Just as Anne Marie was about to approach the desk, a door opened in the back room and people came flooding through, talking, and laughing. The woman leading the pack was tall and thin, with a friendly face and the brightest blue eyes Anne Marie had ever seen. She was followed by six men and two other women. A seventh man slowly brought up the rear.
Anne Marie stood watching them until the woman in the front saw her.
“Hello! Hello!” The woman said. “You are looking for a room?”
Anne Marie smiled at her. “We are, yes. Two rooms next to each other if you will.”
The woman came close and bowed her head to the two. “I am Judith Ellingham.” She said.
Anne Marie bowed her head in return. “I am Viscountess Anne Marie Wiltshire from London. I am traveling with my companion, Clara Collingwood.”
“It is good to meet you both.” Judith moved around the counter and placed her index finger on the log book indicating where Anne Marie could sign. “Please just put your name here. I will give you rooms 8 and 9. You will be next to Earl George Kipling and Lady Melanie Saville. They are in separate rooms. They are not a couple.” Judith added, making certain Anne didn't come to the wrong conclusion.
Clara and Anne Marie glanced at each other. Anne Marie wondered if her eligibility was so obvious.
“Both have been residing here for some time now. I believe you will find them both very amiable. Here is my son, James. These are Duke Cornwall’s sons, Tyler, Steven, Nicholas, and Cameron. This is my husband, Christopher.”
Anne Marie curtsied to them. “My lords.”
They all bowed to her.
“This is Bella Cornwall and our daughter, Katrina.”
“Miss Bella, Miss Katrina.” Anne Marie gave them a smile and turned to pick up the quill pen. She signed her name in the log book and wrote Clara’s below it.
“Do you know how long you will be staying?”
“Not at this time. It will be at least a few weeks, I would think.”
“Is there any reason why you chose to visit our village?”
“We have been journeying around England, Scotland, and Ireland under the behest of my Uncle, Duke Matthew Wiltshire. Our coach is outside, and my driver, Henry, will be bringing in our luggage.”
“Yes, my lady.” Judith nodded, turning the log book around and making a few notes next to Anne Marie’s name. “You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. We have no reservations, though the clergy will be coming to stay from North London for two days next month. There will be a wedding!”
Anne Marie smiled. “That sounds exciting.”
“Oh, it is! Our Lady Bella will be marrying her sweetheart, Jonathan Humbridge.”
All eyes moved to the petite Lady Bella, who blushed and looked down.
“Isn’t she a beauty?” Judith leaned forward over the counter, giving Anne Marie a sweet smile. “She truly is a beauty.”
“Oh Mrs. Ellingham. You are too kind.”
“Don’t be a silly goose, Bella.” Katrina said, grabbing her friend by the arm. “You are the most beautiful girl in all of Bainbridge.”
“You certainly will be next month.” James Ellingham said, stepping out of the crowd of young men. He bowed to Anne Marie.
“I would be delighted to help you take your luggage to your room, my lady.”
Anne Marie was immediately caught in the deep blue of his eyes. He was nearly a foot taller than she and had broad shoulders. The features of his face fit well together, and his grin was gentle and sweet. His hair was a soft yellow and waved softly around his head. He had removed his hat to bow to her, tossing it on the counter behind him.
“James!”
“Sorry, Mother. I will pick it up when I come back down.”
“I will hang it up where it belongs. You remember to mind your manners.”
James nodded. “Yes, Mother.” He turned back to look at Anne Marie and Clara. “I will show you where the rooms are.” He bent over to take two of the suitcases from Henry, who nodded at him. “I don’t suppose any of you Lords would be willing to do a bit of work?” he asked teasingly, as he glanced over his shoulder at the Cornwall men.
To Anne Marie’s surprise, all four of the young men burst out in smiles and chuckles.
“Who us?” Asked one of them.
“Yes, you.”
The tallest of the four came forward, his hands reaching for two of the bags on the floor. “I will help you, James. Only because you are such a friendly character and I would not want you making me look like a cad.”
