The Earl of Ice

by Helen A. Grant

  Why she would trust him to watch out for her sister when he felt he had done quite a poor job of protecting her, he did not know, but he was happy to agree to this.

  “I will certainly do as you ask for your sister,” he assured her. “It will be my pleasure.”

  Diana smiled up at him and his heart gave a little flip. If he was going to propose to her, now was the time to do so.

  “There is a bench over there,” said Rollo as he pointed out a stone bench by a small ornamental pond. “Perhaps we might sit for a short while before we return inside? I have something I must say to you.”

  When they reached the bench, he brushed away a few leaves and they sat down. Rollo could hear his heart beating in his chest. He had never imagined he would be in this situation. He took hold of her small gloved hand and took a deep breath.

  Diana’s eyes flew to his in confusion, and for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only seconds, he just stared back at her.

  She broke the silence. “I assure you your secret will continue to be safe with me. I will not tell anyone about your seizures.”

  “I trust you on that count,” replied Rollo, glad that her interruption had given him a way into the conversation. “As you know, it is because of that affliction that I have determined not to marry, unwilling to risk having children who may suffer the same fate.”

  “Yes, I am aware of that and it is quite understandable,” Diana answered, thinking of her brother and wondering why the earl continued to hold her hand. Had he forgotten he was holding it? Just in case, she gently tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened. She did not mind, for she enjoyed feeling the heat of his hand through her glove.

  “It seems to me,” continued Rollo, struggling for the right words, “that both you and I are now in the position, albeit for very different reasons, in which we will not, in all likelihood, marry.”

  Diana nodded, but could not think where this conversation was leading.

  Rollo took the plunge. “If you can accept that children will not be an outcome of any union, I would like to ask if you would consider becoming my wife.”

  A silence fell. Rollo held his breath, for suddenly it seemed very important that she respond favourably to his offer.

  Diana was not sure she had heard correctly and looked up at him with questioning eyes. At last she found her voice. “You are asking me to marry you?”

  “I am, but I am also asking you to go through life without having children of your own,” Rollo again clarified. “Those are my terms.”

  Having already dismissed the hope that she would marry at all and therefore the hope of any children, she did understand his terms. Her heart and mind raced. She had admired Rollo from the first; his cold demeanour had not deterred her in this. His support and protection of her had been constant, and how could she not care for the man who had given her Demon and stolen a kiss from her? Her whole being was singing out to her to accept, but she feared his proposal had been prompted solely by that silly cartoon in the newspaper.

  “I will not trap you into marrying me,” she said finally, “or allow society gossip or a newspaper article to pressure you into offering for me. I have too much respect for you to allow that. I am flattered and grateful for your offer, but fear you act out of chivalry and against your true inclinations.”

  Rollo kept hold of her hand. He realized that she was allowing him to withdraw his offer without any reprisals. She was most kind-hearted. He could think of few other ladies, regardless of their feelings for him, who would turn down the offer of his name, wealth and position. Significantly, she had said that she respected him, and he knew this was important to her. Having her respect was equally as important to him.

  At this point he did something he did not do often—he let his face relax into a smile. He said, “I would not allow myself to be trapped by any woman. I want you as my wife, Diana. Please believe that.”

  Tears flowed down Diana’s face. The smile he gave her and the words he spoke warmed her heart and were worth more to her than any title or fortune he possessed. “Then I will accept,” she replied through her tears, her heart bursting with happiness.

  Rollo gave Diana the small square of linen he always carried to dry her tears, and they remained together holding hands on the bench for some time, not speaking. Rollo had a warm glow inside and he knew he had done the right thing.

  When Rollo saw Diana give a little shiver from the chill air, he stood and pulled her up to stand with him.

  “Let us return to the house and tell your mother our news. Then we will need to make plans.”

  Rollo kept tight hold of Diana’s hand as they walked back to the house. Diana shivered now in happy anticipation of her mother’s reaction.

