A strange malevolent grin spread across Ruth’s face. “I’d love nothing more than to go and spy on them! Just think of the things we may overhear. Or see!”
Louisa frowned. The idea of seeing the knight do anything as simple as a kiss with another woman made a clump of sadness form in her chest. Now, that was odd. She despised Sir Aaron with all her heart. Why should thinking of him with someone else make her melancholy? It made no sense.
When they entered the drawing room, the murmur of just over a dozen students filled the room. Amy Felton, her cheeks becoming more rounded when she smiled, patted the place beside her. Louisa and Ruth lowered themselves onto the settee just as Mrs. Rutley called for quiet.
“Now that we’re all here,” Mrs. Rutley began with a sharp look at Louisa and Ruth, “I would like to introduce Mr. Hugh Jennings. Mr. Jennings is a historian who specializes in the local history of the area. I know I’ve no need to remind you that we should be on our best behavior.” That sharp look was directed at Ruth.
Mr. Jennings ran a hand through his curly, dark hair as he thanked Mrs. Rutley. A rather short man with nervous brown eyes that darted hither and thither as if he were tracking some sort of flying insect, he could not have been younger than forty years of age.
“Thank you for that warm welcome, Mrs. Rutley,” Mr. Jennings said in a voice one would expect from a man twice his height. “Our story of the founding of Chatsworth began nearly five hundred years ago in the once grand village of Hensworth.”
Louisa recognized that particular name, for it was located nearly two hours away by carriage. Once a thriving place, it touted a handful of residents after the dozen or so mines in the area had dried up and closed. Because of its rocky soil, farming the land was out of the question.
“It was there,” Mr. Jennings continued, “that Philip, Marquess of Artemus wished to expand his land holdings. Thus, he began what is known as the Great Expansion. Lord Artemus began purchasing as much land as he possibly could with the hope of developing it into a small village. Each month, he gathered up more and more land—farms, grazing land, forests, whatever anyone was willing to sell for the right price. There is no record to say from where those funds came, but soon, he owned enough to create what he considered his ‘kingdom.’ But it was what happened next that is the most fascinating.”
Louisa, who found most history lessons a bore, suddenly found the lecture interesting. So caught up in the story, she clung to every word.
For some time, the historian explained how the lord had continued building small villages in the area, producing jobs for those willing to work whilst also gathering up even more land. The final village was christened Chatsworth, named after a childhood friend, a servant by the name of William Chatsworth.
“Once he had enough villages scattered across his lands, Lord Artemus wished to build a house. No, the termhouseis not the best descriptor. Perhaps we should call it a castle. Regardless, he built a home so grand it’s rumored that even King Edward III himself traveled to gaze upon it.”
Louisa’s mind began to drift. What would it be like to live in such a magnificent house? Perhaps with Sir Aaron as her husband. She shook that thought out of her head as soon as it entered. The stress over the last few days was clearly making her lose her mind.
But what about Sir Aaron? How could he tell Louisa she was beautiful and then plan to meet another woman in the park after? She nearly snorted. Oh, she knew the answer to that question and did not like it in the slightest.
“Now, have you any questions?” Mr. Jennings asked. When no one responded, he added, “Come now. There’s no need to be afraid. It’s through our ability to question that we gain more knowledge.”
Still, no one spoke, and an awkward silence filled the room. Louisa glanced at Mrs. Rutley, who gave her a nod. Being one of the older students, it would be up to her to lead by example.
“What of Lord Artemus’s castle?” Louisa asked. “Do his descendants still live there today?”
Mr. Jennings sighed. “Sadly, due to a number of factors, the title and most of the land were lost over the last century. A single descendant remains, a Mr. Abraham Artemus.”
Well, at least he had a grand home in which to live. Perhaps one day, Louisa would visit the area.
Her bravery sparked others to make more inquiries. Eventually, the questions came to an end, and Mrs. Rutley dismissed the students, each thanking Mr. Jennings before she left the room.
Once returned to her room, Louisa sat on the bed beside Unity, Theodosia, and Ruth across from them.
“I found it all rather interesting,” Theodosia offered. “I never realized how fascinating the village history could be.”
Ruth, of course, snorted derisively. “Of course it was fascinating. Most lies are.”
Louisa rolled her eyes. Why did Ruth have to argue about everything?
“I don’t know,” Unity replied. “What he said made a lot of sense.”
As the others argued over which points Mr. Jennings had made were truth or lies, Louisa found her patience running thin. Did her friends not realize she had an important task tomorrow? That she had to learn what Sir Aaron was doing in the company of another woman, in a park rumored to be a meeting place for lovers?
Unable to stand it a moment longer, she scooted off the bed and leaned her back against the door. “Enough!” she said in a whisper far harsher than she intended. Well, perhaps she did wish it to be that harsh. They were arguing about things that were unimportant. Or at least less important than what she wished to discuss! “What exactly did Sir Aaron say?”
Unity smoothed her cream-colored skirts and sighed. “He said he wished to speak to Lady Mathison alone, someplace private where they could not be overheard.”
Theodosia clicked her tongue. “He said no such thing. I was the one who heard him, not you.”
“What did he say?” Louisa demanded again. This was worse than getting a child to confess to putting his finger in the icing on a cake! Drawing in a deep, calming breath, she leveled her voice. “Please, just tell me what he said.”
Theodosia closed her eyes, a habit she had whenever she wished to recall something. “Unity and I were at the bookshop. Sir Aaron was inquiring of Mr. Mistral about a place where one could have a private discussion without concerns that someone might eavesdrop. Mr. Mistral suggested Yeats Park.”