James laughed. Anne Marie and Clara hung back while all of the Cornwall sons rushed forward to each grab a piece of luggage.
“Please follow me.” James said, his eyes once again on Anne Marie. She pulled in a deep breath and grabbed her skirt so that she would not trip on it as she went up the wide stairs. She was directly behind him. Two of the Cornwall sons followed behind her, then Clara and the two remaining sons.
James looked back at her over his shoulder as he went up. “It is nice to have visitors in our small village. I do hope that you find our home comfortable. You are quite safe here. No one will harm you in any way.”
“That is a good thing to know, my lord.” Anne Marie said. “But I had not thought that I or my companion would come to any harm.”
James nodded. “I’m glad to hear that, my lady. And you needn’t call me ‘my lord’. I have no title. I am the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham but we have no title in our family to boast.” He raised his voice slightly so that the Cornwall sons would hear him. “Those four back there, however, you will want to remember their titles. You would not want the Duke and Duchess to bring forth their wrath on your head.”
Anne Marie looked frightened for a moment, her heart squeezing tightly. James laughed, easing her fear. She could hear the boys behind her protesting their innocence.
“I did not mean to frighten you, my lady. They are excellent gentlemen and their parents have not hung anyone for years.”
Anne Marie’s eyes widened. James laughed again. “I am teasing you, Lady Wiltshire. You will meet the Duke and Duchess. You will see they are unique characters but harmless as a bunny rabbit.”
Anne Marie shook her head, pulling in a deep breath. “That is good to know, James. Very good to know. Are there any events scheduled that will allow me to meet them?”
“Oh yes. Other than their daughter’s wedding coming month, they typically have an event for the village citizens once or twice a week. I’m sure you will meet them before then.”
“Thank you kindly, James.”
“Of course, my lady.” He turned back around, the image of the woman behind him floating through his mind, arresting his heartstrings. He had never seen a more beautiful creature. Anne Marie was short, slender, and had a smile he wanted to see as often as possible. Her eyes were vibrant green. The ringlets of soft hair coming from the bottom of her bonnet were strawberry blond. She had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, and he wondered how old she was.
As they made their way up their stairs and stopped in front of a door with the number 8 carved in it, he pushed all thoughts of attraction away. She was a lady with a title. She would not be interested in a commoner like him. Her companion, however, was not a lady with a title.
He hadn’t gotten a good look at her, but he would attempt to do so as subtly as possible soon. The small population in Bainbridge had kept him from finding a suitable bride. Though he had some years to go before he was on the shelf, he was anxious to find a woman to give his love to. Both of the women looked about his age – 23.
He leaned over to set the bag down next to him and then opened the door to the room.
“Here you are, my lady.”
CHAPTER TWO
THE FLOWER LADY
THE FLOWER LADY
Two hours later, Anne Marie and Clara had refreshed themselves with some tea and biscuits and changed from their traveling clothes into more comfortable day dresses. Clara came over t
o Anne Marie’s room and knocked lightly on the door.
“Anne Marie?” she opened the door and poked her head in to see the Viscountess sitting on the window seat, one leg folded under her. Her small, slipper clad foot tapped the floor as she looked out at the rain.
“It is raining like the sky has broken open, Clara. Look at this.”
Clara approached the seat and sat at the other end, also looking out. Anne Marie’s voice was peaceful, but she did not smile when she spoke.
“It is gray and dreary. The raindrops fall like tears from Heaven. Do you suppose it is that? Do you suppose God is upset right now?”
Clara shook her head. “Why would God be upset, Lady Anne? He is the Almighty.”
Anne Marie shook her head. “It was just a thought. Shall we go downstairs?”
“Yes, that would be proper.”
Anne Marie slowly stood up, looking reluctant.
