In the Stars

by Ava Stone

  Usually, Nathaniel avoided interactions with Skrewd if they could be helped, but he found himself striding across the ballroom, straight for the colonel and major. If the latter had done something to offend Miss Throssell…Well, she was Nathaniel’s betrothed, even if he had to find a way out of that particular situation. But that was neither here nor there at the moment. Miss Throssell was currently his intended, and if Skrewd had done something to her, the major would sport a blackened eye for at least a sennight.

  Colonel Throssell’s light eyes lit up when he spotted Nathaniel, a genuine smile spread across his weathered face. “My dear boy!” He gestured Nathaniel closer. “How nice to finally see you.”

  A bit of guilt washed across Nathaniel. He should have seen the colonel long before now, he’d just been so consumed with the responsibilities of Healeyfield Abbey. He still was. “You too, sir.” He feigned a smile for the old man’s benefit. “I just had a delightful conversation with your daughter.” Then he glanced towards Major Ben Skrewd to see if those words elicited any sort of reaction in the man. They didn’t. Odd, that. He’d been certain the man would have flinched or would look a bit uneasy.

  “Mina?” Colonel Throssell asked, sounding slightly bewildered.

  “Mina?” Nathaniel echoed. What was mina?

  “My daughter?” the colonel clarified.

  Mina. Must be short for Wilhelmina. Nathaniel probably sounded like a dolt. “Oh, yes, sir. Your daughter. Delightful conversation,” he repeated the words she’d asked him to say, though he wasn’t certain why. There was no reason for artifice with Colonel Throssell.

  The old man briefed a glance at Major Skrewd and said, “Do excuse us, Ben.” Without waiting for a reply, he clapped a hand to Nathaniel’s back. “It’s a bit stuffy in here, don’t you agree?” Then he strode straight for a set of open doors that led to an outdoor terrace.

  Nathaniel followed Colonel Throssell, his mind awhirl. Skrewd didn’t seem to be interested in Mina Throssell in the least. So perhaps he’d misinterpreted the panic he’d seen on her face. But now…now he was about to have a conversation with the girl’s father and he had no idea what to say. He couldn’t just blurt out – Sir, your daughter and I won’t suit.

  Colonel Throssell had been a mentor, a father-figure to him of sorts, a man he admired most highly. And he had just said he’d shared a delightful conversation with the man’s daughter. Actually, he’d said it twice.

  “How are you doing with all your newfound bequeathments?” Colonel Throssell asked, his usual light eyes shaded in the darkness of the night.

  Nathaniel leaned against the balustrade to stare out upon the darkened gardens below. He shook his head. Whatever else there was between the two of them in regards to Mina Throssell, the colonel would give Nathaniel his best guidance. He’d always been a man of integrity and honor. “I’m trying to sort out how to manage and repair Healeyfield Abbey as we speak, sir. A most daunting task.”

  “In near ruins, Captain Reid tells me.”

  Nathaniel scowled. “Captain Reid talks too much.”

  “Some times he does,” the colonel agreed. “But he’s concerned about you.”

  With good reason. Nathaniel had no idea how to pull himself out of the hole he was in. He shifted his position to better see his mentor. “I can sell my commission and start on the most urgent repairs.”

  The old man frowned. “Or you can make good use of Mina’s dowry.”

  Damn they were already on the topic of the colonel’s daughter. Nathaniel shook his head. “I don’t feel I should hold her to a promise she had no part of, sir.”

  Colonel Throssell laughed, though there was very little levity in the sound. “If I gave her a say in anything as important as her future, she’d hole herself up inside some ramshackle cottage in Western Cornwall and spend her time making cloughties to appease well spirits.”

  Cloughties? Well sprits? If Nathaniel hadn’t just met the girl, he’d have thought the colonel was joking. But he wasn’t. He could see the worry in each line and wrinkle of the old man’s face.

  The colonel shook his head in clear frustration. “You say you had a delightful conversation with her, Nathaniel. I imagine you were being kind to spare my feelings, but there’s no need. She’s my daughter. I’m well aware of her failings. She’s too damn much like her mother. That’s the problem with her.”

