Always Forever (Emerson Book 5)

by Maureen Driscoll

  Before she could alert Nate, Rose was outside floating over the estate at night. There was an eerie blue tint to everything. It was odd to be so high above the ground, to reach the tops of the trees, but Rose wasn’t scared. She somehow knew she would be all right.

  An instant later, she was in an old building. It looked to be a shed of some type, but from the looks of it, someone lived there. There was a cot in the corner, along with a table, two chairs and a fireplace. There were wildflowers in a vase and everything about the room was neat and tidy, despite the rough wooden walls and floor.

  A figure walked toward them, its features indistinguishable in the dim light. As it walked out of the shadows, it appeared to be a man about Nate’s age, though this man had dark hair. He was dressed like a farmer in a white shirt and simple trousers. He was looking at Rose, then he turned to Charlotte and smiled.

  The duchess smiled back. She held out her hand and he reached for it as he walked toward them. Rose realized this was Charlotte’s true love and this small shed – wherever it was – had been their meeting place. She had been forced to marry the duke, but had not relinquished her true love.

  The two lovers inched slowly toward each other. They touched, then Rose awoke in her bed at the castle. There was no sign of the lovers. Nothing to make her think this had been anything other than a dream. She sat upright, trying to see if there was any lingering trace of the duchess.

  But there was nothing.

  “Rose?” Nate was peering at her bleary-eyed, even as he then looked around the room for an intruder. “Why are you upset, love?”

  “Nothing,” she said, as she tried to piece everything together. Why had Charlotte come to her in a dream? If it had been a dream. She knew she hadn’t been asleep the first time she had seen her. But she hadn’t actually flown across with the estate with a ghost.

  Or had she?

  Nate pulled her back into his arms. “We are both awake now and should make the best of it.” He began kissing her neck.

  “Is this your solution for any time we have a spare moment to ourselves?”

  “Absolutely. And it shall be this way forever, love. I suggest you get used to it.”

  “With pleasure, my lord.” Rose kissed him back, and soon all thoughts of Charlotte and her lover left her head.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The next morning, Rose looked out the sitting room window to see two carriages pull up to the castle. “How many more people did the duke invite?” she asked Nate, who was by her side.

  He grinned as he took her hand. “Ah, but I am responsible for our latest visitors. Come with me, love. There is some business for you to attend to.”

  A curious Rose took his hand as they went out to see footmen unloading several trunks from the carriages.

  Nate motioned to the curious butler. “Westfield, have these delivered to the sitting room off our bedchamber, then pray tell Mr. and Mrs. Lewis to meet us there.” Then he led Rose to a fashionably dressed older lady, who curtsied deeply to them. “Madame Couliere, thank you for taking the time to personally see to my wishes. Lady Grayson, this is Madame Couliere, who is seeing to your and Mrs. Lewis’s wardrobes.”

  “Our what?” asked Rose.

  “Lady Grayson is indeed lovely,” said Madame, as she looked Rose up and down. “Your estimates of her sizes look to have been true, my lord. I believe only a few alterations will be necessary to finish the gowns.”

  “What gowns?” asked Rose again.

  “Since we were not able to go to London for a proper fitting, I sent word to Madame when we married, asking her to alter any gowns she might have which would suit your coloring. I gave her my best guess as to your sizes.”

  “A very accurate guess, I think,” said Madame.

  “Yes,” said Rose. “I have to wonder how my husband is so good at guessing a lady’s size.”

  “Some things,” said Madame, “are better left unknown. Shall we begin?”

  An hour later, both Rose and Win had been measured every place it was possible to measure. At first, Win had politely declined Nate’s offer. But Rose had insisted. It was only fair, she’d pointed out. Win had given Rose her own gowns. Now Rose was quite pleased to be able to return the favor. Yet, she found it difficult to order gowns for herself, telling Madame she could only take a few of the two dozen gowns the modiste had brought.

  “Love,” said Nate, as he pulled her into their bedchamber while Madame altered one of Win’s new gowns, “you have sacrificed for others much too long. Please do not worry about cost. Besides, it is my duty as your husband to keep you clothed.”

  “But you need not do it quite so handsomely. I am not a spendthrift, Nathaniel.”

  “Have I sunk so low as to be Nathaniel once again?”

  “I fear so. Though, I must admit, I especially love the blue gown with the velvet trim. And the green riding habit with the smart buttons. I am not at all opposed to the brown plaid pelisse. All right, yes, I fear I am changing into a lady who loves nice clothes. You will soon regret ever bringing Madame to the house. I do not suppose, well…” Rose bit her bottom lip and Nate wanted to lock the door to the sitting room and make love to his wife.

  “Yes?” he asked, still looking at the lip.

  “If I order fewer things, can Madame stop off at the dower house and alter gowns for Ava, Irene and Kate?”

  “I already anticipated your request, so Madame brought a few gowns for them, as well. I asked her to bring only three a piece for the ladies. I believe your brothers would object to more than that.”

  “Did you also guess Ava, Irene and Kate’s sizes?”

  “Yes, love.”

  “I imagine my brothers will object to that more than anything else. But thank you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

  “It is my great pleasure,” said Nate. “Your family is mine, after all. And I would do anything to keep that smile on your face. I am, in fact, quite dependent upon seeing it.”

  “Madame said something I didn’t quite understand. What is a peignor?”

  “Ah. It is a ladies’ dressing gown.”

  “I brought one from home.”

  “The ones Madame brought are no doubt different from yours.”

  “But mine is perfectly serviceable and, besides, no one will see me in it except for you.” The way Nate’s eyes lit up made Rose blush. “Oh. So, these would be more for you than for me.”

  “Yes, which is why you must do me the kindness of accepting them. And I believe you will rather like them, as well.”

  It was not at all fair that Nate could make her blush with next to no effort. Rose wanted to know if she could do the same to him. “But, Nate. Why should you spend so much money on an item when I am more than willing to wear nothing at all?”

  There it was, Rose noted with glee. He finally had a reaction to her words. Now his color was heightened, he skipped a breath and his eyes grew much darker. He also advanced on her and while she wanted nothing more than to return to bed with him, she was also aware that Madame and her assistants were in the next room. So, she gently but firmly put her hand on Nate’s chest to hold him off. “Later, love,” she whispered. “But for now I must return to my fitting.”

  She had to smile as she left him speechless – for once – and impatient in the bedchamber.

  * * *

  Nate had never known such enjoyment from giving a gift. Of course, most of his previous experience had been in giving parting gifts to lovers and he had never been emotionally invested. But this was quite different.

  He loved watching Rose with her new gowns. Her expressive face showed gratitude, excitement, anticipation and joy. He would relive this day in his mind for the rest of his life. Moreover, he very much looked forward to seeing her in the peignors Madame had brought.

  He looked forward to giving her the jewels his mother had bequeathed him, which also gave him a legitimate excuse to be in his father’s library.

  Bancroft was out with Canning
and Jones, while Westfield was, for once, taking care of business elsewhere in the castle, so Nate was able to slip into the library without being noticed.

  He opened the first of his father’s safes, hoping to see something he had missed on his previous search. He pulled open the door, which was about a foot square and looked inside. There were a few boxes, which Nate opened, though he’d searched them before. One was a collection of coins which appeared to be Roman artifacts. There was one small envelope of papers, which appeared to be deeds to various properties, all of which were official estates of the Duke of Bancroft.

  He found the box which contained the sapphire necklace, matching earbobs and tiara that his mother had left him. He allowed himself a quick moment to think about how lovely Rose would look in them, before putting them in his pocket.

