Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Father!" Eva's scream cut through the summer air.

Mark's heart dropped into his stomach as he searched the park for his daughter. When he found them, the two young girls and Julia were running towards them. Julia was the only one without tears on her face.

Mark bent down to meet his crying daughter.

"What is it? What's happened?" he asked in a panic.

She tried to tell him, but he could barely hear a word she said. Eva was crying so hard that every work came out as a stammered mess. So, Mark looked to Julia, who looked worried beyond belief.

"A dog came by, Your Grace, and growled at Spot," she explained. "Spot got so afraid that he pulled out of his collar and ran away. The–the bigger dog gave chase, and we've lost sight of them."

"What if Spot gets hurt?" Eva cried loudly.

"Which way did they go?" Mark asked.

All three girls pointed in the direction that the dogs ran in, and Mark took off after them.

"Wait here. We'll make sure we get them back safely," Hugh assured them.

Mark ran. He had no idea if Spot would be alright or if he'd even find the dogs. All he knew was that he couldn't stand the sight of his daughter so distraught. And he knew which direction they'd run in.

He could hear Hugh's steps behind him as they gave chase.

The wind whipped against their cheeks as he finally caught sight of the dogs at the other end of the park. They were moving fast, but at least they were still alright. He picked up the pace as he jumped some short bushes and kept up the chase.

*

Diana and Anna walked until they found the perfect shady spot beneath a tree to place their picnic down. Diana had been eager to get away from the house. The fighting between the family was getting out of hand, and she just wanted to have a moment of peace.

What was meant to be a pleasant birthday dinner for her cousin had turned into a ball. And Diana had been the last to find out about it. It had made her furious, and now nobody in the house was talking to her.

Everywhere she looked, party decorations were being made, and furniture was being rearranged.

"Those were some handsome men earlier, don't you think?" Anna asked. "One of them was giving you a rather keen eye."

Diana groaned. "Don't get me started on that," she warned.

But Anna was right. Diana didn't often feel so taken by a passing greeting. Perhaps it was the thought of marriage that her aunt had inadvertently planted in her head that had her suddenly noticing more about the men around her than before. Or perhaps the man she'd seen had simply been a very attractive one.

In fact, she had been so taken by him that she had lost track of what Anna was saying.

"Your family needs to leave," Anna said.

"I know," Diana answered. "But I've already paid for the party. We might as well host it, and I'll figure out what to do with them after that."

"They'll spend all your money," Anna warned her. "Just like they spent their own. They have no respect for you or your kindness."

"Enough about that," Diana requested as she covered her eyes. "I want to escape it for a while. Let's just enjoy this picnic, and you can tell me about the suitor that visited you last week."

"Oh," Anna said. "That."

"Yes. That ." Diana flashed her friend a knowing smile.

Anna winced. "I wish I could tell you what we spoke about," she said. "But I can't. I didn't listen to a word of it."

"Anna!" Diana reprimanded her.

The girls had been close friends for as long as Diana could remember. In fact, Anna had become the only person that Diana could confide in since her parents had died. She didn't know what she would do without her.

"He was so boring." Anna laughed as she covered her eyes. "And he never stopped talking about himself. I barely got a word in. My mother and I just sat in silence as he spoke for hours."

"Oh dear." Diana laughed. "That sounds awful."

They unpacked some of their picnic foods, and Diana felt the strain of her day fall from her shoulders. She turned her face to the sun and took a deep breath, holding it a moment before releasing it slowly.

It was a quieter day at the park, but around them, a few families walked and played. Anna always knew how to get her mind off things. She spoke about her suitor and how he had told them everything about his childhood.

Diana laughed at a lot of it, and it felt as if she was far away from her troubles then. Anna had known her for the longest time. She'd seen her through the worst of her life and had been a pillar of support to her after her parents died.

"He had the worst manners, too," Anna said. "At one point, he used his finger to scoop up some of the icing and licked it off!"

"He didn't," Diana gasped.

"My mother just pretended as if she didn't see anything." Anna laughed. "Oh Diana, there was barely a hair on his head that wasn't grey. He's almost as old as my father."

"Why is your mother so set on this man?" Diana asked.

"He's older," Anna explained. "She wants me to find an older suitor. Someone with money. They like his title. They think it will improve my place in society."

"It could," Diana said. "But that's not always the most important thing, is it?"

"Well, I might not have a choice," Anna said.

Diana frowned. Her friend suddenly looked sullen and defeated.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"My parents have left me with a choice," Anna said. "I can find a suitable man who meets their criteria, or I must marry the baron by next summer."

That was a tough ultimatum. And Diana knew it wouldn't be easy for her friend to accept it. Whoever she married would be in her life until either of them died. It was a big decision.

