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She gave a convulsive sob, and tears welled up and trickled down her face. “Hush, hush,” he murmured, kissing her damp cheeks and then her lips. “Hush, my darling. No more gentlemanly speeches, ever, I promise you. Not between us. But…” He was anxious, suddenly, to have it settled beyond any doubt. “You will marry me, dearest?”
She nodded, then gave a little laugh. “Exciting as it would be to have you kidnap me and hold a pistol to my head, I cannot but feel we would be more comfortable to be married in church in the regular way, with our friends about us. In Bath, if you should not dislike it too much, and in my own church, so that Aunt Beth may attend, for she would be very cross to be deprived of the pleasure of weeping all over the bride. It is precisely what she loves to do.”
He kissed her again, and then said, “She sounds delightful. But what will Lady Carrbridge have to say about this?”
“Connie will be thrilled, because she will imagine she made the match herself.”
“And so she did,” he said, much struck. “If she had not pushed you to drive out with me that first time, I should never have got to know you and would have lost for ever the one woman who could truly own my heart.”
“You would have met someone else, so charming and lovable as you are,” she said shyly. “You were never meant to be a lifelong bachelor, Will.”
“No, but that someone else would not have been my lovely Eloise, and I should not have been me. I should have been the old arrogant Will, with a thin veneer of good manners and nothing more. Only you could have taught me how to behave as I ought, and how to value you as you deserve. I depend upon you to keep me up to scratch, my love. Keep that rolling pin handy at all times.”
“I shall certainly do so, but if it is all the same to you, I should prefer to keep it for rolling out pastry.”
“Rolling out pastry! Certainly not,” he cried. “Mrs William Fletcher will not sully her hands with kitchen work. She will sit in the saloon with her embroidery, like the lady she is.”
She pulled a face. “Embroidery? Must I? May I not play the pianoforte? That is a very ladylike occupation, too.”
“Very well. That will be acceptable,” he said grandly, then sighed. “I wish we could hide in here for ever, but I suppose we had better show our faces and confess that we are betrothed again.”
“For now,” she said.
His heart turned a painful somersault before he registered the twinkle in her eye. He let out a crack of laughter. “Careful, my love, or it will be pistols in Scotland after all, for you cannot imagine you will escape my clutches now.”
“Thank goodness!” she said, laughing.
~~~~~
‘To Miss Jupp, St Peter’s Road, Sagborough, West Riding. My dear Belinda, so much delightful news, I hardly know where to begin. Firstly, Will is betrothed to Miss Whittleton again, and they are billing and cooing like turtle doves. Angie says it is tedious and wishes they would get married very soon so she need not be constantly finding them jumping apart as soon as she enters the room, but I think it is lovely to see them so happy together after all their difficulties. Will has another cause for happiness, too, for he is now a member of one of the gentlemen’s clubs which he has wanted for ever but it seemed hopeless. But Lord Faulkbourne who is Lord Albury’s father put his name forward, and he is a member. And there is good news for me from that quarter also, for Lord Albury is gone out of town and is not expected back. There! The season is almost over and I have survived unwed. Mama is disappointed, naturally, for she had the highest hopes of him, but although I liked him well enough, and he was always very kind to me, that is not quite enough to make me want to marry him. And there is one piece of news that will astonish you. Emmy Malpas is betrothed! Is that not wonderful, after she has been out for so many years and it must be said, she is not at all beautiful. But when Pa told Mr Iverson he could not pay his addresses to me, seemingly Emmy consoled him and he discovered what we have always known, that she is at heart a lovely, kind, generous and affectionate person. And now he is to go to Sagborough and settle there and even learn about the rug business from Mr Malpas, and so will become the son he never had. And it is a very good arrangement for him, although he fell in love with Emmy first, before finding out the other possibility. After imparting so much news, I feel excessively virtuous, and may sign off as your very happy and affectionate friend, Rosie. Post script ~ you may receive an interesting invitation in the next few days. But I am not at liberty to say more. Post post script ~ I almost forgot, pray give my very best regards to Ricky and thank him for the sketch of the interior of the new shop. It looks delightful.’
~~~~~
The Fletchers were at breakfast one morning when Pa was drawn away by a gentleman caller.
“Who is it, Keeble?” Stepmother said, before the butler followed Pa down the stairs.
“Mr Tranter, madam.”
Rosie dropped her knife with a clatter onto her plate, her face ashen. Of all her persistent suitors, the younger Mr Tranter was the only one who had not yet proposed. Now it seemed that he was to rectify that omission.
“Well, that is good news,” Stepmother said composedly. “The son of an earl, too. An honourable, even if he has no title himself.”
“He is in trade,” Will said. “He and his brother own Barantine’s, the jeweller’s shop. Mr Armitage says they are charming rogues, but he thinks they are very happy to have a steady income and not live a hand-to-mouth existence in their father’s house.”
“Hand-to-mouth existence?” Stepmother said. “Lord Kilrannan is an earl!”
“An Irish earl, and an impoverished one, with an extensive family to be supported somehow. The Tranter brothers ran a discreet gaming den fleecing their father’s guests — again, according to Armitage.”
“Well! But I suppose Mr Fletcher will decide whether he is suitable to marry Rosie.”
Rosie gave a squeak of alarm.
Stepmother turned to her with a frown. “Really, Rosie, what precisely are you waiting for? I understood about Mr Somerwell, and Mr Iverson has no money… so many of them have no money, and what they are doing offering for anyone when their pockets are to let I cannot imagine. And Lord Albury…” She sighed heavily. “Thatwas a disappointment, for we had such hopes… but it was not to be, and there is nothing to be done about it. But Mr Tranter… such a charming young man, and always on such sparkling form. There is something about the Irish way with words, is there not? And if he has an income of his own, and he is the son of an earl…”
“Trade,” Will said again, seeing the terror on Rosie’s face. “And Rosie need not marry anyone just because his father is an earl.”
Stepmother carefully set down her coffee cup. “Will, after all the effort we have expended to get Rosie to this position, where she has eligible gentlemen at her feet, I hope you will not encourage her to be disobliging.”
