Author's note: Hello, lovely readers! Thank you for being so patient with this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the wonderful reviews, follows, favourites, and support!

Enjoy!

Kent

June 1913

It was an eternity before Adam moved again, breathed again.

It felt as if his heart had stopped, like his body was trying to run in a pot filled with honey.

How…

Adam couldn't even think to answer the thousands of questions forming in his mind. He would have to save that for later. Before acknowledging his father and guests before him, he gazed around the drive for Belle. She was there in line with the rest of the staff, her hands clutched tightly in front of her white apron. She offered an encouraging smile.

He smiled back, regaining a little of his confidence. He couldn't put it off any longer.

"Father," he said, clearing his throat in an attempt to quell any remaining hints of shock and misery in his voice. "I didn't know you'd be home so soon. Cogsworth said you'd be at least another month."

"Well, you know me," the Earl of Villeneuve smiled thinly. "I'm always on the move." He managed to make it sound threatening.

Adam shook his father's hand stiffly, and then both turned to the Earl's guests.

"May I introduce the Marquess and Marchioness of Finley," his father said, stretching out his arm towards them. "And their lovely daughter, Lady Susannah Tolbrooke."

Adam took the Marchioness of Finley's hand and politely gave a small bow over it and shook the Marquess's hand. Lord Finley's grip was even firmer than his father's. Then he gazed upon Lady Susannah.

By all accounts, she was beautiful – with her blond hair pinned back under an elegant cloche hat, and her green eyes shining in the sun. But Adam still stopped himself from gazing over at Belle. He couldn't bear being introduced to another woman now that he intended to marry Belle.

Oh, how he wanted to kiss her.

"And how did you all come to know each other?" Adam continued the conversation politely as they moved from the drive into the main foyer of the house.

"We met on a grouse hunt up in Scotland, set up by a mutual friend," the Marchioness said with a bright smile.

"Yes, and the Marquess and I attended Eton together, it turns out," his father added.

His father's tales of school – another reason to avoid tonight's dinner.

"There's tea in the library," the Earl continued.

"Father, may I have a word?" Adam asked sternly.

"What on earth do you mean?"

"I want to talk to you, privately."

The Earl of Villeneuve let out a huff of exasperation. "Oh yes, alright."

Father and son excused themselves and stepped into one of the smaller drawing rooms and Adam shut the door. He hopped the conversation wouldn't amount into a shouting match – the sound would surely carry through the walls.

"Father, what the hell are you doing?" Adam said through his teeth.

"What does it look like? You've obviously shown your disinterest in finding a suitable wife, so it appears I must do it for you. Like so many things in life."

"You said you'd give me a year, and it hasn't been a year!"

His father signed deeply. "I am tired of all this nonsense and I will not wait for you to bring this estate and this title to ruin. Lady Susannah is a perfectly nice woman with generous prospects–"

"I'm sure she's lovely," Adam interrupted, not wanting to hear his father drawl on about her. "But I am not interested."

The Earl looked like he'd been offended on the deepest level. "I do not care if you're not interested, boy. You will do as I command, or I swear–"

The door opened suddenly, and Mrs. Potts entered.

"What?" The Earl practically shouted at the housekeeper.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Your Lordship, I though the room was unoccupied," she said. "I can come back later–"

"No need, Mrs. Potts," Adam said, still glaring at his father. "I was just leaving." Quickly, he turned on his heel and left the room towards the library. As he passed Mrs. Potts, he offered her a look of thankfulness and mouthed thank you.

Perhaps her entering the drawing room right at that moment had been entirely a coincidence, but the housekeeper was known to protect Adam from his father's wrath on more than one occasion.

And now, thankfully, she just did it again.

Dinner was a dull affair, and unfortunately for Adam, not one in which he could escape. His father had made sure of that.

Lord Villeneuve and Lord Finley drawled on about their time at Eaton as expected – everything from the horrible professors to the polo matches. Lady Finley and Lady Susannah were making polite conversation about the grouse hunt back up in Scotland, while Adam was politely listening and picking at his food. He wasn't hungry, all he could think about was Belle. How was she? What was she thinking?

He wanted to leave the brightly-lit dining room and rush down to the servants' hall and tell Belle everything. But of course, that was impossible. Instead, he had written a note just before getting changed, which hung heavy in the pocket of his trousers. As Lumiere came around to serve the roasted vegetables, Adam quietly and carefully slipped the note from his pocket and into the pocket of the footman's slacks. Lumiere gave him a confused look, but Adam only shook his head.

"Give it to Belle," he whispered to the footman as he served himself from the tray.

"What was that?"

Adam's head shot up towards his father, who had halted his conversation to ask the question. Again, Adam just shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he replied, forcing himself to eat the food in front of him.

"I was just suggesting to Lady Finley that you would take Lady Susannah to view the churches," his father was speaking to him now. His smile was laced with something more, something threatening. "On the train from Scotland she mentioned having an interest in architecture," he continued.

Adam smiled stiffly at his father and Lady Susannah. "How lovely. And what else might you be interested in?"

The woman across from him smiled brightly, setting down her silver fork on the table cloth. "Riding and hunting, mainly," she told him, laughing a little. Her laugh remined him of the way Belle laughed when they discussed the novels they were reading. Adam grabbed the table cloth to stop himself from getting up right them and there.

"And painting," Lady Susannah added.

"Our Suzy is quite the talented artist," Lord Finley smiled warmly.

"Papa," his daughter blushed and took a bite of the vegetables.

"It's true," her father insisted.

"I do water colours," she said after a moment. "Before we leave I do hope to do a few of the grounds and the estate. They're incredibly beautiful."

"Of course, of course," Lord Villeneuve said. "I want you to feel at home."

Adam cast a knowing look at his father. Lady Susannah may not know it, but Adam knew he meant those words literally.

"This is for you," Lumiere told Belle, handing her a folded piece of parchment as Mrs. Oliver and the kitchen maids set dessert on his tray.

Belle glanced the parchment over. The only word written on the top was Belle, in a hand she knew very well. Still, she couldn't help but be confused at the situation.

"What?" she asked before Lumiere went up to the dining room.

"Mr. Adam slipped into my pocket during the dinner service," Lumiere whispered. "He told me to give it to you, that's all he said."

Belle nodded and raced up the stairs to her room. Lumiere and the other footmen were only serving dessert; there was more than enough time until the servants' dinner. Once she reached her room, she closed the door and lit the oil lamp on the chest of drawers. She hesitated before unfolding the parchment, almost afraid of what it would contain. Already, her mind was racing wildly with thoughts.

Would Mr. Adam still tell His Lordship about their intentions to marry?

Would that even be possible with the Finleys here?

Would everything that happened in London be forgotten?

Heart pounding, Belle unfolded the parchment and scanned its contents.

Bell –

I never expected my father to push marriage on me this quickly, but I know that's why he has brought the Finleys to Theron. Even though he has not said he wishes for Lady Susannah and I to be married outright, I know that is what he wants, and I know he will not leave until an engagement is announced.

I have not had the opportunity to confront my father about our intentions, but I hope to do so as soon as the moment arises. I am so sorry for not doing so earlier. I have no intentions of marrying Lady Susannah, and both my father and the Finleys must understand this.

Before I make my intentions clear, we must not do anything to arouse any suspicion of our relationship. I fear you will bear the brunt of the consequences if we were found out, and I could not live with myself if that were the case.

I love you.

– Adam

Belle let out a long breath as she reread the note. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away as she pulled out a piece of parchment and a fountain pen from her bedside table. She had to get a note to Mr. Adam, and soon before the servants' dinner. Hopefully Lumiere wouldn't mind being the messenger once more.

Adam –

I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but you have no need to apologize. I realize this is a delicate situation (to say the least), and you must take caution. And I agree that we must keep our relationship hidden until the right moment. I should hopefully hear back from Mr. Wells in the coming days about the secretary job, and things may ease.

