Lady Alexandra's Hunt Chapter 20, a pride and prejudice fanfic

We're getting there.

I've added a bit to the previous chapter. The start and finish are in bold.

I hope you like this chapter. Thanks to those of you who comment.

~~H~~

Winter of discontent

Alexandra was grateful for the peace which reigned in Herne Hyde once again now that the guests had gone.

Lady Beatrice was busy catching up on correspondence which she had neglected during the visit.

Daphne and Amelia were once again to be found in their laboratory, or in the house perusing the latest scientific papers which had recently been delivered.

Alexandra threw herself into her own work. The harvest was just starting and keeping her busy.

She also made a point of visiting all her tenants, to ensure that all was well with them. She perhaps spent more time at the Bourke farm than the others. Mr Bourke was doing well, although he fretted being confined to his bed. The only thing which made him obey the doctor's orders was the threat that he would be crippled for life if he re-damaged the leg.

Once he was allowed out of bed, he was busy building a crib and other small items for the baby.

The first day he was standing on his own feet without the aid of crutches coincided with the birth of his son. Mr and Mrs Bourke requested permission from the Countess to name the boy Alexander.

Lady Alexandra was touched by the request and readily agreed.

~~H~~

The weeks slipped past, and the harvest was finished. Unlike for many other estates, it had been a good harvest, even if not the best. It was good enough that no one beholden to Alexandra would go hungry over the winter.

Despite this, Alexandra was restless. She wanted to speak with Marcus but had to respect his mourning period for his sister. By the time it was acceptable for him to have visitors, winter had set in with a vengeance, making travel difficult.

Correspondence between them was not an option. Apart from the fact that it would have been completely improper, what Alexandra wanted to discuss could only be done in person.

She had no option but to wait for the next season to travel to London, and hope that Marcus too would decide to visit town.

Needing to keep busy over Christmas, Alexandra devoted herself to the paperwork associated with the estate. She also found time for reading and practice sessions with Mr Martin.

When the weather permitted, she went for rides on Pegasus, on days of bad weather they exercised in the indoor arena.

Slowly but surely the new year arrived.

~~H~~

Sir Marcus had just completed the finishing touches on his latest project. He was closing up the barn which he had converted for his experiments, when he noticed a storm blowing in from the southeast.

He had returned to Vintington Vale after his sister's funeral, grateful for the three-month mourning period, which allowed him to come to terms with his loss. Marcus had been using this time to focus on his experiments with steam.

He hurried back to the house, entering through the backdoor, when he heard a familiar voice in the foyer, asking, 'is Sir Marcus at home?'

He called out, 'I certainly am, Robert,' and made his way to greet his friend.

'My apologies for barging in unannounced, Marcus. I was on my way to Bristol, but that storm which is following me looks like it is in a hurry to get there before I can. I was hoping to impose on you to put me up until it blows over.'

Marcus was pleased to have his friend's company and instructed his housekeeper to ready a room for Lord Robert Flinter.

While the room was being prepared, Marcus invited Robert into the library for some mulled wine to take off the chill.

As they entered, Robert commented, 'I must be more chilled than I thought, because this room feels like it is baking.'

'You are chilled, but not as much as you might think. This happens to be one of the warmest rooms in the house.'

'Are you not afraid that with that many open fires, you will not set those books alight?'

'Which open fires?' Marcus grinned and waved an arm, indicating that not a single fire was in sight.

Robert looked around. 'I cannot see a pot-belly stove either.'

Marcus led his fried to a tiled structure, with a seat attached, near his desk. 'If you want to get warm, that is the best place.'

Robert gingerly touched the tiles, and after a moment pressed both hands against them. 'Ahh. That is more like it. Hot enough to do some good, but cool enough that you can touch it, unlike a metal stove. What is it?'

'It is called a cocklestove. A small fire inside heats the bricks. With this stove you do not have ashes, smoke, or cold drafts from the chimney. I have started to convert the whole house to this kind of heating.'

'Is there one in my room?' Robert asked hopefully.

'There is, but the fire is only just being lit. If we had known you were coming, it could have been lit earlier and come up to temperature.'

'Damn. I suppose I just have to thaw out here.'

'This might help.' Marcus handed a cup of steaming mulled wine, which one of the servants had just brought, to Robert, who took it and sat down on the bench around the stove.

