“If… that’s what you want.”
He leaned back and grinned. “It is.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her, pointing her toward the doorway. She gave him an uncertain look, but he simply made a shooing motion with his hand.
She frowned as she made her way to her room. She’d just told the man that she loved him and would marry him. His response was to kiss her senseless and send her on her way?
With a shrug, Leah sat down in front of her mirror to brush her hair. She could have asked the maid to do it, but needed a few moments alone to process the strange conversation. She’d always known Daniel was a jokester. Perhaps their life together wouldn’t be predictable, but she had a good idea it would always be fun. With a laugh, she finished with her hair then found her pelisse and hat and returned to the parlor.
What she saw when she reached the room brought her another surprise. “What are you all doing in here?”
Daniel, Cecilia, Mr. Radcliff, and Uncle Percy were all there. And they were dressed to go out.
Daniel smiled as he walked to her. He pressed a kiss to her lips, and she held in a surprised squeak. Her face warmed and she whispered, “What are you doing? In front of everyone?”
Cecilia rushed over and embraced her. “I’m so very happy for you.”
Leah widened her eyes. “He’s already told you?”
She nodded. “He said he couldn’t wait to give us the good news.”
Leah looked at Daniel, who simply shrugged.
Daniel clapped his hands together once. “Is everyone ready to depart?”
Leah tilted her head. “Where are we going?”
He touched the tip of her nose playfully. “You will find out when we get there.”
Cecilia giggled and went out with Mr. Radcliff. Percy walked to Leah and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. His eyes were moist when he left the room. Had he been about to cry?
Once outside, they all entered a large, black carriage. She’d never seen it before. Had the Radcliffs acquired a new one? Daniel sat next to Leah. She bit her lip against a laugh when she watched Percy squeeze in next to Cecilia and Mr. Radcliff. Leah would be surprised if any of them would be able to take a deep breath the way they were crowded together. At least Percy hadn’t tried to sit in the middle.
She placed her hand on Daniel’s arm. “Won’t you tell me where we’re going?”
“Sorry. You’ll have to wait.”
“Why is it such a secret?” She turned to look at Cecilia. “Do you happen to know where we’re going?”
“Yes, I know.”
“And you, Uncle Percy?”
He chuckled. “My dear, of course I know. It was my idea, after all.”
Leah shook her head. It was apparent no one was giving an inch. She relaxed against the seat of the expensive new carriage and admired the scenery as they headed out of London and into the lush green countryside.
The conversation turned to various subjects as they rode along. The weather. The latest gossip that that servants had heard. Nothing of much importance. Leah was dying to know where they were going and why she seemed to be the only one who didn’t know the details.
At long last, the carriage slowed and turned into a long drive. Leah peered out the window at the large, beautiful house. “It’s lovely.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Daniel grinned.
What did that mean? Why would it matter if she liked it?
When the carriage stopped in front of the house, the footman opened the door and they climbed down.
Leah smoothed down her wrinkled skirt and then accepted Daniel’s offered arm.
“Let’s go inside.” Daniel turned that direction, but Leah tugged him back.
“Go inside? We can’t simply… What would the people who live here think of that?”
Daniel eyed Percy, who gave him a wink. What was going on?
Percy lifted his eyebrows. “I’m quite certain, my dear, that the new owner won’t mind. No, not the least little bit.”
This day is getting stranger by the minute. But when Leah looked at Cecilia, who only gave a smile and a nod, Leah acquiesced and followed them.
The inside was even more impressive than the exterior. Where were the people who lived there? Were they expecting all of them? Leah tugged on Daniel’s arm. “You’ve never told me. Who lives here?”
Daniel took Leah by the shoulders and gazed at her, seeming not to care that the others were a mere three feet away. “Darling, this may come as a shock, but the owner of this house… is me.”
She blinked. “I… Pardon?”
Daniel laughed. “Perhaps it might make more sense coming from Uncle Percy.”
He stepped forward. “Delighted to oblige, my boy.” He held out his hand toward a lovely parlor beautifully decorated in dark green and buttery yellow. They all took seats. Truthfully, Leah was relieved to sit, even though they’d just come in from the carriage. Her legs felt weak as if they might not hold her up.
Daniel’s house? She must have not heard Daniel correctly. It didn’t even make sense. There wasn’t any way on earth this house belonged to him. Maybe Percy could help her understand it better.
Now wasn’t that strange… depending on Percy to make sense of something?
He leaned forward on his seat across the room from her and put his elbows on his knees. “I’ve known for quite some time how Daniel has felt about you.”
“You have?”
“My goodness, yes. As plain as a beak on a mourning dove’s face.”
She giggled. That was more like what she’d expected from Percy.
“You see, I realized that Daniel loved you, but he hadn’t the means to provide for you the way he would have liked.”
Her face heated when she thought of how she’d considered Felton for that reason alone. “Go on.”
“You may not have known this, but I’m quite wealthy.”
“I… that’s wonderful.”
Percy held up his hand. “There’s more.”
She nodded.
