Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

L ightheaded from Beth’s kisses, Carswell did not register the sound until his gaze landed on Kaye—a crooked grin splashed across his gloating face.

Beth pulled away, her face and neck blotching red. “Jule, I…” She glanced at him for help.

Carswell cleared his throat. “Kaye,” he said in his most authoritative tone. “What are you doing dragging Miss Julianna out in this cold? Should you not be dancing?”

Kaye smirked. “I could ask you the same, Captain .”

Miss Julianna giggled and a begrudging smile emerged on Carswell’s face.

“Touché.”

Nervous laughter filled the small clearing.

“Might I assume you have mended your differences?” Miss Julianna asked.

“You may.” Beth beamed. “Carswell has asked me to be his wife.”

Tears glistened in Miss Julianna’s eyes and matching tears filled Beth’s as they rushed to hug one another. Carswell shifted from one foot to the other, watching the women talk faster than his ears could keep up.

Kaye came to stand beside him. “I suppose if we are to be brothers-in-law, this means you will have to put up with me for the rest of your life. Do you think you can endure it?”

A little smile slipped past Carswell’s defenses. “I suppose I can tolerate you a bit longer.”

“Til death do us part?”

Carswell guffawed.

Both ladies turned at his loud laughter. He tried to choke down his amusement, but the image of him and Kaye also needing to pledge devotion to one another for the sake of their wives was excessively diverting. Curious amusement from the sisters led Kaye to repeat his question for them.

On its second recital, an unexpected joy settled into Carswell’s chest and he took in each one of them in turn, marveling at his good fortune.

His life before the Royal Army had been a lonely solitary existence, his family cold and unwelcoming. Now he found himself surrounded by people who truly cared about him. His physical imperfections and his eccentricities meant nothing to them and for the first time he felt… loved.

“Are you well?” Beth asked at his sudden seriousness.

“I have never been better.” He held an arm out and she tucked herself under it. Glancing at Kaye he asked, “By the by, what brings the two of you out of doors?”

Miss Julianna and Kaye looked at one another and then back at him, brows furrowed. Then Kaye asked, “Did you not witness what just transpired in the ballroom?”

“I am afraid we did not,” Carswell said. Beth snickered and a smile forced its way onto his face. “We chose to take a stroll when we arrived and have been pleasantly engaged since.”

Miss Julianna’s amusement came out in a snort. “Pleasantly engaged, indeed.”

“What happened?” Beth rushed to say. Carswell did not blame her. They needed to sidestep any more discussion of the intimate embrace if either of them wished to keep their composure.

Kaye began detailing the incident. It would have been distressing had he and Miss Julianna not kept adding what Carswell was certain was a ridiculous amount of hyperbole.

“And the way Daniel kept mimicking Mr. Caleb Waverly.” Miss Julianna chuckled. “He might as well have been a puppet on strings but with eyes that actually move. Which made it even more entertaining when the pretend Daniel announced he had a special license.”

“A special license?” Beth exclaimed. “But how?”

“It was a fake,” Kaye said flatly. He broke off a small twig from a nearby bush and started snapping little bits off.

Carswell had seen that particular nervous habit many times in their years on the continent. It seemed Kaye was not nearly as at ease as he’d let on.

“How did you know it was a fake?” Beth asked.

Kaye’s brow pinched and he turned to Miss Julianna. “Yes, how did you know?”

Miss Julianna grinned. “My friend Olivia showed me one earlier this year when her mother, the dowager Lady Caraway, remarried. The one that Caleb had did not have the same signature, nor had the names been filled out—which is a necessity. I am surprised he missed that detail.”

A cold breeze nipped at Carswell’s nose and both ladies shivered. Instinctively he pulled Beth closer, then cleared his throat. “He could lose his position as a barrister for such a forgery.”

Kaye shook his head. “It was the duke who did it. I told you he was here to create chaos. It seems ruining my life was his only purpose for coming.”

“Or Mr. Caleb Waverly’s.” Beth glanced between them. “While he did work on the case for His Grace, the man he worked under lost the suit and the duke had to pay a great deal of money. It is possible the duke blames Caleb along with the man who he apprentices under.”

“I had not thought of that,” Miss Julianna said.

