Eliza put her hands over her face and wept with relief.
“Does this mean she has to go back to Manchester?” Grace asked.
“Yes, it does. I have made arrangements that she is to go this very night,” Richard responded. “Our carriage is at your disposal, Mrs Phillips, and I will send a man with you for your own protection. Once he has spoken with Mr Frost in Manchester and is assured that you are safely protected there, he will return home.”
Eliza nodded her understanding and gratitude.
“If he is not satisfied that you are safe, he is to remain and make enquiries in order to find someone to stay with you. You understand?”
Again Eliza nodded.
“Very well. Grace will help you prepare.” Richard turned on his heel and led the way out of the room.
Edward remained where he was for a moment. As Grace made to pass him, he reached out and grabbed her by the arm, squeezing her tightly. “Think carefully, Grace, before you bring scandal to this house again,” he hissed between his teeth. “Do you hear me?”
Grace bowed her head in acknowledgement. His fingers dug painfully into her arm, and she struggled to free herself.
“Good. Because I will brook nothing that will stand in the way of my future and this family’s reputation.” He gave her a little shove as he let go of her arm and pushed past her out into the corridor.
Grace stood immobile, blinking back tears of pain and humiliation. The change in Edward’s demeanour shook her to her core. Rubbing her sore arm, she slowly made her way out of the room to join the others.
* * * *
Before dinner was announced that evening, Eliza and Haines, Richard’s manservant, were bundled into a carriage and on their way to Manchester. Everything happened so fast that Grace barely had time to understand it all. She was relieved that Eliza was not going to have to answer for her actions, and she was grateful for Richard’s intervention. She did not know how she could ever thank him.
Throughout dinner and continuing for the rest of the evening, Edwina monopolised Grace’s attention, who only wanted to speak to Richard to thank him and to see Edward to apologise, but no such opportunity arose.
It was not until she was preparing for bed that Richard joined her and she was able to speak of all that lay heavily upon her heart. “Richard, I want to thank you for all that you have done and to say that I am truly, truly sorry for bringing this into your home.”
Richard stared at her for what seemed like an eternity and inside she willed him to speak. Just when she thought he would not and she was about to prompt him, he said meaningfully, “It is yours too.”
“What is mine too?” She shook her head not comprehending.
“You said you were sorry for bringing this into my home. But it is your home too, Grace.” He stepped forward, closed to the space between them both, and looked down at her in her nightgown. “And I did only what I had to do, nothing more and nothing less.”
“But she is not going to hang, and it is all thanks to you—”
Richard held up his hand to stop her. “It is not all thanks to me. As I told Mrs Phillips, someone upstairs was looking out for her. She has a protector greater than I.”
“Yes,” Grace smiled happily.
Richard stepped forward again until his clothing brushed against hers. He reached down, cupped her chin in his hand, and bent his head to kiss her.
His touch was so tender and his kiss so loving that Grace could barely breathe. Richard wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, all the while deepening his kiss.
Grace’s heart raced and beat against Richard’s chest. She knew he could feel it through her gown.
He reached down and swept her up into his arms. He carried her to the bed where he gently laid her upon it. That night, Grace allowed him to love her completely and utterly. That night, they became truly man and wife.
Chapter Nineteen
The following weeks passed by in a blur of happiness for Grace. When her father told her that he had agreed to her marriage to Richard, she believed she would never be happy again. She was delighted to be proven wrong.
Her relationship with her new mother-in-law, whom she was growing accustomed to calling Mama, grew day by day. She felt truly blessed to have Edwina in her life and was learning how to run a home like Emberton Hall. Edwina even entrusted the menu for a small dinner party to her daughter-in-law and invited the Colemans to dine.
Later, after the event, Richard congratulated his wife on a job well done. He told her that he was impressed with her attention to detail, especially in remembering that Martha Coleman had a penchant for sorbet.
Grace stretched languidly in the bed. She did not know what time it was, nor did she care. She sighed contentedly, knowing she had a wonderful husband. She reached out and ran her fingers through the hair on Richard’s chest as he lay at her side smiling down at her, his breathing still rapid from their exertions.
“Are you happy?” he asked her.
She giggled, “I think you know the answer to that.” She shifted so that she could kiss him tenderly on the lips. She lingered taking in the scent of his skin. “Hmm…you smell good.”
Richard turned on his side and laughed, “Am I not supposed to say that to you?”
“I suppose so, but it does not necessarily follow that I cannot say it, if it is the truth.”
She watched the smile play around the corners of his mouth as he reached out and traced a finger down her arm. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Grace kissed him again.
“I do not know what it is, whether it is because we have just made love or because of the moonlight, but you look radiant,” he whispered.
Grace bit her lip. She looked deeply into his eyes and knew she could tell him absolutely anything. There was something she had wanted to tell him for a few days but was not quite sure how to. She decided to take a leap of faith and just say what was on her mind.
“There could be another reason for that, you know.”
“What do you mean?” he asked indulgently, leaning upon his elbow.
“Well…” again she bit her lip.
“Tell me. What other reason could there be?”
