The Spinsters Secret

by Monroe, Jennifer

  “Indeed, I do,” Alice replied. “I am pleased I am able to do business here rather than going all the way to London, for even my dressmaker in Exeter would have struggled to complete such an order in the short time I require. You should be commended.”

  The woman was beside herself as she thanked Alice once again, and now that the order had been completed and the measurements had been done, Alice and Sally walked out.

  “That was exhausting,” Sally said as they walked back to Alice’s shop.

  “It was, but was it not fun?”

  Sally nodded. “It was. Patrick isn’t going to believe me when I tell him,” she said with a laugh.

  “Well, let’s keep it to ourselves for the time being,” Alice warned. “We don’t need Johnathan learning about this too early, or he might cancel our order.” A twinge of guilt shot through Alice as she thought about the bill Johnathan would receive, but she pushed the feeling away. It was no more than the man deserved for his deception.

  Sally grabbed Alice’s arm and stopped her in the middle of the footpath. “Thank you again, Alice,” she said, tears rimming her eyes.

  “Not at all,” Alice replied. “But we are not finished yet.”

  Sally’s eyes widened. “We’re not?”

  Alice shook her head. “We still need to see the jeweler about a new chain for my pendant, and perhaps we will see what other presents Johnathan can purchase for me there.” She smiled widely. “We’ll even get you something to wear with the blue muslin gown, the one with the swooping neckline.” Sally went to argue, but Alice stopped her before she could speak. “Remember, this is more than fair after what Johnathan has done to me, and I promise, he had more than enough money to cover our feeble purchases. I may not be able to spend all of his money, but I will do my best to make a fine cut in his wealth, enough to make him hurt just a little bit.”

  Sally smiled. “Very well, if that is how you feel.”

  “Oh, it is exactly how I feel, my friend,” Alice replied. She then took Sally’s hand and the two made their way to the jeweler’s, Alice confident she would find everything she needed, and more.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Alice stared out the window of the shop as a white horse trod through the street, its rider’s blond hair concealing his face as he rode by. Her heart leapt, the old feelings of joy rushing through her, until the wind moved the hair to reveal that the face did not belong to the man of whom she had first thought him to be. It was not Thomas coming to rescue from the predicament in which she now found herself, but rather another man, much thinner and with a scowl on his face, something Alice had never seen on Thomas the entire time she knew him. The rider was soon lost amongst the crowds of other horses, carriages, carts and people who filled the street, all of them aware of where they were heading. How she envied those people, for she felt she had little understanding of where her life was heading. Yet, how silly of her; she knew exactly where she was going. In only a few days she would be leaving St. Mawes to travel back to Exeter where she would marry a man she despised and loved both at the same time. However, she predicted that, as time moved on, she would become to despise him completely, and though it made her heart ache, she resigned herself to her fate.

  At least she would have everything she wanted. The thought made her glance down at the ring on her finger with a deep emerald that matched the coloring of the pendant she now wore from a chain she had procured a few days earlier. The jeweler had been adamant that there was no concern that the pendant would be too heavy for the delicate chain Johnathan had given her, but Alice had insisted, and as the new necklace was much more expensive, the man gave in to her with very little argument.

  Sally’s voice brought her back to the task at hand. “Alice? Mr. O’Cleary is ready for you.”

  Alice gave her a smile. “Thank you, Sally,” she said as she walked over to where a large man with bright red hair and more freckles than anyone she had ever seen stood waiting. “So, you have finished, have you?” Alice asked of the man.

  “Ay, I have, Miss,” he replied with a wide grin. “Come and have a look.”

  The man led her through the door of the shop to the edge of the footpath. She turned and looked up at the most wonderful sight she had ever seen. Above the door hung a wooden sign, “Rhos Milliners” it said, named for the Celtic word for gorse. Although she had not seen the old woman since that first day, she never forgot how kind she had been to Alice.

