by Sue London
"I was thinking perhaps we should sell it," Artie announced.
The silence was so deafening that he could have sworn he heard the dust that fell on the marble floor.
His mother tittered uncomfortably. "Surely you must be joking."
He shrugged and looked around the front hall. "What do I need with a manor house?"
Teddy still looked wide-eyed and pale. He winked at her.
"What do you think, my love?" he asked her. "Would you rather be mistress of an estate, or a shopkeeper?"
She blinked twice more, but finally caught the spirit. "Hm," she said, tapping her lip and looking around the hall herself. "It's a difficult decision."
"You're both daft," Eleanor announced.
"Perhaps we should take the rest of the day to think on it," Teddy said.
"Sounds reasonable," he agreed.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Teddy could scarce believe it, but it seemed that they were, in fact, in possession of a very large, formal estate. The rooms she'd been in so far had been cavernous, if austere in lack of furnishings. Artie took her hand and they explored a portrait gallery full of people they didn't know, and a ballroom larger than her parent's entire home. Once in the music room, he pulled her close.
"I think we lost them," he said.
She stared up at him, bemused. "They lost us shortly after you said you might sell it. I think they're discussing whether you're daft."
He kissed her briefly, then rested his forehead on hers. "Do you think I'm daft?"
"I certainly hope not, as I'm married to you now."
"If we live here, we'll have relatives in our pockets all the time."
She searched his eyes. "I thought you liked your family."
He released her and walked a few steps away, obviously struggling with what to say. "I do, I love them. Most of them. But they are... confining."
Teddy looked at Artie fiddling with the cover on the harpsichord and remembered him as he'd been as a boy. Restless. Fearless, even, with a zest for adventure Bernie had a difficult time matching. But also sweet and kind in a way Bernie had never been. Then Artie had gone to school and Bernie had died, and Teddy had never questioned why the brave young man who shouted down dragons in the forest had slowly but surely grown into a retiring, insouciant man. She'd assumed maturation. Had it been, instead, some insidious confinement from his family and the circles of high society he traveled in?
"Well, let's go back to the beginning, shall we? You said you want me, and you have me now, and you wanted us to have our own home, and now we have two. Is there anything else you want?"
"And you're worried about Pellinore."
She smiled at him. That was the kind man she loved. "Yes, and I'm worried about Pellinore."
"I want to stay in Aylsham," he admitted.
"Aylsham proper, or could it be someplace like here, nearby?"
"Nearby is fine. I want to smell the air and watch the seasons change."
"The air in the city isn't as fine as air in the country," she said.
"Eating at tea houses may seem a burden, but entertaining scads of family every night could be quite burdensome," he countered. "Especially as my family is so formal," he added darkly.
"So, let's see. Together, in this county, and we should think of Pelly." She tapped her lip. "Do you fancy being a landowner?"
"Fancy it? No. But at the profit this estate turns I suppose I could adapt."
"Oh? How much?"
"You didn't see? Last year His Grace turned better than five thousand pounds."
Teddy felt herself go weak at the knees. She only realized she was sinking to the ground when Artie reacted. "Teddy! Are you all right?"
***
Artie didn't know his wife hadn't been paying attention as they pored over reports of the land and profits. Now she was on her knees, the skirts of her blue dress spread out around her. He would have to step on her skirt or kick it out of the way to pick her up. She held her hand out in a stopping gesture.
"Did you say five thousand pounds?"
"Yes, but there's no staff to speak of at this point, so if the house were restored to working order, which it deserves, it would soak up a good bit of that."
She looked up at him, frowning. "What was His Grace thinking?"
Artie had to smile. "You didn't notice? He was thinking this would stick in my father's craw worse than any chicken bone." He crouched down to look eye to eye with her. "He could have given it to my mother, don't you see, which would have meant it reverted to my father, as a wife's property belongs to her husband."
"But the shop."
"Apparently my mother did some fancy things with her pin money and elaborate trusts. I found out the shop was technically in my name the whole time. Now, by giving the estate to me, the duke knows my mother can enjoy it and it will drive my father mad. I'm not as much a favored nephew as a convenient pawn."
"Oh, Artie. That's terrible."
