When Two Rivers Meet (Regency Romance)

by Deborah M. Hathaway

  "Ah, well," Captain Crosgrove said, smiling as he closed his eyes for a moment, "I would not go so far to say, 'highly respected.' "

  "Oh, you are too modest, sir," Mr. Quigley continued. "I have heard many a tale of your bravery and willingness in serving our great nation. It would certainly be a great injustice not to commend you."

  Lilyanna stared disbelievingly at her father as she watched him nearly blush from the compliments. She tried to see Elijah, but she could only manage a glimpse his broad shoulders sticking out past Mr. Quigley's lanky figure.

  "Father, do you know Mr. Bainbridge has—" she began again, but Mrs. Crosgrove arrived in that moment with Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds.

  "Captain Crosgrove," Mrs. Reynolds said, her throaty voice doting, "it is wonderful to see you have returned safe at last."

  "Mrs. Reynolds, Mr. Reynolds," Captain Crosgrove said, bowing to the waist, "as always, it is a pleasure to see you both."

  "I was only telling them of the wonderful time we have been having since you have arrived," Mrs. Crosgrove said, though her smile did not reach her eyes. "They could not wait to see you and hear all about your latest travels."

  Lilyanna felt the tension between her parents lighten somewhat, but she frowned, knowing it only came with her mother yet again feigning her own happiness.

  Mrs. Crosgrove looked over to Lilyanna where she stood by the two gentlemen and a true smile lit up her face. "Ah, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Bainbridge," she said, "I do hope Lilyanna has introduced you both to my husband."

  "Of course I have, Mother," Lilyanna said, her frown growing.

  "Indeed," Elijah said, and his deep voice seemed to resonate within Lilyanna's heart.

  "Yes, she has, and may I say what an honor it is, Mrs. Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said. "I was only explaining my profoundest respect for him in serving his country. What a remarkable sacrifice it is."

  "Yes, we all know it is so," Mrs. Crosgrove agreed. "He works very hard for…for his country."

  Lilyanna looked to her father to see if he recognized the hesitance in Mrs. Crosgrove's voice, but before she could tell, her eyes were taken by the empty spot next to Mr. Quigley.

  Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd around them until spotting Elijah making his way toward the doors.

  She stepped away from the group, ignoring her mother's disapproving look as she made her way through the throngs of people.

  "Mr. Bainbridge!" she called, and she ignored the few eyes turning toward her.

  She ignored the stern glances she received, as well as Mr. Quigley's calls behind her, until she caught up with Elijah, calling his name once more.

  "Miss Crosgrove?" Elijah said in surprise as he turned around to see her.

  "Mr. Bainbridge," she said, breathlessly, "are you leaving for home already?"

  "I…" she watched as he hesitated, a scowl on his brow, "I thought it would be for the best."

  "The best for whom?"

  Silence met her, so she continued. "I noticed you are not here with Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey this evening. Were they unable to attend?"

  Elijah nodded. "They desired a night in."

  "In that case, would you like to sit with me and my family?"

  He seemed to hesitate. "I do not wish to intrude," he said, his scowl increasing as he looked in the direction of where her family stood.

  "Oh, I am certain you would not be intruding in the slightest. My mother and father will, no doubt, be occupied with Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds all evening," she said, lowering her voice, "and I would enjoy your company more than theirs, to be sure."

  Elijah gave her a half-smile. "And what of Mr. Quigley? Is he not company enough?"

  Lilyanna looked at him dubiously, and he revealed a teasing smile. "Mr. Quigley, I certainly hope, has his own party to sit with."

  Still feeling Elijah's hesitance, as well as her own growing desire for him to remain with her, Lilyanna rather boldly laced her hand around his bent elbow, resting her fingers on his forearm. She felt the strength underneath the sleeve of his black jacket and smiled. "I am afraid I cannot let you refuse me, Mr. Bainbridge."

  She looked up at him, relieved to see a smile upon his handsome face. "If you insist, Miss Crosgrove."

  "I do," she said. "Now, if you would be so kind as to escort me into the concert room. I see they have opened the doors."

  "I would be happy to."

