Jonathan rushed down the granite staircase. With luck, Avery and the stable master would have the carriage readied.
“Jonathan. Jonathan!” Mother called from the parlor.
He should have taken more care down the steps—but it wouldn’t have mattered. Mother could hear a name drop in another room.
She was sitting on a sofa, fanning herself. “Where are you off to?”
“I have planned a carriage ride around the city.”
She perked up. “With Phoebe Goodwynn, I hope.”
“No, mother. With Earl Maycott’s daughter, the Lady Bethany.”
She stood quickly, almost dropping her fan. “I dare say, that would be inadvisable. I have heard the rumors. She may have status, but her circumstance is most inappropriate.”
“It was you who insisted they attend the ball.”
“That was before I learned of her situation. If you are seen with her, there will be talk for days. It surely will ruin my reputation.”
Jonathan pretended to cough to keep from laughing. Her reputation? She could overcome anything with a simple dinner or glamorous ball. He knew talk was already circulating, and Bethany being seen with him would only help rather than hinder her. It was the least he could do. And if by chance, it hurt his reputation, he had no qualms about the lack of invitations he would receive.
“It is simply a carriage ride, Mother. Surely being seen with an Earl’s daughter will only heighten your reputation.” He bowed. “Good day to you, Mother.” Then he walked from the room.
“Jonathan. Jonathan!” He stopped, took a deep breath, and continued forward. This day he would not return when summoned. She could wait until nightfall to speak with him.
He pulled open the front door without waiting for the doorman. His anger ceased when he spotted Avery standing in front of the carriage door, hands clasped in front.
Avery gave a deep bow. “Good morrow.”
Jonathan ruffed his head. “Good morrow to you, Avery. Did you pack the blanket and beverages?”
Avery opened the carriage door and pointed. “Yes, sir.” A neatly folded blanket lay on the seat with a wicker basket on top.
Jonathan picked up Avery and set him inside the carriage. “You shall keep me company for the ride over. When we leave, you will need to sit on the back like a proper servant.”
He took his place across from the boy, latched the door and reached his hand out the window, slapping it twice. It jolted forward and found its pace. Avery sat stiffly until they reached the road, when he stuck his head out the window to watch as they drove through town.
Jonathan’s thoughts drifted to the previous night. The dance had created the desired effect. He had watched Bethany out of the corner of his eye, when he was not being pursued relentlessly. As man after man escorted her to the dance floor, he cringed. Not one in attendance was worthy of her attentions. He couldn’t fathom who was. He remembered the sparkle in her eye when he escorted her to the dance floor, and wondered if that sparkle had reappeared with a potential suitor.
The carriage stopped his thoughts. He stepped out, then assisted Avery. “Wait for us here. I will return soon. And when we go to the ocean, you can play in the water.”
“Yes, sir.” Avery lifted his chin and stood perfectly still.
Jonathan dashed up the path to the front door. A doorman opened it before he could knock.
The man gave a curt bow. “Lord Butler?”
Jonathan nodded.
He opened the door wider. “If you would follow me, please.”
He removed his hat and stepped inside. He followed the servant down the short hallway to the parlor.
“Lord Butler,” the servant announced.
Mistress Thayer stood up. “It is good to see you, Lord Butler.”
“Mistress Thayer, Lady Seanna, Lady Bethany.” He nodded to each in turn. Bethany and her sister were seated on the sofa.
Lilly waved her hand. “Would you have a seat?”
“Actually, I have a carriage prepared. It is a pleasant day and I hoped Lady Bethany would enjoy a ride around the city.”
Lilly joyfully clapped her hands together. “That sounds lovely.”
“Does it not sound lovely, Bethany?” Seanna clasped Bethany’s hand and turned to Jonathan. “She accepts your invitation.”
He caught Bethany casting Seanna a perplexing look. Within a blink of an eye, she recovered and smiled. “Of course.”