  And sure enough, Lady Westbury was delighted with their news. As she hugged her daughter to her ample bosom, she said, “Of course, your father will have to give his permission.”

  “I will visit Viscount Westbury at Caulder Hall following your return to formally ask for Diana’s hand,” Rollo assured her. “You were planning to leave for Yorkshire tomorrow?”

  “Yes, tomorrow morning and, God willing, we will arrive home by the end of the week.” Lady Westbury was still beaming with delight at this turn of events for Diana. She knew that her husband would not stand in his daughter’s way, and Diana looked happier than she had for some time.

  Rollo was eager to get the wedding plans underway. “Please inform the viscount that I will call on him a week Monday. I hope that will be convenient?”

  “I am sure he will be pleased to receive you,” replied Lady Westbury as she walked over to the window, turning her back on them, thus affording Rollo the opportunity to pull Diana into his arms in a warm brief embrace before leaving.

  Chapter 15

  Diana arrived back in Yorkshire radiating joy. Her father was thrilled with her news and eagerly awaited the arrival of the earl.

  “The Earl of Ice is really coming here?” asked Pru. “I will be so afraid of him. Is he really as severe as everyone claims?”

  Diana laughed. “Well, yes. His face is very stern and he never outwardly shows any emotion. He is extremely handsome, though, and I assure you that I am not afraid of him at all.”

  “Oh, it’s so exciting!” declared Pru, with a little skip and clapping of hands that betrayed her youth.

  On the following Monday, the sound of carriage wheels crunching the gravel driveway outside the window alerted the ladies to the Earl of Brockwood’s arrival. Diana straightened her gown, her stomach fluttering with nerves. Lady Westbury had to pull Pru away from the window where she was craning her neck in a most unladylike fashion to get her first glimpse of the Earl of Ice. “Sit down, both of you,” she instructed her daughters.

  The tension in the drawing room was palpable as the ladies waited for the earl to finish speaking to the viscount. Diana knew that her father did not have any objections to the marriage, but could not prevent her case of nerves from escalating the longer they waited.

  Eventually her father entered the room with the earl. The viscount’s smile told Diana that all was well. She stood and smiled broadly back at him and then at the man to whom she was now betrothed. She brushed away her tears of happiness. “Forgive me,” she said. “I am being silly.”

  Pru flung her arms around her sister and caught herself from dancing a jig. She knew she should congratulate the earl, but when she looked at him all words fled from her mind. He did look so fierce. How could Diana not be terrified of him?

  Rollo, used to such a reaction, swiftly rescued the situation. “You must be Prudence. Diana has spoken of you.” He bowed over young Pru’s hand.

  “P-p-pleased to m-meet you, my lord,” stammered Pru. “Congratulations.”

  Diana wanted the opportunity to speak to the earl in private to find out what plans were being put in place. “Would you care for a walk to the stables to see Demon?” she asked.

  Rollo, wondering how best to make his escape fr
om the enthusiastic good wishes being bestowed on him, gladly accepted. “It would be my pleasure.”

  A short while later Rollo and Diana were strolling toward the stables.

  “I will post notice of our wedding on my return to London and we can arrange for the banns to be read at the church here before I leave. Would a spring wedding be too early?” asked Rollo. He was eager now to get the deed done.

  “A spring wedding would be lovely,” replied Diana. “It is beautiful by our church when all the daffodils are flowering.” Her eyes shone.

  A familiar whinny alerted Rollo that they had reached the stable block that was home to Demon.

  “Will I be able to bring Demon with me to Brockwood Hall?” asked Diana tentatively. She remembered the problems the gelding had caused there.

  “Of course. I am not sure how my head groomsman will feel, though. His life has been much easier since Demon left our stables.”

  Diana smiled. “You must inform him that Demon will bring his groom from here, who can take sole responsibility for him. Come, you can meet her.”