  She certainly wasn’t anything like the colonel, that was for certain. “Honestly, sir, she is a delightful girl, but I don’t think we’ll suit. I can’t imagine you’d want her unhappy the rest of her years.”

  The old man snorted as he raked a hand through his silvery hair. “I can’t concern myself with something as fleeting as her happiness. I’m not going to live forever, Nathaniel. If I didn’t know that already, it was made perfectly clear at Quatre Bras. I need to make sure she’s well-cared for after I’m gone.”

  “You are the picture of health, Colonel.”

  “The mangled scars across my chest say otherwise.” Colonel Throssell heaved a deep sigh. “I’m certain she’s not what you want. I’m certain you could find some equable girl who would make your life simple on all fronts the rest of your days. But you’re the sort Mina needs. You’re the perfect levelheaded fellow who’ll yank her head out of the clouds when it’s been there too long, the sort of fellow who would keep her grounded when she needs it most. I’ve known many men throughout my career, Nathaniel Carrick, and there’s no one I’d trust with my daughter’s future more than you.”

  Nathaniel couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride at the old man’s words. He admired no one more than he did Colonel Throssell, and it was truly touching to hear such accolades from his mentor. But could he truly see himself tied to Wilhelmina Throssell the rest of his days? He was drawn to her, there was no denying that. Still… “I don’t feel like we speak the same language, she and I.” Fairies and sprites and well spirits, squirrels and birds…

  At that the old man laughed. “No one speaks her language. And it’s all Melisande’s fault, my late-wife. She filled Mina’s head with a never-ending stream of mystical nonsense her whole life. It’s no wonder the girl sees the world so oddly.” The smile fell from the colonel’s face. “Mina and I have never agreed on anything, Nathaniel. And it’s maddening, loving someone as much as I do my daughter but not having a damn thing in common with her. I see her mother in her smile and the way her eyes twinkle just so. I hear her mother’s words come out of her mouth. And it makes me curse the day I met the woman. I hate that she had such an influence on my daughter, that even in death she still has it. I hate it with every breath I breathe. But I love Mina with all my heart. She’s my own flesh and blood, even if she does test the limits of my sanity and my patience. There’s nothing she could do or say that would make me stop loving her. Someday when you have children of your own, you’ll know what I mean by that.”

  Someday when he had children of his own. An image of Mina Throssell, a babe in her belly and one in her arms, standing in the back gardens of Healeyfield Abbey flashed in Nathaniel’s mind. Damn it all, but it was a pretty sight, one that truly did call to him. But that was madness, a madness that shouldn’t be indulged. He pushed the image away as quickly as it had appeared.

  “You’ve always been very practical, Nathaniel. You know that marrying my daughter will lift the burden of Healeyfield Abbey from your shoulders. You know that your new viscountcy will benefit from the marriage, both financially and politically. You know that your heirs will prosper for generations because of this alliance.”

  “But I also suspect she will test the limits of my sanity,” he echoed the colonel’s own words.

  The old man chuckled. “Nonsense. There’s not a saner man of my acquaintance. You’ve led the most revered regiment of men in His Majesty’s army. You faced down countless foes with a bravery possessed by very few. Certainly you can handle a mere slip of a girl.”

  There was that. Still… “I hate to be thought of as fortune hunter, sir.”
>
  Throssell shook his head. “You’re not hunting my fortune, I’m practically throwing it at you, but only because I know you’ll take good care of her. I’ll never worry about her future as your wife. I can die in peace knowing I’ve secured her safety. That’s worth a hundred fortunes to me.”

  How could Nathaniel do otherwise? Marrying Wilhelmina Throssell would secure the future of Healeyfield Abbey and his viscountcy. Marrying the girl would bring peace of mind to her father. And there was the fact that she did call to him like no other girl had ever done.

  Many marriages were built on less.

  After a moment, he acquiesced. Marrying her was the answer to his problems, to the colonel’s worries. He only wished he had a more positive outlook on their future together. Fairies, sprites, cloughties, well spirits. What was he to do with a wife like that? “I suppose we should have the banns called, then, sir.”

