by Jane Charles
The two of them fell back, but kept the other riders in sight. Many were paused as the dogs had their noses to the ground.
“Have you enjoyed your visit to Danby Castle?” she asked, wanting to make conversation so she didn’t have to think of the poor helpless fox.
“It has turned out to be more enjoyable than I anticipated.” Andrew smiled at her.
“I apologize if Danby’s demands have kept you from your family.”
“Demands?” he frowned.
“You mentioned that you had businesses dealings with His Grace and was ordered to attend him. Otherwise you’d be spending Christmas with your family.”
“He made an offer that I could not ignore,” he finally answered.
Did she ask what it was? Gentlemen did not speak of business with ladies, but Tabitha was dying to know what was so important that couldn’t wait until after Twelfth Night, unless it was because Danby had hired him to get her to ride.
“I can see the curiosity in your eyes.”
“Am I so obvious?” Tabitha felt her cheeks grow warm.
“It isn’t anything so secretive.” Then he went on to tell her about an estate Danby owned that neighbored his ancestral estate in Ireland and how Andrew’s family had been trying to purchase it for years, but Danby had refused until a few weeks ago.
“And did you purchase the land?” she asked.
“He hasn’t granted me an audience as of it.”
Tabitha frowned. “Well, that is very rude of him.”
Andrew studied her for a moment, his blue eyes darkening. “I’ll be honest. At first I was irritated when he refused to schedule time for me, but it has turned out to be a rather merry Christmas indeed.”
At that, Tabitha’s cheeks grew even warmer. “A very merry Christmas it has been.” And one she’d remember all of her days, long after Andrew rode away from Danby Castle and returned to his life. It was just a shame that Danby hadn’t brought him here as a match for her.
“We’ve fallen quite behind,” he said with a grin and nodded in the direction of where the other hunters had gone.
Not only could Tabitha not see them, but she no longer heard the dogs either. “Shall we try to catch up?”
“That depends. Are you going to tell me what I must do to get back into your good graces?”
What Tabitha had wanted to demand were more kisses, but now that she had the opportunity, she wasn’t so brave. “You already have,” she admitted. “Without you, I’d not be on Snowflake right now. You’ve returned to me something I had lost, a part of my soul.”
“It has been a great pleasure.” Then he looked around. “As we are no longer joining the hunt, do you wish to run to see how Snowflake does?”
Her grin grew wider. “A race?”
“I’ll win,” he warned.
“For some reason, that doesn’t matter to me,” Tabitha said as she led Snowflake out of the woods. As soon as she reached the open field, she tapped Snowflake into a run, taking off over the fields, the wind stinging her cheeks as the hooves beat against the snow-covered ground. Tabitha had never felt so alive in her life.
Andrew didn’t let her win, nor did he lose. Instead, he kept Epona nose to nose with Snowflake, enjoying the sight of Tabitha finally letting go of her fear and thoroughly embracing the joy of riding. When they returned to the stables, after dismounting, they led the horses to their stalls, which happened to be right next to each other, and set to brushing them down. Andrew told her more of his ancestral home and that which Danby owned. She described her home and her family and they got to know each other in a way that they hadn’t so far. Even though Andrew would leave Danby Castle with the coveted property, he’d almost leave it behind if he could take Tabitha with him instead.
He’d fallen in love, not that he’d tell her, as nothing could come of his feelings and he wouldn’t burden her with the knowledge. However, as they both closed the stable doors and met on the other side, Andrew couldn’t help himself and drew Tabitha into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers, no longer caring that a stable hand or Kemp might see them. Andrew knew he risked angering Danby, but Andrew didn’t care. He loved her, wanted her, and these moments were too precious to waste when only days remained, if that, before he was required to leave.
At first he heard the dogs in the distance, and then riders, and broke away from Tabitha.
“The hunt is over sooner than I anticipated.”
She frowned. “I thought they’d be longer.”
“As did I.” He sighed and pulled away, then offed his arm. “Shall we retire inside?”
“If we must.” At least she sounded as disappointed as he.
As they exited the stable, Danby was dismounting.
“Straffan, Tabitha, attend me in the study,” he barked, then turned and marched away.
It was not possible he already knew about the kiss, but perhaps he’d noticed that they did not remain with the hunting party and that was why he was upset.
Andrew swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat and followed Danby into the castle, Tabitha by his side.
His Grace didn’t even bother to look behind to see if they followed but marched right ahead, up the stairs, down a corridor and into his study. Andrew and Tabitha came to a stop in front of the desk where Danby took a seat.
“I’m proud of you Tabitha,” His Grace finally said. “And, just as I promised when you were twelve, now that you’ve learn to ride properly, Snowflake is now yours.”
She gasped. It was certainly a generous gift given Andrew knew the cost of the fine horse.
Then Danby turned to him. “Now, we can discuss the estate.”
He’d prefer to discuss the matter when they were alone. “I don’t believe it is necessary for Lady Tabitha to be part of our negotiations, Your Grace.”
