When Two Rivers Meet (Regency Romance)

by Deborah M. Hathaway

  Lilyanna tapped her foot beneath her gown. "Proceed, Mr. Quigley, or I am afraid I shall have no choice but to leave you and your news unheard."

  She felt a twinge of guilt for her unkindness toward him but quickly pushed it aside as she recalled the words he had spoken of her, as well as the way he had treated Elijah.

  "Well," Mr. Quigley began as he placed his hand on his chest, "you must know first how distressed I am to inform you that the focus of my story is a mutual friend of ours. And he has, in fact, been proven a most proficient liar."

  "A mutual friend?"

  "Indeed," Mr. Quigley said. "Mr. Bainbridge."

  Lilyanna's heart sunk at Elijah's name being spoken, but she remained silent.

  "You see, the other night, after the concert," Mr. Quigley continued, "while I was cruelly parted from your family, I was approached by a young woman who asked for a certain gentleman's name. As I confirmed said gentleman to be Mr. Bainbridge, the young woman's face contorted into an awful scowl." Mr. Quigley paused, smiling gently at Lilyanna. "She did not possess a beauty equal to yours, Miss Crosgrove."

  Lilyanna ignored his comment. "And what did this woman say about Mr. Bainbridge?"

  Mr. Quigley continued. "I asked her what grounds she had for producing such a scowl, and that is when she told me the worst of it. It appears that this young woman's cousin, a Miss Billings, if I remember correctly, had once been engaged to Mr. Bainbridge."

  Lilyanna's heart plummeted to the ground, and her knees trembled. Engaged? she thought. Mr. Bainbridge?

  Mr. Quigley continued before she could further process his words. "Apparently, Mr. Bainbridge and Miss Billings had been introduced three years ago and had quickly become attached to one another, their engagement occurring soon after their meeting. However, Miss Billings was unaware at that point of Mr. Bainbridge's true nature, which is, now prepare yourself, my dear Miss Crosgrove, one of recklessness and cruelty."

  Lilyanna shook her head immediately. "You must have been misinformed, Mr. Quigley," she said, frowning.

  "I assure you, I have not, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said. "The young woman said before her cousin and Mr. Bainbridge married, the engagement was broken off by Mr. Billings, the father, for Miss Billings had finally received the courage to share the truth of Mr. Bainbridge's abusive nature which she had discovered soon after their engagement was announced."

  Again, Lilyanna shook her head.

  "I understand how hard this must be for you to hear this about someone you assumed to know, Miss Crosgrove," he said, reaching forth to hold her hand.

  She pulled away swiftly, however, before he had the chance to touch her again, and he frowned at her reaction.

  "You must know, Miss Crosgrove," he said, "I only share this grave news with you so you may cease contact with Mr. Bainbridge before he tarnishes your good name and reputation forever."

  All her worries ceased for a moment as she realized Mr. Quigley's true intent for telling her his story. Her eyes narrowed as she said, "I do not believe my name could ever be sullied by being acquainted with Mr. Bainbridge."

  "How can you say such a thing, Miss Crosgrove?" Mr. Quigley exclaimed. "If the rumors are to be true, and I am apt to believe they are, you will surely be frowned upon by being seen with him. I must insist upon you cutting off all association with him at once."

  Lilyanna's mouth gaped open at the man's audacity. "You must insist?" she said. "I must insist, Mr. Quigley, that you cease in spreading tales, for rumors are all that you have recounted to me today. If you have gone directly to Mr. Bainbridge, which I highly doubt you have," her suspicions were confirmed as Mr. Quigley averted his gaze, "your words may have held some credit. However, as you have not, I must ask you to cease in speaking about it."

  "He was engaged, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said, raising his chin.

  "That may be so," Lilyanna said, the thought causing her stomach to churn though she tried to hide it as best she could, "however, I shall not believe anything you tell me until I have heard it directly from the mouth of the gentleman we speak of. And you would be wise to not spread such rumors, for that is not the way of a gentleman, as I am sure you are aware."