They could hear voices speaking softly as they went down to the lobby. When they reached the bottom and moved into the front room, they saw James and the three older Cornwall sons sitting on the couches. They were all leaning forward, the looks on their faces very serious. They spoke in low tones and abruptly stopped speaking when they saw the women. The four of them stood up and bowed slightly at the waist in greeting.
“My lady. Miss Clara.” The women nodded at each of them as they spoke.
“I trust you slept well, my lady?” James said, holding out one hand so that she could sit on the couch where he had been.
“I did, thank you.” Anne Marie said, taking the seat. Clara sat next to her. “I hope all is well. It seemed you men were having a solemn discussion. I would hate to think I interrupted something.”
“Nothing you need to worry yourself about, truly. It’s business. Would you like a tour of the town today? I’m sure one of the ladies would be glad to show you all the sights and sounds of our sleepy village.”
Anne Marie smiled at him. “I think that would be lovely.”
“We would accompany you,” said the oldest of the Cornwall sons, Tyler. “But we have a great deal of business to take care of. We…”
The door of the hotel burst open and several children spilled in, followed by their mother, who was calling to them. A little girl was running away from her two older brothers, laughing loudly while they chased after her, pretending to be frightful monsters. However, the smiles on their faces showed their playfulness.
“Children, calm yourselves. We are not at home now, are we?” She was leaning forward, holding out her hands, trying to corral her children closer to her. Essentially, it helped to create the illusion she was encouraging the chase by bringing up the rear. “Grace! Andrew! Joseph! Stay right where you are.” She glanced up and saw the group of people in the lobby and halted in place, her cheeks coloring a deep red. “Oh! My lords! I apologize for my children. Come here. Right now.” She tried to remain calm. The children also saw the group of adults and stopped running immediately. They stood stock still, looking up at their mother with regret. They moved to stand around her.
Once again, the men stood up to greet her.
“Good morning, Lady Huntington. You are well?”
“I am, yes, thank you, Lord Cornwall.” She nodded at Tyler, who was the first to speak up.
“Your children are very active today, I see.”
“We have just come from an activity in the park and they are still very excited. I do apologize.”
Tyler shook his head. “Do not trouble yourself for another moment. I was once a lad just like these young men you have here and we…” he glanced behind him at his brothers, who were grinning from ear to ear. “Caused our share of chaos for our mother.”
Eliza lifted one hand and covered her mouth, letting out a sweet giggle. “My lord, I cannot imagine how the Duchess managed.”
“It helped that we are some years apart. My youngest brother is ten years my junior. She had somewhat of a break, I suppose.”
“I suppose.” Eliza sounded doubtful. “Andrew!” She reached out and grabbed her son, who was staring at himself in a large glass vase and had lifted his hands to push against the glass making it lean to the side. She grabbed the vase and righted it before it could fall to the ground and smash. “You must be careful, son. This is fragile.”
“Sorry, mama.” The little boy backed up, a sheepish look on his face. He glanced at the men behind him and then turned away in shame.
“We were just mentioning to Lady Wiltshire that she might enjoy a tour of the village.” Tyler said. “Would you like to show her around, Lady Huntington?”
Eliza’s smile was radiant. She nodded at Anne Marie. “I would be honored. I am Eliza Huntington. These are my children, Grace, Andrew, and Joseph.”
“You have beautiful children, Lady Huntington.” Anne Marie stood up, taking a few steps toward her. She leaned and touched Grace’s small cheek. “Hello, little one.” When she straightened, she addressed their mother again. “I look forward to having my own children one day. I think I shall have at least a dozen!”
The adults around her laughed with her while the children’s eyes opened wide with surprise.
“That’s too many children!” Andrew said, loudly, causing more laughter from the adults.
Anna Marie nodded. “Perhaps you are right, Master Andrew. I suppose I will have to find a husband first and he will have some say in how many children we have.”
“Mama, I thought it was God who gives us children. Isn’t it up to Him?” Andrew looked up at Eliza.
“Yes, I suppose that is something I will have to factor in, as well.” Anne Marie looked at Eliza. “Your son is very intelligent.”
