Courting Constance (Fountain of Love) (2 page)

While he was studying it, he thought about what Lily had said.  He never knew where love would find him.  He laughed to himself.  “If love finds me here in the country, I promise I will not let it go.”

*****

Constance stayed at the manor house until after the funeral.  She’d been going out daily looking for a new position, but nothing was available.  Finally, just the day before, she found something.  It wasn’t ideal, but at least she wouldn’t be living in the woods by the stream. 

She stood over the grave, sad that no one else had deigned to show up for the burial.  It was her and the other servants from the house, all of whom were currently trying to find new positions.  It was much easier to find a job as a maid or a cook than as a lady’s companion or governess, though.  How she wished she could find another job as a lady’s companion or a governess.

After the funeral, she took her small bag from where she’d hidden it behind a tombstone, and began the long walk into town.  There was a small seamstress shop, and she’d been hired to work at the front desk, because her accent was genteel, and the owner thought it would bring in more upper-class clientele.  She would have a bed in a small room behind the store, but she must share the room with another young woman whom she had yet to meet. 

She sighed.  It was better than having nowhere to live.  It had to be better than having nowhere to live, right?

She had to walk around a small lake to get to town, and she stopped to sit for a moment on a tree stump.  The tree had been cut down a long time before, but the stump was the perfect seat, and by the smooth top, she could tell she wasn’t the first person to sit there.  She squinted out into the distance as she rested, wondering what the next day, her first day working in the shop, would bring. 

She’d been raised to believe she would marry a member of the gentr
y and raise children.  Never had she dreamed she’d work for a living.  Finally, rested enough, she stood and walked toward town again.  As she reached the edge of the lake, she saw a fountain, and stopped to look at it.  It was majestic, each stone chosen and placed with care.  She knew nothing about stone working, but even she could see that the fountain was something special.

She ran her hand over the front of it, and with a laugh, made a wish on it.  She had simple needs, so she wished for the only thing that came to mind.  “I wish the man on the horse would find me and take me away to a better life.”  She opened her eyes and walked on, knowing it had been silly to waste her time that way. 

When she arrived in town, she went to the shop and was shown her room.  Her roommate would be one of the other women who worked in the shop.  She had been raised in the orphanage that was so close to Lady Graves’s property.  She seemed to be polite and sweet, and Constance said a prayer of thanks that she wouldn’t be sharing a room with an unsavory woman.

“I made room for your thing
s,” Alice told her.  “I thought you’d want to have a place to put your clothes.”

“Thank you, Alice.  I really appreciate it.”

“I think you’ll like working for Mrs. Jackson.  She’s good to us.  As long as we work hard, she pays us on time, and gives us breaks.”  Alice smiled.  She was a young woman of eighteen or so, and Constance felt that she should have had more time to stay in the orphanage, but she also understood that there wasn’t room for too many children, especially those that were old enough to live on their own.

Constance put her things away and walked over to sit on the small bed.  “I appreciate you sharing your room with me,” she told the younger girl.

“Oh, I really don’t mind.  I’m used to sharing my space after growing up in the orphanage.”

Constance smiled.  She had been living and working on her own for two years when she was Alice’s age.  Had she seemed so young back then?

*****

Constance found her days quickly settled into a routine.  Most of the customers in the shop were country gentry, and she found herself missing her old lifestyle, but she truly didn’t mind the work.  It was nice to be free to spend part of her day walking around the small village, and she could eat outside on her lunch break when the weather was nice.

She’d been at the shop for a little over a week when a very pregnant lady came into the shop.  “May I help you?” Constance asked.

The woman smiled and nodded.  “I want to order two new dresses to make it through the next few months, and I’d like to see Alice while I’m here if I may.”

“Of course.”  Constance pushed the book with the dress designs toward the lady and hurried to the back.  “Alice, there’s someone here to see you.”

Alice looked up from the dress she was hemming and set it down carefully before walking to the front.  The owner gave her a look that clearly said she was not to spend too long with the visitor, no matter who it was.

When Alice got to the front of the shop, she let out a squeal and rushed into the lady’s open arms.  “Lady Lily!  It’s been ages since you’ve visited me.”  She stepped back and looked at the other woman’s swollen belly.  “You got married!”

Lady Lily laughed.  “I married Lord Christopher.”  She smiled at the younger girl.  “I was hoping I could take you out to tea.  Would your employer mind?”

Alice bit her lip.  “I don’t know.  She doesn’t usually want us leaving the store in the middle of the day.”

