Was it right to show interest in a woman when his heart longed for another? Did it make him a bad person? Was it something a gentleman would do?
He felt his situation was vastly different from others who pursued a woman because of her looks or her wealth. It was unlikely he would ever get his heart’s desire. Therefore, it was logical to turn his sights in another direction. The beautiful, curvy woman sitting in front of him was exactly his age and did not require wealth and a title.
He was disappointed that Anne Marie was unwilling to bend in that requirement. At first sight, he would have enjoyed sweeping her off her feet, holding her close, and kissing her soft, red lips. He scanned Clara’s face in the light beaming from the two lanterns he had lit in the room. She was a pretty woman. She had dark lips and dark eyes. Her skin was smooth and very pale. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to be with her. However, was it the right thing to do?
He heard the milk already starting to simmer so he stood back up and went to take it from the fire.
“That was very fast!” Clara exclaimed. He could hear disappointment in her voice.
“Yes, fire is amazing.”
They both laughed. He poured the milk into a mug, added cocoa from the small container he’d taken down from the shelf and stirred it with a small wooden spoon.
He set it on the table and looked at her closely. “Come back down when you can. I’m sure she will want to speak with you while she drinks this. I will stay here and wait for you. I think you will really enjoy some cocoa of your own.”
“Thank you, James. I will return soon.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JAMES AND CLARA TALK
JAMES AND CLARA TALK
She knocked lightly on the door before going in. Anne Marie was still sitting up in bed. She had gotten up and reopened the drapes. She looked over to Clara and smiled.
“I see steam rising from that mug.” She said. “Did you warm it up?”
Clara approached the bed and carefully handed the mug of hot liquid to Anne Marie. “James was in the kitchen with two of the servants. He made a fire in the stove and warmed it for you.”
“That was very kind of him.” Anne Marie refused to let herself feel jealous, but couldn’t help but wonder what they had talked about while they were together. She didn’t have to wonder for long. Clara began talking and she hung on every word, hoping the two had not bonded too much.
“When I went in, Miss Anne, he was taking a list of supplies needed for the upcoming week. He will give them money tomorrow, well, one of them anyway, and she will go to the market to purchase the items.”
Anne Marie nodded. “That sounds logical, Clara. You sound surprised.”
“I am surprised because he asked them if they needed anything personally. Surely they get a salary for working here.”
“I’m sure they do. It may not be a lot. Or that could be considered a special bonus for their hard work.”
“Their reactions were very calm, as if this was something they do on a frequent basis. It seemed to me they were expecting the question.”
Anne Marie smiled, sipping the hot liquid. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet chocolate as it slid over her tongue.
“This is quite delicious.”
“Yes, I hope to have some when I go back down to chat with James after you are asleep.”
Anne Marie felt as though her stomach leapt into her throat. She lifted the mug quickly so that her reaction wouldn’t be seen in the light of the lantern Clara had set next to the bed. After taking a long drink, she said, “You are going back down there?”
She didn’t want to picture them sitting where she and James had been, talking in low voices, perhaps falling in love with each other. Clara looked up at the fluttering fabric of the canopy bed with a wistful look on her face. As much as she cared for her friend, Anne Marie didn’t like that look. She wanted to say something that would wipe the look away but it wasn’t in her nature to be petty and spiteful so she couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Yes, I can’t wait to spend some time getting to know him. I have watched him and talked to him a few times and, I must say, Miss Anne, he is a remarkable gentleman. I have yet to see a flaw in him.”
“All men have flaws.” Anne Marie countered. There was no basis for her words. She herself had not seen any flaws in James’ character. He was amazing.
“For that matter, all people have flaws, men and women. No perfect person has walked the earth since Jesus. But whatever his flaws are, I can’t see them.”
Anne Marie didn’t want Clara to see what she was thinking but it apparently showed on her face because Clara became quiet and when she spoke it was with a bit of tension in her voice.
“Miss Anne, you can’t still be thinking about James as a suitor. You know your uncle will not agree to your desire to marry a man without a title or riches.”
“It does not seem fair to me,” Anne Marie said. “That I should need to be married to inherit my money. If I am alone, I need the money more. If I marry a rich man, he doesn’t need the money. The inheritance would help the hotel and James’ family. It would…”
Clara cut her off for the first time in their lives together. “Miss Anne, you must get this out of your mind. Your uncle will not agree to it. And I will be uncomfortable being pursued by a man who has caught your interest.”
Anne Marie hesitated before replying. “Do you think he will pursue you?”
“He was looking at me with a longing look while I was in the kitchen tonight.”
The words cut like a knife in Anne Marie’s heart. She was sure she had seen that look in James’ eyes when he looked at her, especially when he’d sealed the letter for her. The thought reminded her of that letter and the fact that it would go out the next day. Her uncle would receive it, read it, and hopefully reply immediately. If he felt it necessary, he would visit, as she suggested. However, if James and Clara were courting by then, it would be a waste and she would end up stuck with the enigmatic Earl George Kipling. He was handsome enough but not particularly her type. It was hard to decide on a type when her mind and heart was overcome with James Ellingham.
