Chapter Eleven

He was only being polite. That’s the best I can hope for. He was polite, or else he was mocking me. Laughing at me behind my back.

But no matter how firmly Eleanor Fairfax told herself that Lord Henry could not be trusted – dissolute second sons of dukes and baronets rarely could – the words simply refused to sink in.

He’d complimented her drawings. He said that he intended to implement them, if he had a say in the business.

That was probably just a ruse to get me on board with his investment, she thought sourly.

The ball last night had left her tired and drained, but work would not wait, so she was at the office again. Her father was next door, reviewing the ledgers. It had been something of a surprise when he announced that he would review them. The ledgers had been Eleanor’s task for quite some time now, and he’d never felt the need to check them over before.

He's just being thorough, she told herself, despite the sinking feeling of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. She turned back to her newest drawing. It was a simple design. A sunflower bloomed on the page, greenery and ivy twisting around the stem. The sunflower’s face was turned a little away, as if seeking out the sun.

It would look beautiful on smooth white porcelain. Eleanor had even considered some black-and-white designs, to save money on coloured inks and therefore making their pottery affordable for more people. And a different glazing could be used, perhaps a…

She broke off the thought, not entirely sure what had startled her. Sitting up in her seat, Eleanor strained her ears. She’d heard a noise, something out of place here in the office. Something…

Thump.

It was the sound of a body hitting the floor in the office next door. In her father’s office.

Even before Eleanor’s brain had weighed up the situation and made a guess as to what might have happened, her feet had gotten her to the door. She raced out into the hallway, banging into her father’s office.

He had fallen from his chair, curled up into a fetal position. One arm was outstretched, the ledger having fallen with him and landed on its face, thick pages spread out.

Eleanor gave a strangled cry, landing on her knees beside her father.

“Oh, Papa, Papa! Somebody, please fetch help! Get a doctor! A doctor !”

There was commotion outside, and somebody gasped and began to run. Eleanor wasn’t sure who, only that they were running for help and a doctor would soon come. She snatched a silver-bladed letter-opener from the desk and held it up in front of her father’s face, hands shaking. After what seemed like an eternity, breath misted on the silver surface, and Eleanor nearly sobbed with relief.

He was breathing. He was alive.

“Papa, can you hear me?”

Charles Fairfax’s face was bone white, rapidly turning grey, and his limbs were floppy and weak. His skin was hot to the touch, and when Eleanor felt his pulse, it was faint. She swallowed hard, twisting around to shout down the hallway.

“Hurry! Please, hurry!”

***

“I wish you wouldn’t fuss so, Eleanor,” Charles muttered.

“I’m only fussing as much as is necessary, Papa,” Eleanor said firmly. “The doctor said you must take it easy. No stress, no exertion, no shocking news. I intend to make sure that you follow his instructions.”

Charles smiled weakly, feeling for his daughter’s hand.

“You’re terribly good to me, Eleanor. That’s why I’m so desperate to see you settled and happy.”

“Oh, Papa. Not this again. I am settled and happy.”

“I mean properly, fool girl. Married, with children perhaps.”

Eleanor pressed her lips together.

After his initial fainting fit, Charles had come round quickly, just as the doctor was ushered in. It was the old complaint – a weak heart, along with the discomforts and inconveniences of advancing age. The doctor had sternly eyed Charles and told him to steer clear of business worries.

They were now home, with Charles tucked up in bed. He seemed to have recovered and had walked up the stairs all by himself. Eleanor hovering behind him, ready to catch him if he fell, only seemed to annoy him.

“I’ll write a note to Louisa, and tell them not to come,” Eleanor said, rising from her perch on the side of her father’s bed.

“No!” Charles grabbed for her hand. “I mean, that is, I would like them all to come as usual, my dear.”

Eleanor nibbled her lower lip. “I know, but Papa, you should rest. Louisa won’t mind, I’m sure.”

“I would like them to come. Surely family can’t be too taxing. If anything, I ought to feel more soothed after they all leave. Please, Eleanor. I would like dinner to go ahead as usual.”

