“My lady,” he said, half-bowing. “Would you do me the honor of a walk along the lane?” She looked from his gloved hand up into his eyes, more gray than blue in the light of the morning sun and holding a somberness in them she did not understand.
Virginia looked from her sons, working together with frowns of concentration, back up to the tall earl. What could he wish to speak to her about? Was it only common courtesy? Did he think she expected to be waited upon?
The manners bred into her demanded she accept him, especially given his attention to her sons. She put her hand in his and allowed him to help her stand.
“If you wish it, my lord,” she answered, glancing at the boys again.
“They will be fine,” he whispered, giving the hand he held a gentle squeeze before offering his arm. “And we will not go far.”
She met his eyes, taking in the confidence she read in his expression, and nodded her agreement. He stepped in the direction of the gravel path and she followed, her pace even with his. He did not walk with hurried steps, but his movement was measured as though he had a destination in mind.
“Thank you for aiding them, my lord,” she said after several seconds of silence. “They are the best of children, but the injury of that toy would’ve made them enemies for days.”
“I well understand,” he answered, his voice quiet and his eyes fixed ahead. “And there is more to it than the toy, isn’t there?”
Virginia swallowed and turned her eyes away, fixing her gaze on the trees lining the path. “They have suffered a great deal of loss. Phillip seems to feel it more keenly than Edward, but I find both children are given to express more emotion than before.”
“I understand. Grief is difficult enough for those of us with years of experience in life. I cannot imagine how it would color the world of a child.”
She glanced at him, curious, and saw he was studying her profile with careful eyes. What did he see when he looked at her? A grieving woman? A concerned mother? She knew she was not in the bloom of good health anymore, and she’d hardly felt like eating. Did she resemble a specter, or a tragic character from a novel, thin and pale, with hopeless eyes?
Not given to flights of fancy, Virginia drew away from those thoughts and forced a polite smile upon her face.
“It is a lovely morning. Wouldn’t you agree, my lord?”
A sigh escaped his lips and he made a show of looking about them. “A fine spring day. Yes. But it is not the weather I wish to discuss with you, Lady Heatherton.”
“What do you wish to discuss, Lord Calvert?” she asked.
He stopped walking, necessitating she do the same. They had gone just far enough down the lane that she could only glimpse her sons through the trunks of several trees, but she could see them playing happily where she’d left them.
“I have something particular I wish to speak to you about.” His words brought her back to him. His lips were turned up in the smallest of smiles, though his brow was drawn down in a more serious manner. “I think what I have to say may be considered shocking by some. I ask that you listen with an open mind to what I am about to propose. Will you do that for me, Lady Heatherton?”
“I think I can promise that much, my lord.” And her curiosity demanded it. What could this man, a stranger, have to say to her that could be shocking?
He took a deep breath and the tension in his face actually eased, as though he’d already said the most difficult part. “I have learned of your present difficulty in regard to your brother-in-law. Mrs. Christine Gilbert told me of it,” he admitted.
“Oh?” Virginia raised her eyebrows and mentally made note to speak to Christine about that later. The servants sharing information amongst themselves she might understand, but her cousin telling this man of her private affairs? That did not sit comfortably with her.
“Yes. She thought it possible I might know of a solution to the situation.” His lips twitched as though he tried to hide a smile, though Virginia saw little of humor in the situation.
She stiffened her posture and lifted her chin. If they were going to discuss her private business, she had no wish to show him more than a strong front, a good line of defense.
“And have you a solution, my lord?” The sooner he spoke his mind, the sooner they could end the conversation.
When he spoke, his voice dropped an octave lower and his eyes shone earnestly. “I do. I think you ought to marry me.”
For the space of two heart beats, Virginia only stared at him, uncomprehending. Then a laugh squeezed its way from her lungs and she dropped his arm. “Marry you?”
He nodded firmly. “I am unmarried, with title and influence. My name will protect your sons and they will not be taken from you.”
Virginia’s heart pounded heavily against her ribs. She stood, gaping at him like a fish, and he kept talking as though it was not at all extraordinary to propose marriage after less than a day’s acquaintance.
“I have thought it all through, my lady, and I feel I must make a few things clear at once. If we marry by special license, we need not wait for the mourning period to end or have banns read where your brother-in-law will learn of it.” He spoke rapidly, perhaps sensing her rising disbelief. “It will be a marriage in name only, until the full mourning period has passed. I respect your right to grieve a husband who was a good man. I lost my wife—” Here his words took on a choked quality, but he cleared his throat and continued.
“I lost my wife years ago, and I understand the importance of grieving. I do hope, someday, to have an heir of my own, but that can be addressed at a later time.”
Virginia’s cheeks warmed but she felt herself nod.
Am I actually considering this madness? She could hardly believe it.
“My lord,” she said, forcing the words out before he could say another word. “What are you suggesting? How can you be certain? You have only known me since yesterday.”
Lord Calvert spread his arms as he spoke, gesturing with his hands. “And? Many a marriage has been founded on less and been successful.”
