Forged In Love

Chapter Nine

"Is everyone ready?" Henry asked as he mounted his horse. The traveling party consisted of himself, Lottie, Arthur, and Mr. Winslow.

"Yes." They answered in unison. That made Henry smile for a moment. They really were like a family. Arthur and his father looked excited about going on this trip, while Lottie looked very nervous. Henry drew his horse over near hers.

"Lottie, is everything alright? You look a little nervous."

"I am a bit nervous. I rarely leave our village and to actually see the reaction of a customer is a bit nerve-wracking."

"It will be fine, sweetheart. You will see. I am sure the earl will love the sword you made. And I promise that no one will reveal your secret. If anyone did, they would have to deal with me."

Henry had called her sweetheart. It must have been a slip of the tongue. He couldn't possibly have any feelings for her to be using an endearment such as that. Oh, but, Lottie very much liked the way it sounded when he said it. And it sounded so nice in his baritone voice. It almost gave Lottie shivers. Never had she ever reacted to a man like this. She had better be careful. No sense in getting ahead of herself.

Henry let Edward take the lead, since he had no idea where they were going. Just like he had never heard of Cadishead, he had never heard of the little village they were headed to. Henry took up a position toward the middle of the group, close to Lottie, but also near Edward. Lastly, Arthur brought up the rear. Henry was starting to like the boy. He had a good head on his shoulders, and was very loyal. Maybe after he took over as duke, he could find a better position for Arthur. The whole Winslow family deserved recognition for taking such good care of Lottie. Hell, they probably helped shape her into the woman she was. Henry rode forward a bit so he could talk with Edward.

"Edward, I understand you work in the mines. Can you tell me about the conditions down there?"

"Yes my lord, I do work in the mines. The conditions are like any other mine, I suppose."

"Well, I have never been in a mine myself. I would really like your honesty on this matter. They seem to be profitable for the time being, but can we say the same for the future?"

"My lord, you may want to discuss this with the foreman. I don't want to be overstepping."

"Go on Edward, please tell him. He isn't going to punish you for giving him the truth. Lord Henry values honesty and straightforwardness." Lottie called to her foster father. She knew why he hesitated. Her late father had only wanted good news even if it was a lie. Henry would never put up with that. Edward looked up at the man and decided that if his Lottie trusted this man, then he should as well.

"To be honest my lord, the mine needs wider shafts and more air vents. Mining is backbreaking work, but it doesn't need to be as hard as it is in this mine. We are always finding more and larger veins of coal. I don't see her going dry anytime soon, sir."

"Why have the conditions been left this way?" Henry asked calmly. He did want there to be a hint of anger in his voice or Edward might stop talking. Henry understood scared men all too well.

"The previous Duke of Bridgewater didn't see the need to change it. He felt it would eat into profits if he had us dig wider shafts. And he said we had plenty of air." Now it was Edward's turn to hide his anger. In his experience, men in power do like to be criticized or hear of other powerful men being criticized.

"Well, we shall have to remedy these problems as soon as possible. I would also like to talk to the foreman, and see if he is as honest with me. Make no mistake, I am nothing like the former duke. I respect honesty. How else can problems be fixed?"

Both men held each other's gaze for a moment and there seemed to be an understanding that passed between them. "

"Tell me about this village we are traveling to."

Henry and Edward chatted about the village they were traveling to, and other topics, such as hunting and fishing in the area. Edward informed Henry about the local festivals and what all that entailed. They seemed to be getting on rather well. It was surprising to Lottie to see the two of them talking as though there wasn't a huge class gap between them. Henry really was a down-to-earth kind of man. She didn't know if love would ever be in their future, but she knew kindness and friendship would be there. That could always lead to love, right? There she went again, getting ahead of herself. Lottie was so deep in thought she didn't even notice when Arthur came up beside her.

"He's a fine cut of a man, isn't he?"

"What? Oh, Arthur, you startled me."

"Well, you'd have noticed me if you weren't ogling his lordship." Arthur teased her. He was always teasing her, just like any little bother would. Lottie punched him in the arm for it and acted like it hurt.

"Ouch Lottie! That really hurt. You forget you are a lot stronger than other girls."

"No, Artie, you forget." Lottie laughed as they rode along. It would be long now before they reached their destination. While she didn't leave her own village often, she was familiar with where they were going. She had gone there many times when she was younger, with the Winslows. Sometimes she would even get a new gown when they went. Lottie later found out that the whole village would come together to pay for that new gown. They didn't think that the duke's daughter should be dressed in rags even if he didn't care. They were all really the best people. Lottie was so happy that very soon she would be able to help them even more than she had done in the past. All she ever wanted, was to repay all of their kindness and make sure they didn't have to struggle.

"Two days until the wedding. Are you nervous? Has mum given you the talk?" Arthur asked with a wink.

:Artie, I don't know what to do with you sometimes. Yes, I am excited, but not necessarily about the wedding. I will finally be able to have access to the estate's wealth and, with it, do what my father should have done."

"Wait, is that the only reason you are marrying Lord Henry?"

"It's the main reason." For some reason her answer upset Arthur, and he let his horse trail back a bit. Surely he knew she wouldn't get much choice in the matter. She was nobility, that is just how it was done. She wasn't in the same position as his real sisters that could choose you they married or married for love. Lottie must do her duty and, she could have been contracted to marry someone far worse than Henry. At least he seemed like a gentleman. He hadn't noticed anything amiss so far. He didn't need to put on an act to marry her. He didn't need to impress anyone. Lottie really could refuse him, so she was sure she was seeing the real him. Lottie didn't have the luxury of "what if" when it came to a suitor.

As the party crested the next hill they could see the village. The place was bustling with activity since this was market day. As they approached, they were surrounded by chaos. People were trying to sell their wares as other people hurried along trying to purchase what they needed for the week. It was about then that Lottie's horse reared up and threw her to the ground.