by Abigail Agar
“They were happy for her to marry him?” Miss Jamison asked.
Reginald chuckled, thinking back to the moment and picturing the father’s face. He had been far from happy.
“I cannot say that they were happy, Miss Jamison. But they agreed. They allowed for it and were satisfied enough by my proposal and by how we intended to handle the marriage that they allowed it to take place, even if they were not going out of their way to ensure that it happened,” he told her.
Miss Jamison seemed to understand exactly what he meant and she nodded with him. She was an intelligent woman who knew the ways of a society that had abandoned her long ago.
Just as Lady Ingles had to handle the scandal of loving the wrong man, Miss Jamison had to live under the weight of her father’s mistakes. And Reginald was determined that he would make both situations right.
But, alas, he had not gotten so far as to tell Miss Jamison all of that yet.
“Now, after all of that, I contacted Mr. Smith,” he said.
“Oh? And how was that?” she asked.
“It was ideal. I arranged a wedding between him and Lady Ingles. A quickly done ceremony that could take place immediately. He was as overjoyed as she. Both were entirely relieved to be able to wed one another and enjoy their marriage without the disapproval of anyone,” he added.
“And to appease her mother and father, I gifted them a large piece of land and a sum of money. Those were things that I knew could only be of benefit to them and bring them a fair amount of fortune in the future should they invest it wisely.
“And that is the majority of this great tale that I was determined to bring you in the middle of the night,” he concluded, still on his knees before her.
Miss Jamison’s eyes were bright and searching, as if trying to find more answers within him or to see a part of him that, until now, had been hidden from her. It was clear that she was still holding back, keeping her emotions checked somewhere deep inside that she might not unintentionally show him everything that was feeling, everything that they had tried to keep from one another all this time.
“Surely you know what this means for us?” he prodded.
“For us?” she asked.
“Yes, Miss Jamison. For you and for me,” he repeated.
There was a defeat in her eyes. Something she could not allow to be overcome. Something she clung to. The belief that she was still unable to have the victory she wished for.
“You mean between you and your governess?” she asked, trying to make a point through her hesitant use of the words.
Reginald was silent for a moment before he began to laugh in disbelief. A small part of him was possibly even angry that she was so determined against having hope of any sort. But he knew that he still had a choice in how he proceeded.
Reginald wanted Miss Jamison to understand that he did all of this for one purpose and one purpose only. So that they could be together. That was all that mattered. And until she realised that this was his priority, she would never allow herself to be truly happy or content.
“Miss Jamison, I must ask you to wait here for a moment. Exactly here. Do not move at all. Is that understood?” he asked.
“Y-yes, my lord,” she replied, still seeming stunned by all of the events that had thus far occurred.
They would be together; he would find a way to express it to her. And if she was not able to hear his words, perhaps she would hear Marian’s.
Reginald entered his daughter’s room with a gentle knock. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him in confusion before it turned into excitement.
“Oh, Papa! You’re home?” she asked.
“Yes, my dear. I am home. And I am so sorry to wake you,” he apologised.
“It is the best dream you could have given me. I am glad that you woke me. I do not need sleep so much,” she insisted.
Reginald chuckled at that. But he had other things on his mind in that moment and arguing with his daughter about her stubbornness regarding sleep was not one of them.
“My dear, I need your help with something. It is very important and I think that it shall bring us both a great deal of happiness. How does that sound? Will you help me?” he asked.
Marian nodded with great enthusiasm and he was glad to see that she was looking forward to assisting him in his endeavour.
“Right, now come with me,” he laughed, scooping her into his arms and carrying her down the stairs, eliciting giggles.
As they began to descend, he whispered his plan and told her the parts in which he needed her to act or speak. She agreed to the whole of it and seemed eager to do so, just as he had expected.
Things seemed as though they would go well, smoothly even. He only hoped that his plan was a good one and that things would turn out as he had hoped.
Reginald set Marian down at the bottom of the stairs and took her hand, leading her into the room where Miss Jamison was still seated, looking anxious and uncertain.
“Marian,” she said, surprised that the Earl had shown up with his daughter.
