Chapter Ten

October 30, 1819

Harvest Ball

Elliott's nerves felt strung too tight. He tugged on the bottom of his tailcoat, smoothed his gloved palms over the gold brocade waistcoat, then touched the knot of his cravat to be certain it was still lying just so.

In mere moments, he would officially open his inaugural harvest ball, would make his first impression on the people in and around Wynneham Hall, and now that the niceties regarding the receiving line were out of the way, he could breathe again, but only slightly, for there was much more riding on this night than acting as host for this societal event.

When he saw the butler moving in the corridor outside the ballroom, he ran after him. "Drayton, a moment please."

"Is there a problem, Your Lordship?" The butler always looked as if calamity would befall them at any second.

"No, no, of course not." Elliott lowered his voice as he led the man toward the wall and out of the way of foot traffic. "Those two things I asked for, have they been done?"

The other man's expression softened as he nodded. "They have. The basket is waiting just outside the terrace door, and the pearls are in place."

"Ah, thank you." Still, his nerves crawled with worry while knots of anxiety pulled in his gut. "If the rain holds off, it might prove to be a lovely evening." What he'd planned would happen just as the sun set and bathed the landscape in golden light. "While everyone is occupied in here, I will hopefully be outside securing my future."

At least, that was the plan he'd concocted in the wee hours of the morning last night when he should have been sleeping.

"I wish you good fortune, my lord."

"Thank you." Elliott peered into the ballroom. Where was Lavinia? "Be sure to keep footmen circulating throughout the room with champagne and tasty edibles. Dinner won't be served until eleven and I don't want hungry guests on my hands."

"Do not worry, Your Lordship. The footmen have been given their tasks, and I know my own. You needn't give it another thought, for you have more paramount things ahead." Drayton offered a small grin. "Above all, find some enjoyment in the festivities tonight. What is the point of reaching this place in your life if you don't pause to revel in it?"

"Wise words. Thank you." It was true that he hadn't given himself permission to enjoy every level or promotion he'd been granted throughout his career, and now that he hoped his life would change again, he didn't want to miss it. Briefly, Elliott rested a hand on the butler's shoulder before nodding. "I suppose I'd best crack on then."

No sooner had he gone back into the ballroom than he was immersed in the whole wonderous scene. Everywhere he turned his gaze, the colors of the harvest met it. In two corners of the room, dried cornstalks rested near vases of yellow and orange flowers. Baskets of gourds, squash, and pumpkins added to the festive atmosphere. In other areas, baskets of dried leaves, acorns, and other interesting bits the staff had found on the grounds brought touches of nature throughout the room.

Candlelight flickered, and the large crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the frescoed ceiling sparkled like mad. Swags of dried sticks, branches, and leaves had been decorated with red and brown ribbons and enhanced with fresh autumnal flowers had been hung at all the windows, while the two sets of double doors had been thrown open to encourage the cooler air into the room to offset the heat from all the bodies.

Never in his life had he been prouder to be where he was or who he was.

When he focused his gaze back at the entry of the ballroom where those double doors had been left open, his heart trembled and his ability to breathe completely left him, for Livi had come into the room. Indecision was etched on her face, and she paused just inside.

Dear God, she's so beautiful!

Her raven hair had been pinned up at the back of her head leaving a few curls to hang down and lay temptingly at her nape, but it was the deep purple gown she wore that captured his attention and took possession of his imagination. Gold embroidery lined the low bodice and the hem of the short sleeves. Another line of the swirled embroidery work went down the front of the gown to the middle of the garment.

When she saw him and their gazes connected, he came back to life and remembered to draw a breath. As if he couldn't remember who he was or what his purpose was, he made his way over to her as the string quartet readied themselves for their next set. The couples assembling on the floor scattered as he strode through them, almost unseeing, so great was his intent to reach Lavinia's side.

"Hullo." Why couldn't he think of something more clever to say?

She smiled up at him with her rosy lips parted ever so slightly. "Hullo." As she moved her gaze over his form, awareness crawled over his skin. Everyone else in the room melted away. "You are quite handsome tonight."

As if she hadn't seen him in his altogether yesterday in that wildflower meadow. "Thank you." Dear God, he wanted to touch her, kiss her, sweep her into his arms and coax that gown off her shoulders, tell her everything, but now was not the time. "That color is stunning on you, which makes you quite outrageous standing here in orchid, and it ensures that you are noticed." In a sea of white, shades of yellow and red and orange, she was immediately recognizable and held above the rest of the female guests.

