The Last of Lady Lansdown
Page 29
Why was he here? How did he get here? Jane waited in stunned disbelief and an agony of impatience until the gangplank was lowered and she could leave the ship.
By the time she stepped ashore, Douglas had tethered Beauty at a distance and stood waiting beside the gangplank, amusement twinkling in the depths of his warm brown eyes. “Good morning, Countess. Did you have a pleasant journey?”
“I am stunned.”
Douglas took her arm and led her away from the gangplank where Bruta, burdened with luggage, was about to disembark. He turned to her. “I received your letter and returned to Lancaster Hall the very day you left. Rennie told me what ship you were on.”
“How could you be here ahead of me?” She was still trying to pull her spinning thoughts together.
“It’s not so impossible. I hastened to catch up with you. Rennie suggested I take Beauty along. Somehow we would get her on the ship. I was too late. By the time I reached Liverpool, the Columbia had already sailed.”
“Then how—?”
“To my good fortune, I found another ship leaving for New York the very next day. I sailed on the Belfast. At four hundred ninety-one tons, she is twice the size of the Columbia and nearly twice as fast. Captain Bunker gladly allowed me to bring Beauty along. Thunder, too.”
She managed a casual, “Oh, really? But why would you want to join a spoiled rotten woman like me who’s been catered to hand and foot all her life?”
With a crooked smile, he replied, “I read every word of your letter. You convinced me.” The smile disappeared. Suddenly serious, he cupped her chin tenderly in his warm hand. In a voice shaking with emotion, he continued, “I thought I could put you out of my mind, but I could not. That’s because I love you with all my heart and I want you to be my wife. What I said was wrong. Remain a countess if you like. I don’t care what you’re called as long as I have you by my side.”
Her heart swelled with unprecedented feeling. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. Be aware that I don’t have a fortune, nor is it likely I shall ever have one. I shall do my best, though. We will never be poor. Surely there are canals to be built in America, and I’m the one to build them. So there you have it. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” She gave him a joyful smile and threw her arms around his neck.
The sound of appreciative shouts, whistles, and foot stomps rose up from the dock workers busy unloading the Columbia. The man and woman standing on the dock seemed to be engaged in more than a simple welcome embrace. In fact, the way he was devouring her with kisses left no doubt as to what would happen once the two of them were finally alone.
Epilogue
New York City, 1825
From the day it was built by renowned canal engineer, Douglas Cartland, the two-story Georgian style mansion that overlooked a bend in the East River perfectly suited the needs of the happy, growing family that lived there. Now, on a warm summer’s night, the sounds of a toast rang out from the elegant dining room. Wineglasses were raised. “To you!” came a chorus of voices. “Happy thirty-fifth birthday!”
Mistress Jane Cartland stood to acknowledge the toast in her honor. “This is the best birthday of my life.” She raised her glass and gave a nod to the distinguished, white-haired gentleman who sat to her left. “I raise my glass to you, Papa. I am so proud of your success.” Her father had expanded his business. Five stores already and more to come.
“Here is to my two sweet children.” She held her glass toward three-year-old Georgina, her blonde, cherub-faced daughter who sat next to her grandfather; then to Nicholas, her bright-eyed son who was seven and much resembled his father. They had both been given special permission to stay up late to celebrate their mother’s birthday.
“Millicent and Rennie.” Jane nodded toward her radiant sister and dear Rennie who recently arrived from England on a much-awaited visit. “After ten years, you two still look like newlyweds. Imagine! Six children!”
“We’re not done yet.” Millicent gave a loving glance at her husband.
Jane raised her glass high and looked upward. “A toast to you, Granny. How I wish you could be here, but in a way you are.” Jane would never forget her grandmother’s sage advice which she now was passing on to her own children.
“To my dear husband.” Jane nodded at Douglas, who sat to her right, her heart filling with love and pride. He was still as handsome as ever and over the years had acquired a polished veneer. Not only was he considered an expert in his field, his work on the Erie Canal, as well as others, now earned him a substantial income.
Just then, Bruta entered the dining room. She had not changed a bit. Now the children’s nanny, she firmly announced, “They have stayed up late enough. I am putting them to bed.”
“Of course, Bruta.” It seemed so long ago that Jane wanted to get rid of her brusque, sullen lady’s maid. Now she couldn’t do without her and treasured Bruta’s loyalty and dedication to her work.
When the children were gone, Jane turned again to her husband, but before she could speak, Douglas stood. He held a velvet case in his hand and extended it to Jane. “A little something for your birthday.”
Jane took the case and opened it, wondering what sort of trinket lay inside. When she saw the contents, she gasped. “I cannot believe it!” She reached for the pearl and amber necklace she had always loved and held it up by its gleaming gold chain for all to see. “Douglas, how did you get this? How did you know?”
“Meg Twimby told me how much you loved the necklace.” Douglas placed a warm kiss on her cheek. “So, on my last trip to England, I went to see Ludlow Elton, the Earl of Lansdown, who is not a bad fellow, by the way. After a certain amount of negotiation, he agreed to sell me the necklace. He did make clear he would sell a part of the Lansdown jewels only for you, Jane. ‘You deserved it,’ he said.”
“How can I thank you?” She was quite overwhelmed.
“We will discuss that later, Countess,” he whispered in her ear, then aloud, “Let’s see what it looks like around that lovely throat.” He stood behind her, slipped the necklace around her neck and clasped it. The light touch of his fingers sent little tingles along her spine, reminding her once again what a wise decision she made when she took Granny’s advice and said goodbye forever to her title and all that other folderol.
Shirley Kennedy has published Regency romances for both Ballantine and Signet. Born and raised in Fresno, California, she has lived in Colorado, Texas, California, Bogota (Colombia) and Calgary (Alberta, Canada), where she earned a BS in Computer Sciences. Before returning to her first love, writing, she worked as a computer programmer/systems analyst for several years. Shirley currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where she belongs to The Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Las Vegas Writers Group. Her historical romance Heartbreak Trail was published by Camel Press in 2011.
You can find Shirley online at www.shirleykennedy.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue