She turned her eyes away from him for a moment, staring out across the grey waters, where the last sad fallen leaves floated. Her voice was soft when she spoke, still looking away.
“You are right. I am not at all happy to hear those words, even though I understand the truth of them. I would that I could come with you…”
His heart thundered in his breast. Was she so sure of her heart? Could he hope to be accepted, if he offered for her?
“I would that you could, also. But that would require us to be…”
“…married. Yes, I know. And you have not asked me… so I am being presumptuous even to imagine such a thing.”
“And if I did ask you?”
“I believe that you already know what my answer would be.”
“I hope that I do. But I will not say the words, until I am sure that a marriage could happen, as fast as possible after that point, and that I could devote myself to you properly for the first few months. Which I could not, not before Christmastide, if the business is to flourish through the next year, and be adequate to support a family.”
She spun back to him, her eyes wide.
“Surely you know that I would not care about the timing, or what you needed to do, just being with you would be enough. And I do respect the fact that you care enough to wish things done properly, and to give me your undivided time. But… I do not know how I will go on, if I do not see you until after Christmastide!”
Evan reached for her, and pulled her to him again, just holding her gently.
“To be absolutely truthful, I am not sure how I will go on either. But… perhaps there is a solution? If I hold a Christmas House Party, do you think that your family – all of them, including your married sisters and their families, would attend?”
She lifted her face to his, and he kissed her forehead softly.
“If they are hesitant, I will convince them.”
He laughed, the tightness in his chest easing – if he did as he had suggested, it would only be a few short weeks before he saw her again.
“Then a house party it shall be.”
Chapter Ten
The correspondence with Stanford had produced a better result than Evan had dared hope for. They had written, and, once Stanford realised that not only would Evan fund the experiment, and more of his research, but that he would also pay a licensing fee for the use of the resulting methods, should they be successful, the man had become positively effusively enthusiastic.
Stanford had so far been to Wrenton Hall twice, and the experimental ice house now had an addition on its side, which housed the machinery to create the vacuum over the ether. The volume of ice created had been, to date, disappointing, but they pressed on with adjusting and optimising.
At the same time, the winter had come in early, and hard enough for the edges of the local lake to freeze, three weeks before the earliest point expected. For Evan, that meant that the time between when he left London, and when the house party was to start, had passed in a daze of business driven work, with ice cutting happening most days once the lake had frozen.
He had carefully rearranged the contents of the large ice house, so that the last of the harvest fruits he had stored would, hopefully, survive until the house party and beyond. A house party for which he felt ill prepared, for his focus had been on so many other things.
Still, every night he dreamed of Lady Rose, of that kiss in Hyde Park, and of more kisses. With the winter coming in early, the ice harvest would be done early as well. Which meant that he would be free to pursue other things – and he fully intended to propose to Lady Rose, before the week of the house party was out.
Now, if only the experimental ice house could manage to produce more ice, by the time that his guests arrived, he would have fulfilled all of his goals for the year, and more.
<<<
“E’s throwin’ a house party, and that Lady Rose and her family are comin’. That Stanford fella has been back again this week too, and the two of ‘em spent hours pokin’ about in that little buildin’. Couldn’t hear what they was talkin’ about in there, though – the door seals real tight.”
“A house party? Hmmm. Keep watching, and if you can manage to hear what he talks about with Stanford, I’ll pay you extra.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll do me best.”
The man took the money purse he was handed, sketched his usual inelegant bow, and left. Francis Farquhar drummed his fingers on his desk.
A house party had potential. Until now, there had been nothing truly useful. He’d considered sending an offer to buy Wrenton’s business again, but truly, he could not so easily afford to, as his own business was doing steadily worse. Almost certainly because Wrenton was taking his customers.
He ground his teeth in frustration.
If his man could manage to hear what Stanford said, perhaps he could steal the new methods, and commercialise them before Wrenton did. Perhaps he could also sabotage Wrenton’s experimental installation, to convince him that it would fail, and then steal the secret of it. Still, that seemed a bit overcomplicated and unlikely. The only realistic option seemed to be to get some sort of leverage over Wrenton, which would force him to hand over the secrets to his research.
And if, when the guests arrived for the house party, he still appeared as besotted with Lady Rose as he had been, then she might be just the leverage required. Abducting her should not be too difficult – but exactly what to do with her, once he had her, required more thought.
<<<
As the carriage approached Wrenton Hall, Rose looked out at the snow frosted landscape, wondering what Lord Wrenton’s home would be like. The small voice deep in her mind whispered to her – ‘if he does as he said, and asks you to marry him, it will soon be your home too’. A shiver of excitement went through her. It had only been a few weeks, but she had missed him terribly. He had written once, to tell her that the winter had, indeed, set in early, and they were cutting ice.
She supposed that had made him too busy to write again. But she had hoped, every day. But the wait was over. Soon, she would see him.
