Lady Abigail enjoyed the feeling of the spring breeze as she had a leisurely turn around Hyde Park in Lord Heshing’s gig. It was, in fact, the third time this week that the two could be found turning the park together.
Lord Heshing was making a habit of calling on Lady Abigail and, for the first time in her life, she didn’t mind this lord’s attention to her.
She realized upon opening her eyes that a couple of older ladies were looking her way and whispering. She suddenly felt self-conscious and made sure the parasol was keeping the glorious sun off her face.
“I expect we are starting to cause a stir,” Lord Heshing said tipping his head in the direction of the ladies.
“Whatever for?” Lady Abigail asked, truly confused why anyone would want to gossip about something as silly as carriage ride occurrences in the park. It happened often enough by just about every member of the ton.
Lord Heshing smiled over at her as he eased his horses on. It was a breathtaking moment for Lady Abigail when he did this. He seemed to cause little flutters all over her body.
“Oh,” Lord Heshing said, trying to play his words casually, “I am sure for much older ladies who have already had their time in the light, it is great excitement when others seem to have their turn at courtship.”
“But we are not courting, Lord Heshing,” she said in reply.
“No, I suppose not entirely. Not yet, at least,” Heshing answered back, with his eyes ahead of him.
A soft blush rose to Lady Abigail cheeks. A few moments passed as they rode along in silence.
“Tell me about Wintercrest,” Lord Heshing said after a beat.
“What would you like to know?” Lady Abigail retorted.
“Well, it must seem very exhausting there, what with your brother’s family.”
“It is not just Christian’s family in the house, but my mother and myself besides. Of course, little Jackie too. Though she probably would rather not be called little Jackie any longer.”
“And who is this little Jackie that is much too big to be called little?”
Lady Abigail laughed at herself. She was often one to speak her mind whether the company understood or not.
“She is my eldest brother’s daughter. She came to stay at the estate from France when she was around five years old. She is a very dear child to me.”
“But perhaps not a child anymore, by the way you made your comment, that is?”
“No, I suppose not. At least, not for much longer. Jackie is twelve this summer.”
Lady Abigail thought of her niece, as well as the twins. Lady Abigail was always sorry to be away from them. She loved her family dearly and hated the idea of being away from them.
“Well, it must be quite a busy place at the Wintercrest estates when you are all home.”
“Not at all, actually,” Lady Abigail said. “You could fit our whole family three times over in the manor and still have plenty of room to spare.”
“How very fortunate,” Heshing replied.
He paused for a moment and she worried that she sounded prideful in her expression.
“I didn’t mean to brag about my brother’s estates,” she said trying her best to backtrack.
“Of course not,” the earl said turning his head to her. “I understood your meaning completely. You must enjoy being with your family very much.”
Lady Abigail saw the sincerity in his words. She usually didn’t care one whit what others thought of her. But the thought that Lord Heshing might think she was prideful had sent a knot to her stomach.
“I confess, it does sound lovely,” Heshing continued. “I rarely visit my country seat. It is so lonely in that home all by myself.”
“Yes,” Lady Abigail said, realizing that the Earl of Heshing was now the last of his family. “I can understand why you must find your London residence more to your liking. I would hate to be in a big country estate all by myself.”
Lady Abigail shivered, even with the warmth of the sun. It must be a somber and lonely period Lord Heshing was in. Lady Abigail spent much of her life with other people. She had a hard time imagining what it was like to be completely alone.
For some reason, in that moment, her mind trailed to the Earl of Gilchrist. According to Isabella and Lady Louisa, he had continued to shut himself up for the most part of his days in his office. He only ventured out when it was absolutely necessary for business matters.
She wondered how he managed such a solitary life. According to Lady Louisa, he scarcely spoke more than a word or two to either her or their mother. Lady Abigail couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go days on end without interaction or conversation.
“There are plenty of diversions here to keep me busy,” Heshing interrupted her thought. “I have found one particular that I like this season,” he added, winking in Lady Abigail’s direction.
***
“Where is Abigail?” the duke asked of his wife when he walked into the small drawing room of their London home.
The duchess had been seated by the hearth for some time working on her sewing. It was becoming tedious. She hoped that the duke might stop in so that she could convince him to turn around the park with her. She felt in desperate need of fresh air.
“Lord Heshing called for tea. Now they are taking a turn about the park.”
“Lord Heshing? Again?”
