Chapter 3

"Let me get this right. You think that in all the twenty-five years they have been separated, there was no time or opportunity for them to overcome whatever it was that kept them apart in the first place?" Serena asked after Julia had revealed her plan. They were all in Arabella's bedchamber, having needed to avoid Fanny as well as Grace.

It was over three years since they had been all together. Arabella's accident had caused her to react badly to visitors, even her closest friends. They were now spread out across the country but were in regular contact with each other, and now they were together again, it was like they had never been apart.

"Do we know why they did not marry?" Lydia asked.

"No," Julia answered. "I have needled Uncle William about it a few times over the years, but he always says what is past is done."

"Yet he has spoken to her to try and convince her not to leave," Lydia said. "That does not sound like someone who is putting the past behind them."

"Exactly!" Julia said. "I knew you would understand."

"We might understand, but it does not mean we should interfere," Serena continued. "I know that Hamish reacted badly when we were found together; men do not wish to feel forced into a situation."

"He wanted to marry you!" Alice exclaimed, remembering the difficult time very well.

"That was only because he was trying to do the right thing; he did not want to through any affection at that point."

"That is why he followed you to Florence," Florry pointed out wryly, referring to the journey they had embarked upon when Serena had been cast out from society.

"I admit by the time he travelled, he had realised his true feelings without anyone's interference, but he only set out because I refused to marry him. It was pride more than anything," Serena said, seeming to have forgotten what a difficult time it had been for herself and her now husband. "Surely we should let Grace undertake her journey, and your uncle will perhaps follow her as my Hamish did me."

Julia shook her head. "I have already thought of that, but he would not. Uncle William is very much of a pessimistic nature and would consider Grace to be lost to him if she left. I really do not think that he would consider a trip abroad. I do not understand the lack of fight in him sometimes, but he is of a different character to me."

"Why can men be so foolish?" Florry asked with a sigh. "They would rather suffer a lonely life than take a risk on being happy." She was the youngest of the group by a few years and had been ‘adopted' by them all when she had come into Julia's life through her husband who was also Florry's uncle.

"I agree, but what can we do?" Arabella asked. "We do not know what kept them apart. How can we try to overcome the issue when we have no idea what we are up against?"

"Do we need to know?" Julia asked. "I think proximity is the key in this instance. Yes, they have been in each other's company over the years, but not to the extent that this visit presents us with. We just need to make sure that at every opportunity, they are placed next to each other."

"And after what you witnessed this morning, you think that will work?" Alice asked. "They are more likely to end up screaming at each other if there is still so much bad feeling between them."

"I can almost see you writing that scene for one of your books as we speak," Serena teased.

Alice smiled. "As the wilds of Scotland are far more peaceful than society in general, I cannot waste an opportunity to gather ideas."

"You have just guaranteed that we will all be reading your next book in detail to see which of us appears in it," Arabella groaned.

"Are we all agreed that we will do everything in our power to bring them together?" Julia asked, bringing the conversation back to the issue.

"Yes, but if it goes wrong, I am hiding," Serena said. "I have enough scandal attached to my name to last me multiple lifetimes."

"You are in good company. Not one of us is without the experience of some form of censure," Lydia chipped in.

"That is why we are a perfect group. No one can match us for spirit and adventure," Julia said with a grin.

Frances groaned at her friend. "I would much rather have met my husband in the most boring of circumstances. Adventures are overrated."

"You had a hard time of it," Serena said, squeezing Frances's hand.

"But you came out of it married to the man you love," Julia continued.

"And if things had gone wrong as they so nearly did…" Frances shuddered.

"Nonsense, Albert would have moved heaven and earth to ensure your safety. Escapades help to keep us young," Julia said.

"Is it any wonder that the Earl of Bryn has aged since his marriage?" Serena teased.

Julia huffed out a laugh. "He is always saying the same thing."

Arabella stood. "Now we have all agreed to play matchmaker, I think we should return to the drawing room in case Grace has returned and starts to suspect something is amiss. We know how astute she is."

"I am hoping that her feelings about Uncle William will be muddling her brain, for she would be certain to catch on if she was thinking straight. We would never get away with anything obvious; it all has to be done with the utmost delicacy, or it will likely fail." Julia was unusually serious, a clear sign that she was worried about the situation between the two people who meant so much to her.