“Yes, Miss Jamison. It is me. Even here in the middle of the night. Papa allowed me to wake up and I am ever so glad. I do like the night,” she said, her eyes wild with excitement that she got to be awake now of all times.
Reginald tried to restrain his laughter at his daughter’s interests. He needed her now more than ever and was looking forward to the role they would each play in this.
“Now, Miss Jamison, would you listen to us as we each ask you a question?” he proceeded.
“Certainly,” she replied.
“Excellent. Then I must preface by telling you that you ought to know by now why I did all of these things. But if you should continue to refuse to accept the way that I feel, I do hope that this settles the matter for you,” he said.
Miss Jamison eyed him warily, waiting for the questions to come.
“Miss Victoria Jamison, I ask that you would join our family. I should like nothing more in all this world than for you to be my wife. And having said that, I have to ask you formally, will you be my wife?” Reginald asked, down on his knees again.
A look of bewildered joy draped over her face, but his plan had not yet concluded. Marian had been instructed to speak before Miss Jamison had a chance to and she played her part well.
“And I have a second question to ask of you. I should love for you to join our family and be here. Always and forever. Will you be my stepmother?” Marian asked.
Elation washed over Miss Jamison’s face and she threw herself from the sofa and into the arms of both father and daughter.
Reginald held her tightly and felt his daughter’s arm wrap around the both of them. They were already becoming one small unit, a true family.
But she had not yet given a verbal answer.
“You have not replied,” he laughed, pulling back just far enough to look into Miss Jamison’s eyes.
“Yes, yes, and yes. I shall be a part of your family. I shall be your wife. I shall be your stepmother,” she replied accordingly.
And with that, the tears of joy began to flow all over again and the family grew closer than they ever anticipated it might come to be.
Chapter 35
A month had passed in which Victoria had continued her work as Marian’s governess while planning for the wedding. The Earl had argued that it seemed strange to continue as her employer while the two were engaged.
But Victoria insisted that she continue in her work as it was otherwise improper for her to remain in the housing which he had provided. Not only that, but she had so enjoyed teaching Marian that she was sad for it to come to an end.
Nevertheless, the Earl hired a new governess for Victoria to train in the final week before the wedding. Miss Ridge was a wonderful young woman and, as this was her first appointment, she was easy to train with good habits that Marian would respond to.
And now the day had come that her mother and father were due to arrive on.
Victoria waited in the windo
w until she saw their carriage arrive. It was the most exciting thing she could have anticipated and was thrilled to run down to the entrance to greet them.
Throwing her arms around her mother, tears filled Victoria’s eyes. Mrs. Jamison squeezed her in reply and they held one another for a long time before letting go.
Her father held back for a moment, as if waiting to read his daughter and see how she might feel about an interaction. But without hesitation, Victoria moved towards him and greeted him with a hug as well, a sign that he was welcomed at the estate.
“My sweet Victoria,” he whispered. At this, the tears in her eyes spilled over and Victoria made no effort to conceal them.
But within a short time, the three were seated in the parlour and Miss Franklin brought tea for the family. Mr. and Mrs. Jamison immediately began sharing details of their life of late and asking Victoria about her own.
“To think that you are getting married in a few short days is such a wonder!” her mother exclaimed.
“One which I hardly anticipated,” she laughed in reply. “But he is such a good man. The Earl shall be here any moment to meet you both and you shall know him for the great man that he is,” she promised.
Indeed, it was only a short time before the Earl of Hanover and Marian came to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Jamison.
“Is this the man my daughter is marrying? And is this the lovely Miss Marian?” Mr. Jamison asked in a jolly humour, his face lit up with excitement for his daughter.
“It is wonderful to meet you both,” the Earl exclaimed, giving a familiar smile and handshake rather than the formal sort of greeting that might have been expected.
“Oh, my lord, we are the ones who are delighted!” Mrs. Jamison replied.
There was such a joy in the room that none of them could quite express through words, yet the conversation moved forward without a pause or consideration.
Marian and Mrs. Jamison found themselves playing a game and Victoria could not help but indulge in watching them together.