The duke came up to his wife and gently kissed her on the head before taking a seat opposite her. Grabbing a shortbread still left out on a tray, he popped it in his mouth.
“I believe it’s the third time this week,” Isabella informed him.
The duke huffed. He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.
“Perhaps he is taking too much of a liking to her,” he said with a furrow of his raised brows.
“I am fairly certain that she is taking an equal liking to him," Isabella informed.
The duke looked at his wife utterly surprised. She shook her head and laughed.
Men knew so little about the few tidbits of affection that women showed. Of course, he was probably even more oblivious since it was his little sister.
“What makes you think that?” he asked as he stretched his long legs out on the rug and settled into his seat.
Isabella had a feeling that his relaxed posture meant he would be less willing to take her out for some fresh air.
“Well, it's fairly obvious, dear,” Isabella said setting aside her sewing. Her delicate fingers needed the break.
“First, Abigail would never let a gentleman take her out three times in one week if she didn’t show some interest in him. Such frequent public encounters would catch the attention of the ton and be spoken about.”
“Maybe she didn’t realize that,” the duke said, reaching for another shortbread.
“I highly doubt that,” Isabella countered. “Even if that was the case, she talks about Lord Heshing incessantly. She finds him a very worthy suitor, whether she even realizes it or not.”
“And what if I don’t?” the duke countered.
“She is your little sister—would you ever?” Isabella responded with a soft laugh at her husband.
The duke seemed to think this over for a minute. Isabella worried for little Elisabeth back home. Heaven help her when the Duke of Wintercrest's daughter was finally old enough to make her way into society.
The duke softened into a smile.
“I suppose it would be difficult for me to accept any man catching my little sister’s eye. It is not that, however.”
“What is it then?” Isabella asked with concerned.
“Nothing that is very serious,” he said, waving away her worry. “Just some talk at White's. I didn’t know much about him and asked around a bit after that day at the races. He seemed to know so much about me…”
The duke trailed off. Isabella did her best to ignore the fact that her husband’s inquiry stemmed from the fact that the other gentleman knew more about him.
“So what was it that made you question his worthiness?”
“He seems to be a good chap. Nothing that would be considered ungentlemanly. But he has some characteristics that would make me hesitate to allow my sister to marry him.”
He paused for a moment, and Isabella waited for him to explain more.
“He seems to spend a lot of time at White’s, to begin with.”
“Well, he is a single gentleman. It's a reputable place to spend one’s time, isn’t it?” Isabella asked.
“Yes. Apparently, the Earl of Heshing spends all of that time at the gambling table.”
“I see,” Isabella said, lowering her eyes to the hands resting on her small lump.
Isabella knew well how excessive gaming could affect a family. Her own father had spent far more than he had in the same fashion. The result left her destitute at his death. It was not a memory that stirred good emotions.
“Is he very irresponsible with it? I know it is common for men to do such things for entertainment. But, of course, there is that line that some men seem to cross, beyond entertainment.”
Isabella thought of her sister-in-law. She would not wish her to marry a man that might put her in the same financial situation that Isabella had experienced.
In the few encounters that the duchess had with Lord Heshing, he seemed like a decent man. He was handsome, charming and had a humorous way about his words that brought a smile to anyone.
Her father too had been a natural at hiding his vice. She had never even seen a hint of his problems. Perhaps this Lord Heshing was not so severely taken by gambling as her father, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be.
Isabella did want Abigail to be happy, and she seemed to be so these last few days with Lord Heshing. But a husband that could bring consistent stability would be of more value than a fluttering of heart now.
“Perhaps this is something we should bring to her attention?” Isabella said.
“I have considered that. I would not want to tarnish another gentleman’s reputation unwarrantedly. I only have the knowledge that he does frequent White’s and that isn’t really enough to put him in the same lot as…”
The duke trailed off for a moment.
“As my father,” Isabella added for him.
He gave his wife a sorrowful look. It was not her choice that she had been brought into a family with a father that cared more about his cards than his family.
Sometimes it still truly infuriated him that a man would not only leave his financial situation in such state with a young daughter to look after, but that he also left all he had in the hands of a cruel man upon his death. How had a father, who seemed to care for his daughter, not seen how wrong it was to leave her in the clutches of his business partner?
“It is something we should be aware of, and watch closely for any signs that he might not be a proper choice for her. Only then should we bring it to Abigail’s attention.”