“Ashington! We are going on a trip! We are going on a trip!” Emma sang gleefully as she skipped toward me after bouncing off the bottom step.
“Indeed we are,” I agreed.
She frowned up at me then. “Alice says you aren’t riding with us.”
I bent down so that I may be at her eye level. “I have business to attend to here, but I will be along shortly. You go enjoy the countryside. It has been too long since we were there.”
She nodded vigorously. “Alice says we are staying in the cottage. The one that looks like it is in my storybook.” She seemed so giddy with this idea, I wanted to sigh in relief.
“It will be as if you are living in your own fairy tale,” I told her.
She squealed then spun around to face Alice who was standing a few feet away. “Did you hear that, Alice? We shall be living in our own fairy tale.”
Alice gave a nod. “Indeed we shall.”
Emma turned back to me and threw her small chubby arms around my neck. “I shall miss you, Ashington.”
Returning her hug, I felt my chest tighten. “I shall miss you more, Emma.”
She leaned back enough to press a kiss to my cheek then stepped away. “Do not be sad. We will see you soon,” she said with a small grin.
I stood then and gave her a small salute.
Alice held out her hand and Emma went running over to her and took it. “Come Alice, it is time for us to begin our journey.”
Alice glanced back at me with an amused smile on her typically tense face. I gave her a nod and she led the way to the servant’s entrance. Emma could not enter and leave through the front door for others would see a child and gossip would immediately begin. It was yet another thing I did to protect her but wished it weren’t required. This was Emma’s home and having her live as if she did not exist was unfair, yet I saw no other way.
I walked to the front entrance and Charles helped me with my jacket before I stepped outside. I wanted to see the carriage as it came from the side of the house and hopefully catch one last wave from Emma. I knew Alice would keep her safe at all costs, but I was never comfortable when she wasn’t close enough for me to protect.
Just as their carriage came around the house and onto the street, a small hand darted out the window and waved vigorously. Smiling, I waved back at her. She was on a grand adventure and she didn’t get to leave the house often enough. When we had left Chatwick for the London season, she had been sad to go. She loved the countryside as much as I did. It would be a nice break to get some fresh air.
“Are you ready, my lord?” the footman asked and I realized I hadn’t noticed his arrival.
I gave him a nod and then turned back to Charles who was waiting on my instruction at the door. “We shall return no later than Tuesday eve,” I informed him. Of course, if this trip was a mistake, we would be back sooner, but my hopes were that I would find all I needed in Miriam Bathurst and her family.
“Safe travels, my lord,” he replied then stepped back into the house and closed the door. After this trip, all of London would know I was considering Miriam Bathurst as the next Countess of Ashington. No other lady had I invited along with her family to Chatwick Hall. The statement was very clear for the Wellingtons as well.
Another gentleman could ask for Lydia’s hand in the process and I could have made a grave mistake. For her demeanor was that of a countess and one that would be readily accepted in all social circles. Whereas Miriam Bathurst was but a baron’s daughter and she had lived her entire life in the country. I was choosing Miriam for her strength of will and ability to handle the spirited Emma. If I chose wrong, it would affect the rest of Emma’s life.
If I were to be completely honest with myself, there were other reasons I was choosing Miriam Bathurst. Her wit, intelligence, determination, love for her family, and unparalleled beauty all had something to do with it as well. I was attracted to Miss Bathurst. Taking a wife to my bed hadn’t sounded at all appealing before, but when I put Miriam in that role, I was very anxious to do so indeed. One did not need the entertainments of a mistress when they had a wife such as Miss Bathurst. Yet, I could not let my desire for her sway my choice. I had to choose who was best for Emma.
Feeling as if the weight of the world was indeed on my shoulders, I climbed into the carriage. I did not believe I would ever sexually desire Lydia the way I did Miriam. A marriage to her would be one of convenience and nothing more. Whereas with Miriam, it would be exciting and challenging in the very best way.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Miriam Bathurst
There were not adequate words to describe the splendor of Chatwick Hall. Upon arrival, I had been so struck by its grand beauty, I hadn’t heard a word that Aunt Harriet had spoken. Whitney, however, reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. I took my eyes off the lands and home, but for a moment, so that I could look at her face.
She was wide-eyed as she took in the view before us. If nothing were to come of this and Lord Ashington found that we weren’t suited after all, this weekend would be worth every moment spent. Whitney was getting to live her dreams. She blinked twice, as if coming out of a daze then looked at me. “Have you ever seen anything so grand?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“No,” I admitted. For I truly hadn’t.
“If the outside looks like this, I can’t wait to see the inside,” Aunt Harriet added.
We both nodded in agreement.
“I bet it is as splendid as the Palace,” Whitney said.
Aunt Harriet laughed then. “Buckingham? Oh dear, it’s majestic, but I do not think the inside will be fit for royalty.”
I wasn’t so sure. The closer we drew to the entrance, the more breathtaking it became. I was thankful we hadn’t all ridden in a carriage together. Although the carriages that Lord Ashington had brought to gather our luggage and to pick us up were larger than any I had ridden, having the men in one and us in the other had been much more comfortable. Especially now that we were ogling his home.
There were things about Lord Ashington I still wasn’t sure of and just because he had a home as grand as this one didn’t mean I was ready to become his wife. Not that he had asked, of course. I just wasn’t that shallow. A lifetime of misery would not be worth a home such as this one. Remembering the Ashington I had met before he had invited Aunt Harriet and me to the opera was important. One did not change overnight. I must figure out the true nature of Lord Ashington.
The carriage pulled to a stop, and Aunt Harriet looked at me. “You must rescue Lord Ashington from Alfred. He’s been the inquisition for the entire journey, of this I have no doubt. Lord Ashington needs a reminder of why he invited us and a break from your uncle.” Although she was smiling as she said it, I could tell she was very serious. I hadn’t thought much about what they were talking about in the carriage ahead of us. If Uncle Alfred had truly been hammering him with questions, that would be embarrassing indeed.
Whitney giggled at that and I gave her a rueful grin. Just what I wanted to do after a long day’s ride: entertain the Lord of the manor. Whitney gazed out her window again in awe and sighed. To see her so happy, I would do anything. Besides, Lord Ashington wasn’t difficult to be around most of the time.
The carriage door opened and Aunt Harriet took the hand of the footman and stepped down. “I’ve never seen such a grand home in my life, Lord Ashington,” she exclaimed with delight.