Please, don't do anything foolish that may jeopardize your relationship with your family. You may be worried about me, but I worry about you as well.

It will always be you.

– Belle

Belle read the note over, finally satisfied. She folded it and wrote Mr. Adam's name across the top and then slipped it into the pocket of her dress. Thankfully as she rejoined the servants in the dining hall, Lumiere was just about to go up to serve in the drawing room. She caught him just before he ascended the staircase.

"Please give this to Mr. Adam," she asked the footman, handing him the note. "I'm sorry you must play the messenger, but–"

"It's alright," Lumiere said with a smile as he slipped the note into the pocket of his livery, "You know I'm one for intrigue."

Belle laughed softly and watched as he ascended the stairs and disappeared out into the front parlour. She only hoped that the intrigue went unnoticed by any of the other upstairs guests.

"Mr. Savoy, are you sure you're alright?" Lady Susannah's voice snapped him from his trance, and Adam realized he had been staring at the same alter for God knows how long.

In truth, Adam didn't know at all if he was alright. All he could think about was the note he'd received last night from Lumiere in the drawing room. He had excused himself early, claiming he was tired from the day's travel and shut himself up in his room to read the note. It felt just like when they had first met – exchanging secretive notes between them. It was almost thrilling, though he wished they could speak freely, without family or class divisions getting in the way.

"You know, I'm feeling rather light-headed," he lied, wanting to get back to the house. Perhaps he could find a way to see Belle, or to finally tell his father everything. "I'm sorry to have to cut our outing short but I feel I must return to Theron."

"Of course," Lady Susannah replied, hooking her hand in the crook of his arm. The action was quite forward of her, but Adam didn't protest.

"Adam? Adam!" A familiar voice shouted from somewhere behind him. He turned to see a motor car pulling to a stop beside them on the road. He resisted the urge to groan. Out of everything that could make his situation all the more terrible, his aunt Lady Brankford and Cousin Edward were beckoning the pair into the motor.

Respectfully, Adam and Lady Susannah entered the motor car as it made its way towards the estate.

"Aunt Margaret, Cousin Edward, what brings you to Theron?" Adam asked, trying to keep an air of disgust out of his voice.

"Well, we were making our way back from London and we thought we would stop in for dinner," his aunt smiled. "It's been so long since we've seen each other."

She was so much like Lord Villeneuve. She made the comment sound like a threat, and it probably was. Adam wondered if she knew that he knew about her treacherous plan to try and steal the title and estate from him.

Clearing his throat, he gestured towards Lady Susannah.

"This is Lady Susannah Tolbrooke, the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Finley. She and her parents are staying at Theron as guests."

"How lovely to meet you," Aunt Margaret said brightly.

"This is my aunt Margaret, the Marchioness of Brankford, and her son, Edward," Adam said with much less enthusiasm. Cousin Edward narrowed his eyes at him.

"What a pleasure," Edward said as he took Lady Susannah's hand and bowed politely over it.

What the hell were they doing here? Adam wanted to ask. It was no coincidence that they showed up just as his father was pushing for marriage. He needed to warn Belle.

Now they needed to be more careful than ever.

Edward had protested against coming with his mother to Theron – he'd never liked its dreary halls or small rooms, not when he'd grown up in his own practically palatial estate. Still, his mother was insistent. And when his mother was insistent, he knew that he would be fighting a losing battle.

Of course, his mother had made her intentions clear once they embarked on the train towards Kent.

"You want to what?" Edward had asked in the privacy of their first-class compartment, practically spilling his tea in shock.

"Charles is setting up Adam with some Northern tart and we must put a stop to it," she replied in frustration.

"Why do you care if Cousin Adam marries some nobody from nowhere?"

"Because, Edward," she spoke slowly as if he were a child. "It sabotages your chance of inheriting the estate and earldom."

Edward looked at his mother, perplexed. "Why would I want to inherit a place like Theron?"

"My brother is right about Adam. If he inherits he will bring the estate to ruin within a year, I tell you."

