Page 118 of Holding Onto Love

“He knew. And he was tortured. He was a terrible mix of devastated and absurdly happy. When we parted, oh—” Her voice cracked again, remembering how Henry had broken, sobbing, cursing, utterly terrified for her and their child. “I’m sorry, Jasper.” She pressed her fist against her heart. “I can’t—”

He kissed her on the temple. “Shh. Don’t apologize. I’m not entitled to your memories of Henry.”

The coach had been slowing. Now it merely crept along, then turned sharply. They could hear branches and foliage scraping the outside.

“Ah. I think we’ve arrived.” Jasper let go of her and began buttoning his shirt. “I don’t mean to be abrupt, but Crispin would find it far too amusing to discover me like this.”

*

Olivia was waiting in the drive despite the lateness of the hour. Jasper hopped down from the coach. Before he could hand Vanessa out, Olivia set down her lantern and leaped into his arms. With the door standing open, Vanessa saw it all, though evidently Olivia could not see her in the darkened coach.

“Where is she? What did she say?”

“Is Crispin inside?”

“No, he’s gone,” Olivia said, displaying an enormously aggrieved pout. “And good riddance. He didn’t eat anything in the morning and then he was ill-tempered all day.” She sniffed. “You know how he is. Then a letter came, and he disappeared upstairs for hours. And then Mrs. Badge burned the rice we were supposed to have, so supper was late. She made dumplings that weren’t too terrible, but Crispin wouldn’t touch them. I told him he was being rude, and he snapped at me. He was very mean.”

She looked more wounded than angry. Then she pawed at Jasper.

“What did Vanessa say!”

“He’s gone? Stomped off in a temper over burned rice?” Jasper laughed.

“No, of course not. But he was about to stomp off to the lake after supper and a man came and they argued awhile outside, then Crispin came back in and grabbed his valise and left with him.”

“With whom?”

“Crispin didn’t say. He just said goodbye. And said to tell you goodbye and good luck.” She rolled her eyes. “He treats me like a child sometimes.”

“Yes, well, he does me too.”

Vanessa climbed out of the coach on her own.

“I am here. I said yes.”

“Vanessa!” Olivia pushed Jasper aside to greet her. “I wrote to Alice, she’s Georgiana’s cousin, she wants boots too. And we’re going to be sisters! I can’t wait to tell Georgiana. When is the wedding? Will it be in London? I hope not, because Mother and I are still in mourning. We do go to church in Iversley…”

“In Iversley,” Jasper said, drawing closer. He signaled to a footman to bring Vanessa’s trunk. “As soon as possible. If Crispin isn’t here, we may as well return to Chaumbers in easy stages. We’ll ask Reg and Georgiana to meet us there.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Travel light. That would be impossible. Vanessa had no choice but to order an entire wedding trousseau; after all, she was going to be a countess. Moreover, if she wanted to make Bitter’s boots fashionable, she couldn’t arrive back in London in last year’s clothes.

Be prepared. Three and a half weeks to prepare for this role? Impossible.

Perhaps it was time to set aside Peninsula rules.

The banns were read three Sundays in succession. The wedding was to be held the following Friday—a small family wedding in a quaint, very old, village church.

Chaumbers was not at all what Vanessa expected. That would have been a traditional large country house, beautifully proportioned, perhaps tacked onto a restored medieval keep to lend it character. Or something sweeping and gothic, though that possibility seemed less Taverstonian somehow. But Chaumbers was…different. Not gaudy in the way her father’s house was. Not ugly. Well, yes, it was ugly. It looked like several unattractive houses pasted together. The grounds were spectacular though.

Jasper had asked if they should invite anyone from Cartmel. Did she want Lydia? Or Charlotte? Or everyone from Cartmel? It was no exaggeration to say they could house the entire village in one wing. But no one in Cartmel could afford to travel a good three-quarters of the way to London for a wedding, a trip that would necessitate losing a solid week of work or more. Inviting them would not be kind; it would be insensitive.

Family only. And Hazard, who was practically family. Vanessa understood why Jasper had asked about inviting someone from Cartmel. She had no family.

Olivia was delighted to be asked to stand up with her. Vanessa was a little surprised to discover Jasper had asked Hazard.

“Not your brother? Won’t he be hurt?”