  "You should know, Miss Crosgrove," Mr. Quigley said after a pause, his eyes half-hooded, his voice level and calm, "as a gentleman, it is my duty to protect a woman, as well as her good name. As such, I may be inclined to inform your mother of our conversation, that is, if you insist upon seeing Mr. Bainbridge further."

  Lilyanna looked at him, her eyes hardening with each moment that ticked by. "Do not threaten me, Mr. Quigley," she said, her words slow and firm. "I am old enough to have my own opinion and to make my own decisions. I certainly do not need a man the likes of you to tell me otherwise."

  She walked up Heatherhill's steps calmly until she reached the doors and paused, glancing over her shoulder. "You must leave Heatherhill immediately, Mr. Quigley," she said. "And please do not consider returning until you have managed to salvage what little manners you may have left."

  She walked through the doorway, closing it firmly behind her, and ran up the large stairs to her room, choosing to ignore the shouts she heard from her mother.

  As soon as she sat on her bed in the privacy of her own room, Lilyanna burst into unwanted tears. She knew Mr. Quigley's story held falsehoods, especially Elijah's supposed abusive nature, but what if he had truly been engaged? What had been the reason for the engagement to have broken off? And why had Elijah not spoken to her about it? Did he not feel her to be his confidant?

  Her mind swirled with a thousand questions, but the thought that held her attention foremost was if Elijah still had feelings for the woman.

  She felt the contents of her breakfast sitting like a dead weight in her stomach until they slowly rose up her throat. The idea of Elijah loving someone else, anyone else, besides her caused a heartache the likes Lilyanna had never before known, and she attempted to swallow the massive lump forming in her throat.

  She took a few deep breaths, trying to lessen the ache in her head, and wiped away a few fearful tears.

  Crying will not settle anything, she thought, determining in that moment to solve the problem a different way.

  She knew she needed to speak with Elijah directly, but her fears instantly enveloped her. If she even managed to summon the courage, how could she bring up such a sensitive and personal conversation without causing offense to the gentleman?

  Suddenly, an image of her mother's smiling façade appeared in the forefront of her mind, and she knew what had to be done. If she wanted a relationship with Elijah, something wholesome and lasting, she would have to be honest and truthful from the beginning.

  "Yes, I need to speak with Mr. Bainbridge," she said aloud, lacing her fingers together, "and the sooner the better."

  ***

  Days continued to pass, and still Lilyanna had not found the opportunity and courage to speak with Elijah until one morning, nearly a week later.

  She sat on a bench in Sydney Gardens under the shade of her parasol with Charlotte Rosebury and Muriel Vincent. Lilyanna found herself gazing off into the distance and was soon shocked to spot the Godfreys and Elijah himself walking on a pathway that stretched across the length of the gardens.

  Her heart raced, and before her fears could ground her any longer, she stood from the bench, saying, "Do excuse me, ladies. I shall return in a moment."

  "Would you like us to join you, Miss Crosgrove?" Charlotte asked.

  "No, indeed," Lilyanna said, maintaining her gaze on Elijah so as not to lose him. "I will not be long. Please, wait for me here."

  Without another word, Lilyanna departed, feeling her friends' gaze on her back, but she did not allow their certain surprise to slow her pace as she gathered her skirts in one hand and walked swiftly away.

  Within minutes, Lilyanna had traveled along the path she knew the family would inevitably arrive on, and she slowed her pace when she heard their footsteps approaching, trying to settle
her quick breathing.

  Isaac spotted her first as the three of them rounded the corner to come face-to-face with Lilyanna. "Miss Crosgrove," he said, "what a pleasure to see you."

  Lilyanna mustered up a quick smile. "Good day, Mr. Godfrey, Mrs. Godfrey," she said, nodding in their direction.

  "Are you here on your own, Miss Crosgrove?" Hazel asked. "Would you like to join us?"

  "Thank you for your kind offer, but my friends are just beyond the corner. I left them only for a moment to…" she trailed off as she moved her focus to Elijah who stood smiling at her. "Mr. Bainbridge," she began again with a slight quiver to her voice, "I wonder if I could speak with you for a moment."

  "Certainly," Elijah said, his brows raised in surprise as his smile faltered.

