“I thought so,” he breathed, the moment their lips parted. “You do feel the same way.”
“I…I don’t know how I feel,” Eleanor stammered. “You are so much like Sebastian, and Sebastian and I only shared each other’s love for a few short days. I didn’t even know how I felt back then, if you want to know the truth. Now I am even more confused,” she admitted.
“Don’t be confused. I am the one who will remain at your side. I will not desert you the way Sebastian did. He may have discovered his mistake once he left your side, but to even doubt his need of you for even a brief moment is a brief moment too many. I will always be here for you, Eleanor. I promise you. You are the first woman I have loved since the silly girl that Sebastian took from me. Sebastian made love to many women. You were only the last one on his long list of conquests. He just needed a wife. He didn’t really need you. And when you did not fit his expectations, he couldn’t decide if he wanted you or not,”
Eleanor searched his eyes. “Maybe what you say is true, but I can’t forget him, Bernard. There was something about the way I felt when I was in his arms, and while your kiss was pleasant, I have not been able to recapture that feeling with you.”
“But there is promise there. I can feel it. I will give you a little more time, but don’t leave me dangling, Eleanor. I need you. I need you so much more than Sebastian ever needed you.” He pulled her to him again, and this time his kiss seemed desperate, and took Eleanor by surprise. When he released her, she felt breathless, but a little shocked at the same time. She had thought Bernard was shy, but perhaps making love to Annie had taught him a few things about how to persuade a woman with his lips, she reasoned.
“We will talk more tomorrow,” she said at last. “Don’t push me too hard, Bernard. I need time to think.”
“Very well,” Bernard replied, even though he didn’t feel he had much time to allow her to dally. “I will give it another week or two,” he smiled half heartedly.
“I will still have to mourn for a year. It has only been a few months since I even claimed that I was Sebastian’s widow,” she insisted.
“I don’t think I could wait for another six months,” Bernard complained.
“If you love me the way you claim, you should not mind waiting,” Eleanor accused.
“You and I look at love a little differently, I am afraid,” Bernard smiled.
“Just be patient,” Eleanor begged, just as Dutton came out on the veranda and joined them, but Bernard did not remove his arm that was around Eleanor’s waist, and Dutton frowned at him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Eleanor was seeing Dutton to the door, as he got ready to return to town, and he was still trying to persuade her concerning the dangers of trusting Bernard. “I am sure you are worried about nothing,” Eleanor laughed at his concerns.
“You were allowing him to paw you last night on the veranda. What ever happened to the lady in red?” he said disgruntled.
“I believe you have tried to paw me a time or two,” Eleanor threw at him.
“Which is why I know where his mind is leading,” Dutton responded.
“I can take care of myself,” Eleanor insisted. “I have done it in the past and I can do it in the future.”
“Really? Must I remind you of Percy and that fellow Ned on the Annie Bell, and then there is the little incident concerning Sebastian. So much for taking care of yourself. Even I got the better of you a time or two. You are not as untouchable as you believe,” Dutton said what Eleanor realized was true, and she lowered her eyes as he accused her.
“Good heavens,” she said, to change the subject. “I do believe that someone has forgotten to water this plant by the entry table. It is completely wilted.”
Dutton rolled his eyes. “You worry about a silly plant, and ignore more important things.”
“Hobbs, you need to have this plant removed at once,” Eleanor called to Hobbs who was standing at his post waiting to open the door for Dutton.
“Yes, at once,” Hobbs replied, and went to find a foot man to remove the pot.
“You see how things get out of hand so quickly around here?” Eleanor remarked. “My grandfather let things slip so much that he is having a hard time keeping up with things now, and I am all thumbs at it. Hobbs should have noticed this plant,” Eleanor continued to pout.
“You worry at nothing, and ignore the things that are important,” Dutton pointed out.
“That is why it is a good thing that Bernard will be here to help me,” Eleanor said brightly. She kept remembering the kiss that Bernard had given her, and the possibility that perhaps she would accept his offer, after the proper amount of Mourning for what everyone believed was her husband’s death, had passed.
The footman arrived, and picked the potted plant up, in order to remove it. “Bring in another one from the green house,” Eleanor instructed as the footman turned away. He nodded, and continued on his way.
“What is that?” Dutton asked, looking down at the floor where the pot had been sitting. “It looks like a letter.”
“A letter? We lost the letter from America, this could be it,” Eleanor said with a smile sweeping down to retrieve the letter.
“Well Bernard is already here, so I suppose the letter won’t tell you much you don’t already know,” Dutton mumbled.
But still Eleanor wanted to read it, because she had a feeling he may have confessed his love for her in the letter. He seemed hesitant to completely express himself verbally, and perhaps he was better at it in writing, she thought. He had told her he could think of nothing but her while he was in America. She was anxious to read the letter, to see just what he had written.
Eleanor toyed with the letter in her hand, as Dutton looked on. “Well go ahead and read it then,” he encouraged. “I can see you are dying to know what he had written.”