The carriage turned through tall iron gates, and the sound of the wheels changed as they moved from packed earth to gravel. Winter bare trees lined the drive, which curved around a hill. As they rounded that curve, the house came into view, its stone lit to reds and golds by the last of the day’s sunlight. It was large, and in a simple style – elegant, not ostentatious, and Rose’s heart fluttered at the sight.
She realised that she had, a little, been worried that it would be ugly, or ominous. Those fears had been for nothing. They drew up before it, and footmen rushed out to let down the steps, open the carriage door, and usher them inside, whilst others helped their own staff unload their trunks. Rose supposed that it must all be rather overwhelming for Lord Wrenton’s staff – after all, between her family, everyone from Chester Park, Lily and Trent, and even Maria and Charles, who had come from the north, there were ten carriages to deal with.
Lord Wrenton met them at the door, and his eyes immediately went to Rose, even as he greeted her parents, as was proper. He smiled, and warmth filled her. She wanted to run into his arms. She did not. But she did go forward to greet him, and delight in taking his hands.
“Please, everyone, come through to the main parlour. The fire is built up, and I have warm food and drink to fully drive away the chill of travelling. The staff will see to getting your trunks to your guest suites while you rest.”
He led them through the house, Rose by his side.
She looked around, curious, studying the portraits which looked down on them, and the glow of the well-polished wood panelling. She decided that she liked the inside of Wrenton Hall as much as she liked the outside. The parlour reinforced that decision. It was decorated in deep blue and burgundy, with cream wall panels to lighten the effect. It felt warm, and welcoming, and Rose sank onto the couch with a sigh of pleasure.
Lord Wrenton came to sit beside her, and she
quivered at the sensation of his nearness. When she turned to meet his gaze, all she could think of was that kiss they had shared, in Hyde Park. Her eyes slipped down to his lips and she felt a blush rise in her cheeks.
“Lady Rose… it is wonderful to see you again. I have so much to tell you, about the experiment, and the business… and my feelings…”
Her heart thundered in her breast, and she licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.
“I… I feel the same. I have missed you, missed our conversations, and… and I want to know about everything! Is the experiment succeeding?”
He lifted her hand to his lips, and pressed a kiss to it, leaving her feeling quite flustered.
“It is, and it is not… it will take more work yet, much to my disappointment. But we will persist. Your enthusiasm warms me, and I suspect that we could talk for many hours – but that will have to wait. I must see to my guests, and it is late – our conversations can wait until tomorrow, when you are rested. Tonight, let us just enjoy the fact that you are here.”
She laughed softly, seeing herself through his eyes for a moment, and amused at herself.
“Indeed, that is a wise suggestion – for I am very tired. Whilst the roads where remarkably good given the amount of snow and rain that we have had, it was still slow going, and rather bumpy, to say the least.” He still held her hand, and she squeezed his fingers gently, “Go, spend time with everyone else, and see them settled, I can wait for your time – just being here, in your home, is wonderful enough for the present.”
He smiled, and rose from his seat to set about conversing with everyone present, ensuring that food and drink were provided, and that nothing more was needed. Rose watched him, content, and ever more impressed with how easily he cared for others.
It was not long, however, before she, and almost everyone else, was yawning, and drifting towards dozing in their chairs. She had not even realised that she dozed, until her father’s voice snapped her awake.
“I thank you for your most hospitable greeting, Lord Wrenton, but I do suggest that, at this point, we all retire to our chambers and sleep – lest we fall asleep in our seats here.”
Rose stood, as the rest of her family did, and minor chaos resulted as maids and footmen scurried in, each collecting specific people, to show them to their allocated rooms. Lord Wrenton stood by the door, smiling, and ensuring that it was all sorted out in the end. Rose hung back until the last, and stopped beside him, reaching out, greatly daring, to take his hand. The maid who awaited her carefully pretended not to notice.
“Thank you.”
He smiled, and lifted her hand to his lips again, pressing a kiss to her palm.
“Rest well – we will have much to talk about tomorrow, and with less than a week to Christmas, much to plan.”
He released her, and she followed the maid up the stairs, but warmth filled her – ‘much to plan’ – yes, the rest of their lives together, she hoped.
<<<
Evan was happy – his guests had all arrived, and everyone seemed pleased with their accommodations. Wrenton Hall had not seen so much activity since some years before his parents’ deaths, and the house, already decorated for Christmas, was transformed by the presence of cheerful people. He had slept well and dreamed of Lady Rose, of that look in her eyes when he had kissed her hand.
Now, having risen early, he had set the servants to decorating the house with more Christmas greenery and ribbons, then gone out to check on the experimental ice house. He wanted to be sure that everything was perfectly in place when he showed it to Lady Rose – and later, to her father, so that the Duke could see what his investment was funding.
He stepped out onto the terrace, and went down into the garden, following the path around the end of the house to where the new building jutted out, not too far from the kitchen garden. The overnight snowfall had covered the paths in a clean white blanket, making everything look pristine.
Except… Evan stopped, and studied the area in front of him. On the path near the ice house, the snow was sullied.
