A Rumored Engagement

by Lily George

  A deep, decidedly male voice exclaimed loudly and then gave a hearty cough. Gracious, did she just pepper someone with her prodigious dust cloud? Susannah paused on the threshold and stepped around.

  Daniel Hale stood just outside, covered in a fine cloud of dust. As she watched, her eyes growing wider, he swatted at his jacket sleeves, trying to rid them of their powdered grime.

  “Mr. Hale.” It was more of a statement than a welcome.

  “Susannah.” He straightened and removed his hat. “My congratulations. You are an excellent shot. Indeed, Wellington might have use for you in his army.”

  “M-my apologies, Mr. Hale.” Susannah wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her skirt. “I had no idea you were out there.”

  “I believe you.” He gave her a slight smile, and for some inexplicable reason, it caused her heart to flutter. “I don’t imagine you were expecting me.”

  “We have been working on cleaning up the store today and did not expect any visitors,” Susannah explained. There, that took the personal edge off the conversation. It’s not that they weren’t expecting him. They simply were not expecting anyone.

  “Yes, I can see that.” His eyes roamed over her bedraggled form, amusement lighting their green depths.

  The old anger and resentment welled in her breast. Who was he to laugh at her? What kind of man paid any calls without even wearing a cravat? “Well, now that I’ve powdered you with dust, at least we match,” she replied in a sweetly tart tone.

  Daniel laughed and shook his head. “I should know better than to give you that kind of opportunity, Susannah. You never fail to get the last word.”

  A light footstep sounded on the threshold behind her. “Mr. Hale! So good to see you,” Becky called. “Won’t you come in and see our handiwork. We’ve been cleaning all day.”

  Before Susannah could turn around and shoot her sister a quelling look, Daniel stepped forward, genuine interest in his expression. “I would, thank you. I wondered how you ladies were getting on.” He motioned the two sisters in with a wave of his hand.

  Susannah had no choice but to turn and follow her sister. To say anything at that point to dissuade him would be beyond rude. And while she didn’t precisely enjoy his company, she had no energy left today to cross swords with him. So she set her jaw and waited, arms folded across her chest, as he surveyed their surroundings.

  “I must say I am impressed.” He gave a low whistle. “You three have already turned this into a palace. Why, it even smells clean in here. And everything so bright and fresh.” He grinned at Susannah with such warmth that she blinked. “You are to be congratulated. All of you.”

  “I’ve just finished making the curtains for the windows.” Becky held one of the gossamer panels up and gave it a shake. “The room will look much more finished when I hang them.”

  “Here. Allow me.” He stepped forward and took the panel from Becky. “I see the previous tenant left the rods up, so I’ll just thread the curtains on.” He reached up without even having to strain and removed the wooden pole from the brackets. The sight of his powerful shoulders, framed by the windowpane, made her heart flutter once more.

  She gave herself a brisk mental shake. Daniel had always been a very nice-looking boy, and if the boy had filled out into a nice-looking man, then that was no concern of hers. Fine feathers meant nothing if a man never kept his word. And, more to the point, his very presence was a distraction. Her heart shouldn’t ever flutter when he was about. She had set her path in life, and it no longer included Daniel. Her life was this shop, and securing the independence of herself and her sisters was her sole purpose.

  The sooner he left the better.

  Chapter Five

  “We were just about to have tea,” Nan informed him as Becky handed him another curtain panel. “Won’t you stay and join us?”

  This time Susannah did shoot a quelling glance at her sister, but Nan turned and busied herself with clearing off the table.

  “I’d love to.” Daniel snapped the rod in place and moved to the next window. Becky darted over and began fluffing the curtains with an expert hand. “In fact, I was wondering if you got the gift I sent you.”

