She should have gone yesterday. She should not have told him the exact date. She should have known that he’d do something to stop her. He’d said as much himself.
Curiously enough, she was not angry. But she was frightened. Perhaps this was what walking to the gallows felt like.
Rebecca’s feet were leaden as she descended the stairs. Somehow…somewhere…after leaving her room, Mrs. Trent and the maidservants had stayed behind. At the bottom of the stairs, she saw Sir Nicholas and Sir Oliver standing on the landing. Both men looked up and watched her. She could not understand why they were smiling. Everyone seemed to have lost their mind this morning.
The lawyer walked toward her and took her hand as Rebecca reached the last step. “Just know this, m’lady. It has been a pleasure to serve you!”
Rebecca wanted to ask what he was speaking of, but the door to the earl’s study opened at that moment, and she saw Stanmore step out. Her heart pounded at the change in his expression when he saw her. His look was filled with such love and hope, but even as the thought registered in her brain, his features grew serious again.
His steps were purposeful when he walked toward her. Rebecca reached out her hand, needing his strength to proceed another inch.
“Good morning, Rebecca! Have I told you today that I love you?” He kissed her hand and then, with no regard to their audience, kissed her lips with such longing that she had to clutch his jacket to save herself from melting against him.
When he pulled back, she was still unsteady on her feet. He brushed a kiss against her ear.
“You did not kill Hartington, my love,” he whispered in her ear. She clutched his lapel tighter, hardly understanding the words she had just heard. “The cad survived that night and lived long enough to inflict himself on more innocent women…before being murdered by an angry husband eight years ago.”
Rebecca’s stomach was a painful knot. She stared into his face with disbelief. “Please do not jest with me.”
“I would never jest about something so serious.” He shook his head and motioned to Birch, who was standing nearby.
“What his lordship has said is the truth, m’lady. Sir Nicholas and I interviewed Lady Hartington and Robert, the butler who served the family ten years ago. There is no doubting the facts.”
“My God!” She covered her mouth with a hand as tears sprang to her eyes.
“You mustn’t cry!” Stanmore took her in his embrace again, placing kisses on her forehead.
“Am I the only one not invited to greet the enchanting Miss Neville?”
Rebecca quickly brushed away the tears and tried to compose herself at the sound of the visitor’s voice. Stanmore released her, but continued to hold her hand as they turned to their guest.
“Lord North, may I present…”
“No introductions are necessary.” The man spoke gently as he approached. “I would have known this lady anywhere and at any time. It is so unfortunate that fate has kept us apart for so long.”
Rebecca curtsied to a man whom she was certain she had never met before.
The Prime Minister took her hand from the earl’s and started back toward the library. Rebecca cast a questioning look over her shoulder at Stanmore, who continued to stand by the foot of the steps.
“Are you coming, Stanmore?” the Prime Minister called. “As future husband of my sister, I think you are entitled to be told of the madness that runs on our side of the family. But then again, she looks to be made of much better and healthier stock.”
Rebecca was certain that everyone had gone mad this morning.
EPILOGUE
A month. A month would have changed everything!
A month’s difference and the earl of Guilford would have returned from the continent in time to collect his daughter Rebecca Neville—named after the earl’s own mother—only to introduce her properly into London society. A month’s difference and Rebecca would not have gone to the Hartington household as a tutor. A month’s difference and she would not have run away thinking she’d committed a murder. A month’s difference and she would never have encountered Elizabeth Wakefield and begun a new life in the colonies.
A month’s difference and she would never have found Jamey or Stanmore.
Indeed, for all the hardship it had brought, that month had made all the difference in world in securing for her happiness that transcended her wildest dreams.
The list of wedding guests had been extensive, to say the least. And on it, Rebecca noticed, Stanmore had personally added the name of Mrs. Jenny Greene. The gesture warmed her heart, even though the aging actress had sent a note declining the invitation. A ‘previous engagement…’ she had written in shaky, uneven script. But no refusal could spoil Rebecca’s happiness, for she had made her own peace with the past. Today and all the days to come were what mattered.
The news of the earl of Stanmore’s upcoming wedding to Miss Neville—a long lost “relation” of the Prime Minister—was well covered by the various newspapers and gossiped about incessantly among London’s ton. The wedding promised to be the event of the season.
The actual nuptial day started off misty and gray. But as carriages rolled into Knebworth Village from near and far, the clouds had gradually parted, and the dews had glittered like diamonds on the landscape. Even now, the late summer sun was smiling down upon the sizeable gathering and the couple who had just finished exchanging their vows on the steps of the old church.
Rebecca looked up and met Stanmore’s loving gaze as the throng looked on in anticipation. With a final flourish, Reverend Trimble blessed their union, and the world around her exploded in a cacophony of cheers. All Rebecca could hear, though, was her husband’s declaration of undying love. All she could see was the mist in his eyes as he drew her into his embrace.
“I don’t believe there ever was a man happier than I am at this moment.” Her lips met his, and they were both lost in a moment of tenderness that was solely their own.