She sighed. “Very well, but only because it will do no good to have an argument with me, and I am worried about your health. However, if I see you looking pale again, I’ll send them home at once. And the children aren’t to come!”

Eleanor thought about her father’s determination to have their family dinner later that evening, as she went through last-minute preparations for their supper. Why was tonight so important? Why had her father been so worried, so determined to look over the ledgers? Eleanor had a feeling that she was missing something, and she could not for the life of her work out what it was.

And then the door opened, and her sister and brother-in-law were ushered in, and Eleanor stopped worrying quite so hard. The ache of worry at the back of her mind remained, however.

“There you are, you see, Eleanor! I look better than ever, do I not?” Charles said, chuckling. “I haven’t touched the port, only a little watered wine for me tonight, and I feel stronger than ever.”

“Papa’s colour is coming back,” Louisa acknowledged. “You are too strict, Eleanor.”

Jonathan met Eleanor’s eye across the table and gave her a wry, sympathetic smile .

“I don’t think Eleanor should be chastised for following the doctor’s instructions, my dear. Charles’ health is paramount, after all.”

“Paramount,” Charles echoed, chuckling. “Nonsense. I slept poorly and did not eat enough for breakfast, that’s all.”

“Well, let’s hear the news, then,” Louisa said, leaning forward and glancing expectantly from face to face.

The atmosphere went still over the table.

“News?” Charles said carefully, almost warily.

Louisa chuckled. “The ball last night, of course! Was it marvellous? Was it thrilling? I bought every scandal sheet I could and read everything they said about the party. You got a mention, Eleanor! Dancing with all sorts of lords and whatnot.”

Eleanor pulled a face. “I would rather have talked with Marcia all night.”

“Oh, don’t be dull. It sounds as if you were a success.”

She shrugged. Success. What an odd word, to use in conjunction with a party. Success . The only success she seemed to have gained last night was looking pretty and dancing with important men.

Not very successful at all. Anyone with a pretty face could manage that.

Louisa sighed. “I bet you didn’t even pay much attention to anyone’s dresses, did you, Eleanor?”

“No, but I did almost show a gentleman one of my sketches.”

Jonathan laughed, coughing weakly to cover it up, and Charles choked on his wine.

“Your sketches ?” Louisa echoed, horrified. “Whatever for? Showing off a watercolour is one thing, but a sketch to go on a piece of pottery…”

“What’s the difference? It was only Lord Henry, and he’d already said…”

“Lord Henry Willenshire?” Charles interrupted. “Oh, Eleanor, I wish you’d be more careful with that man. Don’t act the fool in front of him. I wish you could be a little more ladylike at times.”

It was hardly a searing reproof, but Eleanor flinched even so, and directed her gaze back down at her plate. All the happiness of Lord Henry’s compliment had faded away, like she’d known it would.

“But since we’re on the subject,” Charles said slowly, meeting first Louisa’s eye and then Jonathan’s, not glancing at Eleanor at all, “I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce that we are going into partnership with the esteemed Lord Henry Willenshire himself. The plans were finalized only today, which was why I was so very anxious at the office.”

Eleanor felt as if the breath had been stolen from her lungs.

“When… when did we decide that, Papa?” she managed, cutting off Jonathan’s vague congratulations and Louisa’s rambling. “We never talked about it.”

Charles sighed. “Eleanor, I knew you would do this. She’s taken a dislike to the man, you see.”

“Not powerful enough to avoid showing him her sketches, it would seem,” Louisa mumbled into her wine glass. Eleanor pretended not to hear. She shifted to face her father more fully.

“Taking on a business partner is a serious thing, Papa. We cannot bring on a new partner on a whim. You never spoke to me about your intentions. Of course, I knew you were considering it, but why was I not there at the finalization? Why did you not breathe a word until it was done?”

Charles set down his wine glass with a clack .

“I did not tell you, Eleanor, because I did not think it was your concern what decisions I make in regard to the business.”

“ Our business,” Eleanor pressed, ignoring the sharp tone in her father’s voice. “Don’t I have a say in it, too?”

“Frankly, no, you do not.”

There was a tense moment of silence. Eleanor recoiled, the harsh words going right to her heart, sticking there like a splinter.