The Duchess was hoping for a union with one of her sons. If any man were to take her heart away from James, it would have to be one of them. Earl Kipling simply was not a viable option for her. Of the Cornwall sons, Tyler and Nicholas were the only ones available to her. Both were handsome, intelligent, and humorous. They were kind and generous, as well. Tyler seemed to be a formidable leader, as she had seen when he directed the clean-up in the flower shop earlier that day.
“I know that I have limited options.” She finally said. “I am stuck with the Earl Kipling, I’m afraid.”
“What is wrong with Earl Kipling?” Clara asked. “He is titled and has some wealth.”
Anne Marie shook her head. “If he is wealthy, why is he living here in this hotel instead of owning his own mansion?”
“That is a good question, Miss Anne. However, he is not your only option. The Duchess took a shining to you. She really enjoys your company and your conversation. I could tell earlier when she dragged you all around the flower shop and up into the Huntington chambers. She lights up when you are around.”
“That is strange, isn’t it?”
“Not really, Miss. You are a wonderful companion. She has good taste.”
Anne Marie smiled. “Thank you, my dear. What a nice thing to say.”
“You would be welcome to her sons, though, is the point I was making.” Clara smiled at Anne Marie. “If you were to be courted by Tyler or Nicholas, you would be a very happy and wealthy woman in the end, would you not?”
“I would be wealthy. I would have station. In some ways, yes, I would be happy. But what do you do when your heart wants something you can’t have?”
She had finished the mug of cocoa and set it down on the table next to the bed. “I’m very tired now.” She said, scooting down into the bed. “I think I will go to sleep. Thank you for t
alking to me, Clara.”
“It was my pleasure, Miss. I encourage you to think more about one of the Cornwall sons, perhaps the younger one, Nicholas. He is so handsome, my lady! I would give my eye-teeth for a chance with him. He seems nearly perfect!”
When Clara stood up and moved to the door, picking up the lantern and the mug, all Anne Marie could think was, If you think he’s perfect, you should marry him.
She turned over on her side and pulled the covers up to her chin. Just before she fell asleep, she thought she should have had Clara close the drapes before she left.
Clara hurried down the stairs, anxious to see James again. She was worried that she had spent too much time with Anne Marie and perhaps James decided to retire to bed. When she saw the flickering light under the door to the kitchen, she knew he was still in there and relief flooded through her. She slowed down so that she would not be out of breath when she went in.
She pushed the door open and saw that he had made mugs for each of them and was slowly sipping on his own. She came in, set the lantern down on the table, and sat across from him. He pushed the mug closer to her.
“I just poured that. It should be quite hot. You may want to let it cool down a moment before you drink it. You don’t want to burn your tongue.”
Clara shook her head. “No, I definitely do not want that to happen.” She picked up the mug and blew softly on the liquid inside to cool it. She dropped her eyes to his mug. “Is that your first?”
“My first mug? Of hot cocoa? Maybe. Maybe not.” He grinned. She returned it. “How is Lady Wiltshire?”
“You were calling her Miss Anne before. You can call her that with me. I don’t mind. It’s less formal than Lady Wiltshire and both of us are too close to her to call her that, aren’t we?”
He nodded. “We are. But you have not answered my question. Is she all right? Did she enjoy the hot cocoa milk?”
“She did. She thanked you for it.”
“Did you have a nice chat?”
“We did.”
“Was it about men?” His voice was teasing. “Men like me?”
“Oh my,” Clara felt her cheeks blushing. She wasn’t comfortable telling James that she and Anne Marie had discussed that very topic and he was one of the men mentioned.
“I’m sorry, did I embarrass you? You needn’t answer the question then. I was thinking she may have her eye on Nicholas. Tyler seems to be too business minded. I have not seen him giving her any real attention. Or do you think she will choose the unfathomable Earl Kipling?”
Clara shook her head. “She is not impressed with Earl Kipling.”
“Oh?” This came as no surprise to James. He’d seen the look of disdain that often crossed Anne Marie’s face in the presence of the Earl. “I had a feeling that was not going to happen. Nevertheless, the Earl seems determined. Would the Lady act out of desperation?”
Clara shook her head again, this time a little more vehemently. “No, no. We have been traveling for over a year, all around England, Scotland, and Ireland. She has been in a situation before where a gentleman with a title was interested in courting her. But she was not interested in them. She let them know without hesitation. She was always certain they were not going to capture her heart or her hand.”
“Does she speak openly with you about it?”
Clara nodded. “Every chance she gets. We have become good friends.”
“Her title…it is not very high ranking. I suppose she wants to further herself, take a few more notches up the ladder?”
Clara was almost offended. If James wasn’t such a handsome man and her heart was not already longing for him, she might have been. “No, not at all. She is not that kind of woman. Titles, wealth… they don’t mean anything to her.”
“Then why does she seem to only be available to noblemen and riches?”