“I think…it might be…that I am with child,” she said quietly.
Richard’s mouth fell open. “When will you know for certain?”
“Soon. Are you pleased?”
“I could not be more so,” he replied folding her in his arms and making love to her yet again.
* * * *
When the nausea began, Grace knew for certain she was indeed with child. As soon as the news was announced, the whole house was humming with excitement. Edwina immediately became protective of her daughter-in-law and ordered preparations for the redecoration of the nursery to get underway. Grace would have been happier if it were not for the bouts of vomiting that were so frequent. She spent most of the day above stairs in their rooms.
It came as a surprise, then, when Mr Long, the man who managed the day-to-day running of Emberton Imports, arrived late one afternoon with a dark-skinned girl in tow.
Grace gasped as she realised who the arrival was as they all went to the entrance hall to greet their visitors. “Dear Lord, I completely forgot about you!” she exclaimed. She rushed forward and, remembering the customary greeting, pressed her palms together in front of her chest, bowed her head, and said, “Namaste.”
The young girl, no more than fifteen years old, stepped out from behind Mr Long, where she had hidden herself, when Grace rushed forward and smiled in recognition, before repeating the gesture. “Namaste.”
“You remember me?”
“Yes, Miss Grace,” she bowed respectfully.
Grace clapped her hands together happily and turned to Richard, and Edwina. “Is it not wonderful? Mina has arrived!”
Richard moved forward and stood beside Grace. “Welcome to England, Mina, and more specifically, welcome to Emberton Hall.”
Again Mina bowed her h
ead, performing the namaskar with her palms pressed together. “Namaste.”
“We will have to do something about your dress, of course,” Edwina called from her position by the drawing room door. “But that is of little consequence. You are most welcome here, Mina.”
“Oh! Only if you want to that is,” Grace said hurriedly, only then taking in how filthy and ragged the poor girl’s clothing was. “If you want to continue wearing a sari, that is acceptable too, is it not?” She turned to look at her mother-in-law questioningly and saw profound pity reflected there.
“I suppose we will have to get used to it if that is what she prefers,” Edwina replied. “Winter is coming and it is cold outside. We had best get the girl warmed before she catches cold.”
Grace was so happy to see Mina. It was comforting to have a little piece of India with her once again. She would have someone to talk to about the plantation. But first she had to attend to business. Grace had to tell Mina that she did not wish to keep her as a slave.
As they started to walk towards the drawing room, a clanking noise made them all turn as one and stare down at Mina’s feet.
“Mina, lift up your skirts and show us your feet,” Edwina called out, as she hurried to stand beside Grace.
The young Indian girl did as she was told and raised her sari skirt a little, revealing bloodied feet and iron shackles firmly clamped around her ankles, so tight that they had caused bleeding, open sores. How she could have walked with her feet chained together so, Grace did not know.
“Mr Long,” Richard ordered with a scowl on his face, “go to the village and fetch a blacksmith. Get these things off this girl immediately!”
Grace could hardly keep her composure. Although she was used to seeing slaves, she was not used to seeing them bound and shackled. She was horrified at the sight of Mina’s bleeding feet and the thought of the treatment she must have endured on the long passage from India. “We must get her to the fire quickly,” Grace exclaimed, shepherding Mina into the drawing room.
“I will order warm water and something to wrap her feet.” Edwina turned on her heel and marched purposely towards the servants’ staircase.
* * * *
Once the blacksmith had arrived, performed his duty in releasing Mina from the iron clamps she wore which signified her status as a slave, the mood in the house lifted. Mr Long was thanked, asked to stay for dinner, and shown to a guestroom to rest until called to dine. Grace insisted the blacksmith was paid double for his efforts.
Mina was then introduced to Edwina’s lady’s maid, Florence, who immediately took a shine to the girl and was fascinated by the colour of her skin. Grace took great delight in showing Mina to her room at the top of the house while hot water for bathing was readied. It took a great deal to convince Mina that the whole room was to be hers. She assumed that all the staff slept in the same room, and Grace remembered, with some shame, that entire families would often live in the same amount of space that Mina now had just for herself.
Mina also refused the offer of clean clothing, to Grace’s dismay. She explained this to Richard when she returned downstairs to the drawing room with Mina sometime later.
The girl hovered by the door, seemingly out of place in such an environment. She kept looking at Grace as if waiting for orders or given a task to do. But Grace and Richard wished to speak to her.
Edward sat some distance away to give them some privacy while he smoked a cigar and watched the proceedings. Grace wondered what he was doing there, so far away from them, and expressed it to Richard in a low tone. “I am unhappy with Edward, Richard. What is he doing here?”
“He needs to be present, but I feel it would be better if he kept his distance for now. Mama is having hot water and bandages sent up, but she is too distressed by the poor girl’s state to join us.”
Grace nodded and rose to ring the bell to indicate they were ready to have tea sent for and the water brought in.
“Did you have a good journey from India?” Richard asked Mina.
Grace smothered a smile at Richard’s unease with small talk. Mina told them she had a rough voyage and she was glad to arrive in London. However, nothing could ever have prepared her for the cold.
