Wildblossom (49 page)

Before anyone could comment on this, there was a knock at the back door of the servants' hall. "Perhaps it's the coal man," Meg said. "I'll go and see."

When Meg pulled open the heavy door, she discovered an unpleasantly grizzled old man standing outside. His frayed collar was turned up against the damp, and he had several days of white stubble covering his hollow cheeks. The fellow had been rolling a cigarette with stained, cracked fingers as Meg opened the door, but now he looked up and his sunken eyes sent a chill down her back.

"How may I help you, sir?"

"I'm lookin' for work, ma'am," he replied in a raspy voice.

"You're an American!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Somethin' wrong with that?" He took a step toward her.

"Certainly not. In fact, our master, the Duke of Aylesbury, is about to be married to a lovely American woman. It's simply that we don't encounter many of you out here."

The light in his eyes grew brighter. "I need work."

"I am Meg Floss, the housekeeper here at Sandhurst Manor. What is your name, sir?"

Momentarily flummoxed by her question, he stammered, "Uh—it's Ted. Ted, uh—Bart. That is, Bartell. Ted Bartell."

All of her suspicions piqued, Meg replied, "Well, Mr. Bartell, I'm afraid that we don't have room for any more employees. In fact, His Grace is searching for ways to trim the staff here, and already some of us are looking for work in the village."

"Would you turn away a hungry man who's willin' to work?"

His words struck right to her kind heart. They could find something for him—outside. "Come in, then, and we'll give you a hot meal... and some soap and hot water. Perhaps we can find something for you to do for a few days, then; long enough for you to earn enough to carry you along into May." Reluctantly, Meg stood back so that the horrid man could enter. "The grounds keeper may need you. We're having a wedding here in the chapel in less than a fortnight, and there's a great deal to prepare."

Ted Bartell smiled suddenly, like a ghoul. "Good. That's just the kind of news I was hopin' for...."

* * *

Byron Matthews poured champagne for his friend, Adam Raveneau, Viscount Thorncliff, and stuck another bottle into the ice to chill.

"Better not uncork that one until your relatives arrive," Adam cautioned.

"Hadn't planned on it. Actually, I think that Geoff meant all three of these bottles to be for them, but they don't drink very much." He grinned. "One should be enough."

"It's good to see you again, Byron. I'll never forget those days in Honfleur—"

"Mmm. That brunette. What was her name?"

"Chloe.
I'll
never forget! And that inn where you were trying to get an audience with Monet—"

"La Ferme Saint-Simeon. What food!"

"I can still taste the wine." He sipped his champagne again and ran a hand through glossy black hair. "It's an amazing coincidence that your sister is marrying Geoff. I've known him forever, and I thought he was incapable of love."

Byron cocked his head slightly, listening. "I think I hear my sister. She's packing, you know, for the trip down to Sandhurst Manor tonight."

"Hard to believe the wedding's tomorrow, when your family's only just arriving this afternoon—"

"Shh!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Try to remember that she doesn't know they're all coming. She thinks Uncle Ben is going to give her away tomorrow—so keep your big mouth shut!"

The door to the main bedroom swung open then and Shelby emerged, fresh and lovely in her traveling gown of old rose
peau de soie
brocaded in delicate flowers. "Oh, hello, Adam! You boys have been chatting out here for hours!" Her eyes flicked over the empty champagne bottles. "Will you two be up to helping with my trunks? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourselves!"

"We were having a serious conversation about my
art,"
Byron intoned.

"Oh, have you sold a painting?" she teased.

Adam Raveneau had risen and was observing Shelby with hooded gray eyes. "I hope that Geoff knows how fortunate he is to be marrying a woman as beautiful, witty, and—"

"Headstrong," supplied her brother.

"—as you, Shelby. Do you happen to know any other American heiresses who would be interested in marrying a handsome, titled Englishman?" He gave her a piratical grin. "I'm trying to raise the funds to restore our family estate in Barbados."

