The Gentleman's Bride Search (3 page)

To his relief, she accepted Mr. Webster’s invitation without the slightest qualm.

Abigail Brookes approached Miss Webster. “In the absence of any more gentlemen, shall we go in together?”

Margaret Webster did not appear troubled by the dearth of male guests. “I believe we can make do.”

Gemma Leveson gave a tinkling giggle. “I reckon that leaves you and me, Mrs. Dawson.”

Miss Anstruther’s companion looked around anxiously at the other guests as if intimidated by having the slightest attention paid her.

“Come along, Verity,” Miss Anstruther bid her in an impatient tone. “Do not delay us with your timidity.”

Mrs. Dawson blushed and scurried to join Miss Leveson.

They proceeded in to dinner, which Jasper was pleased to discover well planned and well prepared. Was this all his mother-in-law’s doing, or had Miss Fairfax worked behind the scenes to make certain the house party would be a success? Jasper could not imagine where she’d found the time. Any family with five children was bound to keep their governess busy, especially when she must often act as both mother and father to them. Then again, Miss Fairfax had proved herself a woman of singular resourcefulness.

Had he shown his children’s governess how much he appreciated her uncommon devotion? The question troubled Jasper. Could that be part of the reason Miss Fairfax wanted to leave his employ—because he had taken her for granted?

Just then he realized the table conversation had fallen silent.

“I...beg your pardon?” he asked Miss Anstruther, who was staring at him expectantly.

“I asked about your children,” the lady repeated with a look of avid interest. “How do you manage all on your own with so many and your business to operate besides?”

Some of the other guests resumed their separate conversations, voices hushed as if to keep one ear out for their host’s reply.

“I am hardly on my own.” He nodded toward Mrs. Thorpe. “Their grandmother has been of invaluable assistance to me. And their governess is a treasure. I do not know how we would have managed the past few years without her.”

Miss Anstruther nodded. “What a blessing it is to have reliable servants.”

Her condescending remark irked Jasper. He was still annoyed with Evangeline Fairfax for arranging this matchmaking party without so much as a by-your-leave. But hearing her referred to as a mere servant vexed him even more. Clearly Miss Anstruther had no conception of the scope of Miss Fairfax’s duties or how much she meant to his children.

Before he could say anything he might have regretted, Miss Anstruther added, “I do hope we shall have an opportunity to see the little darlings while we are here. I have always been vastly fond of children, haven’t I, Verity?”

“Vastly fond,” her companion parroted like a dull scholar giving a rote response.

“My Gemma dotes on children.” Mrs. Leveson glared across the table at Penelope Anstruther as if this were a contest in which the lady had claimed an unfair advantage.

Jasper could imagine what his eldest sons would think of being called
little darlings,
but he suspected Rosie would love the attention. “I assure you, everyone will be seeing a great deal of my children, and hearing them, too.”

“I heard them before dinner, playing in the garden,” said Abigail Brookes. “They sounded as if they were having a jolly time. If I hadn’t been dressed already, I might have stolen out to join in their games.”

“That would have been amusing, wouldn’t it?” Gemma Leveson cast a mischievous grin at Abigail. “Perhaps we shall have another chance while we are here.”

Miss Webster had been very quiet but now she looked down the table at Jasper. “Your children are fortunate to have such an excellent governess, Mr. Chase. I was devoted to mine. It broke my heart when I outgrew lessons and she went off to a new position. Do tell us more about your children. How old are they? What mix of boys and girls?”

Miss Anstruther gave an offended sniff. “I was just about to ask that. Do tell us, Mr. Chase.”

Jasper had never thought he would grow tired of talking about his children, but by the end of the meal he had been so thoroughly quizzed on the subject, he was eager to explore a new topic of conversation. With a sense of relief, he watched the ladies retire to the drawing room.

“We shall have to stick together, gentlemen.” He rose from his chair and strode to the opposite end of the table, taking his mother-in-law’s seat. “I fear we are badly outnumbered.”

The two men chuckled—Piers Webster in a rumbling bass and Norton Brookes in a ringing tenor.

“I don’t object to being surrounded by ladies.” Mr. Webster leaned back in his chair. “Provided I am not their quarry.”

Norton gave a rueful grin. “A poor vicar is not likely to be an object of interest to any lady. I reckon you can have your pick, Jasper. The only difficulty will be in choosing.”

“I don’t want to choose.” Jasper hoped they would not be offended on behalf of their womenfolk. “This house party was not my idea.”

Mr. Webster nodded. “Getting a push from your mother-in-law, then?”

“Something like that,” Jasper muttered.

“Well, I won’t pretend I wouldn’t welcome you into my family.” Mr. Webster folded his large hands over an ample expanse of waistcoat. “I’m not getting any younger and it would be a relief to leave my mill in capable hands, until a grandson were old enough to take it over.”

Jasper appreciated the older man’s frankness.

“Margaret is a fine lass, if I do say so,” Mr. Webster continued. “She’s got her mother’s good looks, thankfully, and a sensible head on her shoulders.”

“Which she gets from you?” Jasper asked.

The older man shrugged. “I like to think so.”

“Any man would be fortunate to win a woman like your daughter.” Jasper hoped he had not offended Mr. Webster by seeming to spurn her. “But I have my hands full with my children and my mill. Besides, I’m not certain I am ready to remarry.”

“I wasn’t anxious to think about marrying again for a great while after my wife passed on.” Mr. Webster shook his head. “Now I wish I hadn’t left it too late. Don’t you make that mistake, lad.”

Jasper glimpsed a shadow of profound regret in Piers Webster’s eyes that made him wonder if he might be wise to take the older man’s advice.

* * *

Evangeline rubbed her eyes and gave a deep, weary yawn. From her perch a few steps up the servants’ stairs, she could hear voices coming from the drawing room, punctuated now and then by waves of laughter.

She wished she could hear who was speaking and what they were saying—who was provoking the laughter. Then perhaps she could gauge whether her matchmaking plans had any hope of success. Was Mr. Chase joining in the laughter or was he sitting in stony silence, too annoyed with her meddling to make any effort to enjoy himself?

After all she had done to arrange this party, it galled her to hang back and let events take their course. From her earliest years she had been accustomed to making things happen and her industrious mother had encouraged her.

“There are some people who claim Providence helps those who help themselves.” Evangeline fancied she could hear her mother’s words of encouragement. “But I believe the Lord helps those who help
others.
We cannot wait for Him to heal all the ills of the world. Or, worse yet, assume He does not care about the plight of those who need help. We who believe must act as His hands, feet and voice to work His will on Earth.”

“I will, Mama,” she whispered fervently.

Orphan girls, like her friends from school, needed her to provide the kind of safe, loving, stimulating sanctuary the Lord wanted for them. The Chase children needed her to find them a new mother who would make Amberwood the kind of home to which their father would want to return more often.

Yet as much as those goals compelled her, Evangeline could not stop thinking about what Jasper Chase had said to her in the garden. How would she feel if he tried to push her into marriage by arranging a party like this with several eligible gentlemen as guests? She knew the answer to that question all too well. She would feel manipulated. She would feel as if her wishes were of no consequence and her plans for the future did not matter.

Despite the fact that she had been up since early morning and put in a full day with the children, Evangeline knew she could not sleep until she had apologized to Mr. Chase. Even if it meant lurking on the servants’ stairs waiting for the party to disband for the night.

As if on cue, she heard the drawing-room door open and Reverend Brookes apologize for being the first to retire. His sister claimed she was tired, too, but perhaps she only felt obliged to leave when her brother did.

Evangeline heard the door close, followed by footsteps that paused a little ways away.

“Perhaps it was a mistake for us to come.” Reverend Brookes sounded as tired as Evangeline felt.

“What makes you say that?” His sister gave a wry chuckle. “Just because Miss Anstruther is better bred than me, Miss Leveson is younger and Miss Webster prettier
and
richer, do you suppose I stand no chance at all of snaring your handsome friend?”

Somehow it irked Evangeline to hear Miss Brookes call Jasper Chase handsome. She told herself not to be ridiculous. She wanted all the eligible ladies to admire her employer and be eager to marry him if asked.

“Tosh,” replied the vicar. “You have plenty of fine qualities to recommend you and Jasper is just the sort of man to appreciate them. There is more to him than a handsome face and a good income. You know that cotton mill of his in Manchester...?”

“What about it?”

Miss Brookes and her brother must be climbing the main staircase. Their voices were growing fainter. But the vicar’s remark had piqued Evangeline’s curiosity. Though her conscience chided her that it was ill-bred to eavesdrop, she stole up the servants’ stairs and strained to catch the rest of the conversation.

“How admirable,” she heard Miss Brookes say as they reached the upper floor. “I had no idea.”

“Not many people do,” her brother replied. “My friend heeds the Scriptures about doing good works in secret. Mr. Webster told me about it. I believe he considers the whole scheme a harmless eccentricity of Jasper’s.”

What scheme were they talking about? The curiosity Evangeline had hoped to slake only intensified. No doubt this was her just punishment for eavesdropping.

It was clearly something to do with Mr. Chase’s mill. But what could be admirable about that? Often during the past six years she had thought quite the opposite about her employer’s business, which kept him away from his children so much. Whatever it was, why had he never told her?

Curiosity battled conscience again, only this time the latter won. Evangeline forced herself to descend the stairs with as much stealth as she could manage. Five steps from the bottom she sat down and resumed her vigil. The brief snatches of conversation she had heard ran through her mind as she tried to figure out the crucial part she had missed.

A while later she jolted awake to find herself slumped against the wall. Thank goodness she had not pitched forward and tumbled down the last few stairs!

Hearing voices, louder and more distinct, she realized what had woken her. The party seemed to be breaking up for the night.

“It has been a most enjoyable evening,” said Mr. Webster. “In spite of the drubbing I took at whist from the ladies. I hope we may play again, Mrs. Leveson.”

“I expect we will have plenty of opportunities,” the lady replied. “Sleep well. I’m certain I shall after such a fine dinner.”

The others wished Mr. Webster and his daughter good-night then the Leveson ladies lingered with Mr. Chase, Miss Anstruther and her companion. The two pairs of ladies did not address a word to each other but made stilted conversation with their host. Evangeline sensed that neither wanted to be the first away to bed, leaving the others to prolong their conversation with him.

Mr. Chase must have realized it, too, and decided he would have to be the one to end the impasse. “I regret I must bid you good-night, ladies. There is a small task awaiting me in my study which I must finish tonight. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

A subtle change in his voice made Evangeline doubt his sincerity, but she did not believe the ladies knew him well enough to catch it.

Did she know him at all after six years in his employ? Evangeline rubbed her eyes and rose to her feet as quietly as she could manage.

Now that there would be no advantage in outlasting one another, the ladies bid their host good-night and headed up the front staircase.

Mr. Chase strode away in the direction of his study. But instead of marching briskly past the servants’ stairs as Evangeline expected, he turned onto them and started up the steps.

Coming unexpectedly face-to-face, they both sprang back, letting out stifled cries of alarm.

“Miss Fairfax!” Her employer clutched his broad chest. “What in blazes are you doing here at this hour?”

What could she tell him? Evangeline’s heart pounded painfully against her ribs.

It was a natural reaction to such a fright, she told herself. Surely there could be no other reason for her heart to behave that way.

Chapter Three

T
he last person Jasper expected to meet on the back stairs was his children’s governess. In all the time Evangeline Fairfax had been employed at Amberwood, he had never once seen her around the house after the children were tucked in for the night.

In fact, he hadn’t thought he would meet
anyone
on the stairs. He’d hoped to slip up to his bedchamber quickly and quietly before the ladies reached the second floor. His sudden encounter with Miss Fairfax sent a jolt of alarm through him, magnified by embarrassment over his furtive behavior. He struggled to catch his breath.

Clearly he had given Miss Fairfax as much of a fright as she’d given him. She jumped back, a strangled squeak erupting from her lips.

“Miss Fairfax!” Jasper clapped a hand to his chest in an effort to settle it. “What in blazes are you doing here at this hour?”

She seemed to shrink from his question, but before she could answer, an alarming possibility occurred to him. “Is something wrong with one of the children? Alfie? Has he hurt himself again?”

His agitation seemed to steady her. “No, sir, nothing like that. The children are all sleeping soundly after their play in the garden. I am here to apologize for arranging this house party without your permission and for pushing you to remarry.”

“You are?” Her admission surprised Jasper almost as much as her presence. Miss Fairfax was a strong-minded woman, not inclined to back down. What had made her change her mind?

She gave a convulsive nod. “I thought about what you said—how I would feel if our situations were reversed and you were trying to make a match for me. Of course, I would object to it in the strongest possible terms. I still believe it would benefit you and your children if you remarried, but it was wrong of me to force your hand this way. For that, I beg your pardon.”

“You would not want to be married?” Jasper had never given the matter much thought until now. Never given
her
much thought, come to that. For all he’d noticed her, Miss Fairfax might have been a handsome, useful article of furniture in his home. He had never considered how she might feel or what she might want.

The lady shook her head vigorously. “Not every woman is desperate to snare a husband. For many, the role of wife is one to which they are well suited, but I have always wanted to do something more with my life. Something important in the Lord’s service that will improve the lives of others. Perhaps that sounds foolish to you.”

“Not at all.” In fact, her fervent declaration echoed a deep conviction in his soul.

Perhaps Miss Fairfax sensed that and realized she might use it to her advantage. “Establishing a charity school is my calling in life, sir. I am certain of it. And that calling is not compatible with marriage. A man might be able to pursue his life’s work with a wife to support him, but I do not believe the opposite is true.”

Jasper wanted to contradict her but found he could not. What man could abide having his wife devote all her time and energy to a cause, however noble, if it meant neglecting their family?

That thought troubled him. Why should a woman be obliged to give up the comfort and love of a family in order to serve a higher calling while a man could have both? That was as unfair, in its way, as one class of people having too much while another had far too little. It also made him question whether he had neglected his family in the service of his cause.

“My children need you just as much.” He was accustomed to giving orders, not pleading. But if he could keep Miss Fairfax at Amberwood, he would not feel he had failed his children. “They may not want for material things but they are motherless.”

“No.” Evangeline Fairfax pointed an accusing forefinger at him. “I will not let you hold me here with guilt. I am giving you a month’s notice to find your children a new governess. After that, I intend to leave and responsibility for their care will be on your shoulders, not mine.”

One month? If he looked for a year, Jasper doubted he could find anyone capable of truly replacing Miss Fairfax. “But...but...how can I search for a new governess and spend time with my children while entertaining a houseful of guests?”

Something told him she could manage such a feat if she had to. It galled him to admit he was less capable. But if he must for the sake of his children, he would.

“Your guests?” Her hand slowly fell, but not before Jasper glimpsed a slight tremor in it. “I thought you would send them away or return to Manchester until they were gone.”

He shook his head. “I may not be much of a gentleman but I have better manners than that. It wasn’t my idea to invite these folk, but now that they’re under my roof, they are my guests and I will extend them my hospitality.”

“That is good of you, sir.” Was she surprised to hear that he knew how to behave well? She did not sound it.

Jasper shrugged. “It still leaves me the problem of finding an opportunity to search for a new governess. I know it is my own fault for squandering the time you gave me. What would it take for you to stay two months, until the end of the summer? I give you my solemn word I will not ask for more time after that.”

“What would it take?” she repeated. “I do not want more money, if that is what you mean. But if you promise to become acquainted with these ladies and keep an open mind about the possibility of remarriage, then I will extend my notice until the end of the summer. But not a day more.”

Jasper did not answer right away, but mulled over her proposition as carefully as he would any business agreement. What she was asking could have a profound effect on his future and his children’s. An extra month would give him more time to hire a new governess—or time during which he could try to persuade Miss Fairfax to stay. If he failed, then perhaps she was right and he should consider remarrying.

“Will you give me the night to sleep on my decision?” he asked. “It is not something I want to rush into.”

“That sounds fair,” she agreed. “You can tell me your decision tomorrow and we can go from there.”

Jasper appreciated her directness. It was a refreshing change after an evening spent in the company of Miss Anstruther and Mrs. Leveson. Every time they spoke, their words seemed laden with hidden meaning he could not fathom. True, Miss Fairfax had gone behind his back to arrange this house party, but when he’d confronted her, she truly seemed to repent her actions. And he could not deny that his delaying tactics had forced her to take desperate measures.

“Tomorrow.” Jasper could not suppress a yawn. “Now I think we had both better get some sleep. It has been a long day.”

That was an understatement. He had risen at first light and set out from the inn in Kendal, where he’d spent the night after riding all day yesterday. Since reaching home, he had dined and played with his children, entertained a party of guests and spent more time in private conversation with Miss Fairfax than he had in the past several months put together.

“Indeed, sir.” She struggled to stifle a yawn, too, with no more success than he’d had. “Good night, then. Rest well.”

She started up the stairs, only to turn and fix Jasper with a questioning look when he followed her.

“The ladies may be lingering in the hallway bidding one another good-night,” he explained. “I need you to go ahead and check whether the coast is clear.”

She exhaled a sharp breath of exasperated amusement. “Come along, then. I will scout the terrain for you.”

“Thank you, Miss Fairfax.” Jasper gave a weary grin, which he doubted she could see in the shadows of the unlit stairwell. “I know I can always rely on you.”

A pang of regret pierced him as he spoke those words. He only wished he’d realized how very much he and his children had come to rely upon Evangeline Fairfax before they were faced with losing her.

* * *

A babble of voices from the nursery woke Evangeline the next morning. Forcing her heavy eyelids open, she glanced toward her clock to discover she had overslept by nearly an hour!

Dragging herself out of bed, she dressed with fumbling fingers, all the while chiding herself for her sluggishness. Usually she was up and about an hour before any of the children, ready to begin their day. If only she had not stayed up so late last night to speak with Mr. Chase. Surely her apology and ultimatum could have waited until morning.

“No, they could not,” she muttered at her reflection as she pinned up her hair for the day. “Between the children and his guests, when else would I have found a private moment to speak with him?”

A splash of cold water on her face banished the worst of her sleepiness. She looked forward to her breakfast coffee with longing.

“What is all this hubbub?” she demanded as she entered the nursery to find Rosie chasing around in her nightgown, while Matthew and Alfie pelted one another with rolled-up stockings.

“I’m sorry, miss.” The nursemaid pushed back a lock of hair that had escaped her cap. “I tried to keep them quiet, but they are so excited to have their father home.”

“Don’t fret, Jane.” Evangeline stopped the boys’ stocking fight with a firm look they had long ago learned to heed. “Go fetch us breakfast. I will restore order here.”

“Thank you, miss.” The girl heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

While Jane hurried away, Evangeline turned toward her pupils. “Boys, get washed and dressed at once and no more horseplay or there will be consequences. Is that understood?”

“He started it.” Matthew pointed at his brother.

“I don’t doubt that.” Evangeline caught Rosie’s eye and nodded toward the bedroom she shared with Emma. “But you are older. You should know better than to egg him on. Off with you now.”

Hearing the nursery door open behind her, she wondered at the speed with which Jane had fetched breakfast. But before she could turn to look, Rosie darted across the nursery floor on bare tiptoes, crying, “Papa!”

“Good morning, my love.” Mr. Chase scooped his small daughter into his arms for a warm embrace. Then he stooped to hug Owen and Emma, who had been dressed and quietly reading books during the earlier tumult. “How did you all sleep? I’ve come to eat breakfast with you and help Miss Fairfax out if she needs me.”

He looked up at Evangeline with a smile that made her forget her drowsiness and the upset in the nursery routine.

Her first instinct was to insist everything was under control, but Mr. Chase could see for himself that was not true. Besides, it would be good for him to experience some of what was involved in running an orderly nursery for five children. It might help him choose a new governess...and perhaps a new wife, wisely.

“Thank you, sir.” She beckoned Rosie to her. “If you would see that the older boys get dressed with a minimum of fuss, I shall look after this young lady.”

Once the children were dressed, they gathered around the nursery table. With their heads bowed for grace, the young Chases looked like paragons of good behavior.

“Amen!” Matthew and Alfie chorused with gusto after Owen finished asking the blessing for their morning meal.

As the children tucked into their porridge and cream with hearty appetites and Evangeline savored her coffee, Jasper Chase asked, “What do you all think of this house party your grandmother arranged...with the help of Miss Fairfax?”

Though they had aired the matter thoroughly yesterday, Evangeline still squirmed a little at his mention of her underhanded behavior.

As always, Matthew was the first to get a word in. “It sounds like jolly fun, Papa.”

Alfie’s mouth was too full to permit him to speak, but he signified his agreement with a vigorous nod.

“I like parties,” said Rosie. “Will there be cake?”

“Perhaps.” Her father tried to suppress a grin. “Though it isn’t quite that sort of party. What do you say, Owen? Emma?”

Owen shrugged. “It will be all right, I suppose.”

Emma slowly stirred her porridge. “Will you have any time to visit with us or will you have to spend it all with the guests?”

Mr. Chase flinched and his grin faltered. But he came back with a reply that seemed to please his daughter. “I promise I will not neglect you in favor of our guests. They are welcome to join in our fun and games, but if they choose not to, that is their own lookout.”

“I hope they do,” said Alfie, who had finally cleaned his bowl. “The more the merrier!”

The boy’s words seemed to restore his father’s good humor. He winked at Alfie. “That’s the spirit, son.”

“Does that mean we can go fishing today?” asked Owen.

Mr. Chase nodded. “That sounds like a fine idea. I shall inform our guests at breakfast and ask who would like to come with us.”

“Are you going to eat two breakfasts every day, Papa?” Matthew’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “You will have to be careful you don’t grow stout.”

All the other children laughed. Mr. Chase joined in, as did Evangeline. She found it hard to imagine her tall, muscular employer ever putting on extra weight. He always seemed to be on the move like Matthew and Alfie.

“If we are to go fishing,” she said when their merriment had settled down, “we will need bait. Why don’t we go dig up some worms while your father and the guests are at their breakfast.”

The boys all agreed eagerly, while Emma and Rosie wrinkled their noses.

“Good thinking as always, Miss Fairfax.” Their father raised his coffee cup as if in a toast to her then drained it. “I shall ask Mrs. Gilman if she can pack us a picnic lunch of tea and cakes.”

The children heartily approved his suggestion. Once they finished their breakfast, Evangeline sent them off to wash up and collect their caps and bonnets.

On his way out of the nursery, Mr. Chase paused near her and spoke in a soft voice. “I have decided to go along with this matchmaking scheme of yours. But only on condition that my children must be involved as much as possible in all my guests’ activities. The last thing I want is for this house party to take away from my time with them.”

“Of course, sir.” Evangeline resented the idea that she would suggest anything that might limit her pupils’ opportunity to spend time with him. “It will give you an opportunity to observe how each of the ladies gets on with the children. That way, you will be able to select the best possible mother for them.”