"Amelia!"
I had been in the garden by myself for upwards of an hour when I heard my name being called- I recognized the young voice immediately, and stood from my seat on the bench.
As expected, it was Charlotte, Clara and Cordelia's younger sister. While I did not particularly like the twins, I did not hold it against Charlotte- despite being several years younger than me, the girl had been one of my very first friends in the world of nobility.
Charlotte was being escorted by her Mother, who I assumed was stopping by unannounced to chat with my Mother- perhaps she had heard that the Earl was here and, like her two oldest daughters, was always in the mood for gossip.
Charlotte's mother had long ago given up on scolding her youngest daughter for bothering me- I had always insisted that Charlotte was no bother, and was always welcome to spend time with me. Despite nearing 14 years of age now, Charlotte skipped her way over to me. In truth, everything about the girl was childish- her bouncy curls, her constant dimples as she smiled, her excitable and bubbly nature.
I was glad she had not matured to be like the other girls near her age- the ones who did just as their mother did, gossiping and mocking and whispering in an attempt to make themselves feel better. Charlotte knew who she was and what she liked- and did not care if her doll collection was more suited for a girl several years younger, or if her dress rode up a bit as she raced across green fields.
She was like me in a lot of ways. Part of me wondered how much my influence had caused that- we had, undeniably, spent a large amount of time together in childhood. Even now, I was the older girl she looked up to- the one that treated her nicely, unlike her sisters- and she hung on to every word that I said.
Another part of me hoped that this was not the case. Apparently, I had already created an obstacle for myself by being too immature and unladylike. I truly hoped that I had not damaged this beautiful young girl in the same way. The world we lived in was simply too judgemental, too cruel, for such notable personalities among young ladies.
As I had suspected, they must have come because her Mother had heard that Elizabeth was formally courting someone- Charlotte looked all around to make sure we were alone, and then leaned in close anyway. "I heard there is an Earl here!"
I grinned at her excitement. "There is. Molly already tried to... well, you know Molly."
Charlotte nodded dramatically. "Yes, but I wish I did not."
We both laughed, and I sat back on the bench, moving over so the younger girl could sit beside me. Charlotte was always such an easy person to speak to- not quite a child, so she did not need things censored very much, and not quite a young lady, so there was no judgement or resentment as I spoke. I could talk freely and without fear.
For what must have been near half of an hour, we just sat and chatted. I spoke of Molly's attempts to disgrace me by bringing up my adoption, and Charlotte assured me that there was nothing disgraceful about me. Then she asked if I knew how to braid a French plait. I informed her that I did not, and she told me gleefully that a relative from France had visited recently and taught her. She would teach me, and then we would be the talk of every event, brandishing a brand new hairstyle that nobody else in England knew of.
I informed her that the very last thing I wanted was to be the talk of every event. After a few moments of thought, she agreed, but began to show me how to make the plait nonetheless.
"Ladies," A male voice greeted, and both Charlotte and I startled, looking up. Count Robert stood before us, having just stepped out from behind a wide bush.
Charlotte was on her feet at once, grinning widely as she curtsied. "Sir- are you the Earl?"
Count Robin grinned, his eyes moving between us. "I am. I suppose you have heard of me?"
Charlotte looked back at me, grinning wickedly. I shook my head at her sharply, knowing what she intended, but she just giggled and looked back at him. "Yes, My Lord. Amelia was telling me all about you. She was right, you do have very nice eyes."
I had never said a word about his eyes. That little rat was trying to play matchmaker- no doubt, she was just trying to plot her way into being in a wedding. I had long ago promised her a role as bridesmaid despite the age gap between us. Elbowing her in the shoulder, I ignored her little humph of pain, smiling at the Earl and hoping that I was not blushing too terribly.
"She is confused," I said, sending a pointed glare at Charlotte. She just smiled back, clasping her hands sweetly in front of her. "I was not- I mean, I don't think... I think nothing of your eyes."
What a dense thing to say. I wanted to drop my face into my hands, but that would have only made things more awkward. Instead, I tried to appear casual, glancing behind him. "Is Charlotte with you?"
The Earl shook his head, looking behind him, as well. "No, she is not. She went in with John and Michael just a few minutes ago. I intended to take my leave, and thought I would browse the garden on my way out- I saw bluebells, which I am quite fond of- but..."
My lips quirked up as I came to understand. "But you wandered into the hedge maze and got lost?"
He smiled back, chuckling at himself. "Well, yes, though I would have worded it in more of a favorable fashion."
I nodded. "Ah, yes, my apologies, My Lord. What I meant to say was, you mean you bravely rode in to scale the mighty hedges and defeat the demon of a child within?"
At that, the Earl threw his head back, laughing loudly. It was very informal, and a very... nice sound. Not that 'nice' meant anything, of course. I was simply taking note that I liked his laugh. And perhaps the gap between his two front teeth when he grinned in that way. There was nothing at all wrong or scandalous about that.
Not at all. It was just an observation.
Charlotte glanced suspiciously between us. "Am I the demon?"
I reached over and ruffled her hair, and she shrieked as flyaways formed. She glared up at me, but I just raised my eyebrows back. She sighed, knowing what she had done, and knowing that this was me avenging my own lost honor.
Making a face up at me, Charlotte said, "You had better fix my hair before my mother sees!" And then she sat down with a dramatic huff, but was almost immediately distracted by the dahlias in full bloom- she adored bright colors.
"Would you like me to show you out of the garden?" I offered- in reality, I was not sure which was more inappropriate: Leaving him alone and lost to wander about, or taking a stroll with him through the high hedges, unchaperoned and completely hidden from the view of the house.
Charlotte seemed to realize the same thing, and bolted to her feet. "I can chaperone you! I am only thirteen, so I am not so old that I need a chaperone to be with boys. I am not of courting-age."
I looked down at her in exasperation. "A child cannot chaperone people, Charlotte. That isn't how it works."
She paused for a moment, considering my words. Then she smiled, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. "Oh, I get it. Alright, I will leave you two alone then. Good day!"
With that, she darted off, forgetting about her unkept hair and not heeding the sound of me calling her back. I sighed, shaking my head. "I would say I'm sorry about her, but I like her as she is, so that seems a little dishonest. I am sorry she happened to be so embarrassing on this specific occasion, though."
"I found her rather amusing," The Earl admitted. "Besides, I do think I will forgive her- she did compliment my eyes, after all."
Again, we both laughed, and I was startled to realize that I had let my guard down. This was not Charlotte, or my sister whom I was speaking to. This was an Earl- someone of great wealth and importance. And here I was, joking with him, laughing too loudly, forgetting to use his title. I needed to collect myself and behave properly- Lord only knew what this man now thought of me, and how that would reflect back upon my sister and family as a whole.
The fact that I was now noticing his green eyes- which I blamed entirely on Charlotte for bringing up in the first place, even if she had been right about them being nice- was not helping with my focus.
Straightening up, I took a breath, reminding myself to be a lady. Even if I was not truly one, surely I was not so incompetent that I could not play the part for a few minutes. "Come, My Lord, I will show you to the gate."
Count Robert stared at me quizzically- with the sudden shift in mood, he likely thought I was insane. I mentally scolded myself for continuously making the situation worse. Still, he held an arm out, and I gently rested my hand in the crook of it, and together we walked out of the garden. Once I had shown him out, I turned and made my way quickly back towards the house, refusing to turn around and see if he was watching me walk away.
I could not understand why a part of me hoped that he was.