Romancing His English Rose (Entangled Scandalous)

by Hemmerling, Catherine

  On her ears, Rose wore large pearl earbobs and even she welled up a bit when her mother insisted she wear the family pearls around her neck. When she had asked why today of all days, her mother had pooh-poohed her and said they just looked especially nice with her new dress, but Rose had not missed the way her mother had had to turn away to dab at her eyes once the beautiful necklace had been clasped.

  Finally, Simon arrived, breezing into the house in what appeared to be an extremely good mood. He came to an abrupt halt when he laid eyes on his future bride. “Rose, my love, you are breathtaking,” Simon exhaled as he stepped forward to kiss her warmly on the cheek, and if his lips lingered there a touch longer than was proper, no one was complaining.

  Rose blushed, very pleased by the compliment. Not trusting herself to speak in the presence of the most handsome man she had ever seen, she simply curtsied sweetly and smiled. Lord, but Simon was beautiful; between his golden curls, striking blue eyes, devilishly handsome smile, and strong physique, it was a wonder Rose could remain upright before him.

  And he is all mine, she reminded herself, pinching her arm slightly to ensure she was good and truly awake.

  “Are you ready to go, my sweet?” Simon inquired.

  Rose nodded and turned an inquisitive eye to her parents, who were standing some paces behind her in the hall, arm in arm, both with eyes full of glistening tears as they smiled at the beautiful couple in front of them.

  “Is everything all right, Mother…Father?” Rose asked, confused as to the emotional state of now both her parents.

  “Oh, yes, of course! Don’t be silly,” her mother came forward to assure her. “But we have decided that you two should go off by yourselves. Your father and I will take our own carriage.”

  “But—” Rose began.

  “No buts, dear. We insist!”

  Rose looked at her mother suspiciously. What was going on? Not that she and Simon hadn’t taken a carriage by themselves before—and what a carriage ride that was, Rose remembered, trying hard not to blush—but that had been a different circumstance altogether. Today had been a planned outing for her and her parents for some time. Honestly Rose hadn’t expected the addition of Simon to change the plans; in fact, she rather thought her parents would relish the opportunity to grill him about a wedding date.

  “Thank you, Lady Holderness,” Simon said. “We appreciate your thoughtfulness. I know I would love to spend a little private time with Rose. We will catch up with you at the, ah, wedding.”

  Hearing the catch in Simon’s voice when he said wedding caused Rose to swing her wary gaze over to him. Why the hesitation? What was going on here?

  “Perfect!” Lady Holderness trilled a bit too loudly. “We will see you two later.”

  Rose noted that her mother had begun crying again as she pulled her daughter in close for a hug. And just before she let her go, Lady Holderness whispered, “I love you to distraction, Rosebud. Have a lovely—sniff sniff—day.”

  And before Rose could even begin to fathom her mother’s uncharacteristic behavior, Lord Holderness stepped forward to give her a hug! He, too, told Rose he loved her and Rose, who hadn’t received a hug from her father—teary or otherwise—since she was a small girl, stood stock-still in shock.

  Even when Simon put his arm around her to usher her out the front door and down the steps to his carriage, Rose was moving woodenly, as if not exactly sure where she was or what she was doing…which, honestly, was not far from the truth.

  When she and Simon were settled into the carriage, it rolled smoothly away from the front of her house toward the church and Rose roused herself enough to say, “Was it just me or were my parents acting awfully peculiar?”

  “Ahhh,” Simon hedged, “they may have been a bit more emotional than usual, but weddings often affect people in odd ways.”

  Rose wrinkled her brow thoughtfully. “But I have been to a number of weddings with my parents before and they have never behaved this way.”

  “Perhaps this wedding is making them think of ours. We are now officially engaged, after all,” Simon replied.

  “Hmmm, that is true,” Rose said slowly.

