Page 73 of Romancing the Artist

Chapter 24

Edward left the lawyer’s office with his head swimming in numbers and his sketchbook filled with calculations. There was more work to do than he had thought possible, but if he bent his mind to the task he would have everything ready in the time it took to read the banns.

If Caroline would have him.

He hated thinking there could be an if. Hated that he had left her when he’d given in to a moment of weakness and doubt. Caroline deserved so much more.

“Edward Everly? Is that you?” a familiar voice called.

He turned just short of where he’d left his horse to see Mariah Kimball standing in front of the apothecary, arm-in-arm with a man Edward had grown up with. The apothecary’s son, who had gone away for two years to learn the work of a physician. Lucas Jones.

“Mr. Jones,” he said, bowing slightly. “I hadn’t heard you were home. Have you completed your studies? Is it Doctor Jones yet?”

The other man shook his head, his smile tempered with weariness. “Not yet. I have another two years, at least, before they will declare me fit to practice. I am home for a few weeks only, at Miss Kimball’s request, in fact.” He looked down at Mariah with a somewhat accusatory raise of his eyebrows. “And, I am told, had I not come speedily, she would have allowed herself to be married off to you, Everly.”

Edward stiffened and readied himself to protest, when everything about what he saw before him suddenly made sense. He nearly swore aloud in his shock, but Mariah’s far-too-innocent expression kept him somewhat reasonable. “Mariah. You’re in love with Lucas Jones?”

“Don’t sound too shocked, Everly,” Jones protested. “She could do worse. She could have thrown her lot in with you.”

Mariah’s smile was brighter than Edward had seen it in a long time. “Stop, both of you. I cannot bear to be teased. We still have to tell my parents. Lucas only arrived last night, and I am whisking him away this instant.”

“Why would your parents object to a physician as a husband?” Edward asked, shaking his head as he looked from her to Jones. “I had started to think she’d given her heart to a fishmonger.”

Jones’s brow furrowed. “Thankfully not. Did she really make it sound that terrible?”

“No. Edward is exaggerating.” Mariah glared first at Edward then up at the man she had apparently falling in love with. “And you held yourself in such low opinion, you may as well have been a fishmonger.”

“I still don’t understand.” Edward tucked his book away. “But then, I haven’t had much sleep. Perhaps you are both making perfect sense.”

“I doubt it,” Lucas Jones muttered, then sighed. “Mariah’s had my heart since we were children. I didn’t think I had a chance with her, though. Not unless I made something of myself. An apothecary may be a respectable tradesman, but her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry beneath her. And I didn’t think she’d pay me any attention, either.”

“He told me before he left for Scotland the first,” Mariah added, her expression growing somber. “I had six months to think about it, to be angry with him, before I saw him again.”

“You called me a presumptuous lout,” he reminded her, looking down at her with an adoration Edward immediately understood. He felt almost certain he’d looked at Caroline like that before. “You forbid me to become a doctor if I was only doing it for you.”

“He was home for two months,” Mariah said, tearing her gaze away from Jones to smile at Edward. “Do you remember? Likely not. But I made every excuse I could think of to visit the apothecary. I was so frustrated at first. I kept asking if he’d made up his mind about things yet. Do you know what he said?”

Edward slowly shook his head, hardly believing the story unraveling in front of him. “I cannot even make a guess.”

“He said he’d only made his mind up about loving me, and everything else would work out one way or another.” Mariah’s whole aspect brightened. “I was quite in love before he left again. And now he’s returned, and he’s stopped saying nonsense about not being good enough for me. My parents are in a terrible state at the moment, thinking I will never marry.”

“Mariah thinks they will be desperate enough to accept me as a son-in-law, even though I haven’t finished my studies.”

The love in Mariah’s expression was unmistakable. “But you will.” She beamed at Edward. “He’s very good at his work. And Alderton needs a physician.”

“It does, indeed.” Edward studied the two of them. Lucas Jones was tall and trim, with dark hair and freckles. They’d played together as children, and he’d been one of the boys who had tried to convince Edward not to climb the tree behind the inn. And the one who’d run off to find help. “Congratulations to you both. I hope everything goes well when you speak to the Kimballs.”

“As do I,” Jones muttered with a grimace.

“Hush. Everything will be perfect.” Mariah gave Edward a final smile. “Isn’t this wonderful? Now you and Caroline can stop pretending. If you wish to, that is.” She batted her eyelashes at him, and the gleam returned to her eyes. “Of course, after what I have seen these last weeks, perhaps you will continue the ruse a little longer.”

As the only other person aware of their act, Mariah would be the only person who saw through it. Edward wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of admitting to the truth of things. Not yet. He had too much to accomplish. Including telling Caroline this news.

“It was good to see you, Jones. Miss Kimball.” Edward bowed to them once more. “I will not detain you from your purpose, and I have an errand of my own to see to. Good day to you both.”

They said their goodbyes, and Edward mounted his horse with one destination in mind. He needed to see Caroline. And he didn’t want to wait the hours between that moment and their usual meeting time. He wanted to see his sprite at once and reassure her of his feelings. Some things simply couldn’t wait.

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