"I suppose you are not too happy about that as you would rather see us suffer," Louise's mother said scathingly.
The Earl shrugged. "I suppose you may be right. Can I be honest for only a moment?"
"I doubt if you are capable of honesty," Aunt Theodora replied.
Lord Scranton laughed. "I was really looking forward to having your belongings thrown out. In fact, I had already hired some scoundrel who would perform the task and I was only waiting patiently for the moment when I would have a front-row seat for your humiliation. Sadly, I have been denied that pleasure."
Louise shook her head in disgust. "It must be painful for you then," Louise said, "seeing the people that you dislike go ahead to lead a beautiful life."
"You could say so," he replied, "I was looking forward to seeing you suffer but who would have thought that not one, but two of you ladies would be snagged up by not just any men but men from the most prestigious family in London."
"What did we ever do to you any way that makes you so disdainful toward us," Louise's mother said, frowning deeply.
"Hmm, that is a hard question to answer," Lord Scranton replied, "however, if you insist that I must answer it, then, I will. For one, when I was called upon to inherit my distant uncle's properties, I did not think that I would have to deal with a bunch of women who had nowhere to go. Therefore, my grouse with you is that you made it hard for me to fully inherit an estate that belongs truly to me."
"However, you can be certain that all of that conflict is now in our past. In fact, Louise," he said, "can you speak kindly about me to your husband when you get married?"
"And why would I ever do that?" Louise asked, frowning deeply.
The Count shrugged. "Because I let your family stay for a while, I suppose. I plan to do business with the Callum family in the future and I suppose your good words about me would make your husband more inclined to be on good terms with me. Do you think you could put in one or two good words for me? You could tell me all about how I am a good man who allowed your family to stay even after I inherited the estate."
Louise smiled sweetly at the Earl.
"Certainly, I would definitely remember to tell Callum about how you inherited the house and decided to send us packing," she replied.
"Oh, I don't suppose he would like that very much," Lord Scranton said.
"I would even remember to tell me all about how you made our stay in our house enjoyable by constantly saying terrible words to us all in a bid to get us to leave,"
Louise continued, "I imagine that that would really gladden his heart."
"Louise, can you please make me seem like a more pleasant person?" He asked.
"Are you asking me to lie, my lord?" Louise asked, tauntingly.
"Not exactly," he replied, "I imagine Lord Langton would be more likely to like me if you glazed over the truth just a little. Instead of saying that I wanted to send you out of the house, you could say that I let your family stay even longer. Instead of saying I was saying unpleasant words, you could say that I gave your family encouraging words to help you start a new life elsewhere."
Louise laughed. "You do not have to bother," she said, "I will definitely ensure to tell Callum all about you."
"Do not forget my good deeds too," Lord Scranton said.
"If you had any, I would certainly remember it," Louise replied. Huffing with annoyance, Lord Scranton turned on his heels and left. Louise's mother burst into laughter and she was soon joined by Aunt Theodora and Louise.
ChapterTwenty
Callum was more than happy when it was daybreak. He had been unable to have a good night of sleep, what with the thought of his wedding hanging over his head. Throughout the night when he tossed and turned, it was only images of Louise's beautiful face that came to his mind.
Since the wedding ceremony would occur as early as eight in the morning, he jumped into preparation immediately. Callum took his bath and began to dress up. He was just in the process of combing his hair when there was a knock on his door.
He was surprised to see his grandfather when he opened the door.
"Your Grace!" Callum said, wondering why his grandfather had decided to pay him a visit.
After all, he could count the number of times that his grandfather had stepped into his room ever since he started living with him.
His grandfather walked in, not saying a word.
It was then that Callum began to sense that something might be wrong.
