The School for Brides (38 page)
Read The School for Brides Online
Authors: Cheryl Ann Smith
“Oh, but it does,” Noelle insisted. “If not for you, Harold would have spied for Mother and then returned to his home. Your friendship and this school brought Margaret and him back together, to this happy end.”
Perhaps she
had
matched them in an indirect way. Margaret and Harold would, of course, face the displeasure of Lady Seymour. However, Eva knew that between the two of them, and with Noelle encouraging the match, the woman stood no chance of breaking them apart.
had
matched them in an indirect way. Margaret and Harold would, of course, face the displeasure of Lady Seymour. However, Eva knew that between the two of them, and with Noelle encouraging the match, the woman stood no chance of breaking them apart.
Their discussion was interrupted by Mister Middleton. He was in his late twenties, owned a textile mill, and had a quick and charming smile. “May I speak to you, Miss Black?”
The seriousness of his tone lifted her brows. She nodded.
“I would like to ask for Miss Pauline’s hand.” He turned to face Pauline, and she inclined her head as if to offer encouragement. “I have a sizable house outside London with a full staff, and my business is doing well.” He paused and darted another warm glance at Pauline. “I believe I can offer Miss Pauline a pleasing future.”
This part was Eva’s favorite. For whatever reason, the men always asked her permission to marry, though the women were old enough to do as they wished. She looked at Pauline, who pleaded with her hazel eyes.
“You have my permission, Mister Middleton.” He let out an ear-piercing whoop and ran back to Pauline. He pressed a kiss on her cheek, and they spoke in low, excited tones. Within the hour and at the close of the party, not only were Pauline and Margaret matched, but Rose had whittled down her choices to two men, who would come separately to tea the following day so she could speak with them in a more private setting. Chaperoned, of course.
Mister Reed had proposed to Yvette, and she had told him she needed time to consider his offer. Eva thought it smart. After all Yvette had gone through of late, it was good to take some time to decide if he was what she really wanted. Eva suspected that in the end, her answer would be yes. He was a good and kind man; an ideal match for Yvette.
Sophie walked over after good-byes were completed, and Harold gathered the men to lead them to the coaches. She’d received two offers, but her heart wasn’t in them. “I don’t know what to do, Miss Eva. This is the first time in my life I feel free. I’m not certain I want to wed.” Her expression was apologetic. “Are you disappointed in me?”
Eva took her hand. “Not in the least. My goal at this school is not to force anyone to wed, but to offer husbands as a choice. What you do from here forward is your decision.”
Sophie’s expression fell. Clearly, she was torn over what to do. She’d always lived under the rules of her lovers. Freedom came with responsibilities. “I have no skills except what you taught me.” The lines around her eyes and mouth deepened as she fretted. “What other choices do I have?”
Eva pondered her plight for a moment as the coaches pulled away from the town house. A solution came to mind.
“I need someone to oversee this household, to organize the books, and to help with planning the weddings. The courtesans tend to arrive unannounced, and I am not always here to take their information. I cannot pay you much, but you will receive your room and board as well.”
A slow smile lit Sophie’s face. “I accept, Miss Eva. Thank you.” She hurried off to join the other women, and Eva took time to collect her thoughts. The party had been a success.
Tomorrow the final agreements would be made between the women and their suitors. For now, only rest.
Noelle must have seen her squelch a yawn. Her sister took charge of the maids and began the task of directing the cleanup. Eva sent her a grateful smile and returned to the house.
On her way to the privacy of the parlor, a knock sounded on the front door. Eva opened the oak panel and found a footman, dressed in His Grace’s livery, standing on the stoop with a note in his hand. The large ducal coach was waiting in the street.
“I have a missive for Miss Black.”
Eva wanted to refuse delivery of the note and slam the door closed. However, she was both curious and a bit alarmed over what the envelope might contain. It had been almost a week since she’d left the duke under Harold’s care. She worried that Nicholas might have taken a turn and died, despite Harold’s assurances that he was mending well.
“I am she.” She took the note and tore it open.
Get in the coach, Eva. Please.
The note was simple and direct, just like Nicholas. He expected her to obey his wishes without question. This time, though, he did say please. It was a change from his usual barking out orders and expecting everyone around him to jump.
Eva tapped the note against her chin and pondered the plea. The footman stood politely and waited. Nicholas, His Grace; a flood of emotion washed over her as his handsome face filled her mind. She missed him dreadfully. The cowardly course would be to lock the door and be done with all this. But Eva was no coward. She wanted to see him one last time.
She wanted one last good-bye kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Two
E
va was alarmed when, instead of traveling to his town house, the coach sped out of London. She tried to get the attention of the driver, but the man appeared deaf to her pleas. Not desiring to jump from the coach and risk injury, she jerked off her itchy wig and spectacles and settled back against the leather squabs to stew.
va was alarmed when, instead of traveling to his town house, the coach sped out of London. She tried to get the attention of the driver, but the man appeared deaf to her pleas. Not desiring to jump from the coach and risk injury, she jerked off her itchy wig and spectacles and settled back against the leather squabs to stew.
If he thought kidnapping her would keep her from cutting him from her life, he was sorely mistaken. She’d made her decision, and wouldn’t change it because he bullied her to do so. Once he was in her sights, she planned to give him a set down that would set his ears ringing.
What seemed like hours had passed when the coach slowed to make a sharp right turn off the road. She looked out the window and saw a winding drive lined with trees and a perfectly cut lawn that spread as far as she could see.
