They arrived just in time for tea; Carla sat beside Liam as they sped through the country roads towards his brother in-laws estate. His sister and cousin sat in the back. They were in a Crossley four seater tourer, lime green in color. As they drove Liam's straw boater and scarf blew in the wind, and Carla couldn't help but feel how young and sophisticated he looked. He seemed to be near the same age as Tony, but he wasn't as uptight and patriarchal. Tony wouldn't be caught dead in a Panama hat. He was looking straight ahead, focused on the road as his sister and cousin chatted busily in the back. Lightly he tapped Carla's arm with a cigarette case his other hand still on the steering wheel.
"Be an dear and light me one," he says looking at her briefly. His eyes are radiant and he gives her a quick wink. His eyes have the have little crinkles around them when he does this and this adds to his boyish charm.
Carla pulls a cigarette out of the casing and places it in her mouth lighting it quickly; she removes it from her lips holding then it out to meet his own. Still keeping his eyes on the road, he lowers his head to accept. Carla stares at him utterly consumed, he had a way of making the simplest thing seem rather sensual.
"Where here," says Michelle as the Car speeds through an enormous stone archway and up a long stretch of road.
On all sides Carla can see a vast stretch of land that must go on for miles. It is aligned with greenery and tall trees. Straight ahead there is the most grandeur country house Carla has ever seen. It puts Paradise Palace to shame.
"You live here?" Carla asks turning around to face Michelle.
Michelle gives out a wonderful radiant laugh, "No darling, my in-laws Tom's parents do. They are in Bath right now doing god knows what, so Tom and I decided to host a tea here."
"It's nothing really," added Phillipa. "Our Paul will tell you it is nothing compared to the many places our own family owns."
Liam takes one last suck of his cigarette before throwing it onto the road. "Learn to take a compliment Phillipa, don't be a snob like Paul, the place is still rather beautiful."
They drive up to the front of the house, where a group of servants dressed in white stand waiting to greet and attend to them. Liam gets out of the car and shifts the seat in order for his sister and cousin to get out. Then he runs over to Carla, opening her door he gently takes her hand. Carla accepts telling him thank you. She wants an opportunity to be alone with him again to talk about the kiss they had just shared at the Palace.
"Come along now Carla," said Michelle demurely as she ascended the stairs. "You must meet my dear husband.
With Liam still holding her hand she followed Michelle and Phillipa up the front steps and through the front door into the main entrance.
"We're back!" Phillipa shouted. There were voices coming from the drawing room and she walk towards it beckoning the rest to follow.
Carla slowly slides her hands from Liam's as they follow Phillipa and Michelle inside. He gives her one last smile and whispers in her ear, "We'll talk later," before coming forward to greet his brother in law Tom.
There are many guests in the room but the one that stands out to Carla is a man who stood with his leg perched up on a salon couch. He is holding a rifle and dressed in fine hunting gear. Furiously he polishes away at the barrel of the gun while puffing a cigar.
"Thomas my man," says Liam, "One would think you are trying to see your reflection in that thing the way you keep on polishing it. How many times is it now?"
The man looked up and keeping a straight face said, "Liam hunting is serious business, and you've kept us waiting. We could have got some good game by now if it weren't for you chauffeuring people around god knows where."
"Thomas," exclaimed Michelle, "You're being absolutely rude. We have a fine guest here I'd like you to meet. Come forward Carla."
Carla stepped forward to meet Michelle's husband. He held out her hand and she accepted. His face still stern as the cigar smoke engulfed the both of them. Carla had to fight the urge not to cough
"Now I know what was more important than an early hunt, good man Liam." Then turning his attention to other men gathered in the room he said, "Well I think we'd better hunt now fellows The hounds better be ready. Liam are you coming?" Tom walked past him with the other men following. "Or would you rather spend your afternoon with the ladies?"
"I am coming Tom, I just need to get ready," Liam told his brother in-law and then turning to Carla said, "I'd like to talk to you when we return. I hope you'll still be here."
"Yes I will," Carla responded breathlessly. He was giving her that intense stare again. Then quickly he grasps her fingers discreetly so the other women in the room don't see it,
"I hope that you'll always wait for me."
Carla looked at him with her round green eyes. He is everything Paul is not, he has a way with words, and he knows how to make a woman feel like she is the only one in the room. Carla feels a string of emotions running through her, she has never been courted like this before. She nods her head quickly and whispers back that she will.