“I have much wealth, but no heir to give it to. Daniel and I have become quite close in recent weeks.”
Daniel nodded. “Yes, we have.”
Percy smiled. “So I decided to help things along, if you will, in matters of love.”
Leah’s hands trembled. Was Percy really saying…
“If you’ll notice, Daniel’s attire has somewhat changed.”
For the first time, she took a good look at his clothing. It was new and appeared to be expensive. She’d been so excited to tell him she’d accept his proposal that the appearance of his clothes had escaped her.
“The last few weeks, Daniel and I have been shopping. I’ve introduced him to my peers, and we’ve had countless discussions about how to act as one of the gentry as opposed to a servant.”
She looked at Daniel, who rolled his eyes. He mouthed the word, “Countless,” and smiled.
“And…” Percy waved his hand to regain her attention. “We even went to the theater.”
“You did?”
Daniel sighed. “It was brutal. Hamlet.”
Percy shook his head. “One of these days, Daniel, you’ll appreciate the heart-warming qualities of Shakespeare’s finest… but I’m getting off the subject.”
Cecilia giggled from across the room but quickly snapped her lips closed.
Daniel took Leah’s hand in his. “Darling, what Percy is trying to say is—”
“I was doing quite well, thank you.” Percy crossed his arms over his chest.
Daniel laughed. “—is that he has been most generous in making me his heir.”
“Daniel.” She pressed her other hand to his cheek. “How wonderful for you.”
“For us.”
Leah glanced around the room at the other three and then back. “Yes, for us.”
Excitement for what that could mean for them as a couple and for their future family warred with a stubborn shred of disbelief that something so wonderful, so unb
elievable could happen to her. To them.
Leah stood and faced Percy. Daniel stood as well. She stepped forward. “My dear Uncle Percy…”
It took him a couple of tries but he finally pushed himself up from the deep seat of the chair. “Yes, Leah?”
She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You are the most thoughtful, sweet, kind—”
He waved his hand. “Now, don’t go making an old man cry.”
Leah wiped a tear from her cheek and laughed. “How can we ever thank you enough for this wonderful gift you’ve given us?”
He tilted his head. “There is one thing you can do.”
Oh dear… “And what’s that?”
“When you marry, do something for me.”
“Anything,” said Leah.
“As soon as the ceremony is over, release twenty love birds into the air.”
Daniel laughed. “That, I think we can do.”
Percy leaned close and winked. “Birds in flight can be messy. Better make sure we’re all wearing hats. Just in case…”
Leah bit her lip against a laugh. Life in this family will never be boring.
The End
His Lady Peregrine
Dedication
To love birds, young and old.
Chapter One
Percy Radcliff’s family thought him mad. He knew that. Though they tried to hide their reactions to his love of anything avian, it came across very clearly that they didn’t share his interest. Certainly they admired birds, but none of them often wished to actually be one. If he said so himself, his imitation of a cawing crow was spot on.
As he sat on the shaded bench near the front gate of Regent’s Park Bird Sanctuary, he observed the objects of his greatest interest. Birds of various sizes, squawking, chirping, or otherwise speaking in his or her own tongue, darted around, intent on completing their daily tasks. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to join them in their airborne pursuits? To know the joy of wind through your feathers and raising your young, freshly hatched from the egg?
The majestic peregrine, however, was by far Percy’s favorite. With its blue-grey feathers, orange eyes, white throat, and black feathers on each side of its face to resemble a long moustache, it was a fascinating specimen indeed.
And quite funny.
He’d spotted one on his visit the week before. Perhaps today he’d be just as fortunate. Somehow, if he went too long of a time without seeing one, it felt as if something was lacking. Because of his love of birds, he often spoke of them at home. More often than not, he overheard whispered jokes about him belonging at Bedlam.
If only they understood the importance of a relationship with birds, that man’s feathered friends were much more than just something to view. Something to occasionally pay attention to. Alas, his family’s admiration didn’t go beyond watching and listening to them. Or the occasional exclamation of delight after seeing this bird or that doing something unusual or entertaining.
But it wasn’t the same thing. Not at all.
Percy let out a deep sigh. If one of his family or friends, just one, felt the same way he did about his feathered friends, his life would be filled with so much more fulfillment. So much joy.
Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
A sudden crash startled him. He turned and gasped. Someone was lying in a heap a few yards away. Good heavens, it was a woman!
Percy jumped up and ran in her direction. Though he couldn’t run fast — few men of his age of one and fifty could, after all — he got there as quickly as his booted feet would allow.
The woman, who from her greying hair and slightly wrinkled skin appeared to be not a young woman yet not quite his age, blinked up at him in surprise. Her features, though, were cloaked in shadow from beneath the dipping branches of the large oak tree.
“Madam, are you well?”
She quirked one eyebrow. “Sir, if I were well, would I be sitting here in a tangled lump beneath this tree?”
He’d expected tears and wailing, as was the usual response from most women. “Uh… I suppose not.”
“Are you or are you not going to assist me to my feet?”
