Chapter 9

"A gentleman should always offer a lady his arm," Aurelia said as she and Dawson stepped out into the garden.

Dawson nodded, offering Aurelia his arm as they followed a path through the rose garden. Up ahead, Dawson could see his cousin, Reuben, and Letitia in a small boat on the boating pond, approaching the island in the middle. Trees grew there, and a white marble folly – designed to imitate a Greek temple – stood in the centre.

"I'm sorry, Aurelia – I think you've got an uphill struggle on your hands," Dawson said, and Aurelia smiled.

"I don't think so – I'm sure you've got the makings of a perfect gentleman. Forgive me, how rude that must've sounded. You already are – but English ways are different to those elsewhere. We all have our customs, don't we?" she said, and Dawson nodded.

He did not find her rude – far from it. She was charming – a delight – and he was only too glad to find himself in her company. Dawson was not used to talking to women – not on such intimate terms. Back in Kentucky, there had been women he had known, but they had invariably been married, or he had been too busy to pursue a match.

But now, Dawson wondered if perhaps this was an attempt on the part of the baron and baroness at matchmaking – a match Dawson would certainly not have resisted. Behind her initial fa?ade, Dawson had now caught a glimpse of a delightful woman, one he would be glad to know better …

"You're not rude – I'm not a gentleman, not in an English sense, at least. I always try to do the right thing, and I'm grateful to you for helping me, but as for knowing English ways and etiquette …" Dawson said, shaking his head at the thought of the monumental task before him.

The language was the same, but as for being the same …

"It'll come – just give it time. I'll help you as much as I can, I promise," Aurelia said, and Dawson smiled, grateful to her for what she was prepared to do.

"Smoothing a diamond," he said, laughing and shaking his head.

They walked on together through the rose garden, pausing at the far end where the formal beds gave way to the lawn running down to the boating pond. Dawson could now see his cousin and the others on the island, the sound of their laughter echoing across the water.

"Roxanna's fitting in far better than I am," Dawson admitted.

His cousin had taken to English life effortlessly, though she would be the first to admit she hardly cared what others thought of her, and with her intention being to travel as soon as circumstances permitted, she could afford to remain an American oddity rather than an English rose.

"She's got Reuben to help her, hasn't she?" Aurelia replied, and Dawson smiled.

"They're getting on very well," he admitted.

Dawson was not averse to his cousin finding happiness with Reuben. If he made a proposal, Dawson would gladly accept – if Roxanna was happy.

"My brother … well, he's a good man. He usually takes my side when it comes to dealing with our parents," Aurelia replied.

Dawson was curious and wondered what Aurelia meant – did she often have disagreements with her parents?

"Do you not get on?" Dawson asked, for he had always thought there to be harmony between the family and had seen no sign of disagreement between them apart from that of any family close to one another.

Aurelia sighed, and a sorrowful look came over her face as she shook her head.

"Well … you see … I wonder, perhaps you might be able to help me," she said, and Dawson nodded.

"Gladly," he replied, and Aurelia took a deep breath.

"There's a man – the man I'm in love with. Silas Emmons. He's the son of the Viscount Salisbury. We're very much in love, but my parents won't allow the match," she said.

Dawson felt his heart sink at these words – he felt a fool for having expected something more might be possible between him and Aurelia. Of course, she was in love – how could she not already have her heart set on another man? He tried hard not to show his disappointment, nodding, even as now he thought back to the man at the ball, the one who had seized Aurelia by the arm, the one who had seemed upset at the attention she was giving to others, Dawson included …

"I see. And … you're certain of the match?" he asked.

"Absolutely. We're very much in love, and we want to marry if only my parents will allow it," Aurelia replied.

"But they won't?" Dawson said, and Aurelia shook her head.

Dawson had only had the briefest encounter with Silas, but from what he had seen, it was hardly surprising the baron and baroness should be reticent. But Dawson knew there was surely more to the story than this, and if Aurelia said she was in love with him, then presumably she was …

"They say we haven't known one another long enough. It's been a month or so, but it feels like a lifetime. I wonder … my parents respect you, and I'm sure they'd listen if you were to say you believed Silas and I should be married," Aurelia said.

There was an imploring tone in her voice – a longing and a hope, as though she now believed Dawson represented her last chance at happiness. She had been kind to him – since the accident, at least – and now she had promised to help him navigate the strange new world he found himself inhabiting. But could he really encourage a match with a man whose first impression had been so poor?

"I … well, yes, I suppose I could. But I doubt they'll listen to me. If they don't want you to marry this Silas character … well, there's not a lot I can do about it," Dawson said, but Aurelia now smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank you – it's such a relief. I'm so glad … I was so worried, you see. But … they're bound to listen to you," she said, as though she now believed he was the one to bring about her salvation.

Dawson smiled and nodded. He would do what he could, though he felt certain the baron and baroness would not listen to him. But his overriding feeling was disappointment. He had allowed himself to imagine what a match with Aurelia might mean. He liked her, and his liking for her was growing stronger. He had thought perhaps she liked him, too, but now he knew her heart was elsewhere …

"I'll do what I can," he said, as they walked across the grass towards the boating pond, where laughter still came from the island beyond.

