There was no sense in elaborating. The comfort of his mattress had no bearing on his sleep. He never slept well.
Toby had settled himself at the head of the table with a plate full of food. It was a wonder he did not weigh as much as the Prince Regent if that was how much he ate in the morning. Conversely, Mrs Knightly appeared to have no appetite at all, not even for toast.
She glanced from Andrew to Lady Charlotte and then back to Andrew, playing with her cup in its saucer. ‘I understand you live in a bachelor’s establishment in London called Albany. Are you able to get a restful night’s sleep with people coming in and out at all hours there? Lady Charlotte lives not far from here in a lovely home with views of scenic fields. It’s quite peaceful there.’
Lady Charlotte put her fork and knife down very deliberately, but kept her attention on her plate.
Andrew was glad Lady Charlotte would not be staying at Knightly Hall long. If he had to continually dodge Mrs Knightly’s comments about her friend, it would get exhausting. ‘I assure you the noises and disturbances are kept to a minimum. All the gentlemen who have sets there are very respectful of each other’s privacy and comfort.’
‘Is it true women are not allowed on the premises?’
Mrs Knightly must have interrogated Toby about him. He wondered what else she knew. Due to the secret nature of his work, her investigations on him were not welcome even though Toby was not privy to that part of his life. He glanced at his friend, who only gave him a slight shrug.
‘Yes, that’s true. Women are not permitted in the building.’
‘What a fine way to ensure no wickedness takes place within its walls. The residents must be all very honourable men, wouldn’t you say, Charlotte?’
Lady Charlotte nodded, but her attention was on the contents of her teacup. She really had taken a poor measure of him.
His life was all about nobility and honour—protecting the Crown by sacrificing a life for himself. Regardless of what she thought of him, he knew his life was consumed by noble actions. Hell, one of the reasons he was up here was because ensuring order was so important to him, he couldn’t stop.
And why did it even matter to him what she thought?
He had lost his appetite and had no desire to make polite conversation, but he knew he was now forced to sit there until everyone else was finished with breakfast. And by the amount of food on Toby’s plate, that could be quite a while. He would just make certain when they all left the room, he would avoid Lady Charlotte for the remainder of her time at Toby’s house.
Once the roads were deemed passable she would be gone. While he had no doubt the Duchess of Skeffington was seeking out his presence in London, he also knew Lady Charlotte couldn’t get away from him fast enough. In a few days, he would barely recall the green of her eyes and those soft lips. She would be a faint memory of this trip, if that.
Charlotte had successfully put all thoughts of Lord Andrew out of her head when, to her displeasure, Ann had brought up his name while they strolled the grounds of Oakwood House during the annual fair a few days later. It was one event she looked forward to each year when townspeople and the surrounding gentry were invited on to the grounds of the stately home of Mr Ellswith to partake in a day of festivities. The sun was shining. The day was warm. And she had no wish to relive the last time she saw the man.
She strolled with Ann under the trees on the hill overlooking the back of the house, past the stalls with items made by local women and craftspeople. The smell of lamb roasting on open spits mixed with the scent of fresh grass brought back fond memories of her childhood when all three Sommersby sisters would explore their local fair together. She had never attended any fairs with Jonathan. When they were younger, he found them frivolous and, after he entered the army, he preferred to stay away from large crowds.
The excitement and jovial mood of the people around them brought a smile to Charlotte’s face as she allowed Ann to pull her along from stall to stall so they could admire the embroidered shawls and gloves, as well as straw bonnets adorned with ribbons and flowers. She made a point of complimenting the work of each woman she spoke to and purchased a lovely pair of lavender gloves embroidered with violets.
She had just picked up a small watercolour of Oakwood House when Ann leaned in closer. ‘Have I mentioned Lord Andrew has accompanied Toby here today?’
‘You have...twice.’
‘Have I?’
‘You know you have, Ann.’
‘Well, I just want to be certain you know. This will give you time to prepare yourself should you see him.’
Charlotte pulled Ann to a stop and led her by the elbow to a quiet spot in the shade of a nearby tree. ‘Prepare myself for what? Has something happened to Lord Andrew?’
‘No, however I know something happened between the two of you at breakfast. I’ve never seen two people not want to speak to each other more than the two of you that morning. I think if it wasn’t considered impolite, both of you would have excused yourselves from the table the moment Toby and I walked in.’
‘I cannot speak for Lord Andrew, but that is not true of me.’
Scepticism was written all over Ann’s face. ‘You barely spoke to him.’
‘I had nothing to say.’
‘You wouldn’t look at him and he was sitting directly across from you, even though the night before you could barely keep your eyes off of him when we were sitting by the fire.’
‘Have you always paid such close attention to my actions?’
‘When those unprecedented actions relate to an eligible man, I do.’
‘Please stop. He is a titled bachelor. If he is looking for a wife, he is looking for one who can give him an heir. Obviously after many years married to Jonathan with no child of our own, I am not that woman. I am not able to provide him with a child—or any other man for that matter. So, let us not talk of Lord Andrew and his need of a woman who can provide him with a son.’
‘But—’
‘No, Ann. We are not going to continue this discussion.’
Her feelings had spilled out in such a rush. It was all so unexpected. She had not considered being unable to have children as an impediment to marrying again. But she had found herself thinking about it the other night. Men of the privileged class wanted sons to carry on the family name and take over their estates when they passed on. Should an unmarried man find out she was a widow without children, he might not pursue her further. However, she had found as soon as she was out of her mourning clothes, that a widow without children was an attractive prospect for a mistress. She was grateful every day that Lord Aldrich had decided not to continue leasing nearby Willowbrooke Manor after she had turned down his offer of protection.
She was about to walk away from their secluded spot and continue shopping when Ann’s words stopped her.
‘You have never talked with me about any of this before now. I’m sorry. Any man would be a fool to put having children