Eleanor actually wanted to read it in private, but she did not want Dutton to think anything personal was going on between her and Bernard, so she decided to read it at once, and then savor it later when she was by herself. She glanced up at Dutton and then shrugged, removing the letter opener from the bowl where more letters were piling up, she slit the letter open. As soon as she opened the letter, she could see the return address at the head of the letter, and almost dropped it, when she saw who it was really from.
“Oh, my word,” she exclaimed, and when Dutton saw all the color drain from her face, he stepped forward and steadied her.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Dutton, take me for a ride in your buggy,” she said, as soon as she gained color to her face again.
“What is going on?” he asked. “I was preparing to leave, and now you suddenly want a ride in my buggy?”
“Please,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder, before Bernard comes to the door to find out what is taking me so long.”
“What is in that letter?” Dutton asked, as he started to lead Eleanor from the house.
“I don’t know. I haven’t read it. That is why I want you to take me in your buggy. I don’t want to be here when I read it, just in case Bernard should present himself.”
“Don’t keep me in the dark, Eleanor. There is something about the letter that you are not explaining,” Dutton demanded.
“The letter is not from Bernard, Dutton. It is from Sebastian,” she whispered, as he assisted her up in his buggy.
“What?” he burst.
“Shhh. Don’t raise your voice, just take me for a ride, while I find out who is trying to shock me like this.”
Dutton hurried around the buggy, and climbed up, whipping up his horses. At that moment Bernard came to the front porch. “Where are you going, Eleanor?” he called. “I thought Dutton was leaving.”
“I just remembered something I had to do in the village and decided to ask Dutton to take me there before he departed,” she called over her shoulder.
Bernard watched after them with a puzzled expression on his face. He had an uneasy feeling,
but he couldn’t figure out why it came on him so suddenly. Perhaps the look that Eleanor had given him for one split second, as she looked over her shoulder at him, brought it on. She almost looked frightened. Dutton must have said something about him to her, he thought. He could tell the man did not like him.
“All right, we are a safe distance away. Don’t keep me in suspense any longer. What is in that letter?” Dutton demanded.
“The return address is from Sebastian’s home, and his name is at the heading of the letter. Perhaps it is from his lawyers, but why would they put his name as the sender?” Eleanor scanned to the bottom of the letter, and saw Sebastian’s signature. “I believe Sebastian wrote this letter, or someone wanting me to believe it was Sebastian, wrote it.” Eleanor added.
“Just read the letter,” Dutton insisted.
Eleanor cleared her throat, and pushed her hand across the paper to smooth out the page. “My dearest Eleanor,” her voice had begun to shake, but she continued. “You may be surprised to hear from me, but I was on death’s door, so there was no way I was able to write you, or even dictate a letter to you. I sent my cousin to make sure you were safe and happy, and to let you know that if I recovered, I had every intention of returning to you, and making up for leaving you the way I did. He tells me that he relayed that message to you, but claims that you were so upset at me for leaving, and insisted it was better that way after all, that you did not want me to return. In fact, he informs me that you chose to marry him instead, and even presented a marriage certificate to prove that you married him. Both your signature and his were on the certificate, and at first glance I was certain he had told me the truth. However, the date puzzled me, because it was a date during the time I was with you at your uncle’s home. He, of course, did not know you at that time, so it was impossible for a marriage to have taken place on that date. Also he was there for such a short time, I could not understand how he could legally marry you on such short notice, unless you went to Gretna Green, which would have been a different date than the one listed on the certificate, if that had happened. Therefore, I believe that something is not quite right. He tells me that he gave you the ring I sent with him to give you, but used it as a wedding ring, not mentioning the ring was from me, as a promise to you that I would return to you if I survived.
“My cousin is determined to return and join you there, and I am hoping that this letter reaches you before that happens, so you can decide what to do, because I am almost certain he is not telling me what has actually transpired since he arrived. I will understand if you do not want me at your side any longer, but be assured that I still love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. So if Bernard has told you otherwise, please disregard it. Do not do anything rash, though, until I can be there in person to explain my true feelings and the plans I have for us. I am recovering rapidly, but perhaps not fast enough to make it back before Bernard returns to England. Please wait for me, Eleanor. My love for you is never ending. Sebastian.”
Eleanor caught her breath, as the letter fluttered from her hand onto the floorboards of the buggy. Dutton pulled the buggy to a stop.
“I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed, as he bent to retrieve the letter, scanning over it himself, and then looking over the top of it at the shocked expression on Eleanor’s face. “I told you the man could not be trusted,” Dutton hissed.
He did not like the idea that Sebastian was still alive and claiming his love for Eleanor, but it was better that Sebastian return to Eleanor than for Bernard to get his foot in the door where it did not belong, he simmered.
“What am I going to do?” Eleanor whispered.
“You do not want to be alone with Bernard, and you do not want Bernard to know that you know about what he did, either. It is better if he believes you still trust him. I have a feeling that Sebastian will return as soon as possible, so we will just have to keep Bernard occupied until that happens. Therefore I suggest you throw a gathering. Invite Teddy and Nelly along with Brenda and Percy. We will notify Garth, and he can invite some of his friends. I hear they are all anxious to meet you in person. Perhaps you could have a hunt. I hear your woods used to be used for them all the time.”
