The Dashing Thief of Her Dreams

by Alice Kirks

  In the third and final book, Marriage by Accident, Theodosia, the plucky protagonist, and Philip, the handsome hero, came to understand that they had found their soul mates in their accidentally married partner by talking through any problems that they encountered together. Theirs was a bond that was built on trust, communication and openness, and so Bridget decided to take a page from their book.

  She decided not to plan what she was going to say, and instead to just talk things through normally with Geoffrey. She sincerely hoped that her plan would work, but just in case it did not, she figured she should probably ask Lord Miles what Lord Geoffrey’s favourite thorny flower was and prepare the bandages for her hands.

  And so, on the morning of the picnic, Bridget rose early, asked for her maids to prepare a bath for her, and made herself sit in the warm water with no purpose other than to enjoy herself. She took deep, calming breaths, did her very best not to focus on Lord Geoffrey, and dreamed of her favourite books that would be waiting for her at the end of the day, no matter what the outcome of their conversation was.

  When Bridget came out of the tub, she was feeling relaxed, happy, and eager for the day to begin. She returned to her room, dressed herself in the deep rose dress that she had chosen for the day, and opened the window so that her hair had more of a chance to dry before she tried to coax it into a hairstyle.

  However, Bridget’s hard-won peace was interrupted by Deborah bursting through her door, fully dressed and done up, looking frantic. “There you are!” Deborah cried. She took a few long strides across her sister’s bedroom and grabbed her hand. “You were expected in the great hall ten minutes ago!” Deborah began trying to tug Bridget away from the window by her arm, but Bridget resisted.

  “What are you doing?” Bridget demanded, yanking her arm out of her sister’s grasp. “I do not have to be anywhere for another-” Bridget walked quickly to her bedside and consulted the plan for the day that her sister had given her- “twenty-five minutes! Why are you saying that I was expected somewhere ten minutes ago?”

  Deborah snatched the paper out of Bridget’s hand and looked over it carefully. “When did I give you this?” she asked, frantic.

  “Yesterday night,” Bridget responded calmly.

  Deborah’s eyes widened. “You did not get my revised edition of the plan this morning?” she cried. When Bridget shook her head slowly Deborah let out an exasperated groan, walked over to Bridget’s door and picked up something that lay in front of it.

  “Do you not check the floor in front of your door in the morning?” Deborah demanded, shaking the paper in front of Bridget’s face. “I had to make changes first thing this morning, and so I slipped this under your door so that you would get it! But now that you haven’t, the whole day is already behind and things may not go off as planned.”

  Bridget took her sister by her shoulders and said, “Deborah. Breathe. This isn’t like you to get this upset. I respect that you are upset, but I need you to consider things from my perspective. Everything is going to go fine today, whether or not I’m at my place as of ten minutes ago!”

  Deborah continued looking furious for a few seconds, but then she relaxed somewhat. She took a deep breath, and when she was finished she opened her eyes, and Bridget could immediately see a difference in her sister.

  “See?” Bridget said. “Today is going to go smoothly, you’ve planned everything down to the last detail, and if anyone is unhappy, you can send them to me!”

  Deborah let out a small laugh and gave Bridget a weak smile. “Thank you, sister. I needed that more that I realised,” she said gratefully. Then, she snapped back into business mode and said, “But I really do need you downstairs greeting the guests. I can cover for you for another ten minutes, but after that, you’ll need to be down there.”

  Bridget nodded dutifully and gave her sister a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!” she said jokingly, and Deborah chuckled as she hurriedly left the room and shut the door behind her. Bridget went back to her spot by the window and continued swooshing her hair back and forth, begging it to dry faster.

  Exactly ten minutes later, Bridget (with her still-wet hair, the open window did little to help it after all) stood in the front entryway in her deep rose gown with her best white gloves and small red roses poked into her hair. She smiled at every guest as they entered and welcomed them to the Stanhope Estate, but every time a young gentleman stood in the doorway, her heart began to race. The Nott brothers had not arrived yet, but Bridget knew that they would be coming here soon. And when they did arrive, Bridget promised herself that she would be ready.

  Just then, a good friend of the family, Elliot Brackenreid, and his wife Esther arrived. Elliot was a very close friend of Lord Alymer’s, and so Bridget thought of him like an uncle and Esther like an aunt.

  “Good afternoon, poppet!” Elliot called from the front door with his hands in the air, ready to embrace Bridget.

  “Hello Uncle Elliot and Aunt Esther! How lovely to see you,” Bridget said as she was pulled in tightly by her uncle.

  When he let her go, he took her by the shoulders and said, “My, my, what a gorgeous young woman you’ve become.”

  And then, Aunt Esther took Bridget’s left hand, removed her glove, analysed her hand and then said, “But there’s still no ring on that finger yet! How on earth is that possible?”

