His Contrary Bride (A Gentleman's Guide to One Upon a Time - Book 2)

by Charles, Jane

  “I won’t be gone long.”

  Sabrina tried to force the smile back to her lips. She had known this couldn’t last. The days with him and the comforts. All too soon the real world would intrude and she would have to make her place in it. “Thank you for everything you have done.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. Take care of yourself and stay off those feet until Phoebe says it is fine for you to walk.” He bent and kissed the top of her head.

  Sabrina tried to keep a smile on her face. He kissed her as if she were a child. She would much rather he had really kissed her and wondered what it would be like. After all, if you sleep with a man all night, is it any wonder that you would want to know what it was like to be kissed by him? Then again, he had no idea how they had slept and she realized how important it was to keep that information to herself. He obviously only felt a small affection, if any, for her. The thought was not pleasing at all. “Have a safe trip and good luck,” she finally offered with false brightness.

  When he finally left, Sabrina could only stare at the door and wonder what he really thought of her and if he was only helping her because he felt responsible. Would he have gone to all this effort it she hadn’t revealed why she had left the academy? Perhaps. One thing was very clear however, he didn’t seem to have developed the strange affection she had.

  Sabrina picked up the book. It was probably better. They were from two different worlds. It was best that he left before her feelings had a chance to grow stronger. The best thing she could do for herself at the moment would be to enjoy the few days she had to read and be pampered. With effort, she concentrated on the words before her until her mind was fully engaged in the story and Marius safely tucked in the back of her mind.

  * * *

  Marius awoke late in London the next morning as grumpy as he had been the day before. He had ridden long into the night to arrive at his home, not wanting to stop when the darkness fell. His sleep was about as disturbed as it had been the night before. While he didn’t have a beauty waking him, she was ever present in his dreams. Restless, tired and irritable, he allowed his valet to prepare him for the day. Marius wouldn’t wait for an invitation or go through the hospitality of leaving a card and waiting. He would see Ramsey today and clear the entire mess up, if that were possible.

  Two hours later, Marius stood in the foyer of the Ramsey’s townhouse waiting for the butler to return. Looking around the entrance and reminding himself of the prestigious address, Marius couldn’t help but note the wealth. The furnishings and artwork in the foyer alone were probably worth more than the total wages Sabrina had earned since being orphaned. Why had she been reduced to servitude?

  “Parker, is that you?” Ramsey called from the end of the hall. Ramsey had always been one to ignore the rules by greeting his guests instead of allowing them to be escorted to the appointed room and being announced.

  “How are you, Chester?”

  “I am doing very well indeed. What brings you here? I haven’t seen you in some months. I didn’t even know you were still in London,” he said as he turned to the servant. “Please bring coffee into the library.”

  Following him down the hall, Marius decided to dive right in, instead of spending wasting minutes on formal pleasantries. “I recently met your cousin, Lady Sabrina.”

  Stunned, Ramsey turned to him just as they entered through the door. “Do tell.” As he gestured him toward a seat he said, “Where was she because I can’t imagine you visiting Lady Davies’ Academy for Young Ladies?”

  Taking the seat opposite of where Ramsey intended to sit, Marius answered him but remained guarded. He wanted to be sure his instincts were correct and Ramsey had no idea what his cousin had been brought to. “At the moment she is at the Sandlin Estate.”

  “Thank goodness.” Ramsey settled back. “It is about time she got some sense into her head. I wonder why she didn’t tell me she had decided to leave her position.”

  Feigning ignorance, Marius asked, “What do you mean good sense? She seemed the most sensible woman to me.”

  Ramsey appeared delighted Sabrina had left the academy. “I do wish she would have told me. I will have to plan her come out for the spring.” He laughed and rubbed his hands together. “Do you know that Sabrina is twenty and has had it in her head for these past three years to remain at the academy teaching instead of being introduced to society? I can’t tell you how many times I wrote and insisted she return to London and marry.” He leaned forward and poured more coffee into his cup. “I wonder why the change of heart now? Not that it matters. It is time she got out of that school.”

