He went over to the doorway to greet his guests. “Lord Haddington,” he said. “Lady Haddington. What brings you here today?”
“We were visiting my wife’s sister and happened to be passing by Westfrey,” Lord Haddington explained. “We thought it only appropriate to stop by and see how our daughter was doing, Your Grace.”
“Of course,” Edward said. “Do come in. Lydia and I were just about to sit down to dinner. You can join us before you set off for home.”
Lord and Lady Haddington came inside. Edward closed his eyes briefly.
He just hoped this visit wouldn’t be too taxing on all of them.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
When Lydia came back down the stairs, the look of shock that crossed her face was enough to make Edward want to send her parents off straight away.
But she composed herself quickly.
“Mother,” she said. “Father. What a surprise to see the two of you here.”
“We were visiting your aunt Gertrude,” Lady Haddington explained. “Did you know that Westfrey is on the way home from her house?”
“It isn’t, really, is it?” Lydia asked. “I mean, it’s several miles to the west of the path you would ordinarily take.”
“Lydia, don’t be difficult,” her father scolded her. “Your mother wished to see you.”
Lydia inclined her head. “I apologize, Father,” she said. “I’m glad the two of you were able to stop by. Will you be staying for dinner?”
Edward was hard pressed not to stare at her. After the conversation they had just had about her rebellious nature, this was hardly the response he had expected from her upon her parents’ arrival. But she looked completely tamed, as if the wind had been removed from her sails.
“They’re staying,” he interjected. “I do wish we had known ahead of time that they were coming because I would have arranged something a bit nicer for our dinner!”
“I’m sure whatever you’re serving will be just fine,” Lady Haddington said. “We truly only wanted to see the two of you. Even if there was no dinner at all, we would be more than happy.”
Edward recognized what he was hearing. They were doing their best to be accommodating. They didn’t want to give the impression that Lydia had demanding parents. He was going to have to let them know that that wasn’t a concern.
“Why don’t we all go in and sit down?” he suggested. “The staff will be serving our meal shortly.”
He took Lydia by the arm, noticing how much more tense she was than she had been just a few moments ago. The arrival of her parents had altered her whole demeanor. He gave her arm a brief squeeze, hoping to give her some comfort and reassurance, and she looked up at him and said nothing.
I need to get them out of here as quickly as possible. It’s so obvious that being around them upsets her. It isn’t right that she should have to put up with this.
They all took seats around the table.
“We’re having pheasant tonight,” Edward said. “I know that’s a particular favorite of Lydia’s.”
He knew the comment would sound provocative, but he felt her parents needed to be provoked in this way.
“Lydia has always been happy with everything,” Lord Haddington pointed out. “She’s never been served a meal she didn’t like.”
“Which isn’t to say that she eats an unladylike amount, of course,” Lady Haddington added quickly. “Lydia does everything in perfect moderation, but I’m sure you’ve had ample opportunity to observe that since the two of you got married.”
“I’ve found nothing about Lydia’s behavior to displease me,” Edward declared.
Perhaps he had been wrong to try to provoke her parents. Lydia was staring at her hands in her lap. She was like a different person. What was happening? Where was the rebellious lady he knew?
The servants brought out the food and set it on the table. Lydia sat up a little straighter at the sight of the pheasant, clearly pleased to see her favorite meal. Edward was glad. At least, if she had to go through the ordeal of this dinner, she could do it while eating something she liked. Things could certainly be worse.
They were all quiet for a moment as they filled their plates. It was Lydia who broke the silence.
“How is Aunt Gertrude, Mother? I was disappointed that she wasn’t able to attend the wedding, but I know her health is a problem for her.”