He found it odd that Seanna continuously responded for her sister. During those brief encounters at his mother’s ball, he knew Bethany was quite capable. He kept his thoughts to himself. After all, he wasn’t here to receive the approval of Bethany’s family, but to strengthen society’s opinion of this girl.
“Will you be joining us, Lady Seanna?” he asked, hoping she would refuse.
“I am compelled to decline. This afternoon, I must respond to the various invitations we have received.”
He nodded. “Another time, perhaps.”
Lilly clapped her hands and a servant girl entered. She spoke to her in a whispered tone, then gave the room a big smile. “Shall we?”
CHAPTER SIX
A carriage ride through the city: It wasn’t as if she had anything better to do than stay locked up in this house with Seanna and Lilly for the next three weeks. At least she wouldn’t hear the hushed tones when her back was turned; the wheels on the carriage would drown out the chitchat.
Didn’t this man understand the residual gabble a ride around the city in her presence would cause? Did he not care to protect his own reputation? Surely, this false courtship would disable him from procuring a proper union. But he was his own man and made his own decisions. Deep down, she wished he’d forgotten about calling on her this day. But she didn’t want to admit to herself that, even deeper down, she was pleased he hadn’t.
She let Jonathan escort her through the front door and stopped when Seanna called her name.
“Bethany. Your cloak.”
She took the thin, blue cloak from her sister and smiled. If she’d told Seanna it was much too warm, her sister would insist anyway.
Bethany turned toward the carriage door where a young boy stood rigid. When they neared, he opened it and offered his hand. She smiled and let him assist her into the carriage, then Lilly Thayer, who sat next to her. Bethany clumsily folded her cloak in half and placed it on her lap.
Jonathan smiled. “I will return momentarily.” He picked the boy up and settled him on the back.
She heard the boy ask, “Did I do it right?”
“You did. Now hold on tight, I don’t want to lose you.”
Johnathan entered the carriage, secured the latch, and slapped the outside of the door. The carriage began to rumble down the road.
The driver drove down Broad street where a magnificent church of white Caen stone towered above. Bethany tilted her neck in search of the steeple and noticed a small, but beautiful, rose window over an arcade.
Further down, merchants had set up stalls to sell cloth, spices, candles, anything one needed. She rubbed the fabric of the cloak between her fingers, wondering if anyone recognized the carriage and whom its occupants were.
Just before they reached the bridge, the driver turned north. Jonathan pointed out the window. “Look there, watch.” A large ship was pulling into port.
Her eyes widened. “I have not seen so many vast ships.” Though her father’s home was near the border of Scotland, she’d rarely ventured with him to the docks. She watched the ship slowly approach land.
The carriage went up a small hill and stopped. Jonathan looked out the window. “If it is agreeable, I thought we would sit and watch the ships.”
The area was vacant. She saw no other carriages or people about who would scrutinize her.
Bethany jumped when the carriage door began to open; she hadn’t seen the coachman walk past. The little boy opened it wide. Jonathan stepped out and reached his hand inside for Lilly.
She set her cloak
aside; surely, she would not need it. Once Lilly stepped out, Bethany placed her hand in Jonathan’s. Suddenly, she felt warmer, her head lighter. Then her legs almost gave way.
Jonathan held her up. “You are flushed. If you are ill, we can return.”
She caught her breath. “No. I will be fine. It is not this warm where I once lived.”
She kept her face down, embarrassed. She was certain this was a tactic many women had used on him. She was not trying to gain his attention, but it had happened now, twice: here, and last night, at the ball. Maybe all this excitement was making her ill.
Jonathan handed the boy a blanket. He wrapped his little arms around the bundle and followed closely behind.
Jonathan led her close to the ridge and pointed. “If we follow the enclave we can reach the shoreline.”
Slowly, he escorted them down, near the water. If a spot was unstable, he held out his hand to assist them. More often than not, Bethany tried not to touch his hand, fearful she would feel faint again.
At the bottom, the little boy set to the task of spreading out the blanket for the women to sit upon. When he finished, he looked up at Jonathan with eager eyes.