"And why do you care so much about Cousin Adam?" Edward asked, rolling his eyes.

His mother shot him a dangerous look of fury. "Theron is the estate where I grew up. I will not see it plundered by Charles's disaster of a son."

"And you want it to remain under your control," he said, understandingly.

"Precisely. Which is why you will do as you are told."

And now on only the second day of their visit, here he was sneaking off from tea into his cousin's bedroom, trying to find anything remotely incriminating. His mother never specified what exactly to look for, just to look for anything that might prevent a marriage between Cousin Adam and Lady Susannah.

Edward practically tore the room apart, searching through the pockets of his cousin's clothing, flipping through the books pilled on the tables (of which there were many), and still found nothing that would help their case. He was about to leave when something caught his eye in the bedside table. In the top drawer, under even more books, was an intricately carved wooden box.

After checking to make sure no one was coming down the hall, Edward opened the box and let out a breath of surprise. The box was filledwith notes. Love notes, he realized as he read them – between Cousin Adam and some girl named Belle.

Belle…

Where had he heard that name before?

Then he realized – Belle was one of the housemaids.

Heart pounding, Edward read the note at the very top of the pile. We must keep our relationship hidden until the right moment… It will always be you…

They were carrying on, the two of them… right under Lord Villeneuve's nose. Edward took a handful of the notes and stuffed them into his pockets. After, he carefully placed the box right where it had been in the drawer and then glanced around the room to make sure nothing was out of place. Satisfied, he left his cousin's room and shut the door behind him.

His family and guests were still having tea in a small drawing room when Edward came back downstairs, and he caught his mother's eye and gave her a quick nod. After excusing herself, she joined Edward in an empty drawing room. Without saying a word, Edward smirked as he held up the notes from his pocket. His mother quickly grabbed them from his hands and started to scan their contents.

"Cousin Adam's been carrying on with one of the housemaids, a girl name Belle," Edward said, breaking the silence.

His mother smiled, clearly satisfied with his work. "You did well," she said, not taking her eyes off the notes. "Go join the others. I will take these to Charles myself."

Edward rolled his eyes slightly, not taken in by his mother's intrigues. It wasn't as if he didn't appreciate them, after all, she claimed this particular scheme was for his own benefit. If it were to succeed, Edward would become Earl of Villeneuve, which was more than what he would inherit as the younger son of the Marquess of Brankford. Though, it was clear that his mother intended for him to inherit the estate only so she could control it.

Thankfully, tea didn't last much longer, and Lord Villeneuve encouraged Cousin Adam to take Lady Susannah on ride about the estate grounds. Edward could tell his cousin was only complying to be polite to the guests, and not to mention to keep his father's fury at bay.

Edward had never personally seen his uncle's rages towards Cousin Adam, but he heard enough through servant gossip. At first, he did best to ignore them, thinking they were exaggerations, fabrications. And even now he still didn't truly believe the rumours, but there was something… the way Cousin Adam and his uncle spoke to one another, even in the company of guests… Edward could tell how much his cousin despised Uncle Charles.

The occupants of the drawing room slowly filtered out, Cousin Adam leading Lady Susannah in the direction of the stables, and Lord and Lady Finley ascended the main staircase towards the gallery. Before Uncle Charles could leave, his mother stopped him.

Edward leaned against the entrance of the room, making sure to keep out of sight and listened to their conversation.

"What is it, Margaret?" Uncle Charles asked, somehow sounding bored and concerned at the same time.

"Your son has been having an… improper relationship with a member of staff," his mother replied, with no remorse, no unsureness. From what Edward could see, peeking past the door jamb, Uncle Charles' expression became very serious.

"What are you talking about?" His uncle asked, astonished. He was careful to not raise his voice. The whole estate didn't need to know, after all. But if his mother got her way, Edward was sure they would. "I can assure you that my son would never–"

His mother interrupted him by holding up the notes Edward had given her. Uncle Charles took them carefully in his hands, as if they would crumble to sand upon his touch. As he read them, he didn't betray any emotion. After he finished, he only asked one question.

