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Chapter 26
As the celebration neared, more and more guests started arriving each day in the village. Most guests stayed in the village but Sam’s relatives stayed with her and John at the manor. Sam’s monthly courses didn’t resume, but aside from that and light nausea, there were no signs of her being with child. She dreaded going to the doctor, but she dreaded talking to her husband even more.
Every night, she would fall asleep thinking she would tell him the next day, and every morning, she woke up coming up with more excuses to postpone the conversation. On the one hand, she wanted to be sure before she told him, which meant summoning a doctor. On the other hand, she wanted John present when the doctor confirmed or denied her suspicions.
I’ll tell him after the festival, she decided on the morning of the celebration. She wouldn’t risk ruining tonight by telling him her suspicions, just in case he didn’t take well to the news. But why wouldn’t he? It’s not like she could get with child all by herself. It took two people, after all.
Another worry was the unaccounted-for guests: John’s sister-in-law and her daughters. John had written to his solicitor several weeks ago and hadn’t received any news yet. She hoped they were all right. She also hoped they would be gracious enough to accept his invitation and act civil toward him, no matter what had happened in their family in the past.
Sometimes she thought that the worry over the festival and all the other issues were making her nauseous. Perhaps the stress was also delaying her courses. Worrying about possibly being with child didn’t help matters either.
Breathe.Just breathe.She looked around the celebration spot.
The estate was decorated with leaves, flowers, and fruit, like a garden of prosperity. Isabel had worked really hard, turning the scenery into a tiny replica of the Garden of Eden. All they needed were the cherubs and the picture would be complete. The food was laid out on the wooden tables right there in the garden. Linda was helping the cook and other maids in setting the lavish feast. The punch was decorated with grapes and other fruit. Wine and ale were also set in abundance. The village had probably not seen such a banquet since its inception.
Sam looked up from setting the table and saw her husband striding toward her. He came up short just in front of her and gave her a swift kiss on her lips. She smiled to herself. He always did that now, showered her with small signs of affection. A kiss here, a touch there.
“Everything looks perfect, my Angel.” He looked at her with such affection in his eyes she wanted to drown in it. “You are perfect.”
“Not in this gown, I am not,” Sam joked as she looked at her dirty day gown and the white apron tied around her waist.
“You are perfect in anything, love.” He tucked a stray lock behind her ear. “Although you must know that I prefer you naked.”
“John!” Sam turned crimson and looked around to make sure nobody had overheard his remark.
“What?” He laughed. “I can’t tell the truth in front of other people?” He snaked one arm behind her back and held her close. “Go on then, you need to change. The celebration starts soon.”
“We still have a few hours,” Sam said, looking at the sun, still shining high in the sky. The festival would begin a few hours before dusk.
“Exactly. Just enough time for what I have in mind.” He nipped on her earlobe and drew her toward the house, while she giggled all the way to the front door.
Just as they entered the hallway, John stopped dead. Sam looked up in the direction of his gaze and saw a middle-aged lady in the middle of the hall with six younger ladies around her. The youngest, still a child of about twelve or thirteen, was holding her hand. All of them were beautiful but with worry-strained features. Their clothing was clearly over-washed and oft-mended.
Sam looked from the group of women to her husband and then back again. He’d clearly lost the power of speech, and she decided not to fail him and act as the hostess she was. She smiled brightly at them and stepped closer, leaving her speechless husband frozen in the doorway.
“Welcome to Ashbury Manor. I’m Lady Ashbury and I am most delighted to make your acquaintance.”
The women, as if shaken from their unmoving tableau, finally looked at her and curtsied. The middle-aged lady moved closer to her and stopped only a few feet away.
“Pleased to meet you. Mrs. Amelia Godfrey.” She sank into a curtsey and Sam slid a discreet look at her husband.
He was studying the bedraggled girls with a look of horror in his eyes.Godfrey. It was John’s last name, Sam’s last name now too. These women were their family. John’s sister-in-law and nieces.
“And these are my daughters,” the woman continued. She proceeded to name all six girls, but to Sam’s disgruntlement, she hadn’t managed to remember even one. She still felt shaken by their unexpected arrival, although it wasn’t exactly unexpected. They had been awaiting them for days. She just hadn’t imagined their reunion happening like this. Her reaction was better than her husband’s, however, and she thanked God she hadn’t lost all her manners.
Thankfully, John eventually found his voice and regained the will over his leg muscles. He joined Sam in a few strides and stretched both hands toward Mrs. Godfrey in a gesture of extreme familiarity.
“We are delighted to have you here, Mrs. Godfrey,” he said, clasping her hands in his. “You’ve arrived just in time for the festivities. They don’t start until after eight, so you have plenty of time to have a nap after your journey and relax. We shall have a proper family reunion and a conversation on the morrow.”
“Let me show you to your rooms.” Sam took her cue from her husband and led the group of women up the stairs and toward the family wing. Since most of the rooms were already occupied, Sam settled her nieces, some of whom were almost the same age as her, in twos, and gave their mother the nicest room still available in the house. She ordered them a bath and told them to rest in the family parlor while awaiting the celebration.
They all looked exhausted. She did not know how long their journey had taken, so with a few words of hospitality, she decided to leave them to their own devices, leaving her personal maid Gina and a housekeeper in charge of getting them settled comfortably.
With that done, she went in search of her husband. He hadn’t looked well when she led his relatives away, so she thought to give him some comfort before the celebration, but he was nowhere to be found. With too much to be done, after a while, she had to give up on tracking him down and went about her own preparations for the festival.
She wore her favorite lilac gown, the one she’d worn on her wedding day. The low neckline beautifully accented her bosom, and the color went well with her golden tresses. She knew for a fact that John also loved this dress. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her the last time she had it on.
Sam wanted to look beautiful for him. She was eager to see him again and worried that something might have happened to him, or that he’d taken off after seeing the long-lost family of his eldest brother. He almost never spoke of his family with her, and she deduced from what he had said that it was a sore subject for him. Aside from the strained relationship he’d had with his father, she suspected what could have been nagging at him after seeing his brother’s widow. She saw it in his face, just as he’d stopped short in the doorway.Guilt.
