by Rose Gordon
The blood drained from her face and her hands flew to her haphazardly pinned hair. She hadn't the supplies necessary to fix it, not to mention her dress was crushed, as was Henry's costume.
“It's all right,” Henry whispered in her ear, idly rubbing his hand up and down her back. Still touching her, he turned his attention back to his brother Alex. “How was London?”
“Good,” Alex said, crossing his ankles. “How is marriage?”
Laura gulped so hard she nearly choked on her own tongue.
Henry, however, was seemingly unaffected and continued soothing her. “Good.” He shot Laura a smile. “I find it very agreeable, indeed.”
“I'm sure you do,” Alex muttered, shaking his head. “And what of you? Is being married to my brother everything you'd hoped it'd be?”
No. It's more. “Hoped?” she squeaked. She cleared her throat. “I don't know if hoped is the right word. I'm not sure what I'd hoped it'd be, but it is very enjoyable so far.”
“Ah, so then you two just got married.” He flicked his wrist. “No matter. Give him a bit of time and you'll—”
“Be perfectly content,” his wife cut in, casting him a sharp look. She took a seat in the settee closest to her husband. “You must forgive Alex, he—”
“Often speaks first and thinks second,” Henry supplied for her.
Caroline blushed. “That's fair enough, I suppose. He means no harm by what he says. We're merely surprised. Not two months ago, Elijah ran off to Gretna Green without telling anyone and showed up at our house party married; and now Henry has done the same.”
“Well, that is the point of eloping, Caroline,” Henry said. “If you tell people, it's no longer a secret marriage.”
“And just how long have the two of you been planning this secret marriage?” Alex asked.
Henry sent one shoulder up in a lopsided shrug. “I don't know, at least the four days it took us to get to Gretna Green.”
Laura's face heated. Surely, his unintentional implication that they'd been alone together in the carriage for four days—and nights—wasn't something that would recommend her. Not that it really mattered at this point considering her appearance at this, their first meeting.
“Well, it matters naught how long you were planning it,” Caroline said, clapping her hands together. “I'm just glad you—”
“Found someone who could tolerate you,” Alex finished for her.
Caroline swatted his knee with her fan. “Mind your words. Nobody thought you'd ever marry, either.”
Alex frowned and Henry grinned like a jackal. “She's not having you on, either. Our own father even doubted it and signed a betrothal agreement that stipulated if he couldn't find a bride before his thirtieth birthday, he'd have to marry the biggest dragon in England.”
“That wasn't exactly the agreement or the reason,” came the soft voice of an auburn-haired lady who entered the room. Though her words were not spoken unkindly or with any sort of venom or scorn, the way she said them did speak volumes of her authority. She could be no one other than their mother.
Numbly, Laura tried to stand, and as if sensing her discomfort, Henry helped her to her feet.
“Mother,” he said, wrapping his left arm around Laura's back, which was a good thing, or else she might faint. “I'd like you to meet Laura, my wife. Laura, this is my mother, Regina, Lady Watson.”
A smile spread across the older woman's face and she murmured her greeting then took a seat on the settee near Caroline. “I began to despair I'd have to take my sister-in-law up on her offer to play matchmaker for you, Henry. I'm glad that wasn't the case.”
Alex's lips twitched and Laura turned her eyes to Henry, who had a dubious expression on his face. “Did nobody really expect him to marry?” Laura ventured.
“No, we knew he'd marry,” his mother said, “just not quite so soon.”
“Oh, I see,” Laura said, resuming her earlier seat.
Henry sat down next to her. A little too close, she might add. “Don't worry about them. They're just sour they weren't invited to the wedding.”
“Perhaps a bit,” Regina agreed. “Both he and Elijah had secret weddings.” She sighed. “But the wedding isn't so important; it's the marriage that counts. And from the looks of it, you two have a very happy marriage.”
Laura blushed, then a moment later, so did her new mother-in-law, presumably realizing what she'd inadvertently implied.