A faint blush went through her cheeks. "Do you think so?" She smoothed a gloved hand along the front of the frock. "It was my mother's idea for me to bring this gown. Since Adam had been so sick for years before he died, there was no need to attend society events; I don't have many gowns."

As soon as she consented to be his wife, he wouldn't hesitate to shower her with all the gifts she should have had over the years, to outfit her in all the gowns her heart could desire, to say nothing of gifting her with jewels and other fripperies.

But he didn't want to rush his fences, so instead, he held out a gloved hand. "Would you do me the great honor of sharing this waltz with me?" Too bad it was a Viennese waltz which meant they would exchange partners frequently throughout the set.

"I would enjoy that." The second she slipped her fingers into his palm, Elliott was lost. His world shifted, tilted, tumbled as if nothing would feel right until she was his.

"Good." It took all of his willpower not to pull her into an embrace in front of everyone on that ballroom floor, but he finally got hold of himself and led her to a free space on the floor. "I'm glad you decided to attend the ball. Since I didn't see you during the receiving line, I grew worried," he said as they assumed the opening positions.

"I, uh, was caught up in woolgathering, and when I realized how late it had grown in the evening, I had to scramble to dress and find a maid to help with my hair." Amusement twinkled in her eyes. "It would seem I'm rubbish at being in society."

"Gammon." As the opening note of the waltz split the air, he leaned his head closer to hers. "I'll let you in on a secret. We all despise it, but it is a necessary evil of moving through the beau monde." The steps took her away from him, and it felt like an eternity until he had her back with him. "However, there are some things I do like about being in society."

"Oh? Tell me so I don't feel as if this is a world I don't belong in." Concern shadowed her eyes and gave credence to her words.

"It matters not if a person is born into the ton. What matters is how that person treats everyone around them, how they carry themselves, how they act during adversity, and Livi, you far surpass even the bluest of the blue blood in London." Would that tip his hand too far? Would she think he was making jest of her?

There was no way to tell, for the steps of the dance shifted once more, and she went out of his arms. The entire time he was partnered with someone else, he constantly kept his gaze on her, counting down the seconds to when she would be his again.

"You are far too charming for your own good," Lavinia said the second their hands clasped again. "But I rather adore the man you are growing into. Society cannot claim that man; the work is completely yours. Adam…" The delicate tendons in her throat constricted with a hard swallow. "…he would be so proud to see you now."

To his surprise and mortification, moisture welled in his eyes. "Would you mind terribly much if we ended this set early?" They were nearly coming parallel to the first pair of terrace doors, and he could wait no longer to tell her the contents of his heart.

"I suppose not. Are you unwell?" Her highly kissable lips turned down with a frown.

"I am quite well, perhaps fantastically so." Then he grasped her hand, daring to thread their fingers together, and then smoothly pulled her off the dance floor, through the sidelines, and then finally out the doors and onto the terrace.

"Elliott, are you certain you aren't ill? You are acting strangely."

"For the first time in a long while I am thinking clearly. I know exactly what I want from my life." He paused outside the door to perch on a stone bench, where he exchanged his shoes for his pair of comfortable boots.

"Why do you need the boots?"

"All will be explained soon." He heaved himself to his feet, picked up the willow basket with its lid buckled closed then he pulled her across the terrace, down the few steps, and once they'd gained the back gardens, he didn't stop until they'd reached a section full of bushes in glorious red color, an anemic brook that meandered through the landscape, and a worn wooden footbridge that went across that waterway. The sun was halfway through its descent, and as he'd hoped, the whole area was bathed in golden, autumnal light that lent a magical touch to everything. "This is the spot."

"For what?" Lavinia frowned again. "You are frightening me."

"There is no need to fear, but you must trust me to get through all of it." Once again, his nerves crawled, and anxiety circled through his belly like a restless beast. Gently, he set down the basket and ignored the slight whine that arose from its occupant. "There is something I would say to you that cannot wait."

"Oh?" Her eyes rounded. There was such hope riding in those depths that his worry suddenly evaporated. "What do you mean?"