"Great, even the resourceful Shadow has her doubts about the scheme," Lydia said. She used the nickname that the press had named Julia during her nighttime adventures, though they had not known who she was.

"It will be fine." Julia followed Arabella to the door. "You will see."

***

Julia was to find that Grace was not as malleable as she had hoped. She had avoided sitting next to William at supper, and when they retired to the drawing room, she sat between Fanny and Arabella. Julia had asked Grace to join her, but she had smiled, excusing herself by wishing to speak to Fanny. When some of the others glanced knowingly at Julia, she tried to give off a nonchalant shrug but was inwardly gritting her teeth.

When the gentlemen joined them, Grace moved and purposely placed herself next to Michael, Arabella's husband. He was the only one of the group who had been a servant prior to his marriage, and as the wedding was recent, he looked a little uncomfortable in the company of the lords and ladies in the party. That William had not entered for now did not matter; she wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

When the others had fallen into easy conversation around them, Grace leaned towards Michael in a conspiratorial manner. "How long was it before you wished to run from the house when everyone started to arrive?"

Michael chuckled. "About five minutes. Then Captain Avril and Mrs Avril arrived, and James, as he insisted I call him from the start, nearly broke my hand when he shook it. His brother, Hamish, started throwing comments at James, and I have been fascinated and slightly overwhelmed ever since."

Grace laughed, glancing over to where the two brothers sat near each other. They had married two of her Bluestockings; the first to marry one of the brothers was the most unlikely pairing of all the matches, the petite Alice, the writer who was usually one of the quietest of the group, to the bear of a man who was James. He always wore a kilt and rarely smiled unless his darling Alice was near, in which case he was like a besotted puppy around her. However, Alice had proved on more than one occasion that she could stand up for herself when needed, even shooting a man when the situation called for it. Instead of shocking her husband, he had whooped with glee that his Alice could be as brave as he knew her to be.

"Yes, they are a pair. Nothing alike as brothers, yet could not be closer." There was no point in mentioning that the brothers had been estranged for some time in the past. "Have your mother and father settled into the Dower House now?" Arabella had insisted that she wanted her husband's family close to them, especially after Michael's father had been seriously ill.

"They are, thank you. Father is being a nuisance by insisting he wants to work," Michael said fondly. "I still shudder to think if it had not been for Arabella and yourself, he would have died."

"I merely followed instructions. It was Arabella who knew what to try."

"She is an amazing woman," Micheal smiled.

"She has come so far since you came into her life; do not underestimate the impact you have had on her. I can see that she is still uncomfortable around so many people, but she fails to see that overcoming her wounds has been the making of her, and meeting you, of course."

Michael smiled at his wife. "She is determined to face her fears at least from now on, but she does still struggle at times, mainly because of her own unfounded presumptions of others." Arabella sensed her husband's gaze and turned towards him with a mock grimace. One side of her face was badly scarred from a carriage accident she had been involved in over three years previously. It had also affected her arm and leg, causing her to withdraw from everyone. Only when her uncle sent Michael to be her steward did things start to change.

"It will take time, for she had far too long to dwell on being the monster she considered herself. It does not matter how often we tell her she is still beautiful, she struggles to believe it."

"It saddens me, but I have come to accept that she will more easily believe that she is grotesque than the wonderful person she is."

Grace could only smile at the loving words uttered. "She will become more accustomed to it as she surrounds herself with people. The last time we were all here was just after her accident, and she almost threw us out of the house in her need to hide herself away."

"She has been lucky that you all forgave her actions."

"We knew she was hurting far more than just physically."

"What I am about to say does not come easily. In fact, I am mortified to voice my concerns to you, and I only do it because I know they all consider you a confidante," Michael said, lowering his voice and looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Whatever you say will remain between the two of us. You can speak freely." Grace could not imagine what Michael wanted her help with, but it clearly had something to do with Arabella.

"Arabella and I…" Michael flushed beet red. "She is afraid to have children, and it is not for the reason you might think. It is to do with her injuries."

"Her injuries? Why would that impact her decision?"

"I know it sounds as if one should have nothing to do with the other, but you have already mentioned how focused she is on her scars and how she is now with reduced mobility."

"The poor child, I wonder what has got into her thoughts now."