"You could do everything without a husband," Anna said. "Except have children, of course. Your father taught you everything. How to manage the business and the finances, and your mother taught you how to manage the house. You don't need a husband."

"I don't," Diana agreed. "But I don't want to be alone. I rather like the idea of the company. A warm embrace, a laugh over breakfast. But those are not enough criteria for a good husband search."

It made Diana think of what her aunt had said before about finding her a husband to distract her from their spending. That was the only criteria they had for her. Someone who could keep her busy enough that she wouldn't notice what they were doing.

That wasn't enough for Diana. But she did dream of having a family one day. So that she could raise a daughter to have a good life like the one she'd had with her parents. But they had met by chance.

Diana had been so busy keeping everything together after her parents died that it felt as though nothing happened by chance anymore. Everything was planned and scrutinized carefully so that she could have enough time to do it all.

She had hoped her aunt and uncle and cousins would have helped her when they moved in, but so far, all they'd done was party planning and hosting teas.

"It's crazy to think we'll be married and having families," Diana said. "I still feel like that young girl who used to climb trees when her parents weren't looking."

"Me too," Anna said. "I fear I've read too many books. Perhaps my idea of love and marriage has been skewed by fiction."

Diana knew what she meant. She'd read the same kinds of books. Young, handsome men would show up when they were most needed. In those books, the men would provide the women with something they desperately longed for.

"I asked my parents once how they'd met," Diana said.

"What did they say?" Anna asked.

"They bumped into each other while crossing the road," Diana said. "My mother stumbled, and my father stopped her from falling. They were headed to the same coffee shop. Months later, they were getting married."

"They had a wonderful marriage," Anna said. "And they made such a success of themselves."

"That they did," Diana said. "But they made me believe that finding love was an easy task."

Anna nodded in agreement. "My parents met because my grandmother decided my father would be a good match. That's where my mother gets her ideas from."

"Well, if it worked for her, then she'd surely believe it would work for you," Diana said in agreement.

"This is very complicated," Anna said, sounding defeated.

The two women enjoyed lunch as they contemplated all the ways they might run away from a life where they would have to marry someone they weren't interested in. It was a pleasant afternoon.

One of the most pleasant that Diana had enjoyed in some time.

"I finally read some of my letters," she confessed.

"Oh?" Anna asked, excited.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought," Diana confessed. "I even responded to some of them. I had thought they'd be filled with painful memories and sadness."

"And?" Anna asked.

"They were filled with memories that people had shared with my parents. Beautiful ones. I might read the rest of them when I get back later."

"I told you," Anna said, swatting Diana. "I'm glad you did that."

Soon, the pair were doubled over laughing as they recalled the time her father was chased by a lively chicken one weekend when their families had gone away to the countryside for a week.

It was good to laugh again. Diana no longer laughed in her own home. There, she merely fought with people, and they fought back. At home, she was having orders barked at her to fold and paint decorations and prepare items for a party that was costing her a lot of money.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she hoped to stay at the park with Anna for as long as she possibly could.

"Am I invited to the party?" Anna asked.

"If you don't come, then I'm not going," Diana warned her. "I'll walk away from that house and into the dark night if you're not there to keep me sane."

The afternoon came around, and the sun cooled just slightly. The breeze washed over them, and Diana accepted it gratefully. Her father had always told her that the breeze could wash away worries and replace them with peace.

She hoped for that now. That the breeze would blow peace into her heart and mind and leave it there. So that when she returned home, she could continue to enjoy it and find a way to live the life she had then.

"We can't sit here forever," Anna said.

"I know, but we can sit a few more hours, can't we?" Diana asked.

"A few," Anna said with a smile. "I have nowhere else to be today."

"Good," Diana said, making herself comfortable. "Hopefully, when I get home, I can just eat and retreat to my room. The house feels so full lately."

"To the rafters," Anna agreed. "I tell you. It's not a lot of family you've got there, but they certainly do take up a lot of room, don't they?"

Anna was right. There were only four of them, and the house was large. And yet, it felt as though every time Diana turned around, one of them was standing right there. It felt as though she was being smothered in her own home.

She hoped that once the party was over, it would quieten down again. Would it be the same thing when her other cousin, Emma, turned twenty-one, too? Would she be forced to match the extravagance of the party?

Just then, two dogs came flying past them. A small one that yelped as it ran and a larger one that barked and growled. Diana had spent many years with her mother and father, working with animals. She knew that the large dog would soon catch up with the smaller one. They ran at a speed, kicking up dust behind them as they went. The women turned to look just as the two men they'd passed earlier came chasing past them.

"Spot!" the one man called out as they ran. "Get back here! Spot!"

Anna and Diana looked at each other with amusement.

"You better go help them," Anna said. "They look like they have no idea what they're doing."