Marriage to a Mister (A Daughters of Regency #1) (24 page)

Edward nodded. "It is a good idea, what with her father and now cousin in residence. Not a very romantic setting, is it?"

"I tried asking her to accompany me in the solarium nearly made it until Captain Chucklehead showed up. He actually wedged himself between us on the settee."

Edward shook his head, smirking. "You're not very good at this wooing business are you, Evan?"

"Says the man who swore at her during his proposal of marriage." Evan snickered when Nathan, Dom, and Felix again laughed at the absurd situation.

Felix wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, God, did you really?"

Edward flushed, cleared his throat and looked away, his long hair swinging under its ribbon. "Yes, well, we're not discussing me, are we? What are you going to do, Evan?"

Evan smiled, taking pity on Edward's plight, and took the change of subject in stride. "I guess I can take her to the new estate. It
is
close."

"Are you mad?" Nathan asked, his face a perfect picture of disbelief. "You can't take her there."

"Why ever not?"

"Because it's a catastrophe. The walls need plastering and you've no furnishings whatsoever. Where will you eat? Who will even make the food?"

"It is not so bad. Besides I had a letter this morning from my steward. With my permission he has found a housekeeper, a cook, and a few servants. They have been there for a fortnight already."

Nathan stood and stared in astonishment. "Tell him, Edward. Tell him it would be completely inappropriate to take the lady there."

Edward looked between the two. "I have yet to visit. Is it that awful?"
 

"Yes," said Nathan.

"No, it is not," Evan countered. "The matter is settled. I will go up early and speak to her about it, and we will leave in the morning if she agrees.

"What will you tell Mother?" asked Edward.

"I'll tell her they needed me on some urgent business. It's time I stayed and oversaw the renovations anyway, and Fleur should be part of those decisions."

Nathan rubbed his forehead before throwing his hands in the air. "God save me from fools and stubborn brothers. This is a terrible idea, I tell you."

 
Evan looked at Nathan. "Yes, but when did I ever listen to you?"

Nathan shook his head. "It's your marriage."

Evan nodded. Settling his plans for tomorrow in his mind, he turned to leave when Oliver walked up.
 

"The captain's not a very agreeable sort of fellow, is he?" he asked, looking relieved to have escaped.

Evan laughed all the way out the door and until he reached the stairs. Not very agreeable, indeed.

***

Fleur tossed and turned in bed, wishing she could read her book, but she had already blown out her bedside candle and her thoughts were making her restless.
 

She reached up and touched her lips, trying to replicate the gentle brush Evan had given her earlier. At the thought, she rolled around in the bed, hugging her pillow, landing on her stomach, her face full of her own hair, muffling her giggles.

He had tried to kiss her today, and he would have if not for Andrew. But things had been easier between them today and they had spent some time alone together before Andrew's arrival. The smile slipped from her face and she turned her head and slammed it down on her pillow as she huffed. She knew her cousin would never leave them alone. Evan would be lucky if he wasn't black-and-blue before they left.

She tossed again, sitting up before gathering her hair in her hand, twisting it to throw it behind her head. Looking at the door, she counted to five. If he came in before she was finished, she would wait up for him, and if not she would just feign sleep as she had done before.

One
, she thought. He was probably still drinking and playing cards with the others.
Two.
The ladies had left for bed more than an hour ago.
Three
, she wondered what the men talked about when ladies weren't present.
Four
, did they gossip? Surely they did.
And five
, he hadn't come.

She sighed and lay back down. Just as she reached down to pull her blanket up higher, she heard the door. Lying still, she held her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady, motionless.
 

She heard him walk up to the bed, much as he did that first night. "Fleur," he whispered.

She lay there frozen. What should she do?

"Fleur, are you awake? I need to speak to you."

Her eyes popped open, and he was standing right in front of her. She raised her eyes to his and she scooted upwards, sitting up and propping herself up on her pillow to listen.

She waited, and when he looked like he regretted rousing her, she gave him a small smile, hoping it would urge him to speak, but he remained silent.

"What is it?" she finally asked.

He reached out a hand to steady himself as he sat on the end of the bed, and when he felt her foot, he whipped his hand away and sprang from his seat. "Forgive me, I ..."

She pulled her feet up under her and leaned forward. "Please sit; tell me what's on your mind."

He sat down again and rubbed his chin, where a small shadow of a beard showed. She thought it handsome.

"You know when we were children, it was so easy to find ways to escape everyone, except maybe Julia. She had a talent of finding us wherever we were." He chuckled at the memory as Fleur smiled. She could not deny it was true. "It's different now, of course. We have not had a very easy time finding ways to be alone, have we?"

She laughed. "With Andy in residence we should not expect that to change anytime soon."

"My thoughts precisely. What if we were to leave here? We could go to my estate, our estate. It is not far, as I told you."
 

She stared into his eyes, surprised.

"Of course, we don't have to leave," he said, looking more uncomfortable by the moment. "I just thought maybe we could ..."

She watched him struggle for words, and at that moment she knew she would say yes, that she would follow him anywhere.
 

"Forget I said anything, really," he smiled, but she saw hurt in his eyes, and when he went to stand, she reached forward and laid her hand on his arm, stopping him.
 

"When should I be ready?" she asked. When he didn't answer right away she gently shook his arm. "Evan?"

"Oh, in the morning? Say about eleven? Everyone should be up and about by then so we can say our goodbyes."

She nodded. "I will be ready."

He slid his hand over hers, grasping it before letting go, allowing her hand to slip from his arm. He stood and walked over towards the other side of the room to ready himself for bed as she slid back down under the covers, once again pushing her hair behind her head.

She wished she were brave enough to ask him to stay, but she was nowhere near that bold. She flushed thinking about their almost-kiss earlier and wondered if one day she would ever be so bold as to kiss him first.
 

