by Abigail Agar
Genevieve thanked John and asked, “Do you think he’ll approach Charlotte soon?”
John nodded, “I believe so. This is his estate. He’s not going to get on his horse and leave.”
Charlotte looked at John. “Thank you for talking with Phin and telling us of it. I feel a little better knowing what he is thinking. I feel better knowing he said he loved me,” Charlotte gave him a small smile.
“As you should, my dear,” Aunt Genevieve said. “Why don’t you retire for the night and wake refreshed. Tomorrow might be a big day for you.”
John walked Genevieve to her bedchamber, and they talked in low voices. John laughed at something Genevieve said. “Very soon, my Genevieve, very soon.”
***
The next day, Charlotte didn’t want to look like she was staying in the parlour waiting for Phin to find her. So, she and Molly went on a long walk down the drive of the estate to a grove of apple trees.
They each filled their basket. When they were through, they picked one more to eat and turned around to walk back to Collinswood.
By the time they made it back, Molly was caught up in Charlotte’s love life turmoil. Charlotte seemed cautious not to get her hopes too high, but she couldn’t help being optimistic. Molly agreed it was headed in the right direction.
With only an hour before she would see Phin at the noon meal, Charlotte excused herself to go rest and refresh from the morning walk. She dressed carefully. Her peach down was her nicest day gown, and Phin had once complimented her on it.
John and Genevieve knocked on her bedchamber door to accompany her downstairs. “You look lovely, my dear.” John smiled. They went the remaining way in silence.
Chapter 34
At the end of the noon meal, Phin approached Charlotte. “Charlotte, may we talk?”
“Yes, Your Grace.” She nodded.
Phin gave Charlotte a small smile.“I promise to do my best to keep our conversation cordial.” He tucked Charlotte’s hand under his arm and led her from the parlour.
“Shall we go in my study? I will keep the door open.”
Charlotte nodded.
Charlotte sat in a chair by the fire while Phin rang for tea. He joined her by the fire, and they chatted until the tea cart was wheeled in and rested between the two chairs.
The familiar smell of the fire burning and the tea steeping put Phin at ease.
“I want to apologize for my bluntness the other day. The subject is so sensitive to me; I can sometimes speak with too much fervour.”
“There Is no need to apologize, Your Grace. Your explanation of your feelings was enlightening to me. I had no idea the depth of how you felt.
“I understand so much more than before. Now that I understand the full scope of your pain, I would like to apologize for causing it. It was unintentional and wrong.
“Please forgive me for putting you through such an awful time. When you explained it like you were being disowned, it hit me hard about what I had done. I am sick over it. It is very important to me that you find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Phin reached over and took Charlotte’s hand in his. He felt that familiar hum. The bond between them was still there.
“Charlotte, I forgive you. Now that you know the whole of it, your apology means the world to me.
“I would like to start over Charlotte. I would like to court you, go to balls and the theatre together. We had fun, didn’t we?”
Charlotte nodded, tears in her eyes. “I’d like that as well.”
“Good. Tell me, are you and your aunt going to stay at John’s this fall? I know the new season won’t start until after the new year, but will you be in London before next season?”
“I don’t know. I’ll need to talk with my aunt. She relies on John to help her with those decisions.”
“I’ll talk with John also. I know he’s been very happy to host you.”
“He likes having my aunt around,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you, Charlotte.”
“What for?”
“For putting up with me. Everett will be relieved that someone besides him is taking part of the burden.”
“You’re not a burden to me, and I doubt Everett thinks you’re a burden to him.”
Charlotte and Phin looked at each other and smiled. Phin was at peace for the first time since being turned away at Charlotte’s door. He looked at Charlotte and saw relief and love in her eyes.
Both turned in their chairs when they heard John whistling as he entered the room. He looked up and froze midstride.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, walking to Phin and Charlotte. “I didn’t mean to barge into your study, Phin. You had shown me where you keep your cigars, the door was open, I walked in.”
Phin stood and swatted the air. “You are welcome anytime. My cigars are yours for the taking. Get two then come back and sit with us.”
John nodded then went to Phin’s humidor. Phin dragged another chair to the fireplace and opened a window.
John handed Phin a cigar and sat. He casually cut the tip of the cigar while he talked. “Have you to come to some sort of truce?” He looked up and handed the cigar cutter to Phin.
Now it was Phin’s turn to look down and cut his cigar. “I believe we have, John.” He glanced up, “Charlotte, would you agree?”
John scratched the flint, busying himself lighting his cigar while Charlotte replied, “Yes. We had a nice talk.”
