Author’s Note: The night of Ernest and Ella’s dinner party is finally here, but will everything go smoothly when two unexpected guests arrive? And how are Ernest and Ella feeling about each other after Ella caught Ernest sneaking out late at night? Let’s lay all the cards on the table and see how this plays out for our newlyweds.
~~~~~~~~~~
The evenings leading up to the dinner party were just like any other evenings since Ernest and Ella had arrived in London. Ernest came home every night earlier and earlier, looking to catch a moment alone with his wife in the parlor before dinner. Some nights they discussed their days, another they dissected the latest books they were reading together, and one night Ernest had even proven to Ella that he did in fact play the pianoforte remarkably well. Despite her husband’s increasing attention and pleasant company, Ella could not rid herself of the the nagging realization that there was still so much about one another that remained unknown. Distrust of his own cousin and the Duke, mysterious business with his lawyer, late night visits to unknown companions … No, it was clear to Ella that whatever game this was that Ernest was playing was just that. A game. A game she would play along with and hoped would continue for some time.
Her days had been quite busy, working with the London house staff to plan for the upcoming dinner and ensure all the preparations were in order. It was her first time to host an event, and she had to admit to herself that she was incredibly nervous. Nervous that she would forget something, nervous that the menu would not suffice, nervous that she might embarrass a certain co-host that had entrusted the responsibilities to her.
The day of the party Ernest arrived home well before dinner to review the last minute preparations with his wife. He followed along beside her as she flitted about the house, pointing out the seating assignments for their guests at the large dining table, the floral arrangements adorning the table and the front entry, and walking him through the menu with the cook in the kitchen. As she finished reciting off the last of the menu, she blew a tendril of hair from her eyes with an exasperated huff before glancing upwards to find Ernest watching her with amusement. “What?” She asked, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious of her enthusiastic demonstration.
Ernest’s lips tugged at the corners and his eyes crinkled at the sides as he leaned back against the doorframe of the kitchen, rubbing his hand along his chin while he observed her. He chuckled, radiating a lightness in his expression that Ella had only started to notice more recently. “Hmmm … nothing. It seems you have everything in order. I must say I’m rather impressed.” He stood up straight and leaned forward slightly, lightly placing one hand on her shoulder as he looked her in the eyes. “Perhaps you should go relax. Get ready. I want you to be sure to enjoy yourself tonight.”
Ella giggled, a slight flush reaching her cheeks as she took a deep inhale. “Of course. Yes. Rest. I can do that.” She looked around the bustling kitchen, all the staff rushing about with their assignments. “I daresay things do appear quite in order thus far.” She exhaled a sigh of relief as she met his gaze again with a timid smile.
The two stood still for a moment together, a blanket of contentment engulfing them in this calm moment amidst the chaos of the house. Ernest returned Ella’s smile with his own, unable to hide the joy in his eyes as he saw her declining from her frenzy. Whatever this arrangement had started as between them, the tug of happiness he felt in his heart now each time he was with her assured him that this was no longer an arrangement of necessity for him. No, this was something much more, real and pure and honest … well, mostly honest. While he yearned to divulge all of his history and tribulations that had lead him to this marriage, a large part of him feared that the truth would only hurt her and end this joyful cadence they had found together. So he remained quiet day after day, relishing each laugh and smile he earned from her, content to continue with whatever path they had started down.
Ella cleared her throat as she came to realize they had been standing in silence for some time now. “Ahem, well then … I shall see you tonight.” She nodded and gave a slight bow before walking towards the stairs to her chambers. Ernest gave her a slight tilt of his head in response, his smile still curling the corners of his lips upwards as he watched her walk away.
~~~
The newlywed’s party had been a success thus far. A small group of guests was gathered in the parlor, socializing amongst themselves and meeting the new lady of the house for the first time. Ella was delighted to meet such a welcoming group of individuals … business associates of Ernest’s with their lovely wives, old family friends of Ernest’s parents regaling tales of the late couple from their youth, and especially the charming Miss Annabelle Parsons that happened to attend accompanying her older sister and her husband. Ella was so pleased to meet a like-minded lady of her own age and was immediately drawn to the dark-complexioned woman with her pleasant demeanor. Ella also found it rather helpful to learn more about her guests through the tidbits Annabelle passed along while taking a turn about the room.
“That tall man in the corner with the dark hair … that’s Mr. Chambers.” Annabelle pointed to the gentleman subtly with her pinky finger of the arm laced through Ella’s. “He is most agreeable and a wonderful dancer, although he is a very private man.”
“And he is not married?” Ella inquired, recalling that the man had shown up unaccompanied. “He must be nearly thirty now.”
