The Bitter Taste

Chapter 5: Earl of Berkshire

Morning came again and the first thing she thought of was bliss. The day before had been one of the most gleeful and she only hoped she would be able to see Viscount Runciman once again. However, it was a conflicting thought for their meeting was somewhat unruly. A peasant such as herself, bonding with a nobleman was generally known to be forbidden. Being the first and only meeting though, it was tolerable. Although, if it were to be consistent, that would welcome another predicament - definitely something uncalled for.
"Jane dear, I need to talk to you about something." Said Mrs. Barnett, sitting soundly on the comforts of her cushioned chair. Jane, having just awoken, was still quite drowsy at the moment so walking towards her aunt looked more like a sinister lurk.
"Ah! Good morning Mrs. Barnett. It's certainly a blessed day today." She said as she took a seat before her aunt, the same place she sat on during the night of her first visit.
"Yes, it definitely is. Usually, there would be peasoupers during the early hours but the fog seems to have lessened quite an amount." The older woman replied with a warm smile she always gave.
"And it will be even better!" She exclaimed.
As curious as the young lady was, she asked. "Why? Is there something happening soon?"
Mrs. Barnett gently put down the cup of tea she was holding and just continued to let her grim widen.
"You are to be invited!"
Jane cocked her head to the side with furrowed brows.
"To where, Mrs. Barnett?" She asked. "I don't recall acquainting myself with anyone... Oh." Realization suddenly crept in about what certain event she could have possibly been invited to.
"Perhaps... Is it the opening of Canopy Garden?"
Mrs. Barnett looked taken aback at her niece's correct answer.
"Dear, how'd you know?" The older woman asked as she lifted her cup of tea once again.
"Surely, you wouldn't have introduced yourself to a man of high peerage?" She raised her right brow out of suspicion whilst taking light sips from her dainty cup.
"O-of course not! It just so happens that I passed by Graham Avenue yesterday and o-overheard from some people that there would be an opening soon." Jane stuttered. "I would never purposely introduce myself to such nobility anyway..." The young lady averted her eyes elsewhere to not catch a glimpse of the looks her aunt gave her.
"You seem nervous dear." The older woman said. "Is there something I do not know?"
Jane looked back at her aunt slightly to only look away again.
"Nothing. There isn't anything I'd hide from you." She murmured.
Accepting her answer, she stood up and called one of her maids to clean. The maid briskly walked towards the table they had used and carefully put the teapot, teacup and used teabag on the tray. At the same speed that she had appeared, she also left.
"Jane." Her Aunt said, midway towards the staircase where her chambers were. "How about you accompany me to the venues later during the afternoon?" The older woman looked back at her niece with yet another set of her loving smiles. Then she chuckled. "It's about time we purchase a proper dress for you."