  "We will continue with our walk, brother," Hazel said. "Join up with us when you are finished. Do enjoy your day in this beautiful warm weather, Miss Crosgrove. I hope we may see you again soon."

  "And you," Lilyanna said, sending a grateful smile to the woman as she walked away with her husband.

  Lilyanna glanced around her before spotting a rarely traveled area of the gardens. "Would you mind if we spoke over there?" she asked.

  "Not at all."

  She crossed the short distance, hearing him follow closely behind her. When they reached the spot shaded by large elm trees, she faced him once again, spinning her white parasol nervously in her gloved hands and keeping her gaze anywhere but on Elijah.

  "You seem out of sorts, Miss Crosgrove," Elijah said, and she finally looked up to see a frown on his face. "Are you all right? Or is it about your father's departure? Perhaps your mother?"

  Lilyanna felt a warmth spread throughout her heart from his concern. "No, indeed," she said. "My mother is well, and my father has sent word that he is safely back in London."

  "That is good to hear."

  She nodded, taking a deep breath. "I only wished to speak with you about, well, something I have heard recently…concerning you."

  At once, she noticed his eyes cloud over, so she hurried on, blurting out as much as she could in a single breath. "I would like to begin by telling you I have not accepted any of these rumors as the truth, for I know you and your character to be only kind and agreeable."

  Elijah's stance and expression remained unchanged, so she simply carried on. "However, I feel like you ought to be the first to know of the rumors surrounding your name."

  "And what rumors are these?"

  Lilyanna nearly winced at his emotionless voice, but she replied honestly, keeping her eyes locked on his. "A woman who arrived in Bath recently spoke to Mr. Quigley…"

  She paused when Elijah looked away, noting the anger in his eyes at the mention of the man's name. "The woman informed Mr. Quigley of a relative of hers, Miss Billings, having once been engaged to you. She said the engagement was terminated by the father, because you were…now, I do not believe it," she said, clenching the handle of her parasol tighter, "but she has said you were…abusive toward her."

  She watched Elijah's unchanging expression until she finished her piece. "Again, I feel it important that you know I do not agree with the rumor at all, having already discovered the truth of your character and disposition for myself."

  As she stopped, Lilyanna felt her shoulders relaxing, relief filling her at having finished her story. However, her nerves returned as she watched Elijah, his eyes closing for a few moments until he focused again on Lilyanna.

  "Thank you for coming to me directly, Miss Crosgrove," he began, his eyes peering into her own, "for it reveals your common sense and kind nature to begin at the source in order to discover the truth which I will now tell you."

  "Mr. Bainbridge," Lilyanna quickly said, "it is not my business what is in your past and what is not, for it is the past. I do not claim any right to hear the truth from you, but as you have listened to me from the start of our friendship, I would like to offer the same courtesy to you. If you would rather not say a word, I shall not hold it against you, and I will be on my way."

  Elijah looked with sadness at the beautiful woman standing before him, her fingers clenching her white parasol so tightly he feared it might splinter in two.

  Regret filled him as he perused her serious expression, wishing he could turn back time so he might have had the opportunity to tell Lilyanna about his past before Mr. Quigley had done so.

  The thought of the weaseling man caused his blood to boil, but he pushed aside his anger, knowing it was his fault for not being forthright with Lilyanna from day one. He feared ignoring his past might have cost him a future with the only woman he had ever longed to spend it with.

  "I would like for you to hear my version of the story," Elijah said, knowing he owed the woman an explanation, if only for her belief in his good character, "if you would be so kind as to linger here for another moment."

  "Of course, Mr. Bainbridge," Lilyanna said, and Elijah would have felt flattered in any other circumstance at her quick response.

  "I again thank you for coming to me first," he began, "as well as for your belief in me. I admit I do not deserve your good opinion, for had I been a gentleman, I should have told you this story from the beginning and not allowed another to tell it in my stead."

  He looked into her wide, innocent eyes and sighed.

  "Three years ago," he began, "I went to visit my aunt, my father's sister, in Suffolk. While there, I met Miss Norina Billings, and, because we were both very young at the time, I thought we had fallen in love."

