Page 29 of A Foolish Endeavor

Nancy gave a little laugh. “Why, Papa, what is giving you such concern? I am healthy, happy, and all is well with me. There can be no cause for alarm about my future. Why do you frown so?”

Robert reached out and took one of Nancy’s hands in his own. “You may be happy now, and, indeed, I am glad to know of your cheerful nature. But I worry if it will last. I have been dwelling on the fact that you are now one and twenty, with no prospects for a husband. While I love having you living here with me, it is not the way of life for you to spend all of your time caring for your father. You should be married with a family of your own to occupy you. In the past year, two young men in our town have made their interest in a match with you quite plain, and yet, you dismissed them out of hand. Both of them are honest, hard-working men who would provide for you and with whom, I believe, you would be content. Why did you reject them before a proper suit could even begin?”

Nancy withdrew her hand from her father’s and clasped hers together in her lap. She gave her father a small smile. “Because I do not and could not love them. Anything is to be preferred rather than marrying without affection.”

“You might come to love either of the young men if you became better acquainted with them.”

Nancy gave him a rueful smile. “Father, I have lived in Doddington my entire life. I know them well enough. Freddy is an apprentice blacksmith and, indeed, he is hardworking and kind enough. Barnabus is a tenant farmer for Clayton House Estate and, while he is pleasant, he never reads and has little or no conversation in him. I could not imagine spending my life with a man who is so taciturn and lacking in things to say. You know how fond I am of lively conversation.”

“I do, and while you may be correct in your assessment of Barnabus, give a thought to Freddy, who is much more of a talker. In fact, when he came to speak to me about courting you, he was quite vocal in his admiration of you—indeed, I would say he is utterly besotted with you. Why can you not, at least, allow him to come calling? If you spend some time with him, you may see that your feelings might increase in admiration for him.”

Nancy felt tears come to her eyes. She looked at her father with a sorrowful gaze. “There is but one gentleman for me, Papa,” she whispered. “I have loved him since I was a child and I cannot see myself happy with any other.”

Robert exhaled slowly. “Gentleman. You are referring to Gilbert Kendall, of course. He is a pleasant young man, but, my darling, it is a foolish hope that you might marry into that family. We are from trade, and even though we are not so low in stature and have more than sufficient money, you well know that we cannot so readily cross into that sphere of the landed gentry. You must give up such an idea and be practical. Gilbert Kendall is not and cannot be for you.”

“But I love him, Father, and, I believe, if he were to only see me as a grown woman now, and not his childhood playmate, he would realize what a good match we are.” She brushed the tears from her eyes. “After all, it is not as if the family estate will fall to him—Miles will gain it. Gilbert is set for the church, and therefore will not need to wed the daughter of a gentleman. The status of his bride is not so important as it would be if he were to one day inherit.”

“Even all that aside—is he not, at this very moment, in London taking part in the Season? I believe that is what I have heard. It would appear he is looking for a bride there, and not here in Doddington.”

“As a second son with no fortune to speak of, I do not expect he will make a match but only enjoy himself for a time, then return home to become curate in the parish. Despite his protestations of not taking vows, I believe he will take the position offered by his brother-in-law. Once he does, and we are in each other’s company more often, I believe our friendship might well bloom into love. For we are meant for each other—I truly believe it, Papa.”

“And if he does return from town with a new bride? What then? Will you then give up this foolish dream of yours to marry him and begin to look elsewhere? For, my dear girl, I should hate to see you lose your bloom and spend your life caring for me in my dotage, instead of finding happiness with a husband, children, and home of your own. Please, assure me that you will consider marrying another if Gilbert becomes unavailable.”

Nancy sighed. “I can make no such promise at this time, Papa. My heart belongs to Gilbert—for now. However, if he returns to Doddington with a fiancée, I suppose I shall have to reconcile myself to it. Whether I can open myself to a new love, I am not certain. At this point, I cannot even fathom of loving another. So, if I lose Gilbert, perhaps I am meant to remain single.”

“I only ask that you do not irrevocably shut your heart to the possibility of finding a match with another. For life is full of surprises, and you may yet see that you could be entirely happy with any number of available young men.”

Nancy exhaled slowly. Finally, she said, “Very well, Papa. I shall try to keep an open mind.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The following Tuesday, Dorothea picked up Gilbert and Carter in the elegant Gillingham carriage to attend the Landrys’ dinner party. Although she was not, in particular, looking forward to the evening, Dorothea had resigned herself to it, as she wished to assist her brother in his suit of Miss Wells, who would also be present. Dorothea hoped to spend most of her time that evening speaking with Diana’s aunt, Mrs. Steele, who had proven herself to be a sensible, intelligent sort of woman—the kind of person with whom Dorothea enjoyed spending time. She was also determined to be civil to Mrs. Landry and to give her a second chance, but her first impression had not been favorable and, therefore, she had determined that it would be for the best to keep Mrs. Landry at a distance, socially. Certainly, she would not invite such a woman into her inner circle of intimate friends. She gripped her gloved hands tightly in her lap as they rode to dinner, a feeling of dread growing in her chest. But, remembering her promise last year to her sister, Charlotte, to attempt to be less of a snob, Dorothea vowed to try to keep an open mind and be pleasant and gracious.

