“Pardon my poor manners,” Cunningham said as he gestured to the woman at his side. “This is my younger daughter, Lady Freya. My wife is also in my carriage. She is not one to be as curious as our daughter.”
“That is correct. Your eldest married this season, did she not?” Beaufort asked, though he really did not care.
“Yes, to Lord Dickerson. She is now Dickerson’s viscountess and will reside in Buckinghamshire.”
“Excellent news.” Beaufort kept control. “You and Lady Cunninghamshould join me in my carriage, my lord. It is a bit larger than the one Lord Graham has employed for this journey.” Navan would provide Graham time to recover his aplomb.
“I could not permit my daughter to ride alone with Lord Graham,” Cunningham declared in protest.
“Lady Freya would not be alone with Lord Graham,” Beaufort corrected. “My betrothed is traveling with my brother. We are to marry at Graham’s estate and then travel to my grandmother’s estate in Ireland. We chose Scotland because we may cross more easily to Ireland from here than seeking passage out of London and around to the Irish Sea.”
“I did not know you were betrothed,” Cunningham said suspiciously.
“It is a relatively new betrothal. We planned to wait until spring to announce our intentions, but my grandmother is quite ill. I wished for her to know that I am well settled. Permit me to fetch my future bride.” He stepped back to Graham’s coach. “Come, my dear. I would have you presented to Lord Cunningham and his daughter.”
Annalise stuck her hand out before showing herself. He knew without her acknowledgment of his words she had heard his conversation and knew the excuses he had offered Cunningham. Annalise would follow his lead, for she was no ordinary woman. He lifted her to the ground. “My lady,” he said as he led her back to where the others waited, “permit me to give you the acquaintance of Lord Cunningham, who, like Graham and Lord Duncan, represents Scotland in Parliament. Beside his lordship is his daughter, Lady Freya. Their coach has broken an axel. I have offered to assist in transporting his lordship and Lady Cunningham to Graham’s estate. My lord. My lady. This is my betrothed, Lady Annalise Dutton.”
“Marksman’s sister?” Cunningham asked in surprise. “But you are brother to Dutton.”
“It is not an unlawful marriage. As everyone knows, Marksmanand I are not brothers in blood, my lord. Just as Graham is not my brother. What type of father would have both a Scottish and an Irish family, as well as several English ones? Lord Duncan simply guided each of us into our earldoms. If we were brothers, Marksman could not have recently married Lord Duncan’s daughter.” Beaufort knew very well how none of the Scottish peers in the House of Lords would dare to speak out against Lord Macdonald Duncan, for he was not only a leader in the Home Office, but the most senior Scottish delegate to the House of Lords.
“Of course, I simply thought…”
“I have known Lord Beaufort longer than any of my brother’s other acquaintances,” Annalise said as if on cue.
“Would you enjoy having some female company, my dear?” Navan asked, leading her to her response.
“Oh, please say you will join me, Lady Freya. I adore both Beaufort’s and Lord Graham’s company, but I have had so little chance to build connections to other young ladies in society.”
“If my father is agreeable, I would very much enjoy seeing this part of Scotland through Lord Graham’s eyes, as well as being one of the first to know Lady Annalise’s plans for the wedding.”
“How far is it to your estate, Graham?” Cunningham asked grudgingly.
“A bit over ten miles, but the roads in this area are better than those inland. Approximately an hour and a half, I estimate. My staff will be pleased to have others to serve beyond my minor needs.”
Cunningham still did not appear pleased with his only true choice, but he said, “Freya, dear, please inform their lordships’ men which of your mother’s and your trunks would be most essential for this evening’s purposes. I am grateful to each of you, my lords, for your generosity.”
Annalise laced her arm through Lady Freya’s. “Permit me to assist you. Come, Roland,” she said to Graham’s footman. “We shall require your assistance.”
Two days later,Annalise made her appearance in the small church on Lord Graham’s estate. She had hoped her new friend, Lady Freya, would stand with her, but, as her dear Beaufort had explained, Cunningham greatly disapproved of Graham’s parentage, for Duncan had orchestrated a belated marriage-over-the-anvil style joining between the prior Lord Graham and Aaran’s rightful mother. With Lord Graham’s passing, Duncan’s efforts had made Aaran Graham the new earl and denied the previous Lord Graham’s second son the earldom. When Graham appeared to be taken aback by Cunningham’s continued show of animosity, Annalise had told Aaran repeatedly how fortunate would be the woman he chose to marry. “You are one of the kindest creatures to walk God’s earth, but, equally as important, you are both intelligent and decisive. A born protector. And what more could a woman wish for in a husband?” Naturally, Lord Graham objected to her praise, but he appeared pleased by it, nevertheless.
The ceremony was small by necessity, but Annalise still felt special. She wore one of the gowns Lady Orson had chosen for her, and Lord Beaufort’s eyes had never left her countenance as they recited their vows.
Assuredly, she was still a bit nervous regarding her wedding night, but it was good to be permitted a decision of her own. As she stood before Lord Graham’s clergyman, Annalise attempted to forget how she was putting her life and her future happiness into, essentially, the hands of a stranger. She had known Lord Beaufort for less than three months total. In truth, she had questioned whether she should have waited, while knowing if Alexander disapproved, her brother would have tied up her life and her fortune for more years than she would wish. Especially, if Theodora spoke her suggestions in Alexander’sears. Annalise thought the new Lady Marksman would wish all set aside for Annalise to be used on Alexander’s children. Yet, Annalise could not resist the idea she had jumped over the frying pan and stepped into the fire.
Though she had not said the words to anyone, not even herself, for doing so would make her appear conniving, she had easily recalled one item of importance Alexander had shared regarding their father. “Robert Dutton placed a separate fortune of thirty thousand pounds in your name alone, available to you when you turn five and twenty. He was confident I would find you, and he wanted you to be secure financially and not dependent on the earldom or upon others, if such was your wish. It is yours to do with as you wish, not part of any dowry offered by me and the earldom when you marry.” Annalise doubted Beaufort was aware of this guaranteed fortune. Even if her husband soon tired of her, she would still possess a means to a future she alone could name.
Lord Graham escorted her to where Beaufort awaited her. She knew he felt the tremble in her hands, for Aaran cupped her hand with his. Annalise made herself hold her chin high and pretend confidence.
Beaufort wore a coat of charcoal gray and black pantaloons. At least, he looked upon her with soft eyes. The ceremony was a mix of traditional and what Lord Graham had termed as “over-the-anvil marriages,” where all one required was a “Do you” and an “I do” to be legal.
“You noticed that the vicar forgot to say the wordobeyin the vows, Beaufort,” his lordship had teased. “Lady Beaufort may possess a mind of her own when she wishes it and, therefore, act accordingly.”
The celebration at Lord Graham’s estate had been an abbreviated one, for Annalise’s new husband wished to set out for Wales and Holyhead as quickly as it could be arranged. Though she was also eager to view Ireland, for she had heard much of the beauty of the country, Annalise worried whether Beaufort’s urgency had more to do with avoiding her brother than returning to his homeland. “I was thinking we might let a ship in Holyhead to deliver us directly to CorkCity. The accommodations might not be grand, but…”
“But I am expected to make do?” she accused.
“I meant no such thing,” he snapped. “It is time for the rainy season in Dublin and the snow in the mountains. Travel will be difficult no matter how we make the journey.”
