Courting Constance
Sequel to Loving Lily
By Kirsten Osbourne
Copyright 2014 Kirsten Osbourne
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This is the long-awaited sequel to Loving Lily!
Constance hated her life as a lady's companion to old Lady Graves, but she had nowhere else to go. When Lady Graves died unexpectedly, Constance had to begin a job in a seamstress's shop, where she was happy for the first time in her life. The only ripple in her calm world was Lord Charles, the local Earl, who swept into her life and tried to sweep her off her feet. She refused to be his mistress, though, so they found themselves at an impasse, for he didn't feel that he should marry so far beneath him.
When Constance goes to work as a nurse for Lady Lily, she worries about being in constant contact with Lord Charles, because the two are siblings. Will she be able to get past her feelings for him to work happily? Or will she spend the rest of her life pining for a man who is well out of her reach?
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Chapter One
January 1816
Constance closed the Bible and tiptoed toward the door. Ever since Lady Graves had fallen ill, she’d been cooped up inside, with the older woman refusing to allow her to leave the house at all. She didn’t mind reading to the old woman while she was awake, but when she fell asleep? Why did anyone need to have the book of Proverbs read to them while they were sleeping? And why the book of Proverbs? Constance had once skipped over to the Song of Solomon while the elderly lady slept, and she’d read from it instead. Of course, Lady Graves had woken up in the middle of the passage and had been scandalized.
Constance peeked back over her shoulder before opening the door. Good, she’s still sleeping.
She went down the backstairs and hurried out onto the grounds. If her employer was true to form, she would sleep for precisely two hours and sixteen minutes. Constance didn’t know how she did it, but her naps were always the exact same length.
She hurried across the grounds to the small stream that separated Lady Graves’s property from a small orphanage in amongst the trees. When she finally reached it, she sat down on the bank of the stream and hugged her knees to her chest.
She knew it wasn’t the right way for a lady to act, but she really didn’t care. Her father had been a country squire, and she missed the freedom she’d had to run around doing as she wanted when she was a child. Both of her parents had died of influenza when she was sixteen, and she’d taken a post working for Lady Graves. She’d worked for the woman for seven years, and she didn’t know what she would do if something were to happen to her employer.
The physician had come out several times and her health was failing. Constance knew she had to do something, but having always lived in the country, she didn’t know where to go or what to do. She supposed she could always get a post in the small town near them, but she didn’t know what skills she possessed. She’d been little more than a schoolgirl when she’d begun working for Lady Graves.
She sighed, staring at the water and waiting for it to calm her. She saw a lone rider across the stream. She’d noticed him before, but had never spoken to him. She leaned back on her hands and watched, knowing he would never spot her. He was always so focused on his ride that little things like women watching him were not noticed.
He looked as if he were one with his horse, riding along the edge of the stream. He was a superb horseman, and she dreamed of what it would be like if he offered her a hand up, and she rode along with him. Many nights, instead of sleeping, she would lie in bed and imagine a life with the mystery man.
Constance thought about everything she knew about him. He must have a great deal of wealth to be able to afford such a beautiful animal. Obviously he didn’t have a demanding job, because he was out quite often in the afternoon riding the same path. He didn’t ever look around him as he rode, just concentrated on what was in front of him. He would often jump over a fallen limb instead of going around it, laughing as he landed soundly.
For a few months, he’d been morose in his expressions as he rode, but for the past few weeks, he seemed happy again. She liked him better when he was happy, of course. He was so much more fun to watch.
Constance sighed, forcing herself to think about her situation again. She had to find something else to do. Whether or not Lady Graves died, she was miserable in her position. She was not made to be a lady’s companion. She would make a good governess, walking with children through the woods and talking about nature. She could see herself surrounded by children as she made her daily sojourns. Being with a crotchety old harridan? So much less enjoyable.
She stood and brushed off her skirt. She had only forty-five minutes left of her employer’s nap, and she needed some food. Ever since Lady Graves had fallen ill and lost her appetite, she’d forgotten that Constance needed to eat. When she would ask if she could go to the kitchens to procure food, the answer was always the same. “I’m not hungry! Why are you?”
She hurried to the kitchen, forgetting about the mystery man on the horse for the time being. The cook had left a warm stew on the stove for her, knowing she would be hungry. Lady Graves had no children, so no one checked up on her. It was just Constance, Lady Graves, and a few servants living in the large house in the country.
She sat at the table and ate her stew quickly, thanking the cook when she was done. “If you don’t mind, I’d love it if you’d keep something set aside for me this evening. I’m certain she won’t let me eat again. She’s happy with chicken broth. Why am I not happy with chicken broth?”
