The Immovable Mr. Tanner

by Jennifer Joy

  Darcy breezed into the room, but there was no music playing. Strange.

  That was when Tanner saw his mother.

  For a brief moment, Tanner lost track of time and place. He was seven-years-old, watching his mother smile again for the first time since he could remember, twirling in a circle in the middle of Mr. Tanner’s taproom. They were safe, Mr. Tanner had proposed, and she was determined to be happy in her new home.

  Mother held his face between her hands, her warm eyes brimming with concern, and all Tanner could do was pull her to him and rest his cheek on top of her head. No words could describe how glad he was to see her, and no ache or pain would convince him to loosen his hold until he was ready.

  Eventually, she stepped back, cradling his face and fussing … and making him feel like a boy again.

  Mr. Tanner stood awkwardly off to the side behind her. When Tanner met his eyes, he nodded and smiled shyly. He extended his hand to Tanner.

  The gratitude Tanner felt for the man who had raised him and tried to love him as his own overwhelmed him. Pulling on Mr. Tanner's hand, Tanner embraced him along with his mother. "You are the best father I could have had."

  Mr. Tanner got teary. When his words were too choked to be understood, Mother helped him. Putting a hand over her heart, she said, "This is so perfect, it must be a dream! We are overjoyed to see you."

  Turning to where Darcy sat beside Mrs. Elizabeth and Georgiana, Mother added, "Thank you for your kindness toward my Jonathan. I am sorry … I know what I am to you…" she dropped her eyes to the carpet, and Tanner squeezed her tighter to his side. She did not know Darcy as he did.

  "Please do not distress yourself, Mrs. Tanner. I would not have invited you here had I not been convinced of your welcome," Georgiana pleaded.

  Darcy said, "My sister is right. Let us not dwell on our past when we should rejoice in the present. From here on, I hope we can be friends."

  Mother looked up. "I like that very much. Thank you, again, dear Miss Darcy, for your thoughtfulness. Jonathan has always faced his problems alone. He does not realize there are those who love him and wish to help. Or so it has been. I sense a change." She looked over her shoulder where Arabella sat between Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle.

  With one look, Tanner knew all was mended between them. Arabella glowed with happiness.

  Tanner was pleased with the opportunity to speak to Mr. Hardcastle under more agreeable circumstances. "Thank you, sir. Not only did you protect Arabella's identity at the match, but you spoke out at the precise moment we needed support. Again, I thank you."

  Mr. Hardcastle raised Arabella's hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Think nothing of it. I am forever indebted to you for returning my precious daughter to us, for helping me see past my own pride." He lowered her hand, continuing, "I saw your exchange with Lofton from the window. I overheard everything." Bunching his cheeks up and patting Arabella's hand, he said, "Lofton will cause no more harm locked up in the Old Bailey."

  There were too many people in the room to whom Tanner wished to give his full attention. He had so much to say to his mother and father, so much he wished to discuss with the Hardcastles, so much gratitude to express to Darcy, Georgiana, and Mrs. Darcy for making this meeting possible. But above everyone else, he longed to be with Arabella.

  She rose to join him. Gone were her boyish togs, replaced with a frothy gown that made her look like a pearl surrounded by dewy rose petals. Tanner knew she must have been presented to his mother and father before he had entered the room, but he wanted to introduce them properly.

  "Mother, I want you to meet Arabella." His chest swelled in pride at the two women on his arms. "She is the dearest, most intrepid lady I have had the pleasure to meet. Her strength fills me with awe, and her gentleness humbles me like no other. Arabella, this is my mother."

  Before he could add more, Mother left his side to take Arabella's hands between her own. "I am honored to make your acquaintance. You are quite a lady to win my boy's heart, and I love you already."

  Tanner's swollen lips protested under his smile, but he was too happy. When everyone resumed their seats, Arabella chose to sit beside him.

  His heart was so full, not even his large body could contain so much joy. Turning to Arabella, he blurted, "You are beautiful, my Bella. I love you."

