When Two Rivers Meet (Regency Romance)

by Deborah M. Hathaway

  "The countryside is not so dull, I think."

  "Oh, but you must agree with me, Miss Crosgrove, you must. A life spent in the city has much more value to it."

  Lilyanna clenched her teeth, finishing a dance movement as she responded. "I am afraid I will always love the country more than the hectic life of the city, Mr. Quigley."

  "Well, I am sure I can change your mind. You must allow me to take you around the city and prove you wrong in your opinion."

  Lilyanna studied him for a moment before looking away, choosing to cease the pointless conversation, for she knew he would listen to her views no longer.

  The song ended none too soon, and Mr. Quigley escorted Lilyanna off the floor. She noted how boney he felt as they slowly approached her mother.

  "Mrs. Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said upon reaching the woman, "I have enjoyed my dance with your daughter tremendously, and I feel indebted to you for allowing me the privilege."

  Lilyanna watched as her mother fluttered a fan in front of her face.

  "Oh, I am only glad I have a daughter for you to dance with, Mr. Quigley."

  He smiled. "While I was enjoying my time with Miss Crosgrove, I was expressing my approval in her manner of dancing, and she informed me that you were the one to teach her."

  "Yes, that is correct," Mrs. Crosgrove said with a smile.

  "Well," Mr. Quigley sighed, "upon my honor, if your daughter moves so gracefully, I can only imagine what a fine dancer you must be."

  Again, Mrs. Crosgrove fluttered the fan in front of her face, and Lilyanna fought the urge to cringe.

  The two continued conversing with each other, but Lilyanna's attention wavered as her eyes explored the ballroom in the Upper Rooms.

  Shining sconces on the walls, large fireplaces, and sparkling, crystal chandeliers lit the high-ceilinged, grand room where hundreds of people paraded around in their finest attire, all trying to make an impression on one another.

  Lilyanna saw young ladies chatting with men, waving their fans flirtatiously in front of their figures, and watched as those same gentlemen smiled down upon the ladies, no doubt complimenting their behavior and accomplishments.

  "My dear Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, pulling her gaze back to his lanky figure, "do allow me the pleasure of being your partner again. I have promised myself to another young lady at the moment, even though I am sure she does not dance half so well as you, so I would love to end the evening on a much more positive note. That is, I should like a partner who keeps up with my high standard of dancing."

  Lilyanna nodded her head hesitantly after receiving a stern look from her mother, and the thin man bowed before nearly pouncing off with delight.

  "He is quite genteel, Lilyanna," Mrs. Crosgrove said as they watched the man disappear, "is he not?"

  "He is," Lilyanna agreed, "but I admit his conversation is not much enticing. Rather than producing anything original to say, he seems to compliment at every turn, me and all women alike."

  "That should be numbered among his assets," Mrs. Crosgrove said. "You know a man is interested when he compliments a young lady. After all, flattery is how we women feel loved."

  Before Lilyanna could open her mouth in protest, Mrs. Reynolds, one of Mrs. Crosgrove's closest friends, appeared at her side.

  "Good evening, ladies," Mrs. Reynolds said in her low, throaty voice. "Forgive me for noticing, but did I see Miss Crosgrove dancing with Mr. Quigley?"

  Lilyanna nearly rolled her eyes at Mrs. Reynolds. The woman was Bath's most recent, knowledgeable gossip, knowing everyone and everything about who was staying where and for how long. Her curly, gray hair sat in piles atop her head that was wrapped in a red, silk turban, and her brown eyes constantly scanned the crowd around them.

  "Yes, my Lilyanna certainly was dancing with him," Mrs. Crosgrove said. "Is he not quite the gentleman?"

  "Oh, yes, in every way possible, to be sure," Mrs. Reynolds agreed. "Look at the way he holds himself. So dignified. And his manner of dress is excellent, as well. He must have his clothes tailored in town, for nowhere else could create a stitch quite so perfect."