  “Her?” Rollo thought he must have misheard, but at that moment a small figure, clad in breeches and a flat cap, but unmistakably a girl, bobbed out of the stall housing Demon.

  “Hello, Mary,” greeted Diana. “We were just talking about you. I am hoping that you will agree to move to Hampshire with me when I marry Lord Brockwood so that you can continue to look after Demon.”

  “Ooh, I’m not sure,” said the girl. She had heard the rumours about Diana’s betrothal.

  “Your sister, Tilly, will be coming to Hampshire with me.” Diana told her, then looked at Rollo. “Her sister is my personal maid, and they share sleeping quarters,” she explained.

  “Well, if that’s the case, I’d love to come to ’ampshire wi’ thee,” was Mary’s enthusiastic response. Her pretty but very grubby face broke into a wide smile. “Did you ye ‘ear that, Demon? We’re off to ‘ampshire.”

  Rollo shook his head in disbelief. What his groomsmen and stable boys would make of Mary he could only imagine.

  * * *

  Rollo enjoyed his visit to Yorkshire. He went riding with Diana and Pru most days through the lanes and villages of the Caulder Hall estate. If the weather was fine, they rode out of the estate and explored the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales.

  His fear of Diana’s safety while riding Demon diminished as he saw the rapport she had built with the horse. Pru would trot along next to them on her spirited little pony, Daydream, and grooms would follow at a discreet distance.

  “I have been invited to visit my friend Anne at Meerstone Hall,” said Pru one morning while peering down at the note she had received. She looked hopefully at her father, wanting the use of the carriage.

  The viscount smiled. “Sorry, my dear. I am going into town today, but you can take the gig if you want.”

  Pru pulled a face. She had wanted to arrive at her friend’s house in style.

  Rollo rescued the situation. “Perhaps Diana and I can ride there with you in my carriage.”

  Smiling now, Pru accepted this offer with alacrity and soon the small party headed out. The trip took over an hour, but eventually the redbrick chimneys and slate roof of Meerston Hall came into view.

  When they’d exited the carriage in front of the main entrance, a butler appeared at the door.

  “Good morning, Miss Wells and Miss Prudence,” he greeted in his thick Yorkshire accent. Rollo gave his name and he followed the girls as they were led into a spacious reception hall. In no time at all, their coats were removed and they were ushered into the drawing room, where they were welcomed by Pru’s friend Anne, her mother and sisters.

  After fifteen minutes or so of polite conversation, Anne began to fidget. “Mama, may I take Pru to the stables to see the new kittens?” she asked.

  “Yes, but wrap up warm. Perhaps Lord Brockwood and Diana would like to go with you …”

  Anne frowned. She wanted an opportunity for a good gossip with her friend Pru without others listening.

  Diana noticed the frown. “I think Lord Brockwood and I would prefer to take a stroll around your lovely gardens, while you and Pru visit the kittens,” she suggested. She could then have some time alone with Rollo.

  This arrangement satisfied all, and the four set off together down the path to the stables. The younger girls disappeared to visit the kittens, leaving Diana and Rollo to continue toward the ornamental lake and topiary garden.

  As they ambled along, Rollo had a sense of peace and well-being unlike he’d ever had before. The day was a bit nippy, but the sun was shining, and he had the attentions of a lovely lady, a lady who had agreed to be his wife. “I have enjoyed my visit to Yorkshire and have found your family most welcoming,” Rollo said truthfully,

  Diana, enjoying the feel of his arm under her hand, smiled. “You will be the saviour of my reputation when you marry me. How can my family not welcome you?”

  Rollo frowned. He needed Diana to understand that he had offered marriage out of genuine affection for her and not due to obligation. Her hand on his arm felt right, as if it belonged there. When he looked at her smiling face and trusting brown eyes, how could he not have feelings for her? His pulse raced when he thought that she would soon be his wife. But he could not easily convey his feelings to Diana; he was not a man of pretty words. He steered her in the direction of the orangery and was pleased to find the door unlocked.