Shelby gasped in mock horror. "I am shocked! How can you speak of the sacrament of marriage in such cold-blooded terms? Besides, I am not an heiress. Geoff was attracted to something other than my money."

They all laughed, and Byron tried again to get her to describe her first encounter with Geoff. When she refused, again, he said, "I'll get Ben or Titus to tell me. One of them must know."

"I'm just glad that revealing the circumstances of our first meeting was not a requirement for marriage." Her eyes were alight with mischief. "I could never have become a
peeress!"

"
Give us a hint."

"All right, but this is all I will reveal: I was wearing a horsehair mustache." Shelby's eyes took on a faraway look as Byron and Adam laughingly tried to make sense of her silly clue. How long ago it seemed! Her eyes grew wet with longing for all the people and places she missed in Cody. She saw Manypenny again, bowler-clad, perched stoically on the sunlit pile of trunks in the middle of Sheridan Avenue, a tumbleweed whirling past. She could smell the spring air and conjure up the rich hue of the afternoon's twilight during that initial ride together in the buckboard, back to the Sunshine Ranch.

I thought I hated Geoff then.
Closing her eyes, Shelby took in the shape of his shoulders as she had that day, when he saw the house for the first time and sat forward in the seat. His eyes had been intent with feelings and a sense of promise that even he hadn't understood.

How hard she'd tried to drive him away....

Byron came up beside her. When they were together, it always felt as if they were still kids. His instincts were either to tease her or protect her, so sometimes he felt lost trying to relate to his sister as an adult. "You aren't having second thoughts, I hope?"

She shook her head, smiling, but her chin quivered. "I was just thinking about Cody, and how happy we all were at the ranch. I wrote Titus a long letter, but it's sad that he can't be here for the wedding. If only Cody and London weren't so far apart!" Accepting his handkerchief, she wiped her eyes, laughing at the same time. "It seems that I can't stop crying lately. Tears of joy, mostly. I'm fine as long as I don't think about how far away home really is. I mean—it's going to be a wonderful wedding—"

"C'est vrai
—don't forget your big brother is here!"

Shelby lay her head against his shoulder and sighed. "I know. But I miss Mama and Daddy... and all the people I dreamed would be with me on my wedding day."

"Well, I know they all wish they could be here, too. I guess that's the price you pay for getting married in England." He patted her back gently. "Let's talk about something more cheerful. Where's Geoff? What about the rest of the plans? Is this going to be enough time—all of us showing up in Sandhurst the night before the wedding?"

"The staff there has taken care of everything, and this is the only night we'll all stay at the estate. After that, you'll have to go to the village inn or come back to London. But you understand that we're giving up this suite today, don't you?"

Byron blinked once. "You mean I'm out on the street, then?"

"Did you imagine that you were going to have a room in my house indefinitely?" She watched his face. "Byron, are you broke?"

"What? Hell, no!" But his face was paler.

"Come and stay with me, old fellow," Adam rejoined. "I haven't much, but you're always welcome."

"I'm on the verge of selling two excellent paintings. When those deals go through, I'll be able to take a suite of my
own
at the Savoy!"

Shelby bit her tongue to refrain from suggesting that he put his earnings in the bank for a change. Her brother was beginning to remind her more and more of Stephen Avery, their wandering grandfather. "Anyway, the other plans are certainly less elaborate since we're having the wedding at Sandhurst Manor. I'm only having two attendants, and we've been able to trim a lot of the obligatory names from the guest list. The day is designed to fit our tastes, rather than ducal etiquette." Shelby wore a wistful smile. "My life is going to change tremendously when I become Duchess of Aylesbury, and not even Geoff can help that. I want one last day to be, unabashedly, myself...."

"Sounds absolutely fitting," Byron assured her, then asked innocently, "When are you going back to Wyoming?"