  “Did you visit her often?”

  “No. Uncle James said she didn’t want us to visit. She also wrote and asked me not to visit. Lady Davies frowned heavily upon male visitors and as a teacher Sabrina was to be setting an example.”

  “So you haven’t seen her in three years?”

  “Four. Not since my grandfather’s funeral. Shortly after that her father was killed. That was when she started writing about staying at the academy. I thought it was because of the shock from the deaths. I was sure she would get over the insane idea when it came time to make her debut.”

  “Apparently she didn’t.” Marius studied Ramsey. His gut told him Ramsey had no idea what had become of Sabrina, but past experience with Sandlin’s family warned him that not all family members wished the others good health.

  “I wonder what finally changed her mind.” Ramsey’s smile spread across his face. “I wonder how she knows Lord and Lady Sandlin. I take it that is where you met my cousin.”

  “Um, actually no. I introduced your cousin to the Lord and Lady Sandlin.”

  “Really?” The surprise on the man’s face was evident. “How and where did you meet Sabrina?”

  “Actually, I met her at the academy. Prinny’s horse came up lame and we stopped there for a short time.”

  “By chance are you the one who convinced her she was wasting herself teaching?”

  Marius glanced into his cup and couldn’t bring himself to look into Ramsey’s hopeful eyes. It was clear the man knew nothing or he would show some alarm at how he had found Sabrina. “In a manner of speaking.”

  “Do tell.” Ramsey sat forward and waited.

  Marius couldn’t return the smile. “She wasn’t teaching when I met her.”

  As the smile faded to confusion on Ramsey’s face, Marius explained the circumstances as he knew them. By the time he had finished, Ramsey was visibly pale and almost shaking with anger.

  “You are sure she will be fine and is recuperating at the Sandlin Estate?”

  Marius assured Ramsey of Sabrina’s health.

  Ramsey stood and began to stalk about the room. “Why in the hell would my uncle do something so horrendous? The man is filthy rich, as am I. Either one of us could have paid for the rest of the academy’s tuition and launch Sabrina a dozen times over.”

  “Those were my thoughts when she told me the story.”

  “Did you at least tell her the truth?”

  He shook his head. “Once I got over my shock I thought it best to talk to you first to see if you knew anything.”

  “And had I?”

  “I’m not sure, but I don’t think it would have been pleasant for you.”

  Ramsey started to pace again. “It was probably best you didn’t say anything yet because I cannot fathom why my uncle would do such a thing.”

  “No clues at all?” Marius hoped this would be easier.

  “None. Perhaps Uncle James is in a very poor financial situation and was trying to hide it from the rest of us.”

  “Still,” Marius offered. He was not willing to let Ramsey make any excuses.

  “Of course. It doesn’t erase the fact of what he had done and if finances are the case, I expect to find out why he didn’t seek me out.” He settled in the chair. “To think that all of this time she has been working as a servant and I have been living like this.” Ramsey gestured to the expensive fu
rnishings in his home. “I’ll send a note around to the solicitor to expect me this afternoon.”

  Marius stood, relieved to have this conversation come to an end and glad he had not misjudged his friend. “I would like to go with you, if you don’t mind.”

  Ramsey eyed him with curiosity. “Of course, I’ll let you know the time and direction.”

  * * *

  Marius met Ramsey at the appointed time just as Mr. Jacobs returned to the office. The man had been the Chester family representative for years, having taken over the task from his father. After escorting the gentlemen into his office, Mr. Jacobs assumed his seat behind the desk, pulling a file forward.

  “After your note, Mr. Chester, I gathered your family documents. How can I help you?”

  “I would like to know about my uncle’s finances.”

  “Is there a reason for this inquiry? I need a justified cause before I reveal another’s status, even if he is your uncle.”