  “I suppose we should.” An enigmatic expression flashed in the colonel’s eyes, but it was gone a moment later. “Why don’t you pay call on me tomorrow and we’ll get the contract finalized?”

  Mina couldn’t escape fast enough. Every time she encountered Major Skrewd, a sense of dread filled her. A brown aura seemed to hover about him, though she was the only one who ever noticed it, and Papa got angry whenever she mentioned it. The idea of being in the same room with the major made her skin crawl. It was best simply to avoid the man. Thank heavens he had two eyes. She’d throw herself into the Thames if that was the commander Madam Derbardi had seen in her cards. No one should be doomed to such a future.

  Just as she reached the safety of the retiring room, Miss Sophie Hampton and Lady Chloe Springate stepped from that very room, nearly knocking Mina to the ground, though she managed – just barely – to remain on her feet.

  Miss Hampton’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, Miss Throssell, I am sorry!” the blonde frowned, looking truly recalcitrant.

  Mina shook her head. “No harm done,” she said, moving to get past the pair.

  Miss Hampton nodded in agreement. “I am glad to see you,” she began, halting Mina mid-step.

  “You are?” Mina winced a bit. Why were people suddenly glad to see her? She would be quite happy for things to go back to their usual state, when no one ever noticed her, when she felt slightly invisible. It was much more comfortable not being noticed at all.

  “Mmm.” The blonde girl nearly danced up on he tiptoes with excitement. “In the park today, two very handsome officers were looking for you. I wanted to let you know.”

  Lord Healeyfield and Captain Reid had been looking for her? Her belly flipped at that bit of knowledge. Lady Elspeth had just said she’d happened upon the pair. She hadn’t said they’d been actively looking for Mina. Why would they be searching for her? “You’re certain they were looking for me?”

  “Handsome officers?” Lady Chloe echoed, sliding a bit closer to her friend. “Do tell, Sophie.”

  A slightly smile tipped Miss Hampton’s lips. “One was Scottish, Chloe, you’d have liked him. A childhood friend of Lord Ericht’s, actually.”

  “Ericht,” Lady Chloe sighed wistfully. “Did you see how handsome he was this evening?”

  Miss Hampton giggled. “He looks annoyed to even be here. I wouldn’t want to even take a step in his direction for fear of having my head bitten off.”

  Mina didn’t care about Lord Ericht or Captain Reid, not really. But an image of Lord Healeyfield’s handsome face flashed in her mind – his strong jaw, aristocratic nose, his warm, intelligent eyes. Her belly flipped again. “And the other one?” she asked. “The other officer?” For a moment, part of her wished his lordship had only one eye. Of course, if he had, she’d probably have been too terrified to take two steps on the man’s arm, let alone take a turn about the room with him. What would she do if she actually encountered the man Madam Derbardi had mentioned in her reading?

  “Lord Healeyfield,” Miss Hampton informed her with a shrug. “Or so he said. I scoured Mama’s Debrett’s this afternoon but haven’t seen any mention of the title.”

  Why would Healeyfield lie about something like that? Especially something that could be so easily found out? Mina shook her head, trying to make sense of it. Lord Healeyfield, or whoever he was, didn’t seem to be one prone to dishonesty. In fact, he’d been rather blunt in his conversation with her, not giving as much of inch as far as sprites or fairies were concerned. A man prone to falsehoods wouldn’t have held his own ground with her, would he? Unless he wanted something from her. Miss Hampton said the man had been searching for her that very day, before they’d ever met.

  “That is odd.” Lady Chloe frowned. “Perhaps you heard his name incorrectly, Soph.”

  Except that Mina had heard it too. Captain Reid had very clearly said Healeyfield, and she’d called the man by that very name and he hadn’t corrected her. What was that about? “Papa would know,” she said, before realizing she’d spoken aloud.

  Both girls’ eyes were focused on her and she felt a bit uneasy under their scrutiny. “You think so?” Miss Hampton asked.

  If anyone would, Papa would. “I met his lordship this evening, actually. He mentioned my father. I think he must have served under him.” At least that was what Lady Elspeth had said, wasn’t it? All Lord Healeyfield had said was how great a man her father was.

