“They were. His Highness wants Lady Cathryn to play on a regular basis.”
“That would be quite the honor,” Frazier replied.
“She doesn’t want to play that often. She said she’d think about it.”
“Well, we know what sort of reputation the prince has. I’m sure that was part of her reasoning not to.”
Charles nodded. “Yes, that and the fact her mother showed up and wants Cathryn to do it, and more. She’s quite odd, that one. She sees her daughter as unable to make her own decisions.”
“She forgets her daughter is married and her life is none of her concern,” Frazier said. He picked up the shaving razor after soaping up Charles’ face. “You need to speak with Lady Cathryn and set some rules when it comes to her parents. Otherwise, her mother is going to try and take over.”
Charles knew his valet to be opinionated but wouldn’t have it any other way. Frazier had helped him through many difficult situations over the years. He owed the man a debt of gratitudefor helping him maintain his sanity and show him the ways of the world.
“We’ve tried and she complies with our wishes for a while, but then she’s back to interfering with us.”
“You’ll work it out. Lady Cathryn is a smart lady and knows her mother better than her mother thinks. Just keep an open line of communication between the two of you,” Frazier said.
“Absolutely. Now, let’s all go home,” Charles said cheerfully. In the past, nothing seemed to make him happy. He did what he enjoyed, things that seemed to bring him joy, but not like the happiness he felt whenever Cathryn was near.
He met up with his wife, who seemed to feel much better than earlier. It must have been the champagne and nerves, like Cathryn mentioned.
The ride back to Gloucester was quiet. The sky was a mixture of dark and white clouds, like the weather was unsure what it was to do. Neither of them seemed to notice after their initial inspection. Both fell asleep to the rhythm of the carriage as it headed home.
Once they arrived at the estate, the clouds had gotten even more ominous. Darker, grayer, black. The wind had picked up since leaving London, leaving the impression rain was not far off.
“I’m going to go to my study and see if any correspondence came in,” Charles said as he and Cathryn entered the drawing room.
“Would you like me to have tea sent?”
“Please, that would be nice.”
“I’m going to have tea and sit near the fire to warm up. After that, I plan to check my correspondence,” Cathryn said with a soft smile.
Charles leaned down and kissed her. “I know where to find you.”
“Indeed, you do,” she replied.
Much to Charles’s chagrin, there was a large pile of unopened correspondence waiting for him on his desk. A lot was the usual monthly bills. He began to sort everything in the stack, making it easier to know how to respond to each one. The estate ledger was to the right side of the desk. His estate manager must have gone through it for the month. The man probably wanted to meet so they could discuss any work needing to be done. Cold weather would soon be upon them, and he was sure there were jobs which involved making sure things stayed dry over the course of autumn and winter.
He decided to go through the one stack and see what it was. Then when the estate manager came in the morning, bills could be paid and invitations answered. There were the usual household expenses, a few larger ones for the gardens and overall renovation of the grounds. That would be reduced or eliminated once the gardener and his crew got things done to improve the look of the estate.
A letter from Oxford that he would read tomorrow. Probably about making up dates or confirming them. Nothing out of the ordinary.
One bill caught his eye. A bill from a doctor in London. Cathryn, it seemed, had been the patient but had not said a word to him about going. She usually told him everything going on with her, but not this. If she had, he didn’t recall. He would have to ask her about it later.
The tea had come but he hadn’t taken the time to pour himself a cup. He put all the papers on his desk in place and walked over to the tea tray. The pot was still quite warm, so he prepared himself a cup. Noting a slice of seed cake on a plate, he picked it up and took everything to the couch to eat. The fire was a warm welcome. He took a bite of cake. It was delicious. Some of the best seed cake he’d had in quite a while. The onlyplace he’d had it better was on Wight. There was a shop on the outskirts of town that had the best baked goods. The seed cake was one of their most popular. Whenever he was on one of his walks and had some money, Charles always stopped and purchased something from the small shop.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of hard rain hitting against the windows. The storm had arrived. Hopefully there’d only be rain and wind and no thunder and lightning. And he also wanted it to be gone by morning. Being cramped up inside wasn’t one of his favorite pastimes.
Perhaps he and Cathryn could play cards, or he could introduce her to chess. He could set up a board and invite her to play and see if she was good or not. If she knew how to play, it would make it nice to have someone in the house who also knew the game.
He finished his tea and cake and headed out into the hall, sure he’d find Cathryn in the drawing room. When the footman opened the door, he found her still sitting in front of the fire, a teacup and plate of fresh scones on a table in front of her. She had a handful of embroidery threads she’d purchased in London. She was sorting them and deep in thought when he approached.
“Scones?” he asked. “Why didn’t I get any?”
“They probably weren’t finished baking. Take one. They’re quite good.”
“I think I will after I pour a cup of tea. Would you like some more?”
