Riverbreeze: Part 1 (18 page)

“And perfectly fine for me.” Her friend said
with a sigh.

Elizabeth noted them with a touch of
sympathy.
He is already taken
.

“Well, if you say so.” Mrs. Jenkin said,
although she didn’t sound convinced. She turned her attention to
Jamie. “And you, James, how are you, my darling boy? Were you
injured as well?” She asked, peering at his swollen nose.

This scene was too funny. Elizabeth almost
burst out laughing at their discomfiture. She had to quickly turn
away and hide her face behind her fan. Evelyn caught her eye and
was nearly in hysterics as well. But the brothers were doing a
marvelous job of bearing it all, Elizabeth thought.

“Poor boy. Darling boy.” Evelyn whispered in
mock imitation, still behind her fan. “She treats them…”

“…as if they were ten years old.” Elizabeth
finished Evelyn’s sentence.

“The taller one is Robert.” Evelyn said,
still in a whisper.

“I know.” Elizabeth whispered back. The
mystery was solved. Here he was, the man in her dream. In her dream
he had been healthy and whole; he had been strong and virile; and
he had been very handsome. He may not look like that now with his
battered face and lame leg, but she knew Robert was the one she was
destined to marry.

“So that means the shorter one is James.”
Evelyn said unnecessarily, staring at him over her spread fan.

“It seems so. What do you think of him?”

“I like him. He has lovely hair, like thick,
flowing honey.” Evelyn sighed. “Robert does too.

“I see that!” Elizabeth glanced at her sister
with a small smile. “I remember that from the dream.”

“So do I!”

“Shhh. They’re coming closer.”

Elizabeth sat up straighter in anticipation
of the coming introductions. She straightened her collar and
smoothed her skirt unnecessarily. Beside her Evelyn gently touched
her hand, stopping her nervous movements. “’Twill be all right.”
She whispered.

And then the brothers were before them, their
tall figures impressing the girls.

Robert was the first to speak. “Mistress
Elizabeth…:” He said, perfectly composed and acting the perfect
gentleman. He looked directly at her, his hand extended to accept
hers except she had been momentarily thrown off balance. He knew
her? He knew which one she was? He could tell them apart?

He waited patiently, a polite smile on his
face and finally after Evelyn nudged her, Elizabeth placed her
fingertips on his. He bowed over her hand and placed a gentle kiss
on her smooth skin. She felt the warmth of his lips for only a
second before he released her hand and turned to her sister.
“Mistress Evelyn…” He said, now addressing her twin. He repeated
the gesture and Elizabeth watched in stunned silence as he
continued, “’Tis a pleasure to finally meet both of you and I’m
sorry Jamie and I weren’t here earlier to welcome you.”

“That is quite all right, sir.” Evelyn said,
smiling prettily and eyeing Jamie. “And this is your brother,
Jamie?” She added, boldly.

Elizabeth stared at her. She stared at them
all. She felt so stupid. Robert had managed to do something that no
other man had ever done before. He had been able to tell them apart
from the moment he had met them. How had he done that? Even Evelyn
should have been shocked, but instead she was accepting Jamie’s
greeting with poise and grace.

She should be able to do the same. But Robert
was watching her with a sparkle in his eye and the most devilish of
little smiles. What did he know that she didn’t?

“We are indeed happy to meet you two as well.
We have heard so much about you.” Evelyn said, “Won’t you join us
for some refreshment?”

“We would love to.” Jamie said quickly,
glancing at his brother. Robert nodded his agreement and Jamie
continued, “I’ll get two more chairs.”

Mrs. Jenkin just stood aside, a satisfied
little smile on her face.

Before Jamie could fetch the chairs, however,
the servant, Walter, came up beside him, looking decidedly nervous.
“Master James…” He said urgently, hiding his dirty hands behind his
back.

“What is it, Walter?” Jamie snapped, clearly
annoyed at being interrupted, but then he seemed to register the
fact that Walter appeared to be very worried about something. His
voice changed dramatically as he asked, “Is there something wrong
with the horses?”

“Well, sir, if you will come with me quickly,
sir…” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“What is it? Have the horses been injured?”
Jamie demanded, becoming impatient.