“The woods are too thick now,” Eleanor informed him. “My grandfather mentioned we should thin them out.”
“It has to be something where the guests stay for at least a week. That will hold Bernard off for a time, until we think of something else,” Dutton suggested.
“I am supposed to be in mourning, but if we make it an engagement party for people to get acquainted with Teddy and Nelly and their intended, perhaps that would be acceptable,” Eleanor reasoned.
“Yes, I do believe that would work. You could have a riding party, even if they don’t hunt. I believe there’s enough horses in the stable now, and there can be luncheons on the lawn, and croquet after words. Dinner in the evening with dancing. You could take this week to prepare, and that will keep you busy enough, and give the gentry enough time to make room on their calendar.”
“I have all those invitations from people who want to meet me in person,” Eleanor pointed out. I will accept some of those invitations, so it will give me even more to keep me occupied, and then I will invite them in return,” Eleanor suggested as new ideas came to her.
“Splendid. I will remain, and you should invite Garth, so there will be two of us to off balance Bernard. You can tell him that we are helping you plan this gala affair, and that is why I decided to remain, and Garth is coming to help. I will return home and tell Teddy and Nelly, but I will come back as soon as I can. I am sure you can handle Bernard until then. We should send a note to Garth immediately.”
“We can send someone from the village,” Eleanor suggested. “I told Bernard we were going to the village, so that is what we will do.”
Dutton gave Eleanor a long look. “I have to be honest with you, Eleanor. I was hoping to get into your good graces so I would have a chance with you, but I would much rather have Sebastian return to you, than for you to be with Bernard, who has tried to deceive both you and Sebastian, in order to have you for himself. Therefore I will help you in any way possible.”
“You have gotten back in my good graces,” Eleanor smiled. “I am proud of you, Dutton. It seems you have discovered ethics after all.”
Dutton whipped up his horses after handing the letter back to Eleanor. Eleanor read it again as the buggy headed down into the village. Her heart was in her throat, to think that Sebastian was still alive, and at that moment, she knew that no matter what had happened between them, he was the man she wished to be with for the rest of her life, even if she had to give up her estate to do it. Grandfather would just have to understand, she thought to herself. She could always come and visit, and if she ever had children, they would inherit Clifford House. Eleanor realized she was already making plans to marry Sebastian, and he hadn’t even asked her yet.
After they found someone to take a note to Garth, Eleanor and Dutton returned to Clifford House. Bernard came out to the drive to meet them when they drove up.
“What was that all about?” he asked, as he helped Eleanor down from the buggy.
“I have decided, at the last minute that I should throw a party for my cousins Teddy, and Nelly to let all the people in this area meet them and their intendeds. I haven’t seen them since you were here the first time, and so Dutton and I have been making plans, and went to the village to send word to Garth to come join us here and help us. He is so good at that kind of thing. Dutton has to return to tell Teddy and Nelly of our plans, but he will be returning as well, and we can all put our heads together and make this a fabulist affair. Of course, that means that I will have to accept all those invitations in my letter dish, so those who sent them will return the favor and come to our to do. So it is going to be a busy couple of weeks,” Eleanor ended.
Bernard drew his brows together. “I was hoping we could take this time to get better acquainted,” he offered.
> “Working on plans for the affair, will help us get better acquainted, and I want you to meet everyone in this area as well. They need to get used to you being a part of the estate,” she smiled sweetly.
“Perhaps, but…”
“Hush, don’t put a damper on this. I am so excited, you have no idea,” Eleanor jumped in. “Be off with you, Dutton, so you can come back first thing in the morning. Garth should be here by then. He may even show up tonight, for all we know,” Eleanor chuckled.
Dutton gave Eleanor a big smile, and tipped his hat before turning his buggy, and heading back down the drive again.
“See you soon,” he called over his shoulder.
“I whish you had waited,” Bernard mumbled. “I have been away longer than I have spent time with you, and I just thought…”
“Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to get to know each other,” Eleanor stated. “By the way, Bernard, do you have the marriage certificate? I wanted to put it in a safe place for future use if I need it.”
Bernard frowned. “I will look for it. I am sure it is with my papers someplace,” he told her.
“I hope you haven’t misplaced it. We can’t go to the clergy again and ask for a new copy, it will make him suspicious.”
“I am sure I have it. But Sebastian’s lawyers are the only ones that we need worry about, when it comes to that certificate,” he stated.
“Yes, Sebastian’s lawyers,” Eleanor said. “How long did you say it would take for Sebastian’s estate to be ready to transfer over into my name? I was thinking that if it is going to take so long, maybe I could go to America and see his holdings, before I decide if I want to sell them or not.”
“Well not right away, you have just started getting started in running this estate,” Bernard hastily responded.
“Of course, not right away, but before things are settled, for sure,” Eleanor said, smiling slyly. She wanted to make Bernard as uncomfortable as she possibly could, she thought. “By the way, where was Sebastian buried? I would like to visit his grave, if I ever get to America.”
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