  He noticed her blue-eyed gaze drop to the floor.

  "We became engaged after a matter of weeks. I thought I knew her better than anyone. However, I was proven wrong when, one day, I overheard her speaking cruelly to my mother, telling her if she ever wanted to see her son or future grandchildren after we were married, Miss Billings required money to be given to her and her family. She continued by criticizing my mother's behavior, telling her she was an embarrassment to the Bainbridge name and that if she truly cared for me, she would cease behaving in such a way.

  "Now, you see, although my mother is a bit unusual at times, she is a kind and gentle soul who would never speak ill of a soul. As she stood there receiving the brunt of Miss Billings's attacks, I could not bear it any longer. I revealed myself to Miss Billings, confronted her, and told her if we were to be married, she must never speak to anyone, especially a member of my family, in that way again. I regret the fact of raising my voice to an unkind level, but I did not touch her."

  He spoke firmly, enunciating each word. Lilyanna instantly nodded her understanding, and he felt relieved once he saw the belief in her eyes.

  "After I lost my temper, Miss Billings went to her father, claiming I had physically harmed her by pushing her to the ground in anger. Mr. Billings soon approached me, challenging me to a duel, but my father and I were fortunately able to calm him down, agreeing it would be best for us all to end the understanding between Miss Billings and myself."

  He paused as he picked a leaf off a nearby bush, examining it before letting it flutter to the ground. "I would soon discover the broken engagement to cause me much grief, but not in the way one might expect, for Miss Billings, in order to save her own reputation, had spread rumors about my supposed actions toward her. And when others heard, they believed her words over mine.

  "Still, after discovering her true character, being parted from her brought me great joy, for I think often of what my life would be like had I actually gone through with the marriage."

  He paused, looking to Lilyanna in an attempt to discover what she thought, but her eyes were still lowered to the grass beneath them.

  "So you see, Miss Crosgrove," he continued soberly, "what Mr. Quigley told you was, in part, true. And as for Miss Billings's cousin being in Bath, I saw her at the concert, though I did not remember who she was until you made mention of her."

  The finality in his story produced no comment from Lilyanna, so he picked at another leaf from the bush. "I do not exp
ect you to believe me, Miss Crosgrove, but I have spoken only the truth."

  Lilyanna nodded. "Do you…" she began quietly, "do you still have feelings for her? For Miss Billings?"

  Elijah firmly shook his head. "I do not love Miss Billings now, nor did I love her then. My aunt informed me of Miss Billings becoming engaged a mere month after our broken engagement, so I am certain she felt no love for me either."

  He paused, looking up at the blue sky through the elm branches. "Miss Billings proclaimed to be agreeable, so I confess to having had a certain fondness for her in the beginning. In my infatuated state, I had told myself I imagined her bad habits, however, even then, I believe I knew what she was capable of, though she did her best in trying to hide it."

  He watched Lilyanna ponder in silence, and he tried to give her time to process his words.

  "Miss Crosgrove," he said, being unable to wait any longer, and she looked slowly up at him, "I will not blame you if the rumors surrounding my name prevent us from seeing each other again. I could never ask you to tarnish your good reputation by being acquainted with a man such as I."

  He fought the urge to wince as Lilyanna opened her mouth to speak, a slight frown on her face.

  "Mr. Bainbridge," she began, "I would certainly be very—"

  "Miss Crosgrove?"

  They heard a woman's call for Lilyanna beyond the tree's limbs they stood under and both looked in that direction.

  "Miss Crosgrove, where are you?"

  Elijah cursed their lack of privacy, disappointment flooding throughout him as Lilyanna looked up at him, her eyes filling with regret.

  "I am sorry," she began, "but I must return to my friends."

  Before Elijah even had the chance to nod, Lilyanna had darted away, and a scowl etched across his face. He knew she hurried away for fear of her friends catching her with a man such as he. She would, no doubt, despise the very notion of seeing him again.

  Turning his back to the woman, Elijah made to return to Hazel and Isaac, hoping with all his heart they would not press him for information upon seeing his sullen expression.