"A person of no consequence, I can assure you." I insisted, our tree was in view now, and both of us picked up our speed in excitement.
"No future suitor? Or even a suitor of consideration? Not in anyway someone I should be worried about?" Hodges looked at me, protection of my heart the only thing on his mind.
"Hodges, if there were anyone that was in danger of stealing my heart, you would be the first to know." I stated, crossing my arms defiantly. He moved to the tree, leaning against it as he slid down the trunk. Until he was sitting on the grass. He patted the side next to him, and I joined him.
"Good. Because even a man of 15,000 pounds and of great consequence wouldn't be good enough for my Nora." Hodges grinned playfully, and I laughed.
"At that rate, I will remain an old maid, much to Charlotte Evans' amusement." I playfully touched Hodges' shoulder and he laughed.
"Alright, I'm sure some man will come around, but he must have the full approval of me before he can get to you."
"Deal." I grinned.
*
"Nora! You never told us you saw Mr. Scott in town!" Minevera chided, as she held up a newly recieved note, and I looked up from my needlework just enough to give her a look to show that it had never crossed my mind.
"It was a brief encounter. I found it an insignificant event. Nothing much to mention." I shrugged, and went back to the dress I was repairing. It had a huge whole near the bottom, but it was one of my favorite dresses, and so I had to repair it.
"You could have mentioned he was in town at least." Minevera sniffed, feeling burned from my forgetfulness. It had been two days from the experience, and it had easily slipped my mind. I removed the insignificant thought, allowing more room for things that actually held some water.
"He is one of the biggest bacholer's, back in London. A very wealthy man, probably more so than our own Mr. Samuelson." Hettie whispered confidentially.
Oh great. They were back on oogling Mr. Scott. Just what we needed around here, more talk of trying to catch the eye of the wealthiest men on the market.
"Can we please get back to our needlework? Else nothing will get mended around here." I looked over Hettie and Minevera's sewing, both of which, hadn't been barely touched. Hettie's hadn't even been touched at all, and Minevera's seemed to only have one or two stitches than it had before.
"We cannot keep it for long. This letter here says that Mr. Scott is to call upon us in exactly 20 minutes." Minevera held up the letter matter-of-factly, pleased with herself.
"Oh, Nora, my mind will never be on needlework if Mr. Scotts is so near. Can we please put it up?" Hettie nearly bounded out of her seat, the way she bobbed up and down in excitement.
As much as I didn't like it, I knew it was a fruitless attempt to keep them preoccupied whilest their minds wandered to the bacholer himself.
"Alright, put it up. But as soon as he leaves, we have to get something valuable done." I insisted, and my two sisters squeeled in delight and put their baskets up wasting no time, just the opposite of what they had been seconds before.
I gave a small laugh, knowing the two were quite ridiculous in their endeavors.
*
"Miss Ainsworth, Miss Minevera, Miss Henrietta. All of you are looking quite lovely." Mr. Scotts bowed before each of us, and we curtsied back before allowed to be seated. "I felt the need to visit you because of each of you're compelling letters, wanting me to visit." Mr. Scott stated casually.
"Sorry for not corresponding earlier, Mr. Scotts. Nora hadn't told us that you were in town." Minevera gave a defying glance towards me, and I scooted painfully back in my chair, self-concious of my mistake now that Mr. Scott's intimidating form was in the same room.
"Do you plan on staying long?" Hettie asked, all to curious.
"Yes, for now. I have business with you're father. The Granville estate, to be exact. It has caught my eye, and I'm hoping to secure it for my own." Mr. Scott caught my eye, and it took all my strength not to leave my jaw gaping open at the surprise.
The Granville estate... The same estate Mr. Samuelson was after. I swallowed hard as Mr. Scott's looked me over.
"Are you feeling well Miss Ainsworth? You looked quite troubled, just now." His icy stare brought me back to myself.
"Just fine. I just remembered someone else had brought up the Gransville estate, besides you. Are many people going to be after this estate?" I wondered aloud. My father might have been the banker, but he didn't allow his daughter into his business very often. I was just in the dark about what was going on as the next guy.
"Hardly. Not much competition can be had for a house such as that. As much as it seems worth, it has much want for repairs, and undoubtedly the house isn't in much of an advantagous location. What did this... 'other person' have to say about the estate?" Mr. Scott interogated, as Hettie and Minevera looked on bored. They already wanted to change the subject, if only for the fact that they had little to contribute.
"Very little." I gave a small grimace, not wanting to bring up Mr. Samuelson while Hettie and Minevera were around. Besides that, something told me Mr. Scott was soon enough to meet the man himself, and I in no way wanted to be thought of as connected to such a man as Mr. Samuelson.
The subject was soon changed, and for the rest of Mr. Scott's visit, very little was said or brought up about it. Finally, the hour was up, and Mr. Scott begged us leave, as he had another stop to make before checking back in at the hotel.
"May I see you out?" Minevera asked, already jumping out of her seat as Mr. Scott stood.
"No! I want to!" Hettie harshly whispered for Minevera's ears only, but it reached all of our ears, much to my embarrassment.
The two sisters glared at each other, and I frowned, trying to find the fastest solution to end all of it.
Before I reached a conclusion, Mr. Scott beat me to it. "I was actually hoping Miss Ainsworth would do me the favor." Mr. Scott glanced at me, and our gazes connected, mine full of astonishment, his full of something I couldn't place. Curiosity? Pity? Whatever it was, he held out his arm for me to take.
Minevera and Hettie now turned their glaring to me, and I wanted to decline, tell Mr. Scott it was fine, but his set face and contenance gave me the feel that that wasn't an option.
"Alright." I said in defeat, and I took the extended arm as we walked our way through the house, down the stairs, and finally, to the doorway. We said nothing in our small walk together, not leaving an uncomfortable silence, but a silence of content, that all that could be said was said, and that the visit was through.
Admittedly on my part, the silence was much more noticable, as I tried hard not to feel the need to look up into the face of the stone-faced man, and try and figure out just what his thoughts were.
"Thank you Miss Ainsworth. It has been a pleasure, and I hope to see you again, very soon."
I knew it was my turn to say 'the pleasure had all been mine', or something to that affect, but settled instead for, "Indeed it has."
He took my hand, and kissed it gently, lingering for a second or two longer than needed.
And then he was gone, leaving me a bit stunned and confused, and having two angry sisters to deal with. I watched his tall form walk away, wonder what his intentions, if he had any, could be.
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