Remember Me - Regency Brides 03 (17 page)

One more week or two as Hamish Campbel surely wouldn't hurt anyone, would
it?
he wondered, already liking the idea. He could find a way to sneak off to the Kent plantation to assure his relatives that he was al right, but other than that, he could enjoy being at Golden Bay awhile longer.

~

When Helen woke up that same morning, she was a bundle of nerves over what happened with North the night before. He seemed to react to her slip of the tongue so oddly that she feared she had shaken loose some of his memories.

Did he remember he was a duke?

In fact, she had worried so much about it that her head ached. Imogene suggested she sit out under the cypress trees in the swing and let the cool morning air soothe her head.

So far, it hadn't helped. Sitting so close to the bayou, al she could hear were the crickets and frogs making such a loud noise together in a sort of a fast rhythm that it seemed to go along with the pounding of her head. When a woodpecker joined in the chorus, she final y decided a cold cloth in a nice, dark room might be a better choice.

Helen walked back to the house, and when she was almost to the yard, she heard the distinct sound of a carriage coming up the drive. Squinting through the haze of pain, she final y focused on the driver of the barouche.

It was North, she realized in a panic, making the pain in her head worsen. But as he jumped from the vehicle and ran to where she was, she noticed he was smiling at her and ...he was holding a bouquet of flowers! "Helen!" he cal ed as he waved to her. The closer he got, the less her head hurt. It was amazing, real y.

Slightly winded but stil smiling, North trotted to a stop before her as he held out the bouquet of wildflowers. "I'm so glad I caught you outside. I didn't real y want to disturb anyone else," he explained as he looked at her with love shining in his gaze.

Helen was relieved he seemed not to remember her odd behavior from the night before. Perhaps he was too tired to remember anything! "You're here early," she commented, hoping he'd reveal the reason for his visit.

"Yes," he answered cryptical y, without explanation. "Is there somewhere we can go to be alone? I know it is an improper thing to ask, but I just had to see you and talk to you this morning.'"

Hmm. What does this mean?
"We can go out on the bayou in Joseph's pirogue,"

she suggested. In the last few days, Sam seemed to be watching for her at the pier as he kept trying to "woo" her, as he cal ed it, by serenading her with his flute.

"Is that anything like a rowboat?" North asked warily. Helen laughed and tucked her arm into his. "If you’re asking if you have to use a little bit of muscle to make it go, then the answer is yes!" Minutes later, they were paddling down the bayou, searching for a nice shaded spot to stop for a while.

"Oh, look! There are several large oaks over there and an old root sticking out of the bank to tie the boat to," Helen told him as she pointed over his shoulder to show him exactly where it was.

North almost upended the boat as he moved about the shaky vessel to grab hold of the root and then wrap the rope around it. He looked at her and joked, "I'd better be careful! Last time I fel out of a boat, I lost my memory. I'd hate to see what would happen in did it again."

Helen looked over the boat and could only imagine what was beneath the murky water. "You'd probably be eaten," she quipped with a shiver. North chuckled as he climbed out of the boat and then helped her up the slightly steep embankment.

As they walked to the base of a huge, sprawling oak, Helen knew she couldn't have picked a more perfect place for them to sit and talk. It was peaceful and cool under the shading leaves with only smal rays of sunlight able to peek through.

North dragged a log over so they would have an elevated place to sit and lean against the tree. At first North and Helen didn't speak a word-they only sat there enjoying just being next to each other. "I did a lot of thinking last night and this morning," North final y said in a low voice, as if he didn't want to spoil the mood of their special place.

Helen didn't know what to make of that statement. Did he remember something, after al ? Her stomach began to twist in knots with worry. "What were you thinking upon?" she asked, even though she wished only to change the subject.

North sat up and turned so he could look at her. "I thought about you and the feelings I have for you."

Helen's stomach eased a little as he looked at her with such love and gentleness shining in his eyes. "You did?" she asked, unable to say anything else. She wished she could remember some of the clever things her favorite heroines would say during such intimate situations as this.

North nodded and reached to take her hand. As he caressed her palm with his thumb, he seemed to be weighing what he wanted to say next. ' And I thought about what your feelings were for me." He continued, watching her cautiously.

"Do you love me, Helen?"

Helen's breath caught at the straightforward question. She wasn't expecting directness from him on such a delicate topic. She felt so conflicted as she looked up at his handsome face. Like a fly caught in the web of a spider, she felt like any moves be made would only make things worse. Either saying nothing or confessing would accomplish the same thing.

The truth of the matter was that she did indeed love him with al her heart.

There was no way she was going to make him believe otherwise.

"I do love you, North."

A look of pure joy spread in the form of a smile across his face as he let go of her hand and placed both hands on either side of her cheeks. “And I love you, my sweet Helen. You have wound yourself so deeply into my heart, I can't imagine my life without you," he expressed wholeheartedly, then bent forward and kissed her.

Tears borne more of sorrow than happiness stung her eyes, and she returned his kiss, final y letting free al the pent-up feelings she'd kept locked away since she'd first met him. After
a moment he moved his lips from hers to string tiny kisses across her cheeks and up to her brow. Then, leaning his forehead against hers, he appeared to be slightly winded. "Marry me, Helen," he said suddenly, startling her so much that she nearly fel off the log.

"What?" she gasped as she pul ed back from his embrace. "But you only just asked to court me and-" He shook his head and interrupted her words. "I know what I feel, and nothing is going to change that!" He had no idea what he was saying, she thought, growing panicky. "You don't know that for sure, North.

Perhaps if we just wait-"

North put his hand over her mouth, a loving smile curving his lips. "I said nothing," he stated firmly and resolutely. "God brought you into my life, Helen. He took a situation that could have been disastrous with my memory loss and then sent you to help me get through it. We were made to live together, raise children, grow old with one another."

