The Marriage List

by Dorothy McFalls

  * * * * *

  After returning from their regular visit to the Pump Room the next morning, May donned a shortsleeved spotted muslin walking dress. Aunt Winnie had purchased the gown as a gift at the beginning of summer. May wasn’t particularly fond of the material. The rosy spots made her too noticeable. She much preferred the dull, faded colors filling her wardrobe. The gowns were worn and comfortable. Above all they allowed her to disappear into any social background, which pleased nearly everyone concerned.

  However, since May had no plans to go visiting, she had chosen the dress to please her aunt. She didn’t mind sticking out in her own home. Let Mr. Tumblestone, who was due to arrive with her uncle within the hour, take notice of her. She wanted his complete attention when spurning his marriage offer.

  Mr. Tumblestone was a kind man. She supposed he must be a good man. But, with Aunt Winnie’s blessing, May was determined not to become any man’s wife. If Uncle Sires persisted in holding her parents’ money ransom, she would simply seek employment as a lady’s companion.

  With the details settled—at least in her mind—May waited anxiously for the men’s arrival. She looked forward to shocking her uncle while gently refusing the kindly old Tumblestone’s proposal.

  The morning was bright and warm. Birds chirped pretty songs from high in the trees. Aunt Winnie was smiling again. Everything felt right.

  The clock was striking the hour when Uncle Sires’ carriage rambled to a stop in front of the cottage. Portia put the kettle on the fire while May offered Winnie her arm and helped her settle into her favorite chair in the parlor.

  “Be brave,” Winnie whispered a moment before the housekeeper led Sires and Tumblestone into the room. “As long as you are following your heart, you are doing the right thing.”

  As the men crowded into the room, Winnie remained seated. She harrumphed a less than polite greeting. May, on the other hand, curtsied and murmured her welcomes. “The tea will be here presently,” she then told the men.

  Mr. Tumblestone, his gray hair poking out from beneath his polished hat, smiled broadly at May. He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

  “I have been told that you and your uncle came to an agreement yesterday. Our future is forged. I am very happy.”

  “So am I,” May said. She pried her hand from his bony grasp. “But you must allow me to speak, Mr. Tumblestone. No one can be certain of the future, do you not agree?”

  “What nonsense are you spouting, child?” Uncle Sires approached, his round belly bounced with agitation. “I will permit no puzzling speech today. The banns have already been prepared. They are to be published this weekend. You will not confound us because your weak mind is suffering from a case of nerves.”

  May tilted her head to one side and hazarded a glance toward her aunt. She sat serenely with her fingers steepled in front of her pursed lips. No one was going to come to her defense, May knew. She would have to do this on her own.

  Her aunt’s presence in the room was support enough, she supposed. She didn’t want anyone fighting this battle for her. As a woman prepared to forge a new path in the world, she had to continue to think and act alone.

  “I will strive to make my meaning as plain as possible, Uncle.” She smiled then and took the time to enjoy the tense calm. The silence would be short-lived. “Mr. Tumblestone, you have treated me with the greatest courtesy these past few days. For that, I am grateful.”

  “You have a gentle manner, Miss Sheffers,” Tumblestone said. He produced a small box from an interior pocket of his coat. “We will rub together well. You will see.”

  The lid of the box had been removed. A dazzling blue sapphire ring lay in a nest of pink silk.

  The sight of the polished gold and glittering stone flustered May. She didn’t want his proposal. He wasn’t giving her time to explain.

  “Please,” she took a step away from him. He was a very tall man and she had to crane her neck to peer into his eyes. “Please, put that away, sir.”

  He took the ring from the box and followed her retreat. “I would rather slip it on your finger, Miss Sheffers.”

  This was not going the way May had planned. They were supposed to listen to her well-scripted speech—not interrupt. Panic welled inside her. No matter how far they pushed her into a corner, she would not give into her fiery gypsy passions and shout her rejection.