"When were these written?" His uncle turned away from the door, looking out the large window onto the grounds of Theron. The Earl of Villeneuve had always been as stoic as the King himself, but Edward wondered if his mother had finally managed to crack his demeanor.

"The notes contain no dates, Charles," she replied, her voice laced with a calm and assured tone. He could just notice the corners of her lips curling upwards. "But one must assume, given the contents, that they were written recently. Besides, why would your son keep these letters if the girl didn't matter to him?"

The two were silent for a long moment, but Edward knew his mother enough to know that she was very pleased with herself.

"Thank you bringing these to my attention," his uncle said, finally, before making his way towards the drawing room's entrance.

Heart pounding, Edward moved away from the door, to feign as if he were just passing through the hall. His uncle must have known he was listening, because as he started to ascend the stairs, his words caught him by surprise.

"Papa always said your mother was the most conniving of us children," the Earl of Villeneuve remarked. Edward turned around, staring curiously as his uncle from the staircase. He was still holding the notes tightly in his hands, staring down at them. For the first time in his life, Edward saw a crack in his uncle's façade. His voice – not loud and commanding, but as if lost in a memory. "Perhaps that is why she outranks us all."

Before Edward could raise his voice, his uncle disappeared into the library.

Though Adam wanted any excuse to get out of accompanying Lady Susannah on a ride around the estate grounds, Cogsworth telling him his father was waiting for him in the library made Adam regret ever thinking of wanting to leave her. Cogsworth gave him a grave look of understanding as he relayed the news, but of course he had no choice but to oblige.

He gave his apologies to Lady Susannah, and walked off towards the library, his steps heavy with dread.

What could his father possibly want now? Did he want to continue the argument that Mrs. Potts so kindly interrupted? Adam didn't know – he didn't want to know. But whatever the Earl of Villeneuve wanted, he knew it would not be good.

The notes in his father's hand were the first thing Adam recognized upon entering the library. He recognized the eggshell-coloured stationery and the soft edges of Belle's handwriting.

His heart dropped to the floor.

"Where did you find those?" Adam asked, approaching his father slowly. He held out his hand, as if he could take them from his grip.

"It doesn't matter where I found them," Lord Villeneuve snapped, his eyes rife with fury.

Adam seethed. It bloody well did matter where he found them – was this father rifling through his personal belongings now? Was he paying a servant to spy on him? It wouldn't be below his father to do so, that was for sure.

"But now that I am aware of your little… tryst," his father continued, setting down the small pile of notes on his bureau. "It can all come to an end."

Adam blinked. "What are you talking about?"

His father let out a short laugh, like he wasn't being serious. "You've had your fun with this maid, but you must come back to the real world."

"Father, this isn't just some fun I've been having with a member of staff," Adam said, livid. "Belle and I love each other, truly." He took a breath. "We intend to marry."

Lord Villeneuve stared at him with disbelief. "You're not serious?"

"I am. I am serious, Father. Belle is who I want to spend the rest of him life with and you can't change my mind."

"I won't allow it!" Lord Villeneuve shouted. "Too many times I've let you gallivant your way through life spending enough money to nearly ruin us. I see your stay here has not changed you one bit. You think you can take what you with no consequences. You will marry Lady Susannah, and that is the end of it!" he moved to storm out, but Adam stopped him.

"Then Belle and I will run away together. The estate can go to Cousin Edward if your sister gets her way, or that banker in Manchester. I'm sure he will be a fine earl."

Adam's father crossed his arms and laughed. "You? Run away? How do you intend to support yourself? I certainly won't give you any money, and I will absolutely not let your aunts take you in. You would be reduced to working in the poor house in less than a week."

"I would get a job, and Belle is already planning on taking on a new job. We would do just fine." Adam didn't know if he believed those words, but nevertheless it felt good to say them to his father.