“She has every right to be here as she is involved.”
Involved? Andrew’s gut tightened.
“I don’t understand what that has to do with me.” She looked to Andrew as if he could clear up her confusion.
“When Straffan was fourteen, I made an offer to his grandfather and father. They rejected me and questioned my good judgment.”
What offer could Danby have made that brought about such animosity that has lasted well over a decade?
“They’ve been trying to purchase the property and all that goes with it since and I have refused on principle.”
“Lord Straffan has told me, though I don’t understand what it has to do with me.” She glanced up at Andrew, the question in her eyes, as if he knew what this was about.
Danby narrowed his eyes on Andrew. “Did your father nor grandfather never tell you what the offer and ensuing argument was about?”
Andrew shook his head.
“Good God. I thought you had at least that information and the reason you were spending time with Tabitha. I assumed you already saw what I’ve always known.” Danby got up from the desk and strode to the sideboard and poured himself a generous amount of whiskey, then poured a glass for Andrew and passed it over.
What the blazes was Danby talking about? Tabitha and the land in Ireland were not related in the least.
“It’s simple. I had proposed a betrothal between yourself and Tabitha. I knew you were a good match, both being horse mad and your temperaments were well suited for each other. Further, you are the grandson of my closest friend and she was my great-niece, the property would be yours eventually and my estate would remain in the family.”
All Andrew could do was gawk at Danby. He wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Tabitha?
Then he remembered when the argument had occurred. “Your Grace, I was only fourteen, which meant Lady Tabitha would have been…” He looked at her because he had no idea how old she was.
“She was five. Her father had died and I already knew what was best for her.”
Lady Tabitha gasped.
“Your grandfather and father wanted you to make the choice for yourself.
Choose your own bride.” Danby snorted then took a drink. “I knew then what I know now.” He looked from Andrew to Tabitha and back to Andrew. “The land, estate, house, horses, everything is yours. All you need to do is marry Tabitha.”
Chapter 23
Tabitha gasped. As much as she wanted Andrew for herself, she could not allow her great-uncle to force him into marriage in order to obtain the land he wanted. “No.”
Both Danby and Andrew jerked toward her
“This is coercion and I’ll not have it.”
“You’ve no say,” Danby dismissed her and turned to Andrew. “What say you? Marry my great-niece and the property is yours. If not, it will go to someone else, as it happens to be Tabitha’s dowry.”
“Dowry? Benjamin never mentioned such to me.”
“Has he discussed your dowry with you?” Danby demanded.
Tabitha’s face heated. “No. He hasn’t. I just assumed…”
“Never assume anything.”
Tabitha gulped. Andrew wanted that land. She could tell by the way he talked of it with love and the plans he had for building their stud farm further. Horses in Ireland and in England. They’d have an equestrian empire. But it was more than that. He loved Ireland. If he did not marry her, then he’d never get the neighboring land. Worse, one day she’d live there and he’d inherit the ancestral home and be married to someone else.
Danby trod to the sidebar and splashed liquid into a glass then handed it to her. “Drink this before you faint.”
“I’m not going to faint.” Though she accepted the glass. “What you are asking of Lord Straffan is unfair. If it is my dowry then I gift it to him.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Andrew reminded her.
Oh, she knew that, but what else could she do. It wasn’t as if he had asked for her hand. His was being forced.
“I am happy to accept your terms, but only if Lady Tabitha is in agreement.”
“I knew you’d make the wise decision.”
“Wait!” Tabitha cried.
“It’s settled,” Danby announced. “You will marry Straffan and he will get more than he bargained for when he rode here.”
“Did it ever occur to you that he might not want to marry me?” she cried. “I’ll not be the bartering chip so he can finally gain what he really wants.”
While his kisses were heavenly and they got on well, and she was already in love with him, that didn’t mean he felt the same. She’d not be married to a gentleman who did not choose her free of duress.
“Of course he does,” Danby dismissed her.
Oh, she wished her great-uncle would quit making decisions for both of them. “Might I please have a word with Straffan, alone?” Only then would she learn the truth.
Danby blew out a heavy sigh. “This is what is best for you and Straffan, Tabitha, you just need to learn to accept it.”
“Please, Uncle Danby, a word with Lord Straffan before you decide the remainder of our lives.”
He set his glass down on the desk. “Talk sense into her Straffan. A lot is riding on this.” With that Danby quit the room.
“You can’t want to marry me.” In her heart of hearts she wished he did, but he would have mentioned it before now.
Andrew stared at her. Was the very idea of marrying him so unpalatable? While he might be in love with her, he knew it was possible she didn’t feel the same. Just because they’d shared heated kisses, passion and got on well, didn’t mean she thought of him as anything more than a holiday distraction.
“I do want to marry you,” he finally said and set his glass aside then took hers and put it beside his own.
“You want your land and I understand, but it’s unfair of him to saddle you with me as well.”
Andrew couldn’t help it and chuckled. “Tabitha, I want you. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you in Hyde Park. Since I’ve come to know you, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“You have?” The astonishment on her face was verification that she had had no idea how he felt.
