by Leenie Brown
It was not a very far journey from the bottom of the stairs to the door. However, they did have to wait twice – once for a maid to enter a room with a tray laden with dishes and once for a fellow who required a cane to assist his bent form in walking.
“Then, you know why I left,” she whispered after the man with the crooked back had passed them.
“Partly. Your parents required you to leave Erondale. However, they did not require you to leave me. That was your decision.” He let her exit before him. The air outside was a bit fresher than it was within, but it was still not without its own blend of aromas – food being cooked mingled with dirt and dust, as well as the scent of animals. It was not where he would have chosen to speak to her about serious matters, but it was the best they were going to be afforded.
“There is a tree with a bench just behind the hen house,” she offered
“Is there?”
She nodded. “I have been looking out the window for some time wishing to be anywhere but in my room and had thought of asking to go sit there. It is not as lovely as the bench in your garden, but it reminded me of that… and you.” She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment but then with a gasp, she straightened. “I forgot,” she whispered.
“I think we could withstand a few curious glances. I would venture to guess that most do not know we are only courting. I do not think it will cause a scandal.”
She sighed. “But my sister has.”
“Most likely.”
“She will be the talk of Bath when the gentleman who lives below Mr. Ramsey shares his story.”
“He will not be sharing anything.” When Mrs. Clayton had shared that bit of the tale with him before he left Erondale, he had decided to delay his journey by an hour so that he might have a frank discussion with the fellow.
“How do you know?”
“As it turns out, he has been looking to rent a nicer set of rooms. Ones which could be found in one of my establishments and which will be his if he keeps his silence.”
He had told the fellow that he was looking for a new tenant since he was planning to marry and wished to prop up his coffers by filling a vacancy. When the chap had discovered who it was that Walter was marrying, he had smirked and said something a trifle out of step. He would not make that mistake again, or he would be out of a fine set of rooms and be required to meet Walter for an early morning boxing match. Neither were things for which the fellow wished.
“You did that for Felicity?” Grace’s eyes were wide with surprise and filled with delight.
“No, I did it for you. I only care what happens to your sister as it pertains to how it affects you. She is not my responsibility.”
If it were not for how her sister’s actions might harm Grace, he’d not have cared if the gentleman shared his story with everyone he met. However, Walter could imagine just how grievously that would distress a kind heart such as Grace possessed.
He took a seat next to her on the bench beneath the tree.
“My window is that one on the right.”
He looked to where she was pointing.
“Do you suppose we are being watched?” he asked in a whisper.
She giggled. “I suppose we are.”
He lifted her hand to his lips.
“Mr. Blakesley, we are not to create a scandal!”
He chuckled. “We will not. I have only kissed your knuckles.” He kissed her hand once again. “Now, you were telling me why you decided to leave me.”
She tipped her head and looked at him. Once again, tears filled her eyes. Mrs. Clayton had said the note was not easily written, and it appeared that even thinking about having written it was painful.
“I could not allow you to be harmed.” She blew out a breath. “What would your family think of your marrying someone with a sister such as mine?”
“Frankly, I do not care what they think. You are not your sister, and they will come to understand that.”
“But what about the people in Bath? You need to retain a certain reputation to be able to continue to do business as you have been.” She grasped both of his hands and looked at him very seriously. “While sitting out a dance or two, I have heard how much you are admired. I should hate to be the cause of that changing.”
“They will also admire you. How could they not?”
She smiled. “You are impossible! It is entirely probable that many would hold my sister’s actions against me. That is how it works. If one daughter is a wanton seductress, then her sister is assumed to be the same.”
He shook his head. “Not always.”
“But often.” She punctuated her words with an exasperated huff.
He loved how she revealed all of her emotions to him. He doubted she did so with her sister or her mother. He had seen her affect expressions in their presence. He had never seen her do so with him.
“I will give you that there are some who think as you have suggested, but anyone who is too blind to see the goodness in you, my dear, is not worth my time.” For such a person was likely either intolerably stupid or thought far too well of themselves. Neither were the sorts of people with whom he enjoyed doing business, though sometimes it was required.
“You have also been seen with Mr. Norman,” he continued, “and he is highly regarded. I think you are worrying unnecessarily.” Her mouth popped open. “However,” he hastened to say, “I would rather bear a thousand heinous whispers than one more day without you. Please, say you will marry me.”
“But –”
“My life will only be miserable without you in it. I love you, Grace. More than life itself.”
Her lips trembled. “And I love you the same. These past two days have been wretched. I knew I must not put myself first, but how I wished to do just that and demand to be returned to Erondale.”
“Will you marry me, Grace?” She was taking an interminable amount of time to answer a simple question, but then, she had been trying his patience since before they met. It was one of the things about her which, while driving him to distraction, he loved.
Her head bobbed up and down. “If it will ensure your happiness, I will.”
“And what of your happiness, my love?”
