Page 16 of Romancing the Artist

The other woman laughed, the sound soft against the background of waves and wind. “I count myself a good judge of character, but I see I have alarmed you.”

“Surprised rather than alarmed,” Caroline said. She studied the other woman’s profile, noting the weariness in Miss Kimball’s eyes and the tightness at her jaw. Something weighed on the charming woman. “Please. If it would help you to speak what is on your mind, I will listen.”

The sea breeze gently tousled their hair, as if nature itself sought to lend an empathetic ear to Miss Kimball’s words.

“You are kind.” Miss Kimball released a sigh. “Very well. The truth of why it is difficult for me to enjoy the things I used to, the picnic as an example, is that my parents are completely fixated on me marrying the man they have chosen for me. A man they have thought, since my childhood, would be the best and only candidate for my hand. They have teased me since I was a little girl, but I always thought it was just that. Teasing. ‘Did you have fun playing with Edward today? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the two of you married? Imagine, having a friend like him all your life!’ As though marrying a man is the only way to have a friendship.” The beautiful woman snorted.

Caroline winced. Her parents had never made such remarks. If anything, they had cautioned her against mistaking friendship for something more complex, an emotion necessary between a man and woman to form a lasting union. “That must make things uncomfortable. For both of you.”

“Yes.” Miss Kimball’s gaze fell to the sand beneath them. “Among other things. My parents’ desire for Mr. Everly to make a match with me has complicated my own hopes for my future. They will not hear me, no matter how often I say we will not suit. And I have hope that someone else…” She swallowed and Caroline’s alarm rose when she saw tears in Miss Kimball’s eyes. She laughed, the sound trembly and damp. “I apologize, Miss Clapham. We have barely met, and I am making a confession to you I ought not. Forgive me.”

As they walked along the sandy shoreline, their steps left fleeting imprints upon the soft terrain, momentarily marking their passage. Miss Kimball’s voice, hushed yet filled with earnestness, carried on the gentle breeze, unveiling her vulnerabilities.

It hurt to see someone in pain. Caroline had always had a difficult time, whether it was man or beast, physical or mental anguish made her heart ache for others. Miss Kimball’s difficulty, whatever it was, mattered.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” Caroline wrapped an arm around Miss Kimball’s shoulders in a friendly embrace, the same as she would for any of her friends in a difficult moment. “You are troubled, and I am willing to listen. Sometimes, talking things out can help a situation. And I give you my word, again, I will say nothing of what you tell me to anyone else.”

Miss Kimball sniffled and withdrew a handkerchief from the reticule at her wrist. “You are very kind. Perhaps you are right.” She lifted her chin. “You see, there is a man I have come to care for, indeed, I have given him my heart. He loves me. But he does not feel worthy of me. Silly, ridiculous man. He is the best person I have ever known. He is kind, gentle, and intelligent. He makes me laugh, and he always knows what to say when I am sad. But because our stations are different, he will never dare ask to court me, let alone marry me.” She sniffled again. “I am ashamed to say that so long as my parents’ have Edward Everly in their sights, they wouldn’t entertain even the thought of me, their youngest daughter, marrying beneath my station. Though I do not see it that way at all.”

Caroline kept her arm around the other woman, sensing the contact helped. “That is a difficult position for you and for the man you love.” What could she say? There was no way to repair this hurt. Only time could make a difference. “Have you told your parents you do not want to marry Mr. Everly?”

“Yes.” Miss Kimball shivered. “They were quite angry. Then they assured me I didn’t know what I wanted. And they haven’t given up. And…” She met Caroline’s eyes. “If I push the matter too much, they will send me away. I know they will. Especially if they ever find out about my secret suitor. I have a great aunt in Scotland. She is horrid. I would be sent to her.” She shivered as though speaking of dungeons and torture. “If they didn’t see Mr. Everly as an option anymore, and if I had time to convince my suitor to speak to my father, I know I could reason with them.”

An alarming thought came to Caroline. Truly, it was a thought formed in a moment of desperate empathy. And she bit her tongue rather than say it aloud. Except…What if…? Another soft sob from Miss Kimball undid Caroline’s reservations. “Would Mr. Everly be willing to turn his attentions elsewhere, if you asked?”

Miss Kimball laughed, without humor. “To whom? Everyone in our neighborhood, all of our friends, know that his parents and mine are determined to have this match. And I would not want one of my friends to have to pretend at a romance she knew would never come to fruition. Edward—Mr. Everly—has no intention of marrying. He has told me that quite plainly. He knows my secret too, you see. And we both thought it best that he does not say anything against the match, so his parents will not grow angry, mine will not be offended, and no one will be punished.” She brushed hair away from her face. “I know he grows impatient, though. And I am sorry I am the cause of his discomfort.”

“It sounds as though he offered to help you, so you mustn’t make yourself feel guilty on that account. Friends are usually willing to sacrifice for one another.” Caroline turned over her idea again. “What if you found a woman willing to help? Someone who knew from the start that she played a part in a ruse. Someone the neighborhood does not know well. A woman who will be gone again at the end of the summer.” Caroline drew in a deep breath as Miss Kimball’s eyes widened with comprehension. “I would be willing to help you.”

“But why?” Miss Kimball shook her head. “Your reputation—”

“It would be fine. A courtship isn’t an engagement. And I am a stranger here. Who would care?” She raised her shoulders in a shrug, then spoke with sincerity. “I believe it is only right that you should be free to love whomever your heart desires. Would the summer be enough time to convince your suitor to ask for your hand?”

Miss Kimball’s eyes welled with tears again, though this time she was smiling. “Your willingness to help me is truly selfless. I cannot express what this even means to me. There must be something I can do for you in return.”

At this, Caroline shook her head. “There is no need for any sort of repayment, Miss Kimball. I am doing this because I believe in the importance of following your heart.” Her parents had given her everything she could want for her to follow her own. If she could pass on such a gift, in such a simple way, why wouldn’t she? “If this brings you happiness, that is enough.”

Miss Kimball nodded, her eyes drying and a glow of hope replacing the damp. “I will speak to Edward about this, Miss Clapham. I will explain the situation, and we will find a way to repay you for your kindness. It is only right.”

Caroline didn’t bother arguing the point a second time. “Please. Call me Caroline. I think we must be friends now.”

“Indeed. Then I am Mariah.” Her new friend looked out over the sea. “I will make certain Edward understands the depth of your kindness. He will agree to this plan. I haven’t any doubt on that account.”

Thinking of the man who charged through the trees to find her, a stranger in the wood, and then studied her sketches with genuine interest, Caroline had to agree. He would go along with the plan. And Caroline now had more to worry about this summer than she’d thought possible on the day she left her family’s land.

A summer of improving her art had grown more complex than she thought possible. A meeting with the President of the Royal Academy and a pretended romance to allow a real one to blossom sounded more suitable to a comic play than her life. If everything ended happily, though, she would not complain.

The women turned back on their path, returning to the vicarage. Somehow, they found their way to laughing again as they spoke of childhood adventures on beaches, soaking their dresses when they fell into the waves, and how much they wished it still proper for them to wander about barefoot on the sand. When they took their leave of one another, Caroline could not regret her offer. Mariah Kimball’s eyes gleamed with hope and determination.

Caroline’s heart lifted. Helping Mariah was the right thing to do. As long as she remembered that, everything would be fine.

Chapter 6

Edward Everly stood beneath the shade of a large apple tree, watching his family’s servants march to his mother’s commands as they set up each and every food item or cushion to her liking.

For Edward’s part, since the moment he’d left Inglewood land several days before, he’d only had one hope for this picnic.

He wanted to see his woodland sprite again.