Chapter Four

"Good evening, mother."

James smiled as his mother sat down at the table opposite him, ready to begin their dinner.

"Good evening," she smiled, looking a good deal happier than he had seen her in some months. "What a pleasant day this has been, has it not?"

James nodded. "I would quite agree." He gestured for the footmen to serve the first course. "I took a walk along the shore today and had a very pleasant time there."

His mother's eyebrows lifted. "It was rather windy, was it not?" she asked, as James nodded. "The summer is not yet upon us and here, being close to the sea, it can still sometimes feel as though we are in the depths of winter! Did you find yourself very cold?"

James shook his head. "No, not in the least. I found it rather refreshing, truth be told."

His mother smiled. "I am glad to hear it. I, for myself, took a short walk through the rose garden – though it is devoid of roses at the present moment – and thereafter, I did a little painting."

That made James smile. "You have not painted in some months."

"Ah but that is because I have not felt the urge to do so," came the quick reply, as his mother lifted the spoon of soup to her lips. "Today, however, I did."

"That is wonderful to hear. It has been a long time since you have done such a thing." James tilted his head. "Tell me, do you require anything in particular as regards your art? There is a shop in the village which, from what I recall, we can ask to send for whatever you need."

With a shake of her head, Lady Calverton smiled. "No, not at all. In fact, earlier today, I went to look for whatever I might have stored here and found a great abundance of things! I think I shall have plenty to hand."

James smiled and took a mouthful of soup, his mind returning to Lady Temperance, who he had met on the shore. "Speaking of art, mother, I found out that Lord and Lady Hartford still reside nearby and though Lord Hartford is absent from the house at the present moment, Lady Hartford is still present."

At this, his mother stared back at him for a long moment, only for her spoon to drop back down into her bowl.

"Mother?" James questioned, a little surprised at the expression which now crossed her face. "Are you quite well?"

Lady Calverton nodded, though her eyes immediately began to sparkle with hope. "Lady Hartford is present here? She is at home? I had thought that she might have gone to London for I do know just how much she loves society."

James shook his head. "It seems that her niece is staying with her and they are residing here at present. Lady Temperance did not make any mention of going to London."

At this remark, the light began to fade from his mother's expression. "Did you say Lady Temperance?"

James nodded. "Yes, I did. Why? Are you acquainted with her?" A knot tied itself in his stomach. "Is there something the matter? Ought I not to have associated with her?"

"You spoke with her? When?"

Realizing that he had not given any sort of explanation as to how he knew such things, James began his explanation. "I caught the lady as she stumbled down onto the shore. She had not come down by the path but had scrambled down a very dangerous way in order to catch a sketch which the wind had taken from her. I introduced myself and in that, found out that she was the niece of Lady Hartford and, in that, that the lady herself was still residing at the estate – and looks to be for the year, I should say given that Lady Temperance did not mention going to society or any such thing."

"Well, of course she would not go to society," came the reply. "Though I am glad to know that Lady Hartford is at home. I should very much like to call on her." A note of excitement came into her voice, sending a broad smile across her face. "I shall write a note to her this very evening!"

James smiled to himself, wondering silently what it would be like to be in company with Lady Temperance again. She had seemed rather shy when they had spoken on the shore but he could not blame her for that. The way she had kept her head turned away from him spoke of an uncertainty over their conversation, though that was more than a little understandable. For a young lady to be speaking to a gentleman she did not know and without the presence of a chaperone was somewhat improper, though given their far-flung location and the lack of society present, James did not think that ought to be any concern. It was not as though a society gossip would come along and catch them in such a situation! His smile lingered as he considered the flash of gold in her curls as they had bounced around her temples, the emerald green of her eyes as she had darted a curious glance at him here and there.

"I wonder if Lady Hartford will be present at dinner tomorrow," his mother mused aloud, making James glance at her again, being pulled from his thoughts.

"Dinner tomorrow?"

His mother nodded. "Yes, I quite forgot to tell you that we received an invitation today from Lord and Lady Thurston. You did write to them to say that we would be arriving, yes?"

James nodded, his heart lifting as he thought of his dear friend, Lord Benjamin Thurston. They had played here together as boys, with Viscount Thurston's estate bordering his, and had even gone to Eton together. Lord Thurston had married a Lady Penelope some three years ago – around the very same time that James' brother had passed away. "Yes, I wrote to Thurston to inform him of our plans to spend a few months here."