“Please, Master James, you must come with me
now to the stables; there is…” he hesitated, throwing a worried
look at the girls. Elizabeth wondered what the problem could be.
“a…disturbance.” He ended.

“A disturbance!” Jamie repeated, exasperated.
“Oh, all right, let’s go. Excuse me, ladies…,” he bowed his head
once to both Elizabeth and Evelyn. “Rob, save at least a scrap of
food for me.” He said.

And then Jamie and Walter quickly strode
toward the door, their steps purposeful.

“What was that all about?” Mrs. Jenkin asked,
looking confused. She watched after them as they all did the
same.

“What disturbance are you talking about?”
Jamie was heard to ask, as the two men stepped around a group of
stunned females.

“’Tis the young ladies’ dogs, sir…”

And then they were out the door.

The Tyler twins gasped as one, looking at
each other in distress. An unspoken split- second decision was
made. “I’ll go.” Evelyn said, already gathering her skirt in her
hands. “A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Bassett.” She said quickly,
dipping slightly in a hasty curtsy.

“Thank you, Evie.” Elizabeth said, grateful
that Evelyn had volunteered to take care of the dogs. But Elizabeth
also knew that this was a chance for her sister to be with Jamie
rather than wait for him to return.

“You’re welcome.” She called back, rushing
after the two men in a flash of spring green skirts, her long
ponytail swishing over her back.

“Oh my.” Mrs. Jenkin said, her hand pressed
to her bosom. She looked after Evelyn in startled confusion.

“Our dogs must have gotten loose.” Elizabeth
said in explanation, not worried at all. “She’ll take care of
everything.

“Oh good.” Mrs. Jenkin sighed in relief,
turning back to Elizabeth and Robert. “Well, you must sit, Robert,
and the two of you must get better acquainted.” She said briskly,
back to her former poised self. “Robert, have you eaten? I’ll get
you a plate.” She offered before he had a chance to answer. “…and
I’ll get you something too, dear.” And then she was gone, leaving
Elizabeth alone with Robert in a room half-full of gossiping
women.

“Well,” Robert said, turning back to
Elizabeth with a little smile, slightly embarrassed. “I guess I
have no choice about whether I am going to eat or not. She still
thinks of me as a twelve-year-old boy sometimes…except when she’s
trying to set me up with someone.”

“She’s very friendly though.” Elizabeth
commented, trying to picture him as a boy. After her dream, she
could only see him as a man.

Robert just snorted, then asked. “Do you mind
if I sit down? I hurt my ankle last night.”

“Oh, I am sorry. Of course, do sit down,
please.” Elizabeth said quickly, noticing that he did appear to be
in some pain. If he had been hurting all along, he had done a fine
job of hiding it until now.

He sat down clumsily, letting out a quiet
groan, yet keeping a hold on his stick. “I sprained it last
evening…” he said, after he had stretched out his sore leg in front
of him. “And I fell off my horse this morning.” He admitted in a
low voice, a wry smile on his face.

“Pardon?” She said, startled. She had been
staring at his hand, where it loosely clasped his walking stick.
His hand was large and square with blunt fingers and dirty
fingernails, much to her disgust. And it was tanned a deep brown, a
sharp contrast to his white, rolled-up sleeve. Prominent veins
branched from his forearm to his fingers reminding her of the burly
man her family had employed to do the hard, dirty work around their
home.

He couldn’t be a gentleman
then
, she thought. All the gentlemen she had ever known in
London had soft, pale, fastidiously and immaculately groomed hands
and fingernails. None of them had ever done a day’s work; none of
them would have even lowered themselves to do any type of manual
labor even if their lives depended on it. And to think that she had
once been attracted to that type of man!

But now she remembered her dream and
particularly the sight of his dark hand on her pale skin and how
erotic it had looked. A working man…a working gentleman…hmmm. “You
fell off your horse?” She repeated, hoping that he didn’t think her
simple.

He smiled, a slight flush to his face. “I’m
afraid so, quite clumsy of me, wouldn’t you say?” Without waiting
for an answer, he continued, “Your singing was very good. I admit
Jamie and I watched you from the doorway.”

