To Catch A Spinster (The Reluctant Bride Collection) (15 page)

She looked at her father and said quietly, “How do I know it will be a happily-ever-after?”

“You just have to believe. And be prepared to take some action to get it.”

The carriage ride was long and uncomfortable, but at last they arrived. Four boys ran out to greet them, yipping and hollering. Marcus helped her down from the carriage, her backside protesting profusely with every step.

“Ah, Olivia. Have you come to see my wife’s pride and joy?”

She smiled. “You know I have. They heard the cry in Scotland, I’m sure. A girl, a girl! Prudence has had her girl!”

Marcus laughed. “If you want anything from her, now is the time to ask. She has already told the boys they may have whatever they wish as a gift from their sister.”

“No more threats of Papa sleeping with his horses?”

“I believe I’m safe. For now.”

Olivia spied her mother behind him. She had arrived weeks earlier to help Prudence with her lying-in, and Olivia was not looking forward to hearing her mother’s thoughts on losing Mr. Jenkins.

But her mother merely looked at her, not saying a word, and went straight to her father, fussing over him and exclaiming how happy she was he had made it safely.

Olivia sighed in relief and instructed one of the boys to take her to Prudence.

She lay on the bed, her daughter asleep in the cradle of her arms. Prudence radiated joy, her eyes bright and shiny.

“Congratulations, Prue.”

“Isn’t she beautiful, Livvy? The most beautiful sight in the whole world.”

Olivia smiled and stroked the baby soft skin of her niece. “Far be it for me to contradict a deliriously happy mama.”

“Tell me she is beautiful, Olivia, or I shan’t let you hold her.”

“She is the most precious thing I have ever seen.”

Prudence grinned, relaxing her hold as Olivia took the baby.

“Have you thought of a name?”

“Nothing. I wouldn’t think of it while I was pregnant and now I can’t think of a single one. I’ve been calling her my little angel and the boys have taken it up.” Prudence looked at her sheepishly. “What do you think?”

“I think she will be the terror of the house if you name her that. She will boss her brothers around, get whatever she wants from her Papa, and be doted upon by her mama.”

Prue sighed happily. “I know. She’ll be the most spoiled little girl in the whole world.”

Olivia grinned down at her niece. “It doesn’t sound too bad a life, does it, Angel?”

“Mother is going to have a fit. I can hear her already,
What kind of name is that?
”

“I think I’d surprise her with it at the christening.”

They sat companionably, simply admiring the baby. Olivia stroked the wisps of her hair and marveled at the size of her fingernails.

Olivia said, “Mother’s not speaking to me.”

Prudence rolled her eyes. “Lucky you. I hear all day long about Mr. Jenkins and your rejection of him. Pray that she continues
punishing
you.”

Olivia snickered. “How long do you think it will last? Do I have until tomorrow, at least?”

Prudence shook her head. “If she makes it to dinner, I’ll eat a goat.”

They laughed until a tear slid down Olivia’s cheek.

She whispered, “I want this, Prue. I thought I had everything I wanted, but now... I feel empty. I feel like a great hole is missing in my life, in my heart.”

“Get him back.”

She shook her head. “Impossible. You don’t know what I did, what I said.”

“No, nor do I want to since it was probably unforgivable. You really need to learn to hold your temper.”

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you.”

“What I’ve found useful is to say I’m sorry. Grovel a bit.” She laughed. “Kissing usually loosens up an angry man.”

“Prue, how have you stayed married for so long? Why hasn’t he killed you yet?”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “He loves me, and I him. It’s really not so hard, Livvy. May I have my baby back so you can go win over your man?”

Olivia kissed the top of Angel’s head and handed her back to Prue.

“Don’t think so much, Olivia. Just go.”

S
he arrived back in London after another long carriage ride, dropping her trunk off at Mary’s and seizing Rufus’ curricle with hardly a hello. She raced to Nathaniel’s, arriving breathless and minus her hat. She vaulted from the coach and rang the bell repeatedly. The butler, in his shiny black loafers, answered the door with a curt, “Madam!”

“Could you please tell Mr. Jenkins that Miss Olivia Blakesley is here to see him. It is something of an emergency.”

“He is not at home, Miss.”

“Is he really not or did he just tell you to say that? I know he is mad at me, but I really must talk to him. I need to tell him what a toad I am.”

The butler stared at her expressionless. He looked behind him, then leaned toward her conspiratorially. “He has gone to the green.”

“Oh, thank you! I could kiss you!”

He reared back in alarm.

“But I won’t, of course not. Good day!”

She hopped back into the buggy, crying for the horses to GO!

The cook peeked out from behind the butler and nudged him. “You should have told her he was with that Miss Mayes. That’ll be a shocker.”

“I have no doubt Miss Blakesley can take Miss Mayes with one hand tied behind her back.”

“Ooh, would you like to make a little wager on that, sir?”

He looked at her in surprise. “Are you betting on Miss Mayes?”

“Course not. Just how long it’ll take Miss Blakesley to get rid of her.”

“Mmm.”

“Nathaniel!”

