Jane continued to watch the Marquess for a while longer until he disappeared in the woods. She thought that he must be returning home and she let her thoughts wander back to her problems. Enjoying the moment of peace, Jane started singing an old song, which she had learned from her mother. The words of the song were about spring and love, about the first love of a young girl and a proud gentleman.
Jane continued to sing softly, looking at the lake and completely unaware of the man who had approached her from behind and was listening to her singing. A smile appeared on the Marquess’ lips, and he felt completely taken aback by how beautiful Jane Roberts was in the morning light.
James watched her from a few feet away and listened to her song. Jane was dressed in a simple everyday dress, its light brown color was supposed to make everyone look dull, but on Jane it achieved the opposite effect. The young lady seemed like a bright light in the early morning, her face shining in the soft light.
It was not the first time James noticed how beautiful Charlotte’s sister was. The two sisters were very different from each other in appearance, but their characters were not so far apart. Charlotte had dark hair and gray eyes, while her younger sisters had dark blond hair and big brown eyes.
“Hello, Miss Jane,” the gentleman smiled at her while stepping closer. “I was just wondering if you know some other song?”
“Hello, my Lord,” Jane greeted him back. “I am not such a great singer.”
“You sing wonderfully,” James offered another smile to the lady. “I don’t believe I have ever heard someone singing so beautifully as you.”
“You like my song?” Jane repeated, a bit surprised.
“Yes, I find it delicious,” James assured her and approached the young woman, now standing right beside her. Jane noticed how well his jacket completed his polished appearance and felt a faint scent of cologne caress her senses. “So, would it be possible to hear you sing some more?”
The man accompanied his words with a slight movement of his hand, gently placing it on Jane’s arm. The gesture startled the young woman, who was almost ready to shake him off, but then thought better of it and decided to answer him simply. “I am not used to sing in front of people.”
James noticed her hesitation and the way the young woman decided not to make a big deal out of it, and that made him happy. He sat down on the tree trunk with her for a while longer and then left, but not before brushing his fingers against Jane’s arm and smiling at her in a very seductive way.
Jane was surprised by James’ attention. “He is just being nice,” she tried to convince herself.
Jane let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and almost collapsed on the trunk of the fallen tree. She wasn’t surprised that someone else chose to walk by the lake, but so early in the morning, it was not usual. Why a man like him will choose that forgotten corner of the country was beyond her comprehension.
Jane shook her head and stood up, her mind still filled with the images of her encounter with the handsome Marquess James Bunting, and what it could mean to her. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother would once again be filled with hope that Jane had finally found the perfect husband for herself, but she preferred to resign herself to the fact that she would never marry.
And yet, she felt different after meeting the Marquess. Was it just resentment because of his behavior, or was it something more, some new feeling Jane had never experienced before?
She could hear the bells of the village’s church ringing in the distance, a sure reminder that she would be late for breakfast once again. Her mother was very particular about punctuality, insisting that they must keep appearances even when no one was watching.
14
.
.
.
Secretly, Charlotte despised him for it, but this time managed to say nothing.
.
.
.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE UNWELCOME COUSIN
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
Jane Austen
Moreland House
Two days passed after the ball and life in Moreland House returned to its normal state. Baron Roberts spent his days in bed, reading with his wife by his side. The three sisters did everything in their power to be by their parents’ side during those difficult moments in their family’s life, and Charlotte did her best to forget about Lord Geoffrays.
Once again, Charlotte felt sorry for acting the way she did with him, especially after he explained the reasons for his behavior. It was unheard of for a lady to act the way she did, just as it was inappropriate for a gentleman to treat a lady the way he did. They both had been wrong and rude towards each other. Charlotte was ashamed of her behavior. Thankfully, she didn’t expect to see him again anytime soon.
What happened that evening, however, made her almost entirely forget about what passed at the two balls. Their cousin, Mr. Timothy Roberts, arrived at Moreland House to see his ill uncle. He came filled with sorrow at the news of his uncle’s illness and spent most of the evening with him.
For the first time in weeks, Baron Roberts joined his family for supper and sat at the head of the table, looking fragile and pale. Timothy sat by his right side, with Charlotte in front of him. Since he had arrived at their home, Timothy had acted as if it belonged to him, assuring his uncle that he would marry one of his daughters, so that their future could be secure. Secretly, Charlotte despised him for it, but this time managed to say nothing.
“My dear uncle,” Timothy said during supper. “As I already told you, I came here with the intention of marrying one of my cousins. I know how hard it is for you to go when all three of your daughters are still unmarried and thus unprotected from the world.”
“That is very kind of you, dear nephew,” Baroness Roberts spoke instead of her husband, while Charlotte moved uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn’t the first time, she thought about that possibility, but it was the only time, she’d heard someone say it out loud. “Any of the three of our daughters would be honored to become your wife.”
