Midnight Bliss

Chapter 4

Or so I had thought. I dreamed of his eyes that night and when I woke the next morning, the sun pouring through the window, I wondered if I would see him at tea. A silly thought, I reprimanded myself. I barely knew the man. Our maid knocked at my door and within moments I was up and being dressed. Something gentle and refined today. My mother had happily picked out a strawberry pink dress that was fitted at the waist and then billowed out beautifully to my ankles. I paired the ensemble with plain black heels and pearls, twisting and pulling my locks across my shoulder to give the outfit an extra oompf. I admired myself in the mirror and picked up my clutch, a plain white bag with a single pearl sewn into the fabric.

"Ready for tea?" Mother wrapped her arm through mine and escorted me through the door.

As we exited our chambers, we ran into Kara. She wore a lilac ensemble today with more jewels beaded through her messy bun. She hadn't put much effort into herself today and I wondered if last nights lack of suitors had something to do with it. Kara and I were close, but when she was in the dumps, she tended to be a bit snippy. That was not something I wanted to deal with today.

"Hoping to see Barrows today?" She interjected suddenly, silently enough my mother did not hear.

I hissed at her audacity, "Not where people can hear you!"

"So you are." She raised an eyebrow.

"No!" I answered too quickly and cursed myself silently for it.

We seated ourselves at our tables and poured ourselves tea quickly, the pots already sitting for us hot and ready. I stirred in a sugar cube and as I stared down at my cup, I felt a strange sensation throughout my body and heard Kara giggle behind her cup.

"He is staring at you." She whispered into her cup, pretending to take a sip.

My eyes flew upwards and straight ahead sat Nathaniel Barrows at a table with other posh looking people. I assumed they were his family since the table was marked for Barrows, but they didn't look like him. Their clothes were lower end and more suited for house servants, but I did not want to assume. I took a sharp breath and shot my eyes down into my cup.

"Don't be nervous." Kara hissed, nudging me.

"Girls?" Mother inquired suddenly, her eyes reprimanding us for our childish behavior.

I cleared my throat and took a long sip of my tea. I let my eyes wander upwards again and this time Nathaniel was looking off the the side. His chiseled chin was taut and he listened intently to a servant who held a single note in his hand. For a moment it looked like he was going to leave and my chest tightened, but he relaxed back into his chair and his eyes shot towards me again. Wintergreen mountains with amber flecks regarded me with praise and I cleared my throat once more and realized a few people had noticed our staring. 

I had suddenly become quite interested in Mother's conversation with Lady Habberstaff. They primped and preened over the latest fashion and Mother gestured towards my waist, showing off the latest corset design. Habberstaff was intrigued, but more intrigued in why I had not met her son. She had four of them and not one had said hello? Preposterous! I rolled my eyes as I looked away and suddenly there were two men standing before me as Habberstaff clicked her fingers.

"My sons Colin and Edmund Habberstaff, Lady Nora." Lady Habberstaff said with pride in her voice.

Colin was short and stout, not my type and Edmund was tall and lanky. His chin hairs had not been shaved in some time and his top teeth jutted out over his lip. I inhaled slowly as I took them in. I was at a loss for words on who I was going to talk to and as Mother suddenly was too, there was a new figure with us. In just a few seconds, Barrow had come across the yard and planted himself directly beside me. His eyes lingered on my face for a moment as I looked at him in awe and suddenly Colin and Edmund shrank down below him.

"Lady Griffons. I was wondering if I could escort Nora on a boat ride?" He said calmly and smoothly, his eyes bolstering.

"With the company of her maid, of course." Mother's eyebrow raised and Habberstaff looked off put.

There was an agreement made and suddenly his hand was out stretched towards me. I took it with relief that I would not be dealing with Colin or Edmund and my maid, Eloise, followed behind us swiftly as we made out way to the small boats on the lakes shore. It took two people to push the small boat out, but once inside it floated well and Eloise planted herself firmly beside me. Her chest puffed out and I could tell she would not be intimidated by a Mister Nathaniel Barrows. I appreciated that about her. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

"Ms. Griffons." Barrow nodded to me as he paddled the boat out towards the middle of the lake.

I sat nervously and twiddled my thumbs, "Mr. Barrows."

"I do not believe I have introduced myself." He raised an eyebrow.

I coughed back my panic, "Talk is one my friends are proud of."

"Talk gets around?" He inquired.

I felt the heat spread across my cheeks, "So I hear."

"It is nice to make your aq-" He started.

I cut him off after a deep breath, "You did not need to rescue me if that is what you believed you were doing."

Eloise gasped, "Lady!"

Barrows grinned and chuckled as he stopped paddling, "I do not see you as the type of woman who needs rescuing, Miss."

My cheeks were really red now and Eloise was at a loss for words. She wouldn't tell mother of our exchange today, but Lord knows she did not approve. Nathaniel's hand twitched for a second and I watched as his eyes flickered back up to my face. I wondered where they had been prior to my face, but I squinted my eyes at him and let it go. He caught this and grinned again.

"Something funny, Sir?" I inquired.

He shook his head, "Not at all."

We sat in silence for a long moment before he began paddling us back to shore. He took his time and I could tell, but I admired the way his muscles held against his shirt. The way his hair framed his face and made his eyes dagger into me, taking my breath away. For a moment I wondered what his mouth felt like and I shoved that thought down, locking it away. I knew I couldn't think these things. He was a Lord, but there was a reason he held being single so close to himself. There was more to this man than met the eye.