“Then come for dinner, but you need to bring a companion.  I’ll send the coach for you, of course, but I don’t want you even getting out of a coach and going into your room at night without someone with you.”  Lady Lily looked at Constance.  “Will you come?”

Alice smiled, and walked to stand beside Constance.  “This is my friend and roommate, Constance.  She would love to come with me.”

Constance looked at the younger girl.  “I don’t want to be an imposition.  I can ride out with you and wait in the coach if you’d like.”

Lady Lily frowned.  “You will do no such thing.  I’ll send the coach for you at six.  The shop is closed at five, isn’t it?”

Alice nodded.  “It is.  Oh, I can’t wait to catch up with you and Lord Christopher.  All of us always hoped you’d marry, you know.”

Lily blushed slightly.  “I always hoped we would too.”  She pushed Alice toward the back.  “Get back to work so you don’t get into trouble, and I’ll see you this evening.”

Alice hurried to the back of the shop and left Lily alone with Constance.  “What type of dress are you looking for?” Constance asked, all business.

Lily sighed.  “I don’t know.  All of my dresses have been taken out as much as they can be, and I’m ready for something different.  Something in cotton that I can work in easily.”

Constance looked at the other woman with surprise on her face.  “Work?  Surely you don’t work.”

Lily laughed.  “I work with the orphans and have for years.  That’s how I know Alice.”

Constance smiled, understanding then.  “Until a couple of weeks ago, I was a companion for Lady Graves.  Her land bordered the orphanages.  I used to sit by the stream there and watch the children when I could.”

Lily’s eyes brightened.  “I think I’ve seen you there.  I lived on the other side of the orphanage from Lady Graves.  I was Lily Marsgate until I married.”

“Oh!  I know of your family.”  Of course, everyone in the county did.  Her brother was the Earl of
Marsgate, the highest ranked gentleman in the area.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

Lily smiled.  “It’s very nice to meet you as well.  I’m glad Alice has someone staying with her now.  She never liked being alone.  She always had one of the younger orphans with her.”

“Well, I look forward to talking with you this evening.”  Constance changed the topic back to the dresses Lily was ordering, and between them they found two that could easily be taken in after the baby was born and still look stylish.

Lily sighed.  “I don’t know why I bother worrying about that, though.  With as quickly as I got pregnant with this one, I think I’m going to spend the next fifteen years or so carrying babies.”

Constance looked at the other woman with wide eyes.  She couldn’t believe she’d said that to her.  A moment later, a male head popped into the shop.  “Lily?  Are you almost finished?”

Lily sighed.  “I’ll be finished in a moment, Kit.  I invited Alice and her roommate for dinner.”

Kit shrugged.  “What’s two more?”  He saw that Lily was the only customer in the shop and stepped in behind her, his hands automatically stroking her shoulders.  “I have work to do when you finally finish shopping, you know.”  His words were harsh, but the look of love he had for his wife made Constance smile.  That’s what she wanted.  She didn’t care if the man in her life was a farmer or a king.  She wanted a man who loved her the way Kit obviously loved Lily.

Chapter Two

Constance and Alice waited outside the shop for the coach that evening, and Alice talked about Lady Lily.  “She was so good to us orphans.  She was there every day and helped with meals and brought us all gifts.”  She wiped a tear from her eye.  “I had never in my life had a toy that was just mine before Lady Lily.  She and her maid made dolls for each of us girls, and they brought little toy soldiers and horses for the boys.  It made us feel so loved.”

Constance smile.  “She sounds like a good woman.”

“Oh, she is.  You’re going to love her.”  Alice was practically bouncing up and down with her excitement.  “I can’t believe she came to the shop just to see me.”  She saw the coach slowly rolling to a stop and hurried over, scrambling up before the coachman had a chance to put down the steps.

Constance waited, having ridden in a coach many times during her childhood.  She understood manners a great deal better than young Alice ever would.

When they reached the house, Constance was surprised it wasn’t larger than it was.  Lord Christopher must not be an earl like Lady Lily’s brother.  Not that it mattered to Constance, because she had never lived in a house even close to that size.

Lily invited them both in and they sat in the small parlor as if she entertained girls who worked in dress shops every day.  While they waited for their meal, the three talked about the baby that was coming, and Lily said she wanted some special clothes made.  She looked at Alice.  “That’s one of the reasons I came to see you.  I remember how skilled you are with a needle and thought maybe you could use the extra money.”

Alice nodded eagerly.  “I would love to, but you don’t have to pay me.  You’ve done so much for me.  Let me just do it as a gift for the baby.”  She smiled at Lily’s stomach.  “When did you and Lord Christopher marry?  And why didn’t I know about it?”

Lily blushed.  “We married last month.”