  “I believe you are correct.” Miss Hampton nodded. “You should ask your father about him. That’s what I would do if I were you. ”

  Except that Papa was conversing with Major Skrewd at the moment, and Mina could go the rest of her days without making the man’s acquaintance again.

  “The handsome officers are here tonight?” Lady Chloe asked. “And one of them is an old friend of Lord Ericht, you say?”

  Miss Hampton giggled. “I wondered how long it would take you to try and figure out a way to use that bit of information.”

  “Not terribly long at all,” Lady Chloe returned, completely unaffected by her friend’s teasing, or repentant – Mina wasn’t certain which.

  “Won’t your mother be thrilled?” Miss Hampton’s brow rose in amusement.

  “I have decided I don’t care what my mother thinks about much,” Lady Chloe returned, which only sent Miss Hampton into another fit of giggles.

  “Well, I wouldn’t let her know that if I were you.”

  “Do you think I’m daft?” Lady Chloe barely contained a smirk.

  Hmm. Did Lady Chloe have the same sorts of problems with her mother as Mina did with her father? She probably shouldn’t take comfort in such a thing, but it was mildly comforting anyway. It was nice to think she wasn’t alone in regards to that sort of parental relationship.

  Miss Hampton shook her head. “Come on. I’ll point Captain Reid out to you and you can try to figure out a way to use his existence to catch Lord Ericht’s notice.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Lady Chloe started towards the ballroom, without so much as a glance back over her shoulder.

  “Do join us,” Miss Hampton laughed, linking her arm with Mina’s. “I have a feeling this evening is one not to be missed.”

  The very last thing Mina wanted was to walk back into the ballroom, but Miss Hampton gave her very little choice as she towed her that direction anyhow. As soon as they stepped back over the threshold of the filled ballroom, Mina and Miss Hampton stopped at Lady Chloe’s side.

  “Where is this Scottish captain?” Lady Chloe whispered.

  Mina couldn’t currently spot Captain Reid as she scanned the room. But as she glanced from reveler to reveler, she noticed her father step back into the ballroom from the veranda with Lord Healeyfield in his wake.

  Even from across the large room, his lordship’s eyes locked with hers, and Mina’s belly flipped once more. Heavens. Her breath caught in her throat, but she couldn’t look away from the man. Why had he been searching for her in the park that afternoon? What did he want with her? And who was he? Was Healeyfield even his name?

  The one thing she knew for
certain about his lordship was that he was in possession of two working eyes. And part of her wished that wasn’t the case. Not that she wished his sight was impaired, just that… Well, there was something about him that… Well, she might not resist Madam Derbardi’s prediction so determinedly if Lord Healeyfield was the responsible commander the old woman had seen in Mina’s future. But, clearly, he was not. Her future lay along a different course, and she would do well to remember that.

  Mina smiled at the tiny willow warbler that was perched on her knee. Such a soft-hued, unassuming looking bird of light grey and green with just a bit of yellow on its chest. Slight as it might be, its song was among the most lovely to hear. And she could listen to it all day, if the little fellow would but sing for her.

  She opened her gloved hand slowly to keep from frightening the bird away, revealing the few seeds she’d brought out to the courtyard with her. The little bird hopped up her thigh and then onto her hand. He twerped a thank you and then started to gobble up her offering.

  “Miss Mina!” Davies, the butler, called from the doorway.

  The startled willow warbler took to flight, leaving Mina alone on the stone bench. Blast! She’d so hoped the little fellow would sing a bit before flying away to his nest.

  “Miss Mina!” Davies called again.

  There was nothing for it now. “Yes, Davies?” Mina replied, rising from her seat and dusting the remaining seeds from her hands.

  “Oh, there you are.” The butler rounded a topiary and nodded in her direction. “The colonel would like for you to join him in his study, miss.”

  His study? Papa never called her to his study, not one time that she could remember. The place seemed to be his own private sanctuary where he could sit hours upon hours all by himself and…Well, who knew what he did in there? “Is everything all right?” she asked, starting for the house.