  “The fact that I am his heir should be sufficient enough.” The words came out short and deliberate, revealing Ramsey’s irritation.

  “Regretfully sir, I need a more substantial reason.” The solicitor studied him.

  Ramsey sat forward and slammed his hands down on the desk.

  Marius sat forward and concentrated on keeping his own voice calm. “Perhaps you should explain that your concern involves your cousin.”

  Ramsey turned to look at Marius. His face relaxed for a moment. He took a deep breath and returned his attention to the solicitor. “Sir, it has recently come to my attention that perhaps my uncle is not doing his best by Lady Sabrina Chester as her guardian.”

  Mr. Jacobs sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his protruding belly. His wire rimmed glasses slipped down his nose and he now studied Ramsey over the rim before speaking. “I’m afraid I can offer you no assistance. You gave up your right to be concerned about Lady Chester some years ago.”

  Marius again leaned forward. “Excuse me?”

  Ramsey tilted his head. “What right? I don’t understand.”

  Sighing deeply, Mr. Jacobs lifted the file and rummaged through it. “I am surprised you don’t remember. I dismissed your actions on account of your younger age. Still, I wish you would have consulted me first.”

  “Mr. Jacobs, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “Ah, here it is.” Mr. Jacobs replied and withdrew a paper. He handed it to Ramsey. “This is the affidavit you signed yourself relinquishing guardianship of Lady Sabrina.”

  Ramsey sat back to read and re-read the foreign document while Marius studied it over his shoulder. Ramsey lifted his eyes to Mr. Jacobs. “I have never seen this document in my life and that certainly is not my signature.”

  Mr. Jacobs paled for a moment. “Lord Chesterfield assured me that you insisted on this document being drawn up because you didn’t have time to worry about the girl and felt a more mature man would be better suited to take care of her. Perhaps you just don’t recall.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Jacobs, I knew nothing of this.”

  “Oh dear,” Mr. Jacobs mumbled. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed his forehead.

  “Mr. Jacobs?” Marius asked. “You said you would have liked to counsel Mr. Chester at the time. Why?”

  “I believed it was a poor decision. Lady Sabrina still had a year or two at the academy before young Chester here would need to introduce her to society. He could have used those two years to consider his options.”

  “I can assure you, Mr. Jacobs.” Ramsey threw the document on the desk. “Had I known that I had been named Sabrina’s guardian, I would have treated the role with all the seriousness it was intended and followed her father’s wishes to the letter. I would have never relinquished her care to another.”

  By now, Mr. Jacobs had become red with embarrassment. “Oh dear. I don’t know what to say, or am I sure how to fix this.”

  “I will figure out a way. Now, tell me about my uncle and his finances. Perhaps we can figure out what motivated him to take this action.”

  For the next hour, the three men poured over the file. There were a number of instances where Lord Chesterfield had been close to financial ruin before he inherited the title. He tended to spend lavishly and make poor investments. By the time they were finished, Marius and Ramsey had decided the motivation was clearly financial, which explained why Sabrina was cut off and left as she was.

  “Where is my uncle now, Mr. Jacobs?” Ramsey was determined to get his answers.

  “Your uncle is traveling on the continent. I don’t expect him back until early spring.”

  Ramsey slammed his fist against the wall. “I want to find him, now.”

  “Perhaps this is best. It gives us some time.” Marius patted him on the shoulder and wondered if he would have to physically hold the man back to keep him from boarding a ship to cross the Channel.

  Chapter 6

  Sabrina had been at the estate for five days when Phoebe accompanied her on a walk through the orchard. It was fall and the air was crisp, though not overly cold and Phoebe regaled Sabrina with the stories behind her many injuries. Just as Phoebe was about to tell her about the time she and Taylor disrupted the hornet’s nest, a wood shingle fell from the storage shed they were passing and struck Phoebe on the forehead.

  “Ouch!” Phoebe brought her hand to her head. “See. It is just as I said. Most of the time I am doing nothing out of the ordinary and I get injured.”