•••

"Lady Chichester, your son has arrived." Said a maid as she hurried towards the wife of the Marquees.
"Is that so? Well, make sure you guide him towards the dining table then. Lunch has been prepared, has it not?" The Marchioness quirked her brow at the young maid that bowed before her and left. "Yes, Milady."
She was in the middle of playing the grand piano, listening carefully to each note that she pressed on the keys, as if it sung through her fingers. Now that she had been disrupted over the announcement of her son's arrival, needless to say it was vexing. The woman stood up and walked towards her window to see a black carriage with lavish design.
"Why?" She mused to herself - asking herself, why exactly had he come to visit them. The rays of the sun shone through the unperturbed glass of the window, blinding her slightly aged eyes with ease. She squinted.
"Mother!"
The Marchioness turned around to look at the man before her. She examined from head to toe for a long moment before speaking once again.
"I told my maid to bring you to the dining table. Why aren't you complying?" The woman asked primly. "Also, in what name are you visiting over for?"
Her son was the same as he ever was, going to places uninvited as if he were truly welcomed by anyone. His hair shone the familiar golden hue under the sunlight, as if he were an angel - a rather devious angel, indeed.
"My own, of course." Said he with a mischievous smile. He always did that, for he had never shown any genuine mercy towards others.
I am disappointed. She thought to herself.
"What do you want?" The marchioness nearly grunted and looked back to the window.
"I heard you in-"
"Is it because of that?" She cut him off, furrowing her eyebrows.
"How quaint, Earl Chichester." The marchioness walked elegantly towards her son with light steps that seemed to contradict to her current mood.
"You will be attending." She squinted directly at his face.
"I don't desire to go. To add to that, I am not even required."
"I am requiring you. And you must follow."
"I do not."
The woman glared even harder with disgust as she slightly gaped.
"Earl Chichester, do you know how much you've dismissed your duties?" Her palms that had been placed below her abdomen began to claw a bit.
"You imbecile!" She exclaimed. "You have to take full responsibility for your actions and that requires work."
There was so much conviction and demand in her voice that it began to ring in her own ears. However, this act did not cause even the slightest improvement to what seemed to be another nerve wrecking situation.
"This isn't work. I don't need to go. All I am going to do there is sit and watch as other peers converse with each other. It will only add up to my boredom." The blonde man averted his eyes elsewhere, extremely angered.
"Then? Converse with them as well. The reason why you are very disliked is because you're so selfish and lazy. Being an Earl is a position worth more than your unnecessary notions on what is enjoyable and what is not. Don't take this lightly." She explained, almost desperately. "You are already notorious for such traits that I cannot even begin to list down." She said. "I want you to restart, Earl Chichester, for everything you have and haven't done so far until this day. The reason why I invited you to the Grand opening is because I wanted to introduce you to a couple of people that may be able to influence you better than I have." The marchioness began to walk towards a spotless wing chair. The man looked down at the floor beneath him with mixed emotions, feelings that were mostly negative. He then looked up again with a straight face, a handsome yet also hated one. "Who?" He asked.
"You'll know when you come." She answered, ever firm even at the face of difficulty. Truth be told, the woman was never a good influence to others. Nobody truly loved her. The reason for her marriage was solely out of that itself and the money. Because of all the frustration inside her heart that always bottled up the loneliness and the pain, she often put it all out in such away that she ended up mistreating her own son. But it wasn't like the marchioness wasn't aware of her terrible behavior. She knew, yet still continued to do it and that was the sole reason to why it stung so much to see the outcome of today's time.
"Henry..." She said, the sound barely loud enough to compare to her usual tone of voice. "I was thinking about sending you to France after a few months from now."
The Earl gave a tiny gasp at what his mother said. His eyes widened a bit too at the shock with eyebrows that nearly matched his mother's creased ones, clearly displeased.
"It is time that I do my part. I must reap what I sow and I honestly feel guilty." She said. "I want you to spend at least a year there to study and gather a more perceptive thought of what is right and wrong."
"I am not an infan-"
"I know you're not. But to others, you most certainly are. A very immature one at that." She cut in after being disrupted again.
"Henry, even adults need to clear their minds occasionally. It is just... In your case, you need to do a lot of that." She sighed once more. "Please... If there is ever a time that you mustn't disobey me, this is one of them."
This was it. The rarest of the rarest moments and he wasn't willing to waste it.
"You barely beg." He replied. "Do you desire of it that much?"
The woman looked down at her lap with a pitying face. It was never really seen by many for she was one of those people who were overly assertive in keeping an obscurity to all of her emotions, thinking they were no longer thought of anyway.
"For the love of God, Henry!" She exclaimed. "Yes." That one firm answer was all it took to play with the last of his - surprisingly existing - heartstrings. Other than that audacious reason though, it could also possibly take away half of his utter boredom at home and out in England.
"Fine then, I shall comply with your request. Although, I must ask, what will happen to my Earldom?" He asked, and through out this whole conversation, still standing slightly before the door of his old study room.
"I will discuss the matter with the duke as soon as possible. Although, there will most likely be complications within Berkshire." She explained.
"Well, you did suggest it." The Earl stood unmoving from his place, neither angry nor vexed. Instead, he was amused.
"And I'm not regretting." She said. "I know this will also benefit your whole county as well." The marchioness stood up abruptly and gave a hefty sigh.
This ought to be worth it. She thought to herself, like any other moment she was alone.