***
She had turned him down. Lincoln had not prepared himself for that. Somewhere in him, he believed that Elizabeth would say yes, and she would marry him. Lincoln hadn’t been messing around; he really did want to marry her.
Against everything, and much to Lincoln’s surprise, he had found himself falling for the seamstress. She was everything he would want in a wife. The fact she wasn’t even of the same social status didn’t matter to him. Lincoln knew that Elizabeth Barnes was meant to be his wife. That was what he wanted.
But she had turned him down. She had remembered her place. Lincoln wished she hadn’t, but she was right. It could never happen. He would be seen as a fool and Elizabeth would be called even worse by their fellow peers. He couldn’t do that to her.
It pained Lincoln to walk away, but that was what Elizabeth wanted. The pain in his chest was heavy as Lincoln left the shop and headed home. It wouldn’t leave him. It simply got even worse as he moved further away from her.
The next few days Lincoln practically locked himself in his study, telling the servants to leave him alone. He didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone. Then Lincoln had opened up the drinks cabinet that he had left locked in the corner of the room. It had been his father’s, and the previous earl had enjoyed a good drink.
Now Lincoln knew why.
It didn’t take much for Lincoln to feel dizzy and the headache to press on his eyes. It was like his head wanted to explode. But Lincoln didn’t care. He sat at his desk and stared at the half-empty brandy glass, willing himself to have another one. And he did.
His mother seemed to realize that something was wrong and, wisely for her, she kept away. But now, on Christmas Eve, she was coming into his study like she owned the place. Lady Ann scowled at her son as he lay on a couch by the roaring fire.
“Lincoln! Are you still drinking?”
“It’s none of your concern, Mother,” Lincoln growled. “Get out of here.”
“I will not. And it is my concern when you’re drinking too much and making a fool of yourself.” Lady Ann shook her head. “You’ve embarrassed me in front of my guests when you start singing like a brigand in a tavern. It can be heard through the whole house.”
“Then stop inviting people around to my house,” Lincoln snapped. He sat up, trying not to be sick as the room turned. “Why don’t you go back to your house? You don’t really live here, so you don’t have to keep entertaining people in my drawing room. Especially women. I don’t want them here, much like I don’t want you here.”
Lady Ann’s face went red. Her nostrils flared.
“How dare you!” she hissed.
“How dare I?” Lincoln shot to his feet. He was spoiling for a fight. “How dare you? You practically force your way into my house, refuse to leave, and you think parading every woman you can think of in front of me is going to make me change my mind about marriage. I don’t want to marry, I’ve told you!”
And since Elizabeth had turned him down, Lincoln didn’t want to ever marry. Not unless it was to the woman he loved. Ann was breathing heavily.
“You must have heirs, Lincoln,” she protested.
“I don’t want anything to do with anyone,” Lincoln snapped. He paced towards the fire. “If I can’t have her, I won’t be having anyone.”
“Her?”
Then Lincoln realized he had spoken too much. But he couldn’t take it back now. It had been said, and Ann had latched on to it. Lincoln could see her eyes lighting up now.
“You’ve actually found a woman you want to marry? Why didn’t you tell me, Lincoln! We must get her to marry you as soon as possible.”
“Don’t bother, Mother. She won’t marry me.”
“Why on earth not?” Ann snorted. “Who wouldn’t want to marry you?”
“Someone with morals, for a start.” Lincoln turned to the fire. “Someone who knows her place in Society. And it’s not up with me.”
That hurt to say. Lincoln wouldn’t have cared if he ended up withdrawing from Society completely due to Elizabeth—he didn’t care for the social engagements he had to attend or the spiteful gossip that went around faster than he could blink—but it was Elizabeth’s choice, not his. He had to take it.
“What?” Ann gasped. “Are you telling me that the woman you’re in love with is a servant?”
Lincoln spun around.
“Elizabeth Barnes is not a servant,” he snapped. “She’s got more manners and grace than people in our social station.”
