Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

B eth was asleep in his arms when the carriage drew up to the Pinner Vicarage at a little after midnight. He woke her gently and helped her down from the carriage. Depositing their bags on the doorstep, he paid the driver and directed him to the village Inn for the night.

Turning to the front door of the house he had grown up in, he knocked firmly and loudly. The parlour showed a dim light round the curtains, and he rather suspected his father was still awake. A few moments later the door opened to reveal Mr Rooke senior, his spectacles on his nose and book clutched in his hand.

"Sebastian!" His father's face lit up, and he held his arms out in welcome. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

Seb moved aside and brought Beth forward, with an arm round her waist. "I've brought you my affianced bride. Miss Bethany Whittaker. I want you to marry us papa. "

Beth watched the elder Mr Rooke's expression of surprised pleasure deepen, as he turned his myopic gaze upon her and smiled. "My dear what a delightful surprise! Come in, come in!"

Mr Rooke looked nothing like Sebastian, being small and spare of build with a thin mobile face, dominated by a rather large nose, upon which rested a set of wire rim spectacles. His thin, fair hair was longer than it should be and somewhat tousled. But his welcome was so warm and genuine, that her anxiety faded swiftly as she was ushered into the house, Seb bringing up the rear with their bags.

Brought into a cosy sitting room with a fire burning in the grate and a dozen candles, giving a warm glow, Mr Rooke seized her hands and kissed her cheek. "My dear I am delighted to meet you. Take a seat, Sebastian, fetch the girl a drink and tell me how all this came about!"

"Papa?" a young woman dressed in a wrapper with a cap on her head, appeared in the doorway and catching sight of Sebastian, gave a squeak and cast herself on his chest. "Seb! You're home! How wonderful, why didn't you warn us you were coming? You said nothing of this in your last letter!"

This, Beth surmised, was Hetty, Seb's sister. Hetty was as welcoming as her father and bustled away to fetch tea for them all and returned with a pot and biscuits. Nothing would do but that both father and daughter must hear the tale of their romance, so with a great deal of editing, Seb gave them a polite version of their whirlwind romance and then Hetty was bearing her off to a room for the night leaving Seb with his father .

"You have surprised me Sebastian, but a very pleasant surprise I must say, she is delightful."

Seb nodded, flushing with pride. "She's adorable," he said.

"Well, I can see you adore her, and the feeling is mutual, for which I am very thankful. I admit I have despaired of seeing either of my children married, let alone happily. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and often far more slowly than we mortals desire him to."

"Hetty has no prospects? She hasn't mentioned anything in her letters to me, so I supposed not."

"She has prospects, she won't have them," said her exasperated papa. "She has this notion that she must remain unmarried to look after me. But to be honest I think she hasn't met the right man yet. If she did, she would be less inclined to filial duty I would warrant."

"I can only hope she will be fortunate enough to find someone who will care for her as much as I care for Beth."

His father nodded, "God willing she will." he sipped the whisky in his glass and peered over his spectacles at Seb. "What haven't you told me Seb? Why the rush to be married? Why arrive in the middle of the night unannounced?"

Seb looked at his boots and toyed with his own glass. Drinking off the remains, he set the glass down and said, "Beth has a heart condition papa, we -" he stopped and swallowed. "We don't know how long she has to live." His voice broke, and he covered his eyes with his hand .

"Ah my boy, no! That sweet young girl, that is cruel indeed." his father moved to hug him. "I will pray for her," he said his voice thick with tears of empathy. Seb let his own tears fall silently for a moment or two before, with sheer force of will, he pulled himself together.

His father moved back to his seat as Seb sat up and blew his nose and told him the rest of the tale of the proposed marriage to Mr Neeps, but not its sequel. "So, you see we don't wish to waste any time, having found each other."

"She is underage?"

Seb nodded. "Seventeen."

His father took a breath and let it out. "And you don't have her father's consent. No don't tell me, plausible deniability."

Seb raised his brows. "If she didn't?"

"And I married you? If her father chose, he could prosecute."

"And the consequences?"

"To me, if I knew, fourteen years transportation."

"No!" Seb blanched.

"But in reality, it very rarely happens that a father objects. After all, you're not a bad match and if he was willing to see her married to this Neeps fellow, he can scarcely object to you. Generally, that sort of thing only happens where there is money involved. That isn't the case here."

"True. But-"

"I cannot believe the Lord would object to me assisting you." he ploughed on, cutting Seb off before he could say anything incriminating .

"Have you thought of consulting a physician in regard to Beth's condition?"

"I intend to, yes."

