The Christmas Heiress (38 page)

Edward suddenly realized that money might be a
problem for them. Jonathan had a quarterly allowance, which was generous for a gentleman, but
hardly sufficient to support and wife and hopefully
someday, children. Edward would need to adjust
that as soon as possible, and also look into establishing a separate account for Evelyn. Though it was
the usual arrangement, he felt it was not right that
a woman should have to rely on her husband for
every penny.

"In
sickness
and
in
health,"Jonathan
continued,
"to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight
thee my troth."

A loud sniff distracted him. Edward turned with
a slight grin, expected that one, two, or all three of
the young female witnesses would be crying but instead discovered Charlotte's eyes were bright with
tears.

"'Tis such a moving service," she whispered defensively. "I have never seen a more radiant bride
nor a more exuberant groom."

"They do look very pleased with themselves." He
cast her a mock frown. "As for the service, the vicar
is quite enthusiastic, yet I have always wondered,
what exactly is a troth?"

Charlotte smiled through the tears, just as he intended. The vicar gave the final blessing, again,
and they all bowed their heads and prayed. When
at last given the signal, Jonathan gathered his bride
in his arms and gave her a hard, passionate kiss,
pushing aside any lingering doubts Edward might
have about his decision to support his brother's
choice.

After kissing both of his brand-new sister-in-law's
cheeks, Edward pulled his brother into a rough
hug. "You have really done it this time."

Jonathan grinned sheepishly. "I have indeed, and
I must confess, I have never felt happier!"

The vicar led them to the back of the church
where they signed the register and the special marriage license. Edward and Charlotte insisted on
signing also, legally recording their participation as
witnesses.

With a sincere word of thanks, and a generous
contribution toward rebuilding the church steeple
that the recent fire had claimed, they took their
leave. Once they reached the church courtyard,
Edward and Jonathan started discussing the state of
the roads for travel and argued good-naturedly
over the best route.

"I know we must make haste to return, but can
we take a brief rest before we start our journey?"
Charlotte asked.

Edward opened his mouth to refuse, but caught
the look of longing in Charlotte's eyes. "It would be
wise to spare the horses for an hour," he decided.
"The Bull and Finch boasts a private parlor. We
shall make use of it before we brave the road."

When they arrived, there were a few men in the
taproom, but the inn was still uncrowded.

"I see ye found the church, sir," the innkeeper
said with a curious look when the four of them entered the tavern together.

"I did indeed," Edward replied. "I also discovered
my brother and new sister-in-law inside, just as I had
hoped. We do not have much time to spare, but I
will take you up on the offer of that private parlor,
if it is still available."

"It is, sir."

"Excellent. A bottle of champagne, please. The
best the house has to offer."

The private parlor was a pleasant surprise. A
square, well-sized room with a timbered ceiling and
a large fireplace, in which a cheerful fire crackled.
In the center of the room was a comfortable table
surrounded by six chairs. Jonathan and Evelyn
cozied together on two of them, but Edward followed Charlotte to the fire and held out his hands.

"It is a cold day," he said.

"You did the right thing, Edward," Charlotte remarked without looking at him. "I'm very proud of
you.

He smiled into the dancing flames. Her approval
meant a great deal. Especially since she might likely
be the only one to bestow it upon him. Even the
free-thinking Lord Reginald was expecting him to
somehow have prevented this marriage.

But gloomy thoughts had no place at this celebration. The champagne was uncorked and Edward
poured everyone a glass. He then held his goblet
aloft and extended his hand half across the table. "To
the beautiful Evelyn and my rascal brother, Jonathan.
Long life and great happiness to you both."

They all smiled, touched the rims of their glasses together and drank. Regrettably, there was no time
to savor the sparkling nectar. After a quick second
glass each, the bottle was empty and it was time to
depart. The women left to take care of their personal needs, leaving the brothers alone.

"I still think it might be better if Evelyn and I continue on our journey north and return to Farmin-
ton Manor after Christmas,"Jonathan said. "Maybe
sometime in the spring?"