  It was not smooth or eloquent, but it was heartfelt and wholly him.

  With a large smile, Arabella said, "How fortunate for us both, because I love you too."

  Tanner looked around the room. Every couple present sat beside each other with their fingers entwined, perfect pictures of marital bliss. Except for Georgiana, of course. She was far too young to long for love (although the melancholy in her eyes and the wistful sigh escaping her begged to differ.) Her eyes met his and she smiled. That was better.

  Mr. Hardcastle slapped his hands together. "May I beg your indulgence and give my wholehearted consent? I wish for my daughter to know she has her family's blessing, and that she and her husband will always be welcome at Shadewood Manor."

  Mrs. Hardcastle clutched the lace of her dress over her heart. "Oh, but you must marry in our parish. It is so close! If you purchase a special license, all of your family can be present for the blessed occasion."

  There was nothing Tanner wanted more, and he hated to be the only opposing voice to a suggestion with which he longed to agree. "It is the best idea, but I fear we will have to wait. I have no home and no employment. I cannot in good conscience ask for Arabella to marry me until I can properly provide for her."

  The room fell silent for a brief second.

  Lifting her chin in a gesture Tanner adored, Arabella said, "I refuse to wait. I am not a delicate flower, Tanner. I know what I want, and I want you. I have the means to help." She looked to her father, who nodded and grinned.

  Tanner's face grew warm. Had she convinced her father to provide the dowry he had denied Lieutenant Annesley? He did not want it! "Thank you, but I will provide for my family and take pride in doing it well. I am not marrying you for money. I never thought you had any."

  Her eyes grew, confusing him further when they positively gleamed with mischief. "I am quite wealthy at the moment. In fact, I really should give my business partner his portion."

  She picked up a leather satchel from the table beside her father and opened it. Pulling out more bank notes than Tanner had ever seen in one place, she counted several out.

  One thousand, two thousand … five thousand … and still, she continued. Tanner's jaw dropped when she counted ten thousand pounds and handed it to Darcy.

  The rest, she attempted to stuff into her reticule. When the notes did not fit, she said as she returned to her place beside him, "That leaves us with a tidy fortune.”

  Georgiana interjected, “I should say! One hundred to one odds!”

  Arabella grinned impishly at Tanner. “Which we will not allow to go to our heads. First things first, I suggest you pay the remainder of what you owe for your inn. I have a few suggestions for improvements we can now afford to make to the tavern and rooms … if you find them agreeable. Oh, and I should very much like a new dress and bonnet for our wedding.”

  Tanner was stunned. "It is yours to do with as you please. As am I. I cannot deny anything you wish," he added when she frowned at his pushing away of her reticule.

  "Why will you not take it? You won it."

  “I won it?”

  “Mr. Darcy was kind enough to put up the initial amount. I went to the court and, taking advantage of the odds against you and feeling confident in your ability, I bet the lot of it on you to win. We have already sent a message to Mr. Stanhope, and with the help of Mr. Darcy’s judge friends, we expect the deed to be restored to its rightful owner soon.”

  Tanner did not know what to think. A sensible man might have been upset. What if he had lost?

  He was humbled by her faith in him. And Darcy’s! To put up the amount he did, he must have been convinced Tanner would not let him down.

&
nbsp; Georgiana exclaimed, "You smashed him! I wish I could have been there to see it!"

  Mrs. Elizabeth laughed when Darcy cast Georgiana a disapproving look. Shoving him on the shoulder, she said, "Now, William, you know it is a fact that ladies are deprived of all the fun you gentlemen take for granted. You can hardly blame us for wishing to share in some of the excitement."

  And then there was Arabella. She was a lady, but she did not allow the strictures of her place to restrain her — which meant she was better off in the environment he could provide for her. There would be plenty of outlets for her more spirited side … and Tanner could not wait to explore them with her.