  Bridget chuckled as she gently took her hand out of her aunt’s palm and put her glove back on. “You ask me that every time you see me, Aunt Esther,” she remarked, “and each time I have no better answer for you.”

  Aunt Esther tut-tutted and shook her finger at Bridget. “That is a shame, my dear, for nothing would make us happier than to attend your wedding... or better yet, a double wedding for both you and your sister!”

  Uncle Elliot leaned in and whispered quietly, “Although, we have heard rumours about town that you and a certain Nott brother have become more... friendly over the past few weeks... is there any truth to this rumor, ducky?”

  Bridget gave her aunt and uncle a polite smile. “Lord Geoffrey and I have become friends, but we are nothing more than that: friends,” she replied. She couldn’t tell her relatives the truth, for although they were very kind people they had a tendency to gossip, and Bridget just could not handle any more gossip right now.

  “Well, that does my heart good,” Aunt Esther said, placing her hand on her chest as if she were calming her racing heart. “The scandal that that family is wrapped up in right now would make your mother’s toes curl!”

  Bridget laughed politely, but inside, she was beginning to become frustrated. There was almost nothing more Bridget hated than people telling her what her mother would or would not have done. It was especially difficult with Uncle Elliot and Aunt Esther, because they did not know her mother all that well and so they sometimes said things that were not at all true about her.

  For example, Bridget knew that her mother would have found this whole affair with the Nott brothers quite comedic. Bridget’s mother was not one to take things too seriously, and she cared little for what the rest of society thought of her and her family. She would have supported Bridget and Deborah through all of their hardships without judgement, and Bridget deeply wished that her mother had been here right now to tell her relatives off.

  But alas, it was only her, and so Bridget had to do it for herself. “Aunt Esther,” Bridget began bravely, “while I understand that you were just trying to make a joke, I do not think that my mother would be taken aback by what the Nott brothers are going through at all. I think that if she were here she would look upon the boys with sympathy, for they are trying to survive through the incredibly difficult grieving process that comes with losing a parent. It is a struggle that I know well, and I know that if you love our family as you say you do, you’ll extend the same kindness to the Notts that you did to us when Mother passed.”

  Aunt Esther looked positively dumbfounded, and Uncle Elliot just looked confused. They remained staring at Bridget like t
hat for a few seconds, until Aunt Esther’s eyes began to mist over and her look turned to one of compassion.

  “Of course we will, I am so sorry that I said that about your mother, my dear,” Aunt Esther said, taking Bridget’s hand and petting it. “You, your sister and your father are the dearest things in the world to us, and if you tell us that the Notts deserve compassion, then that is what we shall bestow upon them.”

  Bridget gave her aunt a genuine smile. “Thank you, Aunt Esther,” she said happily. “I very much appreciate that, for Lord Miles and Lord Geoffrey really are two very kind young gentlemen. They shall be attending the picnic here this afternoon, should you like the chance to meet them.”

  Uncle Elliot gave Bridget a knowing smile. “Meet them?” he asked mischievously. “Darling, I certainly hope that those boys are so attached to you and your sister that they do not have time to even speak to us this afternoon!”

  Bridget gave her uncle a gentle swat on the upper arm, and he recoiled dramatically. All three of them laughed, and then Bridget said, “Why don’t you go through the sitting room to the back lawn? I hear someone has started a good game of lawn bowling and they’re looking for pairs to compete!”

  Uncle Elliot’s eyes lit up. “Lawn bowling!” he cried excitedly and grabbed Aunt Esther’s hand. “Come along, Esther, our chance at redemption awaits!”

  Bridget laughed as she watched her uncle drag her aunt across the foyer and into the sitting room. She was still watching them retreat when a voice from behind her said, “That was very kind of you to stand up for us like that, Lady Bridget.”

  Bridget whirled around to come face-to-face with Lord Geoffrey.

  Chapter 36

  Lord Geoffrey was looking especially dapper today. His dark hair was combed back so that his striking face was on full display. His turquoise eyes were looking more radiant than usual, and his skin seemed to have benefitted from the days of sun that they had been experiencing. He was wearing an all black suit with a maroon ascot and a white shirt underneath.

  Lord Miles stood beside his brother and looked almost as good as he did. His hair was also combed nicely, but he had his parted to the side and his sideburns looked exceptional. He was wearing a dark green suit with a black ascot and a white shirt. When the brothers stood side-by-side they looked like an unstoppable duo, and Bridget’s heart almost could not take how incredible they looked.

  Bridget stood staring at the brothers for a moment longer with her jaw open, but then quickly remembered herself and quickly closed it. She cleared her throat and tried to say calmly, “Lord Meoffrey, Lord Giles, how wonderful to see you.”

  She didn’t realise her error until she saw the looks on the boys faces. Instantly, she felt her cheeks becoming red, and she tried to say, “Oh! Oh, no, I meant Lord Geoffrey and Lord Miles-” but Miles interrupted her.

