His Impassioned Proposal (The Bridgethorpe Brides) (9 page)

Stephen grinned. “I’ve heard Knightwick and David discussing the same fear. You will be quite popular among the debutantes, Hannah, have no doubt.”

“Oh, la, you are all so silly. I will be lucky to fill my dance card at Almack’s. Jane will be with us, and she is much prettier than I. Why, no one will look at me when she is near—” Hannah’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Stephen, that was cruel of me to say.”

Swallowing the burning in his gut, Stephen said, “Jane is lovely and will not lack for partners, either. You will both be surrounded by suitors.”

Studying him briefly, Hannah tipped her head to one side. “Will you not be in Town at all?”

He wondered if he should let his plans be known. “Can you keep a secret?”

She clapped her hands together and then took him by the arm, shooing her sisters away as she pulled him into the front parlor. “Do tell me. I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”

“I have taken rooms of my own in Town and will call on some of my friends in hopes of gaining a few invitations. I plan to pay court to Jane.”

Hannah’s frown worried him. “Do you, um, plan to make any new acquaintances among the young ladies who are out?”

So she didn’t think he stood a chance with Jane? That didn’t bode well, for she knew her friend better than anyone. “I hadn’t planned on that necessity. I rather hoped to charm Jane into reacquainting herself with our old friendship.”

Patting his hand, Hannah said, “I hope that is all it takes, Stephen. It is my fervent wish that you two will marry. But I cannot say if Jane will consider you or not.”

“I will just have to do my best to convince her, then.”

Chapter Nine

Stephen spent the next few weeks at home, but soon grew restless and arranged an afternoon with David to work their horses. By the time they had raced their curricles a few times up and down the road, then allowed Stephen’s horses to rest before harnessing them up again, the afternoon had grown dusky. Still, Stephen felt it important he call at Darley Hall before he returned home.

Jane appeared surprised to see him, but greeted him warmly in the library where she had been reading. “How kind of you to visit.”

“Improper of me, to be sure, but I couldn’t pass by without saying hello.” He took the seat she offered.

“You were at Bridgethorpe?”

“Yes, David and I put our teams through some paces.”

“Are you pleased with your purchase, then? Of the horses and curricle?”

“Quite so.” He went into detail about their pacing and speeds, unable to relax enough to speak like they once did when they were together. How could he regain that closeness? Uncertain what he could do, he rambled on about the weather and crops.

At one point, Jane’s smile relaxed. He raised a brow in question and she explained. “It is good to hear you speak of common things again.”

“You prefer dull conversation, then?” he teased.

“Such topics as the weather and our daily lives aren’t necessarily dull. But it isn’t filled with sorrow and loss, which is all your life held for that short time.”

For longer than she knew, if he thought back to the battles, and the friends who no longer lived. How he had longed to hear her speak of anything during those hard days, just to hear her lyrical laughter. “There has always been some flicker of hope deep within me, even when I couldn’t speak of it. I required it at the worst times on the battlefield. A belief that I would come home, Boney would be defeated and what we did over there was not in vain.”

“Such heroism as you experienced makes our lives here seem so trivial. Learning to sew lace on a bonnet and memorizing Shakespeare’s comedies are frivolous in comparison.”

“It is never frivolous to live one’s life. What are we fighting for, but to be able to do so?”

“I suppose you are right. I shall change the ribbons on my bonnet tomorrow in your honor.”

He bowed his head with a grin. “Then I must take you out for a drive to show off your bonnet. Would three o’clock suit your schedule?”

“Three on the morrow? I shall be ready.”

Having accomplished more than he could have hoped to, Stephen rose. “I shall take my leave and see you then.”

He returned promptly at three the following day and was pleased to find Jane already wearing her bonnet and pelisse. After helping her into his curricle and offering her a lap robe, he set the horses to walking, his groom perched on the box behind the leather seat. “I find it’s warmer if we go slowly, so you needn’t fear losing your new ribbons.”

Jane laughed. “They are quite secure. My stitches mightn’t be the prettiest in a sampler, but they are quite sturdy.”

“Still, it’s a bit early in the year to enjoy the outdoors.”

Lifting her face to the sky, Jane argued, “But the sun is shining, and the clouds are so fluffy and white. It’s much too beautiful to remain indoors.”

“I can’t wait for the heather to bloom. I pictured it in my mind quite often when I was on the Continent.”

“The heather and the hills are my favorite subject to paint. I’m certain there is nowhere in England quite as beautiful.”

“You do still paint, then? I had wondered. I came across a sketch of me you drew shortly before I left for France.”

She gasped. “Is it a truly horrid likeness? My skills have grown since then.”

“It’s quite well done, I thought. You captured my smirk perfectly.”

“Oh, that smile you had. I always wondered if you thought yourself above us all, only tolerating our presence for your own amusement.”

Stephen thought back to the days before he bought his colors and rode off to battle. He had been rather full of himself, but could imagine no better place to be than with his family. And his dearest friend, Jane. “I believe I felt a sense of entitlement. I wasn’t an heir and had no expectation of an inheritance greater than a thousand a year, but I felt as wealthy as Croesus.”

“We all had comfortable lives, didn’t we? The summers when you boys were home from school were my favorite time of the year, then.”

“And now? What is your favorite time?”

She gazed toward the meadow and was silent. Finally she answered, “I believe it would be spring. New growth, new beginnings. A fresh start.”

Jane sat in her room that evening repeatedly reading the same paragraph in her book. In exasperation, she draped a ribbon across the pages and closed the book, setting it aside. Her thoughts were still in Stephen’s curricle, lulled into peace by the steady
clip-clop
of his handsome pair of bays. She and Stephen spoke of nothing and everything on their ride, and she forgot to be wary of him.

