ROMANCE: Romantic Comedy: Love in 30 Days - The Best Plans Don't Always Work! (Plus 19 FREE Books Book 13) (41 page)

“Yes, father! I am right here!” shouted Stephen.

“Ride to Mr. Brooke’s house right now and fetch Mr. Daniel, would you?” asked Edward Sr.

“Right away, father!” said Stephen as he took off on his horse.

None of the people gathered here in the garden at the Swan Manor had any idea what the most senior member of the Swan family was playing at. Even Suzanne had begun to feel slightly puzzled by it all. She knew that she enjoyed her father’s confidence at most times, but to see him deal with this particular situation so calmly was a little unsettling to her. She had no idea what was going to happen next when Daniel got here and all the people gathered waited with bated breaths for Daniel’s arrival. Tom had gotten a chair for Lady Diana as well in the mean-time. Edward Jr. had finally lowered his rifle down and all Alan did since the last time he spoke was look down.

Chapter 7

Pretty soon there were sounds of hoofs approaching which stopped near the front porch of the manor. Stephen with Daniel tagging beside him, made their way around the house to the garden at the back and Daniel was quite perplexed to see everyone standing around in a circle as Edward Swan Sr. was sipping his morning tea.

“Good Morning Mr. Swan!” said Daniel as he tried to take a seat near Edward Sr.

“Good Morning Mr. Daniel. It is so very kind of you to join us. Please stand beside Alan over there.” Edward Sr. said plainly.

Daniel walked up to where Alan was standing and stood beside him.

“Now, Edward Jr. You are supposed to be the torchbearer of this family for the coming generation. Point your gun to the gentleman that you standing in front of you who you think is guilty of defiling your pretty sister.” said Edward Sr.

Edward Jr. pointed at Daniel who let out a squeal and begged for his life.

“Daniel, your life depends on what Suzanne says. So apologize to her and make sure it is as sweet as honey because your life depends on it!” Edward Sr. said.

Daniel apologized and begged for his life to Suzanne who was in no mood for these hysterics. She was taken aback at the way her father was dealing with the situation. She had imagined that he would be flush with anger at hearing that his daughter had fallen in love with a manservant of his house. She was more certain that it would be a bullet to her head instead of this calm and easy demeanour that he had right now. She could not take the pressure anymore and finally asked her father what everyone in the garden area wanted to ask.

“What is going on father? I know you love me. I do also know how much you love this family and the honour that the Swan family commands in all of England. I also know that you are not a callous man and seldom take rash decisions. But can you please explain to me what is going on here?” asked Suzanne.

“The thing is my dear child; this is not the first time something like this is happening in this house. Isn’t that right, Nurse Abby?” asked Edward Sr.

“Yes, it is sire!” said Nurse Abby flashing the widest grin towards Suzanne.

“What has happened before?” asked Suzanne.

“Your mother Rosalie was the one of the most beautiful women on earth. But what set her apart from anyone else that I was interested in was her kindness. She could figure out what I was thinking without me having to say a word. She could see it all in my eyes. Oh how much I loved her! She looked after not only me, but this whole family! You know how people say that someone is one in a million? Your mother was one such person. There will never be anyone in this world that I have loved or will ever love more than your mother. When she was pregnant with you, the doctors were quite uncertain about how she would cope with her health as her body had begun rotting from the inside. The amount of exertion that a woman’s body undergoes when delivering a child would have been too much for her to deal with. We had even talked about killing you in the womb if only to save your mother, but she would not agree with me. When I asked her who I would live without her, she told me that you will be my beacon of hope in her stead. And she handpicked Tom to be my aid when she was not here. Ever since then, Tom has not left my side. Had you not stopped Daniel that day, I really do not know if I would have able to keep myself from killing him.” said Edward Sr. pausing for a break.

“It still does not answer my question, father. What has happened before?” asked Suzanne again.

“Your mother was a maid in our household, Suzanne!” said Edward Sr. smiling.

Everyone around the garden was shocked to hear what the head of the Swan family just said. To think that something like this can be kept a secret for so long was just too much to think about. Suzanne could not really understand how she felt when she heard what her father had to say. It seemed to her as a sort of vindication for the love that she felt for Alan. She had asked Nurse Abby numerous times about her mother, but all that she ever got in response was that she had to wait until she got married before she heard anything more.

“This whole family is ridiculous! These are servant’s good gentlemen. They are not fit enough to sit and dine with us and you, Mr. Swan, had one as your wife? That is just shameful!” said Daniel in a fit of laughter.

“And you are a rapist, good sir! And you tried to rape my daughter! I will kill you where you stand! And believe me I do not need a gun to do that.” said Edward Sr. in a voice Suzanne had never heard before.

“This is my family. You may be a Brooke, but you are pathetic excuse for a human being. So chose your next words carefully.” added Edward Sr.