“It will be greater than one person is likely supposed to be granted.”
He lifted her hand to his lips again. “I wish we were not being watched.”
She sighed. “That is too bad, is it not?” Her eyes rested on his lips. “We did just become betrothed.”
“I gave my word to your father.”
She sighed but then brightened and, leaning forward, kissed him. “I did not give my word to my father, and he is likely put out with me as it is.”
Walter shook his head.
“It is not how I wish to kiss you,” she whispered.
“We are in agreement there.” He stood and offered his hand to her. They should return to her parents before he found it impossible to keep his word to her father. “I will send an express to my father if your father will allow it. I should like for you to meet my family.”
“I would like that.” She once again rested her head on his shoulder for a very brief moment as they walked back to the door to the inn. “But are you not returning to Bath?”
“Not unless you are. I was not jesting when I said I had no desire to be separated from you again.”
“But you have business, do you not?”
“Nothing of a pressing nature. Norman has agreed to be my go-between if one is needed, and even Shelton offered assistance. He seemed very eager to see me on my way to claim you as my own. Do you know why?” he added when she giggled at that bit of information.
“He has been attempting to help me make a match since the house party we attended last summer.” She smiled up at him. “It seems he has finally done it.”
“Since when did he become a matchmaker?”
“Oh, he helped Mr. Clayton make a match with Bea.”
“He did?”
Grace nodded as sh
e climbed the stairs ahead of him. “He paid Bea marked attention while he was at Stratsbury Park, and that is all it took for Mr. Clayton to realize how much he loved my cousin.”
Walter shook his head and chuckled. He was not certain that causing another gentleman to be jealous was precisely being a matchmaker, but it did seem like something Roger would do.
“And then, while attempting to find a match for me, he found a match for Victoria.”
The match had been himself! Again, Walter was not certain he would place that under the auspices of being a matchmaker.
“And now,” Grace said as she gained the landing, “he has helped me find you.” Her brow furrowed. “Actually, I found you on my own. He just helped me keep you a secret.”
Roger had been a wonderfully negligent chaperone. Walter could not fault the fellow for that since it had worked so well in his favour. He offered Grace his arm, and together they walked down the corridor. Before knocking on the door to the Love’s set of rooms, he once again looked up and down the hallway, and, seeing they were alone, pulled Grace into his arms for a brief embrace and far-too-chaste kiss.
“How long until you would like to marry and return to Bath with me?”
She sighed as he lifted his hand to knock on the door. “We should likely ask Mother. She has not yet had the opportunity to host a wedding breakfast, and mine might be her only chance.”
“Then,” he replied with a smile, “we will let your mother decide, though I will not be pushed to wait longer than three weeks. I will eventually have to return to Bath.” He knocked and waited for someone to answer rather than allowing Grace to open the door for him. “And,” he whispered just before the door opened, “I will not, for any reason, allow your sister to come between us. Not for a dance nor for the distance between Kent and Bath.”
Chapter 21
Three and a half weeks later, Grace found herself once again settling into a strange room. However, this room and all the others below and above her would soon become familiar for they were to be her new home until the summer when she and her husband – she paused a moment and sighed at the wonderful thought – would take up residence at Erondale.
She put the last item for her toilette on her dressing table and took one more happy look around the modest-sized room which was fitted with wardrobes and dressers, as well as her dressing table and a lovely yellow sofa and footstool.
How wonderful it was that she had been forced to come to Bath on her sister’s account! She chuckled to herself. Things had certainly changed in the time since she had first arrived in Bath with her family.
“Are you finished?” Walter poked his head into their dressing room. “It most certainly looks as if you are.”
“Everything is as it should be.” Grace rose and crossed to the door which joined this room to the master chamber.
“I could not agree with you more.” Walter pulled her into his embrace and captured her lips for a kiss.
Grace sighed and melded to him. She was married – excessively, delightfully married in every way – and to the most wonderful man in all of creation. Her heart threatened to rupture with its joy at the knowledge. Walter was hers and hers alone.
“We have guests,” Walter whispered when finally, he broke away from their ardent kiss. “And as much as they are the understanding sort, I dare say they would not be pleased to wait for an hour for us to join them, even if I wish to be locked away in this room with you for at least that long.” He gave her a quick kiss.
“How do we have guests?” Grace asked as she checked her appearance in the mirror while Walter straightened and fidgeted with his clothing. “I did not think anyone would know we had arrived back in town until tomorrow.”
In the mirror, she could see his grin. “What have you done?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “It is a secret,” he whispered.
Grace giggled and hurried to follow him out of the room. Catching up to him, she wound her arm around his, pulling herself close enough that a good portion of her body touched his upper arm. She would affect a proper distance when they reached the bottom of the stairs, but for now, she wished to be as close to him as she possibly could be. However, when they reached the bottom of the stairs before she could affect her proper distance, he set her aside.