Helen looked away in order to try to stop herself from crying again. Once he found out it was she and not God orchestrating this whole situation, he would change his mind about wanting to marry her.

This is such an impossible dilemma,
she cried silently, as her panic only grew. If only she had someone to talk to. If only Christina wasn't an ocean away to help her know what to do.

"Helen, I'm sorry," he said gently as he brought her face around with his hand.

"I've gotten carried away, haven't I? I've had al morning to think about this, and you haven't had time to let it al sink in."

She shook her head, and a tear escaped despite her best efforts at keeping them at bay. "I'm sorry, North; I guess I am a little overwhelmed."

"And of course I haven't thought about you needing to inform your parents, also,"

he thought aloud, his hand stil caressing her cheek.

Helen smiled as she placed her hand over North's hand. She couldn't help but be amazed at his impromptu proposal and his childlike excitement at the prospect of them marrying. Whenever she had daydreamed about North proposing to her, it was a very dignified and proper picture of North bending down on one knee and placing the family betrothal ring on her finger.

This was so much better than her dreams.

It was just too bad she couldn't enjoy it.

"North, I would like nothing better than to marry you tonight. I want you to know that. It's just that I do have so many things to consider and plan for before we take that step," she final y said, hoping it would stal him long enough for her to come up with a way to tel him the truth.

North gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then grinned happily at her. "Just hearing you want to marry me is enough for now. I can be patient until you're ready to set a date." He chuckled. ' At least I'l strive to be."

As he stood and gave her a hand up, Helen prayed he'd not only be patient but understanding once al was revealed and the truth final y made known.

Sunday arrived, and North found himself actual y looking forward to delivering his message. He had begun studying when he sat with John Paul and decided then to speak about Paul's conversion and how God had used miraculous means to get his attention. Be wanted to make the point that God had a plan for everyone, and when we weren't truly listening to what He wanted to tell us or we were going our own way instead of the way He would have us go, He'd use al sorts of methods to get our attention.

He'd had no idea just how much that applied to his life until the day before. God had wanted North to learn something, and apparently it wasn't going to be discovered living as he had been, surrounded by wealth and having everything done for him at just a snap of his fingers. North was ashamed to admit it, but though he went to church and always strove to live right, he had real y never talked to God-never real y prayed and studied the Bible.

His life had been too busy with social events, his estates, and friends. He bad even been caught up in the dilemma of what to do about his feelings for Helen.

Instead, he should have prayed and asked for guidance about it. God would have led him to the same conclusion that he'd come to himself: They were simply meant for each other. It didn't matter if they stripped him of his title and he had to live out his days as a poor man. His love for Helen was so much more important.

But of course they couldn't strip him of his title. He was already the Duke of Northingshire and the worst that could happen would be they'd spend a few years being cut by the ton and passed over when invitations for the season were written. He just prayed Helen could bear up to the snobbery she would face once they returned to England.

England,
he thought with a sigh and was surprised to realize he felt reluctant to return. He truly liked Louisiana even though he stayed sweaty al the time and was constantly battling mosquitoes. The people were truly nice and were more apt to cross social borders than those in his homeland. The only thing that bothered him was slavery. Pierre had made him aware of so many atrocities that most white people just turned their heads to, pretending it was a normal part of life.

Today North dressed in his usual black suit, the nicest one that had been in Hamish's trunk. After running a comb through his thick locks (and making a mental note that he real y needed to get a trim), he made his way to the church.

Because the weather was so pleasant and unusual y cool for late May, there were more people gathered outside the building. Several people walked up to greet him when he was noticed, including a couple of young ladies who never failed to make their presence known to him. He could now remember other young ladies flirting with him back in England, but he was never sure if it was he or the title they sought. So it was a little flattering that these ladies hoped to catch his attention, even though they knew him to be practical y penniless.

Helen obviously was not flattered or amused by the women's attention. He noticed quite a determined glint in her eye as she marched over to him and placed herself directly in front of his admirers. "Good morning, North," she said informal y, knowing it would cause speculation from the onlookers, with such a familiar address.

North managed to stifle his chuckle over her territorial behavior but did smile broadly at her. "Hel o, Helen," he returned the greeting, playing along with her plan. "I trust you are doing wel this morning?"

He was rewarded with a radiant smile. "Indeed," Helen answered, probably not even aware she was looking at him with al her feelings showing clearly on her face.

Of course the same could probably be said of him, too. Their declaration of love was so new and fresh to North that it was hard not to think about it when he looked at her.

"Shal we go inside?" he said quickly before he might find himself doing something stupid like reaching for her hand or kissing her cheek just to be nearer to her.

"I think we might hear wedding bel s soon," someone whispered, and he heard a few others agree. Then he thought he might have heard a cry of protest from some of the young ladies walking behind him but thought again that perhaps it was just a bird.

A few moments later, much to the congregation's obvious relief, Miss Ol ie sang the last stanza of her hymn and sat down in her pew in the front row. North walked up to the pulpit after that.

As he scanned the room, looking at the faces of those he considered his friends, he felt a real sadness that he wouldn't be with them much longer. Part of him even wished he could continue the work of a minister. It was true he wasn't the best at delivering a message, but he mostly liked just being a regular person, not revered for a title or riches, but counted and respected as one of a smal community.

North began his sermon. Because of his renewed confidence from the return of his memory and the fact that he believed in his message so strongly, he was able to preach like never before. In fact, there was a sort of surprised look on the faces of most of the congregation as they stared and listened intently to what he was saying.

Had I been that bad?

When he had finished with a closing prayer, he glanced over to where Helen sat with Josie and the Baumgartners, and he was pleased to see her face beaming with pride.