Two Beaux and a Promise Collection (17 page)

Edith caught Charles’s eye, silently pleading with him to do something. He tugged his ear, then pulled Giles aside when the others headed for the path that twisted through the woods to the manor. It skirted the dense thickets that crowned the low cliff formed when the stream had cut into the hillside.

“Let everyone get ahead of us,” murmured Edith as Diana’s fists clenched. “This is your chance. You and Giles must talk honestly. Tonight. Share your truths, then listen to his. Only then can you decide what to do.”

Diana nodded. Her hand clutched at her bosom as if drawing strength from the amulet.

“Good. Stay in control. Hysterics will make it impossible to learn anything useful.”  She nodded toward the vicar, who remained outside the church. “Since you don’t want an audience, we will wait just beyond the first bend. When the men catch up, I will accompany Lord Charles to the house. Just make sure you and Giles return before we light the Yule log.”

“Thank you.”  Diana relaxed, giving Edith hope that she would approach the coming scene calmly. Now all she could do was pray that Charles could draw some concession from Giles that would give this discussion a starting point.

* * * *

“You seem oddly subdued for a man approaching the altar,” said Charles as he and Merrimont left the church behind. With Edith waiting barely a hundred feet away, he didn’t have time for subtlety. “Problems?”

“Schechler is an ass. Jessup has betrayed me. Diana—”

“Schechler is no longer a problem. We reached an agreement this afternoon. You can look it over tomorrow.”  Charles had gained more concessions than he’d expected. He owed Edith for puncturing Schechler’s stubbornness, but in retrospect it was her effect on himself that had made the real difference. Now that he no longer feared that he was a fake, the wariness that had protected him from exposure was gone – which had turned their session into an exchange of ideas instead of a battle.

“Good work. Are you off, then?”

“I’ll stay for your wedding.”

“If there is a wedding.”

“Why wouldn’t there be?  Jessup is no loss – the man is weak, making him a useful tool for those who would harm you. You have better friends.”

Merrimont hesitated as the woods closed around them, blocking the moonlight. But perhaps the dark removed the barrier that had been holding his frustration in check, for he suddenly burst into speech. “But that’s the point. I trusted him!  I didn’t see his weakness or understand how it might affect me until he told me about Russell’s plot. Diana has been so odd lately that I fear she’s another I can’t trust.”

“Odd?”

“She’s a demanding shrew one minute and a spoiled brat the next. Hoyden. Flirt. Harpy. Wanton—”  He fisted his hands. “How am I supposed to live with her?  If I take her to London, she could destroy my reputation without a second thought. What did I do to deserve this?”

“She is young yet,” Charles reminded him.

“Young!  She is the veriest infant. I can’t believe I overlooked such faults. I need a wife, not a daughter. It is not my place to teach her how to go on in the world.”

“Her training is all that you could want,” said Charles firmly. “Miss Knolton is an exceptional teacher.”

“Which means nothing if the student refuses to learn.”  Merrimont slashed a shrub with his cane. “Can you imagine Diana at a diplomatic dinner?  Her pouting will make me a laughingstock. And demanding that all eyes remain on her insults every other lady in the room.”

“I can’t believe she will be that bad. Granted, this house party is making her frantic, but she should settle quite well once you are wed. She has too much pride to embarrass herself.”

“But what if she doesn’t settle?  What if she turns into another Lady Seaton?”

Charles had no response to that, for he could too easily imagine it. Lady Seaton was notorious for her liaisons – her husband had finally shut her in the country under guard until she produced an undeniably legitimate heir, then washed his hands of her, refusing even to share the same roof. But Merrimont was too sensitive to gossip to survive such a scandal.

“I was a fool to offer for her,” Merrimont continued sadly. “All she cares about is herself.”

Miss Russell let out a muffled shriek. Footsteps rushed away. Moments later her terrified scream slashed the night.

“Diana!” shouted Edith as the crack of breaking branches ended in a loud thud.

Merrimont shoved Charles aside and sped toward the ominous silence.

Charles followed to find Edith clinging to a tree. No one else was in sight. “What happened?”  He grabbed her shoulders to make her look at him.

