by Heather Boyd
Meredith stiffened her spine. She had dispensed with most of the arts necessary for a lady of good breeding. “Not for a long time. I’m sure I’m out of practice.”
Constantine grinned. “Then you should practice. There is a pianoforte in the drawing room. I’ll ask Cunningham to have it tuned soon.”
“No, thank you. I’m sure I’ll be too busy.”
He bounced his daughter on his knee in time with the music. “Did you play for many years before you became out of practice?”
Meredith slanted her gaze in Constantine’s direction. Why bother getting to know her if he planned to marry someone else? “Fishing again?”
“I like fishing,” he told her. “It requires patience and trickery.”
If he would just go away, she’d have a hope of controlling her temper. But the man was blind. Every time he looked at her, he smiled. How could he when she was so angry with him? Did he think he had the right to toy with her affections like this? “I played poorly till I was sixteen.”
“What happened after sixteen?”
“I never played again.” Meredith rested her cheek on Maisy’s head and listened to the rest of the tune in fuming silence. When the next one called for dancing, she immediately declined Constantine’s invitation to dance with him. He studied her a while before he passed Poppy to Miss Cunningham to entertain and then requested a dance with the housekeeper, then Cook, before he finally collected Willow for a dance.
Meredith watched the laughing pair as Constantine struggled to juggle his smaller dance partner while holding on to his dignity. It appeared to be quite a stretch and in the end he lifted his daughter into his arms and waltzed her about the room.
That seemed the sign for the remaining servants to partner together. Sets were formed as the tune changed. Mrs. Smith and Cunningham made a regal pair while the younger ones moved a little awkwardly. Willow pulled Maisy away to dance together, turning in circles without any real idea of what they were doing. They were beautiful. The lost, sad children she had first met had fled.
When another dance concluded, Constantine approached. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Clark?”
How could any woman deny such a gallant invitation? Even when she was in a temper and there were servants all around. Meredith reluctantly placed her hand in his. “Of course, my lord.”
He called out to the players. “A waltz, if you please.”
The other servants drew back to give them space and to stare. Meredith was not sure she wanted to be center of attention, but Constantine did not give her a choice or a chance to back out. He pulled her into his arms and smiled. “What didn’t I do?”
“I’ve no idea what you mean,” Meredith muttered as the music started. When the dance ended, she intended to leave the party.
From the first step, Meredith knew she was in the hands of an accomplished dancer. His sure grip and measured tread proved him a master at the art. She succumbed to instinct, remembering the discipline a former dancing master had drummed into her head with such condescension. A lady must follow a man’s lead. How those words had made her angry when she was young. At least in Constantine arms, there was no danger of having her toes mashed as her brother had used to do. Constantine was born for the best life had to offer, which made Meredith even more bad tempered.
A chill raced over her and she quickly brought her mind back to the here and now. It was best to never think on what she’d run away from. Regrets were for the foolish and weak.
Constantine spun her to the sidelines and stopped in front of the fire before the tune ended. The room broke out in applause. She glanced around with an embarrassed smile and was relieved when another set formed and the dancing resumed.
Constantine’s hand fluttered over her back. “Cold again, or was that an unpleasant memory?”
Meredith increased the space between them and regarded him warily. “Whyever would you think such a thing, my lord?”
A frown tugged at his lips and he glanced around them. No one was near enough to hear. “Your mood has changed considerably as the day has worn on. I much preferred the way you looked when you snuck from my bed this morning. I hope you found no fault with my dancing.”
“None, my lord.” Meredith drew a deep breath. “You dance so well I forgot I was out of practice. I merely remembered that my toes were once squashed by a terrible dance partner.”
“A former suitor?”
“No.” She smiled sadly. “A brother.”
His brows rose at her admission. On a normal day Meredith did not like to think of the past. She’d not lose any more peace than she had previously with thinking of them. It was only at Christmastime that she couldn’t bury her memories completely. At Christmas she missed her family so much she ached, but finding out Constantine planned to marry had added far more pain to the season.
Instead of pressing for more information, Constantine smiled and gestured across the room. “Well, I for one am pleased to spare your feet from mischance. You dance very well. Would you like to sit again?”
For the number of hours Meredith had spent in lessons when she’d rather have run free, it was not surprising that some part of her former life had remained. “Thank you.”
That twinkling light returned to his eyes. As they made their way back to the couch, he took Poppy from Miss Cunningham and set her between them. “Now, while we are alone, I wanted to tell you we’re leaving the Hall for a short holiday after the new year begins.”
A ripple of anger filled her. Her breath grew difficult to catch. “Oh?”
Constantine’s eyes softened. “Nothing too arduous. But we will need to pack for a weeklong sojourn, maybe two. I’ll leave my daughter’s preparations in your capable hands, if I may. Be sure to pack warmly.”
Meredith swallowed. She wasn’t prepared to lose him so soon. Not yet. She needed more time. “You’re going to take them in the middle of winter?”