  “It is wonderful!” Alice said. “You have done fine work, Mr. O’Cleary.”

  “I take pride in my work,” the man said, although his cheeks reddened a bit from her compliment. “I don’t want to be rude, but I have to be goin’. Would it be possible to settle the bill now?”

  “Of course,” Alice said just as Johnathan walked up. “My fiancé is here now.” She placed her hand on Johnathan’s arm. “Did you notice the new sign?” she asked. “Is it not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life?”

  Johnathan glared up at the sign as if it had done him some personal offense. “Why did you have a sign commissioned without consulting me first?” he demanded.

  “I assumed you were much too busy with meetings this week,” she said innocently. “Did you prefer me to wait?”

  He shook his head and turned to Mr. O’Cleary. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Fifty pounds, My Lord.”

  “Fifty pounds?” Johnathan bellowed, making the poor man wince. “Do you take me for a fool?” Several people walking on the footpath stopped to stare, but Johnathan did not seem to take notice. “This is robbery at its finest. You may think you can take advantage of a woman, but I will not stand for it.”

  Mr. O’Cleary stood shaking, his hat in his clutched hands bearing the brunt of his fear. “But, My Lord, it is what she offered to pay me. I had to postpone two other appointments to finish this one by the time Miss Huntington requested.”

  “Is this true?” Johnathan asked Alice.

  “Yes, it is true,” Alice replied. “We are to leave in less than one week’s time, and he is said to be the best sign maker to be found. Did you expect me to return once we are married and open without signage?” She did her best to feign confusion. “I thought it was a good idea.”

  Johnathan sighed, reached into his coat pocket, and produced the required amount of money. As he paid Mr. O’Cleary, Alice stole a glance at Sally, who gave her an encouraging smile. A minute later, the sign maker left with a smile on his face as Johnathan nodded toward the shop door. “We have some things we must discuss,” he said, brooking no room for argument.

  Alice nodded. “Sally, I will speak to you this afternoon,” she said before following Johnathan inside.

  “Oh, Miss,” Sally called out before the door closed.

  “Yes?”

  “We were to pick up the new shoes you ordered,” Sally said. “Would you like me to collect them?”

  “Yes, please. That would be of great help.”

  Sally looked down at the ground. “Er, I will need to pay them before they allow me to collect them.”

  Alice nodded. “Johnathan, will you please give Sally some money to collect the shoes we ordered? It will save me time; I have so much to do before we leave for Exeter.”

  Although he did not appear happy to do so, he removed several notes from his pocket and handed them to Sally. “I expect a receipt,” he demanded.

  “Johnathan!” Alice gasped. “Sally can be trusted completely. There is no reason to be rude to her.”

  Johnathan sighed. “Very well, I apologize, Sally. I did not mean to accuse you of anything.”

  “Not at all, My Lord,” Sally said with a quick curtsy. Then she was gone.

  Alice closed the shop door and turned around. “If you are mad at me for trying to make a business decision, I am sorry. I thought I was using what you had taught me.” She walked over to a counter and reorganized a box of buttons that was not in need of reorganization. She smiled as she heard him walk up behind
her.

  “I am no longer angry,” he said quietly and not unkindly. “However, in the future, if you have any larger purchases, I would appreciate it if we could make those decisions together.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and Alice fought to keep herself still. “If I had spoken to the man, I could have gotten the sign made for quite a bit less than what you offered him.”

  She wanted to scream at him, ‘Perhaps if you were not so busy putting your hands and lips on Jane, I would have gone to you first.’ The image of the two together fueled her anger and kept her mind on her ultimate goal. It was not the right time for her to confront him about his betrayal, at least not yet. Instead, she turned and said, “Very well, then. We will go back to you making all of the decisions. Excuse me for attempting to follow your example. I have failed and there is no reason to be reminded of it any longer. However, if I had seen you at least once to discuss the matter in the past two days, I might have been able to broach the subject; but as it were, you were nowhere to be found. I realize this is some silly business venture for you, but to me it is so much more.”