  “It was lovely!” Nan exclaimed, and the sisters began chattering in tandem about the vast repast he’d sent over and how delicious everything had been. Watching them together, a cold feeling of loneliness settled in Susannah’s stomach. She could not be lighthearted about his gift. Indeed, it was difficult to feel gratitude. All she felt was the same undying sense of betrayal—that she had reached out to him when she needed someone desperately and yet he hadn’t come back for her. She had to turn off these thoughts. She could not allow him to see how much she was hurt. After all, it meant nothing to him. Why allow him to see how deeply she had been affected by his absence? She grasped the broom and walked out to the back porch. She propped the broom next to the doorway and sank onto the rough brick, tucking her skirts around her.

  She was tired. And hungry. Perhaps she could just rest for a moment, savoring the quiet. She untied her apron and cast it onto the long, swaying grass. The wind ruffled her hair, and she turned her face up toward the sun. Methodically, she removed the handful of hairpins she’d used to hold her hair, and relished the feeling of release as its heavy weight tumbled down her back. Just a few moments of peace, and then she’d put her hair up, tie her apron back on and go pretend to be a hostess to the man who had betrayed her.

  The grass looked awfully tempting. She could spread her apron out on it and take a tiny nap, the late-afternoon sun warming her and making her eyelids droop...

  “Susy. I brought you some tea.”

  Susannah snapped back to reality with a gasp. She’d almost fallen asleep where she sat, and Daniel stood over her, a steaming mug in one hand and a look of tender concern on his face. She shook her head to rid herself of the dreamy haze that enveloped her and her hair rippled around her shoulders, a reminder that she was dirty, unkempt and had been caught half-asleep by Daniel Hale.

  Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Susannah accepted the cup from Daniel. “Thank you.” She let the use of her nickname pass. For the moment.

  He knelt beside her and plucked a blade of grass, toying with it. “You’ve been working too hard.”

  She took a careful sip. The tea was strong and wonderfully hot, just the thing she needed to feel revived. “No indeed. I need to work a good deal harder.”

  “I worry about you.”

  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but he kept his face turned down. He must be teasing her, just as he always did. “Oh, don’t worry about me, Mr. Hale. I am tireless as a windmill.” She made her voice light and airy, the perfect rejoinder.

  “I’m not teasing you. I have grave concerns about the amount of work you are taking on.” He cast the blade of grass aside and faced her squarely. “I want to help. If I keep sending food down from Goodwin, would you accept it? I want to make sure you and your sisters have enough to eat until your shop becomes a success.”

  “We will not accept any charity.” She kept the same light tone of voice, but her hands began to tremble. “But I thank you for your concern.”

  “It’s not charity.” With a sudden, swift gesture he took the cup from her and set it aside, then grasped her hands in his. “Won’t you let me help?”

  She cast a quick darting glance at him, scanning his face for sincerity. Deep shadows ringed the eyes that usually held a mischievous light, and the stubble of a beard darkened his cheeks and chin. Daniel looked older—more worn—than he had in some time. Age might have changed him. He might be sincere. But then—Daniel was always sincere at the moment. The sincerity just didn’t stand the test of time.

  She tried to tug her hands away and attempted a flighty, false laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t see why you feel you need to watch o
ut for me.”

  Daniel pulled her closer, so close that she caught his scent of leather and green grass. “I’m sorry for what I did. Can you ever forgive me?”

  She forced herself to look up at him. She hadn’t been this close to him since they were sixteen years old, and for some reason, his proximity was playing havoc with her sensibilities. “I am trying,” she admitted in a whisper. “But it’s difficult. You have no idea...” She trailed off, unable to tell him anything over the painful lump rising in her throat.

  “I wish I’d done things differently. I know I have a lot to make up for. Can we...” He paused and swallowed. “Can we at least be friends? I can work on atonement much more effectively if you don’t openly despise me every time I stop by.”

  Friendship. Friendship was neutral and didn’t use up as much of her feelings as hatred did. Besides, she was supposed to forgive him if she was to live out her faith. He wasn’t asking too much. Not really.

  Could she relinquish her anger enough to be friends?

