Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"These flowers are beautiful, Mrs. Stanford," Charlotte remarked the following day. "And so fragrant."

"London has many florists, so they always compete by producing the best," the housekeeper replied. "His Grace mentioned in his letter that you love flowers and arranging them, so I had several florists deliver them first thing this morning."

Charlotte's heart thumped happily. Her mental image of herself was a fluffy dog with big doe eyes happily shaking its tail, which made her inwardly chuckle a little. William truly thought about everything. It was no wonder she was falling for him more every day.

"That was very thoughtful of you," she replied to the waiting housekeeper. "Could I have more vases of different heights? You can place them on the dining room table. I just want to arrange these into bouquets, and then I'll join you in the dining room to cut the stalks to size."

"Certainly, Your Grace," Mrs. Stanford said. "I'll have the maids clean and prepare the vases for you. Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?"

The servants in London had received her far better than the ones back home. Mrs. Stanford and the others were willing to bend over backward to please her, putting to shame how William's servants treated her during the first couple of days in her new home.

"I'd like tea around one," said Charlotte. "Sweetmeats, cheese, fruit, cold meats, and cake—everything. Please let my husband and sister know. We'll take it in here."

Mrs. Stanford nodded. "Shall I inform Lord Henry as well?"

Charlotte paused. Frankly, she didn't like her brother-in-law. It wasn't just about the way he treated William, but his insistence on getting close to her. She didn't like how he looked at her or dismissed whatever William had to say. Henry was a troublemaker, and she wasn't keen on the sort. It was one thing to have an exciting air of danger, but another when one caused unnecessary trouble.

"No, there's no need to tell him," said Charlotte. "Lord Henry usually has plans, and I wouldn't want to disturb him."

"Yes, Your Grace," the housekeeper said. "I'll inform His Grace and Lady Louise."

She curtsied and left the room as Charlotte gathered some of the blooms into her arms and took a healthy whiff.

"Absolutely splendid," she breathed.

The parlor resembled a garden without all the dirt and insects and was the perfect room to spend a few hours of her day. Charlotte loved pretty things and enjoyed being surrounded by beauty, including her husband. He was a fine specimen of a man and, indeed, was the embodiment of what she wanted in a husband. She might not have felt that way at first, but time had revealed the man he was hiding beneath his stern exterior.

Their night at the opera had been perfect in every way—she couldn't fault it. From the way he had taken her in his arms to holding hands while watching the play...it was simply wonderful and, hopefully, the beginning of something beautiful. Charlotte wanted to hold hands with him again, put his head on her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair, and—

"Charlotte."

She jerked at the unexpected voice and turned to the doorway. She inwardly groaned and wondered how her brother-in-law had figured she was in the parlor. His eyes looked all over the room as though he were searching for something.

"Henry," she said. "Can I help you with something?"

He stepped into the room and paused with his hand still on the door handle. "Is your sister not here with you?"

It was rather apparent that Louise wasn't with her. "No, she's not," Charlotte replied. "She's reading in the library."

A shadow of a smile appeared on his face. "Oh, I see," he said. "And what about my brother? Is he not here?"

Again, the answer was quite obvious. Charlotte was undoubtedly alone, and he knew that. She frowned, somewhat worried about his intentions.

"No, he isn't," she said. "He left for White's."

William received a note during breakfast requesting that he meet Lord Gregory at the gentleman's club. Charlotte liked knowing her husband had a good friend like Lord Gregory. People needed just one friend they could confide in and spend time with. Louise was Charlotte's best friend, making their sibling bond stronger than most. Now, she had her husband as well, which was more than enough for her.

"White's, you say?" said Henry. "That means he will not return for a while."

A frisson of alarm unfurled at the base of her spine and traveled upward, stretching its tentacles into her mind and the rest of her body. Charlotte didn't like where this was heading. Henry seemed to operate on ulterior motives, so one never really knew where they stood with him.

Charlotte tracked his movements into the room, noting how pleased he appeared. A brother-in-law shouldn't look that happy that his brother was not at home and his sister-in-law was alone. She thought about leaving the room but didn't want him to know she was uncomfortable. Besides, she wanted to arrange the flowers into bouquets, and she wouldn't allow anyone to interfere with her plans.

Henry plonked onto a chair and ran his fingers through his pale yellow hair. He must have applied a little pomade because it didn't shift much. Charlotte preferred a man's hair to be free from restraints. William had lovely thick, dark brown hair that appeared to have a wave at the end. She hoped he would continue to let it grow because he would look more handsome with longer hair.

"So, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Arranging flowers," she replied.

She picked a few stems and added some greenery to the first bouquet. She tried to ignore Henry's presence and just get on with her work, but her discomfort wasn't budging. Charlotte could feel him staring and didn't like it one bit.

"You must have had a wonderful childhood to have such a lovely disposition," he remarked.

Charlotte paused. She didn't want to encourage him to stay but couldn't ignore him either. Times like these were when she hated the need of the English to be polite even in challenging situations.

"Yes," she finally said, briefly looking at him. "My parents gave me a happy childhood. I cannot complain about it."

