“I’ll talk to Magnolia.”
Father patted his shoulder. “Good. After the wedding you’ll come here to live. Everything has been settled.”
Here?
“Jules and Magnolia will be over later this evening to finalize the arrangements. Until then you should clean up and rest.”
Father left the room and Justin moved to the library window. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and pulled out a green string. He always carried some. He’d even given Magnolia a piece to tie her hair back while they were on the island. Green was his favorite color—because it matched Magnolia’s eyes.
He laid his forehead against the window pane. If Jules had announced their engagement to Magnolia, how was she feeling? If only he’d reciprocated her sentiments on the docks, then she would know how he felt and not be worried about his answer. Surely she didn’t think he still loved Hesper. Or anyone else for that matter.
With or without his help the matter would be resolved today. He just hoped he liked the outcome.
Chapter Ten: Plans
Magnolia drummed her fingers on the hackney’s bench seat. Father narrowed his eyes but didn’t comment.
She had a right to be nervous. The ride would end before her potential new home and husband. Justin could say no. Even with the evidence pointing to the fact that he loved her, she was still unsure. Who wouldn’t be? She’d asked him on one occasion and he’d not revealed the answer. In hindsight, she believed that was because he feared she wouldn’t reciprocate. After the moment on the docks, she understood perfectly.
“Magnolia, do stop drumming. My head pounds as it is.”
She bit her lip. Father had been testy since she agreed to the engagement. Perhaps he expected a spectacle. She’d been known to share one on occasion. Kenelm’s insertion into her life had brought multiple episodes.
“Very well.”
He patted her knee. “You look beautiful. He will see it too.”
The green gown she’d hoped to wear no longer fit her slimmer figure and she’d had to settle for placing a green sprig in her hair. It hadn’t cast quite the effect she hoped, but it would have to do.
“Thank you.” Shyness overcame her.
“Your mother would be very proud.”
Tears clogged her throat and she nodded.
The hackney jerked to a halt outside the two-story brick home. The flowers had died with the change in season, but the evergreens flourished. Green.
A smile tilted the corner of her lips.
The door opened. Justin. He wore his black breeches and boots. The long grey coat and the white shirt ruffled at his neck. His blond hair lay to the side, thick and rumpled. A smile quirked his lips upward.
“Miss Quinn.”
“Mr. Blakemoor.” She cocked her chin and strutted past him.
The first scent that struck her was magnolia. The house was filled with magnolia blossoms.
“Would you like to follow me to the dining room? The cook has prepared a fine meal for us this evening.”
She swallowed and held out her arm. He put his underneath. Her hand barely touched his, but she could feel his warmth through her glove.
Inside the dining room, he pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit. They’d never been so formal together and she found herself restraining laughter at every turn. But the magnolias? How did he have so many?
“Where is my father to sit?” She spread the napkin over her lap.
“Father and Mr. Quinn will be dining in the study.”
“Oh.” So they were to be alone.
“I thought we might need this time to discuss our future.”
“Of course. Although I don’t see what there is to discuss. I believe our sires have decided everything for us.” She took a sip of her drink to hide the shame of her outburst.
“While it is true they’ve arranged some of the larger aspects, I thought we might discuss the smaller ones.”
“Such as?” She shifted in the chair. The padding was full, comfortable.
“Such as timing. When would you prefer the wedding? Spring, summer, fall, winter? And how many guests should we invite? And what of the vows? That will need to be discussed. And the honeymoon. I don’t know that I can leave overly long, but a month wouldn’t be unreasonable. And—”
He continued to chatter. He’d fully accepted their future. He wasn’t going to ask if she wanted to marry? He’d just assumed? Where was his declaration of undying love? She’d given hers. She wouldn’t marry if he didn’t give his.
She cleared her throat. He stopped talking.
“Yes? Did you want to say something?”
She slapped the table. “Of course I want to say something!”
“Very well.” He folded his napkin and set it aside. His lips twitched. She’d seen it. The first hint that he wasn’t serious. Now she might be able to relax.
“You haven’t asked me.”
“Asked you? Asked you what?”
She slapped his shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest. “You should know me well enough by now to know that I’m not marrying a man who can’t ask me to do so. I care not one wit for convention.”
“Ah, I see. I had no idea.” His lips twitched again. He was toying with her!
She pushed back her chair and threw the napkin down on the table. She was going to stomp from the room and never return. He could tell the gossipmongers that she’d turned him down and she would remain a spinster forever. She didn’t care.
He took her hand and urged her to sit. She complied under protest. He dropped to one knee and looked up at her. Her heart flipped.
“Magnolia Quinn, my best friend, and love of my life, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Words wouldn’t push past her throat and she nodded.