Annabelle shrugged. “Rumor has it that he was engaged once but the lady broke it off … She was a pleasant one, and it didn’t take long until she found another suitable match and married. Alas, I don’t know what ever happened with Mr. Chambers, and he has remained a bachelor ever since …” Annabelle clasped her spare hand across Ella’s forearm atop her own, turning the pair to a more remote corner of the room. “Speaking of which …” she paused her steps, turning to face her new friend and leaning forward to whisper softly. “I was surprised to hear that the most private eligible bachelor in London was married. And now throwing a dinner party, no less. I hope it is not too forward for me to inquire how you and Mr. Sinclaire ended up married so quickly?”
Ella’s mouth fell open in surprise, unsure what specific terms of her recent marriage were available for public knowledge. She looked away quickly, her eyes meeting Ernest’s across the room as he spoke with another gentleman. He lifted his glass to her with a slight smile and a nod, a sincere acknowledgement that warmed Ella’s heart and brought a smile to her own lips. She sighed blissfully as she turned back to face Annabelle, who was grinning at having watched the whole interaction. Ella took a deep breath and began to explain as best she could. “It all happened so fast … it was simply an agreement between he and my family that brought us together. To be honest, I despised the man at first … before I got to know him. And now-“ she paused, searching for the words to describe whatever this relationship had developed into. “Now, there is still so much I don’t know, but … it is beginning to feel as a real marriage should. Friendship, understanding-“
“Perhaps even love?” Annabelle cut in, nudging her friend playfully with a wink. “To be sure, I have never seen that man smile as much as he has tonight. However you both arrived in this marriage, I think it has turned out to be a happy arrangement for you both.”
Ella giggled, ducking her head to hide her crimson cheeks. Thoughts of happiness and love had crossed her mind previously, but she had done her best to push these wishful feelings aside to protect her heart from the uncertain terms of her marriage. But perhaps if others saw what she herself had pondered … perhaps it was not as far-fetched an idea as she had supposed.
Ella’s train of thought was interrupted as the butler entered swiftly, glancing frantically around the parlor for Ernest. Just as he found him and began his approach, Ella noticed two people trailing leisurely behind him from the foyer into the parlor. Duke Richards and his rotund yet ever giddy wife Felicity. Ella stole a sideways look to Ernest just as he saw them as well, his hands curling into tight fists as the butler announced the unexpected guests in his ear. He gave a curt nod of his head but Ella could see his jaw tighten as he held back his objections. She knew that as much as he hated this man and wanted to turn him away, he was unable to make a scene in front of his guests. The Duke had outplayed him.
Ella whispered promptly to Annabelle and excused herself, rushing to Ernest’s side as the Duke and Felicity made their way around the room towards him. As the two intruders were greeting others, Ella sidled herself beside her husband and gripped him reassuringly by his elbow. His uneasy expression softened when his eyes fell upon her, a half-smile of thanks meeting his lips as he reached his hand to cup hers around his arm. “Ella … “ he mumbled softly with a tone of relief.
“I am here, Ernest … “ She squeezed his arm protectively, noticing the uninvited pair approaching from the corner of her eye.
“Ah, Mr. Sinclaire! Mrs. Sinclaire! We apologize for our tardiness.” The Duke boomed in a robust voice for all to hear. And surely, all eyes were upon them, just as he wished.
Ernest’s face remained blank and silence hung in the air, and for a moment Ella feared that she would have to speak for them both. Finally Ernest spoke, his face remaining expressionless. “Greetings Duke Tristan, Cousin Felicity. Of course we should never doubt your presence at such an event as this evening.” Ella chuckled internally at her husband’s underhanded jab, allowing her face to portray her amusement disguised as the welcoming mask of the hostess. “You remember my wife, Ella.”
Ella bowed slightly at the guests, maintaining her cordial demeanor as custom would dictate. “We have plenty of room, I assure you. I shall make sure of it.”
Felicity reached forward and waddled slightly in Ella’s direction, grasping her empty hand in her own. “Thank you dearest Cousin, we are just never certain of these events these days …” She glanced down at her protruding belly and rubbed her hand over the bulge. “We are expecting the baby any day now.” She raised her gaze to Ella, an eerie smirk upon her mouth. “And when will you two be expecting a little one, dear cousins?”
“We are enjoying this time together as newlyweds …” Ernest interjected swiftly. “We are both still young-“ he allowed his eyes to flit towards the Duke briefly before continuing, “and have no reason to rush those responsibilities just yet.”
The Duke harrumphed, having now caught Ernest’s second insult of the evening quite clearly. “Hmmph, indeed … but do not wait too long. You know it is your duty to ensure the lineage of Ledford Park.” The Duke’s face snarled into a threatening scowl, his voice a low threatening rumble.
Ernest maintained his stoic composure, his head held high as he studied his opponent. “Yes quite … but alas, for now, let us just enjoy the evening.”
“Yes, please make yourselves comfortable with our other guests. Dinner shall be served shortly.” Ella tipped her head to the other couple before tilting her head to her own husband. “I shall go ensure that the kitchen is ready. Please excuse me.”