"There is an excellent fellow here, just arrived last month. Dr. Merlow Thornton. The Lord knows what he is doing, burying himself in Pinner, but he has performed some miracles since his arrival. He trained on the continent and spent some time in China learning Eastern medicine."

Seb perked up. "I will certainly take her to see him. Thank you for letting me know about him. But you're right, it is odd for a doctor of that calibre to bury himself in Pinner when he could be earning extravagant amounts in London from the nobs." He made a mental note to ask Mr Lovell about it.

"I don't suppose you have obtained a license?" asked his father, sipping his whisky.

Seb looked at him bemused.

"I thought not. We can put up banns of course."

"Three weeks delay." Seb groaned. The prospect of three weeks before he could be intimate with Beth again.

"Not a long time in the grand scheme of things."

Long enough for Mr Robinson to track them down and snatch her back if he so desired. But would he? Not if Seb had anything to do with it. But he didn't want a fight in front of his family.

"The best option is to obtain a license," Mr Rooke looked at his son with sympathy. "Either from London, or I might be able to persuade the Bishop of St Mary's to issue you a license."

"Could you?" said Seb with relief .

"I'll try tomorrow. You had best get some sleep my boy, you look exhausted."

Seb slept late and by the time he got downstairs he found his love in the kitchen with his sister, baking. The two women were laughing, and Beth had flour on her cheek. His heart swelled with love and joy to see her so happy. He knew his family would love her, but then how could anyone not love Beth? She was sunshine and beauty, fragile and strong all at once. He couldn't wait to call her his wife.

She turned as he entered the kitchen and wiped her face with her apron, smiling at him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. "Hetty has been entertaining me with tales of your exploits Seb," she said.

He groaned and gave his sister a mock glare. "Ruining my dignity Hetty?"

His sister smiled and continued rolling dough. "Nothing you can't recover from brother."

He kissed Beth's cheek, one hand at her waist and reached for a jam tart cooling on the rack, only to get his wrist slapped by Beth. "Those are for the parishioners Seb, not for us."

He raised his eyebrows at Hetty who pursed her lips and said, "Just one Seb."

"Thanks sis," he said popping the tartlet in his mouth and chewing. The sweetness exploded on his tongue, and he groaned artistically. "Delicious," he said thickly. When he could speak properly, he said, "where is papa?"

"Gone into Harrow to speak to the bishop for you." She popped the pastry sheet into a large flan tin and began cutting off the excess. "Beth, can you whip the eggs for the filling?"

Beth nodded and went to fetch eggs from the pantry and a bowl and whisk.

"She is delightful Seb, I'm so happy for you!" Hetty kissed his cheek but held her floury hands away from his jacket. "You must take her into Pinner later and show her around."

"I will. Thank you, Hetty, for making her feel welcome."

"How could I not?"

When Hetty went off to visit parishioners, Seb and Beth strolled into Pinner main street, and he pointed out all the local sights, recalling incidents from his childhood to entertain her. They met many people that Seb knew and of course, introduced Beth as his affianced wife. There was much exclaiming and congratulations about that, and Beth was quite overwhelmed by the welcome.

They stopped at the Bull's Head Inn to pick up a picnic lunch, then headed to the banks of the river Pinn, where they sat and ate and enjoyed the sunshine. Eventually they stirred and made their way back to the 14th Century St John the Baptist church. They lingered in the churchyard looking at gravestones and Seb noted several deaths of people he had known. It had been sometime since he had been home.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they made it back to the vicarage, where they found a carriage drawn up to the front of the house. Beth clutched Seb's arm in alarm, her hear t jerking and said, "that couldn't be papa, could it?"

Seb's arm stiffened and he said quietly, "Do not be concerned, I won't let him take you away from me."

They entered the house to the sound of her stepfather's voice raised in indignation.

"I have been all over the countryside looking for that wretched girl, you cannot withhold her from, me she is my daughter, and I will see her!"

"No one is withholding her, she just isn't here at present," said Mr Rooke calmly. "I can assure you-"

"I don't want assurances! I want my daughter!"

"Hiram, please-" Mama! Beth started towards the parlour where the voices were coming from, but Seb pulled her back.

"I'll go," he said grimly.

"No. I have to do this," she said firmly, and extracting her arm from his, she marched towards the parlour, with Seb at her heels.

She pushed open the door and surveyed the room, her heart thudding and skipping. Hetty stood beside her father, a look of distress on her face. Mr Rooke senior, was polishing his spectacles and her stepfather stood with his back to the door, her mother beside him with a hand on his arm.