John passed the flint to Phin, who started to light his cigar. “You two are going to have to help me. I heard what you said, but I have no idea what you mean,” John said, puffing on his cigar.
“Charlotte has apologized to me. If she were to do it again, she would have received me and discussed her concerns with me.
“I have accepted her apology. We have decided to start again. We are planning to court.
“Before you whistled into the room, we were trying to figure out where Charlotte would be. She doesn’t know if she is staying with you, John, or whether she is going back to London.”
John looked at Phin then Charlotte then Phin again. “I’m missing something. Why are you two courting?”
Phin looked at him curiously, “So we can start over. It fell apart. Wouldn’t the prudent thing to do be to back up to before it fell apart?”
“Prudent for whom?”
Phin shifted in his chair, “Prudent for Charlotte.”
“Why?” John said, looking at the tip of his cigar.
Phin blew a cigar smoke ring into the air. “So we can reacquaint ourselves to happier times.”
Charlotte sat watching the men on either side of her talk about her relationship with Phin as if she weren’t there. Her head swivelled back and forth between them every time they spoke.
“I’m sorry, Phin, but I think it’s time to skip the courting and go straight to the wedding.”
Phin leaned back in his chair and looked at his cigar, “Really, John. Why is that?”
John leaned forward, looking Phin in the eyes, punctuating the air with his cigar. “Because you two love each other and courting as if you need to get to know each other before you make an offer, is a waste of time.”
John turned to Charlotte, “My dear sweet Charlotte, do you love Phin?”
Charlotte put down her head, and her face turned red. “Yes.”
“Definitely?”
“Yes.”
He turned to Phin. “Phin, my boy, do you love Charlotte?”
Phin grinned. “Yes, I do.”
“You are officially betrothed. Congratulations.”
Phin looked at Charlotte, “I am not interested if John thinks we’re betrothed.” He stopped and grinned. “I’m interested in hearing from you if we are betrothed. I would like to be betrothed. You?”
“Yes,” she said, tears filling her eyes.
John stood. “Great. Let’s go spread the good news,” he said then threw his barely smoked cigar into the fireplace. Phin’s cigar followed as he and C
harlotte stood. “I believe everyone of any importance to either of you is in the parlour.”
Phin and Charlotte smiled at each other and followed John. He opened the parlour door and walked in with Charlotte and Phin following.
Their friends were standing in two lines on either side of the parlour. Phin thought it looked odd. Then he heard Charlotte gasp. He looked at her. Her hand was over her mouth, and she was looking down the end of the lines at the far wall. His eyes followed the two lines of friends until Phin saw a priest.
The priest stood in between the lines, vestments arranged with the Bible in his hand. He nodded to Phin.
Everett came forward and clapped Phin on his back. “You didn’t ask me yet, but I’m your best man. I’m also the one who went to all the trouble of getting a special licence so you could get married today.
He turned to Charlotte. “Charlotte, choose someone to stand up for you so we can get on with this long overdue ceremony. She looked at her aunt.
“Does Phin have your approval?”
“Yes, dear. He always did.”
“Stand up for me?”
“I would love to,” Genevieve said clasping her hands to her breast.
Phin and Everett were already at the end of the line of guests when Charlotte and Genevieve joined them. The four stood in front of the priest while guests watched the ceremony.
Marielle called out, “I object.”
Silas looked at her. He shook his head. “There is a specific place in the ceremony for objecting.”
“I know that,” she said. “Charlotte, Mercy, Josie, come. We must get the bride ready for her wedding.
Everyone except the girls groaned. They rushed out of the parlour and took the stairs like a pack of elephants.
“Don’t listen to them,” Marielle said, shutting Charlotte’s bedchamber door behind her. “Mercy, we need your gown.”
Mercy ran for the room while Josie took the pins out of Charlotte’s hair to give her a better hairstyle.
“We need white ribbon. Do you have any, Charlotte?” Marielle said.
Charlotte looked at the mirror over her reflection to Mercy. “Top drawer has all my ribbons.”
Mercy hurried and found a white ribbon. She handed it to Josie. “White slippers?” Marielle asked. Mercy ran to the wardrobe, opened it and got on her hands and knees to rummage through her slippers.
“If she doesn’t have white, look for red,” Marielle said. The girls all turned and looked at her. “What? It’s done all the time in Paris.”
Mercy came out of the wardrobe with red slippers, and Charlotte laughed. “I have white slippers.”
Mercy grinned. “I know. These are just more fun.”
After her hair was styled and a ribbon was weaved through it, all the girls helped her put on the dress.