"Fifteen years ago, you entered my life and my world tilted upside down. I was immediately taken with you, and there was an undeniable connection between us I couldn't ignore, but I tried to ignore it."

She snorted. "You didn't try very hard since you fought with Adam about who had the right to pay his addresses to me."

Heat sneaked up the back of his neck. "While it's truth, I was jealous Adam had so easily won your affections while I couldn't figure out how to find the words that might have won you from him."

When she attempted to remove her hand from his grasp, he tightened his hold. "Only at the end and when you stupidly challenged him to a duel. Before that time, I'd spent my time almost exclusively with you, saved my kisses for you."

"I know, but I'd fallen hard for you back then. Hard and fast, and I had no idea what to do about it because nothing like that had ever happened to me before."

"You loved me?" Wonder shadowed her face.

"So much, and it went along with the passion that simmered between us, yet I was a younger man then and not possessed of the power of speech, didn't know that showing emotion wouldn't make me weak."

"Oh, Elliott…"

Damn, but he'd been enraged that Adam had won the only woman he'd ever lost his heart to, so he'd gone back to London to lick his wounds… and engage in all manner of things in order to forget. "When you married him, I truly thought my world had come to an end. There was nothing left for me, and I buried that hurt, that hopelessness, for years in taking dangerous missions or having a string of mistresses."

"You've been forgiven; Adam spoke of that in his last weeks, and—"

Elliott rested two fingers of his free hand against her lips, interrupting her. "Sweeting, please let me tell what I need to else I'll lose my nerve, and we shall be here until dawn." When she nodded, a shuddering sigh escaped him, and he dropped his hand. "None of that matters, for I never stopped loving you." Knowing time was of the essence, and the basket nearby was rocking alarmingly from side to side, he hastened to explain. "For too many years, you were there, just a memory waiting at the back of my mind, but I could never forget you. Which was why I could never give my heart away to anyone else—you already had it."

"But you never said anything…"

"How could I? As livid as I was that you'd wed Adam, as jealous as I was he had the right to protect you, to be with you, I wasn't the type of man anyone would marry, for I was filled with flaws." He took her other hand in his, stared down into her eyes and saw his future waiting there for him. "And what difference would it make anyway? You were wed, and I was forgotten."

"No." Lavinia shook her head. Those gorgeous brown eyes of her darkened. "Never forgotten. I loved you too throughout those years even while married to Adam." Tears welled in her eyes. "Don't misunderstand me, I loved him too, but not as fiercely as I did you, and it left me with loads of guilt."

That buoyed his spirits and gave him the strength to continue. "It seems we have wasted enormous amounts of time due to pride, fear, and guilt." He cleared his throat. "When you came back into my life because of this house party, I didn't know what to do. Was I angry? Yes, but how could Lily have known the history we shared when she invited you? Then, when you dressed me down so spectacularly, all those old feelings came rushing back to the forefront."

"That was how it was for me as well. The moment I saw you, spoke with you, that first time you kissed me, I couldn't stop the memories any more than the feelings that had only strengthened over the years." She squeezed his fingers. "What does this mean? Especially after what we shared yesterday?"

Oddly enough, he was glad she helped the conversation along. "It means that I love you still, Livi. I've never stopped, but now I want to do something about those feelings." He kneeled on one knee, not only to propose, but also to work the buckles and loosen the leather straps that kept the willow basket's lid on. "And there is this." When he lifted off the lid, a white and brown beagle pup raised his head, barked once at Elliott, and then jumped free of the basket. Around the dog's neck was a choker of a double strand of pearls with a glittering oval amethyst in the middle. "You wished for a dog. I hope this beagle meets the specifications."

"Oh! What a cute puppy!" Immediately, Lavinia scooped the dog up into her arms. "You truly thought I wanted a canine companion?"

"I did." He frowned. "Was that not true?"

"It was." While the puppy licked her chin and wagged his tail so hard that it thumped against her side. "But I don't think such an expensive collar is a good idea. Beagles are rambunctious. He'll lose the jewelry."

"The puppy is a gift to you, for I don't want you to feel lonely again, but that is not a collar." After scrambling to his feet, he gently, while the dog squirmed in her arms, undid the latch and then took the choker from the dog's neck. "This is part of the Thorne estate jewelry. My sister doesn't care for pearls, so it has remained in a safe, but once you came back into my life, I knew it needed to grace your beautiful neck."

