“I know of several in the house. Perhaps yours is one I did not know about!”
“Oh, I doubt that. But it has likely been many years since you have been in it.”
“If ever!”
“Yes.”
“All right, take me to it.”
Jonathan got to his feet and set down his glass on the table nearest him.
Anna picked it up and held it out to him. “Bring your drink. Everything is more fun with a bit of wine in your hand.”
Jonathan laughed. “If you insist, my lady.”
“Come, come!” Anna tugged on his hand.
They went through the door with Anna in the lead and Jonathan stepped in front of her to take her down the hall to the library where he had found the hidden passage. “Do you know of the passage from the library?”
“Where does it lead?”
“I believe it goes to the study. Unless I am mistaken. There may be other rooms you can reach down the passage, but I was following the sound of voices and had only one lantern. That reminds me, we will need lanterns. There was one next to the passage, but perhaps we should each have one.”
“Here’s one.” Anna stopped at a small table and picked up the lantern that was sitting there. “I don’t see a tinderbox.”
“There was one next to the lantern in the library. I am sure it is still there. We’ll use it to light them both.”
“Here’s the library. Oops, don’t trip.”
“I’m not going to trip, Lady Anna. Just don’t step in front of me and I’ll be fine.”
“Was I stepping in front of you?”
“Yes, your tiny little feet were tripping me up in your hurry.”
They both fell into giggling as they went through the door to the library.
“Perhaps you should carry me, Lord Caldwell. That way I will not cause you to trip.”
“So you would rather break my spine?”
Anna mocked offense. “My lord! Are you suggesting that I am a very heavy woman? Oh dear!” She stuck out her bottom lip and pretended to be highly insulted.
“Not at all, my lady. I would presume that a harsh wind might blow you away, were you not firmly rooted in the gravitational pull of the earth.”
“So I am a tree!” Anna stood still and stuck her arms out to simulate a tree.
Jonathan laughed. “My dear Lady Anna, you will have me in stitches. You look nothing like a tree! Nor are you large and heavy.”
“I will make you my horse, Sir Jonathan, and ride you through the secret passageway to freedom.”
“Freedom in the study?” Jonathan continued to laugh. “How absurd.”
“My, you are quite free with the insults this evening, my dear friend.”
“No insult is ever intended against you, my lady.” Jonathan gave her a sweeping bow, as if they were about to dance together.
“Thank you. I thought as much,” Anna huffed, poking her small nose up in the air. She peeked at him from the side and collapsed into giggling once again.
“All right, all right. Look, there’s the bookshelf. Do you know how to move it to the side to reach the hidden passage?”
Anna scanned the bookshelf. After a few moments, she reached out and grasped the false book, tilting it forward. The bookshelf moved to the side. “I did it!” She clapped her small hands together. Jonathan smiled at her.
“Yes, you did. Let’s light the lanterns and go exploring. There may be ways to get to the other rooms of the house. Wouldn’t that be simply fascinating?”
“Oh yes, it would. But I don’t think the passage goes to another room. I think it goes directly to the study.”
“Let’s go and see.”
They lit the lanterns and tried not to stumble over each other as they entered the dark corridor. Before he went through the opening, Jonathan placed his half-full glass on the mantle. If he needed to take hold of the woman to keep her from tripping, he didn’t want to drop her, the glass or the lantern. Dropping the lantern would be a huge mistake, as it might start a terrible fire and burn her entire mansion to the ground.
He shivered at the thought.
Once inside, Anna began whispering in an ominous tone. “If you should see a ghost or hear anything strange, you must tell me at once! There could be any number of spirits haunting these halls.”
“You aren’t serious!” Jonathan whispered back.
“Oh I am very serious!” Anna replied in a hiss that barely contained her laughter. “Why, the spirits, along with the tiny ferocious critters that lurk in our passageways and behind the walls, are quite a nuisance. I am often frightened off by them in the middle of the night.”
“And when was the last time her ladyship was traipsing through these dark corridors in the middle of the night?”
Anna couldn’t keep herself from giggling. “I am always traipsing about. I am a wild woman, you know.”
“Oh, my lady. You are quite a character.”
“I am?”
“Yes. I believe you are.”
He became aware that she was still holding his hand. It felt warm and comfortable. He wanted to pull her to him and hold her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her soft red lips and tell her he would keep her safe until the end of her days. Nevertheless, he didn’t. She was his friend and would remain that way.
Anna looked at Jonathan longingly in the dim light, wishing that she was brave enough to speak her mind. He was the most handsome man of all of her suitors and he didn’t seem to be interested in more than friendship with her. It made her heart ache.
She wanted to grab him and pull him to her. She watched him bobbing up and down, acting as though he was feeling the spirits brushing past him, whispering, “Watch out!” and squeezing her hand tight.
She inhaled deeply. She wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him how she felt. As she opened her mouth to do so, she heard the sound of Stephen’s voice loud and clear. It immediately sobered her and she peered into the darkness beyond the light of their lanterns.
They both stopped and looked at each other.
“That’s Stephen’s voice,” Anna whispered.