  She tugged her hands from his grip and sat back on her heels, putting some much-needed distance between them. “Very well,” she admitted. “I will be your friend, and you can be mine, but we must have some conditions for this arrangement.”

  A half smile quirked the corner of his mouth and the light of challenge shone in his green eyes. “Name them.”

  “First, you do not call me Susy. Second, you do not send extravagant gifts to my family.”

  “I don’t like the terms, but I will reluctantly agree to them if it means I earn your friendship.” He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “Anything else?”

  “Let’s just keep everything...pleasant.” She could not give voice to her tumultuous feelings, but somehow the word summed up how desperately she wanted to brush over the past. “I’m starting anew here in Tansley, and I don’t want to spend the first few weeks in dread of meeting you, or in dread of reliving the past. Do you understand?”

  “I think so.” He kept his face turned downward, studying his boots. “I know only too well what you mean about reliving the past. ’Tis an awful practice.”

  He must be referring to their engagement. He must feel badly that he ever agreed to marry her. Finding out this way was like tripping over a rut in a road you thought was smooth. She regretted the engagement, too, but she would never describe it as awful. Rather, she regretted that she ever depended on anyone else for her happiness. At least now she knew that independence was the only way to be fully happy.

  Susannah stifled a sigh. But then, Daniel had always hated being confined to duties and responsibilities. One Easter Sunday he’d run off and spent the day climbing the moors rather than attend services with his father. He’d been nothing but a lad then. She found him later—dirty and unkempt—when she’d taken her sisters out for a walk. And they’d shared a jam sandwich and strolled with him back to the gates of Goodwin Park.

  He would never change. He’d always be the boy smeared with dirt, running away to avoid his duties.

  Friendship, and never reliance, was the only way to be happy with Daniel.

  “Rest assured, I never spoke of our engagement to anyone but my sisters, and, of course, my aunt and uncle. My aunt and uncle have passed away, and my sisters will never breathe a word of it to anyone. So you see—we can pretend it never happened.”

  She rose and picked up the teacup. “Thank you for your assistance today, Daniel. And for the food, too. It was delicious and much needed. I had better finish up, though. There’s still a lot to get done and a few hours of daylight left.”

  He glanced up at her, his eyebrows slightly raised, as though he was surprised by her words. “Very well. I hope to see you again soon.” He stood, brushing the stray blades of grass from his breeches. Then, with a slight bow, he strolled off in the direction of Goodwin Hall, his jacket tossed carelessly over one shoulder.

  “Is he gone?” Nan chirped, peeking around the door frame.

  Susannah jumped, startled at the sisterly intrusion. “Yes.” She placed her hand over her pounding heart. “Nan, you gave me such a scare.”

  “What were you two talking about for such a long time out here? Did he propose again?” Becky popped her head around the door frame, pushing her cheek next to Nan’s. “He looks so dashing without a cravat. More men should follow his example.”

  Susannah suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “Rubbish. No, he did not propose. Why would he? Our engagement was a childish mistake. We’ve agreed to become friends, that is all. And I thanked him for the hamper of food from Goodwin Hall.” She shooed her sisters inside with a flick of her wrist. “Scoot. Both of you. We need to work on our displays.”

  Nan and Becky groaned and trudged back inside.

  “I always thought Daniel was handsome,” Nan muttered.

  Becky sighed. “So debonair.”

  Susannah propped herself against the door frame, pausing for a moment to gather her wits. One must be very, very cautious with overly romantic sisters. In her case, it was always the two of them against her. ’Twas easy indeed to become outnumbered and overwhelmed. Why, they could lead you to think that a fellow cared, or that a handsome face made up for a lack of character.

  She must never forget, even if she did forgive.

  * * *

  “Have another drink, my good fellow.” Paul splashed more scotch into Daniel’s glass, droplets of the precious amber liquid flicking across Daniel’s sleeve. “After all, you lose me to London in a day or so. Off to have a good long debauch before settling down for the winter.”