"Oh, no," Edward replied, shaking his head
adamantly. "You are not going to abandon me to face
Mother alone. We stand united."

Finishing the last of his champagne with a long
swallow, Jonathan inquired, "Precisely how are we
going to break this news to her?"

"Leave that to me." Edward replied with a confidence he was far from feeling. "All you need do is
cuddle your new bride and keep your eyes on the
road home."

Driving the carriage down the road at such high
speed allowed little opportunity to speak with each
other, though Charlotte felt too mired in her own
thoughts to engage in conversation. She suspected
that Edward felt the same.

Who would have ever believed that she, Charlotte
Aldridge, would feel such envy toward the former
Evelyn Montgomery? Witnessing Evelyn's unselfish
devotion to Jonathan and seeing the love he held
for his bride had starkly emphasized what was missing from Charlotte's relationship with Edward.

Love. Edward cared for her, desired her, even
liked her, but did he love her? Did she love him?
She thought she might, but she was reticent, restrained, at times even fearful toward him. She admitted there was a part of herself she held back and
she sensed that Edward did the same.

His love, she realized, was what she truly wanted
more than anything and she honestly feared she
might never get it. Because she did not know how
to love him unconditionally in return.

They took a direct route back to the manor, with
Edward leading the way. Charlotte could not help
but notice the earl turning around continually,
checking to make sure Jonathan and Evelyn were
indeed behind them.

They made good time on the road and as prearranged, the two carriages met near a cluster of
trees before entering the estate's drive. The afternoon hour was late, but they all held on to the
hope that Lord Reginald had somehow been successful in keeping the truth of their absence a
secret from the houseguests, the staff and most importantly, the countess.

"'Tis better if Evelyn and I walk from here," Charlotte said as she climbed down from the carriage.
"If we are seen, we can say that I was feeling better
and we decided to take some fresh air."

"A good plan." Edward nodded approvingly.

Charlotte walked to Jonathan's carriage and relayed the message.

"Evelyn will be with you in a moment,"Jonathan
said.

Though she had not meant to eavesdrop, Charlotte could hear their conversation, with Evelyn
trying to disguise the nervousness and apprehension in her voice; Jonathan, calm and in control, assured her that all would be well and that no matter
what happened, they would be together as husband
and wife for the rest of their lives.

It was eerily quiet after the carriages had driven
away. The women exchanged slight smiles and
started down the drive. They had walked no more
than a few feet when Charlotte heard a familiar bark.
She barely had time to brace herself as a scruffy fur ball launched itself toward them. But to her astonishment, the retriever sailed past her and nestled
against Evelyn with a doggy sigh of contentment.

"You know Ranger?" Charlotte asked.

"I do indeed," Evelyn answered as she bent her
head and nuzzled the dog. "We are old friends."

After receiving his due affection from Evelyn, the
dog happily trotted to Charlotte's side, tail wagging
enthusiastically. "A bit fickle, isn't he?" she said,
scratching behind the retriever's ears.

Evelyn laughed. "Nonsense. He is a superior
animal with excellent taste in women. That is why
he has decided he likes us both."

After a few more affectionate pats on the head,
Charlotte chased the dog off to the stables, fearing
his happy barks might draw attention to them. Fortunately, he followed her commands. She and
Evelyn took the longer route to the manor house,
taking care to keep close to the boxwood hedges
that sheltered them from view of the lower level
windows.

Thanks to the Christmas Eve ball, the servants
were much too busy and harried to be lurking
about the hallways. The women were able to gain
access through a little-used side entrance and reach
Charlotte's room without being seen. Removing
the key from her pocket, Charlotte unlocked the
door. As she pushed it open, Evelyn grabbed her
arm and pointed to the floor.

It was then that Charlotte noticed a covered tray
of food had been left outside her chamber. Bless
Grandpapa! He had no doubt instructed the servants to leave it there, instead of knocking and entering her chamber, so as not to disturb her rest and recovery. An excellent touch to keep their
story believable and a practical way to supply her
and Evelyn with some much-needed nourishment.

