The Great Estate

by Sherri Browning

  “You would have given him back to her,” he’d marveled. “After all your talk of being a countess and having the power to keep him if you wanted, you offered him back to his mother. You offered her money to raise him!”

  “It only seemed right,” Sophia had said, treasuring the feel of his arms around her. They would be a family, the three of them.

  “Still.” He’d paused to brush a tendril of hair from her cheek, so tenderly. “It’s more than I would have done.”

  “You, with your Labour Exchanges Act vote on the line? It’s designed to help women like Jane, isn’t it? Mothers and fathers who can’t find work to support their families. You can talk, but I know that you have a very large heart in that solid chest of yours, Lord Averford.” She’d smiled up at him.

  “Which reminds me that I should get back to London soon to make the vote, but I’m not rushing back. Lord Wilkerson can carry on without me. Except…” His voice had trailed off. “If I go to London, I can check with our solicitor and see if we need to do anything to be certain that Teddy is truly ours. I can take Jane there and introduce her to our London staff. It would make her transition easier.”

  Sophia had agreed. They’d settled it. Gabriel would go to London with Jane, and there they’d gone the very next day. Sophia had expected that he would be home in a few days, and they would celebrate their official parenthood and make up all of their differences, just like that. Everything would fall into place.

  But it hadn’t happened as she’d supposed, not at all. After a few days, Gabriel had come home, but she had only seen him a handful of times since his return. It was as if he couldn’t be bothered with her.

  To his credit, Sophia’s entire life had become consumed with Teddy. She hadn’t gone to any effort to make time for Gabriel alone. But she’d imagined they would be parents together. She’d thought he would return home and be taking care of Teddy at her side. But he was always busy. Taking care of the estate took time, she knew, and she’d been neglectful of her duties of late, but it didn’t take every waking moment. Not like the care of an infant did. When Teresa came back from visiting Marcus and Eve, she would be helpful with the baby, Sophia knew. Sophia would have a chance to confront Gabriel then and demand to know what was keeping him away.

  Was it divorce, she wondered? He could have been meeting with his solicitor to plan his own exit from their marriage. Perhaps he didn’t really want a baby. They’d talked about having one of their own, but it had been just that, talk. When he was trying to get under her skirts, no less. What wouldn’t he have said to encourage her to renew their relations in the heat of the moment? But maybe the reality of Teddy becoming theirs had made him rethink their life together. Sophia tried not to think the worst.

  In the meantime, she had her servants to rely on for what little assistance she would accept in caring for Teddy. Mrs. Jenks was her biggest supporter, of course, but Anna had proven helpful as well. She’d hired a nurse for Teddy’s feedings. Agatha had gone off with Teresa and Lord Markham to Markham House, surprising everyone. She’d assumed she was invited and no one had had the heart to tell her no. But with Jenks, Anna, the wet nurse, and all of the others, Sophia made do. She managed to bathe every now and then at least.

  “Ah, there you are.” Gabriel walked into Sophia’s room without knocking.

  “Where else would I be? It’s Teddy’s naptime and I’m trying to get him settled. How good of you to come check on us.”

  He smiled, deflecting her sarcastic tone. “Mother is coming back later today, along with Agatha and Lord Markham. You’ll have more help with Teddy once they’re all here.”

  She pouted. “I don’t want more help, darling. I want you. You’ve been so busy. I hardly see you.”

  “Is that what’s troubling you?” He held his hands out to take the baby from her. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy preparing a surprise for you, actually. For you and for our son.”

  “He’s a baby. What could he possibly need besides our love and attention, regular feedings, and frequent changes?” The sight of him cradling their baby to his chest went a long way toward easing her annoyance with Gabriel. She felt her heart beat faster. “And I don’t need surprises. I need you.”

  “Be that as it may, you’re getting surprises. And me. Now that I’ve completed my work, I will be around more to help you with the baby. I promise.” His eyes twinkled with a mysterious gleam.