Constantine looked out over the gathering, a regretful expression on his face. “While this is pleasant, I’ve put off visiting my family for some time and I’m regretting that today. It has been a long time since I’ve seen them, and I’d like to begin the new year with a visit. There have been many changes in their lives that I’ve missed by being wrapped up in my own affairs.”
The relief that coursed through her was immediate. She took a moment to get her thoughts in order. She didn’t want him to know how happy the news made her. “You were grieving.”
“So were they. But I intend to mend the breach, do the pretty, and accept responsibility for my mistakes. I want you there with me. The girls would not like to leave you behind. Please say you’ll come with us.”
Meredith glanced about to make sure they were not being watched. She was very sure they could not be overheard, so she did not have to moderate her voice. “I’m a servant, my lord. Of course I would travel with the children.”
“You are much more to us than that. I’d prefer you to come of your own free will. Perhaps I was not clear last night about my intentions.”
“Your intentions?”
He eased back in the chair, looking to everyone else a man completely at ease. Meredith knew better. “I don’t dabble with my servants.”
“So what does that make me?”
“A woman I want to know in every way imaginable. A woman I want to wake up beside no matter how long it takes her to accept that.” He glanced at her briefly, his smile warm, his expressive eyes lust filled. “You know me. You know my nature and temperament. I want you, but I don’t want to force you to anything. I admire you. From what I’ve learned from the tidbits you’ve let slip, you have survived whatever it was that befell you with remarkable courage. I would like to make you forget that if I can.”
Meredith stared across the room without really seeing it. “There is no escaping the past.”
“Forgive me if I disagree. I was once a married man. I loved my wife, but she is gone and I have put her memory where it belongs. Behind me.
Life is for the living and I want to live it boldly. With you.”
If Meredith hadn’t been sitting, she would have fallen. “Are you proposing to marry me? You cannot be serious.”
His glance grew sly. “I never said a word about marriage, but I could be tempted if the right woman, with an honest name, presented herself for consideration. Now, if you will excuse me, I must hand out gifts. Think on it, Meredith. There is nothing I wouldn’t face with a woman who placed her trust in me absolutely. And remember, pack your warmest gowns.”
“Wait.” Meredith grasped at the most immediate concern. “Where exactly are we going?”
“That I cannot tell you. It’s a secret.” His smile was serene. “I hope you like surprises.”
CHAPTER 21
CONSTANTINE STRODE THROUGH the Hall and rushed up the stairs, impatient for them to be on their way. The New Year had come and gone and the weather had finally cleared enough to make travel possible. He’d woken alone again and was rather put out. He’d wanted to begin today with a kiss or maybe even a little more than that. The gleaming black traveling carriage was almost ready to spirit them away. All he needed was Meredith’s presence and his children’s cooperation to make the journey pleasant.
Meredith had not been quite so easily led away from the children these last few evenings as she had been at Christmas. Since the feast, her mood had swung from happiness to wary watchfulness. He’d had to work hard to convince her that his daughters would be fine if they woke to find her absent. He couldn’t go every night without having the woman in his arms.
He eased the door to the nursery open, catching Meredith and Poppy cuddling beside her cot. The sweet bond that had formed pleased him. He’d wanted Meredith to love her future stepdaughters as much as she would their children. “Happy New Year.”
Willow ran to him, bouncing on her toes. “Please, Papa. Where are we going?”
“Not yet, my sweet.” He kissed the top of her head. “You know I like to surprise you.”
She set her hands to her hips. “Can you not whisper?”
He leaned down close to her and grinned. “No, because Miss Clark has devilishly good hearing and I want her to be surprised, too.”
He’d told no one of his destination just to be sure it remained a mystery. The only one who might guess was his coachman. He alone knew how far the beasts pulling the carriage would have to travel.
“Oh,” Willow said and nodded. She looked past him to Meredith. “Papa’s surprises are the best, but he never likes to tell.”
Meredith snorted as if she did not believe a word of it.
Constantine saw Willow’s warmest coat laid out on the bed and helped her into it. “Where’s your scarf and gloves, sweetheart?”
Willow gestured under the bed. “Maisy keeps sneaking them. Tell her to stop, Papa. She’ll make them dirty.”
When Constantine glanced under the bed Willow shared with her sister, he found Maisy lying with her head pillowed on the scarf and gloves. “Come out, little one,” he whispered. “Time to go. You don’t want to be left behind without Miss Clark to tuck you in at night, do you?”
Her little mouth fell open as if that thought had never occurred to her. Maisy scurried from her hiding place and threw the scarf and gloves at her sister. Meredith sent him a look that said thank you and hurried to dress the wriggling child in her warmest and best clothes while he finished with Willow.
When Meredith was done, Constantine scooped up Poppy, and since Maisy was dressed, he caught his middle child’s hands. “I’ll deliver these two downstairs. Do you have everything you need?”
Meredith’s expression turned glacial. “Given I’ve no idea what to pack for, I suppose I must be ready.”
“Patience,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll learn to like my surprises.”