As they were shown into the drawing room, Dorothea had to admit it was not the horror of décor she had expected. It lacked some elegance in Dorothea’s opinion, but that was, most likely, because the family had inherited this home along with their new country estate. Still, it did not seem quite correct and Dorothea scanned the room, trying to assess what was wrong with it. There was an expensive pianoforte in one corner, the seating arrangements were well placed, and the proportion of the room was also good. Still, somehow, the entire effect seemed off. She finally perceived that there were too many items placed together in the room without any real thought of the overall harmony. Cluttered. That was the problem, she thought.

Not that it is any of my affair, but I could certainly give her some advice.

“Lady Gillingham, you are most welcome,” Mrs. Landry’s booming voice cut through her thoughts. Dorothea turned to see Mrs. Landry and a tall, well-favored older gentleman next to her approach. The lady of the house was dressed in ruby red silk shot through with gold thread and a matching shawl. The necklace of rubies she wore were nearly invisible against the red gown, and Dorothea immediately thought a strand of pearls or jet glass would have been a better choice. The ensemble was topped off with a red silk turban that sprouted far too many feathers held together with a large jeweled pin—also red. Was it a ruby? No, far too large to be real. It was likely glass. Mrs. Landry’s ensemble was a touch ostentatious for a home dinner, perhaps, but Dorothea did her best to set her own opinions aside. “And Mr. Kendall, Mr. Milbourn,” Mrs. Landry continued, “how lovely to see you as well. May I introduce you to my husband? Geoffrey, darling, you were absent when last Mr. Kendall and Mr. Milbourn were here at luncheon. And this is Lady Gillingham, who is Mr. Kendall’s sister. We are so honored to have her join us.”

Bows and curtsies all around, after which Gilbert and Carter excused themselves to join Mary and Diana, who were seated across the room, their heads together, deep in conversation. Mrs. Landry laughed as they took their leave and pointed to her daughter and her friend.

“Your brother is quite taken with Miss Wells, Lady Gillingham,” she said. “Even my darling Mary cannot compete. Ah well, the heart wants what the heart wants, is it not so? I shall have to leave off encouraging him towards my own girl.”

Dorothea had to wonder if she had heard correctly—Mary Landry compete with Miss Wells? It was laughable. It would be like comparing a broken down nag of a horse to a thoroughbred in its prime, Dorothea thought, then gave herself a little shake for being so uncharitable. Mary Landry was likely a very pleasant young lady. It struck her as quite remarkable for the girl to be so unhandsome, as both her parents could be called well-favored. Mr. Landry was slender, with salt and pepper hair and gray eyes, a fine nose, and a handsome cleft in his chin. While Mrs. Landry was past being called a beauty, Dorothea could easily perceive that at one time, the woman had likely been quite attractive, although the only true sign of it now was the same, lustrous brunette hair that her daughter had.

It is as if the poor girl got few of the good features of both her parents. Such a pity.

She chastised herself once more for her cruel thoughts and forced herself to be more civil.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Landry. I understand you have recently come to town after inspecting your new estate. Do you find it to your liking?”

“Thank you, Lady Gillingham, I do. But I must confess I am quite overwhelmed with the new responsibilities that accompany it. You may be aware that I have been in trade my entire life, and while I feel quite at ease discussing business, I am utterly out of my depths when it comes to managing an estate, the rental lands, and the like.”

Dorothea felt a pang of sympathy for the man. It could not be easy to suddenly find yourself in an entirely new class. She recalled when she arrived at the very grand Haverstone Estate after marrying Reginald. Even though she had grown up as the daughter of a gentleman, she had been quite nervous about putting a foot wrong as she joined the Gillingham family, as they were so far above the Kendalls. She also recalled how kind and generous her mother-in-law had been to her. Perhaps more so than she had deserved. The memory prompted her to attempt to assist Mr. Landry.

“A good steward is what you need, sir,” she said, firmly. “Was there one at the estate when you inherited it?”

“There is, and he is most capable, at least—that is what I have been told. Still, there is so much to learn. So many employees to know. I suppose I should say that my situation is one in which I do not even know what it is that I do not know!” He gave a warm, throaty laugh. “But I do not wish to bore you with such trivialities. I shall figure it all out in due time, no doubt.”