by Valerie King
“This is a very great kindness,” she said. “I shall never forget it. But as Miss Ambers has done,” here she turned to Rotherstone, “I would leave this in your safekeeping until all might be handled by your solicitor.” She offered the document to him. “For I trust you.”
Rotherstone beamed. “As you wish. It shall be done.”
Lady Monceaux, still the hostess, called out, “And now, what about a little more music and dancing, a little more iced champagne, another round of whist or two before we part for the evening?”
The crowd agreed with a cheer and began working its way back to the house. Sir Edgar, with Miss Ambers on his arm, stayed Rotherstone for a moment. “We desire that you be the first to know. We are engaged.”
“I can hardly be surprised,” Rotherstone said, “when you have scarcely been at Blacklands since the assembly at the Crown.”
“I confess I have been a very poor guest,” Sir Edgar returned, smiling broadly. He clapped his friend on his shoulder. “I am happy for you both. This is a proper ending, after all.”
Miss Ambers said, “And a most excellent beginning.”
“Just so,” Sir Edgar murmured, covering Miss Ambers’s hand with his own.
With that, the happy couple also trailed the crowd.
After a few minutes, Evelina saw that the only persons remaining in the graveyard were Carfax and his servants, herself and Rotherstone. The servants were awaiting orders from their master, but he was now sitting on a fallen gravestone. Rotherstone dismissed the servants. One by one they filed out of the graveyard and headed in the direction of the house.
Carfax looked up at Rotherstone. “What am I to do now, for you must know I am ruined?”
“I have not the faintest notion,” Rotherstone said. “Although I shall be happy to purchase passage for you to either the Colonies or to New South Wales.”
“And an allowance?” he asked, his expression somber.
“You do not deserve one. I will, however, offer a gift of two hundred pounds and a promise to settle your tradesmen’s debts, but nothing more. As for Darwell, I will see that your estate is sold, the proceeds to discharge any that remain of your debts, honorable or otherwise.”
He rose to his feet. “Done.”
“You know you deserve to hang,” the earl stated.
The colonel glanced at Evelina. “Yes,” he responded.
Evelina felt a chill go through her. “You mean . . . you were the one who wanted the map?”
“Of course,” he said without the smallest hint of remorse.
Rotherstone took up her arm. “If you wish these terms to be otherwise, you have but to say the word. In this matter, I will defer to your judgment, your desire.”
Evelina felt tears sting her eyes. To Carfax, she said, “I accounted you a friend.” She then gasped, “Is that why you were asking me all those odd questions about which of my servants were at Wildings tonight?”
His jaw worked, and he lowered his gaze, but he said nothing.
“Were you intent on going to my house tonight?”
When he remained silent, Rotherstone said, “I found him in the woods to the north astride his mount. I believe he had but one object—to try a second time to steal the map. However, he changed his mind when I let it be known that the map was now in my possession.”
Evelina did not know which affected her more in this moment, a real fear that Colonel Carfax might have done harm to her family had he succeeded in reaching Wildings, or her profound anger that he had so deceived and betrayed her as a friend.
“Go, Colonel,” she said, “and do not return to England. I will not be so generous should I ever see your face again.”
He did not wait, but offered a mocking bow and walked swiftly in the direction of the house.
A moment more and Evelina was left alone with Rotherstone. For a very long time indeed, long after the colonel had disappeared into the house, she remained very quiet. Finally, she said, “I cannot believe he nearly killed me. And I trusted him so implicitly. I begin to fear I shall never be able to trust my judgment again.”
He covered her hand with his own. “I believe he ought to have been an actor. He deceived everyone, not just you. Though I knew something of his unfortunate habits, even I did not for a moment suspect him of having been your attacker.”
She looked up at him. “This has been a very strange night.”
He smiled faintly. “Very.”
She then dropped his arm and turned to face him.
“Besides which, you have actually forced my hand in marriage. Do you know, I am come to believe you are a horridly unromantic creature.”
“I thought my proposal quite romantic. A graveyard and moonlight—”
“And two hundred people. Besides, it was not a proposal: It was a demand.”
He chuckled. “So, my dear Lady Evelina, will you do me the honor of accepting of my hand in marriage?” he asked.
“I have no choice.”
“I give you the choice now. I hereby end our agreement, and you are free to reject me if you so desire.”
“I believe I do not like it so well when you are being noble in this manner.”
“I see,” he murmured, slipping his arms about her waist. “You prefer that I embarrass you in public?”
She smiled. “I was embarrassed by nothing you did tonight, Gage. You set so many things to rights and proved that you were worthy of my trust and my love.”
“You love me then?” he asked, drawing her close.
“Yes, I have said so,” she said, lifting her chin.
He nodded. “You are not very romantic, either. You were supposed to say, ‘My darling Gage, I love you more than the sun, moon and stars,’ at the very least.”
“You would not have believed me had I said as much.”
“Very true.”
He did not hesitate, but leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She responded as she had so many times before, by sliding her arms about his neck and giving kiss for kiss. How dear he had become to her in so short a time, how necessary to her happiness.
She remained with him in the graveyard for a few minutes more, until the strangeness of the surroundings began working on her. She drew back and said, “We should leave this place.”
“I could not agree more.”
“However, there is one thing I should like to do first.”
“What would that be?” He seemed curious.
She crossed to Pearl’s grave and offered her thanks for the treasure her little life had provided not just to their community but to her own heart as well. Once this was accomplished, she took up Rotherstone’s arm, and he guided her from the graveyard.
As she walked beside him back to the house, she said, “I think I shall venture into the attics tomorrow. If I am very fortunate, I may find another map.”
“I forbid you to ever return to your attics. No more maps, Evelina, I beg you, no more maps.”
At that, she could only laugh. “But it was a lovely adventure, was it not?”
“For whom?”
“For me, of course, although you must admit you took some enjoyment from it as well.”
“I will confess there were times when I took a great deal of enjoyment from it.”
She heard the provocative tone in his voice and gave his arm a squeeze. “I hope you mean to be equally ridiculous once we are married.”
At that he laughed, but he would not permit her to enter the house. Instead, he drew her into the shadows and spent the next several minutes proving just how ridiculous he intended to be.
The End
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Other Electronic Titles by Valerie King
My Lord Highwayman
A Country Flirtation
Wonderful Harriet
Wicked and Wonderful
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