The duke and I were laughing and teasing each other in the parlour. Lady Danbury was also there, grinning and sifting through her stack of letters in her usual armchair. Lord Basset and I were sitting on the sofa together, with him at one end and me at another. He was telling me the tale of their haunted, scary basement.
"And then he came back up crying. He swore he saw an apparition down there," Lord Basset wiggled his arms for emphasis. I laughed out loud. "Oh no! Well, maybe he did. It sounds like a terrifying place, after all. Perfect perhaps for a ghost-hunting expedition?" "I'm sure it is. But I better not catch you down there. I'm serious; if I ever hear of you exploring downstairs on your own, I'll have to punish you," he said this in half-jest, half-truth. Still, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The only word that popped into my head right then was "hot". My head gave a light-hearted shake. "No need to worry, my lord. I wouldn't go down there even if I wasn't alone. Even if dead vampires can't bite me, I'm still afraid of coming face-to-face with them." "Good," he also grinned, leaning back against the sofa's cushion.
We grinned at each other quietly once again, letting a moment of quiet slip between us. Eventually his grace sighed contently. "So, what shall we do tomorrow? Shall we take a stroll in the garden after breakfast and dinner again?" He meant breakfast and dinner for me; it was technically reversed for him. My grin widened in its corners. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're actually starting to look forward to our little outings, Lord Basset." His shoulder shrugged trying to act casual, though I could tell he was happy. "Well, it's not the worst way to spend time. I've never enjoyed being outdoors much, even in my own garden…." "Maybe that was because you never had anyone show you how to appreciate it?" I asked. He looked at me and deepened his smile. "Yes, I believe you're right, Miss Bridgerton. I never knew how to appreciate nature…. until you came along." "Lord Basset…." My hand balled into an unconscious, pleased fist on the cushion beside me. Only when he says such things….
Both of us were too preoccupied in our own conversation to notice Lady Danbury set aside the letter she just read. She held up the envelop of the next one in her little pile, only to stop for a moment. She stared at it like she was confused. Then, without making a sound, she cut it open with her letter opener and pulled the folded piece of paper out. As she read the letter, her expression grew more and more concerned. By the time she was finished reading I had finally noticed the anxious on her face.
"Lady Danbury? Is everything alright?" Lord Basset's head shot over in her direction to see what was wrong and her ladyship perked up, realizing her body language was betraying her. She looked at me and then to the duke, her eyes still wide and unsettled. "What? Yes; yes, of course. Everything's…. fine," while uttering her last word her gaze returned down to the parchment in her hand. His lordship also eyed the letter suspiciously.
"Who's the note from?" He inquired, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Lady Danbury blinked back up his way, flinching a little this time. "Huh? Oh. It's from… an old acquaintance of your father: a baron from Essex, Berbrooke." "Berbrooke? Berbrooke? I don't know any Berbrookes," Lord Basset exclaimed. Her ladyship nodded unsurprised. "You wouldn't. He did business with your father up north, back when I finishing my nursing career. He wrote to me to say he'll be paying me a visit at Hastings Manor."
Lord Basset was surprised to hear this, as was I; though maybe not as stunned as my landlord was. "Really? Why? What does he want?" "I don't know. He doesn't say," her head shook a little, her eyes rolling back down to the letter. "Well, when's he planning on visiting?" His grace pressed. "He doesn't mention that either. All he says is that he'll be coming here to see me."
No one said anything for a moment. While Lady Danbury studied her letter, his lordship peered back my way; his eyes suddenly brimming with worry. I could tell that neither of them was elated to receive this news. But soon enough her ladyship glanced back up at us. Sensing the mood in the room, she forced a smile, trying to relax her posture as much as possible.
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it. The baron is a busy man; he's likely coming to either give his condolences on your father's passing or to congratule you on your engagement to Miss Cowper. Either way, it is a trivial matter, I'm sure. Nothing more." Lord Basset considered her words momentarily, nibbing on his bottom lip softly. He glanced over to her still uneasy. "He won't come… anytime soon, will he?" "Hard to say, but knowing him he has an exhaustive agenda to attend to first, which explains why he would be giving his condolences so late after the duke's funeral." "But…. how does he even know I'm in the country? Who is this man?" His voice raised a little. Lady Danbury's hand rose up to placate him.
"Do not concern yourself with him, Simon. He couldn't possibly know if you're back or not. The letter was addressed to me, so he's probably expecting me to pass on whatever it is he has to say to you. There's nothing ill-intentioned in that. And besides, he won't come for a while yet, judging by his previous tract record with your father," her ladyship paused here so her eyes could softly drift over to me. I said nothing, though sat upright to show that I was listening intently. Our gazes locked.
"If it's Miss Bridgerton you're worried about, fear not. She'll be long gone by the time he arrives." Lord Basset didn't verbally reply to this; simply blinking from her over to me. He still looked very unsure of the whole matter. Wanting to make him feel better, I gave him a tender smile, which he mirrored after a minute. Satisfied with this, Lady Danbury set the letter aside and began opening her next one, leaning back in her chair a little. "Trust me, Simon. That man never does anything fast. He has no reason to show up anytime soon. Anthony will have secured a place for Daphne before his visit- whenever that may be." Lord Basset let out a small, relieved sigh. "You're right, Lady Danbury; of course you're right. Father must not have had a high opinion of the baron to have never mentioned him to me before. Still, he can take his time coming here…." And then his grace gazed back in my direction. His stare was soft and soulful again- that same sort of stare which can, and did, stop my heart. "I don't want you to leave so soon, but I'd rather you not be around when strange vampires come by for a visit, Miss Bridgerton." "No, I completely understand, my lord. And I agree with you, as I'm sure my uncle and brother would too. It's safer this way, but by the sounds of it we still have time." And he smiled at me. Oh, how he smiled….
"Yes, we still have time."