  Simon did make a certain kind of sense. When her mother had finally seen the ring, she cried off and on the rest of the night. A wedding, any wedding—but especially a wedding of a girl of the same age as Rose—would likely set her off again. Feeling much more at sorts with the scene they had left behind, Rose found she was able to look forward to the day ahead. She couldn’t wait to see Hannah in her wedding finery. It had seemed an age since she had spoken to her friend.

  …

  Simon let out a silent breath of relief at the change in his betrothed. She once again had a smile on her face and she was eagerly looking out the window as they drew closer to the church. In all his careful planning, he knew that what had happened this morning with Rose’s parents was the one thing he couldn’t control.

  All in all, he thought Lady Holderness handled herself quite well. She was never one for holding back her thoughts and emotions, and in light of what he had planned for the day, she showed remarkable restraint.

  “Look, Simon,” Rose said excitedly, pulling Simon over to her side of the carriage. “Everyone has shown up to share in the festivities.”

  Looking over Rose’s shoulder through the small window of the carriage, Simon saw that Rose was correct; everyone was feeling the joy of the day, including those not even invited to the wedding. It was quite common for the parish members to gather around the church to share their good wishes with the bride and groom as they entered the church…and today was no exception.

  Usually, once inside the chapel, only the family and very close friends would be in attendance, the larger party being held at the reception afterwards. Simon knew that while Rose found the crowd exciting at her friend’s wedding, at her own, she would find the crush intimidating and overwhelming.

  It was something that he had gone to great pains to avoid on his beloved’s behalf, which Rose was quickly going to find out. Simon just hoped he could hold himself together as he watched his friends celebrate their own nuptials.

  …

  The wedding was beautiful, Rose mused to herself some time later. She and Simon were back in his carriage heading for her home and she was walking on air. Nothing could be as wonderful as seeing a wedding between two people as in love as Hannah and William, except perhaps experiencing her own wedding day. Something she never anticipated with such excitement as she had in the last day or two.

  Lost in her thoughts, Rose realized they were driving past her home. “Simon!” she exclaimed. “Tell the driver to stop. We’ve passed the house.” She craned her neck around to look behind the carriage for some unknown obstacle that would have prevented the carriage from stopping. Seeing nothing, she turned around to find Simon reclining rather smugly in the corner of the carriage.

  Rose narrowed her eyes. “Simon…what is going on?”

  “Oh, nothing much,” he replied, pulling Rose over beside him.

  Refusing to give an inch, Rose remained stiffly by his side and as soon as he released her, she bounced back into an upright position and glared at him. “Why,” she ground out, “are you not taking me home?”

  “We have another wedding to attend,” Simon announced firmly, before adding silkily, “Our wedding.”

  “Our…what?”

  “Our wedding,” Simon repeated as if it were perfectly obvious.

  “I’m so confused,” Rose wailed, falling back against the cushions and burying her face in her hands.

  Simon leaned forward and gently removed Rose’s hands from her face. Then, tilting her chin up, he looked deeply into her eyes and said, “Don’t fret so, sweetling. This really isn’t so complicated. You and I are on the way to our wedding. Just the two of us…in Gretna Green.”

  Rose closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if trying to wake up from a dream, but Simon was still there and looking at her with such love and happiness that if
this were a dream, she suddenly had no desire to wake. “Gretna Green?” she whispered.

  “Yes, love.”

  Gretna Green was a small village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. Because the marriage laws in England did not apply in Scotland, couples could marry without waiting for a license or parental consent. If that was indeed where they were going, Rose and Simon could get married immediately, just the two of them…no crowds, no planning, no fuss…but also no family. “And we are getting married there?” Rose asked, still trying to wrap her head around the sudden change of plans.

  “If you’ll still have me,” Simon said with a little teasing smile.

  “But what about our families? They will never forgive us.”

  “I spoke to our parents and they all agreed that a small intimate wedding was in your best interests…though,” Simon added wryly, “I think you can expect a rather grand celebration with everyone upon our return.”

