The Earl's Regret_Brides and Gentlemen

by Joyce Alec

  “Have I seen the horse you are gifting us at your stable?” Lord Pembrooke asked.

  “I am unsure if you have seen it, but it is the chestnut thoroughbred.”

  “That beautiful creature? You wish to part with it?” Lord Pembrooke questioned.

  Lord Wilds nodded his head. “I am happy to do so, for such a friend.”

  There was some rustling beside the door, and they turned to see Mr. Hughes reappear in the door, a smile beneath his bushy mustache.

  “Dinner is served, my lord.”

  2

  Truth of an Arrangement

  After dinner, the party retired to the sitting room at the back of the house. They had enjoyed a lavish dinner with many toasts to the happy couple, and there had been much laughter and jovial conversation.

  “Friends, friends!” Lord Pembrooke said, tapping the side of his glass. The room grew quiet, and they all looked up at him and Henrietta, who stood beside him. “We are so happy that you came to visit us. We are so looking forward to our wedding, and we are so thankful that you have all agreed to come and witness our marriage.”

  There were murmurs of agreement from everyone and smiles from all around the room.

  “We also would like to share something very special with you,” Lord Pembrooke said. “My family has a very special wedding tradition that has been observed for the last few generations, and we are keeping that tradition alive with our wedding.”

  He turned from them to the cabinet they had been looking at earlier, and he swung the doors open, revealing the jewelry.

  The guests all got up and surrounded the tiny cabinet, gazing down at the jewels.

  “Lord Pembrooke, where did your family come by these jewels? I have not seen their equal,” Lord Wingfield said.

  It was Lord Pembrooke’s brother, Lord William, who answered, rather assuredly. “Our grandfather, the Duke of Hallington, was given these precious jewels from a member of the royal family, his cousin in fact.”

  Lord Pembrooke nodded his head, and continued where his brother had left off, “He had done some great service for the royal family and been given the jewels for his wife as a sincere thank you. He passed it onto my father, who allowed my mother to use it in their wedding ceremony, and now they have given us permission to use it in ours.”

  “That’s simply wonderful,” Lady Mary said.

  “They are absolutely stunning!” Lady Charlotte said, smiling up at Henrietta. “What a beautiful bride you will make.”

  “The most beautiful,” Lady Mary agreed, beaming at her friend.

  "Such rare and precious jewels," said Lord Wilds. "They are truly a splendid family heirloom." He smiled down at them, as he stood nearly a head taller than Lord Pembrooke. “Thank you for sharing these with us, friend.”

  “Certainly,” Lord Pembrooke said, ensuring the cabinet was closed tightly. “We are just so very excited for the wedding, and we cannot wait for the day to arrive.”

  “You won’t have to wait long now,” said Lord William, smiling at Henrietta.

  She smiled at him in return. Her heart was warmed by all the love that she felt from everyone in the room. She felt incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who were as excited for them as they were for themselves.

  As they settled back down into their seats, Lord Wilds spoke up. “So you have been betrothed for many years now, have you not?”

  Lord Pembrooke nodded his head in response. “We have. Since I was nearly ten years old and she was…what…six?”

  Henrietta nodded her head. “I was six, wasn’t I? It feels as if I have known I was to marry you for my entire life.”

  “Do you remember when your parents told you?” Lady Wilds asked, getting comfortable for what she assumed was going to be a story.

  “We were together, actually,” Henrietta began, looking over at Lord Pembrooke, smiling. “Your family had come to visit mine at our country home, and our parents had been in discussion all day. Not that any of us children noticed; we were far too busy playing in that wide field behind our home.”

  “If I remember correctly, it had snowed the night before, right?” Lord Pembrooke added.

  “I don’t think it had, brother,” Lord William chimed in. “I think it snowed the following night.”

  Lord Pembrooke shook his head. “No matter,” he replied, still smiling. “What I do remember is that we had spent a great amount of time outdoors, and our parents had called us inside, just the two of us, and left our siblings outside to play.”

  Henrietta nodded. “My mother was the first to speak, knowing that it would probably startle me.”

  “She had said, ‘Children, we have something very important to discuss with you. Something that you won’t quite understand, but we believe it will be the very best thing for you.’” Lord Pembrooke said.

  “And I remember just looking at one another, confused,” Henrietta said, laughing. “She went on to say that as a group they had all come to this decision, and that while we may not like it now, one day, we would be happy with it.”

  Lord Pembrooke looked at Henrietta, and suddenly, the two of them felt as if they were simply talking to one another, and that they were entirely alone in the room together. He smiled tenderly at her. “My father took over the conversation and told us very plainly that they had decided they we were to be married when Lady Henrietta turned twenty-one years of age. The union would benefit both of our families and ensure both of us would be taken care of and have a comfortable home.”

  “Not that we understood what most of that meant,” Henrietta added, brushing the hem of her dress smooth. “We were far more concerned with being able to return to playing with our friends and siblings. To us, the future was far away, not something to be concerned with. How quickly it surprised us.”

  Lord Pembrooke added, “And now, looking back on it, I couldn’t have been more pleased with our parents’ choice. There was no need to spend night upon night at social events, pretending to laugh at jokes that were not amusing, making flatteries that meant nothing, and dancing with those who we had no desire for.”

  “So you are both pleased that you didn’t have to seek out your own mate?” Lady Charlotte asked, studying her friends.

  “Absolutely,” Henrietta said. “I agree wholeheartedly with Lord Pembrooke. All of the confusion, heartache and frustration have been removed for us. We were able to spend our time together getting to know one another before our wedding. It has been quite an amusing experience.”

  "So did you often think of the fact that you were engaged? When you were young?" Lady Mary asked.

  Henrietta shrugged her shoulders. "I probably thought of it more frequently than he did, since most young ladies often dream of love and marriage when they are young. And as I said, it certainly was quite the relief to know that my husband was to be a person that I already knew and found to be quite amiable."

  Lord Pembrooke raised an eyebrow. "Quite amiable? Is that how you perceived me as a child?"

  "There are many things that I could have perceived you as; be grateful that I was as generous as I was! If only I had known what sort of man you would become!" Henrietta replied, a playful tone in her voice.

  Lord Pembrooke smiled wide, his smile softening Henrietta's heart. The rest of their guests laughed, and the whole night felt as if it were out of a story. Henrietta's heart was full, and she longed for the evening to last forever. There was nothing more precious to her than the company of her friends, and to have them all in the same place felt like a dream she had long cherished had come true.

  Lady Wilds stifled a yawn, and with a sinking heart, Henrietta smiled at her friend. "We do not wish to keep you any later than you can stay, dear friends."

  Lady Wilds' eyes grew wide, and she waved a hand in the air, dismissing Henrietta's words. "Oh, do not worry about me, Lady Henrietta. The journey today simply seemed to have been more tiring than I had anticipated."

  Lord William got to his feet and nodded a
t his brother. "It is getting late, brother. We should allow our guests to retire for the evening. We will have plenty of time together this week."

  Lord Pembrooke nodded his head, setting his goblet down on the ornately carved table beside him. "Of course. We do not wish for you to feel as if you have to tarry here; we would not be the friends we claim to be if you faint of tiredness because you stayed at our expense." He bowed his head to the group. "It has been an absolutely brilliant evening, and we are both so glad that you are here to help us celebrate our wedding."

  The group gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes, which turned into more conversations, embracing, and well wishing. Eventually, when the moon was high in the sky, the Wilds and the Wingfields called for their carriages to take them to the Inn in town where they would stay for the short time left before the wedding.

  Henrietta and Lord Pembrooke waved as their carriages disappeared down the long drive, and shortly after returned indoors where their remaining guests waited.

  Lady Charlotte and Lady Mary smiled at Henrietta from inside the doorway, and they found Lord William and Lord Boyle conversing beside the door to the drawing room.

  "What a lovely dinner party," Lady Mary said, her eyes glimmering in the lamplight.

  Lady Charlotte nodded, clasping her hands together. "There are few greater pleasures in this life than spending an evening such as this one with friends such as we have."

  Henrietta smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

  "We should retire for the evening," Lord Pembrooke said to the group. "Tomorrow will come early, and I must admit my weariness."

  "Good idea, brother," Lord William said. "A good night's rest would do the future bride well," he said, winking once more at Henrietta, who laughed in reply.

  Lord Pembrooke embraced Henrietta, and only released his hold on her when his brother cleared his throat rather loudly. Henrietta's brother laughed.

  "All right, come now, you have a marriage to prepare for!" Lord William said, grasping his brother's arm. "My apologies, Lady Henrietta. My brother is such a passionate man."

  Lord Pembrooke smiled at her. "All right, good night ladies. I do hope you all sleep well."

  "Thank you," Henrietta said, smiling up into his face. “You as well, my love.”

  "And thank you for allowing us to stay here as well, Lord Pembrooke," Lady Charlotte added, inclining her head.

  "Yes!" agreed Lady Mary. "You are most kind, my lord."

  "Think nothing of it; I knew how much help you would be to my betrothed in this busy time. I am glad you are here."

  The group retired to their rooms, Lord Pembrooke and his brother to their individual rooms, Lord Boyle to a guest room, and Henrietta, Lady Charlotte, and Lady Mary to a guest suite prepared for her by the Marquess and Marchioness of Crettingham, Lord Pembrooke's parents. The night ended quietly, with nothing to trouble them but a chittering owl outside, bathed in the light of the moon.

  3

  The Diamonds of Pembrooke Place

  The next week passed quickly, and the wedding date was only one week away. Henrietta and Lord Pembrooke had welcomed many guests in that time, and Pembrooke Place was full of joy and anticipation.

  Lord Pembrooke and Lady Henrietta found themselves once more in the sitting room at the back of the manor, the warm afternoon sun glinting off of every shining surface in the room. The couple was sorting various gifts that they had been given, attempting to arrange them in such a way that would still allow the room to be used. Lord Boyle, Henrietta’s brother, hovered near the window, watching the festivities with a look of amusement on his handsome face.

  "Never in my life did I imagine I would receive quite so many gifts for getting married!" Henrietta said, examining a beautifully carved crystal bowl. "Surely people know we would have been happy simply by their presence at the ceremony."

  "Giving gifts is a way for people to demonstrate their affection for the bride and groom," Lord Pembrooke said. "Are you unhappy with the gifts?"

  "Of course not!" Henrietta said, startled by his words. "Do not mistake my shock for dissatisfaction. I am simply humbled by such generosity."

  "Honestly, sister, you'd think that no one had given you a gift before in your life," her brother piped up, taking a few steps toward them to inspect the dish for himself.

  Lord Pembrooke smiled at his fiancée. "You are quite beautiful when you are flustered."

  Her face flushed, and she shot him a teasing glance.

  The door to the room opened, and Lord Crettingham stepped inside the room, bringing an air of regality with him as he always did. He was shorter than his eldest son with thick white hair and a wide, bristly mustache. His eyes, however, were bright blue and kind, and he wore thin spectacles. He smiled at those in the room before closing the door behind himself.

  Lady Henrietta immediately rose to her feet and bowed to him.

  "Dear girl, you mustn't insist on doing that," Lord Crettingham said, crossing the room to her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "A week from now we will be family, and you must promise me that you will treat me as such."

  "Yes, my lord," she replied, and resumed her seat in front of the gifts.

  "My, such lavish furnishings," Lord Crettingham said, smiling down at their collection of new items. "These must be the most beautiful things that you have received yet."

  Lord Pembrooke agreed, but Henrietta glanced behind her at the cabinet. "My lord, I still believe the gift that you have given me is by far the most precious," and she gestured to the closed doors. "I look forward to wearing them."