  Lilyanna's eyes moved to Mr. Quigley as the women continued their admiration of him from afar. He did have a friendly face and a ready smile, but his slender nature made Lilyanna, as thin as she was, feel as plump as Mrs. Sempill, the pastry shop owner's wife.

  I suppose I should give him a chance, she thought, for she knew him to be a gentleman, and, according to her mother, true gentlemen were very hard to come by.

  In the next moment, Lilyanna glanced to the left of the dancing crowd and noticed a tall, dark-haired man with his back facing her. His broad shoulders stretched a greater width than Lilyanna had seen amongst the recent onslaught of men in Bath, so she stared until he turned, revealing his profile.

  When the crowded room prevented her from getting a satisfying view, she tilted her head until the sea of people parted, finally allowing her a better look of the man.

  "Goodness," she breathed, ripping her eyes away from the handsome gentleman only for a moment to ensure no one had heard her embarrassing exclamation.

  Looking back at him between passing bodies, Lilyanna saw the stranger conversing with the small party around him. The faintest shadow of dark facial hair framed his strong jaw line and caused the architecture of his face to become even more prominent.

  The crowd suddenly thickened as the dance ended, and she craned her neck to catch another glimpse of the tall, strapping gentleman. However, she frowned as she lost sight of him, biting her lip after realizing how far she had moved away from her mother in order to see him.

  Shocked with her unladylike behavior, Lilyanna blushed, taking three steps forward to return to her mother's side, relieved her short absence had gone unnoticed.

  As the evening slowly progressed, Lilyanna accepted numerous dance invitations from various gentlemen, but none of them were quite so handsome as the broad-shouldered man she could not readily forget.

  The last song of the evening was eventually announced, and Mr. Quigley once again tracked her down, delivering an abundance of compliments for her and Mrs. Crosgrove until he led Lilyanna to the dance floor.

  The head couple danced down the set, but instead of watching them and the other pairs ahead of her, Lilyanna found herself so distracted Mr. Quigley had to inform her when their turn to move came.

  "Oh, I am sorry," she said, taking his hand.

  They weaved in and out of the other dancers, but Lilyanna only continued to look around in hopes of spotting the handsome man.

  However, when she finally did meet with a pair of dark brown eyes, she forgot about all else. The man's striking gaze remained on her, his face indescribably handsome, and though his brows pulled near in a fierce frown, his scowl seemed to lessen with each second they stood staring at one another.

  Lilyanna did not know how much time had passed before discovering her feet had stopped in their tracks. A young man dancing near bumped into her, causing her to lose her footing and trip on the hem of her dress.

  "I say, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, his eyes darting around to the other dancers, "are you all right?"

  "Oh, yes, thank you," Lilyanna stammered, straightening herself before looking around to see the handsome man had once again disappeared into the crowd. "I simply forgot which direction we were dancing."

  She attempted to carry on with Mr. Quigley, but as she saw his horrified gaze directed at her feet, she hesitated.

  Looking to the bottom of her gown, she felt her cheeks blush furiously to see that half the delicate lace trimming her dress had been torn off during her stumble.

  "Oh, dear," she muttered.

  She looked up to Mr. Quigley, unsure of what to do, but instead of finding him coming to her rescue, she saw him apologizing to the other dancers for the delay his partner had created.

  Her embarrassment flared even more, so she gathered up her dress, saying, "It seems as though I can no longer dance, Mr. Quigley. Pl
ease escort me back to my mother."

  She hardly waited for him to gather his wits before she nearly dragged him off the dance floor herself.

  The moment they moved away from the set, Mr. Quigley stopped. "If you will forgive me, Miss Crosgrove," he said, "I have only remembered, I have another matter to attend to."

  He bowed and, without waiting for a return curtsy, walked swiftly away.

  Lilyanna stood alone, watching Mr. Quigley briskly depart from her as she thought of the embarrassment she must have caused him.

  She remained where she stood, hesitating to appear before her mother in such a state. Eventually, she made her way to a remote corner of the room, and, after glancing around to ensure her privacy, she tugged gently at the torn lace of her gown.