“Father, I am in love with Alan. And even though my mother, your wife, was Mrs. Swan, to the rest of the world, she had to hide her real identity to protect you from the society. And you will have no such issues with me either. We can move somewhere else, where no one would know who the Swans are. We could move to America and start over afresh.” said Suzanne.

“What the hell did you just say, woman? Don’t you know that you are betrothed to me? How dare you?” said Daniel as he raised his voice.

As soon as he stepped a foot, Alan came right to his face and said “Try that again. I dare you!” His eyes burned like fire. Daniel could not even keep looking him straight in the eyes. He took a step back and lowered his gaze.

“You are not going anywhere, Suzanne. You are a Swan. And you are free to do whatever you please and there is no one in this world that can stop you.” said Edward Sr.

“Sir, if I may, I have a few things to say as well!” said Alan.

“Oh yes, my boy. I am sure you do. What is it? Tell me!” said Edward Sr. excitedly.

“Sir, firstly, I would like it very much if you allowed me to marry your daughter. I cannot promise her the luxuries that you can, but I promise to do as much as I can. And I will always keep her happy. But I am afraid that till the time I am her, I will not be able to run away from my past. I would like both of us to move to America where I know some people who can help me find a job. It can make me good money and I will be away from the people in my past who haunt me to this day.” said Alan.

“Very well! If Suzanne does not have a problem with that, I do not either. However, you will be a part of the Swan’s after you marry my daughter and there is no way in seven hells that a Swan will be employed by someone else. I have a fair few connections with some of my counterparts in America and I can set you up with a business that you can run on your own there. The possibilities are endless in America, I hear.” said Edward Sr.

“That is right sir!” said Alan.

“I guess you have to stop calling me “sir” from now on. By the way, there is one small thing which I am not going to compromise on. Tom is going to stay with me. He is a sign of Rosalie’s love and there is no way that I am going to part with him as well after you take my daughter away from me all the way to America!” Edward Sr. declared.

“My father will always be at your service, won’t you dad?” asked Alan to his father.

“I barely have a few more years left in me son. I do not want to spend these precious years travelling and setting new businesses. I am going to spend my time here, in the Manor, living the life that I am supposed to.” said Tom with a tear in his eye.

“Cry not, my dear friend. This is a time of celebration, not sad contemplation.” bellowed Edward Sr.

Suzanne hugged Alan for the first time in front of her family that day. Even her sisters were happy for her. Violet had changed her impression of Daniel from that day on. And so had Elise. Suzanne’s brothers were impressed with the coup that their sister and Alan had pulled off. Once everyone opened up with Alan and got to hear the stories of ships and pirates from him, they got see the real kind and gentle person that Alan was. Alan and Suzanne were soon married thereafter.

As promised, Edward Swan Sr. helped Alan set up a whaling business in America. Whaling was one of the most happening businesses in America and there was a tremendous scope of making a fortune in this business. Alan managed to buy a ship too, which was named Rosalie, as a memorial to Suzanne’s late mother.

*** THE END ***

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Book Thirteen

LOVE IN THE OPEN AIR

By Jane Keeler

Chapter 1

Sydney Masters had always felt like there was supposed to be something more. She hadn’t really planned it out – it was more of a feeling, a sensation that something would come to her. When she was a little girl, she guessed it was something that would come with high school. Then she figured it was probably going to be after graduation, then after she was 21 and legally adult in all ways. Now she was 23, and still nothing had happened.

It wasn’t that she felt owed anything. Or maybe she did, but she understood now that you had to work for things in order to see them happen. It was just that she couldn’t really work out what she was supposed to do. So she started waiting for a sign, and in the meantime took a job at a bar in the town where she grew up.

Flannigans was a small bar, mostly used by just a handful of the locals and then the hikers that passed through town. There was a beautiful hiking trail on either side of the small collection of homes with one bar, a few shops mostly selling hiking equipment, and not much else. If you wanted anything major you had to drive half an hour away to the nearest real settlement, with a supermarket and a shopping mall. Here there wasn’t much of value except the little blue and yellow flowers that the trail was known for.

Up in the mountains above, the trail would wind its way through rock formations that had been created over millennia, gradually climbing upward until it arrived at a waterfall that flowed from a spring high up and cascaded down back to ground level. It was a popular diving site, though not entirely safe, and a lot of hikers would go there just to stand beneath the sheet of water for a while.

Sydney had climbed up there herself countless times, and even though she still knew it was special, it held no magic for her any more. She was always so sure that she would get out of here, and now look at her: a small-town girl, trapped in a dead-end job, at the only bar in a one-horse town. She leaned on the counter and sighed, wondering how many years she was going to spend wiping down the beer slops and collecting dirty glasses.