  Unfortunately, the rest of his search turned up nothing of note. He was about to close the safe door when he felt a slight breeze coming from inside the vault. He ran his hand along the back and was rewarded with a small crevice between the steel of the vault and what should have been a solid stone wall. There had to be a passage back there, but he could not imagine where it was.

  He was about to start knocking on the wall, when he was interrupted by the sound of his father clearing his throat.

  “May I be of some assistance, Grayson?” asked Bancroft, who was standing in the open door with Canning and Jones beside him. “You are obviously searching for something.”

  “I was looking for this,” said Nate, as he pulled out the case containing his mother’s jewels. “They will look wonderful with Rose’s new gowns.”

  “I do not recall giving you the combination to my safe.”

  “I learned how to pick locks at a house party, once. It was part of a set of drunken wagers. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from telling my wife.” Nate figured his father would be more likely to believe his lie if it meant it was also a secret from his wife.

  “Already keeping secrets from Lady Grayson?” asked Bancroft.

  “A sense of mystery adds excitement to marriage,” said Nate, as he shut the safe and languidly made his way to the door.

  Canning nodded. “If I had a wife, I would never tell her anything. Lord knows, I never tell my mistress a thing. After all, a man must be in charge of his own destiny.”

  “As you say,” said Nate, as he reached the door. “I shall see you at dinner, your grace.”

  * * *

  “Where do you suppose the passage is?” asked Alex, as he and Nate waited in the sitting room for their wives to appear in their new gowns.

  “I do not know and did not think it wise to explore since my father had just caught me in his safe. If I recall correctly, you are not fond of enclosed spaces.”

  “Seeing as how I fainted into Win’s arms the first time we went into one, you definitely have the right of it. But I will do whatever is needed to get to the bottom of this.”

  “There are many outbuildings on the property and I cannot help but wonder if they contain what we are looking for. I am not asking any of you to go in and search them, but if the three of you were to wander the estate, you could let me know if any of them look to be in use right now.”

  “That is a clever way of keeping me from fainting again, but what would you be doing? Because we cannot leave you alone.”

  “I will take care of myself.” Before Alex could argue further, Nate stood. “Now, if you will excuse me, I will see what is taking my wife so long.”

  * * *

  Madame and her able staff had been invited to stay at the castle that night, but had gone back to the inn in anticipation of their return trip to London early the next day. She had left Rose and Win each with two gowns suitable for dinner and four for the day.

  As Rose looked at herself in the mirror, she could hardly believe her eyes. She had never in her life worn such an elegant gown. She didn’t like to think of herself as someone who was overly caught up in material goods, but she loved this gown. She loved how she felt wearing it.

  There was a brief knock at the door, then Nate entered. When he saw her, his reaction was everything she could have wished for. Her sophisticated husband, who had prowled the ballrooms of the ton, now stood before her, his jaw slack, his surprise clear. His approval evident.

  “Madame has performed a miracle,” said Rose, as she slowly turned for him. Her blue silk gown was the color of dusk and clung to her curves. But from the look in Nate’s eyes, she was surprised it wasn’t being ignited by his desire. She could barely breathe as he slowly approached her, all languid grace and wicked intent.

  “The miracle is your natural beauty,” he said, his voice deeper than normal. “Madame has simply given you cloth to wrap around it. And I have come to make my own contribution.”

  With that he pulled out a beautiful sapphire necklace. Before Rose could even touch it, Nate turned her toward the mirror, her back to his front. She watched as he fastened it about her neck, then she touched the stones with trembling fingers.

  “It is too beautiful,” she said.

  “You are beautiful. The jewels are simply from the set my mother left me. There is also a tiara, and earbobs. I did not wish Win to feel underdressed, so I only brought the one piece, but you will decide which ones to wear to dinner.”

  “Thank you for thinking of my sister,” said Rose, as she kissed him. “I would like her to wear the earbobs tonight, if that is all right with you.”

  “It would be a lovely gesture.”

  “But later tonight I would like to wear all of the jewels and nothing else. If that would please you, of course.”