Cook smiled at Constance. “You run on back to her, Connie. You know I’ll save you some supper. I always do.”
Constance smiled sweetly and ran from the room, up the stairs, and carefully opened the door to Lady Graves’s room. She sat down in her chair, checking to see that her charge was still sleeping soundly. She picked up the Bible, and skipping over three Proverbs, began reading in a soft modulated voice, knowing when Lady Graves woke, she would expect to hear her reading from further along than where she’d left off.
She found herself constantly checking the time as she read. Two hours later, her throat hoarse, she stood and checked on her employer. Placing her hand against her forehead, she realized it was ice cold. Constance tried to stifle the panic as she picked up the woman’s wrist and checked her pulse. When she didn’t find one, she ran down the stairs and asked the maid to send for the physician, even though she knew it was too late.
Constance returned to her employer’s room, buried her face in her hands and cried. She didn’t know if she was crying for her employer or for herself, but her life was about to change, and she didn’t know where she’d be sleeping in a week. She knew nothing of the older woman’s will, but she was certain whoever inherited would not put up with the former owner’s companion living there.
What was she going to do?
*****
Charles once again felt eyes on him as he rode, but as usual, he assumed some of the orphans had wandered off and onto
Lady Graves’s property. He’d speak to Lily about it, because Lady Graves was the type to chase orphans off her property with a blunt instrument if she could find one.
He rode at breakneck speed back across the meadow toward Marsgate Manor. He’d been away from London for a while, and he found he was thinking about going back. He missed Lily, and their brother, James, was still in Scotland. What he was doing there, Charles didn’t know, but he rarely knew what James was up to.
He gave his reins to the groom in the stable before walking toward the house. He’d been feeling restless for weeks, ever since Lily had married Kit. He needed to check on her, but he didn’t want it to be obvious he was worried about her. He didn’t want her new husband to think he didn’t trust him.
He frowned. How could he trust Kit when he’d impregnated his sister without being married to her? Yes, he’d done the right thing when she’d turned up pregnant, and had promised him he’d be good to her, but he still worried. Lily hadn’t wanted to marry him, but she’d known it was the best thing for her unborn child.
He sighed. I’ll just ride over there at dinner time. She won’t refuse me a meal, and I can see them together and make certain she’s okay.
*****
Lily was glowing. She looked positively radiant and happy when she joined him in the parlor before dinner. She rushed to him and hugged him close. “It’s so good to see you, Charles.”
Charles pulled away and looked down at his younger sister, his brown eyes carefully studying her pretty face. “I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”
Lily laughed. “I wasn’t speaking to you because you forced me to marry a beast when I didn’t want to marry. Now I’m thanking you for encouraging me to marry my wonderful husband whom I love with all my heart.”
Charles threw back his head and laughed. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re happy.”
“I’m very happy.” She patted her round belly. “Ready for this baby to be born, but very happy.”
“It’s not time to have him yet. You keep my nephew in there for just as long as he wants to stay. We don’t need a tiny scrawny baby.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “What if it’s a girl?”
Charles shrugged. “If it’s a girl, you need to force her to wear shoes every day from the day she’s born so she won’t end up like her mother with a shoe aversion.”
Lily blushed, looking down quickly and then back up with a smile.
“You were checking to make certain your feet were hidden under your gown, weren’t you? Lily, you are going to be the death of us all!”
She smiled as Kit came into the room and slipped his arm around her waist. He held his hand out to Charles. “What brings you this way?”
Charles raised an eyebrow. “The last time I saw my sister, she told me she’d never speak to me again because I forced her to marry you. I felt the need to check on her and make sure she was all right.”
Kit smiled, his face having healed nicely from the black eye Charles had given him a few weeks before. “My wife and I are doing very well, thank you.”
“Then I’m here for dinner.” Charles followed the couple to the dining room and carefully observed them as they ate. He could see the love shining on both of their faces, so he was content. If Lily was happy, then that was all that mattered. He needed his sister to be happy.
“So, Charles, when are you going to marry?” Lily asked the question just as Charles was taking a sip of his wine, and he choked on it.
“I’m not in any hurry,” Charles told her. “I haven’t met the woman of my dreams yet.”
Lily shrugged. “How are you going to meet her when you hide yourself away in the country all the time? And when you do go to London all you do is attend parliamentary meetings. Don’t you think you should go to some balls? Check out the new crop of marriage minded misses?”
Charles wiped his mouth with his napkin. “The new crop of marriage minded misses? Is that a phrase you came up with on your own?”
“Oh yes, but I suppose I should have said, ‘the new mass of marriage minded misses.’ That suits them better and mass starts with an m! I’m all for good alliteration.”
