Kay Springsteen (18 page)
Authors: Something Like a Lady
Jon knew exactly how the poor lady felt.
Annabella stop
ped short and he bumped into her. If she noticed, she gave no indication. But she did raise her chin. When she spoke, her voice chilled the immediate surroundings.
“
Miss Mayfair. What a…
surprise
to find you here. Hovering near Vicar Hamilton.
”
Her tone su
ggested she was anything but surprised. Nor was she at all pleased.
Tossing her hair, Annabella sidestepped with the obvious intent of walking around the other woman.
Miss Mayfair fluttered her hands near her throat and moved to block the church door.
“
Whe
n Vicar Hamilton informed me of an unfortunate couple who required an… expedient marriage, I had no idea he referred to
you
.
”
She squinted one eye and subjected Annabella to speculative scrutiny. Her eyes lingered on Annabella
’
s middle and a knowing smile
played at the corners of her mouth.
Instant shame drove replenished heat into Jon
’
s face. He should never have hinted at the possibility of a child. Especially when there was none.
Annabella tensed. Her fingers curled into fists. Something in her demeanor warned Jon that if he put a stop to the lie at this juncture she
’
d hate him even more.
“
I
’
ll thank you to mind your tongue and your own concerns, Miss Mayfair,
”
said Annabella, striking a haughty tone.
The other girl drew her lips back into a sneer.
“
How fitting that you should show your true colors now… with your poor mother having gone to Bath for her health.
”
She clicked her tongue.
“
How such a dear sweet woman as her grace ever had such a Jezebel for a daughter—
”
Annabella placed her hands on her hips and tossed her head. Golden curls flew out and back, away from her face. She was no longer a victim. In fact, Jon had the distinct feeling she was about to launch an attack. He tensed. Would he need to restrain his bride before they were even wed?
“
Better a
Jezebel than to be someone
’
s unwanted Princess Caroline.
”
She gazed askance at Jon, imparting some unspoken message beseeching him to keep his silence.
“
At least I know my intended
wants
me.
He wants me at least as much as the good vicar does.
”
“
Oh!
”
Miss Mayfair clutched her chest and reeled backward.
“
You are truly evil.
”
Annabella smiled, cold and deadly.
“
I
’
m in good company. Besides, Gertrude, you should be happy about my marriage. Does that not leave the door wide open for you and Vicar Hamilton?
”
She dropped her arms, shaking her head.
“
What a shame
‘
twill be should you discover it was not, after all, my existence that kept his affections from you.
”
While Gertrude Mayfair stood by breathing heavily, Annabella stepped around her and reached for the door latch.
“
Wait! You can
’
t go in there like… like —
that
.
”
Apparently, Gertrude wasn
’
t quite ready to stop presenting difficulties.
“
Why, you haven
’
t even a proper head cover!
”
Eyes wide, Annabella lifted a hand to her head. A smug smile spread across her face, and a gleam of triumph entered her eyes.
“
So I do not. Thank you, Gertrude, for so kindly bringing that to my attention.
”
Jon knew when to admit defeat. And he wasn
’
t ready to do so. Grinning, more because he knew very well it would aggravate Annabella than anything else, Jon removed the pin from his cravat and slipped the tie from around his neck.
“
I believe this will qualify as a head covering.
”
He draped the strip of linen over her head with a wink.
Gaping at him, Annabella fingered one end of the cravat. He
’
d wager his dry boot she was wishing she
’
d grabbed the blasted thing and pitched it in the pool with the rest of his clothing.
“
There you are.
”
Hamilton appeared in the doorway, red-faced and somewhat out of breath.
“
Come, come. We must hurry. My father is waiting. He
’
s preparing the license and he will perform your ceremony. I shall be your second witness, along with Miss Mayfair.
”
Astonishing how easily enthusiasm over the wedding had replaced the vicar
’
s earlier forceful objections. And all it had taken was the promise of extra payment for his trouble. Rather like he
’
d just sold one of his parishioners, wasn
’
t it?
And what does that make you, since you made the purchase?
Jon slanted a look at Annabella. Had
that
always
been
the way of it for her
? A bought and sold life?
“
Do you have a ring?
”
Hamilton
paused with one hand on the heavy wooden door.
“
A ring is quite necessary, you know. For a bit of compensation, I can provide you with the brass ring from one of the window sashes in my home.
”
Jon
’
s skin crawled at the thought of anything from the good vicar accompanying Annabella into their marriage.
“
That won
’
t be necessary,
”
he said quickly, and slipped his gold signet from the last finger of his left hand.
“
Excellent,
”
murmured the vicar as he held open the door.
Annabella curled her fingers against her palm.
