4.
~ "Now, my dear friends Lord and Lady Gardener are hosting this party at their estate and I expect you both to be the lovely and charming people I know you can be." Juniper instructed as Ariadne shifted uncomfortably in the back seat of the car next to Eames.
Since dropping her corset fashion, she had grown used to the freedom of pants and the more simple skirts Maggie had made for her. It was a job to put herself back into a corset and evening gown for this party.
"Charles, I want you to meet a lovely young lady name Charlotte. She's the daughter of Captain Williams. Very well respected military family." Juniper added.
The awkwardness of their fight last week, had been pushed aside in preparation of this important party. One Juniper would not allow them to skip. Eames was dressed smartly, with his tie loosen and top buttons undone for comfort.
"Mother, about that. I hardly think-" Eames tried yet again to explain how he loathed the idea of meeting silly girls.
"Ariadne, you look lovely tonight." Juniper interrupted excitedly. I have a number of very nice men, who are recently widowed, I want you to meet. I've written to them about your situation, and they are anxious to make your acquaintanceship." Juniper said.
Ariadne rolled her eyes and wished she could lean on Eames' shoulder. They had hardly spoken since that afternoon in the conservatory. Her friend had, like always, vanished the next day in the many rooms of Blue Rivers.
"Mother, we will go home from this party when I say." Eames added as the driver pulled up to their neighbors grand house.
Ariadne felt silly as this was the first time she was meeting her neighbors, the Gardeners. Juniper said they were lovely people who had lived an hour's drive from Blue Rivers for centuries.
She looked up at the large house that rivaled her own in so many ways.
"Tomas, Katherine!" Juniper exclaimed as an older couple met their party at the entry hallway.
"Juniper." The gentleman of the house said stiffly. "How good of you to come."
"How was India, dear?" his equally ancient wife asked.
"Warm. But it's so good to be home at Blue Rivers. Have you heard we had electricity installed and replaced the coachmen with two cars?" Juniper bragged.
Ariadne felt Eames clutch her hand. He knew that she longed to clarify that Arthur was the one who brought Blue Rivers into the 20th century.
"My dear friends, I want you to meet Lady Ariadne Bradford. She is the widow of Lord Arthur Bradford, who died on the Empress of Ireland a few months ago." Juniper said.
"Oh dear. Yes." the older woman said. "I sent you a sympathy letter. Just dreadful a man so young. And you with a child at home."
"I received your letter, Lady Katherine. It was so kind; Olivia and I have felt so loved by this community." Ariadne said in her diplomatic voice.
She could sense Eames grinning at her in that cat like way of his.
'Shut up, Eames!' she said in her mind.
"Dearest, if there is anything you need, I do not want you to hesitate to ask." Lady Katherine said.
"Right now, I was hoping to met the lovely people at your party. I was told you know excellent and respectable company." Ariadne said with her best smile.
This seemed to be just the thing to say to the older woman.
"Come with me." she said and pulled Ariadne away from Juniper and Eames.
She looked back at her own party. Eames was glaring at her as Lady Katherine took her to a group of very nice looking men for introduction. Many of whom were already in officer's uniform. She wished she could stick her tongue out at her friend. It would have made the moment more perfect as she pulled on her fake smile for introductions.
~ "Charles?" Juniper said as Eames hung by a boxed window seat and stealthy observed Ariadne. They had only been at this party an hour, and he was ready to go home. Ariadne was the bell of the ball, with young men surrounding her at every turn. He felt sick as he watched her smile and act gracious and kind to everyone.
Like some kind of story book princess.
"Charles!" Juniper all but shouted at him.
Eames stood up and noticed his mother then.
He had detached himself from her company as soon as Ariadne abandoned them to meet other people. His hiding tactics didn't fool his mother who hunted him down.
"Charles, this is Charlotte Williams." Juniper said.
Eames let out an exhausted sigh.
'Here we go. Stupid little teenage girl who giggles and talks about weddings, flowers and decorating all evening.' he thought.
He looked at the tall, well proportioned young woman who stood next to his mother.
She hardly looked the part of the typical society girl. She wasn't timid or stupid looking. Instead, she stood taller then most girls and looked back him defiantly.
Charlotte had long black hair, dark eyes and long eye lashes. Her body was slender, but filled out in an impressive way.
She proudly stood straighter at Eames, rudely looked her up and down.
"Charlotte, my son Charles will be joining the army." Juniper said.
Charlotte wasn't impressed.
"Charming." she said lazily.
Eames sat down his drink as Juniper left them alone.
"So, I suppose you mean to go to the front. Fight for king and country." Charlotte said as she examined him as rudely as he looked over her.
Eames was incensed.
"If you were a man, wouldn't you go fight?" he asked.
"If I was a man, my life would be much different, Mr. Eames." Charlotte bit back.
He felt himself smile as this woman took her time in looking him over again.
~ Ariadne had finally stolen away from the crowd of very pleasant gentlemen and ladies who wanted to talk to her. All of them proclaiming how sad it was that she had lost Arthur and how she was lucky to have her little girl left.