Charles’ stony expression wavered. He sighed, reaching forward to place his hand on hers.

“Oh, darling, don’t look at me like that. I knew you’d be upset. But don’t you see, now is the perfect time to start reducing the time and energy you spend in the business. Now that Lord Henry is here, he can take on a great deal of your duties.”

“But I don’t want to reduce the time and energy I spend in the business,” Eleanor managed. “I like being a part of it. I thought you knew that, Papa. ”

Tears were starting to prick at her eyes, and she blinked hard, willing herself not to cry, not to break down and sob at the table in front of everyone. Opposite her, Jonathan was staring down at his lap, clearly wishing he was anywhere but here.

Louisa, however, was leaning forward, face intent. It struck Eleanor then that her sister did not look surprised.

“You knew,” she gasped, rounding on her. “You knew that Papa was bringing on Lord Henry as partner and pushing me out.”

Louisa rolled her eyes. “You are so dramatic, Eleanor. You are not being pushed out . However, it’s fairly obvious that a lady can’t continue working in a business with her father, not at your age. It’s all very well when you’re very young, or perhaps old and maybe widowed, but now? Now is the worst possible time to lose focus of what really matters.”

“And what really matters, Louisa? Do tell me.”

Before she asked the question, Eleanor realized belatedly that she already knew the answer.

Louisa sighed heavily. “The Season, of course. You can’t do both, you silly thing.”

“Well, then, I will drop out of the Season.”

“Nonsense,” Charles said firmly, patting her hand. “The Season is your best chance at a real life, my dear. Do you want to live with me forever, playing nursemaid?”

“I care about you, Papa. I’m happy to look after you.”

“And what about when I die, what then? Do you intend to be a burden on your sister and Jonathan? No, my dear, it’s decided. You must start thinking seriously about what you will do with your life. You are a pretty young woman, and I saw you at the party – there will be suitors, if you are interested. Lord Henry might even have connections which could help you. Louisa will be there to chaperone you.”

“I don’t want any of that, Papa,” Eleanor shot back, dashing a hand angrily across her eyes. Tears were welling up, despite her best efforts. She knew she looked hysterical, overly emotional, and plain silly, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right . “I can manage the business better than Lord Henry.”

Charles’ face twisted with sympathy. “I’m sure you believe you can, darling. I know how hard you work, and don’t think it has gone unnoticed. But I am your father, and it is my responsibility to make difficult decisions that are in your best interests. You are not being banned from the office, and nor am I taking away your responsibilities. Once Lord Henry becomes active in our business, I’m sure things will gradually shift of their own accord, so I advise you to make peace with it. In time, I believe you’ll be glad that I did this. You’ll see that it was all for the best.”

“But, Papa…” Eleanor began again, but Louisa interrupted.

“That’s enough, sister. More than enough, don’t you think? You live under Papa’s roof, and it is his business. All of this is for you, you silly goose, don’t you see? Only an hour ago, you were so worried about Papa’s health I thought you might swoon yourself, but now you’re arguing with him like this. Do you want Papa to be ill again?”

Eleanor went red. “That’s not fair, Louisa.”

“Yes, let’s not make accusations, dearest,” Charles added, glancing uncomfortably between his daughters. “This has taken Eleanor by surprise, I see. Perhaps I ought to have mentioned something earlier, but what’s done is done. And it is done, Eleanor. Lord Henry is our partner now. My partner,” he corrected. “And you’ll be glad, when you have some handsome young man in your sights, to have the diminished responsibility. I want you to have fun , darling. I want you to settle down, like Louisa has done. And now, let’s say no more about it. You’ll soon be married and settled, and that will be that.”

He sat back in his seat, removing his hand from Eleanor’s. First Jonathan, then Louisa returned to their plates, shoulders hunched, forks clicking against porcelain.

Eleanor sat where she was, stunned. This was the first major business decision her father had made without her input in a long time.

What’s done is done.

Lord Henry was their partner now, and it couldn’t be undone. He was in, and Eleanor was to be phased out, slowly but surely.

What am I going to do? She thought wildly, feeling sick. What on earth will I do?