by Abby Ayles
“You have?” Grimshaw said, surprised.
“Of course. Any woman who would find a place in her heart for you, Lord Grimshaw,” Hannah said, her cheeks blushing with the frank conversation, “would have no choice but to have affection for Lady Grimshaw as well. She has influences in every corner of Brighton Abby. Even just the simple act of finishing the west wing in her name shows how she has influenced this place for the good.”
Grimshaw looked at the woman before him with awe. She was certainly wise beyond her years when she had the hankering to be.
“And she wouldn’t resent that presence, you don’t think?” Grimshaw asked as he reached a hand forward and took Hannah’s.
Her eyes drifted down to where they touched across the table. She could feel his warmth flowing through her veins.
“I know I never would,” Hannah answered barely above a whisper.
Grimshaw rewarded her response with a wide joyous smile. Pulling her hand to his lips, he kissed it ever so gently.
It was just the first step, but it was a definite step in Grimshaw’s mind to courting Miss Hannah Jacobson.
Chapter 36
It was fortuitous that on the day of the coming of the Magi Grimshaw put the final touches to the west wing. It was a great weight of relief off his shoulders to see all the rooms properly put together, including the great hall that occupied most of the first floor of the wing.
He imagined great balls that could be held in the newly remolded walls of the house. It gave him that connection to his past as well as the renewed hope for a bright new future.
The festivities for the night and subsequent feast outshone any they had enjoyed thus far. The cook even created molded cakes covered in colorful icing and pastille figures.
In the spirit of Grannie, all festive decorations were removed from their places of honor and set before the drawing room hearth to be burned by midnight.
Hannah was happy to watch the girls open their gifts she had made them of decorated masks and party hats to wear all night long.
For the earl’s part, he had a very special gift planned for his darling daughters. That would have to come later in the night. Instead of their gift, to stave off their excitement, he waited till after the feasting to unveil the west wing and its beautiful large dance hall.
The girls danced and twirled in pure unadulterated excitement around the room that had once held sapling trees and decaying leaves.
In turn, the two ladies both gifted their father the paintings that they had worked so hard on with Mrs. McCarthy’s aid. He helped them walk the halls and rooms now furnished in the new wing until each child picked the best place to hang their painting.
“I have a gift for you also,” Hannah said after the paintings were hung and the girls were running up and down, in and out, of all the new rooms.
“I hope you will like it,” she added, handing over her own paper-wrapped painting.
“I am nowhere near the artist that Mrs. McCarthy is. Plus, I only had the portrait that Mrs. Brennon showed me and the girls’ descriptions to go off of,” Hannah continued by way of explanation nervously.
“It’s Ann,” Grimshaw said with the breath catching in his throat.
In his hand, he held a wonderful likeness of his late wife mirrored from her portrait in her bedroom. Of course, Hannah had taken some liberties with it. He noticed right off the bat that instead of the dark gown of the painting in the room, she wore a light lavender. He remembered it well as Ann wore it often. He guessed it was the one that Caroline would remember best and describe to Hannah.
“Lady Caroline said it was a fairly good likeness,” Hannah said hesitantly when he said no more. “I thought it would be nice to put in the front entrance to the wing. After all, she was the inspiration to finish it, was she not?”
“It is perfect,” Grimshaw said with some husk to his voice.
“Oh, I’m so happy you like it,” Hannah said with a huff of breath.
“You are a remarkable woman, Hannah Jacobson,” Grimshaw replied, taking his eyes from the painting and studying the lady who stood before him.
“Oh, I don’t think it is quite that good,” Hannah said feeling shy. “I’m glad you like it nonetheless.”
Grimshaw wanted to tell her she was remarkable for far more than just her exceptional artistic skills. He wanted to tell her she was an exceptional creature for finding a way to love his children despite their jaded beginnings. She was even more so for accepting him despite his hardened exterior.
He was sure that any other woman put in her situation would have left the moment he laid down his demands. How ridiculous he saw they were now. He had tried to control her for the sake of protecting his girls.
If Grimshaw had only known then that it was Hannah Jacobson who would help his girls to heal from their wounds. They needed no protection from the love of their dear governess.
“I have a gift for you as well. Well, a gift of sorts. I mean to say I believe it is a gift in a way,” Grimshaw said nervously.
Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at his awkward speech. It was a side of Grimshaw that was rarely seen by any.
“Anyway,” he said giving a chuckle at his own ridiculousness, “I want to give it to you later tonight if that is alright?”
“Of course,” Hannah said, her curiosity piqued but always loving a good surprise.
