Page 59 of Bluebell’s Fate

“We haven’t seen her in six weeks, but she does write consistently. In fact, there is a young man that she’s quite taken with.” Mrs. Stone added in a whisper and a side glance at Nathaniel.

He shifted in his boots. It was supposed to be him, they all knew it…and yet…he couldn’t make himself feel guilty. Not when he had Bell. But where would Ian have been going to visit each day if Miss Stone wasn’t at home? “Would you care to get off your feet, Mrs. Stone? Bell has prepared some refreshments.”

Mrs. Stone sighed. “That would be just the thing.” She limped along the lawn with her walking stick and her husband holding her steady.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Breathing became a chore for Bell as she watched Mr. and Mrs. Stone walk ahead of her. She forced air in and out of her lungs through her nose. She tried to focus on the feel of her foot on the ground, the breeze playing with the bottom of her gown. Her world was spinning. How had she ever thought herself capable of planning an event like this? She hadn’t even been able to get the guest list right. However, she felt she ought to blame Ian for misleading everyone about visiting Miss Eliza Stone each day.

He had some explaining to do. Bell wasn’t going to ask him in front of the Stones why he’d been lying—but she was tempted to. The small gathering had only just begun, and already, everything she’d planned had gone awry. Mr. and Mrs. Payne had arrived early with Ian, the kite’s strings were tangled, and the Stones arrived late, without Miss Eliza. How was Bell going to prove her competency as a hostess if she couldn’t get a single thing right? Only her father and Ash had behaved as predicted—punctual and happy to be there, conversing with the guests.

Bell simply couldn’t understand where her failure lied. She’d done everything she’d watched Nathaniel do over the past couple months. She made a tedious list of activities and had marked down everything she would need in order to accomplish them. Were the fairies still using their dark magic to ruin her attempts to prove herself a valuable match? Or was it simply Bell’s fate to fail miserably in company?

They reached the small grouping of chairs that sat next to the pink and white checked quilt Bell had set out on the ground. Mrs. Stone lowered herself slowly into the nearest wicker chair. At least Bell had thought to ask about what the Stones would prefer regarding seating. It seemed like it would have been quite the feat for Mrs. Stone to sit on the ground and get back up again.

Bell opened the basket on the corner of the blanket and set out the small selection of meats and cheese while Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Payne talked about the local sewing club they both attended. Her father and Ash had set off with a ball and were playing catch a short distance away. She noted that Ian had stolen Mr. Stone, and the two were walking together around the edge of the lawn. Was Ian asking the gentleman for permission to ask for Miss Eliza’s hand? Mrs. Stone mentioned that Eliza had formed somewhat of an attachment to a young man, and Bell could only assume it was Ian after what he’d told her, but something niggled in the back of her mind, nonetheless. It was the same feeling she got when she imagined the fairies were playing tricks on her back in her woods.

Mrs. Payne cleared her throat in clear annoyance.

Bell looked up to find Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Stone, Mr. Stone, and Godmother all looking at her expectantly. She swallowed. She’d been caught up in her own thoughts again. “Pardon me. What did you say?”

Godmother’s eyes twinkled with amusement, but Bell didn’t see that friendliness mirrored in anyone else’s gaze. Mrs. Payne took what sounded like a long-suffering breath. “Did you expect us all to stoop down and grab food off the ground?”

“Of course not,” Bell countered as she forced a smile. In fact, that had been precisely what she had planned on; it wasn’t as if she were asking them to eat food out of the grass like cows. Everything was on a tray. “I’m more than happy to serve you. What would you like, Mrs. Payne?”

Nathaniel’s mother crossed her arms across her chest as she told Bell what fruits and nuts she wanted with her cheese and bread. Bell filled the plate, and then proceeded to do the same for the others that sat nearby. Ash ran over and introduced himself quite formally to the Stones before he filled his plate hastily with some of everything, gobbling the food down as quick as a wink so he could go back to his game with their father. Mrs. Carter served glasses of lemonade. Bell called to Nathaniel, who had ended up in conversation with his father, and Ian. “Would you care for some refreshment?”