  Johnathan gazed down at her with what Alice would have thought was affection if she did not know the truth. “You did not fail,” he said quietly. “And this is not a ‘silly business venture’. I have made many preparations to take care of not only our wedding, but our future. I want everything to be perfect.”

  “You forgive me then?” Alice asked as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

  “There is nothing to forgive,” he replied. “The past is the past.” He leaned toward her, and Alice saw just in time his intentions and made to seem interested in a swatch of fabric. “I was considering using this fabric for new drapes in the sitting room at Cliff Heights House. What do you think?” It was the ghastliest shade of rust she had ever seen, and she hoped he would not agree, for the thought of hanging drapes in a room she would spend a good amount of time in made her a bit ill.

  “I…well, to be perfectly honest, is it not a bit…outdated? I mean to say…I believe…” Alice almost laughed at his stammering.

  “No, you are right,” she said as she replaced the swatch on the counter. “I did not have my heart set on it, and now that I really think about it, it does seem a bit old-fashioned. See? I am capable of going to you for your approval.”

  Johnathan stood with a befuddled look on his face. “I see. Well, I must leave, but I will return in two days’ time. It is hard to believe that we leave soon to begin our future together.” He walked up to her and took her chin in his fingertips. “I cannot wait.”

  “Neither can I,” she said, though she doubted rather highly that they spoke of the same things.

  ***

  Anger coursed through Johnathan as he gave the reins of his horse another snap. He had not allowed himself to become overly angry, though he doubted very highly that Alice would be willing to say the same. The truth was, she had never truly seen him angry, and he hoped she never would. What was wrong with the woman? he wondered. Over the past week she had become a completely different person. Gone was the sweet, yet defiant woman about whom he had come to care deeply. In her place was a woman who had no head for money, a spendthrift—another Jane. His entire ride back to Cliff Heights House he had gone over every argument he could muster, but he had yet to unriddle her sudden metamorphosis.

  A rider passed him, each gave the other a polite nod and soon Johnathan was once again alone on the narrow, less-used road. He felt trapped flanked between the tall hedges of gorse and an overhang of tree branches that blocked out much of the sun. What a fitting space, he thought despondently. It was as if his life were playing out in his surroundings in an almost ironic fashion.

  The road to his house came into view and Johnathan allowed the horse his head as he continued to ponder his fiancée’s strange demeanor. Perhaps it was all in his imagination. He had been distraught with the disintegration of the business deal with Lord Burkley, although he did not blame the man for withdrawing from their agreement. Johnathan would have done so himself if he had been put into that position, which he had on more than one occasion.

  Then there had also been the grueling search for Alice after she ran away, which had put him at his wit’s end by the time he had encountered the woman wearing Alice’s gown. How had he allowed a woman to put him in such a state? However, it had not been the first time. Jane had left him brokenhearted all those years ago. Perhaps it was women in general who were the problem. However, Alice had been so different from Jane, Johnathan felt sure their relationship would be different.

  Guilt coursed through Johnathan for comparing Alice to Jane; however, she had done no different than the now Dowager Duchess. Jane had gotten what she desired, wealth and a title that outranked his own, and now she had returned to retrieve the man she had left behind. Alice desired…what did she desire? Did Johnathan truly know her? Had she lied to him all this time? Now that they were to be married, were her true colors finally emerging?

  Johnathan’s head ached as the horse stopped before the front door before Johnathan realized they were home, and he urged the horse onward toward the stables. Was everyone around him changing and he had not? Or had he allowed his imagination to run wild due to the changes in his life? The latter made much more sense to him, but doubt still plagued him as he removed the horse’s saddle. What he needed was a stiff brandy to ease the tension in his neck and back so he could think clearly.