“She fled his truth. By the time I remembered the cliff…”  She pointed to the edge, only ten feet away.

Merrimont’s voice slashed the forest. “Diana!  Wake up. Oh, God!  Wake up!  I need you, love.” 

Edith held Charles back when he would have followed. “Giles is with her. He’ll call if he needs help, but I doubt she’s dead. It can’t be more than six feet down, and the shrubbery broke her fall.” 

Words tumbled from Merrimont’s lips. Promises. Pleas. Vows of everlasting love. Eventually Miss Russell’s voice responded.

“Did she fake this?” demanded Charles.

“No. Call it Fate. Or perhaps your amulet is more powerful than you thought. Fleeing one truth has led her to another. We can let them settle this themselves. Finally.”  She turned toward the path and stumbled.

“Are you all right?”  He pulled her against his side.

“Of course. Why?”

“You also screamed.”

“What did you expect?  When she disappeared over the edge…  That cliff is a dozen feet high in places, with jagged rocks along the base. It took me a moment to recognize where we were.”

“I see. Stay,” he added when she picked up speed.

“Why?”

“My heart hasn’t quite settled. Nor has yours,” he added, feeling her tremors.

“I will be fine, my lord. And I should be there to cover Diana’s absence.”

“They will think you are with her. Are you afraid to stand in the dark with me?”

“Should I be?”

He wished he could see her expression, but no light penetrated the shadows beneath the trees. If that tremor meant what he hoped it did… 

He wanted to wait until he was sure, but perhaps he should trust his judgment one more time, as he’d done with Schechler and Merrimont. It had been sound then…

He kissed her.

It was better than the first time. Much better.

“Charles?” she murmured as he nibbled her ear.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I need to.”

“Oh.”  Her hands moved under his coat, stroking his back as he pulled her closer. “Since you’ve been away from town for several days, I suppose you do.”

He scowled. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It isn’t?”

“I’m leading up to a marriage proposal. You deserve more out of life than parading chits through the Marriage Mart every year. Your family deserves more than struggling in a cottage.”

“I’m not a charity case, my lord.”  She tried to pull away. “Nor am I a convenient way to thwart your father’s matchmaking.”

He refused to let go. “That isn’t what I meant.”

“You are saying a lot you don’t mean tonight.”

“Damnation!”  He released her to drag his hands through his hair. “I’m making a thorough muck of this.”

“That you are.”  Her voice sounded suspiciously light.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“A bit. I’ve not seen you this flustered since Lady Beatrice’s drawing room.”

He kissed her again – thoroughly – then led her out of the woods so he could see her face. It didn’t improve his composure, for it was as impassive as the most accomplished diplomat’s. “Let me start over, Edith,” he said, laying his heart out for her to trample if she chose. “This has nothing to do with Inslip. I love you.”

“You’re serious!”  She stared.

“Very. I don’t believe in magic amulets, but I do believe in you. I need you, Edith.”

“But you could have anyone.”

“I want
you
. Is there any chance you want me too?”

“Of course, but—”

He stopped her protest in the best way possible – with another long kiss that nearly set the grounds on fire. “Satisfied?”

“Not entirely.”  When he raised his brows, she sighed. “Are you sure, Charles?  We’ve spent the day wrapped in the Christmas spirit and surrounded by good cheer, then finished with a scare. It is bound to affect your thinking.”

“No. You forced me to trust my judgment, and I’ve discovered that it’s as sound as you claim. It’s love I feel for you, Edith. Not lust. Not infatuation. Not Christmas spirit. Love is more powerful than any of those. And far more lasting. I’ve lived around people in love all my life. They’ve always described love as the ultimate magic, and now I know what they mean. This is right, as nothing was before. You are right – right for me. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her hand lifting to stroke his cheek in wonder.

He pulled her into another heady embrace, his desperation easing when she joined him wholeheartedly. He nearly wept when he had to end it.

“More,” she murmured huskily. “You stopped too soon.”

“The rest will have to wait. One month, love. Long enough to gather my family and yours. Then we will wed.”