Jonathan smiled and waved his hand. “Yes. You may go.”
The boy beamed a smile. He sat down on the sand, pulled off his boots, and handed them to Jonathan before sprinting toward the water.
Bethany watched this interaction with curiosity. Jonathan treated the child with the upmost care and concern, unlike most who had small children serving them. She wondered if there was something more to this relationship.
“Who is the boy?”
Jonathan smiled, “Avery is my most trusted servant.” He clutched the boy’s boots with one hand. The other hand he extended toward Bethany.
She placed her small hand into his and eased onto the blanket. A few feet away, Mistress Thayer had found a stone to sit upon and opened a book.
Jonathan sat down, now, and watched Avery race to the water. “The winter before last, I had business in town when I discovered a boy standing on a corner, barefoot, begging in the cold. He had not even a proper cloak on his body. I watched as people disregarded him, simply passing him by. I pulled a coin from my purse. If nothing else, it would feed him for a time. When I approached, he glanced up at me with those big, blue eyes, then gave a clumsy bow. I knew I had to do more.
He told me his parents were sleeping at the stables. He was not a waif; his father was searching for work and his mother worked in a tavern. Neither had time for him. It was an easy decision. I called in a favor and helped his father find steady work.
Several weeks went by and I hadn’t given the boy another thought. One afternoon, I found him at our door in search of me. Apparently, he had a long conversation with his mother. She alleged that to wealth, one must be born. The young boy did not believe her and came to ask my opinion of the matter. He said, if he could not be born to wealth then he must work and since I had found a position for his father, he wondered if I could find a position for him. In that very moment, I decided, I needed to hire a new manservant, one who would be with me for the rest of my days, much to my mother’s dismay.
I believe the best way to become a proper manservant is to learn all the facets of the estate. His education began in the stables, but he has also been taught to read and to speak properly. He is a quick learner.” Jonathan laughed. “It is my hope this child will stay with me for years to come. However, if he chooses another path, then he will have experience, and a bit of learning. And these,” he lifted the boy’s boots, “are his most prized possessions. He would rather hide them under his shirt or in his bed than wear them.”
Bethany smiled and glanced at the shore, where Avery raced up the sand chasing white swans from their peaceful terrain.
Jonathan continued. “This is a favorite place of mine. My father would bring me here as a child and we would watch the ships for hours.”
Her gaze fell upon the ships on the horizon. “They look free, moving about.”
He laughed. “We are only as free as our minds are unmoored.”
She fell silent. Swans and sailors could to drift to new lands, like Italy, where the fabric merchant found the yellow sarcenet. But she was neither a swan nor sailor.
“Tell me, Lady Bethany, what is it you wish?”
She gave him a questioning glance.
“I wish to know your desires.” He paused and looked at his hands. “Forgive me if I have overstepped.”
She looked out upon the water, holding her emotions at bay. Her desires? For the past to have taken a different course. To salvage her family’s reputation. “I have always been a faithful daughter. I will do as my father wishes,” she finally answered.
“I know of your sister’s intentions. I feel it is my duty to assist.”
She wondered what gossip he’d heard. Did he know about the abduction? Surely, he hadn’t, otherwise he wouldn’t ruin his reputation sitting with her now. She hated the idea of bringing tell-tales upon him. “Why do you feel it is your duty?”
“It is difficult with the gentry. Once they deem you an outcast, it is difficult to be accepted again.”
She gave a timid smile. “I no longer seek society’s approval. In a few weeks’ time, I shall be traveling to France and entering a convent.”
Jonathan stared at her for a moment. It was apparent he knew very little of her circumstance.
He shook his head. “Is this your choice, my lady?”
Tears welled up in her eyes; she quickly wiped them away. “No. It is my father’s will.”
“I beg your pardon, my lady, but if the choice has been made, then why does your sister seek a marriage for you?”
She glanced back at Avery. How could she explain that her future would result from a wager?