“Stay right here. Do not move, and do not peek.”
“Shall I put my fingers in my ears and close my eyes?”
“If you wish.”
She smiled. “I do love surprises. Well, happy surprises, not the sort that took me back to –” His finger on her lips stopped her from talking, and she put her fingers in her ears and squeezed her eyes closed.
He removed his finger from her lips and replaced it with a kiss. “Stay right here,” he whispered, pulling one finger away from her ear so that she could hear him. “Do you know how lovely you are?” He kissed her lips again after she shook her head.
She popped one eye open to look at him.
“I will tell you about it later,” he promised.
Grace closed her eye and counted silently in her head as if she was playing hide and go seek. She had gotten all the way to one hundred and nineteen before she jumped when a hand was placed on her arm and once again, one finger was pulled away from her ear.
“We are ready,” Walter said.
“Ready for what?” Grace batted her lashes at him innocently, causing him to chuckle.
“Feigned innocence will not work with me, Mrs. Blakesley. I know you are very good a scheming. The only way to discover this secret is to follow me.”
“Anywhere.”
“I could be leading you into danger,” he cautioned.
Grace rolled her eyes. “You would never do that.”
“Are you certain?”
She nodded. There was no one, absolutely no one, whom she trusted more than the man standing before her. “I trust you.” She ran her hand down his arm before placing it in his hand.
His fingers twined with hers, and the two of them proceeded from the stairway to the dining room.
“Oh, my!” Grace cried when the door was flung open to reveal a room decorated for a party.
The table was laid with flowers and candles in the center and the finest china and glassware at each place. The sideboard was laden with several covered dishes, as well as serving bowls and decanters of wine. A footman and a maid stood one on each end of the sideboard, smiling in an understated fashion at their new mistress. And gathered around the table were the Sheltons, the Claytons, Mrs. King and Miss Chapman, and, of course, dear, dear Mr. Norman.
“I wrote to Norman,” Walter explained when the cheers and hardy congratulations, which had greeted them, had died down and everyone was taking their seats. “And he arranged it all.”
“You are a very good friend,” Grace said to Mr. Norman.
“Better than I likely should be,” Mr. Norman replied with a grin.
“And not a killer at all,” Roger inserted, causing Graeme to chuckle and Walter to explain their first secret meeting to Mrs. King and her niece.
Mrs. King looked shocked at first, but then, smiled. “I knew you were the perfect match for Mr. Blakesley from the moment I met you.” She leaned toward the table and to her right, lowering her voice just a touch as if sharing a secret across the table with Grace. “He needed a lively wife. I have always thought so.”
“And yet, all the ladies you presented to me were not lively,” Walter accused.
“They were as lively as I could find. It is not my fault that they were not intriguing enough for the likes of you.”
“There is likely not another lady in all of England as intriguing as Grace,” Walter replied. “At least, there is not to me.”
“That is as it should be,” Roger said. “Now, my wife is interested in knowing all the details about your wedding.”
“I am interested? I think it is my husband who is interested,” Victoria said. “Not that I do not wish to hear it,” she added with a smile. “We tr
uly could not be happier for you.”
“Here. Here,” Graeme cried as the first dish of stew began making its tour of the table and finding itself relieved of its contents.
“Your parents must have been surprised when Mr. Blakesley appeared at your door,” Bea said.
“Oh, very!” Grace replied. “My father was not pleased with my subterfuge but was understanding once I explained all that Felicity had done.” It had saddened her father to hear about it. He knew that his eldest daughter could be demanding and prone to getting her way, but he had not known those tendencies had devolved into taking advantage of her sister’s gentler temperament.
“What had Felicity done?” Mrs. King asked with interest.
“Oh! I should likely not say, but since I forgot that you did not know, I suppose I must tell at least a portion.” Grace looked at Walter who nodded.
“Mrs. King will keep it to herself.” He gave the lady a pointed look. “She would not wish to have any harm come to you.”
“It goes without saying, does it not, Annabelle?”
“Most certainly,” Miss Chapman agreed. Her eyes darted toward Mr. Norman, who, Grace noticed, was doing a fine job of ignoring the lady. “Gossip is dangerous, and I would never wish to be the source of harm to another.”
Mr. Norman’s jaw clenched, and his head shifted just a bit as if the words were a blow to him.
“I am happy to hear it,” Grace said while giving both Mrs. King and Miss Chapman a reassuring smile. “I think we shall be great friends, and that might require sharing secrets with one another. It often does.”
“Very true,” Roger muttered with a chuckle.
“My Grace is fond of secrets,” Walter added.
“Only secrets of the best kind!” Grace protested. “I do not like those which would damage.” Her hands were resting on her lap and her chair was placed just right to allow her to bump her husband’s foot with her own, and for her to touch his knee without being noticed, which made him smile. After sharing a secret look with Walter, she turned back to her guests.