'Ahh. That is just what I needed,' he sighed after the first sip.

'So, why are you off to Bristol at this time of year?' Marcus asked, taking a chair opposite Robert, and putting his feet up onto the bench to warm them.

'Sorry, I am not at liberty to say. I should not even have mentioned my destination. I suppose my brain was frozen with the cold.'

'If you cannot talk about your travels, tell me about your family. How is Alistair?'

Glad to be able to change the subject, Robert happily related the latest attempt at compromise which his twin had escaped.

~~H~~

Once the housekeeper announced that Lord Robert's bath was ready, the men separated to get warmed and cleaned up, before meeting again in the library before dinner.

Since it was just the two of them, Robert was agreeable to dine there, rather than the dining room, which had not been heated. Over dinner, Marcus explained, 'it seems ridiculous to me to heat the whole house just for myself. When I am inside, I spend most of my time in the library or in bed. It seems such a waste to heat the other rooms when I never use them.'

'You are turning into quite the hermit. But I noticed that you are still tinkering with ways to improve this big pile.'

Encouraged by his friend, Marcus explained the work which had kept him busy in recent times.

The food, while simple, was plentiful, as well as hot and tasty. Since the weather was cold, they continued drinking the mulled wine. By the time they finished eating, they both had imbibed a significant amount of alcohol and were feeling quite relaxed.

They moved to the comfortable chairs by the cocklestove, propping their feet up on the bench.

The friends chatted pleasantly until Robert asked, 'how was your summer? I hear that you spent some weeks at Herne Hyde.'

'It was a pleasant visit. I especially enjoyed meeting Lady Daphne. She has an exceptional mind.'

'So Lady Alex tells me. But she sounds too highbrow for my liking. I find the sister much easier to talk to.' Robert was watching his friend without being obvious about it. Seeing a pained expression cross Marcus' countenance, he provoked his friend. 'I hope I get a chance to call on her, next time I am in London.'

The response was unexpected. 'When will you marry her?'

'Marry Alex? Are you out of your mind? Why would I want to marry her?'

'Because she is in love with you.'

'Alex in love with me? Now I know that you are out of your mind.' Robert laughed uproariously but stopped suddenly as he started to have hiccups.

'Alex is a wonderful girl, but she is much too abrasive for me. I like my girls to be softer, less driven. Oh, I admit I like her spunk, but marrying her? I would be safer with a hedgehog.'

'How dare you insult Alexandra.' Marcus surged out of chair unsteadily and waving his fists. 'I will teach you not to speak about her in such an ungentlemanly manner.'

'You would fight me for the lady's honour?' Robert chuckled.

'I will not let you insult her. Now get up.'

'If you insist,' Robert carefully put his cup on the table, barely missing the edge, and suddenly launched himself at Marcus, throwing him off-balance.

Since both men had indulged heavily in the mulled wine, neither was steady on his feet, and they crashed to the floor, where they grappled with each other, rolling about. Marcus was ineffectually trying to hit Robert, who happened to be on top, when his friend started to laugh again.

'You are in love with her!' exclaimed Robert, catching Marcus' fist, admittedly by accident. 'That is why you cannot bear to hear a word against her.' He pushed himself off Marcus and plopped onto the floor next to his prostrate host.

'What I feel is irrelevant,' huffed Marcus, as he, in turn, tried to sit up.

'It is very relevant. Why do you not tell her?'

Marcus looked sheepish. 'She is a Countess, and I am just a lowly Baron.'

'You poor sap. Do you really think she cares about rank?'

'Perhaps not, but society does care. And while I may only be a Baron, I do have some pride. I will not be labelled a fortune hunter.'

'So, to salve your pride, you prefer to be miserable for the rest of your life.'

'But she deserves so much more than I can offer.'

'Marcus, has it ever occurred to you that Alex does not need more rank or wealth. She has rank and wealth in abundance, and with those she has independence. The independence to marry as she pleases.'

Robert waited for his friend to reply but noticed that Marcus was not yet convinced. He added with a smirk, 'the only things she does not have are intangibles… such as love. Would you deny her that?'

This comment startled Marcus. 'I had never considered things from that perspective,' he admitted at last. 'I need to think about this… when I am not foxed.'

~~H~~