“Miss Turner,” Robert began again, when they had stood for what felt like an age in an interminable silence. She did not look at him, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Miss Turner. I do not know what your sister and Mr Gale have done to upset you or why you think they might have drawn me into their scheme, but I came to see if you were quite well not because they asked me to.” He drew a breath. “Nobody asked me to, Miss Turner. I came out of my own concern because I did not wish to see you upset on Christmas Day.” His voice softened. “I do not wish to see you upset on any day.”
She looked up at him, then, her blue eyes wide with hope and Robert felt her silent encouragement to speak on, to speak honestly and to trust that she did at least begin to care for him as he did for her.
“I know we are but a little acquainted, Miss Turner, but sometimes it does not take a long time for like hearts to recognise one another and I dare to presume that your heart and mine are alike. Do you share my opinion?”
The slight smile on her face grew and she nodded, slowly.
“I know I can scarcely compare to Mr Gale’s prospects, nor those of his friends.”
Madeline let out a sniff of annoyance.
“You surpass both him and his friends, Mr Hodge. You are genuine and kind and would certainly not be inveigled into making sport of a young lady’s heart - oh!”
She had said too much and her hand flew to her lips as if she could capture any more words before they might escape.
“Is that the cause of it?” Robert mused, glancing back over his shoulder as if he might see Edmund and Juliet pitched in disagreement, still. He smiled, seeing the true cause of their feeling and endeavoured to share it with Madeline, to smooth over the upset that had buried itself deep. “Miss Turner, I think it a blessing indeed to have friends such as Mr Gale and your sister. I have not often been blessed with such acquaintances caring to interfere in my future, successfully or otherwise.” He swallowed. “Indeed, it was Mr Gale who prompted me to speak to you - no, he did not cause me to feel the way I feel. Rather, I venture he guessed at it, then persuaded me to take the course of bravery, rather than to swallow my feelings. Miss Turner, I have thought of you since our very first meeting at Castleford, although I doubt you recall it. Your very presence offered me hope when I most needed it, and now that I know you even a little, I find I cannot countenance a future without you in it.” He paused, wondering if he was foolish to speak so and yet finding himself unable to stop. “Might you consent to, one day - I do not mean we must do it straight away - but might you think, at least, of marrying me?”
MIGHT YOU THINK OF marrying me?
Had Robert Hodge not been standing right in front of her when he spoke these last words, Madeline would surely have thought that she was dreaming. Indeed, it was sheer force of will that kept her from reaching out to jab at him, not entirely persuaded the figure was real and not just something conjured by her imagination. She folded her fingers into a fist, fearful of ruining this most perfect of moments.
“You have not said anything, Miss Turner. I fear I have spoken out of turn. Please, forgive me. Think no more of it, and I shall -”
Mr Hodge stammered, turning as if to absent himself immediately and this time Madeline was just brave enough to reach out a hand to stop him.
“No, Mr Hodge,” she said, her voice clear and unshaken. “You have not spoken out of turn. I was merely surprised. I did not dare to hope that you cared for me so much. As you say, we are but a little acquainted, and you have led so adventurous a life I struggle to believe you could possibly have even a passing interest in someone like me.”
“Someone like you, Miss Turner?” Robert took a step closer to her, his words warm and gentle. “You are more wonderful than I could have imagined, and the notion that you might care for me too, even a little, is more than I deserve.” He swallowed. “I love you.”
Madeline had often dreamed of hearing these words on the lips of a gentleman, but not one of her daydreams could have compared to this moment, standing on an anonymous bridge in her home village, hearing the handsome, interesting Mr Hodge whisper them.
“I love you, too,” she replied, her voice scarcely even a whisper. She wondered if he might not have heard her, but then he bent, slowly, and kissed her, offering all the confirmation she could have needed.
“Well! What a happy pair you two make!”
Edmund’s merry voice dispersed the spell almost as soon as it had worked its magic, and Madeline turned to scowl at him, softening only when she saw the regret on Juliet’s face.
“I’m so very sorry, Maddy. It was not like what you think, I promise. Only Edmund, here-” She elbowed him in the side.
“I was determined to have the victory. Well, Hodge, is she amenable?” He grinned wickedly. “No, do not answer! I have no desire to hear more. I can tell just by looking at you that there never was a more perfect union. Tell me, will you wait for a Spring wedding, or must you proceed with all haste to the altar? I am sure our dear friend Reverend Worthy...ow, Juliet! Do not elbow me more, or I shall be all bruise and no body!”
This made everyone laugh, and Maddy felt her annoyance with her sister and Edmund fade away into nothing. They had gone about it badly, turning even this into a way to argue with one another, but surely it was true that their hearts had been in the right place. They wished to see her wed and happy, and now, with Robert Hodge by her side, she would be.
“You may be in no hurry to marry us just yet, Edmund,” Robert said, offering his arm to Maddy and escorting her slowly back to the rest of the group. “We have our whole lives ahead of us and still so much to learn about one another.”
A shiver crept up Maddy’s spine at the comfortable warmth in his voice. Yes, they did have their whole lives ahead of them and they would be happy, so very happy, together.
