Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

E liza dressed with care, arranging her hair with more effort than usual. An errant curl was not staying put. She huffed out a breath, determined to get the curl to stay in precisely the proper place. Once satisfied, she placed a bonnet on her head to keep the curls from moving. After all, it would do no good to spend time on one's hair, if the effort would be spoiled by a simple walk through the hedge. Eliza was determined that no branches, or roots, for that matter, should ruin her appearance today.

The light kiss Captain Blackwood had placed on her hand breathed a fire in Eliza that she didn't know was there. There had been moments that had led up to this grand awakening in her, but nothing like the experience when Captain Blackwood had walked her home the night before. It wasn't just one of the moments, though the kiss on her hand had been a culmination. No, it was all of them combined.

He'd seen to her care, recognizing her comfort by placing his jacket around her. He'd escorted her formally, as if they had been going somewhere grand, when in reality he'd just been escorting her home. She hadn't believed that she'd needed an escort to make it home, but how wrong she'd been. That root—that blasted thing—that was so easily avoidable in the daytime was quite impossible to navigate in the dark. She'd been so sure of herself, and she would have completely fallen without him there. With his arm around her, she'd felt safe and secure in a way she hadn't realized she lacked. And the use of her Christian name on his lips had enlivened her in an unexpected way. It heightened her senses and pulled at her desire to hear him say her name again.

More than once last night, she'd thought of him as Daniel. It made perfect rational sense to her that his Christian name would enter her mind and desire to take up residence there, especially after he'd used her name. And it was all Emily called him. Yet, she would not get in the habit of thinking of him as Daniel, in case it might accidentally slip out at an inopportune moment. No, it was safer to think of him as Captain Blackwood.

But then, she remembered his words, and all of those moments from yesterday and the day before seemed to come crashing down around. And yet, they had all still happened. He only needed time. There was something between them, and he'd admitted it. It was the most conflicting feeling to try to sort through. She longed to go for a ride with him, or spend time together in a garden, or along the shore. Those moments would come again in time, would they not? He would be preoccupied with his houseguests. She knew this. But perhaps he would make progress on the things he was trying to sort through, and soon they would be back to their regular routine. She clung to that hope. It was all she could do at the moment.

Tea time had felt very far away when she'd spent the morning in her garden, tending to her flowers. Never had she felt the rush to leave her garden as she had today. She wanted to be where Captain Blackwood was, even if he needed time before there was an easy camaraderie between them again.

Eliza hadn't expected to see him in his garden this morning, over the hedge. Yet, she'd found herself looking toward his property several times, her heart pounding when a figure appeared, only to be disappointed when she'd seen that it was one of his gardeners. The rest of the morning had held a similar frustration, so she'd come in early from her flowers to make sure that she was fully presentable for something as important as tea with a neighbor's cousin.

Eliza walked toward the hedge, taking note of the root she'd caught her foot on yesterday. With a light hop over it, she made her way through the hedge and up the manicured drive toward the front doors of Blackwood Manor. The butler opened the door before Eliza had reached the top step of the entrance. His smile was warm and friendly. She gave her bonnet to the butler, and he ushered her into the drawing room, announcing her with great pomp for such an informal affair.

Eliza held her smile in place, trying not to be too disappointed when she saw only Emily in the drawing room.

Emily stood, coming toward Eliza before she was fully ushered into the center of the room. Emily gave Eliza a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you came! I was hoping that you wouldn't back out of the planning, though I'm sure that Daniel would have preferred it so that he could call the whole thing off."

Eliza tilted her head, confusion settling around her. "I thought Captain Blackwood had warmed up to the idea of it."

"I thought so too," Emily said. "But this morning at breakfast he seemed a little cross about the idea again. It is no matter. He and Adam have gone to do some business for the afternoon, so you and I will have uninterrupted hours to get everything planned." Emily looped her arm through Eliza's and brought her to the settee. Then she rang for tea. Once the tea things were brought, Emily poured and served with perfect posture and manners .

Eliza took a cup from Emily. "Thank you," she said. "Where do we begin?"

"I was able to procure a guest list and a residency list from Daniel's solicitor."

"That is very forward thinking of you."

"It is the fastest way to start planning." Emily held up a large sheet of paper. "There have clearly been some changes in the town since Daniel has been gone. But that will only make the idea of the ball more essential so that he can meet everyone."

"I would be happy to write out the invitations, if you would like," Eliza offered, not sure what else she could truly be useful with. For all intents and purposes, she was still relatively new to the area, too.

"That will be most helpful. We will get started on that after tea, but let's talk about the rest of the plans. What do you think about flower arrangements? There is so much we can do. Perhaps that is a discussion for when we walk through the Hall. Perhaps we should pull the inspiration from there."

Eliza nodded her agreement, though Emily didn't seem to need Eliza's input on the subject.

They talked through what the outdoor space would look like, and what the menu should be. After tea, Emily took out her small writing desk and scribbled a few notes down on her sheet. "I wonder how many courses Daniel would like to serve. What do you think, Eliza? "

"I think that Captain Blackwood wanted something simple."

"Yes, but he didn't account for the size of the party. It will hardly be a simple affair, but you are right, we should probably talk with the cook first and see what is reasonable. I should hate to put his staff out too much, but if I do not push this point, he will never do it later."

"Perhaps it doesn't need to be done," Eliza said.