  Facing Arabella, he said, "You were the one who took the risk. It is yours to do with as you please."

  She lifted her chin. “You agree that it is foolish to send me away then? I have no intention of going to Charleston on the morrow.”

  Tanner chuckled. “We could not very well purchase a ticket in Mrs. Seymour’s name without drawing Lofton’s attention, could we? I never wanted you to go, but I wanted you to have the freedom to choose.”

  "Good! I choose you.”

  Had a man ever been as happy as Tanner felt then? “Your wish is my command.”

  “Really?” she asked with a devilish arch of her eyebrow.

  He nodded. “Really.”

  “Then, will you marry me before the passing of a se’nnight? I should very much like to have our family present at the wedding, and I long for you to take me home. We should have your deed by then.” Dropping her voice, she tenderly touched her fingers to his cheeks, saying, “I do not wish to wait a day longer than necessary to be your wife. Your partner in life.”

  Tanner wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She tasted as sweet as she had the last time they had stolen a kiss in the music room (his favorite room by far), and he secretly hoped one of the improvements she would suggest would be the addition of an instrument in the tavern.

  With all his family present and Arabella in his arms, Tanner was truly complete and blissfully happy. He knew now what love felt like, and he held her closer to him.

  Epilogue

  Tanner chuckled along with his father at their women in the carriage. Arabella pressed her face against the window of the conveyance Darcy had insisted they borrow while his mother did the same on the opposite side.

  "Look! I see smoke from the chimneys! It is just as I remember it, only the rose bushes have grown. I cannot wait to dig around, and, Tanner," Arabella reached behind her for his hand without pulling her eyes away from the glass, "I have some ideas for a garden behind the tavern. Would it not be lovely for our guests to have a romantic place to stroll on a clear evening or a warm day? I am thinking a trellis with climbing roses would be a wonderful addition."

  "That is an excellent idea! I do hope you will visit us as soon as you can. I do not have much female company since Mrs. Molly left, and I would love to hear your suggestions. Oh! Jonathan, is that the parsonage where that dreadful maniac attacked Mr. Bennet?" Mother asked, reaching behind her just as Arabella had done without pulling away from her view.

  "Yes. Meryton went through a turbulent time, but it has calmed since the Darcys departed."

  At that, Arabella sat back against her cushion. "I do hope their troubles are over."

  Mother chuckled, "With a handsome lady like Miss Darcy out in society? My dear, their troubles have only just begun I fear. I do not know how they will manage with Mrs. Darcy in confinement."

  Tanner bolted upright, rubbing his head when he hit it against the top of the carriage.

  "What?" Arabella asked.

  Mother looked every bit as astonished as they were. Clasping her hands together, she said in a prim tone, "I assure you, it is quite natural for a married woman to come with child. Or should we have discussed this matter before your wedding night?"

  Tanner's face burned, and Arabella giggled behind her hand, saying, "It is kind of you to treat me like a maiden when I am far from it, but how do you know Mrs. Darcy is with child?"

  Mrs. Tanner smiled softly. "I cannot say for certain, nor did I wish to voice my suspicions to them when they have had so many disappointments. Mrs. Darcy and I discussed the subject at length during our visit, and I sensed a change in her during that time. She seemed more peaceful, more content. If she is not with child now, she will be soon."

  Father patted her hand. "With five children of her own, I consider your mother an authority on the subject."

  "Just as I am convinced you will make me a grandmother before the end of the year," she continued, smiling again at Tanner and stirring the blush that had only just cooled.

  He looked out of the window, anywhere but at the eyes watching him, and was relieved to see his inn. "We are here!" He hopped out of the stifling coach into the cooling breeze before the carriage had completely stopped.

  Mrs. Molly waved a white linen on the front step of his inn. When Tanner handed out his mother, Mrs. Molly stopped waving, needing the handkerchief to dab at her eyes. When he helped Arabella out of the coach, her excitement carried her to them in a series of hops and squeals.

  "You did it! You really did it!" Mrs. Molly grabbed Tanner's hands before she dropped them to squeeze Arabella and Mother in her embrace.

  Pulling back, she continued excitedly, "He never listens to me! I never expected him to bring you back! And with you, Mrs. Tanner! Oh, this is a happy day!"

  Without another look at Tanner, Mrs. Molly led the ladies into the kitchen. Their laughter and chatter were heard for the rest of the afternoon, and the guests of their tavern were served the finest meal to ever grace its tables.

  Tanner scrubbed and polished, feeling the need to touch every bit of furniture in his tavern again, reacquainting himself with his inn. It truly was his now. His and Bella's.

  His father joined him, full of praise for the work Tanner had done and planned to do. Tanner understood the good man had loved him like a son from the moment he had married Mother. It filled Tanner with pride to consider him family, and it made his happiness for his mother complete. Her past did not define her, nor would Tanner allow it to define him anymore. The present was much too glorious and the future too full of hope for that.

  Later that night, Arabella joined him before the fireplace. There was a chair beside him, but she delighted his heart when she chose to sit on his lap.

  Digging into her apron pocket, she pulled out a packet of letters tied together with a pink ribbon. She plucked at the satin. “This was my ribbon. Ambrose tied my letters and Father’s in them. All of them are here.”

  “You still have those?”

  “It has been a busy week, and I wanted to burn them when I felt most at peace and contented.” Leaning forward, she tossed them into the fire.

  “Are you truly contented? You know, with the fortune you won, we can hire someone else to run the inn while we retire and live a life of ease on a country estate,” he suggested, watching her reaction intently.

  Shoving his shoulder, she said saucily, “You mean live like a proper lady and gentleman of society? Perhaps buy a title as Sir Francis did and throw extravagant parties?”

  Tanner teased, “Sir Jonathan and Lady Tanner.”

  With a laugh, she burrowed against Tanner’s chest and tucked her head against his neck. “That is Mrs. Tanner to you. It is the best name, and I would no sooner alter it than I would change our life together. Not for the world.” Pointing to an empty corner in the room, she said, “I should very much like, however, to change that empty corner. It is an ideal spot for an instrument, do you not agree?”

  "Excellent idea," Tanner said, his voice gravelly with her nearness.

  "I have developed a special fondness for music rooms," she whispered, turning her face up and brushing her lips against his chin.

  "Your wish is my command," he said, cradling her to him.

  "Hmm," she hummed, driving him mad when she nibbled her bottom lip. "Words every lady wishes to hear. Well, then, Jon
athan Tanner, I would like for you to kiss me."

  Bella was so easy to please, Tanner took great pleasure in granting her request again … and again … and again, until his painful memories faded, and their future melded together in an inseparable bond of belonging, trust, and respect: An immovable love to last an eternity.

  (And they lived happily ever after with no more troubles than the average newly wed couple endures. If only the same could be said of the Darcys….)

  Thank You

  Thank you for spending your precious time reading The Immovable Mr. Tanner. I hope you enjoyed his story. It was a hoot to write, and the research was pure joy! Please let me know what you thought and help other readers find my book by leaving a review and recommending it to your friends!

  As a special Thank You to my readers, I’ve added a BONUS chapter exclusive for my newsletter subscribers. Do you want to meet 7-year-old Tanner and his mom on the day he finds out the truth about his real dad? Sign up for my New Release Newsletter to find out!

  I’m grateful for the amazing people who help me through the creative process and make my stories better with their constant support and spot-on suggestions: Renán, J Dawn King (Hi, Mom! *waves*), Mammy, Anji, and Betty. I appreciate each of you so much. Thank you.

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  About the Author

  When Jennifer isn’t busy dreaming up new adventures for her favorite characters, she is learning Sign language, reading, baking (Cake is her one weakness!) or chasing her twins around the park (because … calories).

  Her wish is to continue to write sweet romances and mysteries with happy endings for years to come.