Charles shook his head at his sister. “When I’m ready to marry, I’ll check out the ballrooms. For now, I’m content.”
Lily smiled at him. “You never know when love will come along and force you to change your stance on that.”
“As you said, I hide in the country when I’m not at parliament. How will love find me here?”
“You never know…”
He took the long way home that evening, riding to the edge of the lake that was right near the orphanage. He spotted a fountain by the light of the full moon that he hadn’t seen before. He stopped and got down, looking at it with a smile. He had no idea who had put it there, but the craftsmanship was superb. He would have liked to have one built for his garden at home.
While he was studying it, he thought about what Lily had said. He never knew where love would find him. He laughed to himself. “If love finds me here in the country, I promise I will not let it go.”
*****
Constance stayed at the manor house until after the funeral. She’d been going out daily looking for a new position, but nothing was available. Finally, just the day before, she found something. It wasn’t ideal, but at least she wouldn’t be living in the woods by the stream.
She stood over the grave, sad that no one else had deigned to show up for the burial. It was her and the other servants from the house, all of whom were currently trying to find new positions. It was much easier to find a job as a maid or a cook than as a lady’s companion or governess, though. How she wished she could find another job as a lady’s companion or a governess.
After the funeral, she took her small bag from where she’d hidden it behind a tombstone, and began the long walk into town. There was a small seamstress shop, and she’d been hired to work at the front desk, because her accent was genteel, and the owner thought it would bring in more upper-class clientele. She would have a bed in a small room behind the store, but she must share the room with another young woman whom she had yet to meet.
She sighed. It was better than having nowhere to live. It had to be better than having nowhere to live, right?
She had to walk around a small lake to get to town, and she stopped to sit for a moment on a tree stump. The tree had been cut down a long time before, but the stump was the perfect seat, and by the smooth top, she could tell she wasn’t the first person to sit there. She squinted out into the distance as she rested, wondering what the next day, her first day working in the shop, would bring.
She’d been raised to believe she would marry a member of the gentry and raise children. Never had she dreamed she’d work for a living. Finally, rested enough, she stood and walked toward town again. As she reached the edge of the lake, she saw a fountain, and stopped to look at it. It was majestic, each stone chosen and placed with care. She knew nothing about stone working, but even she could see that the fountain was something special.
She ran her hand over the front of it, and with a laugh, made a wish on it. She had simple needs, so she wished for the only thing that came to mind. “I wish the man on the horse would find me and take me away to a better life.” She opened her eyes and walked on, knowing it had been silly to waste her time that way.
When she arrived in town, she went to the shop and was shown her room. Her roommate would be one of the other women who worked in the shop. She had been raised in the orphanage that was so close to Lady Graves’s property. She seemed to be polite and sweet, and Constance said a prayer of thanks that she wouldn’t be sharing a room with an unsavory woman.
“I made room for your things,” Alice told her. “I thought you’d want to have a place to put your clothes.”
“Thank you, Alice. I really appreciate it.”
“I think you’ll like working for Mrs. Jackson. She’s good to us. As long as we work hard, she pays us on time, and gives
us breaks.” Alice smiled. She was a young woman of eighteen or so, and Constance felt that she should have had more time to stay in the orphanage, but she also understood that there wasn’t room for too many children, especially those that were old enough to live on their own.
Constance put her things away and walked over to sit on the small bed. “I appreciate you sharing your room with me,” she told the younger girl.
“Oh, I really don’t mind. I’m used to sharing my space after growing up in the orphanage.”
Constance smiled. She had been living and working on her own for two years when she was Alice’s age. Had she seemed so young back then?
*****
Constance found her days quickly settled into a routine. Most of the customers in the shop were country gentry, and she found herself missing her old lifestyle, but she truly didn’t mind the work. It was nice to be free to spend part of her day walking around the small village, and she could eat outside on her lunch break when the weather was nice.
She’d been at the shop for a little over a week when a very pregnant lady came into the shop. “May I help you?” Constance asked.
The woman smiled and nodded. “I want to order two new dresses to make it through the next few months, and I’d like to see Alice while I’m here if I may.”
“Of course.” Constance pushed the book with the dress designs toward the lady and hurried to the back. “Alice, there’s someone here to see you.”
Alice looked up from the dress she was hemming and set it down carefully before walking to the front. The owner gave her a look that clearly said she was not to spend too long with the visitor, no matter who it was.
When Alice got to the front of the shop, she let out a squeal and rushed into the lady’s open arms. “Lady Lily! It’s been ages since you’ve visited me.” She stepped back and looked at the other woman’s swollen belly. “You got married!”
Courting Constance (Fountain of Love) Page 1