Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Do you know what's best about being out here at this estate?" Amelia asked a month later while she and Reuben were sitting on the boardwalk.

He swung the fishing pole so that the bait went into the water. "We can eat all the fish that we want?"

"No, though I do enjoy eating them. What makes this so nice is that we can do whatever we want. We aren't bound by any rules. We don't have to worry that our actions will scandalize the Ton. I didn't realize how much of my life was dictated by propriety until living out here." She gestured to her bare feet which splashed the water. "Look at this. If I were to do this in London, I would never be able to show my face again."

"You wouldn't be able to show your face around the servants if they saw your ankles like that."

She rolled her eyes. "So there are a few rules, but we're not at Hyde Park. We're in a private area protected by trees. Out here, there's no one but us, and I can bare my ankles all I want." She splashed the water again so that droplets hit her legs. She put her feet back into the water and wiggled her toes. "I bet you had a lot of fun as a child."

"I did, but it got lonely, too. I spent a lot of time wishing my brother was here or that I had a friend close to my age out here."

She wrapped her arm around his. "Well, you have a friend now."

"You're better than a friend. I can make love to you." He kissed her on the neck.

She giggled. "I think you're better than a friend, too. And someday, we'll have children to take out here. You can teach them how to fish."

"Are you telling me that there's a child on the way?"

"No, not yet. But there's bound to be at some point. We've been trying often enough."

He winked. "You have to admit that it's fun to try. I'm looking forward to having children. I hope we have a lot of them." He gestured to the other fishing pole close by. "Are you sure you don't want to give fishing a try? I don't mind putting the bait on the hook for you."

She shook her head. "I'd rather sit here and watch. It's relaxing."

"I'd get bored if all I did was watch."

"Well, I don't. Being with you is all the fun I need." She kissed his cheek then rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you think it'll always be like this?"

"I don't see why things will change."

"Our marriage was so sudden. We didn't give anyone time to get used to it. I mean, my brother brought me out here, so he and Carol know about us. But will your brother be all right with it?"

"All Corin has ever wanted for me was to be happy. You make me happy. He'll be glad you gave up London to be with me." He kissed the top of her head. "You have nothing to worry about. His only concern is that I stay in good health. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that in London."

"You haven't been sick once since I've been here."

"As long as I don't go out when it's raining, I remain in good health. The doctor warned me that being around a lot of people could weaken me. He said that the more people there are, the easier it would be for me to catch an illness. Most people are like you and my brother. You two can be around a lot of people and be just fine." He shrugged. "I happen to pick illnesses up easier than most."

"Does that frustrate you?"

"Sometimes I think it would be nice if I was like everyone else."

"But you're better than everyone else, Reuben. You're witty and charming and sweet. All of the other gentlemen were boring. From the moment I met you, I wanted to be your wife."

"Really?"

"Really." She lifted her head so her gaze could meet his. "I almost feel embarrassed to admit it, but every time a card came for me, I hoped it was from you. You wouldn't believe how disappointed I was if it was from someone else."

"I wanted to see you more. I didn't stay away by choice."

She squeezed his arm. "You would probably laugh if you were there when my brother teased me that you were only trying to make me fancy you all the more by staying away."

"Who knows? Maybe the fact that I couldn't see you as much as I wanted did work for me. You bored of the others who were flocking to see you."

"There weren't all that many gentlemen who were flocking to see me."

"Yes, but you had more than one suitor. It's easy to see why. You're beautiful and sweet. And best of all, you know how to make a gentleman feel important. I, for one, never took it for granted that you laughed at all of my jokes."

"Well, your jokes were funny. I had a reason to laugh. Some gentlemen think they're funny but aren't."

"I bet you laughed at their jokes anyway. You're too polite not to."

She nodded. "You're right, but I honestly enjoyed your jokes. I didn't put on a pretense with you."

He kissed her. "Good. I want you to be who you really are."

"With you, I have no reason not to be."

His gaze went back to the lake, so she set her head back on his shoulder and sighed in contentment. Yes, it was nice to be at this estate where they were free to do whatever they wanted.

***

Two weeks later, Amelia talked Reuben into putting a blindfold on after he had come into her bedchamber to see if she was ready to go to dinner. He had asked her why she wanted him to be blindfolded, but she'd said it would ruin the surprise. She'd been so excited that he agreed to it without questioning her further. But when he sensed they hadn't gone to the drawing room, he was beginning to think he should have pressed her for more information.

"Are we going outside?" he asked as she led him around the bend in a hallway.

"No, we will be staying inside for this activity."

His eyebrows rose in interest. "Will this be something of a private nature?"

She giggled. "No, there will be others there. It won't be anything fancy, mind you, but it's the best I could manage with what's here."

"I have no idea what you've planned."