  “You mean it, or you wouldn’t have promised.” Relief flooded her veins. “You don’t break promises easily.”

  “Exactly.” He leaned in to kiss her on the tip of her nose. “Now let’s go see my first surprise, shall we?”

  “I’m a little anxious, to be honest. I usually like surprises, but I don’t know what could have kept you so occupied that you hardly had time for your wife and son.” She felt a little childish complaining, but she had not been prepared to see so little of him at a time when things were finally going well for them again at last. Unless…they weren’t going well for him. Did he mean to divorce her? The fear remained at the back of her mind.

  “Come along. Just down the hall.” He cradled the baby in the crook of one arm and held her hand with the other. Three doors down from her room, on the opposite side of the hall, he paused outside a door.

  “The goldenrod room?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What could you have to show me there?”

  The room was one they avoided unless the house was so full of guests that it became necessary, which fortunately was not often. The walls, the bed linens, the rug…everything was a horrific shade of goldenrod yellow. Sophia liked yellow, but so much of it? It was a room that hadn’t been touched since even before Teresa’s time. Though every mistress of the house seemed to be about to begin refinishing it, no one ever had.

  “Not goldenrod any longer.” Gabriel let go of her hand to turn the knob and push the door gently open. “Now it’s…well, it’s almost every color of the rainbow, but predominantly blue. Have a look.”

  She met his gaze, then walked through the door. Sunlight streamed through the open windows, along with a light breeze that blew the billowy chiffon curtains. Ivory curtains, no longer goldenrod. A baby’s crib along the back wall first drew her gaze, but it was the kites that captured her attention and her imagination. Kites of all colors hung on the walls and from the corners of the ceiling, a whimsical decoration that made the room a lively, happy space, the perfect space for their son.

  “Gabriel, it’s wondrous!” She looked all around, taking in details. Along with the kites, there were blue walls, no longer yellow. A dressing table, with a low, flat surface topped with a cushion, the perfect place for changing a baby. In the corner by the window was a big, wooden rocking chair topped with patchwork cushions of all colors. “How did you think of it all? The kites! What a delight!”

  He shrugged. “They seem boyish, don’t they? Fitting, I think, for our son.”

  “They offer a certain sense of adventure.” She held her hands up. “Perfect. How did you manage all this without my knowing? Look, Teddy, a proper place for you to sleep! Place him in the crib. Let’s see how he likes it.”

  Gabriel obliged. Teddy looked up and cooed, his fist in his mouth. He didn’t dislike it, but he didn’t seem all that impressed.

  “Oh, darling!” She flung herself into Gabriel’s now-empty arms. “I love my surprise. Thank you.”

  If she had one complaint, it was that the room seemed so far from her own. How would she get there in time if he needed her?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. It’s only three doors down and right across the hall. I couldn’t put his room right next to yours without you knowing. You would have heard the footmen moving things about and hanging the kites. And besides that, I do want you to myself sometimes, which will be more easily accomplished without our baby and his nanny right next door.”


  “His nanny? He’s to have a nanny now? I’m not certain I want him to have a nanny, Gabriel. I have the nurse for feedings, and I can manage the rest of his care on my own.”

  “Of course you can, for the most part. But darling, you’ve had so little sleep these past few weeks.”

  She cocked a brow. “Oh? You’ve barely been around, but you know how much sleep I’ve been getting?”

  “I do sleep too. My room is next to yours, need I remind you again. Admittedly, I’ve been busy and falling into bed quite late. Far too late to try to do what I’ve wanted to do with you. But every time it occurs to me to try my luck and turn your doorknob, I hear you up with a fussy baby.”

  “And yet I haven’t heard you knock on my door to offer to take him for a while.”

  He nodded. “My mistake. You’re right. I should have. But…I have no idea what to do with him, Sophia. I know nothing of babies. You’ll have to help me, show me what to do for him when he fusses and cries.”

