“Of course, you are so good at playing the pianoforte; you must have spent many hours indoors practicing.” Lord Dunham smiled politely, glancing in her direction.
Nodding politely, Charlotte decided to keep her responses brief in the hopes that Lord Dunham would pick up on her discomfort and end their walk.
“Tell me, Lady Charlotte, on which side of the family is your uncle related to you?” He veered the conversation back in the direction of her uncle as he inevitably always did.
“He is my father’s brother.” She grew increasingly uncomfortable at the mention of her parents. The conversation was beginning to feel invasive and abrupt.
“That would explain why he inherited the title.” Lord Dunham nodded as if some strange suspicion he harboured had been confirmed.
Charlotte wasn’t sure what it was about the man; he made her uneasy with all of his questions, and she hoped and prayed that his curiosity had been satisfied. His incessant need to know about her family was more tiring than the walk itself.
Lord Dunham didn’t seem to pick up on her discomfort as he persisted with his line of questioning. “I’m sure that you were terribly torn up by your parents passing in such a sudden and tragic accident. Did your uncle handle their passing well, or does he still struggle with the loss?” His sudden and unexpected question seared through her heart like a knife that had been heated over the coals.
“I … Could we perhaps return to the shade of the tree? I think the heat is getting a bit much for me.” Charlotte swallowed hard and clenched her fist, pressing her hand into her abdomen in an attempt to quell the waves of nausea that had engulfed her body.
“Of course.” Lord Dunham gave her a worried glance before placing his hand on her elbow and leading her back towards the others.
She hated being reminded of the night her parents had died, even more so when she wasn’t comfortable with the person asking the questions. Her face suddenly felt hot as a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her skin, signalling the unease she felt within.
The truth of the matter was that her uncle had not been present when her parents had passed. He’d appeared a few days later with sympathies for her loss and the announcement that he would be moving in and taking over the title and the running of the house, as well as her life.
“What is the matter, dear?” Lady Thornton came forward as soon as they reached the tree and took Charlotte by the arm, guiding her over to the blanket where she could take a seat.
The marquess halted his conversation with Lady Rose and his sister, glancing worriedly at Charlotte and then at Lord Dunham.
“The heat got to me a little.” Charlotte accepted her fan from her maid and began to fan her flushed face and neck, avoiding making eye contact with either Lord Dunham or Lord Sinclair.
“Poor dear, you must have some tea,” the duchess spoke sympathetically and gestured for one of the footmen to hand her a cup.
Lady Isabella turned to her friend with an equally flushed face that had little to do with the heat and everything to do with the proximity of Lord Ashburton at her side.
“You came just at the right time, Lady Charlotte. We were just discussing the upcoming opera next week. Lord Ashburton has suggested we all go along; perhaps Lord Sinclair could join us as well,” Lady Isabella spoke pointedly and narrowed her eyes at Lord Dunham, purposefully excluding him from the invitation.
Charlotte instantly picked up on the fact that her friend was trying to come to her aid, more than likely suspecting that Lord Dunham had caused her discomfort.
Lord Dunham coughed into his fist, looking away as his discomfort became apparent.
“Let’s not overwhelm poor Lady Charlotte with questions until she has a chance to catch her breath.” The duchess winked at her, allowing Charlotte a moment to sip her tea.
Lady Isabella glared at Lord Dunham but relented to the duchess’s command and turned back to her conversation with the others.
“I know I told the others not to overwhelm you with questions, but I was hoping you would accept an invitation to dinner for tomorrow evening. I enjoyed our outing with this little group so much this afternoon that I have decided to extend the festivities,” the duchess spoke quietly to her as she leaned in a little closer.
Jameson seemed to keep a close watch on Lord Dunham while talking to his sister and Lady Rose. The amount of protectiveness and concern he was displaying towards Charlotte warmed her heart and set her a little more at ease.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I would love to join you all for dinner if my uncle agrees with the suggestion.” She gladly accepted the invitation, hopeful at the prospect of possibly being able to speak to Jameson alone again.
The duchess beamed, pleased at Lady Charlotte’s acceptance. “I was also hoping that you and my son would perform for us again one of these days. You made quite an impression on most of the ton with your combined talents.” She winked at Charlotte with a teasing smile.
Lady Thornton seemed pleased by the exchange as she sipped her tea and pretended not to listen.
Charlotte was grateful for her tact as Lord Dunham cleared his throat once more. It was Jameson who caught her eye, making her heart flutter as he winked at her with a secretive smile. She only hoped that her uncle would be as accepting of the match as everyone else seemed to be.
***
Charlotte’s heart beat faster as she took a deep breath and composed her thoughts, her hand lingering over the handle of the parlour door. She knew she needed to address the matter of the marquess with her uncle as soon as possible, yet the thought of talking to him when he’d possibly been drinking made her uneasy.
It was unlikely that he hadn’t been drinking; his routine of late always included a bottle or two of whisky at the end of every evening. He’d become more and more elusive as time went on, only calling upon Charlotte when any of his plans directly affected her.