Snatching up the tray, Charlotte and Evelyn scurried into the chamber, both women nearly bursting
with excitement. There was soup, now ice-cold,
toast, cheese, fruit, slices of cold meat and mince
pie. Forgoing the soup, Charlotte divided the rest
of the meal into two equal portions, insisting that a
very jittery Evelyn eat her share.

After they finished eating, they tried to rest, but
each had too much nervous energy to fall asleep.

"Did Jonathan say anything about how he was
going to tell the countess of your marriage?" Charlotte asked.

"No." Evelyn bit her lip. "I only pray I do not disgrace myself utterly. I am unsure how steady I will
remain under the censure of her glare. I know for
certainty my heart will freeze and the blood will
drain from my face the moment she denounces our
union.

"My greatest fear is that I shall faint and then
everyone will assume I am in an interesting condition and thus our marriage was a necessity to save
our unborn child from being labeled a bastard."

"Goodness, I never knew what an active imagination you have, Miss Montgomery. Or rather, Mrs.
Barringer."

Evelyn blushed. "It was a long carriage ride. I had
too much time to think about my reception."

"The countess has always held you in high regard.
She might surprise you and be pleased about the
match. "

"You are being much too kind. Once she hears the truth, the countess will most likely want to draw
out a pistol and shoot me. Not only in anger, but to
save the family the scandal of a divorce."

Charlotte, who was sitting at her dressing table
playing with the bottles of fragrant creams and perfumes, nearly dropped the bottle of scent she was
holding. "Shoot you?"

Evelyn shrugged, but Charlotte could see her
mouth begin to twitch. The image of the countess,
so stiff, so proper, so elegant, holding a pistol in the
middle of the ballroom was too ludicrous to contemplate. Charlotte began to giggle.

"That is not supposed to be-funny, " Evelyn said,
trying to choke back her own mirth.

Charlotte's giggles turned to gales of laughter.
"Well, it is a sure sign we have lost all sense of
reason because we both think it is hilarious." She
took several rapid breaths and tried to shake off the
lingering chuckles. "Come, let's find something
spectacular for you to wear tonight."

Charlotte pulled open the door to her wardrobe
and began riffling through the many ball gowns. Refusing to listen to any of Evelyn's protests, Charlotte
insisted Evelyn try on several before deciding which
one she wanted. Fortunately, the gown Evelyn selected needed only minor alterations at the hem
and bodice, which Evelyn easily completed.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Charlotte rang
for her maid. Jones entered the bedchamber cautiously, almost timidly, making Charlotte wonder
how dire Grandpapa had made her fake illness
sound.

"I am feeling much better. Thank you, Jones,"
Charlotte said when the maid had finally stepped completely inside the chamber. "Miss Montgomery
has kindly offered to help me dress for tonight's
ball, but I should like you to arrange my hair."

"Yes, Miss Charlotte."

"And when you are finished, I want you to fix
Miss Montgomery's hair also."

Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no, that
is hardly necessary. Thank you, but-"

"I insist," Charlotte interrupted. `Jones is an artist
when it comes to hairstyles and I'm sure she would
enjoy the challenge of dressing your beautiful dark
locks."

The maid nodded her head eagerly. "I'd be happy
to arrange your hair," Jones replied with a friendly
smile. "Truly."

After a leisurely wash and several hours of primping, it was time to make an appearance.

"Are you ready?" Charlotte asked.

Evelyn nodded.

"Come, we shall walk down together."

Evelyn reached for something on the dresser that
a servant had delivered earlier and Charlotte saw it
was a nosegay of beautiful white and red rosebuds
mixed with holly sprigs. It was tied with red and
gold ribbon, set upon a circle of white Belgian lace.

"A gift from Jonathan?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes. There was no time for a bouquet at the
church. How thoughtful of him to get me one now."

"It is lovely."

Evelyn nodded, her eyes shining with tears. "I feel
as though I have done him a terrible disservice by
agreeing to be his wife. The countess will be furious, and no doubt only the first to disapprove.
Jonathan deserves better."