“
It
’
s too big.
”
Hamilton cleared his throat.
“
Er… sometimes a lady will wear the ring on a ribbon around her neck, Lady Annabella. To keep it safe and… near her… heart.
”
Annabella slumped.
“
Perfect. That
’
s…
”
She sighed.
“
Just p
erfect.
”
****
Frozen in the doorway, Annabella squinted into the dim church. Diffuse daylight seeped through the stained glass windows and fell in muted colors over the seats in the pew boxes.
Even the light is melancholy.
She lifted her foot to step forward but it wouldn
’
t go over the threshold. Her muscles cramped as she tried to force herself to move.
“
What is it now?
”
asked Seabrook in her ear.
“
Is the church not to your liking?
”
I can
’
t move. I can
’
t let this happen. I-I
’
m afraid.
The words flashed through her mind but seemed to get lost on the way to her tongue. She shook her head and reached out with a trembling hand to clutch the doorframe.
Seabrook sighed and placed his hand at the small of her back, applying gentle but inexorable pressure.
“
Come now. We
’
ll get this over with and you can plot the many ways you plan to torment me for the rest of our lives.
”
The rest of our lives. The rest. Of. Our. Lives.
Her breath caught but she found herself moving forward one
small agonizing step at a time. She might well have been walking to the gallows. She barely felt her feet striking the plank floor as she followed Gertrude and Vicar Hamilton up the aisle. For all his wide girth — and there was a lot of it — the vicar seemed to float on air, so graceful was his gait. And next to him, whispering and tittering, marched the ridiculous Miss Mayfair, wearing
a bulky
tweed traveling gown and
a
silly straw hat that had been adorned by grouse feathers. Many, many grouse feathers. T
he woman looked like she
’
d plucked half the wild birds in Haselmere and affixed their plumage to her hat.
Annabella
glanced up at the altar where the Right Reverend Seymour Hamilton waited to shackle her to the man who had ruined her.
It was the robe that did it. The round little toad standing at the front of the sanctuary wore a brown vestment that reached the floor and was tied in what she supposed was roughly the middle with a pale braided cord.
A giggle freed itself and she clapped her palm across her lips. Seabrook tightened his hold on her waist. Was he afraid she would bolt? Where on the good green earth would she bolt to? She
’
d managed to trap herself well and good.
They came to a stop in front of Reverend Hamilton, who smiled a knowing and indulgent smile even as his gaze slid briefly toward her middle. Annabella blinked back tears.
“
Please face one another and hold hands,
”
instructed the bishop.
Well, Mother, it really is a pity you are not here to see your only child wed. Not to the man of her dreams, but perhaps to one
you
might find suitable.
Annabella glanced down. Her gray dress, now mostly in tatters and still damp
had
at least
been
made respectable by the addition of Seabrook
’
s wet coat.
And in such wedding finery, too.
Annabella heard Reverend Hamilton
’
s voice croaking out the ceremony but paid no mind to what he said. If she kept her gaze on the floor, perhaps it would all go away. When the reverend stopped speaking, she glanced up to find three pairs of eyes on her, obviously expecting her to say something. Seabrook squeezed her hands lightly as if to prod her on.
“
Yes,
”
she forced out, praying she
’
d
given
the correct response.
“
You two are now wed,
”
intoned Reverend Hamilton,
beaming at them
.
“
What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.
”
Annabella glanced up at Seabrook. His face had gone pale, his arrogant smile had been replaced by a grim line. Was he regretting their marriage so soon?
Well, you
’
ve given him no reason to think
‘
twill be pleasurable.
Perhaps it wasn
’
t too late, pe
rhaps they could call it off. Annabella drew a breath.
His mouth tilted upward into a lopsided smile.
“
What, no kiss to seal the marriage?
”
The air left Annabella
’
s lungs in a whoosh of surprise. Fury rose up to replace her disquiet. She leaned forward as though to honor his request, stopping within an arm
’
s reach.
“
I
’
d sooner kiss Judas!
”
she hissed.
Gertrude gasped. Neither Hamilton showed any indication of having heard her. Annabella yanked on her hands but Seabrook held tight. Before she knew what he was up to, he
dipped
and pressed his lips to hers. It was over nearly before it started, the touch so brief she might have imagined it except for the lingering heat he left behind when he straightened and dropped her hands.
Seabrook turned to Vicar Hamilton.
“
I wonder if I might trouble you to borrow your carriage. I
’
ll have a man deliver it back to you later today.
”
“
Oh, er…
”
Hamilton hesitated
.
But after sharing a long look with his father, he sighed and nodded.
“
Of course, Lord Seabrook.
”