“Many a marriage has been founded on more and been a disaster,” she quipped, folding her arms across her chest. But she had not closed her mind to the idea. She knew Lord Calvert by reputation and her cousin’s glowing praise of him. “I would want a legal contract in place,” she said. Dear Lord, what was she doing? “Assurances that you would not touch my sons’ inheritance or my marriage portion.”
For how demanding she sounded, he only looked solemn.
“Easily managed.” He stepped forward, close enough that she could see the blue in his eyes again. “And more. I swear to you, on my honor, to treat you with kindness and respect. I also swear I will do all in my power to care for your sons as if they were my own. You and they will want for nothing. Your concerns will become mine, their successes a priority. I do not enter into this agreement lightly.”
“Only hastily,” she said, tilting her head to the side as she regarded him. Virginia’s heart had slowed as she listened to his earnest words. Could she trust him? He had a reputation of being fair and decisive. He’d done what he could to ensure her own cousin’s happiness. She knew he had influence and power, even in London. And hadn’t she just been thinking that Charles would’ve liked him?
Charles had often told her it was more important to look to the actions of a man than his words. Hadn’t the earl already given her some evidence of the sort of man he was in his treatment of her children?
Lord Calvert mirrored her, tilting his head and studying her with his blue-gray gaze. “Would you like time to think on it?”
It would be sensible to ask for time, to discuss the matter with others, to consult Mr. Olivier in Bath. But the fact remained that no one could make decisions for her anymore. As a widow, all responsibility fell to her to care for her family and her future. Though a more cautious mind would step back from the proposal, would scoff at the absurdity of it, Virginia’s instinctive reply was the one she must make.
Taking a deep
breath, assuring herself that her heart was safely tucked away behind the fortress of her making, Virginia gave her answer.
“I do not think more time will change my mind. If you are certain, I am as well. Yes. I will marry you, Lord Calvert.”
His eyes brightened and he bowed, keeping his gaze on her face. “I am honored to have your trust, my lady.”
Virginia waited for a feeling of dismay, for regret to settle in her stomach, but instead it was as though a weight had gone from her. When he extended his hand again, she took it, the warmth of his grasp comforting.
“Please,” she said, watching his expression as she spoke. “Allow me to tell my family and my sons.”
“Of course, my lady. Would you like me present?”
Virginia shook her head. “I am not afraid. I only wish to handle their questions and concerns on my own. And I must contact Mr. Olivier. He is a barrister in Bath and has been helping with my case.”
“I will see to the special license.” His eyes flicked away and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and then looked down at the ground. “There will be at least one line of inquiry put to me, since you have not completed the year’s mourning period.”
It took Virginia a moment to realize he was uncomfortable, perhaps even embarrassed. “What might that be, my lord?” she asked, puzzled. The man could say all he had to her with a straight face, and now his ears turned pink?
“Is there any way,” he began, speaking slowly and mostly to the ground, “that you could be with your late husband’s child?” His ears were redder than pink by the time he finished his question.
Virginia felt warmth explode in her cheeks. To discuss such intimate details with a near stranger—! She told herself not to be ridiculous. They were both mature, had both been married. Swallowing the discomfort, she started to shake her head. But he was still looking down.
“I am not with child,” she answered, her voice soft. “My husband has been gone three months. And in his last months of life, he did not have the health to engage in activity which might’ve made me so.” She released his hand and turned, going back down the walk, her arms wrapped around her waist. It was a strange thing to discuss, of course, but the loneliness in her heart, the longing for what had been lost, caused her heart to ache.
How she missed Charles. Missed being held by him.
Lord Calvert was by her side again, keeping pace with her easily, keeping his hands tucked behind his back. “I am sorry to intrude on your privacy,” he said, his eyes forward, trained on the house. “I will not do so further.”
“I understand the need.” Virginia’s eyes found her sons, playing happily in the garden, their place in the world less secure than they knew. She was doing this for them, for their safety and security, to keep them from the influence of a man who cared nothing for them.
“How soon can you secure the special license?” she asked.
“I will leave tomorrow, if you wish it,” he said.
“That will do. Thank you.” The words were too trite given the extremes he went to on her behalf, but Virginia could summon no greater enthusiasm. Shock held her in its grip.
Virginia hoped she’d made the right decision, but her well-protected heart did little to reassure her.
Chapter Six
Leaning against the paddock’s rail, watching Phillip canter around its edges on his horse, Virginia did her best to commit the moment to her memory. Edward was doubled-up with Thomas, riding at a slower pace while Thomas called instructions to Phillip.
Her sons, in this precious point in time, were happy. They were in the midst of an adventure, trusting Thomas to lead them, trusting her to keep them safe. They knew nothing of how their lives would change in a few days’ time. The earl had taken his leave of them, accepting his crock of glue with a bow. He had extracted a promise from her to send a message if he was needed, then he’d gone on his way.
“They are fine boys, Ginny,” her cousin said. Virginia looked to her side, meeting Christine’s warm brown eyes and wide smile with a smaller one of her own.
“I know. I hope they grow into fine men.”
“Under your influence, they will.” Christine, not usually a demonstrative woman, surprised Virginia by putting her arm around her cousin’s shoulders. “And we will help where we can.”