As the group of men walked nearer the picnic blanket, Bell was struck by how similar Mr. Payne looked to his nephew. The two had the same heavy build, the same shade of light brown hair. As they came closer, she looked more closely at the pair of them. Their eyes were different, and Mr. Payne had a much larger nose. She tried in vain not to compare how unlike Nathaniel looked to his own father. With his dark curls and light brown eyes, her husband most certainly got his looks from his mother.

Was it possible that the deceased Edwin looked much like Ian? Was that why Mr. Payne showed his nephew such favoritism, even and especially when Nathaniel was around?

Nathaniel claimed the spot closest to Bell on the blanket, and Ian sat on the other edge. They both served themselves as Bell gathered items for Mr. Payne.

She had so many questions, but none of them seemed appropriate to ask. She tried to brush the resemblances of the men aside. Mr. Payne was Ian’s uncle after all. Only… it was Ian’s mother who was sisters with Mrs. Payne. Odd. “Ian, I’m sorry for your sake that Miss Eliza wasn’t able to join us.”

Mrs. Stone chuckled. “Don’t fret yourself, Lady Bluebell. Eliza has known Ian since he lived in Cairnsby Cottage as a boy. Of course, he is a handful of years older than Eliza, but even after his mother, Linda, moved back to her estate, Ian was a consistent visitor.”

Bell’s mind latched onto one word—Linda. Linda was Ian’s mother? Bell’s eyes instantly found her godmother in her shock. The truth was written across her godmother’s face as if she’d been wearing a crown of bluebells. Bell hid her shaking hands in her lap. “I wasn’t aware you once lived here, Ian.” Could it be, that the letter Bell had discovered in the blue room was from Ian’s mother?

Bell had been so caught up in understanding Nathaniel’s history and family dynamics that the letter from Linda had faded to the dark recesses of her mind.

“It was a long time ago.” Ian smiled. “I recall more of Edwin than I do the cottage. We were always out exploring together. We spent a fair amount of time in the Stones’ orchard as children.” He smiled up at Nathaniel’s parents. “I still miss him.”

Tears sprang to Mrs. Payne’s eyes. “As do I.”

After what Nathaniel had told Bell about Edwin and Ian’s tendency to manipulate people’s emotions, it was shockingly obvious to Bell that Ian was doing just that.

Mr. Payne cleared his throat. “It’s been almost nine years now. If he were still alive, so much would be different.” He looked at the Stones, who both shifted as if there were something uncomfortable beneath their chairs.

Their reaction was odd. Bell had been led to believe that the Stones wanted to join their family to the Paynes, combine their lands, and double their estate. However, their discomfort spoke of something else entirely. Mr. Payne nodded his head absently. “He died too young. But we can’t live in the past now, can we? There is still much to be grateful for.” He looked over at Ash running after the ball that had been thrown over his head.

Bell focused on Nathaniel. His eyes had gone distant, as if he too were remembering a day long ago, perhaps when his brother was alive. She knew better, though, than to believe that his memories were of a pleasant sort. Wanting to ease the burdens she read in his eyes, she tried to clear the air. “How lucky you are that Miss Eliza is courting someone she knows so well. That is not always the case when one goes to town for the season.”

Mrs. Stone’s eyebrows pulled low on her brow. “Whatever do you mean? Eliza had never seen Mr. Warner before the season started: he lives in Northumberland for goodness’ sake. If they wed, we’ll hardly ever see her.”

“Mr. Warner?” Bell asked as she looked back and forth between Ian and Mrs. Stone. Ian’s face had gone a mottled red.

“Of course. But he is such a good sort of man, my sister has only praise to heap upon him, and Eliza is so happy. I’ve learned that I can sacrifice not seeing her often so long as I can see her happy.”