The bar was quiet, as ever, on that Thursday night. Hank and Melvin, a couple of regulars, were sitting in their usual corner and discussing how much of a pain it was that their wives kept nagging them so much. Melvin worked at one of the hiking stores, while Hank was a trail guide. They would meet here most nights when Hank wasn’t on the mountain. Sydney was just about sick of seeing their faces, even though they never gave her any trouble.

She heaved another sigh, gave up, and reached behind the bar for an empty glass. At least if she was going to have to put up with this place, she could have some fun. The owner was happy to let her have a glass or two every night without making any deductions from her wages, so long as there was no other trouble. She poured a beer and took a large gulp, hoping this would at least make the night a little more bearable.

She quickly set the glass down out of sight as the door opened, allowing a hiker in. Her first real customer of any note today. She could tell he was a hiker because she didn’t recognize him. Besides, he was wrapped up in a dark green waterproof coat and had big boots on – the kind of gear that only hikers would show up in.

“Can I get a beer?” he asked, setting himself down on a stool at the bar and pulling a woolen beanie hat off his head. He was pretty handsome, she had to admit, with a twinkle in his eye and well-cut hair.

“Sure,” she told him, pouring it right away. “You here to hit the trail?”

“Yeah, first thing in the morning,” he said, pushing the hat into the top of an overstuffed backpack. It had a sleeping bag roll attached to the bottom. “I’m planning to stay there overnight.”

“Sounds great,” she smiled, trying to mean it. It was pretty much the same old story as ever other hiker who ever passed through this dingy town.

She handed over the beer and he paid for it, and she went back to sitting in silence as he sipped at it slowly. It probably wasn’t going to get much busier than this. It was already starting to get late, and a lot of hikers would get in earlier in the day so they could check in at the hotel.

“You got any nuts or something like that?” the hiker asked, and she nodded, going over to the other end of the bar to fetch him a bowl of peanuts. They weren’t anything fancy, but you couldn’t expect anything like that here.

“I’m Branson by the way,” he said, accepting the nuts and tucking in right away.

“Sydney,” she introduced herself. “You’re just here for a couple of days then?”

He nodded. “Yup. Trail in the morning, sleep there, come back here and pack up so I can check out of the hotel. Then I’ll be back home by the evening of the day after tomorrow.”

She felt a twinge of jealousy. If only she had somewhere else to be. “Sounds like a plan,” she said.

“I bet you get bored of hearing about hikers, huh?” he asked, somewhat pointedly.

She flushed. “Sorry, it’s just that it’s always the same story. I’ve lived here my whole life.”

He chuckled, teasingly. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t complaining. I get that it’s probably not the most exciting thing in the world for you. How many times have you done the trail?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “Started going when I was a kid, with my Dad.”

“Oh yeah? He still around?”

“He’s one of the trail guides. He’ll be staying over at the peak with some campers tonight.”

“Oh really? Maybe I’ll pass him on the way up tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” she smiled. She was starting to warm up to this Branson.

“So what else are you interested in, Sydney?” he asked.

She smiled and shrugged, and started to tell him about the music she listened to, and heading out into the next town over when she had a night off to blow off steam, and what kind of movies she liked to watch. To her surprise, they seemed to like all of the same kinds of things.

They were chatting for the whole of the rest of her shift, so much so that she only noticed it was getting late when Hank and Melvin got up to leave. They had been laughing and smiling together so much that her jaw ached. He had even bought her a drink when he noticed the beer she had sneaked under the counter, so she could enjoy another with him in peace.

“I guess it’s just about time for closing up,” she said reluctantly, glancing at the clock on the wall. Truth be told, it was already late.

“That’s a shame,” he said, smiling. He leaned across the bar to briefly touch her hand where it rested on one side of the counter. “I had a great time tonight. Thanks for making a stranger feel welcome.”

“Not at all,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to talk to someone new. A lot of the hikers that come through here are the strong, silent type.”

He eased his groaning backpack up onto his shoulders, chuckling. “Well, at least I’m the first half of that,” he said, indicating the heavy bag. “It was nice to meet you, Syd.”

“You too, Branson,” she said, really meaning it. She waited for him to head out of the door while she cleared up the empty glasses, then cashed up the register and turned out the lights.

Alone in the dark bar, she sighed. It really was a shame that the end of the night had come so soon. In truth it had been a long time since she had spoken to someone who could make her laugh and get along with her so easily like that. Now he was heading up the mountain in the morning, and she would never see him again.

She touched the place where his hand had been on hers, thinking she could almost feel some of the leftover heat. His hand had been warm, and somehow reliable. She felt like he was the kind of man that could really be there for you, and support you no matter what. She sighed once more. That was the kind of man she would like to know better. It was sad to think that he was already gone, out of her life for good. Most people didn’t come to do the trail twice, at least not with a good year or so in-between. That was the last she would see of Branson, and the thought was enough to make her pensive for her short walk home before she made it into bed.