  Last night she’d lost her temper with Uncle Sires. She would not do it now.

  So instead of shouting how uncomfortable Mr. Tumblestone was making her feel, she lifted her chin just an inch and tightened her jaw. “Sir, I thank you for your interests.” Her tone was so devoid of emotion it sounded utterly flat. “But to be brutally honest, I am feeling trapped. I do not know you at all well enough to accept your proposal. To quote my uncle, I am well on the shelf and have grown comfortable with the freedom such a position provides.”

  “You stupid, stupid child. You have no freedoms!” Uncle Sires shouted. Perhaps he had a few drops of hot gypsy blood pumping in his own veins. “You have no money, no prospects, no choices. What do you plan to do, beggar yourself to your relatives?”

  “I would never dream of it, my lord.” May dearly wished Iona could witness her grand performance. Such theatrics were wasted on so small an audience. “I plan to seek employment and pay my own way in this world.”

  “Winnie—” Sires whirled around, the floorboards creaking. “—you schooled her to stage this rebellion?”

  Winnie glared at him over her steepled fingers. “I support her decision.”

  “And what of your health? Will you continue to refuse my offer to let me care for you?” Uncle Sires shouted loudly enough to make the porcelain figurines on the mantel rattle.

  “I have no desire to live with an old despot,” Winnie declared. “I will make do on my own.”

  What in blazes was her aunt saying? May couldn’t trust her hearing. Surely Winnie wasn’t refusing what promised to be a brighter future. Sires could provide for Winnie. He had more money and connections to the best medical practitioners.

  “What is this?” May asked, feeling shocked . . . truly shocked. “What will you do, Aunt?”

  “I will manage.” She continued to glare at her brother. “As I have often managed, alone.”

  No. This could not be. They didn’t have the funds to afford their home, their food, or her aunt’s medical care. Winnie had to accept Sires’ help. There was no other way.

  Before May could launch a protest, Mr. Tumblestone raised his hands and stepped forward. Thankfully, he had tucked the ring back into his coat pocket. “Miss Sheffers, will you stroll in the garden with me?”

  “I do not believe this is the best time.” Even if it were, she had no desire to lead him on a merry chase. No matter what, she would not consider his suit.

  Unfortunately, he wasn’t easily dissuaded. He captured her hand and gave her a little tug. “Please—I believe we should discuss our future.”

  After May failed to twist her hand from the trap of his grasp, she relented. “Very well, sir. I shall stroll with you for but a moment.”

  There was a bench out back under a spindly oak. Tumblestone led her there and pulled out a handkerchief. Always thoughtful, he laid the linen on the bench’s seat and invited May to sit upon it. He crossed his arms and waited for her to get settled.

  “I do not know you,” he said bluntly. “I do not know your nature, and your background, quite frankly, worries me. After seeing what I have in regard to your temperament, I worry about our future.”

  May opened her mouth to explain there would be no future for them, but he shot her such a sharp look she closed her mouth again.

  “Let me tell you what has brought me here to make what most would consider an outrageous decision.” He paused until May gave a little nod. “You don’t know your
uncle well. I suppose it is no surprise, though. You have spent very little time with him. Despite what you think, he is a good man.”

  May scoffed at the thought. Her uncle was a bounder of the worst kind. He was a bully and a tyrant who took enjoyment from tormenting her to the point of tears.

  “Five years ago I would have lost my lands. The reason is no longer important. What is important, though, is how your uncle supported me until the debts were cleared. I owe him everything I have.

  “When he came to me in need of help, I gloried at the opportunity. Your aunt is ill. Dying, possibly.”

  “I know only too well my aunt’s condition.” May turned her gaze down to the neatly scythed grass growing under her feet.

  “Though the earl has a difficult time expressing it, he too is deeply concerned. He also knows that your aunt will not come to live with him willingly. They are cut from the same stone, those two. He had hoped that if your aunt saw you married and settled nearby, she would naturally follow.”

