“I’m sure whatever it is can wait. Didn’t you promise Nina a tour of the gardens in the morning?”
“I don’t believe Nina will mind waiting a few minutes, would you, darling?”
Nina lowered her glass of orange juice and smiled. “Of course, it can wait.”
“The peonies, roses, and cornflowers are all beginning to bloom. It’s most spectacular with the morning dew on the buds, surely our talk can wait until after you tour it,” his sister said.
Elliot shook his head. “No. We’ll have our talk first, Meg.”
* * *
Forty-five minutes later, after Meg took an extraordinary amount of time eating her toast in an obvious attempt to avoid talking with Elliot, he and Meg entered the library.
This room, like the others, appeared transformed, with new navy damask curtains, along with a brightly colored Turkish rug. The bookcases that lined two of the walls were now in pristine condition, and across from the desk were two high-backed chairs upholstered with the same fabric as the curtains.
Elliot tried not to grind his teeth as he motioned for Meg to be seated in one of the new chairs. He walked around the desk and braced his palms on the surface. “It appears you have some explaining to do.”
“I’ll explain, but only if you sit and stop glaring at me.”
Releasing a long breath, Elliot lowered himself into the chair. “Is this better?”
“A little, but you are still scowling.” Meg folded her arms over her chest.
He briefly closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “Stop stalling, Meg. Tell me how you have paid for all these improvements.”
“Promise me you won’t get mad.”
“Meg, what have you done?”
The way she nibbled on her lower lip made Elliot even more anxious. Maybe his jest about her becoming a highway robber wasn’t too far off.
As if gathering her courage, Meg drew in a slow breath. “I’ve sold Swan Cottage.”
“What?” He shot up from the chair and raked his hands through his hair. “I don’t understand how that is possible. How could you sell it? You’re seventeen and not to take possession until you are twenty-four or married.”
“Well, it took some finagling.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I forged your signature on several letters and documents.”
Damnation. So his sister was not a highway robber, but a forger. And there was nothing he could do about it without exposing her illegal actions. “My God, Meg! What possessed you?”
She pointed around the library. “This house has been a weight around your neck since you inherited it. It’s dragging you down. Papa left the cottage to you. Most men would have sold it to pay for the repairs at their entailed properties, but you are so full of guilt over what happened to me, you wanted me to have Swan Cottage.”
“I told you it was yours because I wanted it to be part of your dowry.”
“I do not know how many times I need to tell you: I am not getting married.” She drew in a shaky breath.
It took him less than five seconds to make his way around the massive desk. He crouched before her and took her hands in his. “Don’t cry, Meg.”
“I have worked so hard to make this a home you would be honored to call yours. Can’t you be proud of me?”
“I am proud. Exceedingly. You have transformed Ralston House.” Mr. McWilliams was right. Meg just wanted to prove her worth and capabilities. She was lovely, kind, resourceful, and so much more. It appeared she was also a competent forger of documents.
“You are?”
“Yes, but I’m shocked as well. You have always loved Swan Cottage.”
“But I love you more.” She sniffled. “Elliot, you should not have told me I could have Swan Cottage. You need to let go of your guilt. I have never blamed you for what happened. You need to forgive yourself.”
He didn’t believe he would ever forgive himself, especially if Meg spent her life hidden away in this house.
“Have you ever thought that my love for you is the reason I wanted you to have the cottage?” He pulled her to her feet, embraced her, and drew a hand over her back.
“I got an exceptionally good price for Swan Cottage,” she said.
“How much did you get?”
She walked over to the bookcases, removed a thick lexicon bound in blue leather, and handed him the document that was folded inside.
Good Lord, he’d not thought the property worth so much. “That’s an impressive amount. How much do you have left?”
“Not very much, but wait until you walk around Ralston House. You will be amazed at the repairs.”
* * *
As Nina and Elliot walked through the garden at Ralston House, Elliot entwined his fingers with his wife’s.
“The gardens are enchanting, Elliot. I cannot believe that you and Mr. McWilliams are responsible for them. You should feel extremely proud.”
After Mr. McWilliams’s guidance and both of their back-breaking work planting flowers, the gardens appeared quite presentable. Even picturesque. Bright bursts of color abounded nearly everywhere the eye looked. Yet, Elliot’s mind kept going back to what Meg had done. That she had given up Swan Cottage.
“Elliot?” Nina stopped and set her free hand on his upper arm. “You seem distracted. What is the matter?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about Meg.”
“Will you tell me what happened? How was she injured? I know it has something to do with you. I see regret in your eyes every time you talk to me about her.” She squeezed his hand.
How astute his wife was. What would she think of him after he admitted what happened? Elliot glanced over her shoulder and stared blindly into the distance before returning his gaze to Nina.