“Oh, yes! We ought to have thought about that and made some provision,” Grace told the young girl. “Winter is upon us now, and it will get much colder.”
“Colder?” The girl looked astonished. “It can get colder?”
Richard and Grace laughed. “Yes, it can get colder.”
The tea things arrived, along with the bowl of warm water and strips of cloth to bathe and wrap the injured feet. Mina stepped forward to pour the tea out. Grace immediately stood up with the intention of taking over, but Edward suddenly appeared at her elbow and, with a gentle touch of his hand, bade her sit down again.
Politely, they waited to be served. Richard then indicated to Grace that she should now serve Mina. The young girl did not know what to do or what to say when her mistress gave her a cup of tea to drink.
“I cannot…”
Grace pushed the cup and saucer towards Mina, looked into her eyes and said with feeling, “Yes, you can. I insist.”
Mina bowed her head and, with cheeks burning, picked up the cup and saucer and sipped the hot brew.
“Now, then,” Richard spoke up after taking a mouthful of tea and placing his cup and saucer back on to the tray. “Let’s get to business, shall we?” He turned towards his brother, “Edward?”
Mina’s eyes darted between the three of them, clearly confused as to what was happening, as Edward moved to sit closer. “You, Mina, have been given as a wedding gift to my sister-in-law, Mrs Grace Emberton, here.” Edward indicated Grace on his right.
Mina smiled that she understood.
“Mrs Emberton does not wish to own a slave.”
Mina gasped and the look of terror that past across the young girl’s face was heart-wrenching. “You do not want me?” she cried out.
“Yes. Yes, I do want you.” Grace smiled reassuringly.
“I am not understanding,” the poor girl said in a small voice, shaking her head.
“I want you, but on my terms.”
Mina frowned, still shaking her head, still bewildered.
“What my sister-in-law means,” Edward explained, “is that she does not wish to own a slave, but that she is quite happy,” Edward enunciated slowly, “to take you on as a paid servant.”
Mina continued to shake her head. “I am not understanding. Paid servant?”
“Grace,” Edward turned in his seat to face her. He pulled a packet of folded papers out of his inside pocket and handed them to her. “These are for you, my wedding gift…” he paused, “and my apology.”
Grace stared down at the papers in her hands, knowing immediately what they were. “Thank you, Edward.”
“Do you know what these papers are, Mina?” Richard asked the girl.
“I do not. Am I going back to India now?” she queried.
“No, you are not. I wish you to stay here with me, Mina.” Grace rose from her seat, walked over to where Mina sat, and knelt down beside her. The girl was discomfited by her actions, and Grace knew precisely why. Mina made to stand up, but Grace stopped her. “No, no. Stay seated, please.”
Grace slowly opened up the papers and showed them to Mina. “Can you read?”
Mina shook her head.
“My brother-in-law, Mr Edward Emberton, has made a gift of these papers to me on the occasion of my wedding.” Grace looked at Mina to see if she understood. When the girl nodded, Grace placed the papers carefully on the table and pulled the bowl of water towards her. She gently picked up Mina’s feet and began to bathe them, ignoring the girl’s mortification. “My father gave you to me as a gift for my wedding.”
Again, the girl nodded. This was something she could understand.
“I believe that slavery is wrong. That is why Edward has given these papers to me.”
Mina looked confused as she s
tared at Grace’s face, trying to determine if this was a colossal joke.
“When I sign my name upon those papers, you will be a free woman. Do you understand?”
“No, I am not understanding you, Mrs Grace.”
“These are legal documents.” Grace nodded towards them. “At the moment you are my property.”
Mina’s head nodded her understanding.
“When I sign my name upon these papers, you will be free, no one’s property.”
“Free?” Mina looked at Richard, Edward, and Grace in turn. “Why? Do I not please you?”
“Yes, you please me very much,” Grace beamed at her affectionately, “but I am giving you a gift, the gift of freedom.” Grace could see panic creeping across Mina’s face, so she spoke quickly and reassuringly. “I wish you to be free, no longer a slave, but I would like you to live here. You will continue to work for me, should you wish to. You will live in this house, in the room we showed you, and you will be paid.”
“Paid?”
“Yes, given money for the work you do. We can discuss the particulars at another time. But, Mina, do you understand?” Grace put her head on the side and cast an eye over the girl’s face to see if she could detect any comprehension there.
Mina looked down at the papers on the table as though she could read them. “That makes me free? No master?”
“Not of the kind you have been used to before, no.” Grace reached out and gently touched Mina’s hand. “We will be your masters, but of a different kind. And if you are not entirely happy here at Emberton Hall, then you will be free to leave. We will send you home to India if that is your desire.”
“Home?”
“Yes, if that is what you wish. You will be a free woman. You can choose to do as you please.”
Mina’s delighted laugh was a joy for all to hear. “I want be here with you.” She turned her grateful gaze toward Richard and Edward. “I want be here with Mrs Grace. I work for Mrs Grace. She make me free,” she said in her beautiful broken English.
The Spice Bride (The Emberton Brothers Series Book 1) Page 16