“That we do,” Henry agreed. “And speaking of which, I think it's about time we make our way back home.”
Laura couldn't hear anything anyone might have said over her own gasp.
“It's all right, dear,” Regina said, placing her hand gently on Laura's arm. “I've raised four children and survived to see each of them married now. I'm used to their scandalous behaviors and glib remarks, but, my gel, taking a lesson from their father—who they learned those scandalous behaviors and glib remarks from, mind you—I must inform you, I didn't conceive those four children by sitting around and chatting with my husband's family.”
~Chapter Twenty-Nine~
“Stop worrying; nobody thinks you're a trollop,” Henry assured her as they walked from their cottage toward the main house. “And if they do, I'll be sure to remind Alex of the time Elijah and I caught him walking through the house naked after spending a night stargazing with Caroline.”
“No,” she said with a giggle.
“Yes. That was the day he was no longer referred to as Arid Alex, but earned the nickname of Amorous Alex.”
She smiled in a way that took his breath away. He loved to see her smile.
“Who was that?” she asked, knitting her brow.
“Who? In the carriage?”
She nodded and tucked a lock of her chestnut hair behind her ear.
“Elijah and Amelia, if I had to guess.” He gave her arm a gentle tug. “Come, I'd like for you to meet them.”
“You forget; I've met him once before.”
Henry froze and studied her. Was she afraid to see Elijah again? Did she fear he'd scorn her or that his family would mock her because of her betrothal to Elijah? He spotted a bench and guided her to sit down on it with him. “You needn't worry about seeing him again, Laura. I'm the one who's known for being brash and unkind, remember?”
She cracked a hint of a smile but still looked concerned.
“You're not worried Amelia will be upset that you were engaged to her husband at the time of their marriage, are you?” Her eyes widened and he muttered a curse for mentioning it. “Forget I said that. Forget everything. Nobody is going to hate you or think poorly of you. You did nothing wrong. Likely Elijah won't even bring that up; and if he does, he'll have a lot more to explain than you will.”
“I suppose you're right,” she conceded.
Henry's heart lurched. He doubted she said those words often, and heaven knew it wasn't very often a lady ever said those words about him. “All right, then let's go inside and greet them before we walk in on them much like we did on Alex and Caroline yesterday.”
“Yes, let's,” she agreed, practically bouncing off the bench.
“Wait.” He pulled her to a halt and flashed a smile at her. “When we go in there and you see him, you're not going to look at him and think of me naked are you?”
A strange look came over her face as if she couldn't decide if he was teasing or not. Just when he was about to apologize and tell her the truth, she grinned, winked and said, “Now, that you mention it, I just might.”
Henry chuckled and led her inside.
“There you two are,” Alex called, coming over to them. “There's a seamstress in the drawing room. She said she's come to measure Laura for some gowns.”
“Truly?” Laura asked with a bit of a squeak.
“Truly,” Alex said, a blank expression on his face.
Suppressing his humor, Henry steered her around. “Shall we?”
“Don't you wish to visit with your brother?” Laura asked when he took a seat
on the settee.
“No. I've spent nearly my entire life in his presence and I can tell you it's not nearly as fascinating as being in yours.” He closed his mouth with a snap and raked his hand through his hair. Gads, when did he start going around and making a cake of himself all the time? “I'll just sit here and wait if you don't mind.”
“No, not at all.”
Henry leaned back and made himself comfortable as the seamstress used her measuring tape to take different measurements and jot them down in her notebook. The two discussed what kind of gowns Laura needed, to which Laura informed her that she only needed a few and to make them all modest, nothing fancy.
A bit of shame heightened in his face, remembering how he'd first judged her to be a materialistic spendthrift.
“She needs an entire wardrobe,” Henry announced. “Morning gowns, traveling gowns, riding habits, ball gowns, nightrails, shifts. Several of each.”
Laura's face turned a fetching shade of pink. “That might be too much. I only really need a few day dresses.”
“No,” he argued, scowling. “You need a complete wardrobe, and that is what you'll get.”