  “Come, it will be warmer in here.”

  The heat enveloped them as they stepped into the glass structure with its banana plants, orange trees and exotic blooms. Rollo gently pulled Diana toward him in an embrace he hoped would demonstrate to her his feelings. She did not pull away and so he lifted her chin until their eyes met. They stood gazing at each other, suspended in time, Diana intensely drawn to his eyes.

  “Ah, Diana. You are so lovely. I am going to kiss you,” warned Rollo, his voice a husky growl.

  From her head to her toes, Diana wanted this kiss. She started to tell him so but before she could, Rollo’s lips met her slightly open mouth, his tongue seeking hers. This was not a fleeting kiss like the one at the folly. This was a passionate intimate kiss that demanded a response. Diana tentatively reached her arms up around his neck and returned the kiss shyly, then boldly. She had never dreamed that this was what a kiss was all about. This ravishing of the mouth, this startling invasion of her body and senses. When Rollo groaned and his hands moved to cradle her neck and head and deepen the kiss, her body trembled and her knees felt weak.

  How long the kiss lasted Diana’s muddled senses did not know. Rollo broke contact when he realized that he was in danger of not being able to conceal the extent of his arousal.

  “I will always protect you,” he promised, his voice deep with passion. “When you are my wife, no will hurt you or snub you. I will not allow it.”

  Diana was overwhelmed and felt her eyes misting. “I will do my utmost to be a good wife and make you proud of me.”

  Even as she said these words, a tiny part of Diana mourned the fact that when they were married, Rollo and she would never share the marriage bed, at least not in the way husband and wife were meant to. She would have to be content with what he offered.

  They stood for some time in the warm embrace, each with their own thoughts.

  “Diana, where are you?” Pru’s voice penetrated the silence and caused them to spring apart and head out of the orangery in the direction of the younger girl. It was getting cold and would soon be time to return home.

  * * *

  Thanks to wet weather, the young people did not have a chance to enjoy the outdoors again before Rollo returned to Brockwood Hall. Although he had enjoyed his stay at Caulder Hall, he knew that he needed to get home and make sure that Brockwood Hall would be ready for its new mistress come the spring. Diana and her family would be very busy planning and preparing for the wedding and he would only get underfoot if he stayed any longer. It seemed that Diana want
ed a small wedding. She was too disillusioned with how society had treated her, both in London and in Bath, to want to extend invitations any wider than family members and very close friends. This suited Rollo. Having made the decision to wed Diana and having held her in his arms, the sooner the wedding took place and the less fuss the better.

  Chapter 16

  The wedding took place on a very chilly morning in early March. Rollo, with his mother and brother, had arrived in Yorkshire two days before the wedding. To preserve the custom of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding, they had taken rooms at the Crown Inn.

  The plan after the wedding was for Diana and Rollo to stay the night at Caulder Hall before setting off on their journey to Hampshire the following day. A suite of guestrooms had been prepared for their use. Diana would find it strange being at home but not in her own bedroom. She and Tilly had checked that everything was in order with the rooms, and Tilly was all giggles as she laid out the beautiful white cotton nightgown, a gift from her mother, that Diana was to wear on her wedding night. It was made of fine cotton and trimmed with sprigs of pink flowers.

  Tilly dressed Diana with care on the morning of the wedding. The fine white cotton bridal gown was gossamer thin; the dressmaker had embroidered delicate white flowers in satin stitch on the fabric, and ruffles of lace trimmed the hem and the neckline. Diana wore a bonnet with matching lace and white kid gloves. Before she left the house for the short carriage ride to the church, she placed a soft silk shawl around her shoulders. Pru had been out in the early morning and picked a bunch of daffodils for Diana to carry and had tied these with a white satin ribbon.

  “You look beautiful!” her mother breathed and handed her a small box. “This is for you from your father and me.”