Alice’s mouth dropped open.  “But…last month?”

Constance could see both women were uncomfortable with the topic and quickly changed the subject.  “Are you hoping for a boy?”

Lily nodded.  “I think so.  I would love to have a little girl who I could teach to climb trees, but Kit needs a little boy to inherit.”  She shrugged.  “He was third in line and ended up being the Viscount, so we should probably have a whole passel of boys before we start on girls.”

Constance grinned.  “You want to teach little girls to climb trees?”  She was certain she must have heard incorrectly.

“Oh yes.  I met Kit when I was six and sitting in a tree as he wandered down a path on the grounds of my father’s estate.”

“It sounds like a fascinating story.”  Constance didn’t feel like she knew the other woman well enough to ask, but hoped she’d share it.

“Oh, it is.  I’ll tell you about it sometime.”  Lily looked up as the butler came to the door of the parlor.  “Your brother is here, Lady Lily.”

Lily got to her feet slowly, her belly slowing her down.  She hurried across the room to hug her brother tightly.  “Charles, you came!  I wasn’t certain you’d make it.”

Charles hugged Lily close.  “Of course, I made it.  My favorite sister asked me to dinner, so I’m here for dinner.”

Lily smiled at him.  “I’m your only sister.”

“That will never stop me from accepting your invitation.”  He looked at the women seated on the small sofa.  “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?”

Lily smiled.  “Charles, this is Alice, she was one of the orphans, but she works at the dress shop in town now.”

Charles nodded his head regally.  “So nice to meet you, Alice.”

Alice smiled at the man.  “It’s nice to meet you too.  We were all thankful that you allowed Lady Lily to spend so much time with us.”

Charles tilted his head to the side studying his sister.  “Yes, it was kind of me wasn’t it?” 

Lily rolled her eyes and swatted at Charles’s arm.  “And her friend there is Constance.  She was a companion to Lady Graves before her death.”

Charles nodded at Constance.  “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

Constance stared at the man, her heart skipping a beat.  It was the man on the horse.  “Thank you,” she mumbled softly.  She couldn’t believe he was right there in front of her.  She’d wanted to meet him for years, and suddenly, when circumstances should have made it
impossible for them to ever cross paths, he was there.

Charles looked at Constance.  “You look familiar.”

Constance blushed, not willing to tell him where he’d seen her.  “I shouldn’t.  I’ve been a companion for Lady Graves for six years, and before that I was just a daughter of a poor country squire.  We never had occasion to meet.”  His eyes were just as brown as she’d imagined they would be.  She hoped her face didn’t have a worshipful look on it, because that’s how she felt toward him.

“Have you always lived in Devon?” he asked, obviously still trying to figure out where he knew her from.

She nodded.  “My entire life.” 

He shook his head.  “I know I’ve seen you.  It will come to me eventually.”  He turned to Lily.  “So we’re having dinner with a former orphan who happens to work in a dress shop.  I love you for that.” 

Lily grinned and shrugged.  “Honestly?  I forgot that I’d invited you when I invited them.  You don’t mind, though, right?”

“Of course not.”  He smiled at the two women on the couch.  “Our numbers are uneven, so I’ll have to escort you both.”

Constance shook her head.  “No, just escort Alice.”  She knew the younger girl would get a thrill from being escorted to dinner by an earl.

He shook his head adamantly.  “I couldn’t do that!  If I escort her, I have to escort you as well.”  He grinned down at her.  “I have two arms!”

Constance nodded, giving in.  “That sounds fine then.”  She knew they’d make a funny group, but what did it matter?  It was just the five of them, and obviously Lady Lily and Lord Christopher knew Lord Charles was odd.

Lord Christopher came into the room then and stood beside Lily.  He held his hand out to shake Charles’s.  “
How are things at Marsgate?”

Charles shrugged.  “Same as usual.  I think I’ve finally convinced James that he can come home from Scotland.”

“Good.  Lily will be pleased to see him.” 

The butler stepped into the room then to announce dinner was ready.  Kit took Lily into dinner, and Charles followed with Constance on one arm and Alice on the other. 

As soon as Constance touched Charles’s arm, she felt as if a jolt of electricity shot through her.  What was it about this man that made her feel so strongly?

Charles looked down at Constance with surprise.  Who was this woman, and how did he know her?  He felt as if he’d met her before, and he needed to know how.  She was a beauty, and he wanted nothing more than to get to know her better.  Would she agree to him taking her home that evening?

All through dinner, Charles watched Constance, and she watched her food, not daring to look up.  She didn’t want him to realize that she’d been watching him for years.  It would be humiliating for him to know he’d taken on the role of her dream man.