“My cousins are charming and well accomplished, my dear aunt,” Timothy made a little bow at her and then looked around at his cousins. “I was wondering if my dear cousins would accompany me tomorrow for a walk. I would very much like to spend some time with them, especially with cousin Charlotte.”
“That sounds fantastic, Timothy,” Baron Roberts agreed. “I am sure that they all will be very happy to walk to town with you.”
Charlotte nodded in agreement, and her sisters followed her example. So, she had been chosen to become his wife. Charlotte stayed mostly silent during the rest of the meal, thinking about what her cousin had just suggested. It was evident that Timothy had chosen her among her sisters to become his wife, and she started looking at him in a different way.
Timothy Roberts was twenty-six years old, very masculine looking, well built and rather rugged in his appearance. Since Emma’s birth nineteen years ago, it had been apparent that he was to be the heir of the Roberts’ estate and title, and that had changed his attitude towards the family. The kind and good-natured cousin had suddenly become a proud young man who knew very well his worth. His visits to Moreland House had become shorter and farther in between. It had been almost two years since Charlotte saw him last.
Timothy was different now, and Charlotte had to admit to herself that she liked his appearance. Unconsciously, she compared him to George Geoffrays and quickly dismissed the thought that George was the most handsome of the two. In her eyes, Timothy’s biggest fault was his inability to laugh at himself and the fact that he thought too highly of himself. Charlotte remembered several occasions from their childhood when Timothy had gotten angry at something as little as someone not answering his question right away or a servant forgetting to do an errand. George had acted in a very similar way when she had refused to dance with him, and yet he had said that he was sorry after that, something she had
never heard Timothy do.
Charlotte had her doubts about Timothy, but her father’s health seemed to be deteriorating faster since his arrival, so she feared she might not have much time to think. She welcomed her cousin’s advances, though she didn’t feel anything for him yet.
The next morning, Charlotte and her sisters walked together with Cousin Timothy towards the town. He made sure to walk beside Charlotte, while Emma and Jane remained a few feet behind them, giving them some privacy without making it too obvious.
“Dear Charlotte,” he said once they were alone. “I suppose that you already understand what my intentions are, and it makes me very happy to know that you think the same.”
“Thank you, cousin,” Charlotte answered him. “As my parents already told you, it is an honor for me to be courted by you.”
Charlotte used the words her mother said the previous night, not committing herself to anything. Timothy seemed happy with her answer. He continued to discuss their possible future together.
“I heard that you and your sisters attended two balls in the last few weeks,” Timothy said after a while. “Do you like dancing, dear Charlotte?”
“Yes,” she answered. “It is a nice entertainment in which we partake very seldom.”
“That is true. I too like dancing and right now I hope that soon I will have the opportunity to dance with you, dear Charlotte,” he said, looking at her with a smile.
She returned the smile and felt strangely calm at that moment. Something like affection had begun to grow inside of her, and she thought that she saw the same affection in Timothy as well. Their walk to the town and back turned into the most romantic moment of her life so far, and it gave her hope that she would be happy with him.
Charlotte had always been proud of her logical mind and acute intelligence that prevented her from believing in fairy tales, but sometimes it felt nice to allow herself to dream. Mostly, she used her disposition to cope with life and come to terms with her family situation, a fact that her mother found appalling, and her father admired. That day she wanted to believe that everything could be overcome with a bit of humor and logic, although the man sitting in their living room would never agree with that.
The light complexion and tall, muscular body of Mr. Timothy Roberts reminded her of one of the heroes in the books she sometimes read. That thought made her look at him as someone unreal, someone who might have come out of the book pages, until she saw him eating, that is. Baron Roberts was devouring the cake she had made yesterday like a starving person, too busy eating talk. Charlotte reached the conclusion that even heroes needed to eat and cut him another piece, ignoring her mother’s warning gaze.
15
.
.
.
“Those are beautiful words, Papa, but I don’t believe that I will ever find such love.”
.
.
.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FORCING LOVE
“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Graystone Manor
Four days later, George was growing desperate. None of the women he had met so far had made his heart beat with excitement, except for Charlotte Roberts, who didn’t look at all excited about talking to him. George had heard stories about Lady Roberts getting engaged to a cousin of hers, and it felt strange to hear the news and what was even stranger was the fact that he felt sorry for losing what he had never really had.
George made the difficult decision to start courting Lady Margaret Gray, an old friend from his childhood and the daughter of the noble Lord Gray. George started visiting Lady Margaret almost every day and then invited her and her father to lunch and dinner, hoping that his heart would warm to her.
