“We will find out everything when we get home.” Richard grinned at her. “It will be an entirely new life, Mimi. You will be the lady of the house. You will be accepted by the high society.”
“It seems too good to be true, really. But the best part of it is being with you, Richard. Arriving in your adopted home as your bride. I am beside myself with joy. I cannot wait until Mrs Reilly, Nancy and Kirby come. I don’t know how to run a household yet.”
“You need not worry, my dear. There is a plethora of servants that work on the plantation. You will meet them all, and when the others come from England, we will welcome them as our guests, Mimi.”
“As our guests?”
“Yes, the social hierarchy in America is quite different than what we know. It is how I was able to become an actual gentleman.”
“I am very much looking forward to life in Savannah, Richard. Thank you for coming back for me. I … I thought I would never see you again. I was unable to leave my engagement to Hertford, you know. When I saw you at the Church I thought I must have gone mad.”
“I can assure you that you have not my darling Mrs Warren. I was only happy that I got to the church before the vows had been said.”
*******
“When will the ship be here? With each day that brings Mimi, closer I feel as if the moment will never arrive.”
Blackmore laughed. “Soon, soon, Camille. You know I have Sarah’s boy going down to the wharf every day. The child watches and asks. That’s all any of us can do. The fact remains that the ship will get here when it gets here.”
“Mr Blackmore, Sir. Mr Blackmore.” Sarah, the cook’s youngest boy came running up to the front veranda where Blackmore and Camille were enjoying some tea.
“What’s that you say, Peter? The ship from New York is arriving?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Very good, son. Run along now. Help your mother. Thank you, Peter.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Blackmore turned to his wife. “Are you ready to go, dear?”
“Yes. Just let me check on the baby. Mattie’s in the nursery. She always takes such good care of him.”
Five minutes later, Blackmore and Camille were in the carriage and heading down to the water.
“I can see the masts!” Camille was excited.
“Yes, they’ll be here very soon. Let’s walk down to the pier.”
“You must be happy at the prospect of seeing Mr Warren, darling.”
“I have plans for card games, hunting, and quiet evenings on the veranda.”
Camille laughed. “I have plans of music concerts, parties, balls, card games, and quiet evenings on the veranda!”
“I knew I married you for more than your lovely face and figure, dear.”
Camille giggled in delight. The ship had come in and was towering in front of them. Camille hopped up and down, waiting to see her friend.
Mimi on one end of the dock saw the couple standing on the other end. “Look, Richard. There they are.” She waved and hurried down to where Camille and Blackmore were.
The women embraced, and the men shook hands. There were tears and smiles, and Richard and Mimi decided to take up their friends on their dinner invitation.
They piled into the carriage. Little Peter who’d come along saw to Tilly and Ed and got them home and stabled ahead of the carriage.
Chapter 27
“I knew that somehow it would work out. When I arrived here, Richard had just gone to sail to England. Seeing how you and I left it at the docks in London, I reckoned the Duke would want to marry you immediately. You knew he threatened me, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I heard him. I’m glad you went ahead. The Duke moved the wedding up two weeks to mid-April. He watched me like a hawk, thinking I would try to escape again. But I knew it was too late to try something like that again. It wasn’t meant to be. That’s what I told myself. I planned that the only love I would ever have in my life would be the love I had for my children and theirs for me. When Richard showed up at the Church in Isleworth, I never felt such joy as I felt at that moment.”
“I was thrilled to get your letter.”
“I am thrilled you got it. I didn’t think you would, actually. But it worked out as well.”
The women were sitting on the second floor veranda at Warren Hall. They were enjoying lemonade, working on some needlepoint and looking out over the rice fields and the few cotton fields that Richard had decided to put in.
“It certainly worked out for all of us. I am so happy you’re here, Mimi. Have you written to your mother, yet? It’s been a month.”
“I wrote to her from Scotland when Richard and I got married. I reckon it’s time to write again.”
“Did you leave things with Madame on a good note?”
“Yes. I remember her look of shock when Richard stood in front of the altar and announced that the Duke and I should not get married. He’s lucky they didn’t shoot him on the spot!” Both women laughed. “But I understand why my mother did what she did. I’ve forgiven her. She came to realise that she’d been wrong to interfere in my life so dramatically. She realised that Richard was the one who would make me happy, not Hertford.
********
Richard was still learning the ins and outs of being a planter. Most planters actually did nothing on the land. Like true landowning gentlemen in England, they didn’t work but derived their incomes from the men and women who worked the fields in their stead. The slaves who, without choice, gave up everything to serve their masters.