"I have tried everything I can think of to overcome her fears, but she is adamant. Believe me when I say that if she did not wish to have children because she did not like them, I would honour her wishes to the best of my ability, but I see her watching the estate children with such longing that I know she wants to be a mother. I want her to be happy, and it breaks my heart to know she is not."

"I feel for you both. You should be enjoying married life, not facing more obstacles. You would like me to speak to her about it?"

"Only if you get the opportunity, for if she thinks I have voiced any of this, I will be… Let me just say that it would not be conducive to a happy marriage."

Grace smiled and placed her hand on Michael's arm. "My discretion is assured, and I will do what I can."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, but I apologise for disregarding what subjects should be spoken about in a drawing room. I realise how gauche I am being in mentioning something so personal. I am putting it down to my upbringing of servitude and that I do not know any better." Michael was trying to make light of it, but his colour was heightened, and he still looked decidedly uncomfortable.

It was a strange and very forward request for Michael to have made to Grace, but she was pleased that he had felt able to come to her for help. She felt a pang; perhaps her girls still needed her more than she realised? Then she inwardly shook herself. She could give them nothing of value when they had children. She was a childless spinster, an invisible person for most in society. No, her decision was the right one.

The door opened, and in walked Arabella's uncle, Mr Julian Betez, accompanied by Mr William Marsh, the man who caused Grace so much confusion. They were the last two men to join them. They were talking amiably together, but one of the group ran to William, defying all rules on behaviour and flung herself into his arms.

"Uncle William! You must come and keep company with us before anyone else grabs your attention. I have missed you so much, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can," Florence, Florry to everyone, exclaimed. She had adopted Julia's uncle as her own, especially as they both had an interest in how things worked and how they could be improved. She sometimes acted like the younger woman she was, although on many occasions she was far more astute about situations because of her experience of being homeless and living or more like surviving on the streets of London.

William laughed. "And I you, my dear girl. What adventures have you been involved in? Are you willing to tell me them all?"

"Living with a pirate is a wonderful thing!" Florry laughed.

"I am a privateer, you minx. Stop trying to slur my character, for it does not reflect well on you." Captain William Kelly growled at his wife without any hint of anger.

"Being able to tell people that I am a pirate's wife is far more entertaining than admitting that I am married to a boring privateer."

Captain Kelly choked out a laugh, but it was his friend Hamish who spoke. "I like her; she is far more fun than you and has the spirit of the young, unlike you, old man."

This got a genuine glare from the captain. "I am fully aware that she is far out of my league." There seemed to be meaning behind his words, but he did not explain further.

Florry left William's side and approached her husband, brazenly sitting on his knee. "I disagree, and before you start arguing against the fact, we both started life in exactly the same situation, and you have achieved far more than I." She planted a kiss on her husband's cheek and winked at him.

"Florry!" Hugh Weston, Earl of Bryn, hissed at his niece.

"Ah, phooey," Florry responded. "You would not believe the teasing the sailors give me if I so much as glance in my handsome husband's direction. I am taking every opportunity to be close to him while we are on land, but I would like to speak to you, Uncle William, at some point. I have a few ideas as to how some weapons can be improved."

Captain Kelly groaned, looking at Hugh. "I promise you that I only take the safest of commissions these days."

"I am just thankful she is not my responsibility anymore," Hugh mock-sighed, receiving a glare from Florry as a result.

"Then why do you insist that I write almost every day and send bundles of letters whenever we see another ship?"

Julia laughed. "Do not believe a word he says. He frets like the protective uncle he is."

Throughout the exchange, Grace had been studiously ignoring William. She had known he glanced in her direction, but apart from giving him an acknowledging nod, she made no effort to approach him, and from the expression she wore, he was wise enough not to come to her. It was both annoying and frustrating that the moment he appeared, it was as if her senses were immediately heightened. She was so aware of him, it was disturbing. Every move he made put her body on alert, even when not in her line of sight. She did not understand how she knew exactly where he was, or when he glanced at her, she just did.

"He is still handsome," Fanny whispered when Michael had moved away from Grace and Fanny had filled his place. The teasing and laughter around them was loud enough to cover her whisper.

"Then you have him," Grace responded tartly.

"I might acknowledge that he is handsome, but he never would have suited me."

"Why not?" Frances's tone had Grace feeling defensive on William's behalf, which was even more puzzling for her tumultuous feelings.

"I wanted to be in the centre of society; he would never have given me the life I wished for."

