Alice took a large, slow sip of her now tepid tea as the idea sank in. Nathalie was not ready to be married—and really, whatwoman at nineteen years of age truly was?—but she felt able to voice that feeling. And most importantly, her family accepted her choice.
“You look puzzled. Believe me, I’ve had that reaction often.” Miss Beaumont tilted her head, studying Alice. “If you have questions, I’m happy to try and answer them.”
“I just never realized that was an option,” Alice offered after a moment.
“Thatwhatis an option?” Nathalie’s eyebrows pulled together in her curiosity.
“Not having a season. It’s never even occurred to me that might be possible. Making a good match, and early, is what has always been expected of me.”
“Oh.” Nathalie stared at her as if she herself was now trying to process a new paradigm.
“What does it say about me that I hadn’t even thought to question it or thought about the possibility of something different? That I couldn’t envision another life for myself?” Alice felt desperation creeping in for an answer about who she was.
Miss Beaumont pondered silently for a moment before venturing to answer, and Alice appreciated her for taking her sincerely and not simply laughing her off or thinking of her as an unserious person.
“I think . . . I think it may mean that you’ve never been presented with any other option. That you have not had an example of anything different and perhaps that you take your duty seriously. These are not bad things, Alice. Oh, may I call you Alice?”
“Please do,” she said through trembling lips. “And I’d very much like to call you Nathalie, if you’ll permit it.”
“I’d like that. And I’d like to be your friend as well, if you find that you’re in need of one. As the youngest, I’ve always been rather on my own and never had much in the way of femalefriends my own age. Lizzie, my sister, is five years older than I am and was always in the stables. It might be nice to gossip about frivolous things a bit and get my head out of my books every once in a while.”
Alice let out a laugh and wiped at the moisture that had gathered at the corner of her eyes. “I’m an only child, I’ve never had many friends either. I would very much like to be your friend. I just wish your brother was as easy to get along with.”
“Ethan is the kindest of souls, he’s simply going through a period of significant adjustment right now and doesn’t always respond to change well. Be patient with him as he finds his way, and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble with him.”
The fact that Mr. Beaumont might feel as uneasy as she did had never crossed Alice’s mind. He seemed so sure of himself.
“Maybe you can help me. Provide me with some guidance on how best to work with him.” Nathalie nodded as Alice continued. “I’m afraid I didn’t make a very good first impression on him. I was out of place and came across rather entitled,” she said, cheeks heating up at the confession. “I tend to fall back on demands, feigning control when I feel insecure. I think he believes me to be cold.” She had never enjoyed the idea of being disliked, which is why she always tried so hard to fit in. But for some reason the thought of Mr. Beaumont resenting her, believing her to be someone else, sank a stone into the depths of her stomach.
“Ah—well, you have that in common. There is nothing Ethan hates more than feeling out of control. And he strongly believes that no one person is superior to another, so if it seemed like you were talking down to him, he would not take kindly to it.”
Alice swallowed around a lump in her throat. That was exactly what she had done, because her entire life she’d been told that as the granddaughter of a marquess shewassuperior, even if she’d never felt it. Still, she needed time to think throughwhat it would mean if everyone were equal, as Mr. Beaumont believed. But she also needed to find a way to work with him in better harmony than they’d been able to achieve up to this point.
“Do you have any suggestions on how I might gain his trust?”
Nathalie leaned forward and grasped her hand. “Be a part of the work, don’t just oversee it. Show him through your actions that you care about the project and are not merely doing as your cousin has asked of you.”
Be a part of the work. That was something Alice could do.
Striding into the dining room, Ethan was glad for the break the meal would provide. He’d spent most of the day in the office getting things organized before Johanssen started as the new steward in a few weeks’ time, and he was feeling twitchy for not having been out helping with the labor.
“My apologies,” he said as he came up behind his chair, knowing he was a few minutes late. Ethan felt some relief noticing that Miss Pembroke, too, was running late and he was not solely responsible for holding up dinner.
“Not needed, Ethan, we know you’ve been working hard.” Priscilla smiled at him before turning to the butler. “You may begin now that we are all here.”
Ethan was shaking out his napkin when Priscilla’s words registered. Looking up, he quickly asked, “But Miss Pembroke is not here, should we not wait?”
“Alice is still finishing in the garden. She asked us to proceed without her this evening and will dine in her room later,” Priscilla relayed this completely neutrally, as if it should not matter that her cousin was working this far into the evening.
“She’s doing what?” Ethan stood abruptly from the table, his thigh hitting the mahogany on the way up in his haste, causing the dishes to rattle. Startled, all eyes turned to him.
“Relax, Ethan. She’ll be finished soon. She wanted to finish getting all the borders outlined before the end of the day. I’d think you would applaud her dedication,” West said.
“It’s not Miss Pembroke I’m concerned about. If she deigned to lower herself enough to do the work on her own, I’d have no objection. But I’m sure she is not the one unfurling the string and staking lines. No, I’m more concerned for whichever of my men she has held after hours without a thought for their concern.”
“Ethan . . .”
He didn’t hear what else Priscilla had to say, as he was already out of the room and surging toward the back garden.