George and Lady Margaret spent increasing amounts of time together, although it was evident to him that there was not a bit of romantic feeling between them. George could see that Lady Margaret was willing to go on with the wedding despite that, but he wasn’t sure if that was enough for him. The night of the last dinner they had together, his father asked him to come to his bedroom immediately after Lord Gray and his daughter had left.
“Papa,” George knocked on his bedroom door, before walking in. “Are you resting?”
“No, my son,” Duke Geoffrays said in his weak and tired voice. “I am waiting for you.”
“Maybe we should leave this for the morning, Papa,” George asked carefully. “You look fatigued, and it has been a very long day for you…”
“No,” the older man coughed. “We are going to talk now.”
George saw how determined his father was about it, so he walked closer to his bed and sat on the chair that was closest to it. His father adjusted his position on the bed and prepared for what he was about to say.
“My son,” he started. “I am glad to see that you are taking your parents’ last wishes so seriously, but I don’t think that Lady Margaret is the right woman for you.”
“But Papa,” George started to protest.
“No, George. I don’t want you to marry just any woman. No, I want you to marry the woman that makes your heart beat faster and fills you with joy with a simple glance.”
“Those are beautiful words, Papa, but I don’t believe that I will ever find such love.” George shook his head, and his thoughts traveled back to Lady Roberts and her bright gray eyes.
“Your mother always said that true love exists for each of us and that we need to be patient and wait to meet our other half. Your mother made me a very happy man, and I am sure that the right woman for you is out there, waiting for you to meet her.”
George shook his head in desperation and asked softly. “What if I never meet her, or what if I have met her already, but didn’t recognize her?”
“I don’t have all the answers, but tell me, is there any woman that made you think twice?” George noticed that her father was watching him carefully, trying to read his expression. “Tell me the truth, George.”
“Yes,” he admitted quickly, afraid that he might get scared otherwise. “There is a lady, but I don’t believe that she feels the same.”
“Have you tried to talk to her? Did you ever give her the chance to get to know her better? You are the only one who can answer all these questions, but what I can tell you is that Lady Margaret is not the right woman for you and that it is up to you to find and marry someone you actually love.”
George agreed with his father and decided that the next day he would talk to Lady Margaret and explain his reasons for not courting her anymore.
Moreland House
Charlotte thanked Timothy for the beautiful day they had spent together and accompanied him to the stairs, where he couldn’t stop talking about his admiration towards her and how happy it made him be spending time with her. Charlotte listened to him politely, not feeling anything particular towards him other than friendship.
“Timothy pays you a compliment by asking our permission to court you,” her mother said, as soon as Charlotte returned to the living room. “I have always been sorry for the fact that you don’t have the possibility to socialize more, but now that we have some new social gatherings to attend, and that Timothy is showing interest in you, everything is starting to looking up.”
“Oh, Mother,” Charlotte exclaimed, already tired of her mother’s constant talk about marriage. Thankfully, her father looked more philosophically at their situation and had always encouraged Charlotte not to give up and to trust God to send her the perfect match.
Baroness Roberts continued to talk about the past not really needing someone to answer her, while Baron Roberts made sure to lose himself in his book. That gave Charlotte the opportunity to think about Timothy and what his return into her life meant.
Charlotte was a woman who had her opinions and rarely missed an opportunity to make them known. Charlotte knew only too well that her attitude wasn’t what pe
ople expected from a young lady, and she was practical enough to choose wisely to whom to open up. Timothy, for example, wasn’t someone who saw a woman as someone who could think and make decisions for herself. He was a conservative man searching for a traditional wife.
Charlotte was a decisive woman, but she wasn’t a stupid one. She realized the danger she was facing of never marrying. So far, Timothy was the only man who had shown any interest in her. Charlotte couldn’t afford to lose him because of some old dream.
In the morning, she exited the house almost immediately after breakfast and went for a walk alone, needing time to think about her future and especially about her father’s condition. She still had to put her mind at peace about the fact that their lives were going to change forever and that she alone bore the responsibility for her family.
Because of her sad thoughts, Charlotte chose a secluded path through the woods that surrounded her house. It was hard to keep the tears in when she was away from her mother and sisters, so she found a secluded spot near the small lake in the woods and sat down. The tears started falling on their own, and soon, Charlotte was crying hard and inconsolably.
Charlotte watched the clear water of the lake and the dark shadows of the trees around it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she never noticed the young gentleman who came riding on the other side of the lake.
The gentleman, who was used to seeing everything and was trained to follow all nature signs and sounds, saw her immediately and stopped his horse in the middle of the path. He watched her for a while, noticing how truly beautiful and delicate she was, especially now that she was crying.
Regency Romance: To Love A Viscount (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 7
