Later that afternoon, Evelina went riding with her best friend. She glanced over at Lady Caroline Wynn as they galloped through the woods surrounding Bosworth Manor. The first sprinkling of snow appeared on the hills. She felt a soft stirring of the old excitement that Christmas was indeed approaching.
They stopped at a high point on a hill overlooking the village of Charingworth. Dismounting, they took in the view before Evelina turned to her friend.
“Papa has agreed that we can have the ball this year,” she said, smiling faintly. “He said that as long as I am prepared to oversee it, I have his blessing.”
Caroline’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that is wonderful news, Evelina! Your Christmas Eve ball was always the highlight of the Christmastide.” She paused. “And it is good for you, as well. It will be the first ball you will attend in so long. There will be many eligible bachelors there.”
Evelina frowned. “That is not why I am committed to hosting the ball, Caroline. It is not to take stock of the district’s eligible bachelors. It is to keep our Christmas traditions alive and hopefully shake my poor father out of his melancholy.”
Caroline sighed. “Yes, I know how committed you are to helping your father overcome his low spirits,” she said. “But you have let it overtake your life, Evelina. You never attend Society events anymore. You never talk about finding your match like you used to. You cannot spend your entire life in service to your father and neglect your own prospects.”
Evelina’s mouth tightened. Caroline was always nagging her to go to a ball, garden party, or some other event. She simply had no time to think about courting anymore.
“You know I am trying to keep our house and home together,” she said. “It is hanging on by a very thin thread indeed. I must be the lady of the manor now that my mother is gone, Caroline. That is my priority.”
“Oh, dearest,” said Caroline, reaching over and touching her lightly on the arm. “I know you are trying your best to manage a difficult situation and it shows your caring nature. And your great love for your father.”
She hesitated. “But I worry about you. You used to love dancing and socialising. We used to spend hours dreaming about our future husbands. I miss the girl that you used to be, and I know she is still inside you, longing to get out again.”
Evelina turned back to the view, blinking back tears. She sometimes missed that carefree girl herself. But she had been forced to grow up quickly since losing her mother, and she took on the role of caretaker for her father and lady of the manor to the district. Her mother had left a gaping hole, and she was simply doing her best to fill it.
She closed her eyes briefly. Once upon a time, shehadlonged for the day when she would be swept off her feet and find the love of her life. She had been a regular lady with the same dreams and wishes as any other; just like Caroline.
She slowly opened her eyes.The girl that I used to be is gone forever, she thought.
She took a deep, ragged breath. And there was no use mourning her. She had quite enough on her plate as it was. And quite enough to do now that Christmas was approaching and Papa had given his permission for the ball to even think about her own lost dreams.
She was the lady of the manor now. Her life was devoted to duty, and that was all there was to it.
Chapter 2
Jude Huxley stared at the cart slowly approaching. He grinned. He was sure this would be his ride to Bosworth Manor. He had been told that a worker from the grand estate would pick him up from the square of the local village in a cart. When the cart drew alongside him, he was certain.
A man with a bushy red beard gazed down at him, his green eyes twinkling. “You Jude Huxley, by chance?”
“That’s me,” said Jude, climbing aboard the cart with his small knapsack, which was the sum of his personal belongings. “Nice to meet you.”
The man stretched out a large hand. Now that he was close to the man, Jude was overwhelmed by how massive he actually was. A giant, judging by his proportions. He had fine wrinkles around his eyes. Jude thought the man was probably in his mid-thirties.
“Lenny Markham,” said the giant, grinning at him. “Welcome to Charingworth. Are you from Shrewsbury?”
Jude nodded. “I am. I lived there my entire life.” He took a deep breath. “Up until now.”
The giant grinned again, cracking the whip. The cart lurched forward through the small village. It didn’t take long until they were on a rural road, with green hills surrounding them. Jude took a deep breath, breathing in the unfamiliar country air.
“What’s your position at the grand house again?” asked Lenny, keeping his eye on the road.
“I am working on the coach,” said Jude. “What do you do at Bosworth Manor, Mr. Markham?”
“Call me Lenny,” said the man. “I work in the garden. One of a team of five. One day I hope to be head gardener there.” He paused. “The grounds are very large at the manor. But they pay well and you have a job for life if you want it. What did you do for a crust in Shrewsbury?”
Jude sighed. Whathadn’the done in Shrewsbury? He had been working since he was fifteen, and he had just had his twenty-seventh birthday. Or at least, hethoughthe had just passed his twenty-seventh birthday. The orphanage assumed he was around two when he was left on a church doorstop and they had taken him in. They made his birthday the date they found him.
His heart clenched. He didn’t really want to think about his days growing up in the orphanage. He rarely did anymore. But it was a part of his history and he supposed he just had to accept it. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on Lenny’s question.
“I worked in a blacksmith’s shop for a long while,” he said. “Over five years. Before that, I was a groom in a stable. Before that–”
“I get the picture,” said Lenny dryly, glancing at him sideways. “How did you hear about the position at Bosworth?”