The crowds around them, though, would not allow the couple to remain undisturbed for very long. The earl of Guilford was at their elbow the next moment. Rebecca’s new brother, Lord North, and his wife and children, pushed forward impatiently to reach the couple. Lady Meg, Stanmore’s mother, smiled from her place just beyond them. She had made the journey from Scotland to meet Rebecca, and the two women had bonded the moment they’d met. And now she stood ready to welcome her new daughter into the family.
Regardless of the jubilant adults crowding the newlyweds, though, Jamey was the first to receive the attention of the two. As the boy left the side of Lady Meg, Rebecca reached for him, and Stanmore lifted the lad in his arms. Together, the three of them turned to bask for a moment in the warm wishes of the assembled guests.
“Are you ready, m’lady?” Stanmore asked sometime later, after congratulations had been made, and Jamey had skipped back to Lady Meg’s side. The crowd had parted to allow them a path to their waiting carriage. “Ready to go and receive our guests at Solgrave, my love?”
All Rebecca could do was to nod and accept his arm, for she did not think she could speak right now and still keep her emotions under control. Together, they moved down the steps of the church and through the crowd.
With well-wishers lining the street, they rolled toward the feast awaiting them all at Solgrave.
“Are you happy?”
Tears rolled down her face as Rebecca turned and nodded to her husband. “Thank you, my dearest. Thank you for the gift of your love…your honor…your promise of a future...”
“I had no future without you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I was incomplete without you, Rebecca. You are the one who has made me whole.”
She smiled up at him. “You keep talking like this, and I might be forced to persuade you to take an indirect route back to Solgrave.”
“We can arrange for a lengthy stop by the old mill.” His eyes shone with mischief. “Or perhaps we should just leave the entertaining of the guests to my mo
ther and start for Scotland this instant.”
As he glanced toward the coachman, she took hold of his chin and drew his face to her. “We couldn’t really do that. I mean it sounds perfectly wicked…and wonderful…but there is just so much…”
Rebecca’s words trailed off as her eyes focused on an older, fashionably dressed woman sitting in an open carriage by the side of the road. As their own carriage passed by, Rebecca stared at the oddly familiar face. A knot formed in her throat, and she raised a hand hesitantly in greeting. The woman’s gloved hand rose as well, but she did not wave. Rebecca watched her instead wipe tears from her face and look away.
Rebecca looked back at the proud figure of Jenny Greene for a long moment.
“Shall I stop the carriage? This is the perfect time for all of us to meet.”
Rebecca shook her head. “I don’t believe my mother is ready for anything more just yet.”
And even as the words were spoken, the two saw Jenny’s carriage start off in the opposite direction.
“I’m sorry!” Stanmore whispered in her ear as he drew Rebecca into his arms. “I’m sorry that this day couldn’t be perfect!”
“But it is,” Rebecca replied, brightening and pressing a hand against her husband’s heart as she met his affectionate gaze. “I have everything that I ever wished for. Everything that I ever dreamed of in my life. This is simply as perfect as life can be!”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
For those readers who have been following our stories, we hope the jump from a Scottish medieval setting to the England of George III was as much fun for you as it was for us!
For our new readers, we wanted to thank you for sharing in a story that we have been dying to tell for some time now. As always, we have tried to depict a place and a time in a way that mingles the real and the imagined in an entertaining way. Lord North, Lady Mornington, even the Philadelphia “coachee” driver John Butler (the husband of Rebecca’s friend Molly), were actual historical figures. Strawberry Alley and the Friend’s School in Philadelphia, Berkeley Square and the Covent Garden Theater in London, and Broad Quay of Bristol were actual places.
The issue of slavery in America is one that is well known to most of us. Very few of us here might be aware, though, of the struggle abolitionists carried on to eradicate the evil in England. It was through the efforts of a few progressive thinkers, beginning in the middle part of the 18th century, that Parliament eventually did away with the slave trade in 1807. In 1833 they would successfully pass a bill to abolish slavery in all British dominions.
On a personal note, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Marjie Bloy of Rotherham, England, for her gracious help with so many questions about 18th century politics, the House of Lords, and Lord North and his family. Your kindness, your expertise, and your warmth know no bounds. Thank you. Stitch and bitch, forever, Marjie!
Our next historical romance, The Rebel, takes up the story of Sir Nicholas Spencer in Ireland. You also will get a chance to visit with Stanmore and Rebecca. Following that novel, the first book of Scottish Dream Trilogy (Borrowed Dreams) will come back to this very corner of England as Millicent and Stanmores once again return
As always, we love to hear from our readers.
May McGoldrick
[email protected]
The 'May McGoldrick Family Tree' Book Information
Our 16th Century books...
In The Thistle and the Rose, Colin Campbell and Celia Muir are introduced...
And we also introduce Alec Macpherson, who is the hero of our second book, Angel of Skye...
Alec has two brothers, Ambrose and John, who are the heroes of Heart of Gold and The Beauty of the Mist, respectively...