“Come, girls,” Grimshaw called after hanging his last picture in its proper place. “I believe it is time for bed.”
“Bed? But Father, I want to stay and burn the holly with you.”
“I am afraid not tonight, my dear,” Grimshaw said to the pleadings of Lady Caroline.
“We are much too excited to sleep,” Lady Rebecca added, bounding up to her father.
“I expect all that cake has something to do with that,” Hannah said with a giggle.
“At least let us stay up until Uncle Jayden comes back home.”
Jayden Marsh had opted out of the somewhat subdued frivolities of Brighton Abby for a masquerade ball in Concordshire.
“I expect Uncle Jayden will not return home until much later than when we set the decorations ablaze. You will have to wait till morning to hear all his tales of the ball.”
Both girls groaned but reluctantly did as their father instructed. They had had more excitement in that one night than they could remember. Even though it seemed impossible for them at that moment to rest their heads on their soft down pillows, Hannah was sure that when the time came, they would quickly fall asleep.
“But then you will be left to burn the decorations all by yourself, Father,” Rebecca said as the four of them made their way through the house and to the nursery. “What if you forget a piece and a goblin springs to life?”
“I won’t be all alone. I will have Miss Jacobson to help me. I am told she has a very keen eye for mistakes. I doubt she will let even a leaf escape the flames.”
“She does have a very keen eye,” Caroline agreed. “Even when I think she can’t tell I missed a stitch on my sampler, she always spots it.”
“And your sampler is looking a masterpiece now, isn’t it, my dear?” Hannah said with a smile.
Caroline had to agree. Though she detested the work, it was satisfying to see it all done without her eye automatically traveling to the spots she knew she messed up on.
“You will stay up with me, won’t you?” Grimshaw asked after both girls were properly tucked into bed.
“If that is what you wish, I would be happy to,” Hannah replied.
“It would give me the chance to give you the gift I spoke of.”
Grimshaw held out his arm for Hannah to take. Together they walked to the drawing room. They would sit together by the fire and wait for the stroke of midnight.
“I have never done this before,” Hannah exclaimed as the hour drew near.
“Truly?” Grimshaw asked in surprise.
They had spent the better part of the remainder of the evening in happy conversation alon
e in the drawing room. Grimshaw asked one question after another about her family, siblings, and holiday traditions. In return, he also told some of his own from his childhood that he had most enjoyed.
“Well, perhaps I did when I lived with my mother and father. I don’t remember doing so. I don’t even really recall us having any sort of decorations in our house.”
“What about at your girls’ school? Surely they would have the decorations all around for the holidays?”
“No, not Hendrick’s,” Hannah said with finality.
“They believed that to be an idle waste of time. Not to mention I am sure it would be considered pagan superstition to burn the trimmings on Twelfth Night.”
“Well I hope you have no aversions to doing it tonight,” Grimshaw said, not wanting to dwell on a past he couldn’t change no matter how much he wished to.
“I’m actually looking forward to it, for Grannie’s sake of course. Well and for the girls. Rebecca was very concerned about goblins appearing.”
Grimshaw smiled at the thought of his little girl’s worries.
“Best we start now. It’s getting close to time. It all has to be done before midnight or the goblins start to sprout.”
Grimshaw rose from his seat and helped Hannah to do the same. They started out slowly throwing in one bunch of branches at a time and watching them burn.
Soon the whole room filled with the fragrant scent of the outdoors mixed with dried citrus and pungent spices.
“It makes it all seem so fresh and new,” Grimshaw said after a particularly large bunch went into the fire. “It reminds me of a new beginning,” he tried again to explain.
“Yes,” Hanna agreed, watching the flames.
“It’s something I never thought I could have in my own life,” Grimshaw ventured, hoping he had finally picked the right time.
Hannah turned and looked up at the dark brooding man before her.
“Even when I had settled to…for the girls…that is…I still never saw a future for me. At least not a happy one,” he desperately attempted to stammer out.
“I’m not explaining this as I hoped,” he said with a huff of frustration.
“Explaining what, sir?” Hannah asked.
He took a step forward and took her hands in his. She didn’t shy away and that gave him the courage to continue.
“Hannah, you are my hope for a future,” he said softly. “The gift I hoped to give you, if you will accept it, that is…”
He took a deep breath.
“It’s me. All of me. I wish to give you every part of me, even the broken pieces. You have opened your heart to my children. I hope that you could find a small part to allow me as well. In return, I give you all I have and all I am to be yours.”