Emily shook her head. "Do not take his side, Eliza. He doesn't know what he needs. This ball will be good for him. If Adam didn't think so as well, he would have interjected his opinion last night. I believe that Adam led Daniel to believe that this was about me connecting with people I haven't seen in a long time, but truly, nothing could be further from the truth."

Eliza's curiosity piqued. There was more scheming going on here than she'd first suspected. "What do you mean by that, Emily?"

A calculated smile crossed Emily's lips. "If Daniel doesn't make at least an effort in society now, I'm afraid he never will. He has clearly changed since we spent so much time together years ago."

"The war?" Eliza asked.

"It has altered him a great deal. You wouldn't know it to look at him now, but he was once very—"

"Oh, I think he's handsome just as he is," Eliza said, defending the Captain's scars that she knew were at least partially a source of his struggle .

Emily smiled. "Yes, he is quite handsome, and his scars in no way lessen that, in my opinion. But I was going to say, he used to be a lot more light-hearted and social. Adam and I are pleasantly surprised to see him in such good spirits, as the reports we'd heard were much more dire."

Eliza's conversation with Daniel—it was almost impossible not to think of his Christian name when she was with Emily—from last night came back in full force to her. He had spoken of the unseen wounds he dealt with, but Eliza did not want to break his confidences. "He seems the same as when I met him, though perhaps not including the first time we met. He was quite stern then, as I had been trespassing on his land, but since then, he has been in good spirits."

Emily tilted her head, as if trying to read something on Eliza's face. Eliza wished she still had some tea left so she could shield herself from Emily's scrutinizing gazes. "Yes, it is a very good thing, I think, that the two of you are neighbors."

Eliza felt her face warm, but she cleared her throat. "You heard dire reports?"

Emily lifted one shoulder as she kept her gaze on Eliza. "It's hard to know precisely what Mr. Barnaby meant. His solicitor keeps Adam informed on a lot of family business. Adam is in a position to help people, and he likes to do that. "

"War changes people," Eliza said, parroting the words that Captain Blackwood had spoken.

"But there is nothing wrong with enjoying society either, is there?"

"I should never deny someone the idea of society," Eliza said.

"And you will attend Daniel's ball?" Emily asked.

"I-I am not one for balls in general," she said, though this one filled her with excitement and trepidation at the same time, almost making her feel as if she were being tossed to and fro during a storm. On one hand, the idea of it was appealing. She could enjoy Captain Blackwood's company, but on the other hand, the lack of clarity of their relationship could make it more difficult to navigate.

"But you just admitted that you would never deny someone the idea of society—surely that includes even you?" Emily raised her eyebrows. "And didn't you say that you saw Daniel at the assembly? I surmise that you were dancing then?"

"I did dance, but I was forced to go with a friend."

Emily smiled widely. "Excellent, then I shall be the friend who forces you to come."

"What are you forcing her to do?" Captain Blackwood's voice came from the door.

Both women turned to see the gentlemen in the doorway. They stood and curtsied. The men bowed and then drew nearer.

Emily smiled. "Merely to come to your ball. For Eliza cannot spend all of this time with me planning and preparing for something and then not make an appearance. The entire thing would be absurd."

"Emily, you must not force everyone to do things your way, dearest. Eliza is not your servant or your long-time friend that you can order about," Adam said.

She huffed. "I know that, Adam, but I cannot in good conscience use her help if she refuses to come, and that is why I said I would force her to come."

"Emily, if she does not wish to attend, I do not wish to force anyone to come," Captain Blackwood said.

"I am not actually forcing her to come, of course. She wants to come, don't you, Eliza?"

Eliza looked at the three pairs of eyes, all staring at her, awaiting her answer. She took a breath, willing herself to sort through the myriad of emotions that surrounded her. She couldn't find the words.

Captain Blackwood took a step toward her. "Would you consider attending as my guest?"

She blinked. Was he asking her to attend as his particular guest? That felt much more significant than simply receiving an invitation to an event. He was altogether quite confusing. He'd just placed boundaries between them yesterday. She nodded. "I would like that, thank you."

Captain Blackwood smiled at her. "As would I," he said softly. His words sounded like a caress.

Emily clapped her hand. "See, it's all settled. "

Captain Blackwood turned his attention to Emily. "How are plans coming along?"

"I knew you would be interested in this," Emily said. "I do have a list of questions for your housekeeper and cook, but you can look over our ideas. I should like to start addressing the invitations immediately, if possible."

"Very well," Captain Blackwood said. "We shall leave you to it. We have more business to attend to today. But Emily, please do not work Miss Montrose to the bone."

"And what about me?" Emily asked.

Captain Blackwood smiled. "You may do as you please, but do not take advantage of my neighbor in such a way."

Emily laughed, and Eliza joined in. Once the men had left the room, Emily brought the sheets of paper for the invitations and began on the first invitation. "Daniel is most protective of you," she said.

"Likely just trying to keep border relations in check," Eliza said, not wanting to think too hard about Emily's observation.

"Perhaps that is it." Emily immediately spoke of the invitations and for the next hour, it was copying script onto the new sheets. Eliza enjoyed the work and felt a thrill each time she wrote out Captain Daniel Blackwood's name on the invitation. It was getting harder and harder to think of him as simply Captain Blackwood, without his Christian name inserted between the two.

"What fun we shall have for the next fortnight together as we plan all of these details," Emily said as she finished up her last invitation.

"I concur," Eliza said, looking forward to spending more time at Blackwood Manor, and she hoped that the next time she was here, Daniel would be present for more of it.