Chapter Five

"Are you quite ready?"

Temperance ran both hands down her gown and, turning to her aunt, nodded just as a knot tied itself in her stomach.

"You need not look so afraid," Lady Hartford murmured, gently. "My dear girl, it is only Lord and Lady Thurston."

" And Lord Calverton and his mother," Temperance reminded her, her thoughts going back to when the note had arrived the previous day, inviting them to a very hastily put together dinner, which would include Lord Calverton and his mother, Lady Calverton. Lady Thurston had apologized for the lateness of the invitation, stating that she had thought the notes had been sent out earlier in the week but had seemingly left them sitting at her writing desk rather than sending them. Temperance had immediately shaken her head, refusing to go to dinner with two strangers, afraid of what they would think of her, but her aunt had quietly encouraged her to change her mind, to put her fears to rest and to consider the kindness of Lady Thurston.

"Penelope is your dear friend. She has been away for six weeks now and upon her return, is clearly eager to be in your company again," Lady Hartford reminded her, as she drew Temperance away from the looking glass and towards the door of her bedchamber. "Both she and her husband have been nothing but kind to us both and you know very well that they would not have invited anyone to dinner who they knew would treat you with unkindness. Besides which, as I told you yesterday, I am very well acquainted with Lady Calverton and know that her character is both gracious and considerate. Her son, though I do not recall being introduced to him recently, will be just the same, I am sure." Her forehead puckered. "From what I recall my husband saying, I believe that this Lord Calverton is the younger son. Some years ago, there was news that the elder son had died from some foolishness which he had involved himself in – and this on the heels of his own father passing away! There seems to have been great pain placed upon the shoulders of both Lady Calverton and the newly titled Lord Calverton. Perhaps they have returned to this estate in order to recover a little from that. "

Temperance frowned, her heart softening just a little towards the gentleman and his mother. "That sounds like a very sorrowful situation," she admitted, quietly. "I did not know that he was the younger son. I am surprised, however, that he has not made his way to London. I presume he is not married, if he is present with his mother.

Her aunt shook her head. "No, I do not think that he will be. Now come, do put a smile on your face! It is a very pleasant thing to go to dinner for we shall be in the company of both friends and new acquaintances and that will be a very joyous thing indeed."

Temperance nodded and swallowed at the knot in her throat, silently hoping that all that her aunt had said would come true. Lord Calverton had not seen her scar, not fully, at least, and she did not dare to think as to what his reaction might be when he did see her. Would he be as kind as her aunt believed? Or would there be shock there, disgust curling his lip as he turned his head away from her?

"Into the carriage," Lady Hartford said, urging Temperance gently into the carriage as though she feared she might turn around and run back into the house. "I am sure we will both be made very welcome indeed."

***

"I am thrilled that you were able to join us!"

The moment that Temperance stepped into the drawing room, she could not help but smile. Lady Thurston rushed across the room towards her, her hands outstretched as she captured Temperance's hands in hers and pressed tightly, a broad smile spreading right across her face.

"It was foolish of me to forget my invitations," she continued, as Temperance squeezed her hands back in return. "What a joy it is to me that you have been able to join us regardless!"

"It is good to see you," Temperance answered, smiling across the room to where Lord Thurston had also risen to greet them. "I did miss you last month. Did you enjoy your time in London?"

Lady Thurston immediately scowled. "No, I did not. The Season is not what it once was and I was relieved when it was time for us to return home. There are far too many gossips and far too much nonsense going on for us to enjoy even a moment there! When I was a debutante, there was still gossip, yes, but there was certainly not the same eagerness for scandal! I felt as though I was always being watched, that everything I did was being scrutinized. What a relief it was when Thurston's business was concluded and we could return home!" She smiled again and gestured to Temperance to sit down. "Tell me, have you been painting recently? I should very much like to see some of your more recent works. I am sure they are all quite wonderful."

"They are," Lady Hartford stated, before Temperance could say a word. "I believe that every time Temperance paints, her work improves. The last time I looked at her painting, it felt as though the sea itself was crashing right next to my feet, the salt stinging my cheeks."

Temperance blushed and quickly sat down, not wanting her aunt to speak with such fervor when it was not required. "My dear aunt is always very kind."