  A lump settled in May’s throat. “Winnie’s welfare is very important to me. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

  “Then agree to marry me.” He sounded so reasonable. “If your aunt doesn’t wish to live with her brother, she can live with us.”

  The temptation to accept was great. With one simple word, May could vanquish her troubles.

  But marriage? The lump in her throat threatened to straggle her. Her dreams, her silly womanly dreams of love, marriage, and happily-ever-after had somehow become hopelessly entwined with that handsome rake, that devil who had already set his cap for another. The pain ripped at her heart.

  “Please, Mr. Tumblestone, do not rush me.” May needed time alone to think. “Give me a few more days before asking me to make such a decision.”

  How had it happened? She never wanted it. It felt like the worst thing in the world, in fact. But the truth was wedged between her and Mr. Tumblestone like a very sharp sword, keeping the only rational option at bay. No matter how hard she tried, she could not deny what had become only too real.

  She was hopelessly in love with Radford.

  Chapter 11

  A raucous clamor erupted from the front of the cottage and drowned out Mr. Tumblestone’s response to May’s plea for time. A sudden shout of laughter turned her attentions from his withering gaze.

  “Portia said I might find you sitting under your favorite tree,” Iona called out as she bounded down the narrow path through the side yard, her skirts raised. A goodly portion of material was bunched in her fists. She looked delightfully young and playful, running at breakneck speed.

  Iona hadn’t behaved so unladylike since before her come-out three years earlier. May couldn’t help but wonder, while feeling a bittersweet pang for the past, what intrigue had prompted this burst of hoydenish behavior.

  “You must come around right away. You simply must—” Iona crashed to a hasty halt. Her face paled and she dropped her skirts. “Oh, dear. I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.” Iona’s sweet lilting voice had flattened into the soft, proper tone both women had been trained to make great pains to use. “Forgive me for intruding.”

  Although Iona made a great show of being embarrassed, she made no move to leave. Mr. Tumblestone bristled at the intrusion and looked ready to bite Iona’s head off. He restrained his irritation, May supposed, only because he was making a grand effort to paint such a pleasant picture of himself and marriage.

  His hands tightened into large fists. With a stiff back, Tumblestone gave a short bow. “Lady Iona,” he said. “A pleasure to see you again. Please, do join us.”

  “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly stay,” Iona said and fluttered her hands about her breast. “What I mean to say is that you must come and see. You may come too, of course, Mr. Tumblestone.”

  May rose from the bench, her curiosity peaked. “See what?”

  “Lord Nathan has a new phaeton and Lord Evers has followed in a handsome landau. You simply must come and see.”

  May found it hard not to get caught up in Iona’s infectious enthusiasm and join in the fun. Though she had never been a great fan of coaches, she always did enjoy a friendly ogle.

  Even Iona appeared surprised when May abruptly sobered.

  May clasped her hands while her gaze bounced between Iona and Mr. Tumblestone. For Aunt Winnie’s sake, she needed to curb her impulses.

  “Mr. Tumblestone,” May said and cast a longing eye toward the front of the cottage. “Perhaps we should continue this discussion inside? I am sorry, Iona, but I cannot join you today. Perhaps another time?”

  “But it is the fair’s last day today and the weather is ever so lovely.” Iona refused to budge and it would be rude to leave her standing in the back garden alone. “Perhaps you would wish to come as well, Mr. Tumblestone? You would be most welcome, I assure you. There should be plenty of room in Lord Evers’ landau. Oh, please say you will come.”

  “What is this about a fair?” Uncle Sires ambled toward them. “Child, you must know there is a group at the door inquiring after you.” His gaze latched on Lady Iona’s. “Oh, I see you have already announced yourself, my lady,” he said rather rudely.

  The earl and the Duke of Newbury had never rubbed well together. May’s finding such a close friend in his daughter and acceptance with the Newbury family had only rubbed salt into the tensions separating the two men.