  They walked to the concert room and found seats next to the Crosgroves, Lilyanna ignoring the look of surprise on her mother's face as she appeared arm-in-arm with Elijah.

  Lilyanna took a seat next to her father and motioned for Elijah to occupy the only available seat next to her.

  To her shock, however, Mr. Quigley sidled his way past Elijah to sit in the empty seat himself, and her mouth dropped open.

  "Do excuse me, Mr. Quigley," she said, her voice firm as she attempted not to shout, "but I have invited Mr. Bainbridge to sit with us for the duration of the concert."

  "Oh, nonsense," Mr. Quigley said, looking down at his program, "I am sure he does not wish to sit with you and your delightful family."

  She looked up to see Elijah open his mouth to speak, his nostrils flaring with anger, so she hurriedly said, "I am sure he does wish to sit with me, but it matters not, as I have already requested his presence at my side. Now, if you would be so kind as to vacate his seat, I would appreciate it."

  "But…but," Mr. Quigley began, his eyes wide as if he was truly surprised by Lilyanna's request, "but where shall I sit then?"

  Lilyanna looked around before spotting the Fenimores across the aisle. "I see your aunt and uncle only there," she said, tilting her head. "I am sure they would love to have you join them."

  She could see Mr. Quigley's surprise turn to frustration, could feel her parents' gaze on her during the whole exchange, but nothing else mattered in the world as she saw Elijah looking at her with joy and admiration, especially when Mr. Quigley finally stood to leave.

  He grunted unpleasantly at Elijah, scowling as he moved across the aisle to sit with his aunt and uncle.

  "You see, Mr. Bainbridge. I was right," Lilyanna said softly, leaning toward him as he took his place next to her. "Mr. Quigley did have his own party to sit with."

  Elijah grinned. "Yes, but I believe you gave him no alternative."

  Lilyanna laughed joyfully. "Would you have wanted me to make room for him?"

  "No," Elijah responded. "I would not."

  Her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him so near to herself, and she returned his smile before the musicians finished tuning their instruments and began the first song of the evening.

  She was happy to have the concert finally begin, if only to get it over with, and as it progressed, she found it increasingly difficult to focus on anything apart from her pleasantly burning flesh where her and Elijah's shoulders touched.

  Her mind moved to the night of the Hearnshaw's private ball, the last time they had been so close, and the prevalent thought of how she had longed to kiss him caused her heart to pound through her chest.

  In an effort to cool off, Lilyanna waved her fan briskly underneath her chin, but as Elijah shifted in his seat, bringing their shoulders closer together, the distraction proved too much to handle, and her fingers lost their grasp on the fan. She gasped in horror as it flew from her hand toward Elijah's face, hitting him squarely in the jaw, despite his attempt to duck, until bouncing down on his lap and landing ultimately on the floor with a clatter.

  A few audience members turned around to scowl briefly at the commotion Lilyanna had created, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

  "Good grief, Lilyanna," Mrs. Crosgrove whispered as she leaned past Captain Crosgrove to see her, "do try to behave yourself. I am certain you nearly extricated Mr. Bainbridge's eye with your frantic fanning."

  Lilyanna nodded, blushing even more as she watched Elijah bend down to retrieve the fan and hand it back to her. Their fingers brushed in the motion, and chills ran up and down her arm.

 
"I do apologize, Mr. Bainbridge," she whispered.

  However, when she looked up at him, she saw him grinning with amusement. "I will forgive you this time, Miss Crosgrove," he whispered, leaning toward her so their arms touched, causing her heart to race fiercely, "if only you promise to ignore your mother's request and succeed next time in gouging my eye out so I may have the excuse of leaving this tedious concert early. And you, of course, would have to accompany me, if only out of guilt for causing such a terrible injury."

  Lilyanna stifled her giggling as her mother sent another firm look in their direction, but her father smiled amusedly down at her. "What are you laughing about, Little Lily?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "I shall tell you after the concert, Father," she said, smiling over at Elijah again as he winked at her.

  After three more songs, the concert finally ended, and the audience applauded before filing out of the room in waves.