He rose and pecked a quick kiss on her cheek. Then he flopped into his own chair. “Was that better?”
She gaped as if a fish gasping for air. “How could you toy with me? This is not my idea to—to marry you!”
He jumped from his seat, wrapped his arms around her middle, and smashed his lips to hers. Heat pooled at her center as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
A platter clattered in the next room and they broke apart. He laid his forehead against hers.
“I meant what I said. You are the love of my life and I want to marry you.”
She was breathless. “You do?”
He tilted her chin upward. “I do.”
She played with his collar. “Where did you get all the magnolias?”
He laughed. “I knew you would ask. Honestly, I am surprised it took you so long.”
She sighed. “Would you answer me please?”
“Very well. We grow them all year long in the hothouse.”
“W-why?”
“Because they are my favorite flower.”
Her heart couldn’t beat any faster. She was going to marry Justin and he loved her.
****
Justin waited beside the minister at the front of the church. The neckline on his shirt was constricting. It didn’t help that his heart beat hard and fast in his neck until he couldn’t hear.
Magnolia would walk down the aisle at any moment.
Two weeks had passed since their dinner together. He hadn’t seen her since. While the bans were read, Jules had passed her messages along. The wedding was apparently garnering all her time.
The organ struck a different tune. He looked up. Magnolia waited at the back of the church. The white gown was liberally decorated with white flowers. Sprigs of greenery flowed through her hair. Her bouquet was fresh magnolias. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
The vows were a blur. He vaguely remembered facing the guests and being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Justin Blakemoor. Then they were escorted by open carriage to his family home. On the lawn the staff had created a wonderland. Trellises were covered with ivy and magnolias. Tables had been set up with food. A band played softly as they h
uddled together for warmth.
“The first dance will be for the married couple.”
Justin led Magnolia to the center of the tables where a space had been left clear.
“We should have had this inside. The weather is too cold.”
He shrugged. He was plenty warm, but if she was cold. He snapped his fingers. Fires were lit around the area. It almost reminded him of the beach.
“Beautiful.”
He smoothed hair from her ear. “You are beautiful.”
Red tinged her cheeks. “Well, Mr. Blakemoor, I never thought this would happen.”
“You didn’t?”
“No. I thought I’d attend your wedding to Hesper Rotherham.”
“Can we please not mention her today?”
“Very well.” She bit her lip.
Oh no, she had the look of concentration. That was never good.
“I have something else we should discuss.”
“Such as?” He wanted to discuss their honeymoon. That should keep them busy for a while.
“Cunning.”
“What?” His last thought and her words didn’t mix.
“Fortescue Cunning. He was on the Captain’s Jewel, remember? He funded the entire excursion and I bet that he had something to do with our disappearance.”
“Why would you think that?” His curiosity was burning.
“Because he returned to England and we didn’t. He made no mention to anyone about seeing us with Captain Shelby. I know he has something to do with our being stuck on that island. I just do.”
“Very well, after we return from our honeymoon, we shall pursue Cunning, but for now.” He bent down and whispered in her ear all the wonderful things he had planned for their future.
Epilogue: The End
Magnolia peeked at Justin over the rim of her tea cup. They had barely just returned from their honeymoon when they received the message of a special gathering of the ton. Justin had hesitated to attend, but she consoled him with the opportunity to catch Cunning.
Justin spoke in loud tones with a group of men. He’d decided to end his career as an investigator and enter the family business. His desire to provide being his number one goal, or so he said.
She hadn’t protested, how could she? She was a woman with little say in current society. Justin allowed her say within their walls, but now that she was his wife her words held weight—meaning. It was one reason she would have preferred to remain single.
Beyond Justin and his group of cronies, Fortescue Cunning, Baron of Eure, entertained his own crowd. He leaned his head back and laughed. Eudora hung on his arm and his every word. The two of them believed they had gotten away with the kidnapping, but she knew something they didn’t. A special visitor would be attending tonight’s celebration.
The clapping began much earlier than she thought. She set her teacup on a low table and stood. On tiptoes she could almost make out the dark hair and the tanned skin of the newcomer. Dapper as always with his hair feathering back and his shirt slightly parted at the neck. An investment in buttons would do him good.
The host of the party held out her arms in welcome. Captain Vernon Shelby walked into them. Over her shoulder he caught Magnolia’s eye and winked. A flush crept along her cheeks.
She’d contacted him on a whim. His shipping company still ran an office on the dock and she’d hoped that a letter there would reach the captain, and she’d been right. Now he was here. Standing in the living room of a member of the ton and staring at her with his usual leer.
The crowd hushed behind her as he released himself from the host and strutted toward her. Her heart hammered in her chest. She might have neglected to mention that she was married in her letter. If he’d thought her unavailable, she feared he wouldn’t help with her plot. Perhaps that had been a mistake.