“Yes. That’s how I heard him speaking the last time. He doesn’t know about this passage, does he?”
“If he is aware of it, he has not mentioned it to me. And I have never spoken to him about it. Frankly, I had forgotten that it existed until you showed it to me again. The last time I was in here, I was just a child.”
Without another word, the two of them slowly made their way forward, reaching the doorway that would let them out into the study. There, they stopped and listened in silence.
27
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“She has found a husband,” Jonathan intervened, stepping forward.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE FINAL DECISION
“What have you done since we talked, Gertrude? It doesn’t seem like you have done much to keep the suitors from flocking around Lady Anna.” Stephen’s voice was whining and high-pitched.
“I have, my lord. I have even turned them away at the door, saying that the lady has already made her choice.”
“You have?”
“Yes, my lord.” Gertrude sounded proud.
In the hidden alcove, Anna dropped her eyes to the ground and stifled the stinging tears. Her beloved governess was working against her.
“That’s the same voice I heard him talking with before. The same person,” Jonathan whispered. “Who is that?”
Anna looked up and he cringed to see the tears in her eyes. It made him angry. He immediately wanted to storm through the door and pound both of them into the plush carpeting. “It’s my governess, Gertrude. She has been with us since my mother died. I cannot believe she is against me. What could he have promised her?”
“He said he would pay off her gambling debts.”
Anna shook her head. “I didn’t know she was in debt. I would h
ave helped her pay them off, even given her a rise in pay if she needed it. She did not confide in me. How could she do this and conspire against me? And with him?”
Jonathan clenched his jaw. “I think that is a question you should ask them, my lady. And right now.”
Before she could stop him, he reached up, turned the handle and shoved open the door. It was another bookshelf on the other side, hiding the door from the occupants of the study. Both of them turned suddenly, stunned looks on their faces.
When Anna came through the door behind him, holding Jonathan’s hand and the lantern, Stephen’s face turned gray, while Gertrude’s deepened to a dark red.
“My lady,” Gertrude stuttered. “I…I did not…I…”
“You.” Anna’s voice was shaking. Her narrowed eyes were filled with tears. “How could you conspire against me, Gertrude? I would have helped you. I would have given you more money if you needed it. I would have paid off your debts.”
Gertrude hung her head in shame. “Oh my lady, I am so sorry.”
“You are dismissed, Gertrude. Pack your belongings and leave my home immediately.”
Gertrude looked as though Anna had given her a death sentence. Her hands flew to cover her mouth and she ran from the room, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“As for you, Stephen! How could you repay my father’s kindness with this deception? You have been my brother. We have treated you like family. How could you?”
Stephen inhaled sharply, trying to recover his confidence. “I am entitled to my share of the inheritance,” he snapped. “As the only male heir, I…”
“You are not an heir. If Father had wanted you to have the inheritance, he would have left it with you. He would have gotten special permission from the Prince Regent to do so. If you read the letter in its entirety, it was not Papa who put the restrictions on the inheritance, it was the Prince Regent. Adopted children are not allowed to inherit, as you well know, and you did not have anything to inherit from the death of your own parents. Papa knew you could not handle such a financial burden. He knew that I would put it to good use. That I would fix the house and not fritter it away on unnecessary possessions.”
“You do not know what I would do with the money!” Stephen countered harshly. “I have plans for it, too. And I will end up with it anyway, as you will not find a husband in time. You only have a few days left. You have not found a husband, with or without my interference, or that of Gertrude.”
“She has found a husband,” Jonathan intervened, stepping forward.
Anna turned to him with wide eyes. She recovered, pretended not to be surprised and looked back at her brother, whose face had gone white. He stared at her.
“You have? Who is it? Earl Ashby?”
“No,” Jonathan said, taking Anna’s hand. “I will be marrying her. If she will have me.”
“You haven’t even asked her yet? Then how do you know that she…”
“Oh, Jonathan!” Anna turned to him and threw her arms around him. “I have been waiting and waiting!”
Jonathan hugged her and then pushed her away so that he could place both hands on her cheeks. He gazed into her eyes. “We are friends, Anna,” he said gently. “I did not want that to end.”
Anna laughed. “Our friendship will only grow stronger, Jonathan. Oh why did you force me to meet with all of those Dukes and Earls and Lords when you knew all along that I would be yours?”
“I was not sure of that, my lady.”
“You can be sure of it now.”
Stephen cleared his throat, staring at the two of them through hard eyes. “Excuse me. I will leave you to sort this out between yourselves.”
“Don’t leave the house, Stephen. I will have a discussion with you after I consult with the Prince Regent,” Anna said, turning her face to him, her happiness disappearing behind a look of disdain and hurt. “You have done a very hurtful thing. I intend to let the Prince Regent know about it.”
Stephen’s jaw clenched visibly. His hands balled into fists. Without another word, he stomped through the door, slamming it behind him.
Jonathan watched him go. He allowed Anna to pull him by the hand to the nearest couch, where she sat. He sat next to her.