Chapter 9
The Warning
He watched as his mother’s face went from red to white. She looked like she was going to faint.
“Elizabeth Barnes? You mean that seamstress?” She was starting to breathe very fast. “Lincoln, have you gone mad? You can’t marry a woman like her! She’s too old and not even of the same social standing!”
“Which Elizabeth is very much aware of,” Lincoln growled. “She turned me down because of it.”
“You seriously thought proposing to a servant would work?”
“I could make it work.” Lincoln ran his hands through his hair. He was beginning to sober up rapidly now. “But it’s fate, isn’t it? I can never get what I want or who I want. Society won’t allow it to happen.”
Lady Lincoln still looked like she was going to faint. She took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her.
“Well, you’ll have to move on,” she said briskly. “Find yourself someone more suitable.”
Lincoln snorted.
“Even if I found someone suitable, you still wouldn’t get any grandchildren. That’s not a life for me, living with a woman I don’t love.”
He couldn’t stand to be in the room any longer with his mother. Storming past the dowager countess, Lincoln left the room, slamming the door behind him.
***
“Elizabeth?” Isabel hovered in the doorway to the back room. She looked nervous. “There’s a Dowager Countess of Lincoln, out in the shop. She wants to speak to you.”
Elizabeth’s heart sank. She didn’t want to deal with that frightful woman. Whatever she was here for, it wasn’t good.
“Can you not deal with her yourself, Isabel?”
“I’m afraid not. She’s adamant that she must talk to you.”
So much for hiding in the back room out of the way. Elizabeth had practically locked herself in the back, trying to focus on the mounting work, and not think about the Earl of Lincoln’s proposal. She had never been proposed to before, and certainly not by an earl. It felt like a wild dream.
And that’s all it could be. A dream. Elizabeth couldn’t bring herself to think about it any further. It would give her a huge amount of grief, something she couldn’t afford.
This was becoming a very depressing Christmas, coming to the realization that she had fallen in love with a man she could never marry.
And now Lincoln’s mother was here. Elizabeth wasn’t looking forward to this. But it had to be done. She let out a heavy sigh and lowered her needle.
“Is the shop quiet?”
“Not at the moment, Miss.”
“Then send her back here. I’ll receive her away from prying ears.”
“All right.”
Isabel left, returning a few moments later with Lady Lincoln. The dowager countess was looking splendid in a pale blue gown with a dark blue cloak and matching gloves, white fur lining the garments. She really did look like a member of Society. Elizabeth felt very scruffy next to her with her dress held together by several patches, had been sewn up several times, and was far too thin for the weather. But she schooled her expression to blank and curtsied.
“Good day, Lady Lincoln.”
The dowager countess snorted.
“I wish it was such a good day. I heard some most distressing news earlier today.”
“I am distressed to hear that. But what can I do about it, my lady?”
Elizabeth wasn’t stupid. She knew why Ann was here. The woman had heard about he
r son coming over to pay attendance to her when he shouldn’t. She was stepping in between them.
“My son has just confessed to me that he’s in love.” Lady Lincoln's eyes hardened. She looked very displeased. “With you.”
Elizabeth swayed.
“He is?”
“Don’t act as if you didn’t know, Miss Barnes. You had to know why he was coming to your shop so much.”
“I promise you, my lady, that I had no idea he thought that way.”
Lady Ann gave a very unladylike snort.
“He said he proposed to you, didn’t he?”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to keep herself from shaking. The earl was in love with her? She hadn’t expected that. She thought it was simply a passing fancy. But Lincoln was not like that. He knew what he wanted and how he felt.
Elizabeth had underestimated his thoughts and emotions. The man wasn’t a fool. But she was if she could even entertain it.
“I know my place, my lady,” she said as calmly as she could. “And I didn’t accept the proposal because of it. The earl knows that he should never have asked me in the first place.”