  He glanced over at a nearby post and thought back to that morning before leaving Glassberry Estate and Alice talking aloud to no one in particular. Although he would not admit it at the time, he had found her quite striking as she stood in the rays of the sun that shone through the open window in the loft—even with the ridiculous eyeglasses she wore. The thought of their banter that day brought a smile to his face. Then he remembered what she had said when speaking to herself, something about Thomas, the stable boy with whom she had fallen in love.

  A cold sensation ran down his back. Could it be that she still loved the man after all these years? The sun’s rays basked over him as he stepped outside and closed his eyes as he contemplated these thoughts. Alice had told him in no uncertain terms that she had accepted that the man did not want her. However, what if he had found her once again? Did she not say that they had spoken of living in Cornwall when they married? Perhaps he was from the area, and this was why she had come to Cornwall in the first place. This brought on a new question. Why was this Thomas no longer employed by Mr. Huntington? Had the man discovered the secret relationship his daughter had with someone of low standing and dismissed him? Johnathan thought on the man who currently worked in the stables and remembered that he was even older than Johnathan, so it was quite doubtful that he was the same man.

  These thoughts consumed Johnathan as he made his way to the house. Harold stood by the door when Johnathan entered, ready to take his hat and coat.

  “My Lord, a messenger was by not an hour ago,” the man said.

  Johnathan sighed. What now? What other devastating news could he receive from back home? Had another deal fallen through? Had Mr. Huntington given up on him and his pursuits with his daughter? There was no reason to speculate when all he had to do was open the letter and read its contents, but he could not bring himself to do so until he had poured himself a drink.

  “Thank you, Harold,” Johnathan said as he took the letter from the man. “I will be in my study.”

  “Very well, My Lord,” Harold replied with a stiff bow.

  Johnathan poured himself a brandy before taking a seat in his favorite high-backed chair. He glared at the letter. Well, there was no other way to find out its contents than to simply open it.

  Setting his brandy on the small table beside him, he tore open the letter, read the contents and groaned. “Oh, Alice, what have you done now?” he whispered. Inside the letter was a bill from the jewelers. Not only had she purchased a new chain for the pendant he had given her, she had also purchased three rings of vary
ing prices and colors, a diamond brooch, a hairpin that cost more than all of his tailcoats put together, and a second pendant that he just now realized Sally had been wearing when she had left the shop earlier.

  Fury was the only way to explain how Johnathan felt at this moment as he stood and walked over to the fireplace. He placed his hand on the mantle and glared at the empty grate, his mind seething. All this time he had thought everyone else was changing, and now he realized it was he who had done so. He had once again gotten himself caught up in that sticky web called love, and like the fly, he had become weak and unguarded. But no more. If he did not have an important meeting tomorrow, he would speak with her then, but there was no way he could get out of it. However, he would send a letter to every proprietor in the village if necessary asking them to deny any further credit to one Miss Alice Huntington. She thought she could make a fool out of him? Well, she was seriously mistaken. Although he still loved her, he needed to be firm or he would end up with another Jane on his hands.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Two days later, Johnathan stood at the window in the drawing room of Cliff Heights House as Lord Balfour spoke incessantly behind him. He had spent the better part of the morning and all of the previous night thinking of his situation with Alice, and he had come to the conclusion that he was being too harsh with her. She was a bright, intelligent woman, and he trusted her explicitly. So, she had spent more than he had expected, but he had not set any guidelines or limits on the amount she could spend. If he simply gave her a budget from which she could work, then his expectations would be much clearer.

  By the time Lord Balfour had arrived, Johnathan was in a chipper mood. How he had allowed himself to get so worked up over such a trivial matter was beyond him. Granted, the amount Alice had spent over the past week was not trivial, but he knew he could rein her in when he explained how a budget worked.

  He looked forward to her arrival tomorrow morning, for he had arranged for her to help him in hiring new staff for the house. Soon the house would full of the brightness of her smile and the music of her laughter.