  Daniel sipped slowly. The day had started late and brought him into too much contact with too many stark reminders of his own deficiencies. Maybe if he drank enough, he could drown the memory of Susannah sitting on the porch, the late-afternoon sun bronzing the gorgeous waterfall of her auburn hair...

  Or the look in her eyes as she assured him their engagement was a childish indiscretion.

  “By Jove, man, I might as well be talking to a statue. Why so quiet this evening?” Paul sank onto the settee and grinned. “Will you miss my company that much?”

  “Don’t be daft.” Daniel tried to catch the spirit of camaraderie but failed. He was tired of pretense. “I feel the walls pressing in on me. Responsibility and duty and all that.” He took another mouthful of scotch, allowing it to burn like acid down his throat.

  “So? Chuck it all. Join me in London and leave it all to your estate manager.” Paul sat forward eagerly. “I shall meld daylight slumbers with evenings spent crawling through the worst places imaginable, until my bachelor appetite is quite satisfied.”

  Ugh. What a disgusting way to waste a trip to Town. Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise at his gut reaction. Just weeks ago, he would have found Paul’s plan enticing. Why the change to anathema?

  “No, thank you. I must be getting old. I’d rather drink at home and fall asleep in my own bed.” He swirled the scotch in his glass with a meditative air. “You’ll have to accomplish enough degradation for two, I am afraid.”

  “You do sound old.” Paul laughed, a sly look creeping across his features. “Ready to settle down, are you? Perhaps take up where you left off with Susannah Siddons?”

  “Stubble it.” Daniel willed his temper to subside. “We’ve agreed to remain friends.”

  “Easy, easy.” Paul held his palm up in a placatory gesture and settled back on the settee. “I take it you saw her today?”

  “Yes.” Perhaps if he spoke of the work Susannah was doing, Paul would leave their failed engagement alone. “You should see the place, Paul. That tumbledown building has been completely transformed. Those three girls work harder than any laborer here on the farm. I’m quite astonished by all they’ve accomplished.”

  “Did she appreciate the gift?” Paul winked.

 
“Yes, she did.” Daniel cast his glass aside and scrubbed his brow with a weary hand. “I can’t give her extravagant gifts again, Paul. Not even when I am in my cups. She’s too proud, and she works so diligently. I don’t want to make life harder for her than it should be. I know you think it’s all a grand joke, but I cannot find it amusing. Not when I have so much and she has so little.” He faced his friend squarely. “I must ask you to respect our pact. I’m a hopeless drunkard and a shirker, but we need to have deference for all Susannah has done to keep her little family together. Do I have your word?”

  Paul pursed his lips, a sheepish look in his eyes. “Of course. Never meant to cause trouble. You know me. Everything—even love—is fodder for comedy. But I will respect your privacy. And raise enough trouble in Town for the two of us.”

  Daniel nodded, a smile quirking his lips. “That’s the best I can hope for.”

  Chapter Six

  In the dim morning light, Susannah peered around her new home. More than a home. This was their hope for the future.

  There was nothing more to do, at least when it came to scrubbing and cleaning the place. Even their living quarters upstairs had been scoured—the wood floors sanded, cobwebs swept away, the iron bedsteads freshly painted white. The cheerful quilts that all three girls had pieced on rainy afternoons now graced the beds, and Becky had whipped up a pair of pink calico curtains for their dormer window. Downstairs, in the shop area, the girls had created an attractive window display, framed by Becky’s gossamer muslin curtains.

  Nan had really outdone herself this time. A collection of their finest hats was arranged in artful pageantry, all on hat stands of varying height. Nan had woven ribbons above the display in a bright, colorful web. From outside the store, one was drawn in by the promise of beauty.

  Now, if only the customers would come.

  Susannah had painted a sign herself, in graceful script, proclaiming Siddons Sisters Millinery. The sign was simply too heavy for her to hang, so it leaned against the front wall, beneath the window. Perhaps she could hire a couple of lads in the village, sturdy boys who could scramble up on the roof and hang the sign properly. Until then, this would have to do.