Tea is a dreary affair, but only because the absence of Liam makes Carla restless. They have tea in the shade of the courtyard and introductions are brief.
"Carla," says Michelle, "This is our dear Paul's wife Margaret."
Carla smiled at a blonde woman with brown eyes and a narrow face wearing a summer hat. The woman smile back and Michelle continued to move along the table.
"This is Mary, Jane, Elena Dorscher here, her family owns a factory that makes fine dining apparel, and over here is Maurine Wellington, dear family friend she and her husband Samuel are. And of course you already know Fiona."
Carla nodded at all the women and they smiled back. The three ladies seated themselves and the servants handed out tea while the table continued their interrupted conversation.
"It is all so horribly dreadful to be honest. I don't even know what he sees in that Leanne Battersby. By all accounts his ex wife Maria Sutherland is a thousand times more elegant," said the lady named Elena.
"She is," interjected Fiona, "Our Carla here is Maria's best friend. She knows first hand the dreadful suffering Maria has had to endure."
"Oh," said Elena raising her eyebrows. She had a stiff air about her. "Is that so, how lucky for you then. Maybe you can give us some insight into the matter?"
Carla graciously accepted the tea being offered by the servant before she replied, "I don't think it would be polite for me to gossip about her pain. It is horrible reliving things through constant stories."
Elena did not look impressed, "I guess divorce would be a touchy subject for you. Your name does sound familiar now that I think about it, are you Mr. Doctor Gordon's wife?"
"Yes, and forgive me I don't really understand what you mean?"
"Oh nothing really just that in my time in London over the last few months the society was overflowing with rumors of gossip pertaining to a divorce between a certain Caroline "Carla" Gordon and her husband Antony. I was only saying that since divorce seemed so adamant at one point it must be a touchy subject." Elena smirks across the table.
Before Carla has a chance to respond, Michelle intervened.
"The Gordon's are not going through any divorce as far as I know. And besides Liam and Paul find them to be perfectly polite."
Before Elena could respond, Paul's wife Margaret interjected. "Speaking of Paul and Liam, Paul has been raving to me again that Liam will never settle down and get married."
"Of course he will Margaret he just has to find the right woman and who knows he may be closer then you think," Michelle responded.
Margret gave off an air of aloofness like she was over the whole matter and didn't particularly care to begin with. "I doubt it," she said lighting up a cigarette.
"If by perfect you mean amenable then sure, I am sure he will find his perfect woman soon," Elena chimed in once more.
Carla is alarmed by the scathing nature of the comment and wants to question her about it when Liam appears in the doorway leading out into the courtyard. He is dressed in his hunting attire as he makes his way towards them followed closely by Paul, Tom, and their friend Samuel.
"Your back early," says Michelle beaming up at her husband and accepting his kiss upon her cheek.
"It wasn't a terribly good day for hunting," Paul said also giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. "This won't do," he says surveying the table, "We need more chairs, someone call the bloody servants to get more chairs."
"I'll call on them," said Samuel and he went on got servants to bring more chairs.
"Liam you must sit with me," cooed Elena once the chairs were finally settled. Liam looks over at Carla wanting to sit by her but Elena pulls him down to be seated by her. "We were just talking about you?"
"Or really?" Liam gives her his devilish smile, "What of?"
"We were wondering when you plan on getting married?"
"Oh bloody hell Elena not this again," says Tom. "He'll marry when he meets the right woman."
Liam sneaks a glance at Carla and she feels her stomach fluttering.
"I have met the right woman, but things are complicated and she's rather tied up in someone else at the moment."
Paul looks back between his brother and Carla his expression for once something other than impassive, "Well then she isn't exactly the perfect woman, is she. If married to someone else you can't possibly marry this woman in question now can you?"
"Yes," Elena agreed. "What are you going to do, wait for her to get a divorce? You'll be waiting forever those things take ages."
"I'm prepared to wait," said Liam again he glanced at Carla but this time he couldn't look away and the whole table was silent.
They had made the connection. Elena's mouth is a gapped at first her expression of shock quickly turns venomous. She is glaring at Carla with immense hatred like she wants to kill her. Then she gives out a cold callous laugh, "Wait? Waiting is for fools."
"Then I guess I'm a fool because I'm prepared to wait a life time if that's what it'll take."
Carla smiles at him. Inside her heart is beating a million miles a minute. There is no denying it, there is no fighting it. She has fallen in love.