  "Would you like some refreshment, Miss Crosgrove?" Elijah asked as they followed the throngs of people out of the room. "Perhaps lemonade? You seemed quite flushed before, so I thought a drink might help."

  Lilyanna blushed as she thought of the reason for her overheated cheeks. "Yes, please," she said. "That would be lovely."

  She watched as Elijah walked away, sighing blissfully until she realized how long she stared after him, turning then to her parents as they spoke of how delightful the concert had been.

  After filling a cup full of lemonade, Elijah turned from his place at the table only to come face-to-face with Mr. Quigley. Elijah had found it difficult to tolerate the man's company ever since his rude comments about Lilyanna at the Hearnshaw's ball had taken place, especially when Mr. Quigley pretended as if he had never said an unkind word about her, so he merely sidestepped him to return to Lilyanna as soon as he could.

  His effort to leave was stopped yet again, however, but this time by a tall woman who appeared at Mr. Quigley's side. He nodded politely to her, but a scowl that looked oddly familiar pursed her lips.

  He walked around the woman, wondering where he had previously seen her, but he forgot all about it as soon as he caught site of Lilyanna, her light blue gown dancing against her body as she shifted her feet. He noted her blond hair and blue eyes, all the while thinking how fortunate he was to have the attention of such a beautiful woman.

  "Thank you, Mr. Bainbridge," Lilyanna said as Elijah handed her a glass of lemonade upon his return.

  She took a small sip, feeling the liquid cool her throat.

  "I am pleased you chose to stay for the duration of the concert," she said, looking up at Elijah.

  "Chose?" he said, his brows raising. "I believe I was commanded to stay, Miss Crosgrove."

  Lilyanna laughed. "I suppose you are right. Still, I am glad you were there to share in my misery." She lowered her voice and said, "I am afraid I have never found joy in sitting for so long while listening to music. I would much rather be dancing to it. It is my father who loves concerts, though, and he never ceases to drag Mother and me along."

  Elijah smiled. "I see," he said. "I do enjoy a concert every once in awhile, but for some reason I was distracted this evening."

  He stared knowingly at Lilyanna, trying to hide his smile, but she shook her head. "I am sorry about throwing my fan at you," she said, "It practically leapt from my hands. I suppose it longed to be out of the room as much as we did."

  Lilyanna was thrilled to hear Elijah's genuine laughter, deep and rumbling, and she smiled, proud of herself for giving him cause to chuckle.

  "Little Lily," Captain Crosgrove said, and Lilyanna turned to face her father, "we are to go and get refreshment. If you would like to…oh, I see you have already received some."

  "Yes, Mr. Bainbridge was kind enough to fetch me lemonade."

  "Ah, good man," Captain Crosgrove said, clapping Elijah on the shoulder.

  Lilyanna smiled, pleased with her father finally acknowledging Elijah's presence.

  "Well," Captain Crosgrove continued, "we shall return shortly with our own then, my Little Lily."

  The small group walked away, leaving Elijah and Lilyanna alone in the midst of a sea of strangers. Joyful as she was to be left alone with Elijah, she felt her smile slowly fade away.

  "I do dislike it when he calls me that," she said.

  "Have you ever told him?" Elijah asked.

  "Countless times," she replied, staring down at the glass in her hands, "but he never seems to hear me. Neither of them do."

  "You are speaking of your parents?"

  Lilyanna nodded as she stared after them. "I should not be surprised, though, for they hardly listen to one another."

  She looked to Elijah to see him studying her face. "I find that sad," he said, "especially occurring within a marriage."

  "As do I," Lilyanna replied. "Their relationship seems to be…deteriorating. I had not noticed before, but upon my father's arrival, I have come to the realization of a great many things, most of them unpleasant."

  "I am sorry to hear that," Elijah said, and Lilyanna looked up to see the truth in his eyes. "A daughter or son should never have to witness such things in their parents' marriage. It is not the way it should be."

  Lilyanna nodded her head as she stared off in the direction her parents had left.

  Silence ensued between them, and she looked up to Elijah, staring directly into his dark brown eyes. "Thank you," she said.

  He tilted his head. "For what, Miss Crosgrove?"

  "For hearing me."

