To England, With Love

Chapter III: Turkey Dressings

The Chatsworth House ~ September 1818

"Bella? Darling? Oh hush child! You just got one incorrect. You shall attempt harder again, when given the chance."

Bella cocooned herself in a grump. Tears streamed down her cheeks but as a result of her head burrowed behind her frail arms that viced around her legs, her educator could not see them.

"Oh Bella dear." With a huff, the woman tentatively eased herself to Bella's level; which was currently on the ground. Her flowing blue skirt swished around her as she descended on her plump lower half and her derrière cushioned her sit. She grouped the saddened twelve year old to her bosom and rocked her from side to side.

"Do naught ever be cruel to yourself because you have failed!" The educator exclaimed.

"Rather..."she aimed to continue her words of wisdom when someone had interrupted with a rumbling, "Who has failed?" Bella's body noticeable racked more.

The woman bowed her head in reverence despite her shock and scrambled off the floor as if it had burnt her, "My lord, Lady Bella had gotten one question wrong on her Latin test and she has been upset about it for over an hour now." Bella's teacher went on explaining, "I was only trying to be of comfort to her."

Lord Wilton grimaced before declaring, "Leave us, Miss Granger."

She nodded, relieved to be out of the masters presence, "Yes, my lord."
Quickly, Miss Granger scuttled out of one of the many sitting room within the Wilton Manor, and gently tugged on the door behind her to a complete close.

Lord Wilton sighed and he himself lowered to sit on the pretty, polished floor beside his crying daughter.

"Bella," he began, a knowing lilt in his voice, "You weep naught because of some silly Latin test; do you?"

Bella's crying halted abruptly, she raised her tear streaked face to her father, realising that her ruse had been found out, "Of course naught, Papa."

With a scoff, she continued, "I had intentionally chosen that answer... to spoil my results. I excel all, especially Latin. 'Laudo autem rex meus!' Present tense, imperative; why would I fail that?"

The lord laughed at his daughter's bewilderment and sobered up enough just to inquire, "Then what has had you weeping my dear?"

Bella sneered to her father, anger fought to attain dominance on her facial features so much so that she had burst into tears, "Father," she only ever called him so when she was upset and thus the lord's face had contorted into wariness before she continued, "You will sail off to England without me; without Mama."

She broke off her sentence and strikingly bright blue eyes, so much like his own had peered up at him, pleadingly, "Are you ashamed of us? Is that why you wish naught to carry us to England?"

The lord hissed his dissatisfaction to his daughter; partially melancholic that she had came up with such a displeasing reasoning for his astute negative response whenever the topic of them travelling to England materialised.

"Bella," he painstakingly barked out, "I will naught bring you nor will I bring your mother to England as I wish to keep you both safe." He looked at his daughter with pleading eyes; no doubt she was the only thing (along with her mother; his wife) on God's green Earth that could evoke such desperation from him.

"You are an intelligent girl, Bella. My intelligent girl. And you must know that I only do this to keep you and Anna safe. I love you both with everything that is within me and I control everything around me to make you and your mother accepted, to make you both happy; carefree and unmoved by the negativity around you."