. He wanted the best for Arabella. Due to that, Charlotte had no choice but to believe Lord Stanton’s intentions. Passion was a strange property, even stranger to those who hadn’t experienced it. It was as if all the normal things that held you back and reigned control of your emotions were temporarily paralyzed. It didn’t matter what was right, all that mattered was what one felt. After all, this was the exact reason Charlotte had come to find herself seeking out privacy with William despite it being enough to ruin both of them.
“Did you try the coffee cake? Anyone would be on edge.”
“Mm,” he nodded. “It was rather diabolical.”
Even though he’d accepted her at face value, there was so often a heaviness in the air that seemed to suggest that they were both fully aware at this point that she was a liar.He was too, so it was barely an issue.
“Did you see the watermill?” she asked.
“The–” he turned, raising his eyebrows when he saw it. “Ah.”
“Do you think that, although odd to admit, water wheels are sort of romantic?”
“In what way?”
She shook her head. “I do not know the way. Just somewhere that one may go to hear a confession…”
William stifled a laugh. “Do you perceive yourself to be a winner already?” He asked, looking at her mouth with half-moon eyes.
“I figured I might as well ask,” she responded quickly. “You still look at my mouth as if it is the last glass of wine left in the world.”
“Well, then,” he said, looking around to see if anyone was within earshot. “Perhaps you may take me there and see what it is that I do.” He leaned in close to her ear and she closed her eyes when she felt the heat.
“That sounds like a bad idea.”
“The best ideas sound like bad ones to begin with,” he said.
“Maybe in an hour?” She asked. “Once they serve the desert? Everyone will be too distracted to miss us.” He gave her a curt nod before turning back to socialize with Regina and Edward.
If she was truly in love with William, then consider this giving up the only way she knew how. If she had a finite amount of time to enjoy his company, then it was best she make most out of every thrill. One day, all of this would be a memory, and she would be by herself, just the way she’d planned.For some reason, the very thought left a hollow feeling in the pit of her chest. Her mind knew better, but her heart desperately wanted him.
ChapterTen
Charlotte walked down the path, looking for Benedict and Arabella. The two had gone off in such a hurry that Charlotte still wasn’t to know what Arabella was thinking about Lord Stanton’s apology. As she walked, a beautiful woman in a peachy dress caught her eye. She was sitting on a swing tied to a large tree. She had a leg slightly raised, her foot missing a slipper that had likely fallen off while she was swinging.