  “And needs changing? Are you willing to change him?”

  “Change him?” Gabriel pulled a face, seemingly horrified. “You’re making a strong case for my hiring that nanny.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s your own son! I think you can afford to get your hands a little dirty, Lord Averford, when it comes to your child.”

  “Silly woman. I can afford help so that I never have to dirty my own hands. Or yours.”

  “I’m happy to care for our baby.”

  “I’m hiring a nanny anyway.”

  “Was that to be my next surprise?” She peeked up at him through her lashes. “Have I spoiled it?”

  He shook his head. “No. That will come later, once Mother and Agatha return to help with Teddy and I can get you all alone.”

  “All alone.” She felt her breath catch in her throat. The excitement of caring for a baby, and her exhaustion, had cooled her ardor in the past weeks, but her blood began heating up again. Alone with her husband. “Yes, I would like that.”

  “Good.” When he looked at her, his heavy-lidded eyes conveyed exactly what he was thinking of doing with her when they were alone, and she thrilled at the prospect. “Mrs. Jenks should be waiting in your room by now. I’ve instructed her to run a bath and give you some time to rejuvenate while I catch up with our son.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to be alone with him?” Sophia asked, suddenly afraid to leave them though she had been dreaming of getting the two of them in one room for days.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. And if things go awry, I’m sure you’ll hear his wails. Even from the impossible distance of three doors down and across the hall.” He flashed her a devastating grin that made it hard for her to leave him for other reasons besides entrusting him with the care of their son. But she managed to leave them anyway. She really did need a long soak in a hot bath.

  When she emerged at last, fresh from the bath and having time on her own without grasping little hands, she was dressed in a clean gown. The sound of voices raised in merriment drew her to the stairs. Mrs. Jenks had told her they were assembling in the drawing room, and she headed down.

  “They” were Teresa, Lord Markham, and Agatha back from Markham House, along with Marcus, Eve, their nursemaid, and the little ones. And her husband, of course, with their son. The Thornes would probably stay for dinner. The time alone with Gabriel she’d been dreaming of in the bath would have to wait. Again. She supposed that’s how it was for parents of young children, never enough time alone together.

  She pasted on a smile and made her entrance.

  “Darling, you take my breath away,” Gabriel greeted her with Teddy in his arms. “I knew some time in the bath would work wonders.”

  Teresa scoffed. “You make it sound as if she were a ragamuffin in need of a fairy godmother’s touch to transform. Your wife is a stunning beauty, even when in need of rest.”

  “Thank you, Teresa. And I am rested at last.” She’d never imagined her mother-in-law would be the one complimenting her, let alone standing up for her. “How was your visit to Markham House?”

  “Lovely. We had a grand time! Eve is a delightful hostess. I think she might be my new favorite daughter-in-law.”

  Sophia suppressed a smile, aware that Teresa wanted to make up for having paid her a compliment. It wouldn’t be comfortable for them to be getting along too well. “I’m so glad. Eve is a favorite of mine too.”

  “I’m right here,” Eve said, waving from across the room. “You’re making me blush.”

  “Speaking of inspiring blushes…” Gabriel handed the baby to Teresa. “Mother, I entrust him to your care, as we discussed.”

  “As you discussed?” Sophia looked from one to the other, confused. Teddy, Teresa, Agatha, Lord Markham, Marcus, Eve, and Gabriel. The girls must have gone up for a nap with their nurse.

  “As we discussed.” Gabriel approached and held his hand out to her. “I can’t take another moment in this crowded room.”

  “But…” She broke eye contact with her husband to look around. “Our guests?”

  “They’re not guests.” He waved them off. “They’re family. And they can appreciate the fact that we need some time alone. Come along.”

  “Come where? What is going on?” Sophia couldn’t fathom what had come over her husband.

  “I need to be alone with you at once, or I’m going to go out of my mind. It’s all arranged. Mother will watch over Teddy. We’re going for a ride, but we’ll be back in plenty of time for dinner.”