"But you never left your village!"

"Yes, but we were the foremost family in the village. I was looked up to by everyone in the area," Fanny said proudly. "Many looked to me for advice, and I was always willing to give it."

Grace frowned at her cousin. "You always gave the impression that Stewart restricted you to the house."

"He was wise enough to realise I could be the perfect partner in advancing his status."

"I am completely confused."

"I do not see why. Stewart was the tyrant you thought he was, or we would have had a fine life in London, but he never wanted the expense of anything that was not to his benefit. I just insisted that we were seen as the best family in the area, as this fitted in with his idea of self-importance. It made us both as happy as we could be with such a mismatched pairing."

Grace was silent for a few moments, her mind in turmoil. Since Fanny had joined her in London, she had noticed differences in her cousin but had put it down to the fact that they had not seen each other for years, and Fanny was not used to living a full life. Now she was not sure what to think. The Fanny who wrote to her over the years seemed like a completely different person to the one she had been with these last days. There was a hardness about her that had not been there before. Or had she just made her cousin out to be a victim in her own mind when she was clearly far more in control of her life than Grace had been given the impression of. It was certainly something to think over.

Grace was relieved for the distraction as Julian approached them. "You never mentioned that you knew Mr Betez," Grace said as he drew nearer.

"It is a long-standing friendship before my marriage to Stewart. It will come as no surprise to know that I have not seen him for years."

"Did Stewart forbid it?"

"He did not seek out anyone who was higher than him in society's eyes."

They were interrupted by Julian. "Ladies, please allow me to join you. I cannot keep up with the banter being thrown around this room." His words held nothing but amusement, and the two women shuffled along the large sofa so that he could join them. "This is a sight I never thought to see," Julian said, looking over the large grouping to his niece.

"Being part of her coming out of her shell once more is a pleasure to us all," Grace agreed.

"You are lucky to have the wherewithal to have plans for your future with your upcoming trip. Now Arabella is married, I find myself at a bit of a loss. Michael is a capable man, and there is no need for me to keep an eye on her now that she is happy and protected."

"Arabella writes that they work closely together on the estate."

"She does. I am glad the neglect of the estate over these last years will soon be a thing of the past."

"And then there might be other little ones to entertain you."

Julian laughed. "I am too set in my ways to be able to cope with youngsters. One of Hugh's ran past me on the landing, and I nearly had heart failure. The scamp shouted an apology over his shoulder, at least I think it was; his speech was somewhat underdeveloped. He was trying to outwit a nurse as only a child still in leading strings can, but although funny, not something I wish to encounter at regular intervals."

"Oh, I think you would change your mind when the time comes," Grace said, but she noticed Michael's posture stiffening, still being close enough to hear the exchange, and decided that she would have to speak to Arabella at the earliest opportunity.

"You are not going to become a doting uncle then?" Fanny asked.

"Oh yes, I will just make sure that any doting is done at a distance," Julian responded.

Fanny laughed. "I doubt you are any different than many other uncles."

"I sometimes feel guilty at wishing for an untroubled life, but although I am not ready to turn up my toes, I do like the thought of a peaceful retirement."

"I do not think anyone could criticise you for that. There are far too many occasions when such a life sounds like unachievable perfection," Fanny said.

"That sounds like the voice of experience speaking." Julian looked troubled at Fanny's response.

"Oh it is, believe me, but now I only need to please myself, and that is something new and exciting for me to enjoy. I will not be causing any scandals, but the ability to do as I wish is something that I never thought would happen, and even the potential is invigorating."

"I can see by the glow of your features what a good thing it is for you. I hope you continue to thrive."

Fanny flushed at his words but smiled, seeming pleased at the compliment. "I am blushing like a green girl, but I assure you I am not used to such flattery."

"Then I am doubly happy that you are off on your adventures. Every pretty woman deserves to be appreciated, and you, my sweet, deserve it more than others," Julian said, with a pat to her hand before standing and moving to the tea table.

When they were alone, Grace smiled at Fanny. "I think you have an admirer there."

"He is very amiable. A true gentleman without any airs or graces." Fanny was still flushed. "No different to how he used to be, which is a pleasant surprise. I am glad he is here; it is nice to be able to see him after all these years."

"He seemed equally as pleased with you."

"Perhaps," Fanny said with a satisfied smile.