"Good. It's supposed to be a surprise. I swore the entire staff to secrecy. I managed to coax full agreement on Harrison's silence by letting him eat my tarts."

So that was why the maid had brought them fewer treats in the middle of the afternoon than she usually did. He had wondered about it, but Amelia only told him she wasn't hungry. He had hoped that her lack of an appetite would be followed by an announcement that she was expecting. No such announcement followed. But then she had kissed him and all thoughts to of a child flew from his mind.

Now he wondered what could be so important that five-year-old Harrison was even sworn to secrecy. Harrison was the only child in the place. He was the son of the laundry maid and the cook. Reuben's mother had blessed the union when she discovered the two were in love and had the vicar come here to perform the wedding. It was the first time Reuben witnessed a wedding, and he recalled being a bit envious of the two. He wondered if he would ever be in love like those two obviously were.

Amelia led him around another hall, and he frowned. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll find out soon."

"But it feels like we're wandering through a maze. We aren't in any area that I usually go to."

"No, we aren't. I'm taking you somewhere I bet you haven't been to in a long time. It's why you didn't notice that most of the maids went missing for the past three days."

"The maids went missing?"

She giggled. "I knew you hadn't noticed."

"I have been working on that bronze statue of you."

"Yes, and that provided a good distraction." She stopped him. "Don't hit the wall."

His steps came to a halt, and he felt the area in front of him until his fingers tapped a wall. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm lost in my own home."

"That's because this part of the manor is rarely used. Quite frankly, I think it's time that changed. The room we're going to is quite lovely. It was a shame when I first found it. It was covered in dust and cobwebs. I knew right away that we had to do something about it." She guided him further down the hall then stopped him. "One moment." She left his side.

He heard her slippers cross the floor in front of him. He was tempted to lift the blindfold and peek at what she was doing, but he managed to be good. She had obviously gone through a lot of work to put this surprise together. It would be in bad form if he ruined it.

He heard a door open and then another one. His eyebrows furrowed. Was she lying about not taking him outside? He waited for any telltale signs of cool air coming in through the hall, but he detected no difference in the temperature.

"Well, I am stumped," he admitted. "I haven't the slightest idea of where I am."

He heard her giggle as her footsteps approached him. She put her arm around his. "When you step through the doorway, you will no longer be in the country. You will be in London. Granted, there will be fewer people there than what you're used to, but I don't see why a lack of people should stop us from dancing."

"Dancing? You didn't take me to the old ballroom, did you?"

She encouraged him to move forward with her. "The old ballroom, as you put it, is a beautiful room. I can't believe your family let it sit here all by itself all this time."

"It hasn't been used for as long as I can remember."

"Given how much dust there was when I discovered it, I'm not surprised. All right." She stopped him again then untied the blindfold. "The best part is that we don't have to limit ourselves to two dances."

The blindfold fell from his eyes. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the many candles that lit the chandeliers in the large room. As she'd said, the entire room had been cleaned from top to bottom. The old chairs that had once been covered were now free for anyone to rest on. To the side of the room, he saw the butler with a violin and the stablemaster with a flute. He took a second look at the stablemaster. He knew the butler played the violin, but he had no idea the stablemaster played an instrument.

There was a maid by a table where punch and scones were set out. The other servants were dressed in their better clothes and smiling in excitement. Amelia might have had this idea in her head, but it was apparent that the others were looking forward to an evening of dancing.

"Welcome to the Duke of Ashbourne's ball," Amelia told him.

"The Duke of Ashbourne?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Or it could be Lord Townsend's ball or even Lord Worsley's ball. It doesn't matter who is hosting it. What matters is that we're in London. I suppose now isn't a bad time to bring up another surprise. In a couple of weeks, you and I shall be attending the theatre. Some of the servants have agreed to put on a play for us. I don't want to ruin what the play is about, but it's a delightful comedy."

He felt a smile tug at his lips. If he couldn't go to London, she was determined to bring London to him. He liked that. Now he wouldn't have to miss the things he had enjoyed about being there.

"I instructed Cook that we'll eat after the ball," she continued. "I hope you don't mind having dinner later than planned."

"No, I don't mind. I love being at this ball. The fact that we can have as many dances as we want is better than being at a ball in London."

"I was hoping you'd say that. It would be terrible if you secretly wished to dance with another lady."

"Believe me, there is no other lady I'd rather dance with than you."

"Good. Then I won't have to get jealous."

He chuckled. Growing up, he'd had no idea that someone like Amelia existed. When he was around her, all things bad about his inadequate health and the resulting loneliness that came with it no longer limited his enjoyment of life. With her coming up with ways to bring London to him, he didn't have to miss anything.

Amelia turned to the butler and stablemaster. The two gave a nod. She curtsied to Reuben. Reuben hurried to bow. Then the music started, and he led her in his favorite dance.