Lady Ann pursed her lips.
“I’m glad you have some sense. You might be lucky.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean that the impact of this shouldn’t be too catastrophic for you.”
Elizabeth stared. Had she just been threatened?
“You mean to bring ruin to me because your son happens to be in love with me?”
“I will, if I have to.” Lady Ann sniffed. “If you know what’s good for you, you will stay away from the earl. I won’t have his head turned by the most unsuitable person I can think of.”
That got Elizabeth’s back up. She knew she wasn’t suitable, but it still hurt. She squared her shoulders, lifting her chin at the older woman.
“My lady,” she said stiffly, “I have no intention of thinking beyond what I am allowed.”
“Good girl. I hope you remember that.” Lady Ann’s eyes narrowed. “Because I can tell the feelings between the two of you are the same.”
Elizabeth felt as though her heart was in her mouth. She couldn’t be that obvious with her feelings, could she?
“I cannot possibly comment on that, Lady Lincoln.”
Lady Ann snorted. She jabbed a finger at Elizabeth.
“Stay away from my family, Miss Barnes,” she snapped. “We don’t want you to bring us down.”
Then she swept out, striding through the main shop like she was the Queen of England, slamming the shop door behind her. She left several clients staring after her in bewilderment, and Elizabeth was left shaking in the back room.
***
Lincoln had stomped up to his bedroom, falling onto the bed as the drink took over. It sent him into a black abyss that kept him under for what felt like just a few minutes. But when Lincoln finally opened his eyes and looked at the clock, he realized nearly four hours had passed by.
And he felt like he had been hit over the head. His skull could be split open and it wouldn’t ease the pain. Lincoln was reminded as a wave of nausea passed over him that this was why he didn’t drink much; the after-effects were far too much for him. He couldn’t handle it.
Rolling gingerly onto his stomach, Lincoln rested his head on his arms, waiting for the nausea to pass. Getting drunk had been the worst thing he could have done. It didn’t make the pain of having Elizabeth turn him away any better. Everything just felt even worse.
Lincoln needed to sober up. Then he was going to go back to the shop and try again. Elizabeth was the woman for him, and Lincoln wasn’t about to let her get away. She would see his reasoning soon enough. Lincoln couldn’t see anyone else perfect to be his wife other than Elizabeth.
Lincoln wasn’t good with people, but he had been raised by his father not to give up at the first hurdle. That wasn’t his style.
Then some loud, hearty singing reached his ears, making Lincoln’s head pound even more. He groaned and pressed his hands to his ears. His mother, while she had a good voice, seemed to think that she had to sing so loudly the neighbors could hear. It wasn’t exactly what Lincoln wanted to hear right now.
What was she singing about? Lady Lincoln only sang when she was in a good mood. What did she have to be in a good mood about? Lincoln had just confessed he was in love with someone below his social standing. She had been close to having a stroke. Why was she singing?
There was a gentle tap at the door which made Lincoln’s head pound again. He growled and rolled onto his back.
“Who is it?”
“Harrison, my lord.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Harrison entered. He bowed.
“Forgive me for intruding, my lord, but your mother has returned.”
“I can tell.” Lincoln rubbed at his eyes. They seemed to be throbbing now. “Where did she go?”
“She went out, my lord.” Harrison hesitated. “She went to see Miss Barnes.”
Chapter 10
Getting His Bride
Lincoln sat up; his headache forgotten.
“She what?”
“She was furious that you had admitted to being in love with Miss Barnes.” Harrison’s expression didn’t change, but he was shuffling from foot to foot. Lincoln had never seen him so nervous. “The coach driver just told me she told him to drive to her shop.”
“She went to the shop?”
“She did. Parsons doesn’t know what was said, but Lady Lincoln came out with a smug look on her face. She was singing all the way back in the carriage. Parsons said she got some strange looks as they went through the park.”
