The Dashing Thief of Her Dreams

by Alice Kirks

  Geoffrey could feel his nostrils flaring and his fists clenching. If he wasn’t such a controlled man, he would have flung Miles across the room and thrown out his idea entirely. But because Geoffrey was in such a vulnerable position, he knew that he needed to meet with Miles’ demands.

  “Fine,” Geoffrey said hesitantly. “I’ll agree to your demands. But know that I am only agreeing to them because-”

  “I don’t care one wit about why you’re agreeing,” Miles said, getting up, “for that is all I needed to hear. I am off to the Stanhope Estate to call on Lady Bridget to tell her about my new money and land... and perhaps, if I am feeling amorous, I shall ask Lord Alymer if I might court Bridget.” Miles looked triumphantly at Geoffrey for a moment, and then strode out of the room, calling behind him, “You make such poor choices for being considered the ‘responsible’ one in this family, Geoffrey!”

  Miles slammed the heavy wooden door shut behind him, leaving Geoffrey to glower on his own. Geoffrey felt utterly defeated. He knew that he should be angry; he knew that he needed to do something to change his fate. But right now, the thought of the woman he loved (who he had not realised he loved until now) in the arms of his devilish brother was almost too much for him to bear.

  Chapter 20

  While the days after the horse ride with Geoffrey were uncomfortable because Deborah still was not speaking to Bridget, Bridget couldn’t help but feel elated. She knew she should be feeling guilty that the romance between Miles and her sister seemed to be drawing to a close, but the relationship between her and Geoffrey seemed to be flourishing.

  When Bridget heard nothing of or from Lord Miles after the group horseback ride, she took it as a good sign at least for her. The silence likely meant that Miles had only been pestering Bridget to make Geoffrey angry, and so he would not continue to pursue her further. It also meant, however, that Lord Miles had lost interest in Deborah entirely. Bridget was not sure how to console her sister about this if Deborah refused to talk to her.

  And so, Bridget decided that if Deborah was not going to talk to her no matter how hard she tried, she should give up for the time being. Instead, Bridget passed a lovely morning doing some needlework that had been neglected since she had been spending so much time thinking about Lord Geoffrey. She sat in the parlour with her father, who was looking over some papers that he had got in order. Neither said anything to the other all morning, but it was nice to have the other’s presence in the room.

  All was calm and quiet until just after the clock struck twelve. There was a loud knock at the front door, and when it happened, Bridget and Lord Alymer looked up at each other.

  “Were you expecting anyone, Father?” Bridget asked Lord Alymer.

  He shook his head. “No, I was going to take today to get caught up on a few things with no visitors. I wonder who it could be?”

  Just as the words were out of Lord Alymer’s mouth, a servant arrived at the door to the parlour. “Please excuse my interruption, my lord, but there is a Lord Miles Nott who wishes to speak with you - shall I bring him in?”

  Lord Alymer looked suddenly to Bridget, whose heart stopped. A visit in person from Lord Miles? This was certainly unexpected. What was even more unexpected was that Miles wanted to speak with Lord Alymer. This made Miles’ intentions difficult to discover. Would it be that he had come to ask to court Deborah... or Bridget?

  Bridget felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as her father encouraged the servant to bring Miles in. When he arrived at the door, Bridget said a silent prayer in the hopes that Miles had changed his affections back to Deborah. She did not know what she would do otherwise.

  When Miles was welcomed in by Lord Alymer, his eyes fell upon Bridget and he smiled warmly. “Good afternoon, Lady Bridget. How lovely you’re looking today,” he complimented her. Miles bowed in front of Bridget, but Bridget did not rise from her seat. When her father saw that she did not stand, he raised a disapproving eyebrow.

  Bridget knew that it was unacceptable to not greet a visitor with a curtsey, but she was so nervous. If Miles was here to ask to court her, she was terrified that any move she made would be taken as a sign by Miles. And right now, she wanted to give him as many signs as she could to say that she did not want to consider him as a suitor.

  Bridget nodded curtly to Miles. “Lord Miles... how unexpected,” Bridget muttered unhappily. And yet, as soon as Miles heard Bridget speak, he beamed as though he had just been given a badge of honour. Bridget grimaced.

  “Lord Miles, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence in our home this afternoon?” Lord Alymer asked.

  Miles flicked his head in Lord Alymer’s direction. “Well, I thought I might begin with a few pleasantries before we got right down to business, but that is just fine by me,” Miles said. He looked at Bridget out of the corner of his eye and continued. “I am actually rather glad that Lady Bridget is here as well. I had not expected her to be, but it only makes what I am about to ask even more exciting.”

  Bridget’s eyes widened and she felt the palms of her hands moistening. If Miles was going where she thought he was going, this meant that Miles was about to ask Lord Alymer for his permission to court Bridget. It took everything Bridget had not to scream out. She wanted no part of being with Lord Miles, but she did not feel that she could protest it.