"So, were you a mischievous girl?" he asked. "Or were you a good girl? I think it's the former."

"I had my moments," Charlotte admitted.

She used a piece of twine to keep the flowers together and moved on to the next arrangement. Each one needed to complement the colors of the various rooms, but she had yet to fully explore the house. She probably should have done that before putting the bouquets together.

"I doubt anyone could have said no to you," said Henry. "You just had to bat your lovely blue eyes, and your every wish would be granted."

"My parents were generous, but they taught me right from wrong," said Charlotte. "It is because of them that I respect all life."

Although she undoubtedly felt more strongly about equality among the classes. Her parents supported the Whigs and wouldn't be pleased if they knew she was far more liberal than expected.

Charlotte merely wanted people to have all they needed to live good lives—a stable income, a roof over their heads, clothes without holes, and food to keep their bellies fed. That shouldn't be too much to ask, but not many agreed with her views. It made her question just how many people truly lived the words taught from the Good Book.

"I wish I had known you before you married my brother," said Henry. "We should have had time to get to know each other before we became a family."

"Our elders didn't think it was necessary," Charlotte pointed out.

"But it was," he insisted. "Because of them, you married a much older man with whom you share nothing in common."

That did it. Charlotte dropped what she was doing and gave him her full attention. "Where did you get that notion from?" she asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Henry. "My brother is a good man, but he's eleven years your senior and rather dull. The most exciting thing about him was being in His Majesty's Service, but he has since left that world to become a duke. Now, he just worries about estate matters."

That might have been true at first, but not anymore. William had improved in leaps and bounds and didn't deserve anyone—let alone his brother—speaking unkindly about him.

"My husband is far more than that," said Charlotte. "You would know if you spent time with him. Why else would I enjoy spending time with him?"

Henry chuckled. "Surely you do not mean that? I understand that you feel you need to speak well about my brother because he's your husband, but you forget that I grew up with him. I know him better than you do. There is no reason to lie to me."

"I am not lying to you!" Charlotte cried.

Henry's green eyes widened. "My, my, my. Such passion, my dear sister-in-law," he said. "My brother is not keen on high-spirited women, but I happen to appreciate them. It's such a pity that we did not meet before."

"Everything happens for a reason," she told him.

"Yes, I suppose it does," Henry replied. "Fate brought you into my life for a reason. I wonder what that could be?"

"That makes us family," she said.

He smiled. "Yes, family. That means we should be close and spend more time together, yes?"

Charlotte could no longer pretend to be comfortable. Henry had underlying meanings to everything he said, and she was tired of ignoring them. She could attend to the flowers a little later. For now, she needed to get away from him before he assumed she was at ease in his presence.

"Would you please excuse me?" she said. "I just remembered I have something to do."

"Charlotte—"

"Excuse me," she interrupted and scurried out of the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she was some distance away and wondered where she could go to avoid Henry. All the social rooms were to be avoided, leaving only her chamber. He wouldn't dare follow her there.

"Would he?" she muttered, taking the stairs.

Charlotte didn't think her brother-in-law would go to such lengths because he wouldn't be able to explain away his actions. She should be safe there.

She reached the room, closed the door behind her, and sat on the bed. She could get her texts out and continue with her translations or read something light, but she didn't want to do anything. She was too bothered by Henry's actions.

Charlotte didn't know how long she sat in that position, but she was glad when her sister came in and took her out of her thoughts.

"There you are," Louise said, approaching the bed. "I looked all over the house for you. Mrs. Stanford said you were in the parlor arranging flowers, but I only found flowers. She then said you might be in the dining room, but you weren't there either. What made you come here in the middle of the day? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Charlotte lied.

Louise pursed her lips. "You are not good at lying. Something did happen. What is it?" She climbed onto the bed and settled cross-legged beside Charlotte. "Talk."

Charlotte sighed as she rubbed her temples. "I do not know how to put it," she said.

"I understand you better than anyone else, so you can say whatever is on your mind," Louise insisted. "It can be the strangest bit of information or something serious—it doesn't matter."

Charlotte dropped her hands and nodded. "I know you'll understand me," she said. "It's just an uncomfortable subject. It's about Henry."

"Your brother-in-law?" said Louise. "What did he do? Did he say something?"

"He just makes me uncomfortable," Charlotte replied. "I feel that he is always trying to speak to me alone and pries into my married life. He doesn't think William and I complement each other. It's almost like he's trying to turn me against William."

"You've always been a good judge of character and read situations well," Louise pointed out. "If you feel that way, there must be something to it. Perhaps you should speak to your husband. See what he says about the situation."

"But what on earth would I say to him?" Charlotte asked. "That his brother is misbehaving? He hasn't done anything worth mentioning yet. It's just a feeling and concerns about the things he says."

"So, what will you do about Lord Henry?" said Louise. "I imagine you're in your chamber because of him."

Charlotte shrugged. "I'll just wait a little longer. Perhaps Henry will stop his behavior and leave me in peace."

Even as she said that, she found that she didn't believe her words. Henry had come all the way to London for a reason, and Charlotte was worried she was that reason.