“But I don't need so much,” she countered.
He took to his feet and walked over to where she stood in the middle of a raised dais in nothing but her shift. “I see; and is the outfit you're wearing now the one you plan to wear to pay calls and ride horses?”
She frowned. “No, but I don't need so much.”
Ignoring the quizzical look on the seamstress' face, Henry pressed his lips to Laura's to keep anymore nonsense from coming out. He pulled away and whispered in her ear, “If you don't want these things for you, then get them for me so I can take them off of you.” He was standing close enough to her that he could feel the shiver that passed over her at his words.
“Very well, I'll take everything he listed.”
Henry nodded to the seamstress and took his seat, keeping his eyes trained on her and the way the sunlight filled the room and lit her features for the duration of the appointment.
Laura's appointment lasted so long they missed lunch with his family, but as Henry had told her earlier, he'd rather spend time with her than his brothers anyway. Odd that. With the exception of the last month, he and Elijah had been inseparable their entire lives; and yet, while he'd missed him and wanted to spend time with him, he didn't mind so much that he and Laura were left to their own devices for lunch.
“How about we go have that picnic I suggested yesterday?”
“I'd like that.”
“And would you also like to ride Zeus?”
“With you on him, too?”
“Of course,” he said raggedly. “But first we need to go ask cook to make us a picnic.”
“Oh really?” Laura said, arching a brow. “And how long do you think that will take?”
“Not long enough to make another trip upstairs if that's what you were suggesting. But... If it's what the lady wants.”
“That's all right,” she said, coming up on her toes to smooth his lapels. “I wouldn't want our lunch to go stale or the bread to grow hard.” She lowered one of her hands and brushed it across something else that currently fit that description. “Perhaps after we eat?”
“While we're still outside,” he suggested before he could think better of it.
A smile took her lips. “I suppose that could be enjoyable if we found a place secluded enough where your family won't happen upon us.”
“Not to worry, my dear,” he said offering her his arm. “I know just the place. And I'll make sure our picnic is enjoyable indeed.”
Which, of course, it was.
So enjoyable, in fact, they didn't make it back in time for dinner, either.
~Chapter Thirty~
“Laura, I'm sure you remember my brother Elijah and this—” he gestured to the beaming young lady next to him— “is his new bride, Amelia.”
Laura murmured her greetings to the pair, unable to meet Elijah's eyes.
“It is very nice to see you again,” Elijah said, his tone giving nothing away.
“And it's very nice to meet you for the first time,” his wife said. She swung her gaze from Laura to her husband, then to Henry, then back to her husband. “Dare I ask why you never told me that Henry fancied a young lady you'd met while in America? It might have changed what I said earlier in the carriage when we saw them.”
Laura and Henry exchanged looks and he shrugged.
“Well, I didn't realize his feelings for her were strong enough to span an ocean,” Elijah said dryly.
“I don't know why you wouldn't have realized such,” Henry retorted, meeting his twin's gaze.
Some sort of message seemed to pass between them, but what it was, Laura would never know.
“All right,” Amelia said airily. “That will be enough of that. You both know I hate it when you two do that. In a polite society, when other people are present, words are the preferable form of communication. Otherwise, it's just rude.”
“I'm sorry, Amelia,” they both muttered in unison and then grinned.
“Amelia has been a friend of ours since Elijah and I were still in short pants,” Henry explained. He twisted his lips into an overdone frown. “Well, friend might be the wrong word. She was more like a younger sister. A meddlesome, infuriating, cling-to-you-like-a-burr little sister.”
Laura eyed him askance as he said those words. Was it possible his feelings were deeper for her than just that of a friend? His next words staunched that thought immediately.
“And now, she is one.” He offered her a smile. “I do hope my brother is treating you well.”
“He is,” Amelia said, smiling up at her husband.
Laura felt a tinge of jealousy at the closeness between the two. Which was absurd. She and Henry had become friends of sorts and the physical side of their relationship was more than she'd ever expected. She had no reason to be jealous. She'd already been given far more than she deserved as it was.