"And very honest too, I might add!" Lady Thurston added, making both Temperance and Lady Hartford smile. "You are much too inclined towards setting your work aside, refusing to consider it any good. You are always determined to make your next piece of work better, to improve yourself even more."

"Though that is what I think makes you so wonderful," her aunt interrupted again, as Lady Thurston nodded fervently. "And no, you need not look at me like that. I shall always think well of your work, my dear girl, no matter how much you should like to ignore that!"

Temperance laughed and was about to say how grateful she was for her aunt's remarks, only for the door to open and a gentleman and lady to step into the room, quickly followed by the butler.

"The Earl of Calverton and the Countess of Calverton," he announced – and Temperance's stomach dropped. She got to her feet and quickly dropped into a curtsy as Lady Thurston made the introductions, suddenly terribly afraid of what the gentleman and lady would think of her. The scar of her face felt hot, as though it had been seared with pain all over again, and Temperance's heart began to beat furiously. When she had been preparing for this evening's ball, Temperance had considered having the maid drape a few curls over one side of her face, hiding her scar a little, but then had decided not to do such a thing. She had no need to hide her face from Penelope for they were friends and had been for some time, and there would be no purpose in hiding it from Lord Calverton and his mother. No doubt they would either know of what had happened to her or would hear of it very soon once they saw her, and attempting to pretend she did not bear such a scar would be foolish indeed. It was much too obvious, much too prominent and to pretend she was something she was not was not worth either the time or the effort it would take to prepare her.

Courage, Temperance, her heart whispered to her as she lifted her chin and looked directly back at Lady Calverton. There is nothing for you to fear.

"How very glad I am to make your acquaintance, Lady Temperance!" With a voice filled with warmth and evident delight, Lady Calverton hurried towards her and, just as Lady Thurston had done, grasped her hand and pressed it gently. "Your aunt and I were very dear friends for some time, many years ago, and it is my joy to be not only in her company again, but also in yours." With a smile, she released Temperance's hand and then turned to Lady Calverton. They greeted each other with warm effusions and Temperance could not help but smile – only for her attention to be caught by the steady gaze of Lord Calverton.

A prickling climbed up her back as she looked back into his face, only for his eyes to dart away. Heat began to spiral up her chest as hot tears sprang up behind her eyes. Evidently, Lord Calverton was not of the same ilk as his mother. Was he shocked by her appearance? Horrified, even? Perhaps she ought not to have hidden herself from him when they had first met for then he would have known what to expect upon seeing her. She watched as he made his way towards Lord Thurston who not only greeted him warmly but began to talk at length, with neither gentleman giving her so much as a glance. Temperance herself turned towards her aunt and Lady Thurston, going to join their conversation, only for Lady Calverton to turn back towards her.

"Lady Temperance, I do hope that my son has not done anything wrong in telling me this, but he stated that he met you on the beach as you pursued a sketch? "

Evidently hearing this, Lord Calverton harrumphed and quickly walked across the room towards them all, making Temperance's heart quicken.

"My dear Lady Temperance," he said, bowing towards her. "Do excuse my mother. I did beg her not to speak to you of such a thing until you had brought the subject to hand but it appears that she will not listen!"

Temperance blinked, a little surprised at the gentleman's candor but also at the way he shook his head to his mother, who waved a hand and laughed, evidently not taking the least bit of consideration to what had been said.

"I thought to remain across the room to give you ladies an opportunity to talk," he said, explaining without realizing it, why he had stayed back from Temperance, "but now it seems I must come and encourage my mother to stop asking you such things as that! Mother, please." With a sigh, he turned to look at his mother, a slight sternness about his serious expression though Lady Calverton only laughed and shook her head.

"My son is a little too protective, I am sure," she said, though the smile she offered Temperance came with a slightly searching gaze. "I am someone who is very fond indeed of drawing, painting and the like. It brings me a great deal of joy to speak of it with someone who understands such a passion. Do you feel the same way, Lady Temperance?"

A little overwhelmed – both with Lord Calverton's obvious protectiveness expressed towards her and the questions that his mother had sent towards her – Temperance tried to smile and spread out both hands. "I am afraid that I do not often speak of my art, Lady Calverton."

"Though I think she is excellent in all that she does," chimed in her aunt, as Temperance sent a sharp look towards her, praying that she would not begin to praise her work all over again. "Temperance, however, does prefer to paint in solitude and I loathe to interrupt her."