  Lord Alymer smiled. “I have a feeling I know where this is going, Lord Miles, but please continue,” he said.

  Lord Miles looked very pleased as he turned his attention entirely back to Lord Alymer. “I am hoping that if I have noted your tone correctly, Lord Alymer, this question is one that should please both you and Lady Bridget. In that case...”

  Miles trailed off, and in the instant before he asked his question Bridget ran through about fifty things she could do to stop him from continuing. She could ‘accidentally’ prick her finger and run out of the room screaming. She could spill her tea all over her dress and flee the scene in embarrassment. She could call up to her sister and drag her down to the parlour to take her place!

  “I came to seek your permission...” Miles drawled. Was Bridget imagining things, or was it taking him forever to ask this one question? She began panicking, trying desperately to think of a way to get out of this... but in the end, she came up with nothing. “...to court your daughter, Lady Bridget.”

  Bridget felt as though she was going to be ill. In that moment, all she could think about was how horrible the rest of her life was going to be. She would have to first be courted by the horrible Lord Miles. Then, her sister would refuse to speak to her or see her ever again for being with the man that Deborah loved. Then, Bridget would have to marry Lord Miles because there was little to no way out of a courtship once it had begun. And then, not only would Bridget be married to Miles, but she would be the sister-in-law of the man that she truly loved.

  Lord Alymer looked to Bridget with a satisfied look on his face. “I did think that was where this was going to go, and I am glad that you have come to ask me. It would give me no greater pleasure than to grant you the permission that you seek, Lord Miles.” Lord Alymer seemed to not understand the horrified look on Bridget’s face, and now that she knew how he felt about their courtship, Bridget felt even more trapped.

  Miles, on the other hand, was elated. “I am utterly delighted to receive your permission, Lord Alymer. I was wondering if we might-” Miles tried to continue, but Lord Alymer held up his hand to stop him.

  “One moment though, Lord Miles,” Lord Alymer paused the excited young man. “There is one other person’s permission that you have to seek.” He gestured slowly to Bridget, and for the first time since Lord Miles’ arrival had been announced Bridget felt slightly relieved.

  Thank goodness! Bridget thought. I thought that I would have no say in any of this! Bridget took a deep breath, and was just about to begin her rejection of Miles when she thought of what he had said when she, Deborah, Lord Geoffrey and her father had all been riding together.

 
It was Miles who had confessed to being the rake when Bridget said that she found the intruder alluring. Could all of her readings of Miles have been mistaken, and was he really the hero of her dreams? Bridget took a closer look into Miles’ eyes, studying them to see if she could see any of the glimmer that the thief had in his eyes the night they had run into each other in the dining room. As she gazed, Miles’ blue eyes seemed to darken not lighten. She thought that was strange, especially considering how the thief’s eyes had shone when they fell upon her.

  No. There was absolutely no way that Miles was the thief. He was shorter than that man, his eyes held none of the mischief and daring that the thief’s did, and... well, there was just something about Miles that made Bridget uneasy. And when she had laid eyes on the intruder that night, there had been nothing about him that made her feel nervous. Well, except for the fact that he was robbing her in the night, but that was a part of the excitement!

  Having decided that her gut feeling about Miles was right, and seeing this as the only opportunity to protest this courtship before it was finalized, Bridget turned to Miles and said confidently, “Thank you, Lord Miles, for your kind offer. You are a very well-spoken, honourable gentleman…” Bridget paused before she said the rest of her piece, and when she did, Miles interrupted her rudely.

  “I am very glad to hear that you consent to our courtship as well, Lady Bridget,” Miles interjected.

  Bridget shook her head fervently. “Do not interrupt me, Lord Miles, for I was not finished,” she chastised him. Immediately, the enthusiastic look on Miles’ face vanished. “While I think highly of you, I am afraid that I cannot offer you anything more than friendship.”

  There was a deafening silence in the room that followed Bridget’s admission. She knew that both men would be displeased with her rejection, but she hadn’t expected such a silent response. She looked from Miles (who was stunned) to her father (who was enraged), trying to read each of their faces as the quiet dragged on.

  Finally, Lord Alymer broke it. “I do apologise on behalf of my daughter, Lord Miles,” he said as he looked unhappily at Bridget. “It seems that she does not know a fine young man when she sees one. You would make a fine son-in-law, and I think that my daughter may be denying you because she has too many thoughts in her head because of those... novels she reads! Perhaps she should put away her girlish fantasies and pursue something real.”

  At first, Bridget was too shocked to speak. She looked at her father who stared right back at her, unblinking. She knew that Lord Alymer never approved of the stories she read, but she never expected him to speak out against them so vehemently. Since her mother was the one who had nurtured her love of reading and she had passed away, Bridget thought that Lord Alymer had forgotten his hatred of the books entirely. Now, however, Bridget knew that to be untrue.