The dowager countess had gone to Elizabeth’s shop to confront her, embarrass her, and force her out of town. Lincoln was sure of it. She wouldn’t have anyone get in the way of what she wanted for her son. Lincoln felt nauseous at the thought of Elizabeth facing his mother on her own. She wouldn’t have said anything out of turn, so Ann would have practically trampled all over her.
Suddenly, Lincoln felt sober. He stood up, swaying a little when the room tilted, but then he hurried to the door.
“Get me some coffee, Harrison. Lots of it. And then call Parsons to bring the carriage back around.”
“Yes, my lord.” Harrison frowned. “What are you doing, my lord?”
“As soon as I’ve had my coffee, I’m going out. Can you do something important for me in the meantime?”
“Of course.”
“Get as many of the household as you can together and pack my mother’s belongings. Get them ready to move her to her own house. And have one of the boot boys alert a constable, just in case Mother refuses to leave and kicks up a fuss.”
Lady Lincoln had gone too far. Lincoln should have made her leave a long time ago, but the previous times had been half-hearted. Now he had good motivation to make her leave.
He couldn’t have her around when he brought his bride home. For the first time in his life, Lincoln was going to take action instead of stepping back and letting things happen.
“I will do my best, my lord,” Harrison promised.
“Thank you.” Lincoln closed his eyes as the room tilted again. “Now, I need that coffee.”
***
Lady Lincoln's visit had shaken Elizabeth. The dowager countess had been fierce. She was determined that Elizabeth would not have anything to do with her son.
And she was right. With that visit, Elizabeth had confirmed for herself that no one in Society would accept any sort of union between her and Lincoln. It was a recipe for disaster. It didn’t matter if there was love involved—if love was ever involved—Elizabeth would never have been accepted.
But she couldn’t stay in London. Not with Lincoln so close by. The gossip would be rife, and Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to escape it. The only option was to leave. Elizabeth wasn’t sure what she would do or where she would go, but it wouldn’t be in London.
It did mean leaving her shop,
her pride and joy, behind. That hurt the most. But Elizabeth knew she couldn’t take it with her, and with the busy customers they had, it wouldn’t do to close it permanently. Isabel was competent enough to run it herself, and they would be able to find more workers. She and Colin would be fine.
“Are you sure about this, Miss Barnes?” Isabel asked as Elizabeth packed her meager belongings into a bag.
“I’m sure.” Elizabeth said this with a heavy heart. “I’ll make sure you and Colin are looked after. You won’t be left out on the street. But I cannot stay here.”
Isabel sniffed and dabbed at her wet eyes with a handkerchief.
“We don’t want you to go,” she whispered. “Colin is bawling his eyes out at the thought of you going.”
“I know.” Elizabeth didn’t want to go, either. But she had to. She wouldn’t bring unkind gossip down on her employees because of her actions. She hugged Isabel, kissing her head. “Take care of yourself and Colin.”
“Yes, Miss Barnes.”
Walking out of the shop for the last time felt awful. Elizabeth dithered on the doorstep, wanting to turn back and run inside again. But it had to be done. She needed to leave. If she stayed, gossip would spread around London and could bring her business into question. And knowing the earl was close by didn’t help matters. Elizabeth had to leave.
She set off towards her home. It wouldn’t be much of a home for her anymore. Elizabeth would be spending Christmas Day with her family in Putney, so she would simply get there a day early. Then it would go from there. Elizabeth wasn’t sure what she would do, but she didn’t want to upset her family. They were the most important thing in her life right now.
Elizabeth was almost home when she heard a carriage barreling down the street. She kept walking; it wasn’t unusual for carriages to come by. It was a shortcut through for people getting into town even if this was the rougher part of town. She didn’t pay it any heed as it approached her, pulling up beside her.
“Elizabeth!”
Elizabeth jumped and spun around. The door of the carriage was open, and Lincoln was jumping out. He had no coat on, nor a hat. It looked like he had run out of his house in a state of undress. Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
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