“Lord Ferrard is a viscount and not from around here. He has certain expectations of the capabilities of a lady.”
“I’m well aware.” Violet was reminded that many gentlemen viewed ladies as helpless, which was quite aggravating.
“I don’t want him questioning why youareso capable. Are you prepared to tell him what you sometimes do under the cloak of darkness that makes it possible for you to go about as you planned today?”
Violet frowned since she hadn’t considered such.
“Though I must agree, however, that you should not travel without escort.”
To which Violet frowned.
“He is an intelligent gentleman, and if you appear too self-sufficient, or lift something he’s already convinced himself is impossible for a mere lady, he might start questioning why.”
Violet truly didn’t understand why Ferrard would question anything, as he barely knew her.
Mr. Hutchinson handed her the basket. “You will allow him to drive you, and you will not lift anything heavier than what a lady of London would be expected to lift and seek assistance even if it is not needed.”
She’d never been given orders by Mr. Hutchinson before. Well, not since she was much younger. “I am to deceive him.”
“Not necessarily deceive. Simply hide your true capabilities.”
It was sometimes safer to let others assume, even when said assumptions were incorrect. While it was nearly dishonest, it wasn’t exactly a lie. Further, it was a subterfuge many of the residents in Laswell practiced, her family included.
He smiled at her. “I’ve known you since you were a wee one, Lady Violet, and I know that duplicity doesn’t come easy to you. You also approach problems in the most efficient manner without consideration of how others might view your activities or behavior. We know your independent nature, resourcefulness, and lack of patience in many regards, whereas Lord Ferrard does not. Therefore, in this instance, you need to be careful…for all of us.”
She couldn’t be the cause of the unraveling of secrets held for generations. “Yes, of course,” she said again. “I’ll do my best to be a proper, dainty, lady, Mr. Hutchinson.”
He laughed, though she wasn’t trying to be humorous. She was rarely humorous. Or, rarely attempted to be humorous.
Taking the basket, she followed Mr. Hutchinson out to the wagon where Lord Ferrard waited to help her onto the seat.
“Lady Violet is happy for your assistance,” Mr. Hutchinson stated. “Sometimes she gets an idea in her head and goes about doing it, until she finds she can’t.” The lighthouse keeper chuckled. “Stubborn, she is.”
Violet gasped. She was not stubborn! However, she held her tongue. Instead, she’d carry on as she was forced to do while in London and under the watchful eye of her grandmother.
“I’ll see to your curricle and bays until you return,” Mr. Hutchinson called as Lord Ferrard set the horses in motion.
After Lord Ferrard drove the wagon onto the road, she gave direction to the first estate they needed to visit while worry gnawed at her belly for fear that she might have revealed something that she shouldn’t, and it tangled with the odd sensations she developed when in Lord Ferrard’s presence. Neither were comfortable.
“Are the residents always so familiar?” he asked.
Violet wasn’t certain how to take his comment. “How so?”
“The owner of a lighthouse addressed you with familiarity and called the daughter of a duke stubborn.” Was he affronted on her behalf?
Yes, she supposed others might find Mr. Hutchinson rather disrespectful to her rank. “He has known me since I was on leading strings. We are a close community where rank means little, unlike in London.” Further, rank disappeared when one was working side by side while unloading smuggled cargo. However, that was information she must keep from Lord Ferrard and the very reason she must behave as her grandmother had instructed while in Lord Ferrard’s presence.
As Lord Ferrard said nothing further, and given the earlier conversations and Mr. Hutchinson’s instructions, Violet decided that perhaps she should address what she assumed he may be thinking, especially since he would becourtingher for the next nine days. Further, she was still concerned that he may question some of her earlier behavior, which would never do.
“I’m certain you think me odd, which I cannot argue with, as it is simply an opinion based on the values you’ve learned and Society has placed on others.”
Lord Ferrand blinked at her.
“Others have considered me conceited, cold in personality, or overly shy, and all these opinions are based on their observances of me and my behavior in Society, which is often in contrast to what others have deemed to be the normal behavior of most ladies. Now, you’ve witnessed that I had intended to drive a wagon and retrieve satchels and trunks on my own.”
She was aware of the opinions of others. Some she’d accidentally overheard, and others had said so directly to her. However, she tried not to let their opinions cause her pain, as they did not know her well enough to judge, nor did they bother to come to know her, so the failing was on them and not her. Further, Violet had no desire to befriend anyone who judged so quickly without proper investigation of a rumor. Or, more simply put, didn’t bother to come to know her first before forming their own conclusion.
“I am certain that you are none of those things,” Lord Ferrard insisted.