“I can only hope that you care for me half as much as I care for you.” If she didn’t then he’d walk away from her and the land and pray that she and her future husband never moved to the neighboring estate because Andrew was quite certain he’d not do well seeing her happy with someone else.
“You aren’t just saying that because you want the land?”
“I’d walk away, if I needed to. I will not marry you unless it’s what you wish.”
“You love me?”
Why did she find it so difficult to understand? “Yes. I only wished you loved me as well.”
Slowly the smile pulled at her lips and before he knew what was happening, Tabitha reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him.
She was a rather forward miss, but he could certainly get used to that in a wife.
But, he didn’t have her answer yet and broke the kiss.
“So, you could come to care for me?”
“Oh, Andrew. I already love you but I didn’t dare hope that you’d feel the same for me.”
His heart swelled with relief. He’d have not only the land but Tabitha as well.
“I am always right! If people would just accept that fact, life would be easier for everyone.”
The two jerked apart to find Danby standing just inside the door.
“Had your grandfather and father listened to me in the first place, the two of you could have married two or three years ago.”
He shook his head and returned to the desk. “When you see your father next, Straffan, please relay a message for me.”
“What would that be, Your Grace.”
“I told you so.” Then he grinned and opened a drawer before he pulled out a sheet of paper. “I’ll ring for the vicar.”
“What is that?” Andrew asked.
“A special license, of course.”
“You were so certain of my answer?”
“Not as much as I was in Tabitha’s, but I knew you’d come around for the right incentive. I knew the time was right when you finally put Snowflake up for auction. Tabitha needed a horse. She needed to ride again, and you needed a wife.”
Tabitha pulled away and walked to the side of the desk, trying to look in the drawer but Danby slammed it shut.
“You really do have a stack of special licenses?”
He’d heard the rumors, but had difficulty believing that Danby would be that prepared, or take the planning to such depths, but if he had set the match with Tabitha in motion seven months ago, who knew what else His Grace was capable of? And with those thoughts, Andrew knew that in all future dealings with Danby, he’d need to be especially careful.
Chapter 24
“Ireland,” her mother cried as more tears flooded her eyes.
“Suffolk,” Tabitha reminder her since that was where Andrew currently resided.
“But one day it will be Ireland.”
Tabitha had been given only two hours to prepare for her wedding. As she rushed upstairs to bathe and decide on a gown, Danby had broken the news to Mother and Peter.
While Deborah and Sarah assisted her with her toilette, excitement for her bubbling over, their mother reclined on the chaise dampening one handkerchief after another.
“Benjamin knew and never told me.”
Tabitha blinked at Deborah. “He did?”
“Peter too,” she whispered. “Danby had informed Ben of his plans but swore him to secrecy. Ben told Peter anyway because he wanted someone looking out for you. If Peter didn’t think it was a good match, he was to send for Benjamin.
“How do you know all of this?” She’d only just become engaged.
Deborah quickly glanced back at their mother who was too lost in her own misery to pay any attention to them. “Peter pulled me aside as soon as Danby ordered you and Straffan to the study. He wanted to know if I knew anything that he should be aware of.” Her face began to turn pink. “I told him about the kiss and then he told me about Danby’s p
lans.”
Normally Tabitha would be quite vexed that Deborah has broken her confidence, but given it was so her brothers could protect her from something so permanent as a potential unwanted marriage, Tabitha couldn’t be angry. While she hated all of these secrets, at least her brothers were watching over her. If Andrew would have turned out to be someone like Lymington, certainly they would have saved her from such a horrible fate.
But, Andrew wasn’t Lymingon. Andrew was wonderful and in a short time she’d be his. Then tomorrow they’d leave Danby Castle and travel to her home where she’d pack her belongings to be sent to Suffolk and another trunk to accompany her first to Cheshire where she’d meet the brother who saw ghosts and then to Ireland where she’d meet the rest of Andrew’s family and visit their new estate.
The plans had been made so quickly that Tabitha’s head was practically spinning, but none of that mattered because in the end, she’d have the only thing she really wanted—Andrew, her very merry viscount, the best Christmas present anyone could ever want.
As he had no family to speak of in attendance, Andrew asked his boyhood friends to stand witness to this marriage.
Halesworth didn’t even question the suddenness of Andrew’s marriage, though Nichols commented that it wasn’t safe to be a bachelor at Danby castle.
Few were in attendance at the rushed nuptials, but as this was an everyday occurrence at Danby Castle during the holiday, he could well understand why many chose not to join in the celebrations. Though, he’d like to think they’d be happier for him than Tabitha’s mother. Since her two younger sisters had brought her into the chapel, all the woman had done was sob, loud and hard. One would think she was attending a funeral.
All Dandy did was shoot disapproving stares at her, but that did nothing to quell the woman’s unhappiness.
Andrew didn’t think it possible for the woman to cry any harder, but that was exactly what she did the moment Tabitha began walking toward him down the short aisle in the ancient castle chapel.