  After a moment Lord Alymer’s look softened, and Bridget seemed to think that he understood how much he had hurt her because of what she had said. Nevertheless, Bridget still felt that she needed to say something. “Father, I am appalled that you would speak of me in such a way, especially in the presence of Lord Miles,” Bridget began, glaring at her father.

  Then, she turned to Miles, who still looked crushed and said, “Miles, I am sorry that I do not feel the same way about you that you do about me, but I know for a fact that there is someone else in this household who would be over the moon to have your offer of courtship. I ask that you consider your motives for courtship, and reconsider which sister you are going to pursue. With that, I shall take my leave of the both of you.”

  Bridget triumphantly rose from her chair and strode out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight of the two men, she could feel her facade crumbling and tears beginning to sting in her eyes. She raced up to her bedroom, but as she passed by Deborah’s room she noticed that Deborah was standing in the doorway. Bridget stopped as she passed by her.

  Deborah seemed to want to say something - had she heard all of what had been said downstairs? Bridget gave her a moment to say what she wanted to, but nothing came out of Deborah’s mouth. But she looked at her sister with concern and understanding, and that look alone made Bridget crumble even more. When it became clear that Deborah could not assemble her words right now, Bridget gave her a small nod of understanding and took to her room. She could not take any more emotional discussions right now.

  Chapter 21

  Bridget stayed in her room for the rest of the day. She holed up in her bed, re-reading stories that she already knew by heart and trying not to think of the awful things her father had said about her. At one point later on in the afternoon, Deborah knocked softly on her door.

  “Yes?” Bridget asked quietly.

  “I will not trouble you in your solitude, dear sister, but I wanted to bring you some dinner. I shall leave it here by the door, and you can come get it when you have heard my footfalls retreating down the hall,” Deborah responded. There was a pause, and then she added, “I hope you are not too distressed. If you are, I should very much like to spend the morning with you tomorrow.”

  Bridget heard Deborah place the tray of food on the ground and retreat from in front of her door. She truly had wanted to say something kind to Deborah as thanks, but she did not have the energy right now. Instead, she waited a little while before getting out of bed, and then went to retrieve her dinner.

  She was very grateful that her sister had brought her food, for the truth was that she was starving. After she devoured her meal of roast beef, potatoes, gravy and puddings, she put the tray aside and walked to the window. She had a small alcove in her window that she often liked to sit on and look out across the lawn from. Tonight, as she sat down, she took great pleasure in realising that she would get to watch the sunset.

  As soon as she got comfortable in the alcove, however, her body had other ideas. Bridget quickly drifted off into a relaxing, dreamless sleep, and she was only roused when she heard a soft, strange tapping noise.

  Bridget opened her eyes and looked around her bedroom. It was now pitch black outside, and so Bridget could hardly make out any of her bedroom furniture. She reached for a candle on her bedside, lit it, and held it as she got up from the alcove. However, as soon as she started moving again, Bridget heard the strange tapping once more. This time, she was able to recognize that it was coming from behind her, but the only thing that was behind her right now was the window. And that meant...

  Bridget whirled her head around, saw a figure standing outside her window and gasped. The figure frantically gestured something with their hands, and Bridget saw that the ‘figure’ was none other than Lord Geoffrey Nott.

  As soon as she realized who it was, her heartrate returned to normal. She let out a big breath and smiled at him through the glass. When he saw that she was at ease once more, Geoffrey smiled, too. He gestured to the lock on the window, as if asking Bridget to open it, which she did. When the window was open, Geoffrey began, “I was trying to knock as softly as possible so as to not scare you, I promise.”

  Bridget chuckled as she stepped back and allowed the handsome gentleman into her bedroom. “I think that no matter how softly you rapped on my window, I still would have been frightened. One doesn’t expect to look out into the darkness of the night and see a figure staring back at them!”

  Lord Geoffrey laughed. “I do apologise for your fright, and thank you for allowing me in,” he said earnestly. He took off his muddy boots and put them at the base of the alcove, then looked around Bridget’s room. He seemed slightly uncomfortable, so Bridget pulled out her desk chair.

  “Here, please sit,” Bridget encouraged him. Geoffrey gave her a small nod of appreciation, and then sat down. Bridget sat on the edge of the bed across from him. She was very grateful to her past self for not having got ready for bed. She felt far more comfortable sitting there speaking with Lord Geoffrey in her day clothes than she would have in her nightgown.

  “I am also sorry that I am intruding in your bedroom,” Geoffrey said a
pologetically. He once again looked around the room uncomfortably. “I had thought that you might be in the drawing room, but when I went to look there it was only your sister. She very nearly saw me, and I cannot imagine what I would have done if that had happened!”

  Bridget smoothed out her dress and smiled back at Geoffrey. “I think that once she realized it was you, she would have laughed uproariously and told you exactly where I was,” she responded.