As Lavinia's expression softened and she looked at him with shining eyes, she set the puppy on the grass, where he immediately explored the area. "Is that all you will say to me this evening?"

"No." Damn and blast! He'd forgotten the most important part. "As my life is changing in every aspect, I want to continue to do that personally as well, but I cannot do that effectively without being pushed and challenged and supported. All of that to say, I need you by my side, Livi, as my wife. Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Elliott." The tears in her eyes spilled to her cheeks. "I never thought this day would come. I never regretted marrying Adam, for as I said he was ready where you weren't." She scrubbed at the moisture on her face. "But when he got sick, when I lost the babies, when everything continued to go terribly wrong, I couldn't help but dream of what my life would have been like if I had married you instead."

He battled with his own emotions. "Were they happy dreams?"

"Yes." She nodded and watched as the puppy cavorted with such enthusiasm he tripped over his paws more than once. With a giggle, she put her gaze back on his. "When I thought I hated you, it was only love that had been thwarted, frustration that fate hadn't done what I'd hoped it might."

"Yet, after all these years, it has. Fate put us back into each other's lives by the unlikely invitation to a house party. We have a chance to finally grasp the life we have both wanted." Was he doing it up too brown, too poetically?

"Perhaps it has." Another tear slid down her cheek. "Truly, there is nothing more to say. I love you, Elliott. Quite desperately in fact."

"Oh, God." She loves me. Was there anything more glorious and soul-binding than hearing those words from someone? Needing time to gather his thoughts, Elliott moved behind her and slipped the pearl and amethyst choker about her neck. Once the latch caught, he sighed and turned her about to face him. "Is that a yes, then? Will you marry me?"

For the space of several heartbeats, she peered into his eyes, before nodding, and his world tilted sideways again. "It is, but I want you to know that I'm not accepting your hand because I'm lonely or I think you are a replacement for Adam. Instead, I am accepting your proposal because I truly do love you, have never stopped."

"Ah, sweeting, you have no idea how happy you've made me." Not able to bear being separated from her any longer, Elliott tugged her into his arms and then brought his lips crashing down on hers. Again and again, he claimed her mouth, drank from her as if he'd never see her again, showed her how much he admired and loved her.

Eventually, Lavinia pulled slightly away. A giggle mixed with a snort issued from her. "You have always been there in the background, waiting I suppose. And now I'm free to love you without fear or guilt."

"As can I."

"But before we go forward, I need you to understand that I might not be able to bear you a child. If you need to beg off, I'll understand."

"Don't rush my fences. I wish to marry you for you, not for anything else." He kissed her again because he could, and now he had the right to protect her, care for her, be seen in public with her, just as he'd wanted all those years ago. "No matter what the future holds, we'll meet it together. Adam would approve, I think," he whispered as he laid his forehead against hers.

"Yes." She nodded and gave him a smile, but it was a watery affair. "Perhaps he can now rest easier knowing he doesn't need to worry over either of us."

"It is a good sentiment." For long moments, he held her merely in victory because he'd finally won her. "We should return to the ballroom. It's not quite proper if the host of the event sneaks off merely to make love to his new fiancée."

Even if that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Lavinia giggled again. "The night is still young, Foxborough." She squeezed his fingers.

"Indeed, it is." He felt as if he could do anything now that she would be there with him. "Gather the pup. I'll take the basket."

In good time, they did make an appearance in the ballroom, looking a bit worse for wear, for catching the puppy had been a chore. After he'd given the dog and basket over to a footman, he grabbed Lavinia's hand and led her to the front of the room. Before the next set could begin, he called the room to order, and in the silence that followed, he cleared his throat.

"I have an announcement…"

Truly, he couldn't have imagined the direction his life would take from one little harvest ball and an errant invitation. Oh, Lily would have a good laugh at his expense and tease him unmercifully about lost loves and fate.

Then the pressure of Livi's fingers on his arm brought him back to the moment. "It is with great excitement and excessive happiness that I can announce my engagement to Mrs. Greenwich." The cool breeze coming in from the terrace doors swept across his cheek and lightly ruffled his hair. He couldn't help his grin, for he was quite certain Adam was telling him goodbye and good luck. "She accepted my proposal not ten minutes ago…"

Never had he looked forward to the future more.

The End