She raised the covers over her lips to hide her smile. She felt silly for thinking such things, but she knew she wanted to finally be kissed by someone, and for that someone to be Evan.

***

Fleur hugged Julia, already having said goodbye to the other girls. Phoebe told her to be sure to write, while Prudence told her to look after her health. Charity held on a bit too tight and a bit too long, and Fleur felt a moment's regret at leaving her alone.

Julia held her closer. "I feel like I'll never see you again."

"We will see each other for Christmas if not before."

"It is not the same," whispered Julia.

Fleur backed away and placed her gloved hands on Julia's face. "I know. Be good to Papa. Make sure he doesn't eat too many desserts throughout the day. You will be in charge of the accounts and the house now. Also, make sure he does not stay up too late only to get up at dawn."

"I will, I promise."

"Write to me often, and promise me something?"

Julia reached up and placed her hands on top of Fleur's. "Anything, just name it."

"Stop picking on poor Mr. Carter," Fleur smiled when Julia flushed.
 

Julia leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Oh, off with you, Papa is waiting."

"Goodbye, Julia," she said, returning the kiss.

She walked over towards the carriage. Evan was already there, shaking her father's hand.

"I will, I swear it," she heard him say before turning to look at her. He nodded at her father and then stepped up into the carriage, giving them privacy.

Julian held out his hands for hers and grasped them lightly when she placed them into his palms. "I knew this day would come, but I find myself shamefully unprepared."

"Papa," she simply said, at a loss of what to say.

"I don't know how Julia and I will get on without you. We might kill each other within a fortnight."

Fleur laughed. "You will be here for another two weeks, so I give it a month."

He pulled her forward and hugged her tight. "Be safe and write often. Madeleine has already invited us for Christmas so it won't be long before we see each other again."

"Yes." It was all she could say, afraid the tears she held may fall.

She kissed him on the check, then he helped her into the carriage.

"Madeleine asked me to inform you that she is sending one of her maids to attend you until you can make arrangements for your own," he said, closing the box door.

She leaned forward out of the window, taking his hand once more.

"Tell her thank you, and tell Julia I love her."

"I will."

"I love you, Papa," she said before leaning back into the carriage. Evan leaned forward, tilting his head to the duke.

Her father let go of her hand and rapped on the side of the carriage, and she knew she did not imagine it when his voice gave a gruff "Drive on."

***

At first the ride had been blessedly silent because she knew if she spoke, she would weep. She would miss them terribly, but she did not want Evan to feel responsible for her tears.

Though now she was starting to feel a bit anxious, and she wished he would just say something, anything. She took a deep breath and decided to take the situation into her own hands. "How long have you had ownership of ... ? Oh, you never told me what the estate is called."

Evan who had spent the majority of the trip looking out of the window, straightened and turned towards her. "It doesn't have a name."

She blinked. "But ... of course it has a name."

Evan laughed. "It was built in 1718 and the owners never took residence, so it was closed up and left to ruin. The family kept a steward on and he did what he could, like his father before him."

"But why would someone build a grand house only to let it sit unoccupied?"

"New money, I suppose, wanting to impress? Almost a hundred years later it is old money now, is it not? They probably even have a title by now."
 

"Only a hundred years?"

"Why, Fleur, I had no idea you were such a nob."

She laughed. "But how will we bear the shame of living in such a home?"

He grinned.

"But really, it must have a name, or else it will be confusing. What do you call your London home?"

"I call it
The Home I Have in London
."

Her breath quickened at the smirk he was giving her. "You are going to make this difficult, aren't you?"

"Probably."

He scratched his whiskers and relented at the flat look she was giving him. "Oh all right, if we must," he said, secretly having the time of his life. "How about Wolfham Hall?" repeating one of the horrid names Felix had mentioned to him earlier.

She curled her lips inward trying not to smile. "Evan, that's horrid."

"Is it? How about HighWolf Turret?"

"No, absolutely not."

"Then you try. It's not as easy as it looks."

She pulled on the tips of her gloves, pulling them off one finger at a time; after all one could not think with gloves on. "How about Wolffert Lodge?"

He laughed, throwing back his head, and she smiled at him. Making him laugh felt wonderful.

"I didn't know you had it in you," he said.

She grinned. "I have my moments."
 

"You really are not very good at this. Keep it up and I won't let you have any say in naming our children."

Her eyes widened slightly and he cleared his throat.

"In all seriousness," he said, quickly changing the subject, "we probably should come up with a proper name, but let us wait until you see it."

Fleur nodded. "How much longer, do you suppose?"

Evan leaned forward and looked outside as they took a turn. "Look ... right about ... now."

She bent forward, placing her hands upon the box window, and exhaled. The house sat atop a perfectly situated hill, with large trees that lined the driveway in invitation. The house itself was a red-brick Palladian, and while it must once have been stark white, the trim had become muted with time. There were three stories, though the house was not overly grand.
It was just perfect
, she thought, and it was her very own. "It's breathtaking," she said.

He agreed, but it was not the house that held his attentions, but her wide blue eyes and the look of wonder on her face. It was a sight to behold, and he considered himself lucky he would be able to see her grow older and more beautiful with age.
By some miracle
, he thought,
life started now
.

THE WEASEL

It was mid-afternoon when they arrived, and Evan was famished and ached for a fresh bowl of cool water to wash his overly warm face.

As the carriage rolled to a stop, Evan opened the door and jumped down, turning to help Fleur down the steps a young boy brought forward.

Evan watched as the boy stood back and watched in wonderment as Fleur descended.

He probably has never seen a lady before, not with all the trimmings,
Evan thought.

"And what is your name?" he asked.

"Thomas, sir, but they call me Little Thomas 'cause I'm named after me father."