In fact, she seemed to be glowing with a secret held close. The girl would never cease to be trouble, Eliza was certain of it. The sooner she was married, the better.
It was only Eliza’s second visit to Bramble Cottage and on that first occasion, all had been in the uproar of moving. After the better part of a week, the result was cozy and comfortable, particularly with a fire blazing on the hearth and the four of them gathered around the table in the dining room. Aunt Fanny sat at one end of the table and Nicholas at the other, Eliza facing a decidedly rebellious Helena.
There was doubtless still some disorder in the house, but the dining room had been set to rights in a most pleasing way. Eliza wagered the table linens had come from Fanny’s own collection. She knew that the cottage had some furnishings, including this lovely table and six chairs, all carved of cherry, for the dining room. They were both comfortable and attractive, and of the perfect size.
It was, overall, a most welcoming room. A pair of chiffonieres faced each other from opposite walls, offering more than sufficient storage for china and stemware. A large window overlooked the garden at the end of the room—lost in the deluge of rain on this night—and the fireplace dominated theopposite wall, at the foot of the table. Its glowing embers were most welcome, given the forbidding weather. The floors were gleaming wood with an attractive but slightly worn rug spread beneath the table. Candles flickered on the table, bathing the room in golden light.
Though Becky was no cook, the maid had managed a joint of ham with potatoes from the cold cellar and asparagus from the garden. It was simple but hearty fare. Nicholas had brought some wine in anticipation of a family dispute, and he poured it now. Eliza had worked hard on this day herself, cleaning and organizing the cupboards of Southpoint, and the meal smelled heavenly.
“Thank you, Becky,” Aunt Fanny said when all the dishes were on the table. The maid, who had to be of an age with Eliza, curtsied and left the dining room.
“How lovely this room is,” Eliza said, hoping to dispel some of the tension between aunt and niece.
“Bramble Cottage is most satisfactory,” Aunt Fanny said. “Constance has found me a couple from Haynesdale Hollow to see to our needs, and they will arrive on the morrow. I understand that Mrs. Nixon is an excellent cook and her husband is most able. Becky speaks highly of them and she will remain, of course.”
“That should suit you admirably,” Eliza said.
“I thought to have just a cook and maid, but Constance is right that there will be a fair bit of work in the garden.”
“I think a couple will suit you well, Aunt,” Nicholas said, then lifted his glass. “Let us drink to many happy years in your new abode.”
Aunt Fanny smiled at him. “And let us drink to the generosity of my beloved nephew, who has ensured my comfort in every way. Thank you, Nicholas.”
Helena looked between the two of them with suspicion, obviously anticipating that they would ally together against her. They ate for a few moments in companionable silence, making a goodly dent in the quantity of ham.
Finally, Nicholas put down his fork. “Now tell us what Helena has done to so earn your ire,” he invited his aunt.
Aunt Fanny’s eyes flashed. “This girl declined an offer from Lord Addersley!” she said with outrage. Helena’s lips set mutinously. “Surely, there could be no more suitable candidate than a man with a title, a house and a fortune, right here in the neighborhood, but this miss will not listen to sense!”
“He is respectable and responsible, to be sure,” Helena said. “He is also old anddull.”
Though Eliza might have expected such an assessment from the younger woman, Nicholas began to chuckle. She eyed him but he only shook his head, amused beyond all as the older woman continued her tirade.
“Less than a week here and she makes a most promising conquest, but she believes herself destined for better matches.” Aunt Fanny fixed Helena with a stern look. “No duke will wed you, Helena. Though I wish neither to be cruel or blunt, you have no dowry and your looks will not be in your favor for much longer. You should have taken the viscount and been content. There is not an abundance of eligible gentlemen in the vicinity and you may have sacrificed your sole chance for comfort.”
“I do not care,” Helena said. “I will wed for love.”
“You may not wed at all if you are so particular,” Aunt Fanny said crossly. “And then you will be fortunate indeed to end your days alone here in Bramble Cottage. Nicholas may not see fit to indulge you, or he might not be able to do as much. What will you do then?”
That prospect made the younger girl pale. “I cannot wed a man so thoroughly tedious and predictable”
“Respectability is most welcome!”
“I prefer a lively companion!”
“You are a foolish chit, and I should cast you out this very night for your ingratitude and folly. Nicholas! How can you be so entertained by this vexing situation?”
“Because you would have been shocked beyond all if Helena had garnered a proposal from Joshua Hargood a decade ago. You would have forbidden her to even speak to him.”
“How can this be?” Aunt Fanny demanded.
Helena looked up with avid and predictable interest.
“You must not have been in town that year,” Nicholas said. “They were known as the terrors of London, he and his brother Gerald. Never had two rakehells found so much trouble. They gambled and they whored, they spent money as if it were water, they drank and they danced and I am not certain when they slept. There were duels and horse races and wicked doings at all hours of the night. The pair of them were insatiable by all accounts, and their father nearly washed his hands of them.”
Helena, predictably, was listening keenly. “But he said he does not dance.”
“That is not the same as being unable to dance,” Eliza noted.
