“Well, think about it.” Elinor walked towards the stream. “There I am in this huge garden, with people wandering all over the place, and it’s dark, of course. I didn’t want to go out there in the first place, but that absurd man insisted that I would love to see the statues under the moonlight.”
“Hmm.”
“Indeed. If there had been any way I could have turned tail and run out of that damn house, Bronwen, I would have.”
“So he had no difficulty in persuading your sister-in-law to allow you outside with him? Isn’t that rather…umm…unusual?”
“Hah.” Elinor snorted out the word. “I’m a single young woman with good prospects. Far too many people will not be happy until I’m either engaged or wed, as they’ve made quite clear many times. Peter may be my older brother, but he listens to Louise, and she firmly believes in marriage. Especially mine. And I am beginning to believe that at this point they don’t care how I go about it.”
“I see,” answered Bronwen.
“In spite of his fortune, that man was an utter cad,” said Elinor, stopping at the edge of the stream and sitting on a convenient log. “He tugged me around the bushes into a dark spot, then grabbed me, started kissing me and touching me in places I definitely did not like.”
“That,” said Bronwen firmly, “is indeed unacceptable.”
“I certainly thought so. And so I threw caution to the wind and put everything I had into that slap.” She paused. “And actually, it felt rather satisfying.”
“Good for you.”
“Well, at first, yes. It got his hands off my bottom, but also knocked him sideways, whereupon he tripped and fell into a bush which happened to be full of roses.”
“Ouch.”
“Yes,” Elinor sighed. “I can’t even begin to describe the chaos that descended after that. There were screams, gasps of horror, cries of pain—mostly from the gentleman trying to get out of the rosebush—and the inevitable giggles and whispers.”
“Behind raised fans?”
“Of course.”
“And so the upshot of all this drama is that you’ve been sent home, presumably with your tail between your legs, to ruminate on your misbehaviour.”
“Precisely.” Elinor nodded. “I have a few weeks before Mama and Papa return from the Continent, during which I’m supposed to consider my sins and repent.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“I won’t. I couldn’t. There is absolutely no way that what that man did to me was acceptable under any circumstances. I have to wonder if my sister-in-law thought that he might be forced to offer for me, if I was seen alone with him in the garden. One of those compromising situations.”
“Oh. That is quite horrible. And a bit calculating, too, to be honest about it.”
“It is not uncommon, I’m afraid. But with the fuss going on about the rosebush and extracting him without doing further damage, I was able to slip away. Going back into the ballroom, though, the whispers had started, and unfortunately my gown was ripped a little. That left Peter and Louise no choice but to whisk me away immediately. To be fair, they were both rather upset when I told them exactly what had happened in the dark garden.” A surprising giggle popped out. “I understand that when he finally returned to the ballroom, he had a distinct mark on his face.”
“Your hand?”
Elinor just smiled.
“Well, that is quite a tale, my dear,” Bronwen linked her arm through Elinor’s. “But it has ended well, since it’s brought you home to Molliney Park, and me. Now I shall have my friend back, and we will be able to spend the summer together like we used to.”
“I hope so, Bronwen.” Elinor breathed in deeply. “I do hope so.”
A slight sound distracted her, and she turned them onto their path. “We must be going back now, though. I’ve been here with you for a long time, and I shall be missed before long. At the moment, I’m trying to be on my best behaviour, you understand…just so that Mama has no grounds to scold me any further when she and Papa return.”
“Very wise, dear Elinor. Very wise indeed.”
*~~*~~*
On his side of the hedge, and further away from the stream, Caleb remained silent, frozen in place as he’d found his sympathy aroused by the conversation.
Their voices began to fade, and he took a chance…moving silently to a small gap in the thick greenery, and peering through to see if he could catch a glimpse of the two young ladies who had enjoyed such an interesting discussion.