"I quite understand," Lady Calverton said, directing a smile back towards Temperance. "What is it that you find you are drawn to? Is it the sea? The cliffs? The moorland? There are so many wonderful scenes here which cry out to be captured, are there not? "

"Please, Lady Temperance, do not feel as though you must answer every question here," Lord Calverton interrupted, putting his hand on his mother's arm. "Mother, please. You are very passionate about your drawing, I know, but you must not press the lady."

Temperance managed to smile as she looked into Lord Calverton's eyes, a little surprised at the softness about his hazel eyes which settled against the firm pull of his lips. Much to her surprise, he did not once look at her cheek, did not let his gaze pull towards her scar. Whether that was deliberate or not, she did not know but all the same, she greatly appreciated it.

"I apologise," Lady Calverton sighed, though the twinkle in her eyes lingered. "Lady Temperance, whenever you might wish to speak of your artistic work, please be aware that I should be very glad indeed to listen to all you have to say. I should very much like to share my passion so mayhap, you might be willing to call upon me one day also!"

Lord Calverton cleared his throat and his mother shot him a quick look before rolling her eyes and making Temperance smile.

"That is the dinner gong." With a warm smile, Lady Thurston directed them towards the door which would lead out to the dining room. "Shall we make our way there? I am certain that this conversation can continue over some excellent food and wine!"

Lady Calverton agreed enthusiastically and stepped away, just as Lady Hartford and Lord Thurston walked away together.

She was left looking to Lord Calverton, who, much to her astonishment, smiled, turned and offered her his arm.

"I must apologise for my mother," he said as she, somewhat tentatively, put her hand to his arm. "She is much too enthusiastic though it has been some time since she was able to speak about such things with anyone." He offered her a small smile as they followed after the others. "To be truthful, she has not even looked at a pencil or a paintbrush for some years. Now, however, we have returned here and within a sennight, she is talking about beginning to paint again! There must be something about this place that brings such an enthusiasm back to her."

"I can understand that," Temperance found herself saying, still a little overcome by all that had happened. "I find this place to be quite marvelous and in that regard, I cannot help but want to capture it as often as I can." She glanced up at him again, seeing him nod slowly as though he were trying to understand but could not quite do so. This was not the fellow she had thought him to be when he had first stepped into the room. She had been certain that the way he had looked at her and then stepped towards Lord Thurston had been because of her scar whereas now, she realized that he had only done such a thing in order to give opportunity for his mother to speak with the other ladies in the room. She had been quick to presume, quick to judge and he had proven her wrong in all that she had thought.

"I am afraid that I do not paint or even sketch!" he told her, as they entered the dining room. "I have no skill whatsoever in that regard, though I certainly do appreciate art. I have many a painting in my manor house and at the estate." Leading her to her chair, he released her hand and then pulled the chair out for her. "If you ever have opportunity to present your work, I certainly would be glad to see it. I am sure it is quite wonderful."

"Thank you, Lord Calverton." Temperance's heart leapt as he smiled, the action pulling away the seriousness from his hazel eyes. "I will consider it, of course. As I have said, it has been some time since I have shown anyone my work."

"Then I shall be all the more honoured if I ever have opportunity to see it," he smiled, before making his way to his own chair which was opposite her at the table. Temperance followed him with her eyes before dropping her gaze to her lap. This dinner had already gone a good deal better than she had expected and that brought such relief to her, she could barely speak. With a smile and a set of her shoulders, Temperance looked around the room and caught her aunt looking at her. Temperance's smile grew as her aunt gave her a small nod, clearly aware that all of Temperance's fears had been chased away. The first course was served and Temperance joined in with the others in conversation, though now and again, her gaze snagged on Lord Calverton. Never once did he look anywhere other than her eyes, never once did he glance at her marred cheek. For the first time in many a month, Temperance felt herself relax entirely at this social occasion. Perhaps she would show her artwork to Lady Calverton. Perhaps she would be bold enough to share some of her paintings with others rather than keep hiding them away and, only on occasion, sharing them with her aunt. There was a fresh encouragement in Lady Calverton's enthusiasm and Temperance found herself smiling at the thought.

This year might turn out to be a little better than she had ever permitted herself to hope. She might have new acquaintances, new friendships and, mayhap, a new lease of life with it.