  Sabrina laughed with her, finally believing that Phoebe was an accident waiting to happen. Her smile faded when she spied the blood on Phoebe’s fingers. “Oh, dear.” She rummaged in her cloak for a handkerchief. “You are bleeding.”

  Surprised, Phoebe took her hand down and looked at the blood. “So I am.” She was not the least bit upset. “I hope it doesn’t need to be stitched.”

  After wiping the blood away, Sabrina studied the small cut. “It doesn’t appear to be very significant for all that blood.”

  “The head always bleeds the worst and I have never understood why.”

  Sabrina pressed the handkerchief to the wound. “If you hold that in place, it will probably stop soon.”

  Obediently, Phoebe replaced Sabrina’s hand in applying pressure to the wound.

  “Shouldn’t we return to the house?” Sabrina asked, expecting Phoebe to want to lie down and rest.

  Phoebe gave her new friend an odd look. “For this? It’s nothing.” She turned and studied the shed. “This is in worse shape than I had thought.”

  Sabrina took a few steps back to study it as well. “It doesn’t appear to be in that poor of condition. A few shingles just need to be nailed down or replaced.”

  “Do you think?”

  “It should be easy enough. In fact, let me take care of it right now before anything else falls and hits you on the head.”

  Phoebe laughed. “I’m sure I can find someone to fix the roof. After Taylor learns what happened, he will probably have the entire roof replaced or the shed torn down.”

  Sabrina ignored her and walked to the door of the shed and opened it. Leaving the door open for light, she searched for the right materials. When she exited it with a ladder, hammer, and some nails, Phoebe rushed forward. “I can’t let you fix the roof. You could get hurt.”

  Sabrina dismissed her concern with a laugh. “After the stories you just told me of yourself, you are afraid I’ll get hurt?” She leaned the ladder against the shed, placed the nails and hammer in her pocket and climbed to the roof. Three loose shingles she was able to nail down from where she stood.

  “There are a couple shingles missing,” Sabrina called down to her. “One is probably the same shingle that found you. There is a box in the shed. Could you get me a few?”

  Phoebe scurried to do her bidding, still holding the handkerchief to her head. Returning, she handed them up to Sabrina. “Is it hard? Hammering nails?”

  Sabrina looked down at her and smiled. “Not really, th
ough I think gentlemen want us to think it is.”

  “May I try?”

  “Of course. Let me get on the roof and you can climb up.”

  Phoebe paused only long enough to check and make sure the bleeding had stopped before she put the cloth in her pocket and began climbing. Once at the top, Sabrina showed her how to hold the nail and not hit her thumb. Phoebe hit her thumb the first two times anyway, but didn’t let it dissuade her. “You are right. This isn’t as difficult at all,” she said, pleased with herself.

  As Phoebe put the second shingle in place to nail down, Sabrina stepped back out of the way. Just as Phoebe struck her thumb again, Sabrina’s right foot went through the roof. Both women gasped and looked at each other before bursting out in laughter. “It appears the roof is in worse shape that I realized.”

  “Are you all right? You didn’t hurt anything did you?”

  “I am fine, but I am afraid I have ripped the dress your sister was kind enough to lend me.”

  “Oh, she won’t mind. I am more concerned with how you are going to get down.”

  Sabrina tried to lift her foot but it was at an odd angle and she was afraid to use any more of the roof as leverage in the event it was rotten as well. She didn’t want to fall through the roof completely. Holding out her arms to Phoebe, she said, “If you pull on me, maybe I’ll be able to wrench my foot free.”

  Reaching up with both arms, Phoebe tugged on Sabrina as hard as she could but the motion caused the ladder to pull away from the shed. When they realized what was happening, Sabrina grabbed Phoebe back before she and the ladder went crashing to the ground. Once Phoebe was leaning against the roof again, they both let out a sigh, too afraid to let go of each other.

  “What do we do now?” Phoebe finally asked.

  * * *