***

"That's a fish knife – it's shaped to allow the flakes of fish to be easily separated," Aurelia said as Dawson held up the strangely shaped knife.

That morning – the day after Dawson had agreed to help Aurelia persuade her parents about the benefit of marriage to Silas – Aurelia had come to Wimbourne Hall to begin their lessons in etiquette, starting in the dining room.

"Won't it do to just cut it?" he asked, and Aurelia smiled.

"The blade is blunt – it flakes the fish rather than hacking at it," Aurelia replied, and Dawson now held up a spoon with a rounded head.

"This is for soup," he said, but Aurelia shook her head.

"Shaped like a scallop shell – it's a fruit spoon," she said, and Dawson rolled his eyes.

Back in Kentucky, he had eaten with a knife and spoon. That was it – there was no separate type of knife for this or that, and certainly no forks. On the table before him, Aurelia had laid out cutlery as though for a grand dinner, and the plethora of different shapes and sizes was overwhelming.

"I don't see why it matters," he said, and Aurelia tutted in exasperation.

"It matters because it's the way others do it. You don't want to look out of place, do you?" she said, and Dawson could not help smiling.

If the sensibilities of the ton were such as to be offended by the choice of a fruit spoon over a soup spoon, Dawson had no desire to be associated with any of them. The rules and expectations seemed nothing but arbitrary, and Dawson could not understand why anyone should want to follow them.

"But why should anyone care?" he asked, and Aurelia sighed.

"I don't know – but they do – and I don't want you to find yourself a laughingstock because you don't know the proper ways to do things," she replied.

Dawson nodded. He knew she was trying to help him, and now he listened dutifully as Aurelia explained the difference between the glasses, indicating which was for white wine and which was red. She explained everything in the greatest detail, and by the end of the lesson, Dawson felt certain he could attend any dinner given by the ton and not make a fool of himself.

"I look forward to using a fish knife for the first time," he said, and Aurelia laughed.

"I was thinking … perhaps my parents could invite you to dinner – a sort of practice for the real thing. And then you could speak to them about Silas, too," Aurelia said.

Dawson had hoped Aurelia might have thought again of asking him such a favour, but it seemed she was still determined for him to speak out on her behalf, and now he could only smile and nod, grateful to her for her help, even as the thought of doing so filled him with trepidation.

He had made some discreet enquiries of Silas Emmons, and it seemed there were those in the district who thought him something of an unpleasant character – a fact confirmed by asking one of the maids whose cousin was in service for the Viscount Salisbury.

"Delia – that's my cousin – says he's got a terrible temper, My Lord," the maid had said, shaking her head and tutting.

But Dawson knew he could not say such a thing to Aurelia. She was in love with Silas, and it seemed nothing could persuade her otherwise. But as for encouraging the match, Dawson felt uncomfortable.

"That would be … very nice," Dawson said, and Aurelia smiled.

"You'll soon have the manners of the king of England himself," she said, and Dawson laughed.

"Isn't he German?" he asked, and Aurelia blushed.

"Well … yes, I suppose he is. But he knows how to behave like an English gentleman," she replied.

Dawson raised his eyebrows. He had no liking for the Hanoverians despite now finding himself their subject. In the war of independence, his predecessors had fought against the British for their land, a fact that had divided the family back in England.

"You mean with all the mistresses he has?" Dawson persisted and winked at Aurelia, who sighed and shook her head.

"Perhaps the Regent isn't the best example one could choose," she replied, and Dawson smiled.

"No, perhaps not …" he said.

There was an awkward pause, and Aurelia now cleared her throat, turning to rearrange the cutlery on the table.

"But you will come, won't you? I'll ask my parents to issue an invitation. But I really would appreciate your speaking to them about Silas. I'm at my wits' end over the matter. It's all so … sad," she said, and Dawson nodded.

He felt sorry for her, even though he believed his influence would do nothing to persuade her parents of the alternative. If anything, he wondered if the baron and baroness were attempting to sway their daughter towards accepting Dawson as a match instead.

But while there was no doubting his attraction towards Aurelia, Dawson did not believe he was ready to commit. They barely knew one another, yet it seemed to be the English way to court first and ask questions later.

"You truly love him, then?" Dawson asked, and Aurelia nodded.

"I'm certain of it," she replied.

"And … do you really want to marry so soon?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously.

"Yes … why wouldn't I?" she asked, and Dawson shook his head.

"No reason … it's just … back in Kentucky. We'd take the time to get to know one another, that's all," he replied, and Aurelia laughed.

"Oh, that's a very modern idea, I'm sure. But perhaps you're right – perhaps there're other ways of doing things," she said, and Dawson smiled.

"I'm certain there are," he replied, for he did not believe the English way to be the only way, and if anything, the more he saw of it, the more he was becoming convinced of the necessity of "modern ideas."