  “They all agreed to this…for me?” Rose said in awe, her eyes starting to tear up.

  “We all want you to feel comfortable and happy at your own wedding, love.”

  Rose thought back to how her mother was behaving that morning. No wonder she had been so emotional. She was sending her only daughter off to get married without her.

  “Ohhhh,” Rose said, finally understanding, “that explains this dress, and the fussing, and the hugs…”

  Simon just smiled as Rose put two and two together. When she started sniffling and crying, he pulled out his handkerchief and offered it to her. She took it and dabbed her eyes ineffectually. “That is just s-s-s-oooo sweet-t-t,” she sobbed and Simon pulled her into his arms with a chuckle.

  “Rose, love, please don’t cry.”

  Rose took a few deep shuddering breaths in an effort to get herself under control. Never in her life had she felt so loved. First by Simon, who had put this whole plan into motion, but also by their parents, who had given up seeing her walk down the aisle in deference to her wants and needs.

  “We have the most wonderful parents,” Rose said, when she was finally able to speak coherently.

  …

  “Yes, I would have to agree with you there,” Simon agreed. And it was true. Despite a few initial balks, their parents had come around rather quickly. They had had a few conditions—the party afterward being just one of them—but overall they understood completely. Simon wondered if they were just so happy that their children were actually getting married, that they didn’t really care how it happened.

  Simon was pretty pleased about that fact, as well. Sitting there holding Rose in his arms reminded him once again how lucky he was that he would be able to continue holding her for the rest of their lives. Rather wonderful, that, he thought happily.

  When they finally arrived, Rose was smiling and appeared as happy as he had ever seen her. Once again, Simon found his breath stolen away. How was it that for years he never even noticed her beauty and now he couldn’t—didn’t rightly want to, in truth—escape it?

  Shaking his head in wonder, Simon scooted over to sit next to her and he looked past her at the green rolling hills in the distance. The landscape was wild and untamed and truly, truly beautiful.

  Feeling his presence, Rose looked over to smile at Simon. “Isn’t it pretty?”

  “Yes, you are,” Simon said with a cheeky grin.

  Rose shoved at him with her back and said, “Oh, you…I meant the view.”

  “So did I,” Simon replied, looking at her with a wolfish grin.

  Rose laughed and Simon couldn’t help but join her. He was so happy.

  “Do you think we are almost there?” Rose wondered when they both stopped laughing.

  Simon looked out the window again. In the distance he could see houses dotting the hills and just up ahead he saw larger more substantial buildings that indicated they were coming up on a town of some sort.

  “Yes, actually, I think we are. Are you excited?”

  …

  A riot of butterflies took off in Rose’s stomach when she thought about what they were about to do. Excited was an understatement, but she simply said, “Yes, very. You?”

  “Excited, ecstatic, et cetera,” Simon quipped merrily, making Rose smile despite her nerves.

  When the carriage began to bounce around as its wheels met the multi-rutted road marking the entry into the small village of Gretna Green, Simon released Rose. He peered out the window once again. “We’re here.”

  Nodding, Rose worked at adjusting her attire in preparation of departing the carriage. Doing the best she could without a reflective surface of some kind, Rose felt as presentable as she was going to get within the cramped quarters. She hoped she would have the opportunity to use a mirror and perhaps a wash basin prior to their trip to the altar.

  When the carriage came to a jolting halt in front of the inn, Simon jumped down quickly. Sticking his head back inside the vehicle, he said, “Wait here a moment, love. I want to check on the accommodations first.” Without waiting for a reply, Simon shut the door and was gone.

  “Oh,” Rose said in surprise, sitting back against the cushions. “All right.” She was a bit confused by Simon’s actions, but supposed he had his reasons. Still, did he even consider that she had been stuck in the cramped space of the carriage for many, many hours? What if she wanted to stretch her legs, breathe some fresh air, use the facilities, for goodness sake?