It looked as he would have expected if a person, or two, had been back and forth along the path. Frowning, he went forward. Perhaps one of the servants had walked here? But why would they do so? Nothing appeared disturbed, and the peaceful quiet of the crisp cold morning was only broken by the distant cry of a bird.
He shook his head, and turned his attention back to the ice house. There was no point worrying about sullied snow, so long as everything else was in order. Soon he was immersed in checking each element of the experimental mechanism, and the disturbed snow slipped from his mind. By the time he went back into the house, he had forgotten it completely.
Inside, he went to the breakfast room, seeking coffee to ward off the chill, and settled to speak with his guests. Across the table, Lady Rose met his eyes, and for a moment the room faded away – there was nothing but her beautiful face. He sipped the coffee, contemplating how lucky he was, that she cared for him. Around them, the conversation was all about what everyone might wish to do – what attractions were available locally, and what entertainments might be devised.
He contributed where he could, with suggestions and advice on the local area, but his mind was not truly focussed – he could only think of the moment when he might show Lady Rose his work, when they might enjoy one of those marvellous conversations, where he felt truly understood, as he did with no other person.
Finally, everyone rose from the table, and departed the room, intent on various activities. He went to Lady Rose as the others moved past her, and offered her his arm. She placed her hand upon it, and looked up at him with a smile.
“Lady Rose, might I show you the experimental ice house? A maid or a footman can accompany us, for propriety’s sake, of course.”
“I would be delighted to see it!”
Evan summon a nearby footman to accompany them, and led her towards the rear of the house.
“Then see it you shall. But tell me what new things you have learned in this last few weeks – is there anything which might affect the experiment?”
“Well… actually, I think that there is…”
They passed through the house, speaking animatedly, and out into the crisp morning air, where the pale winter sun provided a small amount of relief from the chill. Soon, they stood at the door of the experimental ice house, and Evan ceremoniously opened it, and led her in.
Over the next few hours, whilst the poor footman stood to one side, Evan went over every aspect of the work so far, and Lady Rose went into detail on all of her most recent correspondence on matters related to refrigeration. Evan could not remember ever having felt so at ease in his life. He was so focussed on Lady Rose that he was barely aware of anything outside the building, even though the door stood open.
When they eventually turned to go back into the house, the afternoon was well advanced, and a chill wind had sprung up.
<<<
A groan echoed off the wall of the ice house.
Cautiously, a man untangled himself from the bank of evergreen shrubs in which he had hidden to listen to Lord Wrenton speaking with Lady Rose, in that building that Mr Farquhar cared so much about. A bank of shrubs which included a rather vigorous holly bush – a fact which he hadn’t been aware of, when he’d pushed his way in there. But its spiky leaves had made sure that he suffered, for every minute of the hours that they had talked.
Farquhar had better pay him well for today’s work.
Chapter Eleven
Rose was in heaven. She had spent near the whole day in Lord Wrenton’s company, discussing refrigeration and food preservation. Frequently their hands had brushed, and for moments at a time, she had been distracted from the conversation by thoughts of kisses. Now, late in the evening, they stood in his library, before an entire shelf of books on her favourite topics.
The maid who was supposed to provide chaperonage was sitting on a chair by the door, but appeared, when Rose glanced that way, to be ra
ther thoroughly asleep. Likely, what they had been speaking of had seemed so dull to her that she had drifted off.
She turned to Lord Wrenton to find him barely inches away, gazing at her with an expression which made her warm all over, and set her stomach to fluttering in the oddest way. She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement, but neither of them spoke. Slowly, as if inexorably pulled by some magnetism, they drew closer to each other.
She tilted her face up, her breath coming short, and, as his arms came around her, his lips met hers. It was different from that kiss in the Park – more, somehow making her knees go weak, and her eyes flutter half closed. His tongue darted out to trace the shape of her lips, to delicately caress in quite the most intense sensation she had ever felt. She gave a little gasp, a sound of pleasure and surprise at once, and as her lips opened to allow it to escape, his tongue slipped through that opening, to continue its exploration within.
She pressed herself to him, her own lips and tongue beginning to explore in return, her mind spinning with a pleasure she could not have predicted. Minutes passed as they clung to each other, the kiss deep and passionate, until he finally drew back a little. Rose sagged against him, needing his arms to steady her, her body feeling warm and molten in the most interesting way.
“Oh my! That was….”
“Wonderful – if rather presumptuous of me. Please forgive me, but I simply could not resist…”
“There is nothing to forgive. In fact, I rather think that I would like you to do that again.”
He smiled at her, mischief in the twist of his lips – oh, those lips! – and spoke very softly.
“As my Lady commands.”
Then his lips were on hers again, and she truly would not have been able to stand without his arms holding her. This time, the kiss was even deeper, and lasted longer, but eventually, they moved apart, and he drew her down onto the nearby couch.
A Bluestocking for a Baron : Book 3: Rose: Clean Regency Romance (A Duke's Daughters - The Elbury Bouquet) Page 8