“I believe you must decide. I am here to assist in any way I can, save marriage. I do not wish to marry.”
It was interesting to her how he could be so frank. “So, you enjoy being a rogue of a man?”
Jonathan laughed. “I would not marry out of convenience. I would like to marry for love, if that is possible. However, I have yet to find someone who tugs at my heart. The women are all too eager to get their hands on my family’s meager fortune. My father’s investments have had a substantial increase, but there is more work to be done.”
She looked at the ocean, thankful he did not pursue her circumstance further. “My father has investments all over England and some in Scotland. Seanna says that he is more worried about his investments than about marrying his daughters. If I were to marry, I would not want a rogue of a man.” She looked down at her hands. “You wish our courtship to be a friendship instead?”
“Yes, we would both benefit. I would get to cause another scandal and you, my fair lady, would acquire invitations and possibly suitors whom you could interview. If nothing else, you have the opportunity to discover true love before your father ships you off. If you do not at least try, I fear you may regret your decision in the future. If you do not meet someone suitable, then you can simply run off to France and become a bride of Christ. Either way, you will become a bride.”
Bethany smiled. His words made sense. If she did not at least entertain suitors, how would she know if there was one for her? Jonathan was at least honest.
“Then I shall be happy to call you my friend,” she paused, “Jonathan.”
“When I was young, Mistress Mable would set me to work when I wandered into the kitchens. ‘Retrieve a bucket of steam,’ she would say. ‘Find a stick with one end for the fire.’ When I realized she had sent me on a fool’s errand, I requested pigeon’s milk with my supper. That night, she brought me a cup filled with a creamy, purple liquid, pronouncing it pigeon’s milk. I discovered later it was milk with the juice of berries to change the color.”
Bethany laughed, and he began to tell her other silly stories of his childhood. For the next hour, they spoke of happier things, like her brothers and her elder sister Claire. She fo
und that Jonathan was an only child.
When they were ready to leave, Jonathan motioned for Avery to return. The young boy put his boots back on his feet, helped to fold the blanket, and returned to the carriage.
When they reach the carriage, Jonathan asked, “would you mind if Avery rode in the carriage with us? I fear the child will fall asleep and then fall from the carriage.”
Bethany glanced at Avery and noticed his glazed-over, half-open eyes. “Of course, I see no issue.”
Lilly moved the blanket from the seat opposite them and set it on her lap. Once everyone was settled in, Jonathan slapped the door twice and the carriage began to move. Bethany glanced out the window and watched the city go by. She felt better now having spent the afternoon with Jonathan. She decided to give her new suitors a real opportunity to court her. If nothing else, when she reached the convent she would know deep in her heart she had tried.
Inside the carriage it was quiet. She looked over at Jonathan and found Avery’s head in his lap, fast asleep. She couldn’t help but smile. They reached the bustling heart of Bristol and now that she was certain of Jonathan’s true intentions, she did not fear the looks.
The driver slowed. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she recognized a face watching her as they drove by the park. Her breath caught in her throat, heart racing, palms damp. She looked back, but the face wasn’t there. Bethany took a deep breath.
Her eyes darted at every person they passed. None had the face she sought. It was her mind playing tricks, just like it did that morning, she thought.
She glanced at Jonathan again. He was watching her. She gave him a tight smile and looked out the window again. It couldn’t have been the men she thought she had seen–-Pompey, that was his name; those men had been arrested and imprisoned in Plimmouth, according to the Lord Bryant. But how could she trust the word of a rogue, even a titled one? She continued to scan the streets and walkways as they passed, wishing the carriage would move faster so she could find safety and solace within the walls of the cottage.
The carriage slowed in front of the cottage, then came to a sudden stop. Avery jolted awake. He struggled to stand up and open the carriage door. Bethany smiled. He wanted to be the first out of the carriage to resume his duties. Avery held the door open for Jonathan to step out, who, in turn, assisted the women.
An Enchanted Beginning Page 5