"Papa, I am here," she said steadily, willing her heart to stop its jittering. She could feel Seb hovering at her back, but he didn't say anything- yet.

Mama turned and stepped towards her, "Beth! We have been so worried! Why ever would you run away again?" She clasped Beth in her arms, tears of relief on her cheeks .

"I'm sorry Mama," she hugged her and then gently disengaged to confront her stepfather.

"Bethany." Hiram Robinson viewed her with an anguished expression that she found hard to interpret. She had expected anger, not this.

"Beth, are you well?" He took her hands, his face collapsing, as tears leaked down his cheeks. "We were out of our minds with worry!"

Beth swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and dropped her eyes, "I'm sorry, papa."

"Why? Why would you flee your home in such a manner and refuse to come back to us? Why run again?"

She straightened her spine looking up at him. "Because you wouldn't listen to me! I told you I did not wish to marry, and you refused to listen!" She wiped tears from her cheeks and sniffed. "You insisted I was to marry Mr Neeps!"

Hiram swallowed and said awkwardly "I thought it would be in your best interests, an older man to look after you. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

She gaped at him. In all the years she had known him, which was approximately half of her life, she had never heard him utter an apology or confess to being wrong.

"Your Great Aunt Maddie had a deal to say to me on the subject." He coughed to clear his throat. "I know I've had my failings as a father to you girls, God knows Genevra has pointed out my faults enough, but I never intended any of you harm. And you Beth, in particular, have always held a special place in my heart. When you disappeared..." He stopped, swallowing.

"I was sick to my stomach with worry for you, I couldn't rest until I found you. When your sister refused to let me see you or let you come home -." he coughed clearing his throat again.

"And then we learn that you have–have eloped with some fellow you've known for a week! Have you taken leave of your senses entirely young lady?"

Tears welled up and rolled down Beth's cheeks. "I'm sorry, papa!" He opened his arms, and she went into them for a hug, an action so unprecedented she was having trouble believing it.

She glimpsed her mother's face and saw the tears she was wiping away. Her adventure has been hard on these two people who cared for her. She felt selfish and thoughtless to have put them through so much. But if she hadn't, she would never have met Sebastian, and that she could not regret.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked pulling back from the embrace.

"Genevra told us, I'm surprised she isn't here, they left at the about the same time we did," said her mother.

Hiram blew his nose and straightened his waistcoat. "That was another surprise! I must say I am delighted to know she has found another husband. Even if it is Garmon Lovell." Hiram's eyes sparked.

"But then that's Genevra all over, impulsive and thoughtless. Still, she seems to have chosen a good man who will keep her in line." His mouth compressed slightly, and Beth suppressed a quirk of her lips, he had certainly changed his tune about Mr Lovell! Trust him to think well of him because he judged him able to control Gen evra. That was more like papa. He hadn't changed that much.

Hiram appeared to have noticed Seb standing behind her, silent this whole time, and he blinked up at him. "Are you the young man that ran off with my girl?"

Seb, surprised to be called a young man, inclined his head and said, "yes I am sir." He cleared his clogged throat; he was so proud of her, and he would tell her so the minute they were alone. "I love your daughter sir; I will do everything I can to protect and care for her."

Hiram looked at Beth. "Is this the one you want?"

Beth slid her hand into Seb's and squeezed. "Yes, Papa he is."

Hiram sniffed. "Well, I suppose. He's big enough to protect you at all events. But what of his prospects?"

"His prospects are excellent," said a voice from the doorway. Mr Garmon Lovell stood there with Genevra's arm tucked into his.

Seb turned startled. "Mr Lovell!"

"Garmon, I think, now we are to be brothers-in-law." He said, holding out his hand. Seb took it and a strange warmth entered his chest.

The two men shook hands as equals and Seb returned the other man's smile. "Thank you, sir," he said quietly. The acknowledgement meant a great deal to him.

"I've just acquired the Bull's Head here in Pinner. I'll need someone to run it. Are you up for the job?"

Seb glanced down at Beth, "Would you-?"

"Yes!" said Beth instantly, smiling up at him.

"Can I gather from this, Mr Robinson, that you are prepared to consent to my son marrying your daughter?" The gentle voice of Mr Rooke senior entered the lists.

Hiram Robinson shucked his cuffs uncomfortably, cleared his throat and said, "Yes, she must marry someone now, running round the countryside like a hoyden." he looked at Beth and his face softened. "If you want him Beth, I won't stand in the way."

"Thank you, papa," she said her face breaking into a smile that lifted Seb's heart.