He shrugged. "Somehow not quite as terrible as not being able to properly feed and clothe my lovely new wife. As my uncle has now made my ability to care for you a certainty, he will have my eternal gratitude."
She held her hands out. "Help me up?"
He stood and pulled her to her feet. "What do you think we should do, Teddy?"
"Wouldn't it be unwise to sell the estate? It would upset His Grace and Lady Graham."
He grinned. "I thought you said wisdom and foolishness only depended upon your perspective."
Her gaze was worried. "It does, in part."
He dropped his voice to a more intimate tone. "You did such a good job of convincing me it did that night. You've convinced me of so many things I would not have thought of before."
She stepped into his embrace, wrapping her arms at his waist, and he set his chin on her soft hair. He thought that his winsome wife was, at heart, quite wise. In ways that he would never have considered before experiencing her influence. Just now she had the wisdom to know that standing here in each other's arms was far preferable to trying to decide what to do with the estate.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Teddy closed her eyes, held on to her husband, and thought furiously. How could everything have changed so much, so fast? She didn't want Artie to feel trapped by his duties, and it was clear that Belridge Hall would draw his family like flies to honey. Would he enjoy being a landowner? She tended to think not, but perhaps he would. For herself, she needed to take a moment to grieve the dream of their shop. But he had always cautioned her that being a shopkeeper would not square well with his social standing. She'd only barely had social standing herself. She had never precisely been jealous of the other girls and their advantages, but she had been conscious of the fact that their wealth protected them in ways that she would never be protected. Except now perhaps she was.
The night she walked to Aylsham, what seemed objectively like foolishness wasn't, really, because it had been right. Her heart had known what it wanted. Perhaps that was the fool's game that they were playing now. They had what their hearts wanted. Nothing else really mattered, so the decisions would not come easily. And honestly, they didn't need to decide immediately. Artie clearly didn't like the idea of his family intruding upon their privacy, but he would undoubtedly miss them, especially his mother, before too much time had passed.
She tipped her head back and looked up at him. "You asked what I think we should do. I think we should enjoy our honeymoon, most likely by traveling as far as our twenty pounds will take us."
He grinned down at her. "It's more like fifteen pounds, so I hope Norwich sounds appealing."
"Anywhere you are sounds appealing."
He kissed her, an even sweeter, more gentle kiss than their first had been. "I think that sounds like a splendid idea."
As she smiled back up at him she heard a polite cough at the door. Turning in Artie's arms she saw Reeves standing there.
"Mr. Reeves?"
He inclined his head briefly to her, then t
urned his attention to Artie. "Your guests have departed. Mr. Norris will return on the morrow to go over some more paperwork with you. I took the liberty of having the maids start cleaning and airing your rooms. However, if you would prefer to return to Aylsham that can be arranged shortly."
Teddy and Artie shared a confused look and her husband finally looked back to the butler.
"Did I hire you, Reeves?"
"I would assume so since to do otherwise would be daft."
With that, the butler disappeared back into the hallway.
Artie laughed. "Well, I suppose Reeves expects us to stay here."
She poked him in the chest. "Do you always do what your butler expects you to do?" she teased.
"Believe me when I say it is probably the wisest thing you can do."
Teddy felt like it had all been settled because that feeling of rightness had returned.
***
Artie couldn't believe his good fortune. He would say that he had everything he ever wanted, but as little as a month ago he hadn't even really known what he'd wanted. Now he had a wife he loved to distraction, wealth, and freedom. And he had to admit that it all seemed at least a hundred times less intimidating because Reeves was here now. Staying at Belridge might draw his family closer than he liked, but Teddy was right. They could most likely go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted, starting with their honeymoon.
"Do you think Pellinore will like it here?" he asked.
"Well enough. Do you think Reeves and Pellinore will get along?"
"One hopes. Do you think your parents might like to live here, too?"
That brought worry back into her eyes. "I thought you didn't want family in our pockets."
"They can have a whole wing to themselves. And I mostly meant my family."
The clear relief in her eyes made him feel a cad for not realizing she might feel quite a bit differently about her family than he did about his. "It would be nice to offer."
"Then we shall offer."
"Artie?"
"Yes, love?"
"This was the very best Jack Valentine."
He chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it was."
Epilogue
"Yes, those baskets can go along the back shelf." Teddy refused to walk back there herself because every time she moved it felt like she was waddling like a duck. Pregnancy was, quite honestly, the most uncomfortable thing. But it was only two days until Valentines and there were still final preparations.
Lady Hargrove had asked the Grahams to take on the mantle of the Jack Valentine committee, and the committee meetings were now held in the back of their shop. It was fortunate they weren't reliant on Teddy's Garden to earn their keep because it rarely turned a profit. However, the fact that they hired help rather than working it themselves affected that greatly. Their most popular items were the little toy theaters they made together. They had kept the flat upstairs to themselves and Teddy was fairly certain that this baby had been conceived in their bed over the summer, when they had lingered in Aylsham eating in teahouses and readying the shop to open.
To Teddy's surprise, Artie had taken to his new role with relish. Apparently the challenge of it all had inspired him to act with vigor, forging relationships with his yeoman and listening to their concerns. In less than a year he had transformed from drawing room dandy to well-respected landowner.
Just now, however, he was pulling her back to lean on him. He was, in her opinion, the very best husband.
"How are you feeling?" he murmured down to her.
"Like a cow who's swallowed another cow."
He tried to smother his laughter. She was always coming up with outrageous metaphors to explain how she felt. "Do you want to sit down, or I could take you upstairs to rest? I think Lauren has all this well in hand."
Lauren, as their chair this year, undoubtedly had everything in hand, even if she seemed a bit drawn and out of sorts.
"You're probably correct. But if we go upstairs I'm not sure I want to rest."
'What happened to your cow who swallowed another cow comparison?"
"At least one of those cows is feeling frisky."
This time he did snort with laughter. "All those years of your silence and it would have been far more entertaining knowing what you were thinking."
"You can ask Pelly, I undoubtedly told him all about it."
He kissed the top of her head. "Yes, you undoubtedly did."
Arthur was now the one who listened to her chatter in the morning, or when she saw something new, or after they'd attended a social gathering. He'd seemed confused at first that she had so many words at her disposal, but before too long had not only tolerated but encouraged her magpie tendencies. She found herself unreasonably delighted to be heard and not simply listened to. Her husband was a kind, considerate, wonderful man and she loved him to distraction. She tipped her head back to look at him.
"Artie? I love you."
His expression warmed. "I love you, too."
Teddy knew that she would always have the very best Valentine's Days now.
Author Note:
As soon as Artie Graham showed up in Taming Chiron I knew he would have his own novella. What I didn't expect was for him to beat Charlie to print! But what sort of story for Artie? He struck me as a person who would love his hometown. When I stumbled across the Norfolk tradition of Jack Valentine, I knew where he was from! If you haven't heard of Jack Valentine (also Mother or Father Valentine), then don't feel bad, neither had I before this novella. But Norfolk is also home to what some say is the earliest Valentine. In 1477! It's hard to find a better place for a Valentine story than Norfolk.
"Not only did the tradition of sending cards to sweethearts on February 14 start in Norwich, but Norfolk also has Jack Valentine! If you hear a rap on your door late at night on the evening of February 13th and open it to find a present on the doorstep, then it would have been left by Jack Valentine. Some cynics say it’s parents getting their neighbours to leave a present for children, but we think that's like saying Father Christmas isn't real. Pish and twaddle… it's our man Jack." Source: http://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/
So it's like a second Christmas in February, but with more of an emphasis on sweethearts. What could be better than that?
Meanwhile, Norwich is a pretty big city, and I thought that Artie was more of a small town boy. I found Aylsham and immediately fell in love with it. The history, the marketplace, the fact that it's surrounded by beautiful estates. Perfect! I hope you love it as much as Artie and Teddy do.
For other books by Sue London visit bysuelondon.com
The Haberdashers Series
Trials of Artemis
Athena's Ordeal
Fates for Apate
Saving Persephone
Taming Chiron (coming soon)
Haberdashers Tales
A Common Christmas
Fortune Said
Sweet Tannenbaum
Haberdashers Nights
Lord Lucifer's Disciple
Jack Valentine
The Mad Clan
The Enchanted Cave