“He is very talkative, that is certain.” replied Lady Huntington. “Come, children, let’s show Lady Wiltshire and Miss…” She looked questioningly at Clara.
“Clara. Clara Collingwood.”
“Let’s show Miss Collingwood and the Lady around. You must behave. We don’t want anyone to think you are uncontrollable, do we?”
“No, mama.” All three children answered at the same time.
“Lady Huntington,” James stopped her before she corralled her children back out the door. “Was there a reason you stopped by? Did you want to see my mother?”
“Oh!” Eliza’s face registered surprise as she remembered why she had come. “I surely did. Thank you, sir. Is she here?”
“She is in the kitchen. I will fetch her for you.”
Nearly a half hour later, Anne Marie was standing in the middle of a flower shop, admiring the variety of colors and scents all around her.
“You have a lovely shop, Lady Huntington.”
“Thank you. I adore being surrounded by these flowers. This shop was a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I used to run through the field behind my parents’ home in Henley-on-Thames where there were many, many flowers. We had a sweet little pup I called Bruster that ran along with me. I was their only child and my mother died when I was young, so I tended to go off on my own. My father and I lived with his sister and her husband, and they had many children.” She smiled at Anne Marie, pushing an arrangement of flowers around in a vase. “An amount that would satisfy you, I suspect, Lady Wiltshire.”
The women laughed and Eliza continued.
“But my cousins were older than I by several years and we truly didn’t seem to have a lot in common. They were excitable and rough. The games they wanted to play were not to my liking. So I went off on my own quite often. The flowers gave me peace and solace in a troubled time in my life. Losing my mother was a devastating thing to me.”
“I can only imagine, Lady Huntington. You have my condolences.”
Eliza nodded. “Thank you, my lady. I must say that it has been many years since then and I have come to terms with it. While she was alive, she was a dear, sweet, kind mother. But I was just seven years old when she died. I have memories of her that I hold dear and they have never faded. These flowers remind me of the peace I felt as a child
after she passed on, because those fields represented her love to me. I felt it was a sign from God that she was always watching out for me.”
“That is wonderful.” Anne Marie bent over to sniff an arrangement of a dozen low-hanging pink Foxgloves. “These are so beautiful. And the scent is amazing.”
“They are one of my favorite flowers. As you can see, there are many offered here in my shop.”
“I have noticed.”
Eliza seemed to perk up once again. “Well, let me show you more than just my shop! Children, you stay here and watch the shop for me?”
Anne Marie and Clara both looked at Eliza in surprise. She noticed and let out a soft laugh.
“They will not be here alone, worry not. It would be foolish, frankly, to leave Andrew here alone. His brother and sister cannot keep him in check. Their father will be returning from the country side in a short time and in the meantime, I have two girls that watch the shop and the children when I cannot.”
“We’ll take care of the shop for you, Mama!” Joseph announced. He was the oldest of the three children and they could all see that he was trying very hard to be a man.
“Thank you, dear.” His mother replied. “I know you will do your best. Mind Sarah and Gertrude. Do not wreak havoc. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Mama.” The three children replied in unison again. Anne Marie smiled.
“Come, let me show you the other shops and introduce you to some of our citizens.” She pushed out the door, making the bell above it tinkle softly. Anne Marie and Clara followed behind her. Anne Marie hung back slightly, trying to decide if she wanted to buy some of the beautiful foxglove flowers Eliza had for sale. After a moment, she decided not to, vowing to return later for them.
“There are 524 people living in Bainbridge,” Eliza was saying as they left the store. They turned to the right and walked just a few feet to the door of the shop next to Eliza’s Flowers. Anne Marie looked up at the wood-sculpted sign that hung over the door. It said, “Fine Dress Shoppe”. Her next thought was that the sign looked very large and heavy. If it should ever fall on anyone, that person would be severely injured, if not dead.
The Trouble With These Gentlemen (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story) Page 2