“I knew we were similar in size, but I’m surprised this fits you so well,” Mercy said.
“It does,” said Marielle. “And the best part is Charlotte is taller than Mercy, so the red slippers show. “Marielle looked up, “You look beautiful, Charlotte. Let’s go before they call off the wedding.”
“Don’t worry,” Mercy said. “Everett is probably sitting on Phin’s chest. He won’t be going anywhere.”
Charlotte entered the parlour looking like an honest to goodness bride. While making her way down the two lines that formed an aisle, Charlotte heard quiet murmurs. She picked up the words ‘slippers’ and ‘red.’ Her smile grew larger.
The men murmured thanks to their ladies. It was worth the wait. Phin was struck dumbfounded by his bride. She looked up at him and grinned. She knew she looked good.
After Phin kissed his bride and everyone clapped, he turned to Everett to thank him. Everett hugged Phin hard. “You’re welcome,” he said. “You weren’t going to do it without some prodding. I consider myself your official prodder.”
Everett hugged Phin again and whispered in Phin’s ear, “Remember, I’m going on my honeymoon first, so you will just have to wait.”
THE END
Can't get enough of Charlotte and Phin? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
Will Phin and Charlotte consummate their love?
What happened to our other couple, Marielle and Silas?
How did the brotherly friendship between Phin and Everett progress?
Click the link or enter it into your browser
http://abigailagar.com/extended
(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “Loving a Noble Gentleman”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
Loving a Noble Gentleman
Chapter 1
“Mary Roberts, I understand that this might be difficult for you to hear,” Walter, the elderly gentleman with deep dark brown eyes told her with a firm tone. “But that is the stipulation your father has set. As his lawyer, I must relay this information to you.”
Mary straightened her back, the bones from her corset digging deeper into her ribs. That was not the only thing that made the air squeeze from her lungs, however. The situation closed her throat over and made it challenging to breathe. In all her eighteen years of life, never had she heard anything so terrifying.
“I do not understand.” She shook her head desperately. Her reddish curls shook as her head moved. “This does not make any sense.”
Mary never got to know her mother. Unfortunately, despite the family’s wealth, there was not enough available health care to keep her alive during what turned out to be a very challenging and problematic childbirth. According to what Mary had been told, her mother held her for all of two minutes before death claimed her. Just long enough to smile at her youngest daughter before she was stripped from the world forever. The woman who was supposed to be the most important to her was taken from her before she even got a chance to build a bond with her.
It was a hole that Mary had always felt gaping in her life.
As far as she knew, her father was aware of that. Maybe they could not spend too much time together because Mr Roberts was a very busy and important man, but she always thought that he understood her nature. She was not like the other girls her age, especially not the ones with titles. The label ‘Lady’ usually brought with it a set of expectations, but Mary had always struggled with them. She had no self-confidence, and she battled with shyness that was almost crippling. She thought her father knew; she thought he cared.
“When your father learned that he was battling a sickness that he would never recover from, he knew that he needed to set some rules to ensure that you get everything that you want from life.” Walter relayed this to Mary as if it were matter of fact. To him, it was not shocking, he had known about it for years, and it did not directly affect him.
“So he wishes that I get married? He has decided that, despite the fact that it has been years since he passed away.”
Maybe it was not unheard of, maybe many girls Mary’s age were getting married, but she did not feel ready for anything like that. With no mother, a sister who got married six years ago and left the family home, and now no father, Mary did not know how to communicate well in polite society. She had always found it difficult to make friends, so she did not have anyone to let her know where she was going wrong. She certainly did not feel emotionally capable of meeting a man, let alone get married.
“Now that you are an adult, you are old enough to inherit the family home. Your sister received her financial gain five years ago. Now it is your turn.”
Mary’s heart thumped wildly in her chest, and sickness swirled in her stomach as her brain span with anxiety. She curled her fingers around the chair beneath her, trying to prevent herself from falling to the ground in a heap at the terrible news.
“Did Charlotte have stipulations to her inheritance too?”
In her state of panic, Mary acted out in a way that she had never done before. Usually, she was very respectful to her elders, but she had never been told that she was about to be forced into marr
iage before. This changed her and brought out a desperate side of her.
“Mary.” Walter clasped his hands together, and he narrowed his eyes. “Your father did not want you to end up alone. You must continue on the family line. As a Lady, you have been given many privileges in life that others do not get. This is what you must do.” He shrugged his shoulders upright and gave what he thought would be a reassuring smile. “It is your father’s dying wish for you.”