He turned in surprise to hear his name shouted across the green and stared in disbelief as Olivia came racing through on a curricle.

Miss Mayes peered toward the contraption. “Who is- Is that Miss Blakesley? What is she doing?”

Nathaniel shut his mouth quickly and tugged on his vest. “It appears she is trying to run over the pedestrians.”

Miss Mayes slipped her hand through Nathaniel’s elbow and chuckled. “It does appear that way. Ho, Miss Blakesley, where’s the fire?”

Olivia jumped from the rig, pausing when she saw Miss Mayes. “Are you still wearing that dreadful feather in your hair? Really, Nathaniel, could you not have picked a girl who at least didn’t walk around looking like a chicken?”

Miss Mayes screeched, “This is the highest fashion, I’ll have you know! And at least he picked someone who knew what fashion was!”

“He doesn’t even know what fashion is! He doesn’t care! Nor does he like opera, nor does he like balls and dancing. He did all that for me. And he definitely doesn’t like silly little girls who think life is about parties and dresses!”

“Oh, you think he would rather have someone who cared for naught but the stars? Who publishes in magazines? Mr. Jenkins is a gentleman, he would never want so low a wife.”

Nathaniel watched in amazement as they nearly came to blows. He held Miss Mayes firmly away from Olivia.

“Olivia! What has come over you?”

“You! Look what you’ve done to me! I was quiet before I met you. Content. Now I’m screaming like a fish wife at Miss Mayes, who I may not have been bosom buddies with but I never hated her. Nathaniel, what are you doing with her?”

“I’m attempting to live my life, Olivia.”

Her face crumpled. “But you love me. I am your life. And I was stupid and threw that away, like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t the most romantic and sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. Like you didn’t mean it, when I knew you did. When I knew you were the best man I had ever met. The only man I could ever love.”

She searched frantically for her handkerchief. Nathaniel handed her his and she buried her face in it. She wailed something into it.

Nathaniel watched her, his heart warming at the ridiculous sight of Olivia flustered and sobbing. “Olivia-”

“I’m a toad!” she cried. “I don’t deserve you. But I want you! I want to marry you, and live with you, and wake up with your leg crushing mine-”

Miss Mayes gasped.

“-and argue over who gets to read the paper first, and lock you in the bedroom so I can paint outside, and have little screaming babies who look exactly like you— except not the girls, I would prefer they take after me. Please, Nathaniel. I will be your perfect wife, please.”

“I rather think you will be.”

Both women looked at him and said, “What?”

“I think you will be the most perfect wife for me, Olivia.”

Miss Mayes looked between the two of them— Olivia in her ugly brown dress with buttons to her neck, her hair skewed, hat missing; Nathaniel, who watched her with obvious admiration.

“I think you both belong in Bedlam.”

Nathaniel drew her hand from his arm. “I apologize, Miss Mayes.”

She looked between them again. “No, I think this is probably for the best.”

She called to her maid, who had stayed well back from the commotion, and walked off— happy to have some very titillating gossip to share.

Olivia stepped closer, gazing into his eyes. “Do you really still want to marry me?”

“God help me, I do.”

She frowned. “Did you kiss her?”

“Of course not. She is a proper young lady.”

She smiled slowly— hope crowding out the panic, happiness warming the cold.

“I am not a proper young lady.”

He offered his arm. “Believe me, Olivia, I had noticed. Would you like to swing by the gazebo before we depart?”

She laughed and entwined her arm with his. “Indeed I would.”

N
athaniel climbed the curved wooden stairs, cooing at his crying daughter.

“We’ll find your mummy, little one. I’ll lay odds ten to one she’s up here painting her stars.”

He opened the door, the baby giving him away. Olivia turned, her face a picture of rapture. “Nathaniel, look! It’s a shower of falling stars. Look, Eloise!”

Nathaniel handed the baby to Olivia, watching as Eloise stopped crying and looked with rapture at the stars.

“Ungrateful child. I’m the one who built this tower.”

Olivia laughed. “She’ll thank you when she’s older.” She reached up and kissed him passionately. “I’ll thank you right now.”

“You can thank me tonight.”

“Nathaniel!”

He wrapped his arms around her, staring at the night sky. “I’m sorry the tower wasn’t finished until after Eloise was born, Livvy.” He squeezed her. “I was quite tired of sleeping outside in that chair.”

Olivia smiled. “I couldn’t have climbed the stairs anyway with that big belly.”

They watched together until the shower of stars faded, until Eloise began crying again. Olivia and Nathaniel looked at each other and shared a moment of complete togetherness.

She said loudly over the wails, “Thank you for teaching me the acts of seduction, Mr. Jenkins. And the art of love.”

Nathaniel kissed her tenderly, also speaking loudly. “It was my pleasure, Mrs. Jenkins. Entirely my pleasure.”

And they went downstairs, tossing ideas back and forth on how to silence the interminable screeching.

To Catch A Spinster
The Reluctant Bride Collection, Book One
Copyright © 2012 by Megan Bryce

[email protected]

To my husband-
because he makes my life,
and my books,
better