“Yes, we met during a walk in the woods. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord and Lady Fletcher, and to see you again, Miss Parker,” Dudley said. “Welcome to our home. My father should join us momentarily.”
“We thought it was time to pay our respects to our neighbors,” Fletcher said.
“I’m glad you did. It’s good to have someone at Dandridge Manor after being empty for years.”
“Your home is quite beautiful,” Audrey said, changing the subject, as she didn’t want to get into the reason Dandridge Manor had been empty for so long. How could she explain that her father had chosen to live in near-poverty in London rather than at their lovely country manor? It would be best to avoid the topic altogether.
“Thank you, my lady. It’s been in my family for many generations, and as you can imagine, each generation has added onto the manor.”
“The grounds are especially lovely,” Grace said. “I glanced at the garden on our way inside.”
“I’m glad you approve, Miss Parker. I must say, I was quite surprised and delighted to meet you and Lady Kathryn during your stroll. I’ve walked those woods for years without seeing a soul.”
Before Grace could respond, a gentleman, looking very much like an older version of Dudley, walked into the parlor and stopped short. “Mary?”
Lord Dudley walked over to his father. “Father, this is Lord and Lady Fletcher and Miss Parker of Dandridge Manor. They’ve come to pay their respects.”
The Earl of Berkeley stood frozen and stared at Audrey until Dudley took his arm and escorted him to a chair.
Audrey felt uncomfortable under the earl’s intense stare but managed to say. “Lord Berkeley, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“So you’re not Mary? I could have sworn—”
“No, sir. Mary was my mother,” Audrey said. She could see that the earl was struggling to grasp the situation.
“Well, that explains the resemblance,” Dudley said.
“I see. How is your lovely mother?” Lord Berkeley asked. “I’ve not laid eyes on her in quite some time.”
Fletcher reached over and grasped Audrey’s hand in support.
“Unfortunately, my mother passed away several years ago. We miss her a great deal,” Audrey said.
His hand flew to his chest. “She’s dead? My lovely Mary is dead?” he asked, tears filling his eyes.
“Your home is quite impressive, Lord Berkeley,” Grace said, trying to steer the conversation away from their dead mother.
Berkeley looked at Grace, and a light seemed to come into his eyes. It took a moment before he answered. “Yes, my late wife decorated most of it.”
Evidently, that was another sad subject for the earl, as he began to mumble about the losses he’d endured in his life. The moment of understanding and clarity was now gone as he continued to talk to Audrey as if he were speaking to her mother. “Mary, my love, I’m so happy to see you again.”
Dudley placed his hand on his father’s sleeve. “Father, enough now.”
The visit wasn’t what they’d planned, and Audrey thought it best to take their leave before the elderly earl became overly agitated again. “Well, we must be on our way. It was lovely to meet you both. Thank you for receiving us,” she said, standing.
Dudley seemed to understand her intentions and stood as well. “Let me see you out.” He turned to his father. “I shall return momentarily, Father,” he whispered in his ear. The poor man was still mumbling about dead loves. Dudley escorted the trio out to the foyer. “Please excuse my father. His health has not been robust of late. He gets confused easily.”
“I’m truly sorry to have upset him,” Audrey said. “That was not our intention in coming here.”
“Lady Fletcher, believe me when I say you did not upset him. My father’s mind often wanders back to the past.”
Lord Dudley turned to Grace. “Miss Parker, may I call upon you?”
Grace was startled by this sudden change of subject and stood open-mouthed before quickly nodding.
“Excellent. I shall see you soon. Good day.”
After the family leftto visit the neighbors, Kathryn and Mia walked to the stables. Mia was dragging her feet, and Kathryn turned to her. “Mia, is something amiss? You seemed excited to go for a ride at breakfast, but now, it doesn’t seem like you want to.”