  "So the Lady is pleased with the jewels?" Lord Crettingham said, moving across the room towards the cabinet.

  Henrietta nodded vigorously.

  "Good," he said, smiling.

  Lord Pembrooke rose and crossed to the cabinet as well. Not wishing to miss another chance to see the beautiful jewels again, Henrietta made her way to stand beside her fiancé.

  "Can't quite get enough of them, can you?" Lord Crettingham teased, his hands on the doors. "I understand; they certainly are something to behold."

  And then he pulled the doors open, a wide smile still on his face, his bristly white mustache turned up at the corners.

  She heard Lord Pembrooke emit a gasp of disbelief.

  Lord Crettingham, hearing it as well, quickly turned his gaze toward his son. "What is it?"

  Henrietta watched as Lord Pembrooke pointed, his eyes wide, down at the empty cabinet.

  Empty.

  "But they were just there!" Henrietta exclaimed, her stomach feeling as if it had dropped to the floor. "Weren't they? Just the other day!"

  Lord Pembrooke's face had drained of all color, and the only sound he could produce was something akin to a stammer.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Lord Crettingham questioned, turning to his eldest son. His brow furrowed and his mustache quivered. "Where are the jewels, Daniel?"

  Henrietta felt a twinge of fear.

  "Just as Lady Henrietta said," he replied, stepping closer to the cabinet. He bent down and looked up inside of it, and up and down all sides, as if perhaps they had simply become stuck on the walls of the cabinet instead of laying nicely inside as they had done. "This is where I had left them."

  Lord Crettingham sighed heavily, brushing his hair flat with his hand.

  "Now is not the time for panic," Lord Pembrooke said, turning towards the others.

  "Do you have an idea where they might be?" Lord Boyle asked, approaching the cabinet.

  Lord Pembrooke swallowed, and began to speak. "There have been many people in and out of this house, and I must admit that many days in the last week are blurring into one. I do know, however, that I would never have moved them from here."

  "But perhaps someone else has?" Lord Boyle replied, glancing at his sister.

  "I have not seen them since the night Lord Pembrooke showed them to me!" she replied indignantly.

  "Nor have I," replied her brother.

&nbs
p; "There is no sense in allowing ourselves to run away with our fear. Let us be wise and first look for them. I am sure it is just a simple misunderstanding. I am not doubting you, son," Lord Crettingham said, noting his son's sallow face. "You have been preparing for a wedding, and I have not met a man who is able to maintain complete composure before he is wed. There are far too many important things for him to think on."

  His son smiled gratefully at him, but Henrietta could still see his reservation.

  So began the grand search for the family's inherited, precious diamonds, and it consumed the greater part of their day. They began in the sitting room where the jewels resided. They checked each cabinet, pulled every book from their shelves, and looked beneath every piece of furniture.

  Soon after they had begun, the news had traveled through the house that part of the bride's wedding attire had gone missing, and the door to the sitting room, standing open, was visited by many. Lady Mary and Lady Charlotte shortly joined them in the search.

  When they felt they had thoroughly searched through the sitting room, they spread out to other rooms in the manor. It was the first time that Henrietta regretted the fact that her future home was as large as it was; how were they ever to find the jewelry in a place as large as this?

  Lady Mary and Lady Charlotte followed her into the dining room, which was furnished with a long cherry table with enough chairs to seat a few dozen guests, a large, golden gilded mirror, and a long line of family portraits.

  Henrietta sighed heavily. "Of course the jewels are not in here. Why would anyone have brought them in here and forgotten about them?"

  Lady Mary patted her arm affectionately. "Come now, dear. We won't know unless we search."

  "We understand your distress, cousin," Lady Charlotte added, nodding her head. "We will find them. I truly believe it."

  The ladies began their search at once, pulling open drawers, checking beneath chairs, lifting tea sets and candelabras.