An Earl’s Broken Heart by Ella Edon
Chapter Eight
The invitation to the tea party had stunned Alexander. This socializing was quickly becoming an unconscionably demanding state of affairs. A ball first, tea party next, and what on earth would come after? He already regretted being present at that ball, the last thing he had wanted was another gathering where he had to sit through discussions that he had no interest in, feigning further interest in things of no importance. But alas, parties and balls were what the noble life was mostly about. These balls held the key to new business partnerships, marriages, and acquaintances. Although he hated it, it now had to become his life. If he wished to revive the Estate, he would have to associate himself with people who could be of great help to him. These thoughts were the reason he had accepted to attend the tea party at Addington Manor.
He decided to be late as he thought that doing so would prevent him from staying too long. When Alexander walked into the room, where the tea table had been set, heads turned to stare at him. He walked confidently, although the gazes made him feel conscious.
Lord Addington rose from where he was seated and approached him, smiling as he did. He stuck out his hand and said, "Thank you for coming, Lord Carter."
This was only beginning to feel half-way normal. It was not long since Alexander had been a commoner of low birth that did not have the bloodstock to attend events such as this. Now, he was an honored guest, and no gate would bar his entry.
“Thank you for having me,” Alexander said with a strained smile.
He was led to a seat at the other end of the room. His eyes swept across the room in gentle appraisal. Strangers mostly, but one familiar set of brown eyes made him still. Isabel stared back at him. She wore a pink shimmering dress and the braid in which her hair was packed in made him wish that he could touch her hair. She looked even more beautiful than she had the night before. It was as though each sunrise highlighted her beauty. And those brown eyes that had immersed him deeper into her love many years ago still held a familiarity towards him. He swallowed as he thought of it. He wished that things had been different.
Alexander nearly laughed at himself for such a thought. He looked away quickly and took a seat. Beside him, Lord Addington began saying something about a coffee trade and he thought it best to put his focus there, but it was difficult as the image of her kept overshadowing his mind. Seeing Isabel again brought a lot to his mind. The night before, he had been restless. After so many years, he did not realize how riled up he was concerning her until he saw her. He knew that what she had done to him was unforgivable, but somehow his heart began to thud each time he saw her, and his memories kept coming back to him. It was an oddity that his memories were of moments when they had been truly happy. It was as though his mind did not wish to recall that Isabel had hurt him.
All he could think of was her smile each time he approached her. He also thought of the days when he would walk up behind her as a surprise in order to hear her excited laughter. Isabel made me so happy, he thought. He still recalled the way his name rolled off her tongue.
* * *
"I received your letter." Alexander said as he approached Isabel. She stood in the stable of Lichfield Manor, her hands behind her back and a wide grin on her face. Alexander was forced to smile as well, as it complimented his mood. He was always happy to see Isabel.
"My father is out, and my sister has gone to visit the seamstress. This gives us the time we need." She said as he stopped before her. He had barely focused on what she was saying because he was concerned about what she was hiding from him.
"Isabel?" he called, eyeing her hand, and biting his lip. He wanted to ask what she was holding behind her back, but before he did that he wanted to kiss her. Her lips looked quite delectable, and he wanted to taste her. He raised both his hands to her cheeks, held her firmly, and kissed her. The kiss started off softly before his tongue began to seek more.
Isabel moaned. Her lips parted to make way for him, and he was most thrilled. After a few more kisses, he finally let go. A satisfied sigh escaped him while he stared at her. Her cheeks turned red, and she cast her gaze down. "Guess what it is that I have in my hand."
Alexander pouted. He pretended to think for a while before he said, "Nothing comes to mind, my beautiful Lady. Mayhap you could tell me?"
Isabel nodded sideways and feigned hesitation before she said, "Alright, I shall tell you, but you owe me something."
"Anything." He said.
She grinned. "You owe me another kiss."
Alexander smirked. "I shall be pleased to give that to you."
Isabel nodded before she moved both her hands forwards. In her hand was a folded piece of paper. Alexander creased his brows when Isabel asked him to take it.
"Tis a poem I have written for you."
He did not wait to read its content before he leaned in and kissed her again. His lips against hers were divine. It felt to him that her lips were made for his. Isabel made him feel a lot of ways and that involved happiness. When he was with Isabel, he thought of nothing else. With Isabel there, world was so bright that he forgot all his troubles.
* * *
"Lord Carter," Lord Addington called him out of his reverie. "Do you perhaps have interests in the tea trade or the sugar trade? "
Alexander cleared his throat. He was not right place to make business investments, but he knew that if he did, he would be going for the grain trade. Tea was indispensable all over London. He had come to know this and the profit from it would be massive.
"Tea," he said.
Lord Addington smiled and supported his decision while a few other men argued the spice was better. Alexander did not know that he could enjoy gatherings such as this, but he unexpectedly did. He slowly directed his gaze to the area which Isabel was seated. He did this out of curiosity, just to know what she was doing. He found her looking at him. She looked away when their eyes locked. He did the same as well.
Not long after, Lord Addington turned to Alexander and asked a question that left him think carefully. "As the Earl of Carter now, what do you intend to do? What are your plans for the Estate and yourself?"
Tilting his head, Alexander responded, "I wish to find a wife now. After that, I shall focus on... taking good care of Carter Manor, making great business deals and so on."
"Ah... " Lord Addington said. "I thought that as a new Earl you would be interested in starting up new partnerships."
A slow shake of his head announced his opposition to that train of thought. "No. I am still familiarizing myself with the inner workings of Carter Manor. I am becoming very familiar with them, but a business partnership shall come when I have a good knowledge of what kind of business would help grow the estate. So while I do that, I have decided to find myself a wife as I wish to start a family."