There was a familiarity about the place, yet she was certain she’d never been here before. Then the recognizable spire atop Highland Abbey came into view over the treetops.
She gasped. Why would His Grace bring her to the place where he’d almost died? He couldn’t be so desperate to control her that he’d lock her in the same dark room where the mad lord had imprisoned Yvette. Or could he? He’d been vengeful before. Was it such a stretch to believe he could be so again?
Worry twisted through her as the coach drew to a halt before the abbey and the footman opened the door. She knew refusing to alight wouldn’t keep His Grace from having her dragged out. She accepted the young man’s assistance and warily climbed down.
In daylight, the abbey was magnificent; a stone and glass monolith that took her breath away. There wasn’t a hint of the evil hanging over the abbey that she’d felt the night of the rescue. Without the earl casting his malevolent shadow, she could appreciate the ancient building for the treasure it was.
“Don’t look so frightened, Eva.” The familiar voice spun her about. His Grace walked up the drive from the direction of an outbuilding. Aside from his white shirt, he wore all black, a savage figure befitting the backdrop of the carved stonework of the abbey.
His face, his frame, his confident arrogance sent shivers of need down her body and took her breath. She had to fight to hold on to her anger, when what she wanted was to drag him inside the coach and beg him to take liberties with her feverish body.
“Why have you brought me here, Your Grace?” she asked with forced disdain. Even with the narrow distance between them, she caught the light whiff of his scent on the breeze. It frolicked dangerously through her emotions. “I’m certain the earl’s heirs won’t appreciate our trespassing while they are in mourning. They have recently suffered a loss.”
He ignored her comment and hooked her arm under his. “Don’t worry, Eva love.” He grinned and led her toward the entrance and its large rounded doors. “All traces of the earl and his nest of rats have been removed, and the linen’s burned. There is no one here to protest our arrival.”
They were alone? “You understand there are witnesses to my kidnapping?” she asked tightly. “Eventually Harold and my sisters will worry and search for me. They are a determined lot. You won’t get away with keeping me captive for long.”
Nicholas stopped and stared. “You think this is about kidnapping you and forcing my will?” He chuckled, and his lids crinkled at the corners. “You are a delight, Miss Winfield.”
His humor rankled, and Eva’s anger rose. “I shouldn’t have gotten into the coach. I did so against my better judgment.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. His green eyes drew her in, and for a moment she lost herself in their depths. She was so aware of him, of his sensuous appeal. Images of his lips on her, his hands caressing her flesh, made her ache to pull him into a shadowed corner of the abbey and lift her skirts.
“I hope that by the close of this evening, you will not regret your decision to join me.” He led her inside.
She was struck by how different the abbey appeared in daylight and how the rays of sunlight spiraled through the stained glass windows in a wash of vibrant color that spilled over the walls and floor. It was like being inside a rainbow.
“It is so beautiful,” she breathed, awed. “I have never seen anything like this place.”
Nicholas followed the path of her eyes. “Noelle told me of your interest in the abbey.”
Eva tensed. It didn’t come as a surprise that Noelle was involved in this situation. She suspected the pair had shared secrets about her in an effort to get her before a priest. Her sister seemed to enjoy meddling where she shouldn’t.
“My sister needs to stay out of my affairs.”
“Was she mistaken?”
Looking up to the high ceilings and around the expansive space, Eva reluctantly shook her head. “I do love this abbey. I’m so relieved the mad earl can no longer stain its beauty with his vile presence.”
“Excellent,” Nicholas said, clearly satisfied by her admittance. He grinned. “I purchased it for you.”
The shock on her face brought his laughter. “You what?”
He stepped in front of her and took her hands. “It is my wedding gift to you, love. I offered the earl’s heir an outrageous sum he couldn’t refuse.”
The room warmed, and her legs wobbled. He’d purchased the abbey for her as a gift? Overwhelmed with both love and exasperation, she had nothing to say.
The man was incorrigible. No matter how many times she’d refused him, he wouldn’t give up. He wanted to marry her, to father their children, and to cherish her all the rest of her days. How could she not love him?
Her heart soared, and she touched the side of his beloved face. If only she had the freedom to accept his suit!
“I—” Her refusal was cut off by the sounds of footsteps above. She looked up and saw her mother and Nicholas’s mother on one of the balconies. The smiling pair looked down.
“There you are, Evangeline darling, we’ve been waiting for you,” Mother said, her eyes dancing. “You should see my room, it is very pink. His Grace gave me a very large bedroom with its own sitting room overlooking the garden. And there is plenty of space for grandchildren.”
The duchess nodded and winked at Eva. “Enough space for a full dozen babies and a huge nursery to hold them all.” She and Mother shared a knowing glance while Eva’s world took on a surreal quality. Mother and the duchess were here, together, planning for grandchildren?
She turned her eyes to Nicholas. “I don’t understand. I left Mother this morning in London.” She was painfully confused. Pressure pulsed at her temples.
Holding her hands firmly, Nicholas lowered himself to one knee and his face grew serious. “You have given up many things in your life to protect your mother from the ills of the outside world,” he said softly. “I knew the only way you would ever agree to marry me was if I found a way to assuage those fears.”
Eva’s throat tightened, and she blinked several times.
“I purchased this abbey for you as a refuge for Charlotte, so she can be cared for and secure, where the outside world cannot touch her. This will be our home, and when we visit London, we will stay at Collingwood House.” He paused. “What you decide to do with the Mayfair house is up to you. And don’t forget, Margaret and Harold are only a quarter of an hour away by coach.”
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