The Next Full Moon

“I don’t know what I am going to do with that head strong girl.”

“You can’t blame her stubbornness when it was you that raised her to be that way Mary.” Lady McGregor scoffed.

“I raised her to do what is right for herself and her house. She is just being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn Joseph.” Joseph Dean was the manor’s cook.

It was a very well known secret that after the death of Lord McGregor, Lady McGregor sought refuge in the kitchen, and never quite left. Joseph Dean was a former militia captain that was discharged for an injury he had sustained while in battle. He was employed by the Di Wintours who originally desired him to be a groundskeeper. Unfortunately, due to his injury Dean did not have the confidence to be the groundskeeper. Instead, he opted to be the cook. That is when he met Lady McGregor. It is said by the servants and at one point Lord and Lady Di Wintour that it was love at first sight.

For the last twenty years, they have kept their romance to themselves for the sake of propriety. That did not keep them from having midnight rendezvous nearly every night. Listening to the viewpoints of the servants was one way to listen to gossip, but I always enjoyed the pillow talk from Lady McGregor and Joseph Dean.

“What I could see from my serving table was Lord Maclan was actively getting handsy with every maiden that walked past him. Then Lady Di Wintour approached him to either make small talk or to call out his behavior. Whichever it was, his actions elicited the correct reaction in my opinion.”

Lady McGregor rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples. “What you and the mistress fail to grasp is that without an advantageous marriage Manor Lunae, House Di Wintour and everyone associated with the name will be owned by the crown instead of descendants.” There was a pause. “A whole legacy, traced back to the Roman Empire, vanished without a trace.” Lady McGregor seemed to whisper that last statement; not wishing to acknowledge the reality of it.

“Is that why you refuse to marry Elizabeth into the monarchy?” Joseph asked.

“That is part of the reason. I wish for House Lunae to stay an independent entity to the crown. It keeps the monarchy on their toes. For the longest time there was talk of a rebellion where half of the court favored House Di Wintour to ascend the crown. Fortunately for the current monarchy, Lord Di Wintour’s father was the noblest nobleman in the land. Hopefully his loyalty did not undue his own house.” Lady McGregor’s voice trailed off. “I just want Elizabeth to be safe, taken care of, and above all else loved.”

“You won’t find any of those things in House Maclan, Mary. The worst part is that you know this but still refuse to come to terms with it.” Joseph never minced words with Lady McGregor. “The best thing to do for this girl and for this house, is to allow Elizabeth to grow into the matriarch of this house the way you intended, by giving her a say in her future.” There was more silence as the both of them began to settle into bed.

“Joseph, I have raised this girl as my own these last twenty years, I consider her the daughter I was never blessed with. I struggle with letting her go.” Joseph laid his hand on Lady McGregor’s face. “She will be twenty-four before we know it. She is a woman grown, and with that comes all the autonomy and responsibility it entails.” Lady McGregor sighed.

“I don’t think we have until her twenty-fourth birthday to rectify the damage she has done. By the next full moon we will know the exact amount of damage this has instilled on house Di Wintour.”

“Then we shall wait till the next full moon and not worry about it till then. Come, Mary, lay with me and be safe in my arms.” At that command Lady McGregor conceded. The two of them nestled under their blankets with a fire roaring and the wind howling.

Again, if I were mobile or human like in any way, I would have attempted to soothe the worry of Lady McGregor. Her worry was always valid. There was very little that Lady McGregor couldn’t accomplish. This task of finding Elizabeth a worthy match was proving to be the exception to the rule.