Although what he said was true, that was not the main reason for his delay in seeking good business investments and partnerships. Everything depended on him wedding a rich maiden and he had to do so quick enough. He knew that if knowledge about the state of Carter Manor were to be heard by other noblemen before he was able to find a wife, then no one would ever want to have business partnership with him.
"I see." Lord Addington grinned. "Then you must be introduced to the Ladies at this tea party, Lord Carter.”
Alexander only smiled. Soon Lord Addington rose and requested that Alexander do the same. Together, they walked around and began to make introductions between Alexander and a few ladies. One lady in particular was quite enthusiastic to have a conversation with him.
Miss Grace Hopkins was at his heels again but this time she seemed to have changed tact. He was enjoying her company a lot more than he had at the ball as she was acting in a far more civil manner.
"Lord Carter, tell me, how has being an Earl affected you? I certainly do not mean this a negative light." Miss Grace Hopkins asked.
"The appointment has made me more aware that there is more to life, Miss Hopkins." He replied with a smile.
She responded with a smile that showed that she was pleased with his response. She was the daughter of the Duke of Roxburgh. Alexander was certain that a marriage to her would be of great help to him. He was swimming in his comforting thought when his eyes moved across the room and then met with Isabel's again.
Suddenly every blossoming interest he had in Miss Hopkins vanished. To make matters worse, Isabel did not look away this time which even made it harder for him to do the same. He found himself just staring at her and she at him. Her expression was unhappy. Unlike the previous expressions he had caught on her face before, this one was different. She did not look guilty, but it was clear that she was unhappy. And it made him unhappy, he found. Her expression changed his own mood entirely. Questions flew into his mind rapidly and before he knew it, worry took over him. When he realized what he was doing, he became angry at himself. He was angry that he still understood Isabel even from a distance. He was angry because he was not supposed to care about her anymore, not even in the slightest way.
Forcefully, he looked away from her and chided himself. He hated that she had such effect on him. He rubbed his chin whilst looking down.
"Are you alright, my Lord?" asked Miss Hopkins.
He remastered himself. “Of course. Where were we?”
“You were telling me about how you have found in your new appointment that there is more to life.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes indeed.”
She smiled and cast her eyes towards Isabel. “I must say of Dowager Barnes she has become quite unraveled in recent times.”
That made Alexander straighten. He narrowed his eyes. “How so?”
“She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being a total recluse and a skillful pianoforte player. I shall never forget her appearance at the ball last night. She really looked quite unremarkable.”
Alexander had thought she looked impeccable, but he knew what this was from Miss Hopkins. An effort to tarnish her in his eyes was an act of competition. If only Miss Hopkins knew that there was nothing she could say to tarnish Isabel. Isabel had already tarnished herself irreparably in his eyes with the letter she had sent him on that day in Richmond. All the same, he wanted to hear what Miss Hopkins had to say.
“Is that so?” he asked.
“Oh yes, and her dress – I hope you saw her dress, fraying at every edge and dotted with loose thread.”
“Your picture may be very exact, Miss Hopkins,” said Alexander. “But I do not recall this to be the case. For my part I thought Dowager Barnes looked remarkably well at the ball. The loose threads entirely escaped my notice.”
That seemed to irritate Miss Hopkins. Alexander had no idea why he had come to her defense. Perhaps there was still some remnant of their tainted love not expunged by the years of pain.
“You didn’t notice?” she asked with a faint note of disappointment in her voice. “Perhaps you are not quite so observant on such matters, I hope I have not come across as ghastly in remarking upon it. I merely wished to voice my concern for her.”
“No, of course not,” Alexander said. “I do understand.”
“One must wonder at her comportment, being a widow. I hate to see a once vibrant flower wither in such a way.”
For reasons Alexander did not understand, that last statement had riled him up. Isabel had not withered away in any sense. In truth, she had blossomed to truer beauty. He fixed Miss Hopkins with a dead-eyed stare and spoke slowly. “I am afraid I must disagree with you, Miss Hopkins. Dowager Barnes’ flower has not withered at all with time; rather, she has bloomed to new vibrancy.”
Miss Hopkins stared at him, open-mouthed, seemingly speechless.
Alexander blinked and realized what he had said. He touched the side of his face. "I feel a bit feverish. I would like to get some air. If you would excuse me."
Miss Hopkins closed her mouth and smiled sweetly. "Of course.”
His gratitude for her quick understanding was a smile. He hoped that after he took a brief walk and was away from Isabel for some time, his mind would be cleared. He would then resume his conversation with Miss Hopkins and soon they would discuss courtship and be wed. Everything would go smoothly.
He knew he was fooling himself when he stepped out of the room because more thoughts of Isabel flooded his mind. Perhaps he should have stayed back and let her distract him.
He shook his head and kept walking in the hallway, all the way down. He stopped walking when he came across a door that was slightly open. He peered in and saw that it was a library. He intended to head off when he heard the clump of shoes in the hallway. He turned back and to his surprise, Isabel was making her way over to him. He stood rooted to the spot, his lips parted, and his brows creased as he watched her. She was walking towards him like a woman on a mission. Although he was angry at her, his body could not help but react to how fierce she looked at that point in time. She soon stood in front of him and said, "I wish to speak to you, please."
Alexander watched her for a bit, speechless. A part of him was curious to know what she wanted to say, but another part wanted to just walk away because he knew that talking to her, staying this close to her, made him feel conflicted.
"Please," she said again, her gaze pleading.
Alexander did not let himself think any further before he nodded as he did not trust himself to speak. Isabel's face lit up. She nodded towards the library.
"We should speak in private."