Jack
. She did not want to put her son in the middle of this. He would be torn. He would never understand. But giving Alex free rein to see Jack every day would mean that he would see her as well. That would be too difficult. And what about the new little being growing inside her? Very soon, it would be evident that she was increasing. Alex would be over the moon. How could she keep his children from her husband?
Felicity put down her last bandage and took her father’s hand. He opened his eyes. Stroking his hair with her other hand, she said, “Papa, I am going to live here with you. Alex is in love with someone else.”
He tried to speak, but garbled words were the only result. His eyes told her of his alarm.
She tried to make her words soothing. “Do not worry about what people will think. I would stay with you in any case. You are just beginning to recover.”
“J-j-jack?” He forced the word out.
Her heart was so heavy, Felicity merely squeezed his hand at this achievement. “Yes, Papa. The matter of Jack is going to be a problem.”
{ 5 }
A
lex sat three rows behind Elizabeth at the funeral of her husband. To his surprise, there were not as many in attendance as he would have expected at the funeral of a peer. Perhaps Beaton had not been as well liked as Alex had thought him to be.
Elizabeth’s father sat next to her. Both of them stared straight ahead, heads upright. The church was cold and draughty on this blustery spring day. Alex’s thoughts began to wander.
Looking at Elizabeth’s black hat, his mind traveled back to those terrible days five years ago when he learned that she was not to be his. She had not even been allowed to tell him in person. He had received a note, which over the years had become burned in his brain:
Dear Lord Grenville,
Before you could see the announcement in the newspaper, I want to tell you that Papa has arranged a marriage for me with Lord Beaton. This is not my wish, but it is apparently a financial expediency for Papa. He has debts of which I was unaware.
I know I can trust you to keep this knowledge of Papa’s affairs to yourself. I regret exceedingly any pain that this may cause you.
Most sincerely,
Lady Elizabeth Morrison
Unbelieving that she could go along with such maneuverings by her father, he had conceived of an elopement. He had written to propose it, but Lord Whitby had intercepted the letter and written him a stinging rebuke, forbidding him to see or write his daughter. Whitby had removed her to the country until the wedding.
It had taken place in this same church—St. George’s at Hanover Square. Alex had come, just to lay eyes on Elizabeth for the first time in months. He had sat in the back, his heart frozen, watching her in her blush pink gown, exchanging vows with a man her father’s age.
Alex had already been engaged to Felicity by that time. Just days after Elizabeth’s engagement, word had come from his man of business that his affairs were in critical condition. Crop failures had made it impossible for his tenants to pay him. Added to that, since his father’s recent death, merchants and moneylenders had descended upon Alex, demanding recompense for unpaid debts.
With the dream of Elizabeth snatched from him, Alex had seen no possibility of happiness before him. At this juncture, Lord Morecombe had approached him, offering him a fortune if he would marry his daughter.
He had only vaguely remembered Felicity. She was not an antidote. He needed money. He needed an heir. There was no further possibility of love in his life with Elizabeth lost to him. And so the engagement had come about. It was not until Elizabeth’s wedding that he realized what a mistake he had made. His heart was frozen and he was locked into a future he did not want.
The arrival of his heir a year after his marriage had finally warmed his heart through.
How could he ever have suspected that a child could bring him such joy? With Jack’s first smile, he had been captivated, his heart ensnared. A love such as he had never felt for another being had taken hold.
Thoughts of his son replaced his bitter memories—Jack at his christening, being named for his godfather, Alex’s brother, and wearing the voluminous family christening gown; the first time his son had curled his tiny fingers around his own; the unalloyed joy Alex had felt at Jack’s first laugh.
Before he realized it, the funeral service was over, the pallbearers carrying the casket down the aisle. As she passed down the nave behind it, Elizabeth’s eyes sought his. He read entreaty there. She needed him. She had had a brutal, horrible marriage. How could he disappoint her?
Surely, they could be friends. He would reassure Felicity, seeing if he could enlist her sympathies on Elizabeth’s behalf. If he had to, he would confide the details of her marriage.
Getting to his feet, he made his way out of the church, his thoughts not altogether sanguine. Felicity was not reasonable where Elizabeth was concerned. It would be better, perhaps, if he said nothing and saw that he was discreet.
After making a stop at Fortnum & Mason’s to procure a vessel of honey, he arrived home to find trunks being carried into the house and his sister Anabella awaiting tea with their aunt, Lady Henrietta, in the red drawing room.
“Oh, Alex! How good it is to see you!” his sister cried, running across the room to grasp his hands in hers. She was a tall brunette—a female version of himself. Becomingly flushed, she said, “I hope you do not mind our coming to town without warning, but it was a sudden decision. Henrietta and I were so bored, we decided we simply must do the Season!”
“But what of your swain? I thought you were fixed in the country, about to become engaged. I have surely given my consent to Lord Dewberry.”
She batted Lord Dewberry away with a hand. “Fustian! I have decided we would never suit. Handsome he may be, but on closer acquaintance, he is far too dull for me.”
Alex laughed. “I wondered if you would come to that conclusion.” Walking over to his aunt, he kissed both her cheeks. “Have you left any broken hearts in the country?” he asked her.
She dimpled at him. “A few. But, like Anabella, I grew bored with them. I need to kick up my heels, Alex, before I pass my prime.”
He wondered exactly what his aunt considered her prime. She was approaching sixty.
“I am very happy to see both of you. Things have been a trifle grim around here, and your antics will surely liven things up.”
“Grim?” echoed Anabella.
“Felicity is nursing her father, who had a brain seizure. She and Jack are staying at Morecombe House.”
“Oh,” said Anabella with a sly look. “I am very sorry to hear it.”
“You do need livening up, my boy,” said Aunt Henrietta. “You look peaked.”
“Well, you are just the ones to perform that feat.”
Norse entered with a loaded tea tray. “Let us have a good tea, and then we can make plans,” said Anabella.
“I am afraid I have some other troubling news,” Alex said. “John has been wounded in Spain.”
Anabella put down the tea pot with a clunk. “Oh, Alex! How serious is it?”
“I am not really certain. He says it is minor. But the fact that he wrote of it tells me otherwise. Felicity has been tearing strips of bandages and her father’s doctor has prescribed honey for the wound.”
“Honey? Whatever for?” Anabella asked.
“Honey has been used by the common people to treat wounds as far back as the Egyptians,” Aunt Henrietta said. “Very sound advice. How are you going to get these things to him?”
“I must hire a courier. As soon as we have finished tea, I shall go down to the Horse Guards and see who they recommend.”
“I am so glad you are actually
doing
something, Alex,” Anabella said. “It makes me feel a bit better.” She resumed pouring out their tea.
“It was Felicity’s idea,” he said, feeling a wave of warmth for his wife.
“Well, it was still a good one.”
Anabella had never liked his wife, which was strange because everyone liked Felicity.
“When can we see Jack?” asked Aunt Henrietta.
“I will take you to see him tomorrow morning. I must make a quick stop now at Morecombe House to pick up the bandages if I want to get them into the hands of a courier today. I do not have any idea how long it is going to take me to find one. I will order dinner for you.”
“It is already in hand,” Anabella said. “And tonight, we are going to Almack’s. Can you not join us?”
“I must help Felicity with the nursing. She is very tired. I will see you in the morning,” he said, putting down his teacup. He hoped the ladies would not hear any gossip about him and Elizabeth in the fashionable assembly rooms. “I look forward to an account of your evening. It is certain to be entertaining.”
He left his sister and aunt plotting what gowns they should wear. He was vastly glad they were here. The house had begun to seem lonely with own his family gone. On his walk to the Morecombe townhouse, he smiled to himself for the first time in days. His sister and Aunt Henrietta would brighten his life. Soon the house would be filled with their beaux. Anabella, at age twenty-one, still could not decide which one of her many admirers she wished to marry. Aunt Henrietta, a merry widow, had a way of keeping suitors dancing attendance on her as well.
When he entered his father-in-law’s sickroom, he was happy to see Felicity spooning jellied broth into Lord Morecombe’s mouth.
“Good afternoon, my lord,” Alex said. “It is a happy sight to see you taking nourishment.” He put a hand on Felicity’s shoulder. He felt her tense at his touch. “Felicity, you are apparently an excellent nurse.”
“The bandages are finished,” she said. “Did you get the honey?”
“Yes, and I am on my way to the Horse Guards to find a courier. I just stopped by for the bandages. But I do have some excellent news.”
She kept spooning the broth, keeping her eyes away from his. She was obviously still wounded by the knowledge he had been with Elizabeth yesterday, especially with the gossip it had caused.
“Yes?” she queried.
“My sister and Aunt Henrietta have arrived. They have decided they are going to stay for the Season. You know how lively they are. They will cheer your Papa immensely. They are on fire to see Jack. I said I would bring them tomorrow.”
“They will be good company for you,” she said.
“Your father is making a splendid recovery. Soon we should be able to move him to our house. Being around other people will do him good.”
“Perhaps you should take the bandages and be on your way. It is most important that you find a courier, is it not?”
“You are right,” Alex said, annoyed that she was dismissing him. “But I will be back to sit with your father tonight.”
“It will not be necessary. I have hired my old nurse to help me. She will take the night shift.”
Putting down the spoon, she got up and handed him a bulky package wrapped in paper. “Wish the courier Godspeed.”
Her eyes were solemn. Alex was very aware of how much lay unspoken between them, and yet as their fingers touched on the package, he was reassured by the contact. He kissed her awkwardly on the cheek. “I shall. Thank you, Felicity, for these.” He hefted the bandages.
“I am glad I was able to do something for John.”
“I am certain that your intervention will make a difference in his healing. Do you think you can sleep tonight?”
“I will try,” she said. Then, with a dignity that was somehow foreign to her, she returned to her father’s bedside.
Alex left the house, troubled. He did not like the strain between them. Was his visit to Elizabeth really so heinous a crime? In answer to this question came the vision of the new widow flying into his arms. It had certainly not gone as even he had expected. He could not tell what Felicity might imagine had taken place. Widows, as they both knew, were beyond needing chaperones.
*~*~*
The following morning, Alex greeted his sister and aunt at the breakfast table.
“You both seem very cheery! Did you enjoy your evening?”
Anabella looked coy. “You were certainly the talk of the town, Alex. You failed to tell us that Lady Beaton was recently widowed.”
Alex tapped his boiled egg harder than necessary. “You mean to tell me I was the subject of gossip at Almack’s? What a bore.”
“So the flame still burns in that quarter?” Aunt Henrietta asked.
“If you two are going to live here with me, you are going to have to learn to mind your own business. Suppose Felicity were here?”
“Even hidden away in her father’s house, I am certain she has heard the gossip already,” his sister said.
He frowned. “You are right, unfortunately.” Looking from his sister to his aunt, he said, “You had better listen to me now, for I am only going to say this once. I did call on her, but only as a friend. We are
friends
, not lovers.”
“Ah,” said Anabella, nodding sagely. “I understand perfectly.”
He wondered again why his sister seemed to bear Felicity ill will. That would not be comfortable if they were to share a house. However, he did not wish to discuss the matter further.
{ 6 }
F
elicity was pleased with the progress of her patient. Papa’s eyes were more alert and his speech was improving slowly. He called her “Flis” and was able to say Jack’s name. She knew he could comprehend what she told him, and that he was frustrated he could not say more. Especially about her decision to live with him.
“You are to receive visitors this morning,” she said. “Alex is bringing his sister and aunt to see you and Jack.”
Her father’s eyes showed panic.
She gave a little chuckle. “I will have your valet change your nightshirt and give you a shave.”
Felicity was not looking forward to the visit, as she knew she was not a favorite of Anabella’s, but Lady Henrietta was delightful and would be good for Papa. Both women adored Jack.