Conversation abounded between the Earl and Victoria’s father and she listened in on much of it, curious what they might speak about. Much of it was related to billiards and hunting, the sort of sports that men of means enjoyed.
She wondered if her father missed those days of indulging in such activities, but the Earl promised to take him on a hunt the following day and challenged him to a match in the billiards room.
Before long, the two men departed in order to fulfill that challenge, leaving Victoria and her mother to catch up while entertaining Marian.
It was difficult to discuss everything they wished with the child around, but Victoria knew they would have more time together later.
Around lunch, they all convened in the dining room and ate their meal with the company of one another.
“Well, you know we are currently living with my wife’s very generous sister, but I think that we shall find a place of our own soon enough,” Victoria heard her father say.
“That is wonderful, Papa,” she commented in agreement with the Earl.
“Yes, I am looking forward to the day upon which we can give her all her space back. I must admit that I never imagined I would enjoy the sort of labour that I am doing now, but it is not so bad,” he added.
“And he is very good at it. Already, he has seen a promotion from his managers. Can you believe it? What an excellent man he is,” her mother declared.
Victoria was glad to hear and see this exchange and to know that so much forgiveness had taken place on her mother’s part. But a small part of her still twisted and ached for an explanation from her father.
She expected that it would come soon enough, but it did not change the fact that she struggled to wonder if her mother was being naive for giving in so easily to a reunion with him. Was she being wise in recommitting herself to a man who had been unfaithful? Would his hard work stick?
And if he gained back his wealth, would everything return to what it had been just a few years before when he chose vices over his family?
Later that evening, Victoria and her father decided to take a walk alone together. It was time for them to discuss the matters of the past and put them to rest.
They found themselves among the flowers of the garden just as the sun was beginning its descent. They still had a fair amount of daylight left, but knew that the colours in the sky were soon to turn vibrant pinks and oranges, making it all the more worthwhile to be outside.
For a while they remained quiet. There was no tension in their steps; merely a thousand words that had not yet been said between them that they both knew had to come sooner rather than later.
Victoria wondered if she ought to begin the conversation, but it felt strange to initiate when she knew well that this conversation was one in which her father would have to lead the discussion and was going to be giving a great apology that she had been waiting for for quite some time.
And when they stopped at the bench in the garden to have a seat, the words finally started to come.
“I expect that you know why I wished for us to have a while alone?” her father began.
“Yes, I imagine that I do,” she replied.
“I am glad for that. Because this may not be an easy talk for either of us, but it is a necessary one,” he remarked.
Victoria knew how badly she needed to hear his apology and was glad that it was finally going to come. Never in her life had she realised that she had depended on her father for so many things.
“As you know, my life was not in such a good place just a few years ago. I lost you and your mother, as well as everything we had. But I think that the first thing I must apologise for was that day when you were such a young girl,” he began, appearing disgusted with himself.
Victoria knew that he was speaking of the time that she had caught him with a mistress, but felt that she ought not to speak up until he had said all that needed to be said from his end.
“It was wrong of me to have asked you to keep a secret from your mother. Just as it was wrong of me to disrespect the both of you by having a mistress—well, more than one—it was wrong of me to have asked you to lie for me,” he admitted.
“I did not appreciate your mother for the woman that she is. I wanted more and I felt that my status in society, the wealth we had accrued, all of those things, were enough to bring me happiness.
“You were such a wonderful daughter. I loved you and I loved watching you play or spend time on your studies. I appreciated your personality in every way. But I had become addicted to my own vices and indulged in them quite foolishly. I allowed them to become more important to me than you and your mother,” he continued, sadness choking his voice.
Victoria listened to his words and tried to accept them even when she didn’t want to hear them. She wished she could just tell him that she forgave him and that they would move on. But it was evident that he needed to be truly forgiven, the sort that required the pain to be uprooted rather than buried.
“Well, as you know, I was a terrible man for a number of years. I had allowed pride to overwhelm me and bring me down.
“But I am not that same man now and I can promise you that. I have been doing very well. In many ways the loss of our fortune was good for me, although I still regret how it impacted you and your mother.
“And the best part is what I have come to learn about your mother,” he said with a look of joy while thinking about her.