“You have already done more than I have any right to ask. We have lived in your home for three months, we have overtaken your house and gardens, not to mention the biscuit trays.”
Christine laughed. “We love it, Ginny. If I thought I could convince you, I would ask that you make your permanent home with us. But that will not do for you, will it?”
Shaking her head, Virginia murmured her assent. “It will not, I’m afraid. We must have a home of our own again.”
“What are you going to do about Mr. Macon?” Christine asked, lowering her eyes to the grass. “I imagine you have given it a great deal of thought.”
Virginia’s heart squeezed. It was time. “I have. Apparently, I’m not the only one to have been troubled by making plans, either. I understand you told the Earl of Annesbury my troubles?”
Christine’s face blanched and her eyes widened. “Oh, Virginia, it was such a foolish thing for me to do. I am dreadfully sorry. But he’s been helpful in the past, and I wished—”
Virginia slowed her words with a hand on her arm. “I am not upset with you, Christine. How could I be? He came up with a solution, you see.”
Christine stilled and a look of relief crossed her face. “Really? Will it work?”
“It had better.” Virginia sighed and turned, leaning back against the rail as she met her cousin’s eyes. “I’ve not told anyone yet, and I mean to tell the boys tonight. But I have agreed to marry Lord Calvert.”
Christine stood gaping, her body still as a statue. Finally, a sound like a squeak escaped her. “Really?”
“Yes." Virginia closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the afternoon sun warm her face. It had been too long since she’d allowed warmth into her life.
“You met him yesterday.” Christine sounded cautious, not disbelieving. “Are you sure, Virginia? Is this what you want?”
“I want my sons to be safe from a tyrannical uncle,” she said, her voice soft. She could hear Edward giggling as he and Thomas rode by. “I want them to have days like today, in the sunlight, without worry or fear. I want to be with them, watching them grow and learn. I believe marrying a man of the earl’s reputation will give me those things.” She opened her eyes and took in her cousin’s solemn expression.
“He is a good man,” Christine said firmly. “Although I believe he is used to getting his way.” Her smile appeared, smaller than before. “I am only sorry you do not love him. I understand marrying where there isn’t love. I planned my whole life to do so, until Thomas convinced me otherwise.” Her eyes sought out her husband in the paddock, her expression softening as she watched him.
“I have loved before.” Virginia turned to wave at Phillip as he rode by, showing him her proudest smile. “Charles will be in my heart forever, and I have our boys as a reminder of his love. I think that will be enough for me.”
Christine’s hand sought Virginia’s and gave it an encouraging squeeze. They said no more, though Virginia could feel her cousin’s affection and support well enough.
¤
Nurse Smythe, an angel of a woman, readied the boys for bed as she did every night. Virginia sat in the upstairs nursery of the Gilbert home, watching with amusement as Edward became caught up in his nightshirt.
“Sweet child, your head goes here,” Nurse said, reaching out to straighten his path through the material. She patted his head and bustled about, plumping pillows and straightening quilt corners.
The boys were soon in bed, tucked in close, and then Nurse Smythe gave Virginia a warm smile before disappearing out the door to the hall. Virginia had already told the older woman, the woman who had nursed her Charles as a child, that she needed
to speak to the children alone that night.
“Are you going to tell us a story, Mama?” Edward asked, snuggling further into his blankets. “I love stories.”
“I do too.” Phillip rolled over in his bed and propped his chin up on one fist. His green eyes sparkled at her with interest.
Virginia’s heart warmed, as any mother’s would, when she took in their innocent request and sleepy smiles. For the breadth of a second, she wondered if she was wrong to destroy their contentment with her announcement. But it was a foolish thought, given the alternative to her choice.
“Perhaps we can have a story. But first, we must have a very serious talk. I have something important to tell you.” She took in a deep breath, meeting Phillip’s green eyes and Edward’s brown, her heart aching for all they’d been through. But they would take her behavior for their own; she had to begin as she meant to go on, with optimism.
“First, I must remind you both how much I love you. The two of you are my whole world and you have my heart.” She stood from the chair and came to kneel between their little beds, reaching out to each of them. “Your father loved you, too. When he left us, he desperately wanted you both to know that and to be taken care of. Do you understand that, Phillip?”
Phillip, his green eyes dark, looked down at his pillow and nodded. “He said you’d take care of us, and we’d take care of you.”
Edward reached his hand out to touch hers. “I remember, too. I love Papa so much.”
“As do I, sweetheart. So much.” She grasped his little palm in hers and smiled, the tenderness of the moment nearly overcoming her. Virginia forced away her tears and looked from one to the other. “Because your father cared for you, and because I love you, I have had to make a very big decision. You see, we cannot live here with Cousin Christine and Cousin Thomas forever. They have been so kind to us, but we must have our own home.”
“Will we go back to Heatherton Hall?” Phillip asked, pushing himself up to sit. “Back to our home?”
He had not been there in half a year, but his excitement fully showed how much he missed the old pile of stones, as Charles had called it.
The Earl and His Lady: A Regency Romance (Branches of Love Book 4) Page 5