He hurried out, more pleased with himself than he had been in years. He could not wait to see how Meredith took to his sisters. He was sure, given her love of his daughters, that they could find common ground with which to build a friendship.
He delivered Maisy into a footman’s hands at the main door. “Make sure she’s tucked under a warm blanket and stays there.”
Maisy was hurried out. She always liked to be first into the carriage.
“Excuse me, my lord,” Cunningham said as Constantine returned inside from the carriage to wait on Meredith and Willow. “But might I have a moment of your time before you depart? There is an urgent matter I wish to bring to your attention.”
Mrs. Smith stepped close to take Poppy from his arms, and the disapproving expression she cast at Cunningham told Constantine she knew all about the matter. He groaned, wishing that any unpleasantness might wait till he returned. Reluctantly, he waved an arm toward the drawing room, ushering the man before him so he might say his piece. “What seems to be the problem?”
Cunningham appeared to have swallowed a raw fish. “It has come to my attention that a person in your employ has been sneaking from their bed at night.”
He almost groaned aloud but held it in. Cunningham was the biggest prude. Constantine cared little for becoming involved in affairs between servants. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, my lord. I’m afraid I am, and the timing couldn’t be worse.” His mouth pinched as if he’d tasted something tart. “It’s Miss Clark, my lord,” Cunningham confessed at last. “She has abandoned her post for the past two nights and I’ve not been able to determine with whom she might be meeting or where she has gone. A woman like that…” Cunningham left the rest unsaid.
Constantine pinched the bridge of his nose. He had hoped Meredith’s absence from the nursery might have gone unnoticed, but it seemed that she was right and he was wrong about being found out. He might have to set the record straight, at least as far as Cunningham went, before Meredith lost the staff’s good opinion. “Miss Clark did not abandon her post. If the children were sound asleep, then they needed nothing from her.”
Cunningham frowned. “Nevertheless, her place is with the children.”
“Her place is where I say it is.” He drew in a deep breath. “With the children, and with me. Miss Clark will be allowed considerable latitude for the foreseeable future, Cunningham. The reasons will become apparent in good time.”
“I…” Cunningham’s frown turned into shock.
“Try not to worry. When we return, I hope to have good news. Do you have any further questions about the matter?”
Cunningham’s skin turned pasty white. “No, my lord.”
“Excellent.” Constantine left the butler grappling with the idea and returned to the main door just in time to intercept his governess and eldest daughter.
“Mama never liked Papa’s surprises very much,” Willow told Meredith as she skipped to the door and into the waiting care of a footman who urged her to walk down the stairs instead of skipping and helped her into the carriage.
Meredith took Poppy back from the housekeeper. “Now then, Miss Poppy, shall we humor your father and join your sisters?”
“I’ll take her,” Constantine told her. Yet Poppy was none too happy to lose her grip on her governess and grumbled, straining toward Meredith. Constantine understood her feeling exactly. He felt the same way every time Meredith left his side.
He gestured to the door. “Come along, Miss Clark, we’ve many miles to travel today.”
Her eyes rolled as she passed him. Constantine laughed, catching the startled expression on Cunningham’s face as he walked to the door. He hoped by the time they returned, Meredith would have agreed with his hopes for the future and Cunningham might have reconciled himself to his new mistress’s identity. In fact, if he showed Meredith the least sign of disrespect the man would be out on his ear before he finished protesting.
Constantine followed Meredith to the carriage and waited until she was settled before passing Poppy in. When he joined her, he was seated beside the governess. His youngest had claimed the window, forcing Meredith to the center. He didn’t mind that arrange
ment at all.
When the door shut, he made sure everyone was snugly tucked beneath thick quilts. When the carriage lurched off, he waved and then faced forward. No more looking back. He pulled the blankets tighter around Meredith. “Let me know if you grow chilled.”
Meredith faced him. “Tell me where we are going?”
“Oh, no.’ He grinned at her persistence. “Not until we stop for the night. It would spoil the surprise.”
Her lips pressed together, her gaze narrowed. “So the journey will take two days?”
“At least,” he confessed. “But it depends on the roads, the weather, and the tempers of three little misses and one fetching governess. I hope there will be few long faces during the miles ahead.”
Her face grew pinched. “You’re asking for trouble, you know.”
He shuffled a little closer. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Her glance skittered toward his daughters and she sighed. “What did Cunningham want with you this morning?”
“A misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about.”
She glanced down at her hands. “Mrs. Smith was rather cool with me this morning, too.”
He caught her hands in his. “Meredith, will you trust that I know what I’m doing? Cunningham will come around. So, what shall we talk about today?”
“I’m not telling you my name.”
“How about we exchange information about our childhoods? For instance, I got my first hound when I was three. Lovely rascal, followed me everywhere. My mother hated him jumping onto her lap and licking her face.”
“I’m not surprised. Did you not know how to train the beast?”
“I learned, but that is a story for another day. Your turn now. Did you have a pet when you were young?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
She looked at him and fluttered her lashes. “He used to growl horribly at people who annoyed me.”