  Much to her relief, the trimming tore clean off, and in once swift movement, she bundled it up, lifted the cushion of a nearby seat, and stuffed it underneath.

  As her eyes darted about the room to see if her actions had gone unnoticed, Lilyanna waited impatiently for the music to end, praying Mrs. Crosgrove would not notice her dress being an inch shorter than it had been half an hour prior.

  ***

  The cool night breeze welcomed Elijah's warmed face after he, Hazel, and Isaac exited the Upper Rooms and made their way from the teeming doors to where the carriages waited.

  "It turned out to be quite the lovely evening, did it not?" Hazel asked.

  Isaac nodded, agreeing, and even Elijah could not deny the night had turned out better than he had expected, no doubt the reason being for the glimpse he had managed to attain of the beautiful blonde just before the evening had run out.

  He had been completely captivated when the woman's blue eyes met his gaze, and her blond tendrils and blushing red cheeks only proved to enhance her beauty. As they stared at one another, he had felt his bored scowl slowly fade away to produce something akin to a smile upon his lips.

  He shook his head with amusement as he thought of how he had witnessed her stuffing her lace, which she had previously ripped from her dress, under the chair's cushion, then pop right back up as if she had not done a thing out of the ordinary. He had to admit, her actions proved to be quite a refreshing display after such an unexciting evening.

  "You are quite right," Isaac said. "Elijah's spirits did seem to improve toward the end."

  Elijah only smiled in response.

  "Yes, Mr. Godfrey," Hazel said. "Do tell us, brother, why that is. Did one of the pretty ladies manage to capture your attention?"

  Indeed, one has, he thought, though he knew Hazel hinted at one of the thirty or so women she had introduced to him throughout the evening, none of them including the only woman in the Upper Rooms he had actually desired to meet.

  Elijah's spirits had steadily decreased with each new female his sister had produced. Though each woman was kind and outwardly perfect, they all seemed to replicate one another, wearing the same flirtatious smile and flaunting the same bouncing-feathered hair and fluttering eyelashes, and he had grown tired of the evening rather quickly.

  To spare Hazel's feelings, however, Elijah simply said, "They were all fine women who seemed very kind."

  "You see?" Hazel said. "I was right. If only you would give them the opportunity, most young ladies would prove to be quite amiable creatures."

  Isaac nodded. "Very true, my dear."

  "Now, which of the young ladies did you take a liking to?"

  Elijah remained silent, only giving Hazel a reserved smile as they continued on their way.

  "All right, do not tell me then," Hazel said, letting out an aggravated sigh after his lack of response.

  Elijah fought the urge to laugh prior to his mind flitting back to the blond woman, and he found himself wondering who she was and when he would get the chance to see her again.

  Frowning, he realized where his thoughts had led him. He could not remember the last time he had wanted to see a woman more than once, and the thought shocked him back to reality.

  They reached the carriage, but before Isaac and Hazel made their way up the small steps, Elijah paused.

  "I think I will enjoy this pleasant night outside a little longer," he said. "I shall meet you back at your home, if you two would not mind."

  "Oh, but it is far too cold, Elijah," Hazel said. "Do come enjoy the shelter from the wind, at least."

  "Thank you," he responded, "but I shall be fine. After all, your home is not too far from here, and I shall enjoy stretching my legs for a moment in the cool air."

  "But—"

  "Now, now, Mrs. Godfrey," Isaac said, smiling as he patted Hazel's gloved hand. "Your brother is a grown man. Just because he has agreed to stay with us does not give us permission to treat him like a child."

  She scowled. "Oh, all right. After all, you did agree to attend the Assembly with us tonight. I suppose we can leave you to yourself for a moment."

  Elijah smiled. "Thank you."

  After nodding his departure, he walked the cobbled streets of Bath back to the Royal Crescent, all the while thinking on the woman he had stared at. She had stood out from all the rest, not only for her unmatched beauty, but also for the seemingly innocent look in her blue eyes, as if she had not let the cruel world taint her soul.

  His mind clouded, though, as he wondered if she had simply been putting on a ruse. Was she really as kind as she seemed, or was she as deceptive as he feared her, and all women, to be?