“Certainly. Pardon my… uh—”
The woman swiped a lock of hair from in front of her eyes. “Never mind that, just lend me your hand.”
Percy wrapped his hand around hers and gave a hefty tug. With a squeak of surprise, the woman thudded hard against his chest. He tightened his arms around her so she wouldn’t fall.
A beam of sunshine washed across the woman’s face.
Percy’s breath caught in his throat, nearly depriving him of air altogether. Could it be?
Black hair with just a touch of grey. Ivory skin on her face and throat. As a bright ray of sunlight glinted in her eyes, their light brown color appeared nearly… orange.
The woman resembled a peregrine.
Without the moustache. Thankfully.
She pushed against his chest until he released her. “What are you gawking at? Your open mouth resembles a chiff-chaff’s beak.”
He closed his beak, uh, mouth. “I… beg your pardon?”
“I don’t believe I stuttered.”
“B-but—”
She pointed to his mouth. “Though, you just did.” Without preamble, as if he hadn’t just hauled her into his arms, she gave a moderate curtsey. “I am Lady Ollerton.”
Lady? The woman had no pretense, no formality about her. And she’d just introduced herself to a man as they stood alone beneath a tree. How odd. Yet somehow refreshing. An interesting tingle began in his toes and crawled upward.
Percy shrugged. Might as well respond in kind. With one hand at his waist and the other performing a slight flourish to the side, he gave a bow. “And I am Mr. Radcliff.”
“Here. Hold this.” Lady Ollerton thrust a large fabric sack into his arms.
He’d expected it to be heavy, though it was light as a feather. “What’s this?”
“Feathers.”
“You don’t say?” How odd that he’d thought—
“I believe I just did.”
The woman’s tongue was as sharp as a woodpecker’s. “May I ask why you’re carrying around a sack of feathers?”
She crossed her arms beneath her ample breasts, causing her cleavage to deepen in the most fascinating way. “You may.”
“I… uh.” Wasn’t the asking if he could ask the same as asking?
“Go on, Mr. Radcliff. I don’t have the whole of the day to spend conversing, now do I?”
With his brow furrowed, Percy forced the words from his mouth, though a part of him thought it silly. She was perplexing, yet… he somehow felt a certain kinship with her. As if he’d found someone who would pique his interest. Someone of whom he would never tire. “Why are you carrying those around?” He pointed directly at the sack so she’d not have a chance to act as if she had no notion of what he meant.
Miss Ollerton placed one hand on her chest as if preparing to utter the most profound proclamation. Percy’s gaze followed her hand. “I find birds to be the most interesting creatures God ever made. Their beaks, their impossibly tiny feet, their beady little eyes, and especially—” She gave the bag a poke with her finger. “—their feathers.” She held up her hand. “Oh, I know what you’re thinking.”
He snapped his gaze up from where it had wandered to her breasts. “I highly doubt that.”
She ignored his words. “You’re wondering how I obtain said feathers.”
He shrugged. “I assumed you gathered them from the ground.”
She smacked him on the arm. “Now see? You actually have some sense! Do you know there are people who have accused me of trapping birds simply to pluck their feathers before setting them free again?”
“How ghastly.” Percy rubbed his arm. The woman had given him a true wallop.
“Precisely.”
Percy shook his head. “People have no sense.”
“People are the worst. Some of them, even my own relations, think I�
��m mad simply because I happen to have such a strong affinity for birds. Can you imagine being talked about in such a way?”
He raised both eyebrows. More than you could ever know.
“Say, why were you staring at my face right after we met? Do I have something unmentionable on my skin? Dirt? Bird dung?”
Good heavens! He’d never heard a woman speak so freely about bird refuse before. “Not at all. You look very…”
“Yes?”
“Well… fetching.”
“Then why the need to gawk?”
Should he tell her? Would she think him mad like the rest of his family did? What did he really have to lose? She was a stranger and he’d likely never see her again. “If you must know—”
“Oh I must.”
“You remind me very much of a—”
“Yes go on.”
He drummed the fingers of his right hand against his thigh. “I will if you’ll stop interrupting—”
“You were interrupting me.”
“My lady, do you want your question answered or not?”
“If you don’t mind.” She tapped one boot in the dirt.
“Very well.” He let out a breath. “You, my good woman, remind me of a peregrine falcon.” There. He’d said it. Would she laugh in his face or kick him in the knee?
She blinked. “Oh.”
Not quite the reaction he’d expected. Perhaps, even though she was fond of birds, the peregrine wasn’t a favorite. Too late to take back the sentiment. Though even if he could retract it, he wouldn’t. Such divine avian features deserved admiration. “By the way, how had you happened to end up in a heap?”
“I fell from the tree, of course.”
Of course.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I was doing in the tree, Mr. Radcliff?”
“Do you want me to ask?”
“It is my deepest wish.”
“Then by all means, pray tell me.”
“I was trying to climb that tree because I’d heard the call of a willow warbler and very much wanted to see it close up. Somehow, though, I must have lost my footing and well, fell. You know, pesky gravity and all.”
Love Birds: The Complete Collection Page 68
