Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

The tension in Reuben's stomach didn't go away until he was back in London. It hadn't been easy to take frequent breaks during the carriage ride because the swaying of the carriage only upset his stomach more. Amelia had been patient with him, and she didn't protest when they stayed overnight at several inns. He had known it wasn't going to be easy to tell Corin something he didn't want to hear, and it hadn't been any easier to walk out of the place he'd grown up in, knowing full well he would probably never see it again. But he did it. When they arrived in London, they spent one night at her brother's townhouse. Then, first thing the next morning, he found a townhouse to rent. After a lifetime of being dependent on someone else, he most wanted to be in control of what he did.

That night, he had another nightmare. Again, he was being chased. But things were different this time. He could see Corin's face, and he stopped running. He let Corin reach him. He was ready for a fight if it came, but Corin disappeared before that happened. When he woke up, it was still night. The unfamiliar bedchamber made him jerk. Then he remembered he was in London in his own place.

Next to him, Amelia stirred from her sleep. "Is something wrong? Do you need some peppermint tea or a slice of toast?"

He brought her closer to him. "No, I'm fine. For a moment, I forgot where I was."

She chuckled. "You're where you belong. You're with me."

"I do belong with you." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad we're in London. I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"Is there anything you want to do tomorrow?"

He thought for a moment. There was so much to do. It was hard to pick out what to do first. But then he recalled the stories she'd told him about her time here and grinned. "Let's take a balloon ride."

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked down at him in surprise. "Are you sure you want to do that? It's not for the faint of heart. My brother refuses to go near one."

"You enjoy it, don't you?"

"Yes, but I don't mind being up high in the air."

"I want to see all of London from the air. It sounds exciting." And it was something Corin wouldn't allow him to do if he knew about it.

"All right. We'll take a hot air balloon ride. It is a remarkable experience. You won't just see London. You can look far out enough to see a lot of vacant land. It really is a beautiful sight. Then there's the sky. You don't appreciate how big it is until you're up there." She smiled. "I think you're going to love it. You'll probably want to do it more than once."

"There are many things I want to do. I hardly know where to begin. Everything sounds like fun."

She placed a sympathetic hand on his chest. "You've lived your life holed up inside for much too long. You just wait, Reuben. I bet you're going to have so much fun in London that you'll never want to leave."

"I didn't want to leave the first time. I'm just glad you followed me. I wouldn't want to have missed our marriage for anything."

She lowered her head to give him a kiss then settled back into his arms. "There's a world full of adventure out there, Reuben. The best part is that we'll get to do it all together."

Yes, that was the best part. With a smile, he closed his eyes, and this time when he slept, there were no nightmares to hinder his peace.

***

The next evening, Amelia wasn't originally planning to attend a ball, but Reuben had been so excited about going to one that she agreed to it. Once she finished getting dressed up, she went to his bedchamber.

He was buttoning his frock coat. When he noticed her, he held his hand out for her to inspect. "I'm still shaking from the hot air balloon ride. It was so much fun, but it was scary, too." He resumed buttoning his coat. "I don't know how you managed to be calm through it all."

She walked up to him and removed a piece of lint from the back of the coat. "I'd done it before. I was still a bit nervous, but I knew what to expect. This was your first time. When we go again, you probably won't be scared at all."

"It was more exciting than scary. I'm glad I went." He grinned at her. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like a child all over again. The best part is that I don't have to wait for someone to tell me it's safe to do something. I can decide that for myself."

"Yes, you can, but you still have to watch out for your health. I don't want you to get sick." Before he thought she was going to start acting like Corin, she added, "I only mean that I want you to pay attention to what your body is telling you. When we left for London, you said you were going to rest if you started to feel a sore throat or something similar." She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I love you, Reuben. I want you to get the most out of London. I hope you understand what I'm saying."

He squeezed her hand in return. "I do understand, and I've already planned to stay here all day tomorrow. I'm just too excited to stay home this evening."

She noted the way he was fidgeting. If he didn't go out tonight, he might not be able to sleep tonight. "It's a good thing you didn't pick the theatre. You wouldn't be able to sit still."

He kissed her. Then, probably because he couldn't stop shifting from one foot to another, he led her out of the room. "The only thing wrong about this evening is that I can't have all the dances with you."

"You can have me all to yourself when we're in bed."

He squeezed her hand again. "I'm looking forward to it. That will be the best part of the night. I not only get to escort you to the ball, but I get to take you home with me."

She could barely keep up with him as he hurried down the stairs. She wouldn't have believed this side of him existed if she wasn't seeing this for herself. He'd had moments where he expressed his joy in the past, but this unbridled love for life was new.

He stopped when she tripped. He caught her before she fell. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to slow down, but it's hard."

She laughed. "It's fine, Reuben. You're happy. I like that. You can carry me to the carriage if it'll help you get to the ball sooner."

"Oh, don't be silly. I don't need to get there that fast." He put her hand on his arm and escorted her down the rest of the stairs. This time, his steps were slow enough so that she had no trouble keeping up with him. "There. I can do it. I can show some restraint."

It was sweet that he forced himself to slow down for her sake. She imagined it took a lot of willpower for him to do so. Fortunately, the carriage ride to Lord Edon's townhouse didn't take that long.

Amelia had only heard of Lord Edon's balls. She hadn't had the chance to go to one yet. Rumor was that Lord Edon had the best orchestra and refreshments. Even her brother had once told her that his balls were worth going to at least one time. Having been in her first Season when she met Reuben, she hadn't had enough time to go to Lord Edon's balls. She was glad they were here now. As promised, the music was splendid, and it looked as if Lord Edon had spared no expense with the refreshments since they spanned several tables.

"I know it means I can only dance with you one more time this evening, but I want you to be my first dance partner tonight," Reuben told her.

She patted his arm. "When this dance is over, we'll make our way to the dance floor. Why don't we try some of these refreshments first?"

She thought he might like the variety of foods, and she was right. While he selected poached salmon and sliced ham, she chose dry cake, blackberries, and strawberries. To drink, they both selected port wine.

As she was nibbling on her food, Grant and his wife, Carol, came over to them. "I didn't expect to see you out and about so soon. I thought you two would need some time to get settled in," Carol told her while Grant spoke with Reuben.

"The townhouse came furnished," Amelia replied after she swallowed a piece of strawberry. "All we had to do was unpack."

"What about hiring servants? I heard that can take some time."

"It will, but Grant gave Reuben some references. We'll start looking into it tomorrow. Reuben wanted to spend today enjoying some activities you can't get in the country."

Amelia glanced in Reuben's direction and saw that, though Grant was talking to him, he was watching the people who were dancing. Amelia had never seen anyone more eager to dance. Even though she had tried, she couldn't come close to duplicating a ball in London. Her attempt at theatre would have paled in comparison as well. Seeing how happy Reuben was to be here, it was clear that coming to London was the best thing for him.

"I have some exciting news," Carol said in a lower voice. "Grant wanted me to wait until you and Reuben are able to attend a dinner party at our home, but I can't wait. I'm expecting a child."

"That's wonderful!" Amelia made sure Grant wasn't looking her direction before she gave Carol a quick hug. "How long have you known?"

"Only a couple of days. I wanted to say something yesterday, but Grant said we needed to focus on helping you and Reuben get settled in first. Plus, he wants the announcement to be special. Don't let him know I told you."

"I won't say a word. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you. The only people who know are you, Rachel, and Lydia. You have no idea how difficult it is to keep quiet about something this exciting."

"I imagine it is."

"So," Carol began after a moment of silence, "you have nothing to tell me about a little niece or nephew Grant and I will soon be holding?"

Amelia shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

And finding out she wasn't expecting hadn't been the most pleasant experience while she and Reuben had been on their way back to London. It was a shame a lady couldn't pick the timing of her flow. Thankfully, Reuben couldn't manage traveling for more than six hours. That had given her enough time to bathe, have her laundry washed, and rest before going to bed at the inn.

"Well, one of these days, you'll be able to share that news with us," Carol said.

Amelia caught sight of Reuben heading their way, so she stopped Carol before her friend could say anything more.

"The next dance will be starting soon," Reuben began. "Are you ready?"

"Will you excuse us?" Amelia asked Carol.

"Of course." Carol turned to Reuben. "It's good to have you back in London."

"It's good to be back," he replied as Amelia set her empty glass with the other used glasses on the table.

When Amelia returned to him, he whisked her off to the dance floor so they could officially start their evening of dancing.