“You came.” She was breathless with shock.
“I did.” His smile broadened across his handsome face.
She tilted one shoulder upward. “Why?”
“Hmm, let’s see. A beautiful woman requested my presence on a mission of upmost importance. The same woman that I left stranded on a small island with minimal food and water.”
“Why did you do that?”
He shrugged. “I could have done much worse.”
“True.” She tapped a finger to her lip. He watched intently and she quickly stopped the action.
“Now, please tell me this mission. The longer I stay on English soil the more likely I am to be arrested.”
“You knew this and still you came?” She’d thought it was possible, even though she’d promised not to turn him in if he helped with her predicament.
He smoothed a hair away from her face. If Justin was watching the good captain would soon have a black eye.
“I did because I believe I know why you requested my presence.”
“You do?”
“You want me to give up Cunning.”
“I do. And…” she let the word linger for a moment, “I’ve discussed the situation with the constable and he has agreed to drop all charges against you—”
“If I give up Cunning.”
She nodded. She could feel the heat from stares around the room. Talking in hushed tones to a known pirate, who hadn’t bothered to dress the part of a gentleman, was going to be hard to explain later. It might even create a scandal. Why did that make her want to smile?
He ran his hand through his thick hair and then took a hold of her hands. “I shall do so for you. I owe you for my boorish behavior.” He traced the scar on her cheek. “For what happened to Blakemoor and to you.”
“Thank you.” The words caught in her throat.
“As a wedding gift…” He dropped her hands and moved away. So he had known all along. His flirtatious manner had probably been to rile Justin.
As Vernon strolled across the room to the constable, she caught sight of her husband. The anger she was expecting was not there, only a cocked brow of curiosity. So he knew that she was his. Good. That was as it should be.
The crowd erupted in shocked gasps as Constable Roskin and a group of men grabbed Fortescue Cunning and escorted him from the room.
Cunning narrowed his eyes as he passed by her. “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ll never prove my complicity in any crime.”
She smiled. “Don’t worry about a thing, my lord. All has already been proven.”
Cunning’s eyes widened as he was escorted from the room.
****
Justin smiled as he strolled across the room, avoiding Shelby. He reached his wife’s side and hid his mouth behind his glass.
“Care to tell me what just happened?”
She shrugged. “Cunning will no longer be a problem.”
“He won’t?”
“No. Tyrrel has agreed to give up his benefactor and Captain Shelby agreed to testify to Cunning’s part in our kidnapping. Men have already searched Cunning’s home and found several stolen items. The deed is finished.”
She’d done all that without him. He didn’t know if he was proud or sad.
He wrapped his arm in hers and led her to an empty sofa. “Are you happy now?”
A smile broadened her face. “Happier than I thought possible.”
“So you aren’t disappointed that our life of adventure is over?”
She patted her flat stomach and his heart skipped a beat. “Our adventures are hardly over; in fact I believe they are only just beginning.”
Author’s Note
Justin and Magnolia have discovered their love for one another and they are happy. Fortescue Cunning has finally received his day of reckoning.
I’ll admit that even though Vernon Shelby had his moments, I’m kind of loving his character. He might have a future. We’ll see… And what about Kenelm Kennaway? He might need his own spot of happiness.
I hope you enjoyed the six “Justice” and Miss Quinn Mysteries. Feel free to check out the other books I’ve written. Remember you can support me by l
eaving a review.
Other works by Felicia Rogers:
The Renaissance Hearts Series
Book One: There Your Heart Will Be Also
Book Two: By God’s Grace
Book Three: Labor of Love
Book Four: Beyond a Doubt
Book Five: Letters in the Grove
Stand alone works:
Love Octagon
The Painted Lady
The Perfect Rose
The Holiday Truce
A Month in Cologne
Andrews Brothers
The Ruse
The Rescue
Southern Hearts Series:
Millicent
Amelia
Cora
Wounded Solider Series:
Diamond Mine
Pearl Valley
Emerald Street
“Justice” and Miss Quinn Mysteries
The Case of the Missing Cross
The Case of the Puppet Constable
The Case of the Secret Love
The Case of the Chinese Boxes
The Case of the Hidden Treasure
The Case of the Lost Island
Meaningful Numbers Series
One of Forty
One of Twelve (2017)
One of Three (2017)
The Board Series by F. A. Rogers
(novellas are listed in order)
Maralie
Reuben
Vanessa
Simon
Darla
Daniel
Irving
Levi
Francesca
Benjamin
James
The Return to Eden’s Hollow
The Case of the Lost Island (A Justice and Miss Quinn Mystery Book 6) Page 5