"I—I don't know yet. I've made up my mind not to look beyond our honeymoon. We're going to motor through France during the rest of May. In June, Geoff wants to take me to Royal Ascot and the Windsor house party—"

"The Season's only two months long, and you'll be in France for half of it," Adam put in. "I know it sounds ominous, but Geoff's title is weighty. Now that his father is dead and it's on his shoulders, there are obligations that he will have to fulfill." He pinched her cheek. "You, too, my beauty."

"I know. Perhaps I'll enjoy it all," she said hopefully. "Meanwhile, let's get my trunks out of the bedroom and ring for the bellman. Geoff will be here any moment with some relatives of his who have just arrived by ship—from the Continent, I believe. We are all going down to Sandhurst together."

"Relatives, eh?" Byron loved surprises. No sooner had he and Adam dragged the trunks out into the sitting room than a knock sounded at the door. "Perhaps that's the bellman," he said gaily.

"Let him in, then."

Byron went into the little entryway, out of her sight, and opened the door. When Shelby heard low voices, she called out, "I hope that the trunks aren't too heavy—"

Her brother peeked around the corner at her. "Brace yourself for a surprise!"

Like a vision, Madeleine Matthews appeared, elegant and radiant in a suit of white silk with black dots and a ruffle at her neck. Setting down her dotted parasol, she opened her arms to Shelby. "We've come for your wedding!"

"I think I'm dreaming. I didn't think this was possible!" Shelby replied in disbelief. Then, she hurried into her mother's embrace as waves of emotion surged through her. "Oh, Mama! I've missed you terribly."

"It sounds to me as if you've done very well without my meddling!" Maddie said fondly.

"Geoff really loves me."

"So he assured us all the way from Albert Docks!" Holding her daughter close, she whispered, "Darling, he's every bit as wonderful as you said. I can see now that you were absolutely right to come to London. The duke will provide the sort of stability you need in your life."

"Yes, Mama, but he's a lot of fun, too!"

Just then, Fox appeared with Geoff, both of them smoking slim cigars. "Doesn't my hell-raising daughter have a kiss for her daddy? Did you really think we wouldn't come, just because you were half a continent and an ocean away? You must have mixed up your family with some of these sissy Brits!"

Overjoyed, she lifted her skirts and ran to him, her eyes blurry with tears. "This is the best wedding gift anyone could have given me. I realize that Gran Annie and Aunt Sun Smile and so many others couldn't come all this way, but I do wish Titus could be with us, since he helped bring Geoff and me together." Shelby clung to Fox's big shoulders and sighed. "Titus is our link with the Sunshine Ranch.... Oh, well. I guess I can't have everything."

"Why not?" Geoff rejoined from the entryway, where he was leaning against the wall and smoking his cigar. "You've never settled for less before."

And there was Titus Pym, peeking around the corner at her, doffing his new bowler. "I had to come, lass. Have you a kiss left for me?"

She let out a whoop of joy, tears flowing freely now.

Hugging the little Cornishman, Shelby commented on his new checked suit and shiny pocket watch.

"I had to look the part for our crossing on the SS
Celtic.
It was a luxury ship, you know, and filled to the brim with rich folk." He touched his nose. "I don't know if I took too much sun or too much ale while we were at sea."

The last bottle of champagne was uncorked, and Adam ran out for more. Everyone stood together and Fox made a toast—"To the enduring love and long marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Aylesbury!"—and then they all sat down and began catching up on all the news. Maddie put Byron between her and Fox on the sofa, for it had been three long years since they'd last seen their son.

Fox delivered letters of congratulations from Gran Annie and Sun Smile and several other old friends from Deadwood. Titus also had been entrusted with messages for the happy couple. Jakie Schwoob had written them a touching note, expressing his regret that he, too, could not attend the wedding of his dear friends.

Then, already misty-eyed, Shelby opened a large lacy envelope. She took out an elaborate greeting card, covered with doves and roses and cherubs carrying hearts. The flowery message read: