A Dream Come True (18 page)

Lucia felt ashamed of herself.

It was true, she had been perfectly vile to Edward during dinner the previous evening.

He had made some comment about how he preferred her hair longer and hoped that she was not going to cut it after they were married, and Lucia had rounded on him, telling him that if she wanted to shave it off like a convict, then she would.

Even Sir Arthur had commented upon her waspish retort.

Poor Edward had looked punctured and, in spite of attempting to explain his casual remark as being a mere preference, rather than an order, he had not been able to prevent Lucia from snapping at him every time he said something.

In the end she had stormed off to bed and cried herself to sleep.

She was ashamed of herself for having behaved so abominably, but she recognised she was fighting a losing battle with her feelings for Lord Winterton.

She thought of him constantly and even attempted to find an excuse to return to Longridge Manor.

“But you have ceased to work for him,” her mother had said, half fearing what her daughter's irritable response might be.

“I just thought that perhaps I should run through the schedule with him once more for the day of the unveiling.”

“Darling, I am perfectly capable of handling whatever might happen on the day. I am no longer an invalid and my brain was never affected by my illness.”

“But I want to make certain that all is well with His Majesty. Just one telephone call to his private secretary that is all I need to do.”

“Then, you can just as easily make it from here,” replied her mother. “I do not think it is right to go careering over to another gentleman's house, when you are engaged to Edward. It gives the wrong impression.”

Lucia knew that her mother was right. People would think it strange that she was not fully occupied with her wedding preparations.

“Besides,” she added, “Mrs. de Redcliffe and her chef are coming tomorrow to bring samples of food for the wedding breakfast. You must simply be here to receive them.”

“Naturally,” she conceded, wishing that the whole lot of them would disappear in a puff of smoke.

At eleven o'clock on the dot, Madame Joy and her entourage arrived at Bingham Hall in a great flurry of boxes and material.

“Mademoiselle Mountford – ah, I think you 'ave lost weight yet again,” sighed Madame Joy as she entered the drawing room, closely followed by Moston and their new footman carrying several large boxes.

“You look so pale. Zis is not right!” chattered Madame Joy. “You must eat ze beef steak and ze liver.”

Lucia glanced at her reflection in the large gilt-framed mirror that hung over the white marble fireplace.

It was true, she had lost weight and there were dark circles under her eyes. The result of too many nights staring into the darkness, thinking of Lord Winterton and hoping that he would ride up to Bingham Hall and rescue her from the wedding.

“Come, you must put on ze dress,” urged Madame Joy, as she unpacked the gorgeous white silk dress with its cream-colored lace.

Standing on a chair, the skirt was straight and fell from Lucia's hips like a sheath, whilst the bodice was fitted with long sleeves and a high neck.

The colour of it set off her pale skin to perfection and the pearls embroidered on the collar made it glow.

“Oof!” cried Madame Joy. “Zat is another inch to be taken in on ze waist.”

“Darling, I know you want to look your best on your wedding day,” came in her mother, “but Edward does not want his new wife to be a bag of bones!”

“Lady McAllister, we shall 'ave to pad out ze bosom of ze corset otherwise the dress will look wrong. This is a most fashionable shape, and ze rounded bosom is most important,” insisted Madame Joy, waving her hands around Lucia's chest.

As they fussed around her, Lucia's mind strayed to Lord Winterton again.

‘I was wrong about him,' she told herself, as the dressmaker pushed and pulled at her. ‘Whatever secret business he is engaged upon on behalf of the King explains why he appeared as if he was gadding about. Of course, he could not tell me what it was and his louche behaviour provided him with the perfect cover.'

“Please, mademoiselle, you must stand still.”

Lucia tried to stare straight ahead, but she found it irritating being pulled around and today, she was not at all in the mood.

‘It's no good – I am in love with him,' she sighed, ‘and now it is too late. He's not coming for me, I am to be married in four days and then I shall never see him again.”

“Mademoiselle, please!” exclaimed Madame Joy impatiently. “It is important we get ze bodice right!”

It was all too much for Lucia. All at once the dam of her emotions broke like a flood and she burst into tears, sobbing noisily as she stood on the chair.

“Will you please leave us?” asked her mother somewhat alarmed.

She shooed Madame Joy out and closed the door.

“Darling. What on earth is it?” she said, helping her down from the chair and out of the dress.

“Oh, Mama. I am so miserable.” cried Lucia, her face wet with tears.

Her mother helped her to the sofa and gave her a handkerchief.

“This is more than pre-wedding nerves,” she counselled quietly. “Darling, whatever it is, can you not confide in me? This should be the happiest time of your life and yet you seem
so
unhappy.”

“Oh, Mama, I am not in love with Edward,” she confessed, blurting out the words in a torrent of yet more tears.

“Is that all? Oh, don't be silly, Lucia. Plenty of women are not in love with their husbands on their wedding day, but have wonderful marriages. Perhaps love will grow?”

“No, Mama,” bawled Lucia, wringing the handkerchief. “It will not.”

“But when the children come along, you will feel differently. You will love him for giving you such a precious gift, I promise you.”

“I will not!” cried Lucia defiantly. “Because I am in love with someone else!”

There was an awful silence while her mother thought.

She put her arm around Lucia's shoulders and pulled her close. She let her cry noisily on her bosom for a few moments and then spoke as gently as she could.

“Then, you must tell Edward and put off the wedding. We will not mind. Your stepfather is a changed man since the turn in his fortunes and will understand. Does this other man love you?”

“I have no idea!” sobbed Lucia. “Oh, Mama! What shall I do?”

“If you really think that you cannot go through with this wedding, then you must tell Edward at once. And as for the man you love – does he know this?”

Lucia felt even more miserable as she shook her head and inhaled the comforting scent of lavender from her mother's dress.

She let out an audible sigh and let Lucia go.

“It's Lord Winterton, is it not?”

Lucia looked at her with a shocked expression.

However had she guessed?

“Oh, Mama! It's hopeless! He does not love me – I know he doesn't. No, the wedding will go ahead with Edward. I am being perfectly foolish and am just a little over-tired. I have not been sleeping well and I am just so very nervous.”

“Oh my darling, I had suspected as much. Oh, that man!”

“It's not his fault. He has not made me fall in love with him,” replied Lucia, quickly springing to his defence. “It's just that I have never met anyone like him before, so handsome, so dashing, so – well, manly!”

“He is certainly that, I grant you,” agreed her mother a little tartly.

“No, Mama, I will marry Edward and I shall endeavour to stop this utter foolishness. Send the dressmaker away – I shall go for a long ride to clear my head.”

“If you are certain, dearest – ”

“Yes, Mama. Now go and relay my apologies to Madame Joy.”

Lucia heard voices in the corridor and waited until the front door closed before she walked out into the hall.

Running upstairs, she made for her bedroom, hoping that her riding habit would be close to hand. It was right at the front of the wardrobe and she pulled it down eagerly. She found her boots and gloves and quickly changed.

Before long she was heading for the stables feeling measurably brighter.

‘It is a while since I last rode out on my own,' she mused, as she hailed Jack and asked him to have Flash saddled at once.

She waited impatiently while the horse was made ready and could not wait to mount. He was one of Sir Arthur's most recent acquisitions and Lucia had been longing to ride him.

“Come on, boy!” she urged, digging her heels into his side.

Flash sped off across the fields behind the Hall and soon they were riding across the ridge that ran along the edge of the estate.

The cool breeze soothed Lucia and the warm sun made her feel much better. It was a fine July day and reminded her of everything good about an English summer.

The sheep were grazing in the fields as she galloped past and the flowers in the hedgerows bent their heads towards to the sky.

After a while, Lucia could tell that Flash was thirsty and she had not brought a bottle of water with her.

“Shall we head for the river, boy?” she called, as they paused by a field.

The horse whinnied and Lucia turned him to the right.

“Then we shall go this way!” she cried, urging him onwards.

It was a long gallop downhill to the river and the sun beat down mercilessly.

At last, they reached it and, gratefully, Lucia slid down off Flash's back and led him to the water's edge.

She let the horse drink, while she cupped her hands in the cool water and quenched her own thirst. The water tasted sweet and cool and she dangled her hands into the current as it hurried downstream.

It was then that she realised that she had brought her horse to the exact place where Lord Winterton had attempted to kiss her.

She shielded her eyes from the sun's rays as she picked out the dusty turning where she had left the car and the dirt road beyond.

‘It all seems so long ago,' she sighed, ‘and now, I am to be married in a few days time.'

She sat down on the grass while Flash continued to sink his nose into the bubbling water.

“You are very thirsty, aren't you?” she said, laughing at him.

Beads of sweat stood out on his fine chestnut hide and she wondered if she should flick some water over him. To her amusement, Flash stepped straight into the brook, allowing the water to foam around his hooves.

Just as she was enjoying his frolics, she heard the sounds of another horse's hooves coming towards them.

Squinting in the direction of the sound, the sun dazzled her eyes and at first she could not make out who the approaching rider might be.

“Your horse has the right idea.”

“Richard!” she murmured. “It's Lord Winterton!”

She jumped up and ran to meet him. His horse was panting hard and tossing its head.

“I thought I would find you here. Your mother said you would most likely be by the river.”

“Mama – ?”

He dismounted and let his horse wander off towards the bank.

Gently he took Lucia's hands in his and kissed them.

“No, you must not – ” she reacted, willing him not to stop.

He gazed into her eyes and pulled her closer.

“Lucia – dearest Lucia.”

Lucia's heart hammered in her chest as she once again thrilled to his touch.

His expression was so full of emotion that she could scarcely bear to meet his eyes.

“I realise that I have probably left this too late,” he began, “but if I do not tell you now, then I may never have another chance.”

“What is it?” she asked softly. “You know I am to be married on Saturday.”

“I know, and that is why I have made haste to find you today. Lucia, the truth is that I love you. When I was in Austria, I could do nothing but think of you and, then, I read the announcement and realised that I had probably lost my chance.

“I never intended to hold your stepfather to our bargain. It was a careless remark that he took far too seriously and then it seemed fun to continue the charade and to have you at the Manor as my secretary. I would never marry a woman against her will. What must you have thought of me?”

“That you were not of good character,” replied Lucia, returning his intense gaze. “And then there was Lady Shelley acting as if she was your wife, when her own husband had not long been cold in his grave.”

“I can see that you have heard the gossip about me and I confess that Lady Shelley and I were entangled for a while. But no longer – ”

“She is a very determined woman, Richard.”

“And I can only apologise for her behaviour and mine. I should have nipped it in the bud a good deal earlier but, as you so wisely point out, she is very determined. But you should have no fears as neither of us will be hearing from her, or seeing her, again. I have made certain of that. Lucia – ”

He paused and squeezed her hand, entreating her earnestly with his eyes.

“Lucia, I know you do not love me – ”

“But I do,” interrupted Lucia, looking up at him with her heart overflowing. “I do. More than anything.”

“Is this true? Do you really love me after how dreadfully I have behaved towards you?” he asked gently.

“I love you so very much,” she murmured.

Lord Winterton did not hesitate.

He put his arms around her and, tilting her head towards his, his mouth met hers in a long lingering kiss.

Lucia was in Heaven and she felt as if someone had given her the sun, moon and stars all at once.

Her heart soared as their lips parted, but still, he held her close.

“What can we do, my darling?” he asked her urgently, as they stood together, locked in an embrace. “On Saturday, you are marrying Edward de Redcliffe and I want you to marry me. You know that, don't you?”