  * * *

  “I don’t see why we couldn’t have stayed and visited with Marcus and Eve a bit first,” Sophia said, wondering what had sparked such a passionate response in her husband that they couldn’t have waited to be alone. “Your mother just got back. Are you sure she’ll be ready to care for the baby? And I feel like I haven’t spoken to Agatha in ages.”

  “Agatha will be there when we get back. And Mother couldn’t wait to be with Teddy again. She missed him.”

  “You’re walking too fast.” Sophia stopped dead in her tracks, her own form of rebellion. “And where are we going? I’m not taking another step until you tell me.”

  “It’s time for your next surprise. You don’t want to ruin it, do you?” He reached for her hand. She tugged it back.

  “Your big surprise, the papers you needed drawn up in London. It explains so much. Just like that?”

  “What like that?”

  She snapped her fingers. “You’ll be rid of me.”

  “Rid of you? What makes you think I have any desire to be rid of you?” He pulled her into his arms, rough and insistent. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the firmness of his embrace said that she had little ability to resist. “God, woman, you are exasperating. I’ve been dying to get you alone. How does that suggest I wish to be rid of you?”

  “I don’t know.” She leaned away from him, not allowing his kiss until she knew more what he planned. “Lulling me into a false sense of security?”

  “Oh.” His face inched closer to hers until their noses were nearly touching. “That explains our adventures in the garden shed, does it? If that was part of my grand plan to push you away, I’m a miserable failure.”

  “I don’t understand. What took you so long in London, if not your plan to divorce me?” They’d needed no formal papers drawn up to adopt Teddy, and it was weeks before Parliament would bring the Labour Exchanges Act up for a vote. So what had he been up to in London, if not planning a divorce?

  “Divorce? It never crossed my mind. It’s not an option to me. I took you for better, for worse.”

  “For richer,” she said. “I’ve only made you richer.”

  “My life is richer because of you. Every waking moment.” His brown eyes glowed with tenderness.

  “When I’m not driving you out of your mind.” She laughed. His hands pressed into the ba
ck of her waist, gently easing her into him. She stopped fighting it.

  “For better, for worse. We’ve had our share of struggles, but my every day is better because of you, Sophia. Even at our worst.”

  “You’re trying to seduce me again, is that it? A little flattery and you imagine I’ll just lift my skirts…”

  “Lifting your skirts isn’t good enough, my lady. I’ll not make love to you in the middle of the green unless we can really make a show of it. I need to feel your skin against mine.” He trailed a finger along her collarbone. “Every beautiful inch.”

  She nearly lost her ability to breathe. How she wanted it too. “We are, in fact, in the middle of the green. Anyone could look out.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “Let them look. No, come on. We have somewhere to go. To the stables. We’ll need a horse.”

  “A horse?” She raised a brow. “You expect me to ride a horse. You know I haven’t ridden in years.”

  “That’s why you’re going to share a saddle with me. You in front, me behind. Your skirts are wide enough. They should allow you to sit astride. Wilmadene is a very gentle mare. And you were a very elegant rider once upon a time.”

  “Can’t we take the car?” She would have worn more proper attire if she’d planned on sitting astride a horse. She had a lovely riding habit just hanging in her closet. Why did men never see the need to explain their intentions in advance so a lady could prepare? There was even a matching hat.

  “It won’t do. Not where we’re headed. Now is not the time to be timid, Lady Averford. My arms will be around you the entire time.”

  “That brings up another cause for alarm, doesn’t it? My backside pressed against you, with the slow, rolling gait of a horse.” She almost had to fan herself against the sudden wave of heat that came over her.

  “Please. There’s something I have to show you. You won’t regret it.”

  She put her hand in his, willing to trust him. The stable master was just leading the mare, saddled, out to the green as they approached.

  “Anticipating my demands, Mr. Grady?”