  Nate took a deep breath as if to steady himself. “You are close to having this gown ripped off of you, so I would suggest you take the earbobs to Win now, lest you end up having nothing to wear to dinner.”

  Rose’s smile was so broad it hurt her cheeks. But apparently that was the price of being Nate’s wife.

  A quarter of an hour later, the four of them went down to dinner. Rose wore the necklace, with her sister in the matching earbobs. Win had insisted that Rose wear both, but Rose had finally convinced her sister that Mirabelle’s disappointment at seeing both sisters in jewels would be entertainment for a month.

  As they came downstairs, Rose saw Mirabelle deep in conversation with a footman at the far side of the foyer. Whatever the man said upset her, for she had a particularly sour expression when she turned toward them.

  And then she only grew more unhappy.

  “You are late,” said Mirabelle, before going into the sitting room where Bancroft and the others were congregating as they waited for dinner. The duke looked at Rose appraisingly, his eyes going to the necklace in a way that made the back of her neck tingle.

  “Grayson,” said Bancroft. “I see you wasted no time in presenting your wife with your mother’s bequest.”

  “Yes, your grace. I wanted to pass on Mother’s gift, though my wife needs no adornment.”

  “It is odd that a mother would give jewelry to a son, is it not?” asked Mirabelle, who was weighted down with jewels she’d wasted no time in acquiring from the estate.

  Bancroft shrugged. “That was between her and Grayson. I cannot imagine how it would interest you.” He offered his arm to Rose. “I do hope you will do me the honor of sitting by me tonight at dinner. I would like to know how you are getting along at the castle.”

  Rose could feel Nate stiffen, but she wanted to take the opportunity to speak with Bancroft while in the safety of numbers. Mayhap it would help her learn what he was about. “Thank you, your grace. I would like that very much.”

  * * *

  By midway through dinner, Rose was cursing her decision to sit next to Bancroft. The man was saying everything that was polite and proper, but nothing of value. Meanwhile, Mirabelle was seated between Nate and Canning and brushing up against her son-in-law with distressing regularity, despite Canning’s best efforts to make her look his way.

  “Do you not trust your h
usband?” Bancroft asked Rose when she had been staring too long in Nate’s direction.

  “Of course I do, your grace. I simply wish to gaze upon him.” That much was true. She only omitted the portion where she wished to drench the new duchess in a decanter of wine.

  “I must confess I was surprised when I learned Grayson would marry, though I commend his choice of bride. But I had not thought he was ready to settle into married life. Of course, that is assuming he has settled into it. Will you object if he goes back to his carefree life in town?”

  Rose would hit him about the head with the nearest blunt object if he even tried such a thing. “I do not know much about Nate’s previous experiences in London, though his last trip there was certainly eventful. His flat was burgled and a man was found murdered near his building.” She kept her eyes on Bancroft to see if he would react to her words.

  But all he did was take a sip of wine, looking like they were discussing the weather.

  “Yes, I heard about that. It must have frightened you.”

  “No, your grace. I was shocked, relieved and angered, but not frightened. I have faith in my husband’s abilities to overcome any challenge which comes his way. Had I been in his flat with him, I would have fought by his side.”

  Bancroft really looked at Rose, then smiled just the slightest. “I wager you would have. But that would have been foolhardy. It sounds like this villain was both clever and ruthless to have broken into the desk and dispatched the other man so quickly. He likely would have been more than a match for a nobleman and a lady.”

  “Not if the lady was prepared to fight with her last breath to defend the man she loved.”

  Bancroft was about to say something when they were interrupted by Nate at the other end of the table.

  “Your grace, I must confess to being jealous of all the time you’re spending with my wife.” He said it in a carefree manner, but it was clear Nate was concerned by the intensity of the conversation, even if he did not know its content. A quick glance at Win and Alex showed that Rose’s conversation with the duke had not gone unnoticed by them, either.