Benjamin paced back and forth. He could only brood over whether Paul was serious about marrying Louisa or not. For Paul to consider this possibility, going against his own father, was because Louisa had given him hope, right? Benjamin had known Paul for years and knew that the boy was full of his own opinions, but he also loved the status he held. He would only risk it for something he wanted too badly. It could only mean that Louisa was very important to him.
Recalling the scene on the beach, Benjamin clenched his fists. He had thought that Paul was trying to take advantage of Louisa, however, it was obvious that the way the (former) friend approached the girl was intimate. The way Paul looked at Louisa, the way he touched her face. Was that their first kiss? Was that her first kiss?
"Damnation!" Benjamin punched the bed pole. Just imagining Louisa kissing Paul made his blood bubble up. He grabbed the pole and sat on the bed, then he rested his elbows on his knees and put his head between his hands.
Benjamin knew that he would most likely marry Jackeline, or any other girl from a high society family, while Louisa would marry some boy nearby. Maybe her father's helper at the stables, or some grocer, if she could get a better marriage, but still, with lower class people. The problem wasn't just Paul, it was a picture of her with any man. This made Benjamin's stomach churn.
He then remembered a very important detail of what had happened at the beach: Louisa had been hurt. He was trapped in that room, at least if he didn't want to cause any more fights, and he couldn't go check on Louisa. If he disobeyed his father, Louisa would suffer more damage, and that day was already too much for her. First Jackeline, then his mother. 'And then you, more than once,' his inner voice spoke.
The rest of the day dragged by, and after dinner was over, Benjamin and Paul were sent back to their rooms. Jackeline was complaining and causing a mini tantrum that Benjamin hadn't come to see her, but Emily had been warned that there had been a little disagreement between Paul and Benjamin and that, therefore, the two were grounded.
"Honey, tomorrow he will come." Emily tried to calm her daughter, who was threw the food platter on the floor.
"And why not today?" she complained. "Mom, this girl is ruining everything! Ben must be with her!" Jackeline gripped the sheets tightly, as if he could crush Louisa this way.
"He is not, I assure you. He's just unwell, in his room. Judith herself told me." Emily said, picking up the tray from the floor. She sat up in bed and took Jackeline's hand. "Benjamin will marry you, my angel. You should show more maturity. Some men, as I believe Benjamin is, do not like to be disturbed. Therefore, you must let him have a certain freedom, without suffocate him. Remember, at the end of the day, he is yours."
Jackeline didn't like her mother's way of thinking. She learned that her father was having extramarital affairs with other women and got furious. However, Emily pretended that she didn't care. Jackeline didn't want that kind of marriage.
"Benjamin will only be mine, mother." Jackeline declared and Emily just smiled.
"I'm going to ask someone to clean up this mess." Emily said and got up from the bed, opening the bedroom door and stepping out.
Meanwhile, Louisa was sitting on her bed, with a face cream made from herbs to minimize the swelling in her face. Eva always had that kind of preparation, as it served both them and other servants who might get hurt.
The right side of Louisa's face was sore and she could feel her eye was swollen, for she felt pain by keeping it open, but she hadn't looked at herself in the mirror, even avoiding her reflection in the tub of water as she washed her face before applying the ointment.
Eva hadn't helped to serve lunch, though, she'd heard gossip that the two young masters had quarreled and had their faces full of punches and scratches. So, when she entered her own house, she walked into Louisa's room and saw her daughter dozing in bed with her face full of medicine and swollen, Eva nearly passed out.
"Louisa!" She ran to her daughter, who woke up groggy at her mother's scream. "What happened?" Eva held Louisa by both arms, making the girl sit up.
Noticing her mother's gaze, fixed on her face, Louisa understood that the screaming was due to the state of her looks.
"Oh, I fell." Louisa replied. It was obvious that Eva hadn't believed it.
"I understand that Benjamin and young Mr Russell had a fight earlier, Louisa." Eva pulled away from her daughter and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you have to do with this fight? And how did you end up getting hurt?"
Louisa let out a sigh before answering, head down.
"It was an accident. I was walking on the beach after Mrs Judith had kicked me out. Paul caught up with me and we talked and out of nowhere Benjamin came and started hitting Paul. I tried to separate them and ended up getting hit."
Eva shook her head from side to side. She sat on her daughter's bed and held Louisa's hand.
"My love, I know you don't see a difference between people by social class, but there are some things that it's about time you understand." Eva paused and stared at Louisa. "The servants must not mix with the masters. And no, it's not a question of one being better than the other, it's about who's going to have to deal with the consequences of whatever happens. Earlier today, you ended up taking the blame for what you didn't do. Do you know why? Simple, because whoever accused you was the daughter of a man with noble blood running through his veins. Her word carried more weight than yours. Now, Benjamin and Paul, who are friends, have quarreled. Before anyone in the house want to know what happened, just getting to their ears that you were involved, will make you guilty."
"But that's not fair!" Louisa exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"It's not a matter of fairness or not, Louisa. I just want you to understand how things work. The day you understand this, your life will be much simpler." Eva said, patted her daughter on the shoulder and stood up, heading for the door. "And you can let me explain to your father what happened." Eva walked out of the room, leaving Louisa with her brains boiling.