“Well, I think our charitable deeds are done for the day. What say you, Juliet? Shall we return home? I’ve no doubt Hodge here has a hankering to share a word or two with Mr Turner and I am certainly eager to return to your comfortable fireplace.” He offered his own arm to Juliet, who hesitated before taking it, glancing once more at Maddy as if to reassure herself that her sister was indeed happy and that she was forgiven her part in meddling in this happiest of happily-ever-afters. Maddy’s smile grew and in a moment she saw Juliet’s expression lift as she turned to Edmund.
“As long as you do not intend to take full credit for the new couple. I should like to remind you that you thought Maddy would be well suited to a gentleman who is already engaged! And yet you think yourself an expert on matters of the heart...!”
Maddy and Robert exchanged a glance and, smiling, followed their bickering friends back along the road that led them home.
Epilogue
“Well, I do think this the very best Christmas present there could be!” Mr Turner remarked for the third time in an hour, as he blinked delightedly around the parlour at his family and friends. “A wedding!”
“At some point,” Maddy reminded him. She turned to Robert, sitting beside her, and smiled. “We are in no hurry yet, Papa.”
“Yes, yes, but you shall surely not want a long engagement,” Mr Turner replied, beaming at his soon-to-be son-in-law.
“Anyone would think you wish to be rid of her, Father,” Juliet called, from her own corner. She was happy that Maddy was happy and even happier that she was not cross with her for interfering, but now that the matter was pretty well settled she could not help but feel a little stab of regret. Madeline married would no longer be Maddy her sister, at home with her family. She sighed under her breath, so low that nobody else could hear her. Nobody, that is, except for Edmund, who was lounging in the chair nearest to her.
“Why so glum, Juliet?” he whispered, leaning closer to her. “Do not tell me you disapprove! I wager -” His grin widened at the use of the word. “Even Colonel Black could not have made Maddy as happy as she is at this moment.”
“No,” Juliet conceded. “I sup
pose she and Mr Hodge suit each other well enough.” She could not quite bring herself to say more than this, for whilst Robert Hodge made Maddy happy he would still be stealing her away in a mere matter of weeks or months, and nothing would change that. Juliet could not be entirely happy with that particular circumstance.
“You shall still see one another all the time,” Edmund reminded her, correctly sensing the cause of her disappointment and answering it without her even asking him to. “And besides, you shall always have me!” He smiled, but there was a shadow in his eyes that took away from his teasing tone of voice. Juliet’s heart constricted and instead of answering seriously, as she felt a fleeting desire to, she swatted him on the arm.
“More’s the pity! You are here so often one might presume you do not have a home of your own. Surely your own mother should care to see you on Christmas Day?”
“She shall see enough of me tomorrow,” Edmund said, allowing her to change the subject only because it was Christmas and he did not care to upset his friend on Christmas Day.
“Besides, I am comfortable, just presently.” He leaned back in his chair, looking decidedly uncomfortable, and let out a sigh of utmost contentment. “I think this is the finest Christmas we have had in quite some time.”
“Hear, hear!” Nash agreed, sitting in rapt attention to Louisa, who was holding court and demanding retelling after retelling of Mr Hodge’s proposal and Maddy’s acceptance, and sighing as if no such romantic thing would ever happen to her.
“I am looking forward to Spring,” Bess declared, eyeing the darkened windows with a little shiver. “I am tired of winter and want to know what happy events we may have to look forward to next year.” She picked at a scale on her piano, before turning to glance over her shoulder at her family, a silent question in her gaze.
“Yes, Bess, play us something jolly and bright,” Juliet encouraged her. “See if you cannot startle Edmund out of his laziness.”
This was enough to provoke a ripple of laughter that echoed all around the room as Bess began to play a cheery song, and everybody clapped and sang along, enjoying being together, celebrating life and love and Christmas.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading A Winter Wager! If you enjoyed meeting the Turner family and their neighbour Edmund, I hope you will revisit them in the next book in this series, A Spring Serenade.
If you’d like to find out more about me and see the occasional sneak-peek of what else I’m working on, please feel free to join my mailing list or follow me on twitter.
And if you enjoyed this book I’d be super grateful if you’d consider leaving a review or telling a friend! Thank you x
Revisit the Turner family in book two of A Season of Romance
A Spring Serenade
If music be the food of love...
Spring welcomes concert season in the newly-minted spa town of Castleford, and Bess Turner is only too delighted by rumours that a famed composer will be performing his newest symphony only a few miles from her home.
Christopher Cluett has been working on his latest composition for so long that he knows it will never live up to the expectation of the masses – assuming he can ever find a way to finish it. A quiet debut in Castleford is marginally preferable to a public shaming in London, but when the bad-tempered Christopher meets sweet-tempered Bess, might he also rediscover the music that has long eluded him?
Why not try...?
A Rake by Reputation – Available Now!
About the Author
Rachel Osborne writes historical romance set in a number of time-periods, from the Regency right up to the Second World War. She loves to learn about history and most often has her nose buried in a book, knitting pattern or cup of tea, when not procrastinating on twitter.
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