Charles had never felt so attracted to a woman in his life.  What was it about the beauty sitting at his sister’s table?  If he hadn’t known better, he’d have assumed that she was a member of the nobility.  Her manners and her motions imitated the upper class perfectly.  He so badly wanted to get to know her better.  “Who is your father?” he asked.

Constance looked up at Charles in surprise.  “He was Stanley Smythe.  He died when I was sixteen.”

“Is that how you became a companion?”
 

She nodded.  “When he and my mother died, I needed somewhere to go, and Lady Graves offered me the job.  She knew my father.”

He frowned.  “You had no other family?”  At sixteen?  How could anyone have been stuck with that old woman at such a tender age?

“No.  It was just my parents and me.”  She brought another spoonful of soup to her lips, wondering why he was asking her so many questions.  “I didn’t end up in an orphanage.”  She looked at Alice and smiled at the younger girl who was in a conversation with Lily and Kit.

He frowned.  “I knew Lady Graves.  You may have been better off in an orphanage.  She wasn’t the most…nurturing woman I ever met.”

Constance chuckled.  “No, nurturing was not one of her qualities.  She did pay me a steady wage and give me food and shelter, and I shall be forever grateful to her for that.  Not many people would have taken on a sixteen year old companion.”

“What are you doing now?”  Charles hoped she was between positions.  He could find something for her to do.  He needed to keep her close, however that could happen.

“I’m working at the same dress shop as Alice.  The owner put me at the front desk because my accent is more genteel, and she’s hoping it will bring in more customers.”  She didn’t add that the woman was hoping for a higher class of
clientele than she was used to, because the words were implied.

“I see.”  He leaned back in his chair as his soup was taken from him and replaced with the main course.  “How do you like working there?”

“Oh, it’s nice.  I get regular breaks, and I have my evenings all to myself.  I have no complaints at all.”

Her words told him a lot about what life had been like for her under Lady Graves’s roof.  “You’re happy there?”

She shrugged.  “I don’t know if I’d say happy, but I’m content.  I have work that I’m good at, and no one is yelling at me.  It’s a good life for someone in my position.”  She nodded to Alice.  “I even have a room behind the store that I share with Alice.”

Charles closed his eyes.  The picture she painted for him was grim.  She’d been raised to be of a higher class than she was living in, and he wondered that she didn’t rage about the unfairness of the world.  Instead, she calmly accepted that she was doing what she needed to do.  He couldn’t help but admire her for that.  He thought about positions he had in his house that he could offer her.  He knew there was nothing that was comparable to being a companion, though.  “Wouldn’t you rather be a lady’s companion again?  Or a governess?”  He could picture her with a child on her lap, smiling into the child’s eyes.

“I have no references.  My only employer has died, so I don’t have a way of finding another position like that.  I don’t need more than I have.”  The last words were a reminder for herself.  Every time she looked at Lord Charles, she wanted a great deal more than she had.

He sighed.  He didn’t agree with her at all.  “Will you let me see you home this evening?” he asked.  He wanted to make her an offer. It wasn’t one he could make in front of his sister, but it was one that would make him very happy and would get her away from the life she was living.

She shook her head with a smile.  “I can’t.  I was only invited this evening so that Alice wouldn’t have to be out alone at night.  I need to accompany her home.”

He sighed.  He’d let her go for now, but he’d find out where
she worked and look in on her the next day.  He had to talk to her alone if at all possible.

Constance looked back down at her food.  What was going through his mind? She’d never had a man show so much interest in her before.  He was an earl.  There was no way he could be interested in her romantically, could he?  As much as she wanted to believe he was, she couldn’t.  She had a firm grasp on reality, and she knew that no earl could ever be interested in her.

*****

Charles had to get to know her better.  He didn’t know what it was about Constance
Smythe, but he was definitely smitten.  If she was of the nobility he would be at her father’s door begging for her hand in marriage.  As it was, he had no idea what he should do. 

He knew where the seamstress shop was.  If he could go there, he could get to know her.  Ask her…what?  His father had pounded into his head for years that he needed to marry the daughter of an earl or a duke.  “A
Marsgate never marries beneath him.”

H had to have her, though.  How could he live the rest of his life without her face smiling at him in the mornings?  He’d get to know her and ask her to be his mistress.  He cringed at the words even as he thought them.  He was going to ask the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with to be his mistress?  If she slapped him in the face, it would be nothing less than he deserved.  He couldn’t not ask, though.  It was better than being alone for the rest of his life.  Wasn’t it?  It had to be.