Clara wasn’t sure she wanted to tell James the full truth. It seemed that such information should have come from Anne Marie herself. However, when she looked in James’ eyes, she wanted to tell him everything.
“She is being directed by her Uncle. For her to inherit the full amount she is due on her 21st birthday, she must be married to a man with wealth and a title. She has… mentioned that she would rather not. But in order to get her fortune, she must do it.”
James blinked a few times, letting that news sink in. She was being forced to choose between a life of luxury and a life of comfort in the arms of a man she loved.
If she was not interested in wealth and position, as Clara had insisted, then she would take a chance on losing the money so she can be happily in love with the man she married. However, if she was not willing to give up the money that could possibly keep her in a lavish lifestyle for the rest of her life, she would choose a man that her Uncle approved of.
He wondered what she would choose.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ANNE MARIE IS JEALOUS
ANNE MARIE IS JEALOUS
As predicted, the sun beaming through the open drapes woke Anne Marie the next morning. She slid out of bed, shading her eyes from the light, going over to the drapes and pulling one closed. As she reached up to pull the second one closer to the first, she stopped, her eyes straying to her desk. On top of the upper shelf, she saw a now familiar sight.
A purple Foxglove flower.
She froze for a moment, her eyes staring intently at the flower. She didn’t know whether she should be afraid or flattered. Whoever it was knew her favorite flower and apparently knew when to come in her room while she was sleeping. It was the third in a week, in the entire time she had been in Bainbridge.
She left the drape open so that she could see around her room. Now that her eyes had adjusted, she felt more comfortable with it open. She went to the desk and picked up the flower, pushing it gently against her nose and breathing in the sweet scent. It was such a beautiful smell, a perfume she wished she could bottle and wear all the time.
She set the flower back down and wondered if Clara would come in to see her that morning. Breakfast was not until ten, as usual. She found herself to be slightly hungry and wondered what time it was.
She went back to the window to look at the large sundial that took up a prominent spot in the middle of the street. It was large, and had been placed directly in the middle of the main road. Horses, buggies, carriages, coaches, and the like simply made their way around the dial in the middle of it. Anne Marie had noticed that it was nearly always correct or within a few minutes of being so. According to it, the time was approximately 9:30 in the morning.
She took the time to get dressed before going across the hall to Clara’s room and knocking on the door. When no one answered, she turned the knob and went in, sure that her companion could not possibly still be asleep. It worried her. She saw that Clara’s bed was empty and had been lazily made again. The housekeeper had not been in yet. It was obvious Clara had tried to at least make it look decent, should anyone come in.
She crossed the room to the windows and pulled the drapes back to look at the back of the building. She had not looked through a window on this side of the building, nor had she seen the back of the building from the outside. She looked out at the land behind the hotel with amazement. There was a long field there, a huge garden filled with vegetables, lines of fruit trees and a stream horizontally cutting the garden in half.
In the middle of the garden was a covered swing. Two people occupied the swing.
It was James and Clara.
They were seated on the swing, which rocked forward and back gently. James was saying something and Clara was gazing adoringly at him.
Anne Marie’s first reaction was to be angry. What gave Clara the right to be up before her, to not attend to her needs? Why had she not come and woken Anne Marie first before going out to sit on the swing with James and have a chat?
Then an overwhelming sensation of guilt followed by sorrow swept over her. It was not her place. There was nothing she could do. James was not the one for her. Pe
rhaps he would be the one for Clara.
With tears in her eyes, she turned away from the window. She pulled in a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart. She lifted one hand to her chest and the other to her forehead. She was close to fainting. She did not want to faint in Clara’s room, so she went back across the hall to her own. Without hesitation, she threw herself on her bed, lying on her tummy and grabbed the pillow to put against her face. She screamed into it and let herself cry for a moment.
She felt foolish. If her Uncle gave her permission to marry a commoner, James would already be gone, trapped in the arms of another woman. Her companion, Clara.
“God, why does it have to be this way?” Anne Marie said softly, drying her tears on her pillow. “I want to marry for love. Please, God. Change my Uncle’s mind in time for me to express to James how I feel about him.”
She pulled in a deep breath again and pushed herself over onto her back. She laid there for a few minutes, regaining her composure. She would do nothing different. She would be herself. She wouldn’t allow her natural jealousy of the feelings sprouting between James and Clara to dictate her behavior. She would control herself.
A knock at the door made her sit up and wipe her face, pinching her cheeks slightly to make sure there was color there. She had not put on any make up. She feared that her red eyes from crying would give her away and show what a foolish child she was.
“One moment!” she called out. She pushed off the bed and rushed over to the desk. She hid the Foxglove with the others she had collected, dropping them into a drawer attached to the desk. Then she hurried to pick up her face powder. She brushed it against her cheeks, chin, and forehead. Then she smoothed it out with her fingertips, making sure to cover her eyelids and under her eyes. It hid the sorrow and depression very well, in her opinion.
The Trouble With These Gentlemen (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story) Page 12
