A Better Man
Chapter One
Settling
Author's note: I am anxious for feedback on this little tale, as the plot bunny has been steadily chewing at my brain for a very long time, and I would have to say that it is a bit of a pet project of mine.
4 August 1914
Freddy Eynsford-Hill and his wife Eliza found themselves dinner guests at Eleanor Higgins' home for the third time in the week. A part of Freddy knew that it was less for the pleasure of their company, and more as a charitable act. Eliza's flower shop had had a bit of a rough start, and while things seemed to be running a bit more smooth as of late, it still seemed as though the pair of them would always be locked in a bit of a financial struggle... not that they couldn't afford to feed themselves.
Freddy, who had never questioned where money or support stemmed from in his life, was beginning to grow a bit resentful at the seemingly endless flow of "charity" that came to his wife and himself. At first, he had been delighted that his new wife was able to inspire such loyalty from people who were not family. It was touching, that she be so very cared for just on the merit of her charm and grace. Lately, though, it seemed to haunt him as a sign of his inability to care for her himself.
The feelings of ineptitude had started for Freddy about six months after he and Eliza had taken over the shop. They had nearly lost the whole thing, due to both their inexperience, and Colonel Pickering had swooped in eleventh hour with a tutor in tow. The outstanding debts had been paid off, and Professor Strallen spent two nights out of the week teaching Eliza and Freddy about sound business choices.
Eliza excelled under the man's tutelage, while Freddy plodded along and struggled greatly. He had never been a serious scholar during his years at Eton, and after his father's death, he had been pulled from school altogether, to attend to his grieving mother and younger sister, Clara. Freddy's education, therefore, was entirely negligible. However, he was quite sure that his education was comparably more extensive than his wife's.
"She is a genius, Mr. Eynsford-Hill; what a first rate brain!" Professor Strallen had complimented one night, as Eliza was fixing tea. Freddy had been very proud at the compliment, although it had been soured considerably by the exasperated looks and sighs the professor had bestowed upon him during the lesson. At a later lesson, Freddy had overheard the professor's report to Colonel Pickering. It had gone along a similiar line as his compliment to Freddy, although, assuming that the conversation was private, Professor Strallen had lamented Freddy's lack of intelligence.
"Such a pity; that young lady ought to be worshipped and cared for, instead she seems fated to be the one to carry that family afloat." Freddy colored deeply when he heard Colonel Pickering agree.
"He would have not been my first choice for her, but he loves her so dearly, and that must count for something."
Freddy had never thought about his lack of skill in caring for Eliza up until that point. The marriage up until that point had been jolly fun, for him. Eliza was a fine girl, and he delighted in making her laugh, giving her little presents, and just being around her. Of course the shop had been turning out to be a disaster, but Freddy looked at it as an experiment of sorts. The pair of them would soldier on together, as husband and wife should!
Now, thanks to the money Colonel Pickering had poured into educating the two of them, the shop was starting to flourish. Freddy couldn't help but feel that it all had absolutely nothing to do with him, especially since Eliza locked up all of the books in her escritoire, and refused to let him, or anyone look at them. Eliza had given him an extensive education on the best blooms, and prices for them, and delegated him as a glorified errand and delivery boy, and she had done so with a patronising kiss on the cheek.
So life had gone on, with regular dinners at Mrs. Higgins' home, and the seemingly permanent presence of Colonel Pickering, and recently, Professor Higgins. In fact, the man was present at the table that evening. It was rare for the professor to join his mother at dinner, let alone with the Eynsford-Hills' present. Eliza and the professor had struck up a bit of an unspoken truce, although what they had been arguing about, Freddy had no idea. All he knew was when they were in the same room together, they both seemed to be locked in a battle of wills.
"Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, that frock becomes more lovely everytime I see it. What has it been, two years since you acquired it?" Eliza narrowed her eyes at Professor Higgins' tactless remark, pressing her lips into a thin, disapproving line. It was true that Eliza was remarkably frugal when it came to her clothing. Her evening wear had been mended on several occasions, with the hemlines adjusted for the current styles. However, it rankled her pride that some people had a sharp enough eye (and tongue) to notice such things and remark upon them in public.
"Good heavens, Henry! I will not invite you to dine if you are going to be so consistently rude to my guests," Mrs. Higgins scolded.
Henry grumbled his apologies, half-heartedly. The truth of the matter was, he did not know what he had been planning when he tried to appeal to Eliza those years ago, before learning she had run off and eloped, but her marriage to Freddy was a constant source of irritation. If he had been honest with himself, Henry would've confessed that his heart had been just a little broken at the news. After several months of isolating himself from Eliza, he thought he would be ready to face her cordially; alas, it never quite worked out that way. The boy was constantly finding excuses to exchange glances and caresses with Eliza, and she, for her part, never put him off of it. That the boy dare touch Henry's masterpiece inflamed him; that Eliza allowed and seemed to enjoy the attention caused that flame to burst into a veritable inferno, although he hid it well, and masked it with the usual acidic rhetoric he bestowed upon everyone. She was happy, and he was miserable.
"I think you look very lovely, my dear. I am glad that you are so clever with that sort of thing; I do not believe that any other normal sort of chap, with things other than fripperies on his mind, would have been able to even notice that the gown is not fresh from a designer's shop." Freddy patted his wife's gloved hand, and smirked. Eliza grinned at the unexpected jibe from her husband, and covered her mouth to disguise her mirth.
Henry opened his mouth to attack Freddy with a stinging rejoinder, when a strangled female cry came from the corridor. The party stood up at once, and fled to the door of the dining room to investigate. The butler was kneeling on the floor, cradling an unconscious maid to his chest. The woman had clearly fainted.
"What is the meaning of this, Swithin?" Eleanor Higgins demanded.
"Terrible news, ma'am." The usually reserved man seemed beside himself.
"Out with it, I beg you!"
Swithin sighed. "We are at war with Germany."