“Jon, I have truly been waiting for you to express your feelings for me. Your cousin Michael mentioned that your feelings were stronger than what you were communicating.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Jonathan tried not to grin. Michael had told him the same about her.
“Yes. from that moment, I could not get you off my mind. I am so glad you have finally decided to tell me!”
“I’m glad that your birthday is in a few days. It was becoming exhausting watching you flirt with all of those men.”
“I wanted to flirt with you, Jon,” Anna said softly, reaching up to rest one hand on his cheek.
He looked at her beautiful face, feeling his stomach turn and his heart beat hard against his chest. It beat so hard that he was sure she would hear it. He thought for a moment that it might explode. “Anna, I will be proud to be your husband.”
“I will be proud to be your Countess, my lord. I will make you so very happy.”
“You already make me happy. Every breath you take makes me happy. Every smile on your beautiful face makes me happy.”
“Such sweet words from my dear old friend. We will spend a lifetime together, won’t we?”
“To be sure.”
“We will explore all the hidden passageways in this house and in yours. Perhaps we will explore them with our children when they are old enough.”
Jonathan’s grin spread wide across his face. “Dear, sweet Lady Anna. I am not marrying you for your inheritance. You do know that, don’t you?”
Anna laughed, a tinkling sound that made Jonathan’s breath catch in his throat. “Oh Jon. Of course you aren’t. I know you have money of your own.”
“Things have been tight lately.”
She shook her hand. “That is of no consequence. You cannot tell me that your feelings for me are not genuine and that you are seeking my inheritance. I know this to be untrue.”
“That is good news.”
“And you know that I am not marrying you just so that I can get my money, do you not?”
“I would not believe that if you told it to me to my face.”
“No. Because you know I am not. Surely you can see how I feel?”
“Yes, my sweet lady. I can see.”
“I would have had to marry just for the inheritance if you had not drunkenly slept in my summer house last month.”
They both laughed.
“That is very true, my love.”
“And now I will be happy. I will marry a man I love, who loves me. And I will be a Countess and get my inheritance, too. There could be no better happiness and future.”
“I adore you, my lady Anna. I wish that I had told you sooner.”
Anna shook her head. “There is no better time than now, my dear man. No better time than now.”
* * *
The next thing he knew, Jonathan found himself seated at a large round table, Anna next to him, with Michael, Elizabeth and Shawn filling the other chairs, along with Elizabeth’s younger sister, Katherine. Katherine had been dancing with Michael much of the night, despite the fact that she was fifteen years his junior. Anna and Elizabeth were talking about how Lady Jane McAffoy was wearing her hair and he quickly tuned out of the conversation. Shawn was watching the men and women on the dance floor, a look of satisfaction on his face. He caught Jonathan looking at him and smiled.
“You are a married man, cousin.”
“I surely am. You make it sound ominous.”
Shawn shook his head. “I did not mean to. You know I am enthralled with the woman I chose to marry. I would not trade Elizabeth for anything in this world.”
“I know. I feel the same way.”
“That is good to hear.”
“Thank you for helping me expose the truth about Stephen, Shawn.
Your input was invaluable.”
“I am glad I was in the position to offer assistance,” Shawn replied. “I know you would have done the same for me.”
“Surely I would.” Jonathan nodded. His eyes moved past Shawn and focused behind him. Shawn wondered what he was looking at. Jonathan gestured with his head. “Speaking of marriage, who is that talking to Elizabeth over there? He looks familiar, but I cannot remember his name.”
Shawn turned to look behind him. Elizabeth was speaking to another young cousin of his, Carter Montgomery. The Montgomerys were a well-known family in Fairbanks. It surprised Shawn that Jonathan didn’t recognize him until he remembered that Jonathan never wanted to be in the midst of society. He turned back to speak to Jonathan. “That’s Carter Montgomery, Earl of Fairfield.”
“He looks like his eyes are about to pop out of his head.”
“He does look very anxious. Perhaps I should find out what the problem is.”
“Please do so. I am planning on asking my beautiful bride to dance with me as soon as this food is settled in my stomach.”
Shawn nodded and stood to go across the room to where his wife and Carter were having an intense discussion.
Earl Carter Montgomery looked up at Shawn with eyes that were filled with both fear and respect as he approached. He was fearful because he’d just been handed a large territory and was only now learning to govern over a populace. The Duke was a respected cousin. If anyone could help him learn the ropes quickly, it would be him.
“Carter. How are you? You look anxious.”
“I am, your grace. I am.”
“I have been trying to calm him for five minutes,” Elizabeth said quietly, not wanting to bring attention to them. “His father...well, you certainly know that the Earl passed on a few weeks ago. Carter is having difficulty with his role as Earl. His advisors don’t seem to want to help him become adjusted to his new role. I told him that you would help him.”
“You did?” Shawn suppressed a smile, but she could see it in his eyes. When she smiled instinctively, he did, too. He looked back to Carter. “I will help you, Carter. Please. Let us enjoy the rest of the party and see our dear Jonathan and Anna off? Then we will speak.”
Regency Romance: More For A Duke (The Fairbanks Series - The Familial Adventures) (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 13