In Angel of Skye, we also introduce a little boy, Malcolm MacLeod, and in Heart of Gold we introduce a little girl, Jaime...
When Malcolm MacLeod and Jaime grow up, they are the hero and heroine of The Intended...
In Heart of Gold, we also introduce Gavin Kerr, who becomes the hero of Flame...
In Flame, we introduce a number of characters who show up in The Dreamer, The Enchantress, and The Firebrand (the Highland Treasure Trilogy), including John Stewart, the earl of Athol and a number of villains...
The Highland Treasure Trilogy is the story of three sisters...Catherine Percy of The Dreamer, Laura Percy of The Enchantress, and Adrianne Percy of The Firebrand...
In The Enchantress, we introduce Sir Wyntoun MacLean, who also appears in The Firebrand...
In The Firebrand, we also introduce Gillie the Fairie-Borne, who may just have a story of his own one day...
Colin Campbell and Celia (from The Thistle and the Rose) also make a 'cameo' appearance in The Firebrand...
Alec Macpherson and Fiona (from Angel of Skye) have three sons. The youngest, Colin Macpherson, is the hero of Tess and the Highlander (a young adult novel published by HarperCollins in November 2002)...
Our 18th Century Books
In The Promise, Samuel Wakefield, the earl of Stanmore, and Rebecca Neville/Ford are the hero and heroine...
In that book we also introduce Stanmore's friend, Sir Nicholas Spencer, who becomes the hero of The Rebel, which is set in Ireland...
Stanmore and Rebecca also appear in The Rebel...
In The Promise, we also introduce Rebecca's friend, Millicent Wentworth, who becomes the heroine of Borrowed Dreams...
Borrowed Dreams is the start of a new trilogy about three Scottish brothers, starting with Lyon Pennington, earl of Aytoun. We also meet a new cast of characters who show up in the trilogy. Violet, from The Promise, plays a big role in this book, too. She will show up again in the third book in the trilogy, Dreams of Destiny.
In Captured Dreams, we see Lyon and Millicent and the entire household of Baronsford in Scotland, along with wonderful heroes and villains that David Pennington meets in colonial Boston.
In Dreams of Destiny, the mystery of Emma's death is solved...
Ghost of the Thames…a Dickensian novel.
Visit us at www.JanCoffey.com and on May McGoldrick, facebook page for discount offers of our other ebooks.
About the Author
Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick have spent their lives gathering material for their novels. Nikoo, a mechanical engineer, and Jim, who has a Ph.D. in sixteenth-century British literature, wrote their first May McGoldrick novel in 1994. Since then, they have taken their readers from the Highlands of Scotland to the mountains of Kurdistan in bestselling, award-winning historical romance and contemporary suspense novels under the names May McGoldrick, Nicole Cody, and Jan Coffey.
You can contact us at [email protected]
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Complete Book List as of 2012
Writing As May McGoldrick:
Made In Heaven
Ghost of the Thames
Scottish Dream Trilogy
Dreams Of Destiny
Captured Dreams
Borrowed Dreams
The Rebel
Tess and The Highlander (A YA Novel)
The Promise
Highland Treasure Trilogy
The Firebrand
The Enchantress
The Dreamer
Flame
The Intended
Macpherson Trilogy
Beauty Of The Mist
Heart Of Gold
Angel Of Skye
Thistle and The Rose
Writing As Nicole Cody & May McGoldrick:
Love and Mayhem (reissued as Arsenic and Old Armor)
Writing As Jan Coffey:
Aquarian (A YA Novel)
Blind Eye
The Puppet Master
The Deadliest Strain
The Project
Silent Waters
Five in a Row
Tropical Kiss (A YA Novel)
Fourth Victim
Triple Threat
Twice Burned
Trust Me Once
/> Here's an excerpt from May McGoldrick’s next novel
The Rebel
by
May McGoldrick
CHAPTER 1
London
December 1770
The snow lay like blue icing over the stately plane trees and the walkways of Berkeley Square. Dinner guests, bundled in fine woolen cloaks and mantles of fur, scarcely spared the picturesque scene a look, though, as they hurried from the warmth of Lord and Lady Stanmore’s doorway to their waiting carriages. Across the square, a wind swept up from the river, raising crystalline wisps from the barren tree branches, and flakes of snow curled and glistened in the light that poured from the windows of the magnificent town house. Soon, all but one of the carriages had rolled away into the darkness of the city, the sounds of horses and drivers and wheels on paving stones muffled by the fallen snow.
Inside the brightly lit foyer of the house, Sir Nicholas Spencer accepted his gloves and overcoat from a doorman and turned to bid a final farewell to his host and hostess.
“Spending Christmas alone!” Rebecca chided gently. “Please, Nicholas, you must come with us to Solgrave for the holiday.”
“And intrude on your first Christmas together?” Nicholas shook his head with a smile. “This first holiday is for you—for your family. I wouldn’t impose on that for the world.”
The Promise Page 36