  Unwilling to wait for the latter any longer, Rose jumped forward and reached for the door. Before she could even turn the handle, she felt it being opened and out she tumbled, landing awkwardly in Simon’s arms.

  “Well, this is a nice greeting, I must say,” Simon said with a chuckle, as he set her on her feet.

  Blushing, Rose stammered, “I, ah, I, er…oh, never mind.”

  Simon laughed at Rose’s obvious consternation before escorting her into the hotel. The innkeeper greeted them in a way that made Rose suspect Simon had gone ahead to ensure they were treated as extra special guests. Rose was touched that Simon wanted to make the day so wonderful, but honestly she had other more pressing needs at the moment.

  Luckily, Simon bypassed the front desk and led her straight to their suite.

  Rose was relieved to see the room—and most especially the chamber pot tucked behind a discreet folding screen. Shooing Simon out of the room, she rushed to make use of the, ah, private area.

  When Simon knocked on the door minutes later, Rose was once again comfortable and presentable. “Come in.”

  Simon entered the room immediately, followed by two housekeepers carrying a number of bags. “I thought you might want to freshen up a bit, before we get on with the wedding.”

  “Where did the bags come from?”

  “I asked your mother to put one together for you. Seemed easier than trying to guess what you would need myself.”

  Rose was touched that he would think of such a thing. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

  Simon reached up to cup Rose’s cheek. “You are welcome, love. Now then, how much time do you think you will need before you are ready?”

  Rose blinked at the rapidity of Simon’s mood change. One minute he was caressing her cheek romantically and now he was all business. “I, ah…a few minutes, I suppose,” Rose said haltingly.

  “Good, good. I will return for you shortly, then.” With that, Simon turned on his heel and exited the room once again.

  Do all bridegrooms act so strangely before their weddings? Rose wondered with a shake of her head. She supposed she wasn’t likely to find out as Simon would certainly be the only bridegroom with which she would have any experience, but Lord, he was acting odd.

  Shrugging, Rose pushed that thought aside and went to work putting herself together. Luckily, her mother’s fastidiousness had served her well, since much of her dress had been pressed so repeatedly it still remained relatively wrinkle-free. Even her hair had held up well, she noted gamely. Really, aside from a few loose pins to re
-affix and the straightening of a few bows, Rose was pretty much ready to venture downstairs.

  Stepping out into the empty hallway, Rose closed the door softly behind her. She wasn’t sure why she was being so careful, but she couldn’t seem to stop feeling like she was doing something wrong. Simon had said he would return for her.

  As she came up on the corner of the hall that led to the stairs, Simon suddenly stepped in front of her, arms crossed and a knowing look on his face.

  Rose felt her heart leap wildly and she gasped, “Simon! You scared me!”

  “I had a feeling you would not do as you were told,” Simon replied.

  Recovering from her fright quickly, Rose retorted, “I didn’t realize staying in the room was an order.”

  Simon dropped his stern pose and laughed, pulling Rose into his arms. “It wasn’t, sweetling. I was just going to check on you when I heard you coming down the hall. I couldn’t resist another opportunity to catch you in my arms, but apparently I timed it wrong, so I suppose I will have to put you there myself.”

  Rose found herself laughing too, as she relaxed in Simon’s embrace.

  “Come now, Rose, our wedding awaits,” Simon whispered as he took her hand and led her downstairs and toward the back of the inn.

  …

  Simon held Rose’s hand and brought her out into the gardens behind the old building. Apparently the innkeeper or his wife had quite a way with plants, for the garden fairly overflowed with beautiful fragrant flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

  Off to the side, Rose could make out the top of a person’s head—a number of heads, actually—just showing over the tall growing plants. As she drew closer, she counted the outlines of four people standing just past the wall of greenery, and when she and Simon finally wended their way around the last turn in the path, she realized the four people were her parents and Simon’s. Her eyes filling with tears, she looked up at Simon. “What are they doing here?” she whispered thickly.