Chapter Fifteen
Before they coulddepart Dutton Hall the following morning, Aaran Graham arrived.
“What are you doing here?” Beaufort asked in irritation.
“It is good to see you also, brother,” Aaran replied as he bent to kiss Annalise’s upturned cheek. “Are you well, my dear? You appear heartier.”
“I am stronger,” Lady Annalise responded as she shot a glance to Navan.
“I ask again,” Beaufort began, “what are you about, Graham?”
“I made the assumption you remained as headstrong as ever, and you might require a witness to your honest regard for Lady Annalise. You may visit my southernmost Scottish estate and choose your course of both action and destination from there. No one must be the wiser. Obviously, the lady requires a sanctuary until her brother’s official return, and no one will think me of the nature to ruin her ladyship. After all, I am considered disabled.”
“Such is ridiculous!” Beaufort argued.
“It is, but you know my words are true.” Graham paused before adding, “There is a perfectly acceptable church on the estate, and it isnot so far from Wales and Holyhead, that is unless you prefer Port Patrick and County Down in Ireland. Moreover, Marksman will look for you in Gretna Green.”
“I did not plan to be in Gretna when Marksman arrived,” Beaufort admitted.
“But he will chase you to Dublin and beyond,” Graham argued. “Whereas, Duncan will appreciate you married close to his home estate.”
Beaufort sighed heavily, for Graham made sense. “Though I do not wish to agree with Graham, my dear, he has the right of it. Are you comfortable traveling with Graham for parts of this adventure?”
“Whatever you think best, my lord,” she replied, but Lady Annalise appeared disappointed, which did Beaufort well.
“You leave with Graham,” he said in decision. “I will tell those inside that Lord Graham is escorting you to Marksman Abbey. Then I will return to my London home and wait an hour or so before I depart. Be aware, Graham. It is possible Mr. Stark will follow you.”
“I have an extra man on top of the coach,” Graham assured.
“You always think of everything,” Beaufort grumbled as he bent to kiss Annalise’s mouth briefly. “You are on the clock, my lord.”
Navan had been eager to flee London, and the need to wait around for an hour or so did not best please him. Now that he had secured Lady Annalise’s agreement, he wanted the marriage to begin as quickly as possible. He was also more than a bit eager to flee London’s constant noise and smoke and false faces. He wanted to breathe clean air again, and he wished to view Ireland’s rolling geography and no longer be required to cram into a crowded ballroom or a gentleman’s club. Unfortunately, if truth be told, he was not confident he was running towards his future, but rather into a disaster, and that fact alone had him frightened as he had not been in a long while.
Annalise watched outthe window as Lord Graham slept contentedly in the opposing seat. She prayed she had made the correct decision. More than anything in the world, she desired the security of ahome, where she would always be welcomed. She desired to be in one place where she could watch one season slide into the next—where the people around her would call her by her real name and be happy to keep her company.No more to be a stranger,she thought.
May I have all that with Lord Beaufort and his relations? she asked herself.There is no doubt, his lordship will protect me and guide me in how things are done in Ireland. And when I learn, and I will do so, we may come to marital congress. Such is my prayer.
As he watchedout the window on the first day of his travels, Beaufort considered what he might encounter at his grandparents’ estate. “I have been away from there far longer than I should have been,” he told the empty carriage. “But the work I do for Ireland in the British Parliament is essential to Ireland’s future. Now, if I can convince my stubborn cousins to consider building canals or clearing roads so we might move their crops to shipping centers with more ease, I would know satisfaction. Baskingstoke is a prime example of the efficiency of the canals. And what of our own factories in Ireland? Instead of working for pennies in Manchester or Liverpool or Birmingham, we can raise our own sheep and create wool and thread.
“England, like it or not, has not stood still, while Ireland is sinkingfast. I vow that both my grandmother’s Klare Fields and my own Beaufort Court, though I have previously begun my renovations and improvements there, will no longer be backcountry estates. When the English have bragged of their accomplishments, I have held my tongue and listened, even when I wished to shout against the gods who deemed it so. I mean to have things in Ireland soon to be on an upturn.”
As the day came to an end, Navan had overtaken Graham’s coach. As was customary for Graham, who possessed a great mind for both large and small details, his lordship had kept Navan honest by arranging for a large suite at the inn that Navan and Aaran would share, with a smaller attached room, customarily used by a servant for Lady Annalise. Navan would have had to hire a girl to stay with Lady Annalise if they had traveled together, and, though he had employed one of the inn mistress’s daughters to assist Annalise in changing her clothes and bathing, he would have enjoyed private time with his betrothed. Unfortunately, as was customary, Graham’s practicality trumped Navan’s ill-consideration.
By midday ontheir fifth day of travel, they were within ten miles of Graham’s smaller estate when Graham’s coach pulled up suddenly. Beaufort reached for his guns as his coachman called to Graham’s to learn what had occurred. Navan could not hear Mr. Jamison’s response, and so he stepped down with cautiousness to survey the area. He assumed Annalise was still in the coach with Graham, and Beaufort moved with great care in case his friend and his betrothed had been stopped by a highwayman.
However, he was happy to see Graham speaking to anothergentleman. “You recognize Lord Cunningham, do you not, Beaufort?” Graham said with a bit of strain lurking in his voice, which spoke to the occasional arguments Graham had with the Scottish lord on the floor of Parliament.
“Good day, my lord,” Beaufort said to the gentleman. “What have we here?”
“My coachman says we have broken an axle,” Cunningham reported.
“We could see you to my southern estate,” Graham offered, “and send someone back to assist your man.”
“I suppose such must be our choice,” Lord Cunningham said with a bit of hesitation in his tone until his lordship was joined by a strikingly beautiful young lady.
“We are fortunate his lordship was the one to discover us, Papa,” the young woman said.
Beaufort glanced at Graham, expecting him to take charge of the situation, but his brother stood in apparent dumbfoundedness, which was assuredly not like the Aaran Graham he knew and admired. Therefore, Navan took control of the situation. “Why do we not place some of your trunks on both my and Graham’s coaches so as to lighten the load, which would make repairs easier. We will send a flat wagon back with Graham’s men to offset the rest of the weight. Is it just you and the young lady, my lord?”