“Why is everyone standing?” Caroline asked, coming into the room on Alex's left arm. She looked to her mother-in-law who was on Alex's other arm. “What was it you were saying about the pianoforte?”
“That a man from the village was supposed to tune it. I was hoping Edwina would play for us tonight.”
“Weenie's here, too?” Henry asked.
“No, but Edwina is,” came the soft voice of a blonde on the arm of an impeccably dressed gentleman.
Laura eyed the couple as another set of introductions were made. Edwina wasn't tall or short. Much like her mother, she was about average. Her hair was blonde like her twin brothers', but her eyes were brown. She had a sweet smile that lit up the delicate features on her face. Her husband, Sir Wallace Benedict, was nearly as tall as Henry and had flawless manners that matched his perfectly pressed attire. His hand clenched and unclenched at his side, almost as if he were nervous, which was ridiculous, but it wasn't Laura's place to comment.
“We do apologize for being so late to join you all,” Sir Wallace said to the room.
“No need to worry, Sir Wallace,” Regina said in a gentle tone. She took a seat and smoothed her skirts. “Nobody can fault you for wanting to check on your newborn, though I do wish you'd have brought him down with you.”
“Don't worry, Mother; you'll see him plenty during our visit. Which reminds me,” Edwina turned her eyes to Elijah and Amelia. “Do the two of you have an announcement you'd like to make?”
“Are we supposed to?” Amelia asked.
Laura's heart went out to her. She'd been in that same position countless times in the months following her first marriage. It was as if everyone was expecting to hear news of an impending baby each time they saw you; and judging by the way Amelia was biting her lip, it was clear to Laura, at least, that Amelia probably wasn't expecting yet. She wanted so badly to say something to comfort her but didn't know what.
“Now see here, young lady,” Regina said in a tone of mock sternness. “Not e
veryone has a baby nine months after their wedding like you and Caroline. It just doesn't always happen that way.” She turned toward Amelia and Laura. “I wasn't a nine-month mother, and I have no expectations that my daughters-in-law need to be, either. It will happen when it happens. Now, let's sit and talk of something else. Or Edwina can play for us.”
Edwina looked at the piano. “I'd rather not.”
“But you've been practicing. Please, I want to hear you play,” her mother said. She turned to face Laura. “Edwina never took lessons like most girls but has begun them recently. Come, Edwina. I want to hear what you can play.”
“Only if Alex, Elijah and Henry sing,” Edwina said.
All three of her brothers groaned, and Amelia giggled.
“That's the offer. I'll play, but they must sing.”
“Boys?” their mother asked with imploring eyes.
None of her sons seemed moved.
Caroline looked up to her husband. “I don't think I've ever heard you sing.”
“Then you should be thanking me and not trying to goad me into it.”
That made Amelia laugh even harder. She clearly knew something Caroline and Laura didn't. A memory that seemed so distant, now that so many things had changed, but really wasn't so long ago, sprang to mind.
“Were you really singing that day?” she whispered. The thought had crossed her mind once or twice that he was just pretending to be awful to drive her away.
Henry nodded, laughter alight in his blue eyes.
“Why do you wish to torture the room so, Weenie?” Elijah asked.
“Because you torture me so with that dratted nickname,” Edwina said. “And because of that, I think all three of you owe me. Sing and I shall play.”
The trio of brothers grumbled and, at the urging of their wives, gathered at the pianoforte where their sister stood fumbling through the sheets of music. Her brow puckered and her hands trembled just a little the farther down the stack she went.
Her husband didn't look any more comfortable than Edwina, his hands fisted in his lap. Laura watched him. Henry must have been right about their relationship if Sir Wallace was visibly tensing at the sight of his wife's unease. Abruptly, the man stood and walked across the room. Heedless to the curious stares from her brothers, he put his hands on her wrists, staying the rattling papers, and whispered something into her ear.