  He loosened his cravat and rubbed his neck as he heard Hazel's voice in his mind scolding him for not giving the female gender a chance. He knew he had seen genuine kindness in the woman's eyes, for she could not have falsified it so quickly after he had caught her off-guard with his staring.

  His mind's eye produced an image of her losing her footing during the dance, and he could not help but feel a bit guilty for having had some cause in her falter. He knew the trip must have humiliated her, and even though he had found it enlivening to see an imperfect female, he wished he could have been her partner to help relieve some of her embarrassment.

  As his shoes clicked against the cobblestones and echoed against the tall, tan buildings of the Circus, Elijah tried to force out the negative thoughts from his mind, replacing his doubts with images of the stranger's blushing cheeks and bright eyes.

  He smiled then, thinking of how he could continue teasing Hazel by not giving her further information on the woman who had managed to capture his attention.

  ***

  "Keep up, child," Mrs. Crosgrove called to Lilyanna as they moved from the various shops in Bath with Mrs. Reynolds.

  Lilyanna maintained her slow pace despite her mother's urgings, not wanting to hear the two women's gossip about the ladies of society. The early morning sun had managed to break through the clouds, and Lilyanna resisted the urge to remove her bonnet and let the light freckle her skin.

  She placed a gloved hand over her rumbling stomach, trying to dispel the discomfort she felt from having skipped her morning meal. Despite Lilyanna's constant attempts, Mrs. Crosgrove had declined her suggestion to pause for any amount of time for tea and biscuits. However, even her mother's swiftness could not stop Lilyanna from peering through shop windows to see sweets bundled in bright colored wrappings and pastries topped with sugar and fresh berries.

  It is probably better, she thought as her mouth watered, knowing she would be unable to control herself from devouring everything.

  She walked slowly past the shop, imagining herself eating the bright red berries so intently, she nearly collided with a gentleman wearing a dark, black coat.

  "Oh, do excuse—"

  Her words stuck in her throat, however, when she looked up to see broad shoulders, a crisp, white cravat, and a pair of familiar brown eyes right in front of her.

  She remained silent, her mouth slightly open as she examined every inch of the memorable stranger's face boasting even more handsome upon closer inspection. His dark brows hooded his eyes, and the small smile that curved across his lips made h
er heart leap within her chest.

  Moments continued ticking by until the gentleman stepped aside, tipping his black top hat and motioning with a smile for her to move forward.

  Giving him a smile, Lilyanna nodded her head, saying, "Thank you," before lifting her skirts and scuttling past him, being careful not to brush him with her elbow as she did so.

  She was not three steps away when she stole a glance back, only to find him still watching her from behind.

  Blushing, she smiled again and walked away in search of her mother and Mrs. Reynolds, forgetting all about her growling stomach as she focused on her attempt to hide the smile refusing to depart from her lips.

  As soon as the beautiful woman disappeared into the crowd, Elijah grinned, no longer restraining his pleasure. When he had first spotted her across the street, he had found himself closing the distance between them, hoping to catch a closer glimpse of her as she stared through a nearby shop window.

  His attempt had not disappointed as he achieved not only seeing her rosy cheeks and flawless complexion, but also her charming smile and bright eyes, and his stomach had flipped pleasantly to see her staring up at him.

  Elijah hastened his step as he moved back to the other side of the street and weaved in and out of the city's busy crowds, knowing Hazel and Isaac awaited his arrival at the Pump Rooms.

  He continued to think on his actions as he traveled, wondering what had come over him. Only days before, he had convinced himself he would not accept Hazel's request to return to society, and yet, there he was practically chasing a woman down the street.

  Still, as confused as he felt with his sudden change in behavior, he could not help but notice a spring in his step that had been missing for years. He certainly felt happier and more hopeful than ever before as his heart filled with a sense of pride, knowing the woman had seemed pleased to see him.

  He smiled as he thought of her stolen glance back at him, and soon, all confusion was replaced with images of the woman's shining smile and blond curls.

  Chapter Two