There was no reason to be wary, and hadn’t been since the night he’d first come home. The few times she’d seen him, she’d been close enough to detect any liquor on his breath, and there’d been none. Perhaps she could safely assume he didn’t have a tendency to over-indulge.

He’d shown no signs of a temper, either. Had her nerves, the rekindling of her childhood terror, all been a mistake?

They had talked and laughed on their outing as if they’d never been apart. He was quieter than she remembered, but one could expect that after all he’d experienced. Otherwise he seemed much the same as ever.

If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fall right back in love with him.

She wasn’t completely certain that was bad. Still, her father might be upset at the expense of the dresses they had ordered, the rooms they had let in London. And her mother had expressed her excitement over seeing her friends.

A wise person might say that seeing what gentlemen were available before making her final decision would be sensible. After spending time with any suitors who presented themselves, if she then chose Stephen, it would only prove she was mature.

Knowing she was spending her final months as a single lady, she was able to reflect more clearly on what she hoped for her future. She’d always planned on having as many children as the Lord would allow. The Lumley family was so blessed in that way. When they were young and all the children were present in the house, one might hear an occasional squabble, but the noise was joyful. Her visits there had been happy, ones she looked forward to as often as her mama would allow.

Her future husband, then, must love children more than anything else in life. Whether he was in trade or a gentleman of leisure didn’t concern her. As long as he looked forward to seeing his family at the end of the day, he would suit her.

At her mother’s suggestion, Jane invited Hannah, David and Stephen to tea one afternoon.

“It would do you all a service to practice your polite conversational skills,” said Mama.

Jane refrained from rolling her eyes, confident eye-rolling was not a skill her mother would approve of. “Mama, we are quite grown, now. Must we do this? Why can’t we simply have tea with my friends?”

“Lady Hannah will be visiting the parlors of some of the grandest ladies in London in just a few short weeks. You will find your own pile of invitations growing due to your friendship with her. Your behavior must be beyond reproach.”

“I wasn’t aware my behavior had been in question before,” Jane mumbled. She opened her stitchery basket and took a seat in the large parlor to await her guests. Now there was skill in which she needed much practice, she thought grimly as she looked at the piece of linen in her hands. Once they reached London she planned to visit the lending library regularly so she might have a book to pretend to read while sitting primly of an afternoon. Heaven forbid someone might ask to see her handiwork.

A knock sounded on the parlor door and Akins announced, “Mr. David Lumley and Lady Hannah Lumley.”

Jane stood, swallowing the giggle that threatened to break free. She’d been transported back to the schoolroom with her governess and Mama playing the roles of servant and guest. She waited for her mother to speak.

“How lovely to see you,” Mama said.

David bowed, Hannah curtseyed, then they sat together on the settee. David spoke first. “You appear in good health, Lady Marwick.”

“I’m quite well, thank you.”

The conversation droned on in polite fashion, leading Jane to wonder if Mama truly expected them to continue in this manner throughout their guests’ visit. She couldn’t bear it if they did.

Akins showed Stephen into the room with the same level of pomp, obviously having been instructed to do so. Jane couldn’t help the smile that spread on her lips when Stephen entered.

Stephen bowed first to Lady Marwick, then the others. He’d had his hair trimmed in a stylish fashion. He wore a satin eye patch, a more formal look than the one she’d seen before. With his black cutaway coat and cream waistcoat over tan breeches and polished Hessians, he could walk into any parlor in London and blend in.

After the usual pleasantries, he took the remaining chair. Lady Marwick rang for tea and Jane relaxed. She decided to keep to banal topics while her mother poured.

“How is the weather today? Is it warming any?”

David responded first. “When the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, there is a bit of warmth. But I fear it’s a bit early for a leisurely walk.”

“I’m glad the rain has left us,” Stephen added. “We will be breaking ground on the new wing soon.”

“You’ve decided to rebuild, have you?” asked Lady Marwick.

“I have. If I’m to one day leave the house to my own son, I wish it to be a place he will be proud to own.”

Jane felt butterflies inside her at his mention of a son. She pressed a hand to her stomach before catching herself and reaching for the plate of cakes. “Would anyone care for another sweet?”

In all likelihood, their lives would continue to cross through the years, due to his relationship to her neighbors. While seeing him happy would please her immensely, she wondered if she would be saddened watching his children grow. His children with another woman.

“Jane?” The tone of her mother’s voice told her she’d been wool-gathering.

“Yes?”

“Lady Hannah asked if you’d finished reading
Leonora
.”

Directing her reply to Hannah, Jane shook her head. “I am nearly done. I find it as diverting as you suggested.”

“Mama purchased
Belinda
, which is also by Maria Edgeworth. You will want to read it when we’ve all done so.”

Jane could no longer sit like a lady. She turned to David. “Why don’t we take a turn about the walled garden? Mama, with your permission?”

“Yes, of course, do enjoy the dry weather.”

When coats and bonnets had all been donned, Jane took David’s proffered arm and led her friends outdoors. As soon as she felt she was out of her mother’s hearing, she laughed. “Have you ever sat through anything so dull?”

“Why yes,” David said. “Vicar Brown’s sermons are nap-inducing.”

“What was Lady Marwick’s scheme, do you suppose?” Stephen asked.

Jane glanced over her shoulder to where he and Hannah walked. “I suppose she feels it’s been too long since I last paid morning calls in London.”

“My mother might have done the same,” Stephen said.

David nodded. “Aunt Miriam was always a stickler for good manners, wasn’t she?”

“She would be so pleased with what you’re doing to Larkspur Cottage,” Hannah added.