She had escaped to a secluded spot as a small group watched a young lady play piano.
"I was hoping to find lady Katherine, to give introductions, but I feel this is the 20th century. Let me make them myself." came a deep voice.
Ariadne turned to see a man slip into a seat next to her. His dark hair was smoothed back and his slim body looked well suited in his dress attire.
"Forgive me." he said after several seconds of awkwardness. "My name is Fredrick Hews."
"Mr. Hews. Pleased to meet you." she said. "I'm Ariadne-"
"Ariadne Bradford, yes." Mr. Hews said with a nice smile. "I had the pleasure of meeting your husband in London last year. Very sorry for your loss."
She nodded and sighed. Mr. Hews looked her in the eyes and she saw they were very blue. His good looks were only marred in fact by the dark mustache that was growing unfashionable.
Something turned over in her then. She almost never looked someone in the eyes like he did when she first met them. The whole thing was too intimate and she looked away.
"I'm only here because my friends made me come." she said and tried to pay attention to the piano player.
"They're very nice friends, Lady Bradford." Captain Hews said.
"Perhaps." she admitted.
They sat quietly as listened to the next song.
"Do you play at all?" Mr. Hews whispered.
"None, sir." she felt herself blush.
"That's a shame. I would have loved to hear you play for us." he said.
Ariadne knew where this was going. She would not stand for it and knew exactly how to end Captain Hews as his charming ways.
"My daughter, Olivia will learn to play." she said casually. "Then, I have a young ward as well. Phillipa is eager to learn an instrument."
Captain Hews nodded.
"My son, Harold, will be three next month. I have hopes he will play the violin. All he wants to do is play in the mud." he said.
Ariadne startled and looked at the gentleman by her side. He looked casual enough.
"Can't blame him. Playing in the mud is an excellent form of entertainment." he added.
Ariadne was confused. Why was a married man talking to her? Where was his wife? She should move. It wouldn't do to be seen talking to a married man without his wife. That was how rumors were started.
Captain Hews sat a little straighter.
"My darling Amelia passed away when Harold was born." he explained. "I'm afraid it's been just us men since then."
~ "So, why hasn't a girl like you married yet?" Eames accused Charlotte as they wandered around the Gardeners house and subconsciously tried to find a little privacy.
"Because I don't want to." Charlotte told him.
She had a sense of entitlement about her that he hated. When he talked about the plight of the poor, Charlotte didn't listen like Ariadne. Charlotte said they chose to be that poor and they needed to work harder if they wanted more. That some people were destined to be wealthy, and if it wasn't for the lower classes, there would be no upper classes.
When he spoke of London, she was interested in shopping, not going to the poorest hospitals.
Her world was clothing, social status, parties and herself.
He didn't like this woman as a person. She was quickly proving an example of everything that was wrong with the social classes he hated. But she didn't apologize for her beliefs and he liked that about her.
She was fearless.
"Why don't you want to?" he asked.
Charlotte let out a long, bored sigh.
"I'm perfectly happy as a single woman." she said.
"A single woman is a joke." Eames said as they wandered into the library.
He quickly saw they were alone and closed the doors.
"You're not afraid to be alone with a man, are you?" he said as she looked over a handsome billiard table.
"Are you afraid to be alone with me?" she teased.
Eames felt his blood prickle hotly. Charlotte was selfish, rich, entitled and arrogant. But she was beautiful and challenged him.
"Tell me why a well breed woman of 26 isn't married. You're very attractive." he demanded.
She gave a shrug.
"Tell me why a wealthy man of 35 is still single. You're not that ugly." she said.
Eames laughed and took down a pool cue.
"Thank you." he said.
She smiled at him as he set up a break.
"In truth, I only recently came into money." he admitted.
"Yes, I heard about that." Charlotte said as she snatched the white cue ball before it broke the others.
She held it teasingly away from him.
"Your mother wants you married to a nice girl. Wants you to behave yourself and produce fat little heirs for Blue Rivers." she grinned.
"She has ideas, doesn't she?" Eames agreed.
Charlotte looked him up and down again.
"In truth, a husband would only hold me back. I would never be able to do as I pleased. I would be expected to be perfect all the time. Always make him look good." she said.
"Well, like you said, I already look good." Eames told her as he dropped the pool cue on the table and grabbed her.
Charlotte was laughing as she kept the white billiard ball away from him.
"So tell me, Lord Eames." Charlotte said as he started kissing her neck. "Tell me what you expect in a wife."
"No obedience." Eames breathed as he smelled a spicy perfume on her skin and his blood pricked alive with lust.
"So, not even a little obedient?" Charlotte teased.
"Perhaps a disobedient wife will suit me." he huffed as his hands were cupping her breasts, and she let him touch her.
So, I've decided to have a little more erotica in this than in "Wife". Simply cuz it's Eames, and he's sexy. So, fair warning, read at your own risk from now on.
