C19 His Anguish

Catherine ran towards the earl castle once her mistress had left for Feledencia. She wasn’t sure she was doing such extra service when it was a given that she lose her job as her handmaid already. For the short time of being with the Feledencian heiress, she harbored an undeniable concern over her.

Perhaps, it was her woman’s instincts that was telling her to inform Lord Syford about it. She already learned her place. Hearing how much Francesca was able to calm down the earl’s rage from Hariet and Emily, she knew what he really felt for her mistress.

It would be stupid of her to get on their way when in fact they were born for each other. Not just because they were belonging on the same elite class, but most importantly because they were born to be each other’s other half.

Meanwhile, Dynirho was busy checking on the herbal drink prescribed by the physician to his father. Since he vented out his frustrations that day, he somewhat felt the tormenting burden in his chest lifted.

He cannot totally can say he forgave his father, but at least now he was showing little concern on his medications. His father had successfully managed to outdone the threat on his life few days ago, but the imminent danger still remains, thus, needing maintenance to avoid such.

As he walked back to his chamber, he met one of their footmen handing him a black envelop with gold imprinted letters of his name. Such delicate prints can only come from the royal palace.

“A royal messenger had dropped this, my lord,” the man said before leaving.

Opening the said envelop, Lord Syford realized it was a social event invitation at the St. James Palace to properly bid goodbye to summer and welcome the onset of autumn and its upcoming blessings.

Just when he was about to saunter to his room, a familiar woman showed at the entrance. It was the blonde woman he was once acquainted with. And if remembered it rightly, she had also been tailing behind Lady Francesca for quite some time now.

‘Don’t tell me she was here for some womanly drama about the short, fleeting pleasurable moments we once had?’ Surely, Lord Syford was a rake hell ass before meeting the Feldencian woman who instilled change in him big time, starting from his lifestyle with woman until his attitude and relationship towards his father. And perhaps, his principles was little touched by it as well.

‘Had my past came running back at me after I decided to be restart my life?’ He couldn’t help but to wonder.

“C-Catherine Gunner, was it?” he asked for clarity. On the numerous women he’d been with, this blonde really did stands out with her superior beauty. He can still remember how he got himself caught by an innocent Feledencian lady at the flea market, while he was busy merrymaking with a woman.

The former handmaid felt marvelous of being remembered. She was no ignorant on how the earl forgets most of his women’s name. Those are the days when he was so young, wild, and carefree.

“On my great honor that you remember me, my lord. However, I am here not for such recognition but to inform you about the abrupt leave of my mistress, Lady Francesca, back to her home,” she recounted.

The earl instantly felt relieved on his guess for womanly drama. This blonde was smart enough to realize where she stand. She was maintaining rationality and objectivity.

But what shocks him was the fact regarding why Lady Francesca would leave with no prior notice to the people she was close too. After what had happened between them, he expected in the very least, he had amounted to something for the woman. Then, why did she left without bidding goodbye.

“And I...” Catherine halted on her tract. She wanted to say something, but she was not sure if it was the right thing. She doesn’t have proof. It was all plainly based on her instincts and intuition.

“Speak,” Lord Syford demanded upon seeing glimpse of hesitation in her eyes.

“My lord, I personally think something was off. Lady Francesca wouldn’t possibly just leave with no proper farewell e-especially not with you, my lord,” Catherine admitted, ignoring the pang of pain in her heart as she admits her loss over the man of her dreams.

Lord Syford just looked more confused than ever. He could not fully understand what the blonde was trying to point out.

“How could a woman possibly just leave half of her heart behind, my lord?” she finally blurted out.

The earl’s ear suddenly grew an inch bigger.

“What did you say?” he asked in awe. He doesn’t want to assume. Perhaps, he was hearing it wrongly, then it would be a shame if he celebrates now.

“Forgive my boldness, my lord… but I humbly think Lady Francesca also shares the same feelings of attraction towards you basing on her actions whenever with or we were talking about you,” she professed.

Just like that, the Earl of Verindale got more than enough reasons to follow her at their hometown in Feledencia. Instantly, he instructed few of his butlers and footmen to prepare for their travel to Feledencia.

They would reach the place two days before the grand social gathering in the St. James Palace will be taking place. In that way, he can have his time to invite her to be his muse for the night.

For the first time, he will be bringing a noble woman as his partner unlike all the bold commoners he once invited. Nonetheless, he shares no plan of retracting nor halting on believing on the supposed equality of nobles and commoners, just like her late mother did.

The next day, at early morning, when preparations were finished, they set off for the travel. He used his horse Rodnie while his two butlers and one footmen rode their own horses while carrying some silk and jewels as their arrival gift for the Feledencian woman, they were pursuing after. Carriage would take about one and half day of travel, whereas horses would only take about a day or maybe less, depends on the rider and the weather condition.

To their luck, there was no heavy rainfalls nor weather turbulence along the way. They arrived there at afternoon dawn. They’ve stayed in a rental inn for few shillings as payments.

But the next morning when they were about to make their way into the manor of the Chandlers, a gossips had reached their ears.

“The young lady of Feledencia was finally getting married to a rich, young gold miner from the west,” one of the passerby joyfully exclaimed.

“You mean, the rumored scandalous lady before?”

“Exactly. Lady Fracesca Chandler!”

“Good for her. She will be finally taking over Feledencia soon after her eighteenth birthday. It would be nice if they already had a baby by then,” an old vendor added, making Dynirho tighten his fist in frustrations.

‘What the hell did just happened?! What the Hades could have possibly had happened in a matter of a day of Lady Francesca’s arrival here?! Why am I not informed about this?’

Lord Syford had a lot of queries in his head. He could feel his heart being ripped from his chest, and out of his ribs. How can turn this way?

When he thinks he was having a chance for her love and affection when such unfortunate news reaches him? Was this the karma of the past actions he did? Was this the payment of the debts he owe from every women he fleetingly played with?

If this was, fate was real sadistic and narcissistic. He couldn’t think more of anything more painful than being robbed of the chance to confessed one’s own feelings.

One of the butler had grabbed a newspaper from a passerby to clarify the news. And they were bit not wrong. It turns out that the town folks gossips wasn’t just a petty lie of intrigue, rather a reality.

Instead of simply breaking in his feet, the tough Lord of Verindale straightened his back and continue walking towards the manor.

He would not leave and just give up just yet, without asking from Lady Francesca the truth about the marriage and on what she truly feels about him.

In fact, it was her who had taught him to always take the chance when it is still there. Now, he was using her own advice on her. He will take the remaining chance of personally confronting her before the set date for the alleged marriage will arrive.

Hurt and devastated, he approached the guards standing on both side of the Chandler manor’s grand entrance.