"Oh, does she?" Lord Villeneuve smiled wickedly. "Well, then let me tell you this. If you don't agree to marry Lady Susannah, I will personally make sure this Belle will never work a respectable job again. Perhaps I shall telephone her new office of employment and speak to them about how she has been stealing from this estate, how she seduced my son!"

Adam swung his fist at his father, who caught his wrist before it could make an impact on his cheek. "You bastard," Adam hissed.

"You will do as I tell you, or it will be Belle who will end up in the poor house."

Adam breathed heavily as his arm went slack in his father's grip. He couldn't – he wouldn't – forgive himself if Belle was reduced to a pauper. She wanted to travel, to visit libraries all over the word… he could never deprive her of that opportunity. At least she would still have those opportunities, even without him. As much as it pained him, he nodded his head.

Lord Villeneuve released his grip on Adam's wrist and straightened his waistcoat. "Good. I expect to see you at dinner with no complaints."

"Yes, Father," Adam mumbled, his hands curling into fists.

"This is what's best for you, and for our family. Trust me."

Adam didn't say anything as his father left the library, leaving him alone. For the first time since he came back to Theron, the walls of the library seemed as if they would swallow him whole. The notes Belle had written him were still sitting on his father's bureau, and he stared at them until he heard voices outside the room. Adam quickly grabbed the notes and shoved them into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and rushed out of the library, not stopping to see whom he passed.

If it was possible, dinner that evening was an even more awful affair. It wasn't just the Finleys and the Brankfords in attendance, but Adam's father had invited a large number of guests from the nearby estates. How he had managed to do it so quickly was a mystery.

Of course, Lord Villeneuve was going on as if he had not just threatened a member of his own staff with poverty, and not forcing his own son into a marriage he didn't want to be a part of.

As the main course came and went, Adam found he had no appetite for any of it. Not even Mrs. Oliver's cheese soufflé could kindle his hunger.

Every few minutes, his aunt Margaret would cast him a sharp yet snide glance, as if she had orchestrated everything. In fact, it occurred to Adam, she probably had. It was she who had dug around through his belongings and obtained the notes, just to accelerate need for marriage. But if her goal was to get Cousin Edward to inherit the title and estate, how would it happen now that Adam was quickly being forced into marriage? Perhaps Aunt Margaret had assumed he would run away and abandon estate. At least he could take some satisfaction in knowing that part of her plan hadn't succeeded.

Once Cogsworth and the footmen were serving dessert, Lord Villeneuve stood, holding his small glass of dark dessert wine. Adam's heart filled with dread.

"I'd like to make a happy announcement," he said with a wide smile. The dinner table hushed, and the footmen stopped serving. It was too quiet. "My son, Adam, and Lady Susannah Tolbrooke intend to marry."

No… no… It was too soon… it was happening too fast. Adam gazed over in shock to Susannah, who was sitting across from him. Did she know what was happening? Did she agree to his? But Susannah only gave Adam and warm and excited smile.

"Let us drink their health." The rest of the guests stood from their seats and raised their glasses. "To Adam and Susannah," his father said.

"To Adam and Susannah," the guests repeated.

Lumiere got away from the dining room as fast as he could. The women would go through any minute, and Cogsworth would be livid if he wasn't there in time to serve the drinks, but he had to process what had just happened.

Mr. Adam was engaged. Engaged. And by the look of shock on Mr. Adam's face when his Lordship had announced it, he was hearing the news for the first time as well. He couldn't imagine what he must be feeling.

Finally, the footman got to the servants' hall, where Plumette has mending one of her dresses Belle was there as well, reading a novel as always.

"You won't believe what happened up there," Lumiere said, setting the dessert tray down on the table.

"What?" It was Belle whose attention he caught first, but his wife was not far behind as she set down her mending.

"Mr. Adam is engaged."

"What?!" Belle practically cried.

Lumiere nodded. "His Lordship just announced it –" Before he could finish his sentence, Belle was already out of her seat, book in hand, and rushed down the corridor towards the staircase.

"Belle! Belle!" Plumette called after her, but she was already gone.