“Thank you.” She answered shyly. What had
happened to her confidence? She had been able to accept compliments
from the ladies with grace and self-assurance. Her sister had told
her earlier to just talk with him, get to know him, but without her
sister beside her, she was feeling quite inadequate. Her dream had
not shown her how to talk with this man or how to act with him in a
normal setting, but only how to act with him while his arms were
around her.

So, she was quite relieved when the two silly
teenage girls, Alicia Warradine and Jane Abdey, walked up to them
and stood in front of Robert. This interruption would give her a
chance to get her nerves under control while surreptitiously
watching him. He was so sure of himself and exceedingly patient
with them. She knew how annoying all that gushing attention could
be.

Alicia and Jane tried their best to get some
response from him, smiling coquettishly and batting their
eyelashes, but their efforts were futile. Elizabeth felt sorry for
them; they weren’t the most attractive of girls and she supposed
that was why they had been drawn to each other as friends. They
were about fourteen or fifteen years old and dressed in their
Sunday best, (although their Sunday best just meant they weren’t
wearing aprons over their clothes), and obviously they were looking
for husbands, even at their young age. But despite their lack of
beauty and having spots on their chins and foreheads, from what
Elizabeth had heard about the colony and the shortage of women, she
wasn’t concerned for them. All women eventually found husbands.

“Hello, girls.” Robert greeted them
cordially. Elizabeth noticed that Alicia, the daughter of James
Warradine, grimaced slightly at being called a girl, but then the
flirting face was in place again.

“Hello, Robert.” Alicia boldly called him by
his first name in her high girlish voice, but despite her
forwardness, she was still nervous. Her hand snuck up to her hair
and she started pulling at a few loose strands at the back of her
neck. “Jane and I hope you weren’t too badly hurt in that fight
with Mr. Archer.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. I
assume you have met Mistress Elizabeth?” He said, glancing over at
her.

Both girls smiled tightly at Elizabeth in
acknowledgement, but it was Alicia who spoke, “Yes, we have; good
day to you again, Mistress Elizabeth.” She said quickly, dipping
marginally in a curt curtsy.

Elizabeth barely nodded once before Alicia
spoke to Robert again while she continued to pull on those few
loose hairs. “Ah, Robert…Jane and I would like to know if you and
Jamie would like to join us later outside for…”

Robert would never know what the invitation
was for because Mrs. Jenkin, surprisingly strong, arrived carrying
a tray full of plates and cups. Robert immediately started to rise
to help her, but she rejected his offer. “You sit right back down,
Robert, and girls, what are you doing bothering Master Bassett and
Mistress Tyler with your silliness? Now you leave them alone, do
you hear me? Go…go!” She shooed them away.

The girls immediately pouted and probably
would have stamped their feet, if they could have gotten away with
it. Elizabeth smiled to herself, amused by their immaturity. And
poor Alicia was so upset that when she brought her hand down, a few
of those hairs got tangled in her fingers and got pulled out.

“Thank you again for your concern, girls.”
Robert said politely.

Jane shuffled away while Alicia, more
insulted, turned in a huff and stomped off, leaving three mousy
brown hairs floating to the floor in her wake.

“Gracious me.” Mrs. Jenkin said. “Those girls
do not have a brain in their heads, the poor things.”

Elizabeth and Robert exchanged amused smiles.
Elizabeth felt much more relaxed now. Robert had the most
captivating smile and good teeth too. She appreciated people who
kept their teeth clean.

“Here we are, dearies.” Mrs. Jenkin said,
placing the tray on a nearby table. Robert laid his stick down when
she brought them each a cloth napkin, a spoon and a knife that they
laid on their laps. Mrs. Jenkin then brought Robert his plate, a
pewter plate piled high with roast duck and pork, mashed carrots
and turnips, stewed apples and thick slices of egg bread. He looked
at it with wonder. “How am I going to eat all this food?” He asked
no one in particular.

Elizabeth didn’t think he really wanted an
answer to that. “Oh, I expect you’ll manage somehow.”

“Of course you will.” Mrs. Jenkin said. Then
she turned to Elizabeth and lowered her voice. “He’s a very
hard-working young man, you know. And good, hearty food is one way
to keep your man happy, my dear. Just remember that.” She
admonished.

“Yes, mum.” Elizabeth answered politely,
laughing to herself.