  “I quite like the name Giles,” he said good-naturedly, “and have absolutely no objection to changing my given name to that. What do you say, Lord Meoffrey? Do you enjoy your new name as much as I do mine?”

  “Oh, yes, quite,” Geoffrey said, giving Bridget a mischievous smile. “I’ve always desired a name that started with an ‘m’, and so this one should do perfectly.”

  “Wait a moment, I have one better for you,” Miles continued to joke. “What about ‘Lord Neoffrey Gott?’ I like the sounds of that.”

  Bridget started laughing, and because she was so nervous she had a hard time stopping. The boys laughed along with her, until she was finally able to catch her breath.

  “Thank you for joking about my error, gentlemen,” Bridget said gratefully. “I am not certain that my sister, Lady Seborah Danhope, would have done the same.”

  Miles doubled over with laughter, and Bridget was pleasantly surprised to see that he seemed to have returned to the young man that she had met that first night at the Nott Estate. If Miles continued to act like this, she could certainly see Deborah forgiving him for his actions and the two of them ending up together.

  “I do not mean to sound impertinent,” Miles said after he’d caught his breath, “but is Lady Seborah around anywhere? I should very much like to thank her personally for her invitation that she extended to us today.”

  Bridget gave him a knowing smile. “Why yes, I believe that ‘Seb’ is in the garden right now, helping the band get set up for the dancing portion of this afternoon’s festivities!” she said happily.

  Miles gave her a nod of acknowledgement, clapped his brother on the shoulder, and set off to find Deborah. That left Lord Geoffrey and Bridget standing, looking at each other, in the front hallway, neither of them certain what to say to each other.

  “Well...” Lord Geoffrey finally said, anxiously shifting his feet as he spoke. “Would you like to take a turn about the garden with me, Lady Bridget?”

  Bridget cringed. “I’m afraid that I can’t, Lord Geoffrey,” she replied.

  Geoffrey looked heartbroken. “Oh,” he said uncomfortably, “of course, I should not have assumed that you would wish to speak with me right away after-”

  “No!” Bridget suddenly cried, realising that she had made it sound as though she did not want to go for a walk. “I would very much like to join you, but I promised Deborah that I would stand here and greet the guests until everyone arrived - that is all!”

  Geoffrey’s face perked up immediately. “Oh!” he said delightedly. “Of course, wonderful, I am very glad to hear that.” He seemed to be feeling a little bit uncomfortable around Bridget.

  “You could stand beside me and meet everyone too, if you’d like,” Bridget offered to him, smiling encouragingly.

  Geoffrey looked excited, and then his face fell. “No, no, I really shouldn’t. I would not want anyone who is coming today to get the wrong idea about why I was standing next to you,” he explained.

  Bridget thought for a moment, and then she responded, “What is the worst that could happen? Someone thinks that perhaps we are courting, and so you are accompanying me whilst I greet our guests? I see no harm in that.”

  Geoffrey’s mouth slowly broke out into a grin. “In that case,” he said, taking a step in towards her and coming to stand beside her, “fill me in on everyone as they arrive so that when I meet them, I can seem knowledgeable about who they are and where they come from!”

  Bridge giggled, and she began telling Geoffrey about the guests as they came. However, neither Bridget nor Geoffrey had been made aware of the guest list before they were put on the task of greeting people, and Bridget soon discovered that she knew far fewer people than she thought she would have.

  It seemed that the assembled guests were an odd combination of upper- and lower-class acquaintances of the Stanhopes, along with some people that Bridget had never met in her life. The Brackenreids were some of the only middle-class guests, and Bridget began to wonder what the motivation had been behind inviting these certain guests.

  For example the Fulsoms, who were one of the poorest families in town, arrived quite quickly after the party started. Bridget and Geoffrey greeted them warmly, and Bridget noticed that they had done their best to dress up for a party as fancy as this one but their attire still fell short of anything that would have been appropriate.

  After them came the Greenwoods, who were on the complete opposite end of the wealth spectrum, for they owned a large estate quite close to the Stanhopes. They were quite rude to Bridget and Geoffrey, and Bridget suddenly wished that she was talking to the Fulsoms again.

  After the Greenwoods arrived, the Mayfair family came next. Their wealth seemed to be similar to the Fulsoms, and Bridget had never met them in her life. She did, however, know that Mr. and Mrs. Mayfair ran the orphanage in town.

  After the Mayfairs went inside, Geoffrey turned to Bridget and asked, “This is quite an interesting assortment of guests, is it not?”

  Bridget looked after the Mayfairs and nodded. “It certainly is. I have been trying to discern what Deborah’s motive may have been for inviting this interesting arr
ay of people, but I have not yet been able to discover it. But I believe that we have now come to the end of the time that I was asked to remain at the front door, so how about we take that turn about the garden that you were speaking of?”