Kaye rubbed the back of his neck. “Perhaps both were his motive. Why else would he brave a two-day journey from Northumberland?”

“He could be on his way to London for the season,” Carswell said. “Adding a slight detour for a double dose of revenge does not sound terribly out of character from what you have said.”

“Now that sounds like something he might do.”

Beth snuggled closer and Carswell tightened his hold on her. Silence settled between them as each person became lost in their thoughts.

Kaye grasped Miss Julianna’s hand and pulled her close. “If only the special license had been real.”

“Oh?” Miss Julianna and Beth said in unison.

Kaye grinned. “Yes. Then Julianna and I might have confiscated it and put in our own names. That way we could have married tonight.”

A blush spread over Miss Julianna’s cheeks. “Daniel!”

Carswell could not help thinking it would have been nice as well, only for him and Beth instead.

“I suppose we shall have to content ourselves with having three weeks of banns read and perhaps celebrate a double wedding,” Beth said.

“Yes, let’s!” Miss Julianna exclaimed.

Unease cantered through Carswell like an escaped horse. Did he really want to share a wedding day with his old lieutenant? He could imagine the mess Kaye would make of it, much like he’d done at the Richmonds’ ball.

Kaye and Miss Julianna began talking animatedly, planning how the whole day would play out. Beth grinned as she listened, but Carswell’s unease must have caught her attention.

Tipping her head up, she looked at him. He marveled at the blueness of her eyes and the way her soft cheek lifted with that hint of a smile. Kaye kept talking but Carswell found himself increasingly lost in Beth’s gaze. Waiting three weeks for the banns to be read seemed entirely too long at this moment, and suddenly he found he did not care whether they shared the day with her sister or not. As long as Beth was happy. That was all that mattered.

The curve of her pink lips increased into a knowing smile and he dipped his head toward her. She met him halfway, her lips finding his with ease.

“And then we could… they're not even listening.” Kaye huffed.

Carswell pulled back a moment. “I’m afraid I cannot. I am very busy at the moment.” Then he captured Beth’s lips again.

“Hold on, we’ll join you.” He pulled Miss Julianna close and they proceeded to follow suit.

Beth snickered against Carswell’s lips and he loosened his hold. They both laughed.

Kaye and Miss Julianna could not contain their mirth either.

When their laughter died down, Carswell said, “Shall we plan for the first part of February then?”

“Only after you speak with my father,” Beth reminded. “He may not need to give his permission, but I would like his blessing.”

Carswell pulled her hand toward his lips. “Anything for you, my love.”

“And after we make an announcement to Aunt Waverly,” Miss Julianna said. “She will never forgive us if we do not let her be the first to witness our happiness.”

“No need, dear,” a voice said from behind one of the tall hedges before Mrs. Waverly stepped out from behind it.

Miss Julianna squeaked in surprise, giving a little hop step away from Daniel at her aunt’s arrival.

And poor Beth. If her face had not been red before, it certainly was now. Mrs. Waverly, however, looked happy, even a bit smug.

“How did you know where we were?” Miss Julianna stuttered.

“Servants, my dear. They see everything.”

Carswell hid his smile. He should have known.

“So we are planning a double wedding? How does…”—Mrs. Waverly started ticking off something on her fingers— “January twenty-fourth sound?”

“We need not rush,” Beth said.

“We need not wait either. Best to get you all happily settled, especially with your father’s upcoming nuptials.”

Beth deflated, leaning against Carswell’s side. “I had forgotten about Papa’s marriage. He will likely be gone on his wedding tour by then.”

“How about a common license? I am sure your uncle would be happy to procure them for you.”

“But for that we’d have to go to London,” Miss Julianna interjected.

It was Carswell’s turn to speak. “I will be going there this next week anyway. Parliament is set to begin and I have duties to attend to.”

Mrs. Waverly clapped. “Then it is set. We shall all make such a merry party on our way to Town.”

“All?” Beth glanced at Miss Julianna who only shrugged in confusion.

“Why yes,” Mrs. Waverly said. “You cannot expect your uncle and I to stay home in all this dreary cold and miss out on the many opportunities awaiting us in London. Besides, if you both marry by common license it saves me all that trouble.”

“What sort of trouble?” Carswell asked.

“Of explaining to the girls’ father why I rushed you all off to Scotland.”