“My parents were not suited to each other.” He gave a humorless laugh. “That’s a bloody understatement. They fought constantly, but the summer before I was to go away to university, they tried to reconcile. It was a disaster. They argued nonstop and realized their marriage would never work. Each blamed the other, and they had a vicious row. My mother was screaming, as was my father. I needed to get out of the house, so I took my grouse-hunting rifle and marched out to the woods. I was so furious over the constant fighting. I just wanted to blow off some steam. I was shooting at three fallen tree trunks. One to my left, two to my right. All I remember is turning to shoot at the trunk to my left. My finger pulled on the trigger, and then I saw Meg, but it was too late. She was right in front of the trunk.” Elliot roughly raked his fingers through his hair. “The bullet hit her leg. Good God, there was so much blood, I thought she was going to die. By the time I ran back to the house, carrying her in my arms, her face was as white as a bleached piece of paper.”
“It was an accident, Elliot.” Nina stepped up to him.
He had thought he would see repulsion in her face, but Nina set her head against his chest and wrapped her hands around his waist.
“Yes, but if I hadn’t been so angry, I would have heard her. I should have heard her, yet all I heard in my head was my parents fighting.”
“But she lived.”
“Yes, but I fear her limp makes her feel like an outcast, and no matter what I say to her, I cannot get her to understand how lovely she is. Meg’s limp doesn’t define her, but I believe she is self-conscious and cannot see past it. So, neither can I.”
“But I see the way she smiles at you. I do not think she blames you.”
“Maybe not, but I fear she will be content to hide away in this house.”
Nina pulled back and held his gaze. “There is not much time left to the school term. Why don’t we have her return to London with us?”
“I doubt she will go.”
“It will all work out, darling. Trust me.”
The confidence in Nina’s face lightened his mood. He had a feeling Nina could do anything she set her mind to.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The following day after luncheon, Meg and Nina unpacked the crates of b
ooks they’d brought from London, intent on organizing them in the massive floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the library at Ralston House.
“How about if we place all the fiction books on this wall?” Meg removed several thick tomes from a crate.
“That’s a wonderful idea. Then we can place the horticultural, reference, and other works here.” Nina pointed to the other wall of shelves.
“Yes, that’s what I’d thought.” Meg smiled.
Nina had thought she would never have a sister-in-law that she would like as much as Caroline, but she enjoyed spending time with Meg just as much. Last night, Elliot, Meg, and she had played cards well into the evening. Both Elliot and his sister had finally relaxed and enjoyed themselves after a tense day between the siblings.
Since her conversation with Elliot yesterday, Nina had been spinning ideas in her head as to how to get Meg to return to school, but with the term nearly over, she decided to settle her energy on getting her sister-in-law to return to London with them, and she had an idea of how she might accomplish such a goal. It centered around the fact that Meg had done a remarkable job decorating Ralston House. The girl possessed an extraordinary eye for design. Perhaps if she asked Meg to help her decorate the London town house, that would convince her to return with them.
The sound of someone entering the library pulled Nina from her thoughts. Elliot strode into the room carrying another crate of books. He wore a white cotton shirt and rough woolen trousers. The shirt’s top buttons were unfastened and the sleeves rolled up, exposing his strong forearms. She presumed that while they sorted the books in the library, he intended to join Mr. McWilliams and work in the garden. He’d spent quite a few hours there yesterday, causing his skin to turn a darker sun-kissed shade.
“This is the last crate.” His gaze locked with hers, and a broad smile tilted his sensual mouth.
That mouth had done wicked things to the place between her legs last night until her body had pulsed with pleasure. She felt her cheeks warm at the memory.
As if reading her thoughts, his smile broadened, and he winked.
At times, it was difficult for her to comprehend they were married. That London’s most confirmed bachelor had chosen her as his wife, and that she had tossed all her doubts about him away. She loved him, and unlike Avalon, she truly believed Elliot loved her as well, leaving her feeling more content than she could ever recall.
Elliot set the crate down and wrapped an arm about her waist, pulling the side of her body tightly to his. “You’re both doing a bang-up job. This looks wonderful.”
“All credit goes to Meg. She has a keen eye for design.”
“She does,” Elliot said.
Nina could see the pleasure on Meg’s face over the compliment.
Elliot gave Nina a quick kiss. “I’m off to help Mr. McWilliams with the transplanting of several bushes.”
An image of Elliot working in the garden appeared in her mind. Yesterday, she’d attempted to read a book while sitting on a garden bench close to where he worked, but the sight of his muscles bunching and flexing had caused her to spend more time watching him than reading. Who knew observing her husband working in the garden could be such an aphrodisiac?
Elliot strode out of the room.
A broad grin spread across Meg’s face. “My brother is completely smitten with you. I do not think I’ve ever seen him so content.”
Meg’s words sent a pleasant sensation of warmth through Nina’s body. “Really?”
“Yes. It’s nice to see him so carefree. He’s been so worried lately about . . .” Meg bit her lip as if about to say something she wasn’t sure she should reveal.
“What has he been worried about?”
“Things.” Meg busied herself with placing several more books on the shelves.
Nina knew one of those things was that Meg had left school and was determined to hide away at Ralston House. “Meg, I was wondering if, when Elliot and I return to London, you would accompany us. You are immensely talented when it comes to design, and I could dearly use your help.”
As if nervous, Meg rubbed her palms over the skirt of her dress. “I’m sure you could do it on your own or ask your sister-in-law Caroline for her assistance.”
