"It's taking him a moment, isn't it?"
Renee Archambault was not a scary woman. She was short in frame, with warm brown hair and rosy cheeks. In some ways, she looked the very opposite of her one and only son, whose tall frame and light coloring still hadn't appeared at the top of the stairs.
Martha cast another useless smile towards the woman, who was pacing back and forth in the foyer examining the little decoration in the space. Edwin was not much for interior design.
Even though Martha practically begged him to allow her to do something, at least put up some pictures, he only ever gave her a noncommittal "hmm" in response. She knew she could do whatever she wanted, really. But she'd been with the Archambault family for decades. She'd seen him grow from a boy to a man, she only ever wanted him to be happy, and so she didn't push the issue.
She knew enough about what had happened between him and his mother, and looking at Renee now, she was afraid for what her presence would do to his budding happiness.
Despite Martha's displeasure about Lucia's presence in the house, in the short time that the girl had been here Edwin's spirits seemed to have improved. Instead of burying himself in work he interacted with the staff more, had more often given Martha appreciative smiles. It had been nice.
"Mother." Edwin said, emerging from the second floor. He straightened his shoulders and ran a hand through his slightly tousled hair as he descended the steps. Despite being years removed from adolescence, he was still conscious enough of his appearance in front of his mother. If it were anyone else, Martha would have been amused.
"Edwin, dear. I know you're a bachelor, but you don't have to announce it with your home." Renee said.
"It's fine the way it is." Edwin said, reaching the bottom floor and allowing his mother to give him a kiss. He'd mirrored her light tone, but an edge had crept into his words. He cleared his throat to hide it before stepping forward to grab her case. "I suppose you plan on staying in the guest room."
"If it's alright with you." Renee gave him a smile. He didn't respond, electing instead to pick up the case and begin going upstairs. He didn't need to turn around to see the disapproval she wore. She would be annoyed that he was doing it for her instead of having a servant do so.
"Have you had lunch?" He asked her. Despite not wanting her here, he was still bound to decency.
"I packed a little something for the coach ride." She said, her footsteps heavy on the stairs. "But I'll join you for supper."
"I'm busy," he lied through his teeth.
"Taking care of business, I suppose?" Said Renee, striding through the guest room as soon as Edwin opened the door. He followed her in and set the case down on a set of drawers. "You know, your sister just wrote me. She said she's expecting--Lord Grisham is pleased, of course, but it's at such a bad time. He's just gone to travel through the Orient. I can't believe the poor thing has to deal with her pregnancy on her own. When I tell you I had to stop myself from saying I told her so, after how far she moved away from us."
Edwin remained in the doorway, watching Renee putter about as if she were trying to find something hidden in the room.
"You think Rosalie would have taken that?"
"What would she have done," Renee said, finally giving up and sitting on the bed. "Sent me another strongly worded letter?"
Edwin said nothing, thinking of Rosalie's reply that time. She'd gotten so fed up by Renee's overbearing nature, even through letters, that Rosalie had sent a whole two pages filled with barbs that amounted to 'sod off, mother'.
Renee had sniffed, pushed the letter aside, and said, "She'll come to her senses one day."
To some degree, Edwin envied his older sister. Before she left to pursue the proposal she received from overseas, she'd come by to visit him. He knew that Rosalie had been subject to even more of their mother's tendencies than he ever had, so he didn't question her choice to get married and escape being an Archambault.
She'd laughed her easygoing and warm laugh, leaned forward with her chin in hand. Positively unladylike. "You know, I realized that the only way to get mother to understand us is by doing something so shocking--disappoint her so much that she has no choice but to never expect anything of you again."
Edwin had given his sister a tight smile. "Aren't you doing exactly what she wants you to, though? Getting married and leaving home?"
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I somehow thought that my marrying a man thirty years my senior would have bothered her, but at that she didn't bat an eye. But me moving overseas, away from her reach? All I'll say is good luck getting twice the usual attention, Edwin."
And indeed, Renee hadn't ceased to bother Edwin for any developments on the matter of his marriage, writing every week with suggestions for 'beautiful eligible bachelorettes' that would be absolutely perfect for him.
He never responded to the letters, and every few months she would go mad with the lack of news and show up at his estate. After the last time, which had only been a fortnight past, he'd been so angry that he went straight to Willoughby's to 'explore his actions', as Clarence had suggested many times in the past.
It only took one visit after that to see Lucia sitting there and thusly know that he was committing the best sin against his mother he could think of. Certainly, it was to his benefit how he found it personally gratifying, as well.
"Either way, I'll see you at supper, Edwin."
"I just said I'm busy." He said stiffy. "I'll be out."
She gave him a hard look. "If you say so, dearest. But don't think for a moment I don't know you're lying."
He left after that, feeling much more shaken than the conversation warranted. He strode into his room, where Lucia had been lounging on the bed reading. She closed it immediately, sitting up straight as soon as the door opened. She seemed to notice his sour mood immediately, though, her warm brown eyes trained on him.
"Get dressed. We're going out."
"Out?" She said, her head tilting to the side.
"Have you ever been to a restaurant?"
"No." She said, and there was a bit of an amused expression on her face, like she wasn't sure if he was being serious or not.
"Today's the day, then." He forced himself to slow down, iron out the stormy anger that'd made his features stony. He pulled out a jacket and then sat on the bed, watching Lucia as she picked out a long black dress that went to the floor. It was a little dark for the usual clientele, but her face was sweet enough to offset the 'severe governess' look that the dress invited.
This was definitely not in his plans when he purchased Lucia, but the situation called for it. He didn't want to remain home just to give his mother the chance to bother him even more.
She followed him down the hall--the two of them were nearly silent as they walked, but immediately Renee looked up from inside the room and called out.
"Oh! And who is this young lady?"