"He is clearly looking forward to being in your company again!" His mother smiled. "And I am sure that you will be the very same. Though, as I have said, I wonder if Lady Hartford and her niece will be invited also? It was to a formal dinner and given that they are the only other society people present nearby, it should be expected that they would be present… though mayhap Lady Temperance is not at all eager to join even the smallest social events. I would not blame her, the poor child."

James blinked, then drew his eyebrows into a frown. "You speak as though there is something the matter? The young lady I spoke with appeared to be very contented indeed."

His mother's eyebrows lifted. "You did not see her face, then?"

James' frown deepened. "Yes, of course I did."

"Then you thought nothing of her scar?"

A little confused, James gazed back at his mother. "I did not see a scar." Understanding washed over him. "Ah, but that will be why she turned her head away from me. I thought it was to do with propriety or shyness but it probably was because she was attempting to hide that from me." When his mother nodded, James' heart filled with a sudden sympathy for the young lady. "I would not think less of her because of that."

"Yes, but that is because you are a gentleman of great character," came the reply, making James smile. "Her betrothed, the Marquess of Barlington, ended the engagement when he saw that the scar from her accident would be permanent."

A heavy darkness wrapped around James' mind and he scowled, hard. "What a cad."

"Indeed."

"Might I ask what happened? Do you know what the accident was?"

His mother nodded. "A horse threw her, I believe. It shied at something and she was flung from its back into a stone wall which ran along the perimeter of where she was riding. Lord Barlington was with her, as well as a few other guests." Perhaps seeing his confused look, his mother explained a little more clearly. "She was present at Lord Barlington's house party. A party to celebrate their engagement, I believe. It must have been dreadful for her to, first of all, recover from her injuries but, thereafter, to be forced to recover from a broken heart!" She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Little wonder that she came to reside here. The ton did nothing but speak of it for a long time, from what I understand. We would not have been as aware of it, given that we were in our mourning period, but from my society friends, I understand that this is what was on society's lips for many a month. Very few people have seen Lady Temperance since that time and now, I should not expect her to return to London. Could you imagine what she would have to face? What she would have to endure?"

Recalling how the young lady had made certain to look away from him as best she could, remembering the glances she had sent him and realizing now that they came from uncertainty and, mayhap, even fear, James' lips twisted. "I can imagine it would not be pleasant."

"Indeed not." Lady Calverton let out a slow exhale of breath. "I do hope that the young lady will come to dinner, should an invitation have been given. It would be very pleasant to meet her. "

"I am sure it shall," James murmured, his own thoughts returning to the young lady. He now found himself just as eager as his mother to greet Lady Temperance, finding himself a little intrigued by the lady. He wanted to be able to look her full in the face, to have her see that he was not about to be pushed away from her simply because of whatever scars she bore. That was not the sort of gentleman he was, though he could easily understand why she might fear such a thing from him.

"Lord Barlington must have no character whatsoever," he muttered to himself, though his mother nodded firmly. "To do such a thing to a young lady is quite dreadful!"

"It must have cost her dearly. She has endured a great deal and now, she must endure even more. Though did you say that she was pursuing a sketch?" A flicker of interest ignited her eyes and James smiled.

"Yes, that is what I said. It seems as though she is something of an artist, though I have not seen her work."

"That is something that we can talk about together, then!" Lady Calverton beamed at him from across the table. "I am all the more hopeful that she will be at dinner tomorrow, though if she is not, I am sure that I will make her acquaintance when I call on Lady Hartford."

James nodded. "I should like to join you, on your visit, whenever it is arranged."

"But of course. I think that this young lady will require as many acquaintances as she can – acquaintances who do nothing but accept her just as she is, acquaintances who can be trusted to treat her without mockery or disdain."

"You need not be concerned on my account," James protested, only for his mother to laugh and wave her hand.

"Yes, of course. I meant to suggest that you would be one such acquaintance," his mother explained, quickly. "Now, do let us get on and finish our dinner. I should like to write that note to Lady Hartford just as quickly as I can."

With a smile, James continued on with his meal, his thoughts still lingering on Lady Temperance. Silently wondering when he would get to see her again, he found himself smiling as he remembered the vivid green of her eyes and the golden hues of her hair. Scarred or not, Lady Temperance had certainly made an impression upon him, and it seemed that she was not someone he was likely to forget.