The Earl's Company

"My lord Earl!" Henrietta cried. "You're back from London!"
"I thought if you had any grouse left after Frederick was done with them I might have a turn."

"Oh," she said. "I don't think they've shot very many at all. He and my brother-you haven't met my brother, have you?- they promised we'd have grouse for supper every day and yet I think we've had more vegetables than grouse all week."

"Then I'll have to show them how it's done," grinned Lord Damier. Henrietta sat down, but he decided to stay standing. It had been a long carriage ride.

She smiled at him after a moment, and then, as if she couldn't contain it any longer, she asked, "How is London?"
"The same as always, I suppose," he said carelessly.
Henrietta seemed far from satisfied with that answer, but she said nothing. Lord Damier had no notion of what to say to her, so after a moment he went to the window and peered out under the pretence of looking for Frederick.
"Thank goodness you came down! I think...I think Frederick will be glad of company besides my brother's," Henrietta confided.
"I'm not sure 'goodness' had anything to do with it," he joked. "I was avoiding a dinner engagement, you see, with a certain lady."

Henrietta seemed a little abashed and very curious at the same time.
"You didn't leave London just to avoid her!"
"She seemed to believe two dances at a ball meant a--a strong affection," he said, trying desperately to keep it a joke. I shouldn't have brought this up, he thought.
"Two dances is a lot," Henrietta murmered. She seemed not to think she ought to ask any more.

"And how have you been, Lady Arnold?" he asked after another moment.
Henrietta didn't know how to answer that truthfully, so she did not. "Just fine, thank you."
But the Earl was not fooled. Nor was he thinking about Frederick as he turned to look out the window again.
He was feeling guilty. He really had not been inclined to like Henrietta, though he knew he had no reason. She was a sweet soul and, if he understood what Frederick's last letter had implied, she had not been happy lately. He knew he should not begrudge Frederick's having a wife, and he knew he ought to be generous and understanding when Frederick spent loads of ink telling him his worries about her. Frederick would be so understanding, no doubt. But he had long ago decided Frederick was a better man than he.
Stop it, Alexander! he told himself. You will go treat this sweet young woman better now, no matter how much you ache inside!

And with that he turned around and went to sit by Henrietta. "Lady Arnold, how would you and your husband like to stay at Hartfestol for a while? I was thinking of inviting down some of my freinds from London, and we'll end the summer in good company. How would you like that?"

The look on her face was enough to tell him she would. One of his inner aches lifted a little bit.