He had closed his eyes during his little speech, just desperate to get it all out. Now he opened them and looked down on the glowing face of the woman he had poured out his soul to.
Tears were pooling against the refection of her blue eyes. He let one hand go so that he could caress her cheek. He let his fingers trail along her jaw.
“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to upset you. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t wish to.”
“I do,” Hannah whispered, “but I fear I cannot produce the words.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb.
“Is it because you cannot bear the thought?” Grimshaw asked, still unsure of her tears.
Hannah held his hand tight against her cheek as she shook her head in the negative. How she burned to tell him all that she too felt for him. How she had wished such a night like tonight would come to pass.
She laughed a little to herself. Perhaps Grannie was right in this silly tradition bringing good in the year to come.
Unable to say the words, she saw Grimshaw’s dark brow furrow in confusion at her actions. She must have seemed quite the silly miss at that moment.
She didn’t have the words to express her feelings but she had long since developed the courage to act on her desires.
She took a step forward to him instead and reaching up on her tiptoes to meet his height, Hannah kissed him softly on the lips.
Grimshaw took a step back in surprise. Hannah guessed it was probably the first time that a woman had ever been brazen enough to kiss him. It only took him half a second to regain his senses.
Closing the gap between them again Grimshaw wrapped Hannah securely in his arms till she was as close to him as possible.
He lowered his head to her and properly kissed her good and hard as he had dreamed of doing for so long now.
Grimshaw reluctantly released his lips from hers, though he kept his hold tight to steady her. She looked up at him with a wistful smile playing on her lips.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I suppose this means we will need to renegotiate the rules.”
“You think so?” Grimshaw countered with a gleam to his dark eyes.
“Yes, I definitely remember one in particular that stated I was not allowed to consort with any members of the opposite sex.”
“Ah,” he said with his own wicked smile now matching hers. “I believe that was unless you obtained my prior approval.”
He bowed his head low again so that his lips brushed against hers.
“I am happy to say,” he continued against her lips in a deep whisper, “that I heartily approve of this particular fraternization.”
“I am happy to hear it,” Hannah giggled against his lips.
She scarcely had time to do so, however, before his mouth came down on hers again. Grimshaw was sure that by the coming of the sun Hannah Jacobson would have no doubt in her mind that he belonged wholly to her.
Epilogue
It was a far grander occasion than Hannah had ever imagined for her wedding day. In all honesty, she had never really anticipated this day at all. Even when she held her affection for Lord Grimshaw close to her heart, she never would have believed that she would be preparing to exchange nuptials with the man.
“You look perfect,” Mary said from behind her as she placed the last white rose into Hannah’s perfectly arranged hair.
“You make the prettiest bride I have ever seen,” she added with a glistening tear.
“I hope Lord Grimshaw will agree,” Hannah said nervously.
She came to stand and took a few steps back to see as much of herself as she could in the round mirror.
She was wearing a fine cream-colored dress that Grimshaw had insisted be made for her. Around her collar and pinned in her hair were the most delicate dried white and pink roses Hannah had ever seen.
They gave off the most wonderful perfume as well. She took a steadying breath and took comfort from the scent.
Hannah couldn’t believe how nervous she was. She rather thought she was being silly. There was no reason to be nervous. Grimshaw would be happy to see her walk down the chapel aisle even if she was wearing her demure muslin gown and the oversized cap and spectacles.
A knock came at her door, and Hannah could tell from the giggling behind it that it was her future step-daughters before she even opened it.
“Oh, you both look so beautiful,” Hannah said with admiration and praise.
Each girl had also been outfitted with a new gown for the occasion. Both were of fine pink silk though Rebecca’s was trimmed in fine cream lace and Caroline had a darker pink ribbon to embellish her own.
Both girls had their dark brown locks curled and decorated with their own sets of dried pink roses.
“Abigail said we should come get you. The carriage is ready, Mother,” Rebecca said with an innocent tone and an outstretched hand.
Hannah took her hand but instead leaned down so that she was eye to eye with the girls. With tears glistening against her lashes she looked into the faces of her children.
“I want you both to know I love you very much,” Hannah said softly against the emotion rising in her.
“We know,” Caroline sa
id with a smile. “We must hurry though; Father wouldn’t want us to be late.”
“No, I dare say he wouldn’t like that,” Hannah said, remembering his demanding nature when they first met.
She took one girl in each hand and together they made their way to the waiting carriage. The three of them rode together into Concordshire where Grimshaw was already waiting at the church.
Hannah was taken aback by the townsfolk all dressed in their Sunday best waving flowers as they entered the town square.