  “Lord Nathan and Lord Evers are escorting Lillian and myself to the country fair in Widcombe. I had hoped May and Mr. Tumblestone were available as well.”

  “A fair in Widcombe?” Sires rubbed his chin.

  “I had already declined the offer, Uncle.” May had no desire to be scolded unfairly since she had done the mature thing and refused the tempting invitation.

  “You refused? Stupid child,” he muttered. “Of course Tumblestone will escort my niece to the fair. The delightful couple could use some time away from the doddering old folks in this cottage.”

  Iona looked about ready to choke. May had a difficult time keeping from sputtering a laugh herself. Tumblestone was Uncle Sires’ age. The old farmer was doubtlessly hoping to escape back into the cottage and return to the doddering old folks instead trying to get away from them.

  “I would be delighted,” Tumblestone said, not sounding at all pleased. He entwined his fingers with May’s and forced a vicious smile.

  Regardless of anyone’s wishes, Sires had made up his mind. He handed May twenty pounds and declared she should spend the miniature fortune on useless baubles. May stared at the boon, feeling utterly flummoxed.

  “Promise to keep a close eye on these two lovebirds, Lady Iona. I cannot allow anything untoward to happen that might besmirch the child’s reputation or rush the wedding date.”

  May glanced up, expecting to find the ground above her and the clouds at her feet. Uncle Sires was acting so out of character, it made her head ache.

  Even Iona was at a loss for words.

  But her uncle wasn’t the sole cause of May’s topsy-turvy feelings. She had no idea what to think about riding in a landau with Mr. Tumblestone by her side while having to watch Radford pet and coo over the delicately beautiful Lillian.

  The afternoon promised to be torturous. And yet, her heart could not help but slam against her chest in silent anticipation. Spending another afternoon in Radford’s company was her dearest wish . . . and her greatest fear.

  * * * * *

  Why in blazes had he let Wynter talk him into this mess? Though the weather was pleasant and the air fresh, Radford longed to be anywhere but in Widcombe, spending time with not only the woman he was to wed but also with the woman he could not seem to get out of his mind. Unfortunately, those two women were not one and the same.

  So far, he had a miserable time riding in his landau with Lady Lillian pressed to his side and t
wittering on about the fashions she’d spied in the Edgar’s Building shop windows that morning. He had a miserable time watching Miss Sheffers sit without letting her back touch the squabs and averting her gaze from both himself and the scowling Mr. Tumblestone. She was dressed in a lovely gown with a white-and-red spotted pattern that was cut specifically to display her generous contours.

  If she wore such a garment every day, the poor gel would be overset with marriage offers. There was a lovely gem hidden underneath those ill-fitted, faded gowns after all.

  The realization made Radford all the more miserable. Why in blazes had he agreed to step one foot out of his house?

  The country fair in nearby Widcombe was crowded into the Widcombe Crescent common, a large grassy expanse, and spilled over into the neighboring fields. Many familiar faces filled the crowd. It appeared as if over half of Bath had decided to join in the frivolities.

  Wynter and Lady Iona led the way past singing acrobats, street performances of popular morality plays, and street stands selling savory smelling meats and sugarcoated pastries.

  “There is an ancient lady at the edge of the field, I am told,” Wynter explained. Mischief sparkled in his bright blue eyes. “She will tell your future for a mere two pence. Isn’t that a lark? We must all let her peek at our palms.”

  “The devil, you say?” Tumblestone did not sound at all pleased. “Tis a sin to deal with fortune tellers or witchcraft. I shall not partake in this folly . . . nor shall Miss Sheffers.”

  “Indeed?” Radford drawled, trying his best to make the word sound bored instead of strained. The brutal pace Wynter had set pained his foot since pride had kept him from bringing his cane. He stopped on the path to catch his breath.

  “Do you agree, Miss Sheffers? Are you not curious what future this old woman sees for you?” He slanted a pointed glance in Tumblestone’s direction.