Edith stared at him, speechless, still barely believing her ears. He loved her. He wanted to marry her. Her, a dissipated gamester’s penniless daughter who had worked as a companion and governess for eleven years.

“You haven’t said yes.”  His tongue flicked her nose.

“Yes.”  When he pulled her hard against him, she repeated it. “Yes, Charles. Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’ve had a disgusting
tendre
for you since the first time I saw you. That tumbled hopelessly into love yesterday. Stupid of me, or so I thought.”

He smiled. “Jacob was right. I think I’ve been in love with you since the day you ruined my favorite coat.”

“I thought I would die of embarrassment, though it was your own fault.”

“Mine?”  He turned toward the house, keeping one arm firmly around her.

“Yours. I’d no idea you would be making morning calls that day – it isn’t your habit. If you hadn’t been suddenly in front of me in all your blinding elegance, I would never have tripped. Then I was so flustered, I couldn’t get up again.”

He laughed. “That’s a story you can tell our grandchildren, love.”  Merrimont was embracing Diana under the kissing bough hanging from the portico, so he stopped, pulling Edith closer as he gazed up at the heavens. A falling star blazed a trail toward the Christmas star, its radiance adding to the joy bursting through his heart. “There’s the Christmas star, Edith. Can you feel its promise?  We belong together. Until the end of time.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, raising a hand to cup the star’s light. The night was so clear that it seemed to hover just beyond her fingertips. “It’s beautiful, Charles. And you’re right. Love
is
the ultimate magic. I’m yours. Forever.”

“As I’m yours.”  Merrimont still blocked the door, so he pulled her closer. “Let’s indulge in that magic one more time before we go inside.” 

His lips found hers and lingered…

PROMISES TO KEEP

Allison Lane

-1-

London was huge and full of people.

Maggie Adams stared at the crowds as her hired carriage rounded a corner. Even knowing that London was the largest city in the world had not prepared her for its immensity.

It had taken two hours to reach Mayfair from the docks, though they had crossed only a portion of the city. She had seen areas of unimagined squalor, streets so elegant that her breath caught, and more people than she could count. A market square had seemed to hold the entire population of Halifax, yet even more women had bustled along the next street than had huddled outside the mine after last spring’s disaster. Every corner they rounded revealed more – piemen vying for a workman’s custom, maids scurrying about on errands or flirting with handsome young footmen, horses jamming the intersections, delivery boys, shoppers, crones, pickpockets…

Never had she felt so insignificant – or so helpless. She’d already been turned away from every hotel Captain Harding considered suitable for ladies. What if the Grand Regent was also full? 

“I still think we should go to Adams House,” said Alice stoutly.

“No. I promised Father to heal the breach with his family, but he warned me to remain cautious. Arriving on their doorstep without warning will put me at a disadvantage. I must learn more about the family before making demands.”  To begin with, she must find out whether her grandfather was still alive. It had been twenty-eight years since her father had left home.

An altercation outside the window distracted her attention. Half a dozen men cheered on two youths, who were pummeling each other as they rolled about on the ground. A matron glared, then berated a gentleman collecting wagers on the outcome.

“You know how your father would feel about patronizing a second-rate hotel,” Alice said, returning to their ongoing argument.

“The clerk at the Clarendon swore that the Grand Regency is an excellent house.”

“The clerk at the Clarendon thought you a rustic colonial with little money and less consequence.”

Alice was right – not that she’d had any choice. Hiding her circumstances was another promise she’d made to her father. If she failed to heal this breach, she wanted no further contact with her English family. The only way to assure that was to hide her home and give them no incentive to look for her.

Yet dressing shabbily had been a serious mistake today. She had not understood how rigid the English were about class – far more than anyone at home. So at this hotel, her demeanor must convince the clerk that she was aristocratic despite her provincial gown.

The carriage pulled to a stop.

“It’s impressive enough,” conceded Alice as the door opened. Columns punctuated the facade, which overlooked a broad street divided by a tree-studded garden.

“Let’s hope they have room.”  Maggie accepted a footman’s hand down, but did not utter her usual thanks. She must radiate power.