After Briar’s help shifting the seating assignment and adding two additional chairs, the kitchen’s agreement to provide two more servings, and a brief moment to take a deep breath and compose herself, Ella set to return to the party. As she approached the corner to the parlor entrance, she recognized the muffled sound of a familiar voice whispering.
“You know that this marriage is just a charade to hold Sinclaire’s place at Ledford.” Felicity spat out in a hushed tone. “Of course, the two of them barely even like each other, and definitely are not making any attempts at an heir.” Ella heard a response of an awkward chuckle from another woman, laced with uneasiness as she heard footsteps shifting nervously.
Ella raised her head high and straightened her shoulders, taking a deep breath as she rounded the corner. She came to find herself eye to eye with the accuser herself, who gasped and took a step back in surprise of being discovered. “Felicity.” The name fell off her tongue with a flair of disgust. She nodded to Felicity’s companion, a quiet wife of one of Ernest’s business associates, who smiled politely before scurrying away. Ella turned her gaze back to Felicity, brows raised as she waited for a reply.
“I- I-“ Felicity stammered, eyes wide in disbelief.
Ella cut her off, unwilling to listen to whatever lies this snake would throw at her. “I am greatly disappointed to hear such vile rumors from your mouth. I had hoped that you and I could be friends after our first meeting, but it seems that I was mistaken. My husband was right, you cannot be trusted.” Felicity dropped her eyes and fumbled with her fingers in front of her, unable to make eye contact and acknowledge the accusation. Ella gave a long sigh, attempting to calm her temper before speaking again. “Alas, we are amongst others, so let us be civil. I hope that you can try to enjoy yourself this evening, for it is certainly the last time you shall ever be allowed to set foot in this house. Now if you’ll excuse me …”
Ella swept past the stunned woman into the parlor, thankful that the other guests seemed to be preoccupied with their own conversations. She made her way to the center of the room and stood beside Ernest, giving him a gentle nudge towards the dining room. He smiled, then nodded and stood up tall. His voice rang out across the room. “Ladies and Gentlemen, if you’ll please join us in the dining room for dinner …”
~~~
After the last of the guests had left, Ella collapsed exhausted upon a chair in the front entryway and closed her eyes, savoring the sound of near-silence around her. She could hear the ticking of the ornate clock on the mantle, the clanking of dishes and splashing of water along with the chatter of the kitchen maids, the tapping of footsteps in the dining room behind her as the staff cleaned off the table … all sounds signaling the end of an extremely long evening.
Dinner had gone surprisingly well, despite the rude intrusion of two certain distant relatives. The conversations had flowed almost as freely as the wine, with only a few condescending interjections from the Duke that seemed to be forgotten almost as quickly as they were spoken. Felicity had sat sulking at the corner of the table beside her husband, focused on pushing her food about her plate yet not managing to take more than a few bites. Ernest had seemed content, maintaining a calm and quiet presence beside her as he observed the evening unfolding. Only a few times did Ella see him clench his fists when the Duke spoke, but each time she sensed him soon relaxing as the old man’s remarks went unnoted and the dialogue continued.
Ernest had disappeared to his study as the guests had dwindled, a forlorn look upon his brows as he excused himself. Ella understood all too well now the treachery that had infiltrated their home this evening and, although he had maintained his hospitality and composure in the presence of their guests, she knew that he must be boiling with anger internally. She hoisted herself out of the chair and resigned herself to search the house for him, desperate to ensure that he was alright.
Ella found the door to his office ajar and knocked lightly as it creaked open gingerly. Inside the room it was dark, Ernest nowhere to be found. Perhaps he has already retired to his chambers for some quiet, she pondered. As she made her way down the dimly lit hallway towards the stairs to go check on him, she heard a rustling near the back entry and the outline of someone moving about. She paused and allowed her eyes to focus, still hidden in the shadows from the figure as her pupils adjusted to the light. She caught a glimpse of Ernest’s profile as he bent down to pick something up, oblivious to her presence. He continued piling a few items into a large basket, a few loaves of bread, some vegetables, jars of preserves … and before she could fully comprehend what he was doing, he stood abruptly and wrapped his coat around himself, picked up the basket and tip-toed quietly out the door.
Ella’s heart thumped loudly in her chest and echoed in her ears as she stood stunned in the darkness, bracing the wall beside her with one hand. Her mind was flurry of emotions … anger, fear, betrayal, loss. How could this man, whom she thought was her ally after the events of this evening, just sneak off into the night without even a word to … to what? To whom? At that moment, she decided … no more secrets. If they were going to play this game, she at least wanted to know her partner. Before she could change her mind, Ella marched towards the back door and grasped her shawl from coat rack. She wrapped the thick woven garment snugly around her shoulders and torso, opened the door and slipped out into the cold darkness of the night.
To be continued …