Richard wanted to learn his business, literally, from the ground up. He had wanted to get back to his exercise regimen to keep himself and his leg as strong as possible. So he rode the fields alongside his foreman. He got down from his horse and talked to his workers.
He’d been most distressed to learn the system of work that existed in his adopted home. The man he’d won the plantation from had actually owned the people who worked for him.
Richard didn’t understand how that system had come to be, but he had a meeting with everyone on the plantation when he took over. Whoever wanted to leave was welcome to leave. Whoever wanted to stay would be his employee, and he would pay them in board and cottage as well as a wage.
The workers at first didn’t understand what Richard was doing. Many left, holding Freeman papers signed by Richard. But many stayed. And so the workers were happy to share their knowledge with him. Each day he learned more and more about his business. He also learned more about himself. He enjoyed the lessons.
*******
Savannah
Early Autumn 1817
It was almost time for the ball. Mimi had been settled in Savannah for four months, and she wanted to throw a party to get to know their neighbours. She sat at her dressing table looking at herself in the glass. Her new lady’s maid, Amy, was styling her hair.
Her frock was of golden thread and fine white silk. It was one of the dresses she’d ordered in New York, and it fit her beautifully in spite of being a little more snug than she’d remembered at her fitting.
She dabbed pale pink colour on her lips and a slightly darker shade on her cheeks. Amy finished with her hair, and she stood, admiring herself in the glass. Her new maid was quite talented at dressing Mimi’s wild curls.
“Beautiful, Amy. You did my hair in a most lovely manner. Thank you.”
The girl blushed and looked down. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Knock, knock!” Richard called from the other side of the partially open door.
“Come in, darling.” Mimi winked at Amy as the girl curtsied and left the room by the door that led to the back stairs.
“You look absolutely ravishing, darling.”
“Thank you. Amy is a genius at hairdressing.”
“Yes, but it’s something more. You seem to have a glow about you. I dare say I’ve never seen you look so, so … I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s the climate here that suits you.”
“I’ll tell you true, Richard
, the climate here does agree most heartily with me. I love everything about this place Savannah, Georgia. And I love being here with you as your wife. I am happier that I have ever been. And it is all thanks to you. I never, in my wildest dreams could ever have imagined such a happy and blessed beautiful life.”
“Nor I. In fact, I can think of only one thing that could add to my general state of sublime happiness.”
“What would it be, Richard? What could it be? You have your grand house. The house you dreamt of as a boy. You have your great country estate. You have your Tilly to ride every day. And you have me. What else could you possibly want, my love?” she needled him good-naturedly.
“Well, I’ve been wanting to speak with you about our family. The family we’ve talked about starting. I wonder if you’ve been having any thoughts about it.”
“Ah. Are you suggesting that you’re ready to become a papa, darling?”
“I am. But I must ask you. Are you ready? Are you ready to become a maman?”
“Yes, I am, Richard. And I dare say it’s a good thing.”
“You enjoy teasing me and speaking in riddles, my pretty wife.”
Mimi laughed. “Do you feel I speak in riddles?”
“I feel you’re teasing me, and you are enjoying it immensely.” Richard chuckled and took Mimi’s hand. “And I don’t really have any idea of what you speak.”
“I am enjoying being here with you and laughing with you. I am also enjoying what I believe will be your response to what I have to say.”
“You can read my mind, Mrs Warren? How do you know what my response to anything will be?”
“Mmm. Sometimes I can read your mind, dear heart.” She tilted her head and laughed once again.
“What am I thinking at this very moment, Mimi?”
“That you want to go down to the drawing room to begin greeting our guests.”
“Wrong!” Richard laughed. “I want you to tell me what it is that will cause you joy at my response.”
“Very well.” Mimi looked down to hide her smile.
“Yes?” Richard could not for the life of him imagine what secret his wife could be keeping. “Tell me, Mimi.”
“I am with child, my darling.”
Richard said nothing. He looked at Mimi, deep into her eyes, and picked her up, laughing and twirling her around.
“Oh Mimi! You are? This is grand news. Grand news indeed. Everything is complete now. Are you well? Do you feel well? Will the ball be too much for you tonight?”
“No, no. I am fine. And I am as happy as you are. I am ready. We will be welcoming our little one sometime in the winter. Sometime at the end of February. Shortly before my own birthday.”