  Elijah looked deep into her eyes. "It is my pleasure."

  And the two of them shared a smile until they were once again joined by the rest of their party.

  Chapter Nine

  "Now, do not fret, my dears," Captain Crosgrove said to Mrs. Crosgrove and Lilyanna as he reached in the carriage to place his top hat on the seat. He turned to face the women once more, saying, "I shall be in London until the end of this year, and then I shall forevermore be at Heatherhill."

  The Crosgrove family and their household stood in the same positions outside the grand home as they had more than a week before.

  "We are happy your retirement is so near, Father, for now we may worry less," Lilyanna said, smiling. "Do take care of yourself while you are in town, though, and promise to write often."

  "As often as time permits, Little Lily," Captain Crosgrove said. "And you remember to fill your new sketchbook for me. And do not forget a depiction of yourself this time."

  Lilyanna nodded and stepped back for Mrs. Crosgrove to bid her husband farewell. She watched as her father kissed his wife on the cheek, saying, "Try to enjoy yourself while I am away, Mrs. Crosgrove."

  "I am sure I will be quite fine, Captain," Mrs. Crosgrove said with a strained smile. "I always find something to occupy my time with while you are away."

  Lilyanna's spirits fell, for she knew Mrs. Crosgrove would delve even deeper into her criticism of Lilyanna with Captain Crosgrove departing.

  "I am afraid I cannot prolong the inevitable," Captain Crosgrove said as he turned and stepped up into the carriage. "Farewell until November when we shall never have to part again."

  He closed the door behind him, and the horses lurched the carriage forward at the guidance of the driver. Lilyanna and Mrs. Crosgrove waved goodbye until the carriage disappeared behind the oak trees.

  Mrs. Crosgrove clapped her hands together. "You may all go back to work," she said, and the household help scuttled away.

  "Come now, Lilyanna," she continued. "You must practice your stitching. Do not think your lack of practice has gone unnoticed by me this past week."

  Lilyanna sighed, missing her father's presence already.

  "Do not dawdle, child," her mother continued. "And straighten your back, for heaven's sake. You are a lady, are you not?"

  Mrs. Crosgrove's comments continued to spiral toward her as they moved closer to Heatherhill's doors, but Lilyanna slowed her pace as her attention was captured by the sound of fast-approaching hoov
es against solid ground.

  Her thoughts immediately turned to her father, wondering if he had forgotten something, but when she turned around, disappointment flooded her. The single rider was none other than Mr. Quigley, and he was heading straight in her direction.

  She looked behind her to inform her mother, but she soon discovered Mrs. Crosgrove had already disappeared within the house.

  "Miss Crosgrove," she heard Mr. Quigley shout out as he bounced haphazardly on his small, chestnut gelding.

  What is he doing here? she thought, scowling.

  She waited impatiently until he reined in his horse and dismounted in front of her.

  "Mr. Quigley," she said with a sigh, "may I help you?"

  "I believe you may," the man said, walking toward her with a grave look on his face. "I am so fortunate to have caught you on your own. It appears fate is on our side."

  Lilyanna again looked over her shoulder to see if her mother would come in search for her.

  Fate is certainly not on my side, she thought as there was no sign of Mrs. Crosgrove.

  "Do tell me how I can be of assistance," she said, intentionally leaving out the invitation to join her inside.

  She watched as his thin brows lifted high upon his forehead. "I am afraid I bring most unfortunate news, my dear Miss Crosgrove," he said, and Lilyanna's nostrils flared at his intimate words.

  "Then I am sure my mother would be a better choice to listen to you," she said, turning around until his hand gripped her forearm.

  She pulled free of his grasp and took a step back. "You will maintain your boundaries, sir."

  "Please, Miss Crosgrove," he said, raising his hands up instead. "It pains me, but the news I bring is for your ears alone."

  Lilyanna felt her curiosity peak despite herself. "My mother is waiting for me, Mr. Quigley, so please, tell me what you wish to say."

  "Of course, Miss Crosgrove, of course. I am sorry for prolonging my telling of it. Only, it is so painful that I should be the one so burdened to bring such hateful truths to your knowledge."