“I don’t have your keen eye, and Caroline is quite busy with her newspaper.” Nina smiled. “And though it is not public knowledge, I do not think Caroline would mind me telling you she is with child.”
“Oh, how wonderful.” Though Meg smiled, a forlorn and faraway look settled on her face as if she one day wished to become a mother but believed she would not.
The expression wrenched at Nina’s heart. One way or another, she was going to get her new sister-in-law to London. As if completely deflated over the prospect of decorating the London town house, Nina released a long sigh and slumped into a chair. “I’m positive I will not be able to do as good a job as you could do.” The statement wasn’t a lie.
Meg nibbled on the nail of her index finger. “Very well. I will help you decorate the town house.”
“You will? Oh, thank you!” Nina bounced up from the chair and gave Meg a hug. A wave of guilt flittered through her, but she tamped it down. She would not regret her performance. London would be good for Meg, and Elliot would be overjoyed when he learned his sister would return with them.
Meg rubbed a cloth over a dusty leather-bound book. “Elliot tells me you are not without your own talents. I hear you are an exceptional artist.”
“He said that?” His compliment pleased Nina.
“Yes, he told me your sketches are excellent and that your sister-in-law has hired you to be the illustrator for her newspaper after the current artist retires.”
“Yes, I will start in a few weeks.”
“How marvelous,” Meg said. “I’d like to have an occupation.”
“Did you learn anything that interested you at Mrs. Gibbs’s School?”
“At school, we were not encouraged to pursue an occupation. We are taught French, poetry, how to watercolor, do needlepoint, and dance. Though they told me I did not have to participate in the latter.”
A wave of anger drifted through Nina. No wonder Meg felt like an outcast. They had excluded her—made her feel she was not capable. Nina fought the urge to ball her fist. They would hire her a dancing instructor, or Elliot could teach her.
“Mrs. Gibbs told Elliot they taught geography, math, and astronomy. It was the latter that caused him to enroll me, since he knows I love stargazing, but we barely touched on those subjects.”
Perhaps it was good Meg hadn’t returned to such a school.
“But I did enjoy the other girls. Well, most of them. A couple of them were snotty.”
By “snotty,” Nina wondered if Meg meant they made comments about her limp. She thought of people like Amelia Hampton who seemed to elevate themselves by tearing others down. Poor Meg.
Wanting to say something to please the girl, Nina said, “After we return to London, we will go and visit the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Have you been there?”
“Elliot took me there a few years ago, but I would love to go again.”
“Then we shall make it a priority.”
Several minutes later, Meg pointed to a stack of books she’d placed on the corner of the desk. “These books are all reference guides.”
Nina picked them up and started placing them on the shelves. The last one was a copy of Debrett’s. “This is a recent addition.”
“Yes, I didn’t realize Elliot owned a copy. I found it on a table in the town house’s library.”
Her family had a copy at their country house, but it was quite old. Nina opened it up and flicked through, stopping when she reached the page with her family’s information. Her eyes settled on the ink mark that circled her name and the writing next to it.
As Nina stared at the comment, her heart skipped a beat, then pounded against her chest as if it might leap out.
“Is something wrong, Nina? You’ve lost all your color. Are yo
u feeling ill?” Meg strode over to her.
“No, but I need to talk to your brother.” Heart still racing, Nina snapped the book closed and felt the pinch of tears at the backs of her eyes.
“Are you sure you are fine?”
She nodded, even though her stomach clenched, making her want to cast up her accounts. She clasped the book to her chest and walked out of the library. Exiting through the French doors in the drawing room, she stepped onto the terrace. Once at its edge, she set a hand to her forehead to shadow her eyes from the sun and surveyed the gardens below.
A movement caught her attention, and she saw Elliot and Mr. McWilliams digging at the roots of several bushes. On legs a bit unsteady, she walked down the steps, then took the path to where they worked.
As she approached, Elliot glanced up and smiled.
“Might I have a word with you?” Her voice cracked.
“Of course.” The smile on his face faltered. He pushed the end of the shovel into the ground, tugged off his thick suede gloves, and tossed them onto a bench. “Is something the matter?”
* * *
The unshed tears turning Nina’ s eyes glassy caused worry to spring to life in Elliot. Good God, what had happened? Elliot took a step toward her.
She jerked back as if he had leprosy.
“Nina, love, you’re scaring me. What’s the matter?” A bead of sweat trailed down his back.
She handed him the book she’d been cradling to her chest.
“What’s this?” He glanced down at the title and frowned. “Debrett’s?”
“Yes, open it to my family’s page.”
As he did so, a sick sensation tightened his gut. He recognized the book as Talbot’s. The image of his friend writing something in it flashed in his memory. The knot in his gut twisted tighter as he flipped through the pages. A dull ache started stabbing at his temple. What the bloody hell had Talbot written? The air in his lungs locked as he glanced down at the page.
Elliot glanced up from the page to see a tear sliding down Nina’s check. The sight wrenched at his heart. The last thing in his life he wanted was to hurt her.
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