Richard was still holding her in his arms, and he pulled her close. “I love you, Mimi. Thank you for making my life so happy and complete.”
“I love you too, Richard. And I thank you for the same. You have made my life so happy and full. I can never thank you enough for never losing faith in our love. For never giving up on me.”
They stood locked in an embrace for a long, blissful moment. Then Richard extended his arm to his wife, the woman who carried his child, and escorted her down the grand staircase to greet their guests.
THE END
Can't get enough of Mimi and Richard? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
How will Mimi and Richard expand their happy family?
Which lovely guests surprise Mimi with a visit?
What amazing news does Mimi receive from her dear friends?
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://bridgetbarton.com/mimi
(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “A Charming Lady for the Intriguing Baronet”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
A Charming Lady for the Intriguing Baronet
Introduction
If Selina had her way, she would gladly marry a commoner and live out her days in pure happiness. Meeting Alex reinforces her belief that the life that she has dreamed about may be right in front of her. But then she discovers Alex’s true identity! How could she understand the reasons behind his little trickery and be open to explore their powerful connection?
Alexander Russell, the sixth Baronet of Chesterfield, knows that he bears the heavy duty of producing an heir. Moreover, he is no ignorant to women trying to trap him into marriage, and that only makes him shy away from marrying. Until he meets Selina who is a breath of fresh air! She gives him hope, only to take it away when she rejects him for the very reason that makes him the most eligible bachelor for miles around. Can he convince her that he is “the one” for her?
Their first encounter was what connected them but also what kept them apart. Even if Selina can't forget, will she be able to forgive Alexander, and finally admit her growing feelings towards him? Can the charming Baronet compensate for a rocky start and earn Selina’s trust so that they can overcome the obstacles and experience this electric connection between them?
Chapter 1
Selina believed that there was simply nothing better than solitude and the beauty of nature.
“I would be quite content to spend my days gazing upon all that is natural about me. I sincerely doubt that even our greatest architects shall be able to effectively emulate the colours, vibrancy and aliveness of nature. That job has solely been left to the artists.”
She lay on her back, linking her fingers behind her head. There was no one to judge her here; it was just her and the woodland creatures that were curiously peeking out of their nests and burrows, staring at her. Selina had left the well-manicured lawns of the estate to venture farther out, seeking inspiration.
“None was to be had in the house, not with Mama and Aunt judging my every move. They would surely scold me for the state of my hands and dress!”
She sat up, turning her hands over and grimacing at the smudge of charcoal.
“I would not care to be filthy, but Mama does become rather tedious about my level of cleanliness.”
Her dress had handprints along the front and the sides, offending black smudges that stood out against the light blue of her cotton dress.
“I suppose my choice of dress has not helped my cause either. However, I am quite sure that Teresa shall remove these stains in a wink of an eye. That woman is an absolute whiz with stains.”
The laundry maid of the estate had thus far managed to remove every stain that Selina had managed to find during her walks. A quickly-snatched custard from the kitchen was payment enough for the sweet maid. “Ophelia may have met her match in Teresa. They both enjoy an abundance of sweet treats. I do feel somewhat envious of their ability to consume large quantities of sweets and yet retain their slender forms. I need only look at a sweet pastry to find a sudden increase in girth.”
Selina was by no means large, but she had a pleasant plumpness that could easily tip a scale in the wrong direction if she were not mindful of her dessert intake. The daily walks that she took were helpful in keeping her form within society’s standards.
“Heaven forbid I should suddenly take on the likeness of a stuffed pig – Mama would be mortified.”
Her mother certainly meant well, but her eagerness to keep within the accepted rules of social customs was enough to have Selina chomping at the bit. She flopped onto her back once more and admired the clouds in all their misshapen glory. As children, Selina and her sister used to cloud gaze, picking out the different shapes and naming them.
Ophelia would often see castles, knights in their armour, and even princes on their noble steeds, whereas Selina would see great battles being fought, animals trotting about, and landscapes just waiting to be sketched. Of course, it was all subjective, but it was an enjoyable pastime. Ophelia rarely cloud gazed, as she was more concerned with the fashion, music, and socialising. However, they still spent a significant amount of time together, giggling and conspiring as only sisters can do.
Selina rolled her
head to her left, encountering the gaze of a red deer. She went still, not wanting to startle the woodland creature. The backdrop of the woods framed the deer perfectly; coupled with the rolling sky, there was only one thing that she could do. Selina slowly got up, keeping her eyes on the deer.
The Lost Love of a Stunning Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 27
