Wonderful (7 page)

Evangeline was more mortified than she’d ever been.

While she was delighted that Lord Run had come to her defense, she couldn’t imagine how it would benefit her in the future. She had to figure out how to maneuver through her life with the Bosworths, and Lord Run could never be part of the solution. In fact, his interfering as her champion would only make the situation worse.

“Would you excuse me?” she muttered.

She slipped away without waiting for a reply from any of them.

She raced to the house, sneaked in a rear door, and skedaddled to her room, where she would hide for the rest of the evening. She’d experienced her first party at Fox Run, and in light of how hideously it had ended, Vicar Bosworth would likely get his wish. She was quite sure she’d never attend one again.

*    *    *    *

Aaron stared at Ignatius. They were in Aaron’s library, with Iggy swilling down liquor now that they were away from his parishioners and he could act true to form. He was a miser who rarely purchased his own liquor. He liked to drink in private—but have someone else pay for it.

It was just the two of them, Gertrude having tried to slither in too, but Aaron had shut the door in her face. No doubt she was lurking in the hall and peeking in the keyhole. She was more overbearing than any mother who’d ever lived, and she wouldn’t like Aaron to have a conversation with Iggy to which she wasn’t privy.

Iggy was an awkward fellow, and Aaron didn’t know him very well. Or like him very much. When Gertrude had come begging—not Iggy, but Gertrude—for Aaron to intervene so Iggy would be appointed vicar at Fox Run, Aaron hadn’t been overly opposed. Iggy was family after all. Distant family, but still family.

Aaron wasn’t religious himself and didn’t care who held the reins at the church in the village. As far as he was concerned, one vicar wasn’t much different from another. He wasn’t at Fox Run enough that it would ever affect him, but he felt sorry for the parishioners.

In times of trouble when they turned to their preacher for solace, it would be hard to receive any from Cousin Iggy. He wasn’t very sympathetic.

“How are you finding Fox Run?” Aaron asked him.

“It’s been excellent.”

“You moved into the vicarage with no difficulty?”

“No, none.”

“You’re now sufficiently settled that you can afford to marry.”

“Yes.”

“Then things have definitely improved for you since you arrived.”

“It’s all been good.”

“Tell me about Miss Etherton.”

“What about her?” Iggy was disconcerted by the question, as if Miss Etherton was his dirty little secret.

“The two of you are an odd match.”

“Mother says all couples seem oddly matched at first. She says it takes a bit of time and acquaintance to grow familiar.”

Aaron’s father constantly said the same about Aaron’s engagement to Priscilla. Aaron was having major second thoughts, when in reality, there was no reason to back out. He’d traveled to Fox Run to get his head on straight, to remember why he was marrying: for Priscilla’s money and property.

“If you and Miss Etherton don’t become better suited,” Aaron pressed, “what then?”

“Why wouldn’t we become better suited? By attaching herself to me, she’s taking a huge step up in the world. She understands that.”

“Does she?”

“Absolutely.”

Aaron recalled her expression when he’d stumbled on them in the garden. She’d appeared ready to pound Iggy into the grass, and it had been Aaron’s exact sentiment.

“How is she taking a step
up
by attaching herself to you?” Aaron inquired.

“She’s an orphan with no family or connections, so she’s always been alone. She’s actually been…working.” Iggy spat the word
working
as if he’d just accused her of prostitution.

“Working at what endeavor?”

“She was a schoolteacher.”

“Really? How strange.”

“Why?”

“I’ve crossed paths with a few other teachers recently. There is a swarm of them out on the marriage market this summer.”

His newly discovered cousin, Rose Ralston, was one of them, and Amelia Hubbard was the other. Hopefully, if Lucas had played his cards right, she was about to be Aaron’s sister-in-law.

“If Miss Etherton is such a lowly individual,” Aaron asked, “why did you select her?”

“She had a fine dowry, and of course, your father recommended her to me.”

“My father suggested her?”

“Yes. We couldn’t disappoint the old fellow by refusing her. Not when he’d taken such an interest in my future.”

Aaron bit down a guffaw. His father was the worst person to pick a spouse for any man. He’d betrothed Lucas a dozen times, to one horrid girl after another. Only Miss Hubbard had been worth the bother.

As for Aaron, his father had demanded Aaron wed by age thirty. Aaron had consented, but when he couldn’t decide on any of the available candidates, his father had simply betrothed him to Priscilla without seeking Aaron’s opinion. And look how that mess had turned out! It was a disaster all the way around.

“I must admit that I’m rather exasperated with you, Iggy.”

“Then I most humbly apologize,” the obsequious toad insisted. “How have I vexed you?”

“This is my home, I’m hosting a party, and Miss Etherton is my guest.”

“And
my
fiancée.”

“That’s as may be, but I won’t put up with you scolding her.”

“She’s very independent, and she’s been on her own for years. She doesn’t comprehend what her role will be as my wife.”

“So you were merely instructing her?”

“Yes.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. “I will be here for a fortnight or so. While I’m in residence, you will not quarrel with her.”

“I’m in complete agreement, and I’m making plans for her to move out.”

At the news, Aaron was taken aback. “Move her?”

“Mother says it’s not appropriate for her to be at the manor while you and Mr. Blair are on the premises.”

“But Miss Bernard is here too, as well as my housekeeper and a dozen housemaids.”

“Mother is worried about appearances. It’s very important that Miss Etherton establish herself in the community in just the right way.”

“It would damage her reputation to stay at Fox Run for a few weeks?”

Iggy had caught himself in a trap. If he said
yes,
he’d be insulting Aaron. If he said
no,
there was no reason for her to be moved.

Aaron couldn’t bear to imagine Miss Etherton living somewhere else. He would be at Fox Run for only a very short interval, then he had to head to London and the responsibilities awaiting him there. Namely his fast-approaching wedding.

In the meantime, he was at Fox Run, and Miss Etherton was too. He suffered an incredible amount of pleasure from knowing he could come down to breakfast and find her in his dining room.

The entire house was brighter and merrier because she was in it, and he wasn’t about to have her leave. Iggy and his mother be damned!

“Mother and I feel it would be best if she left.”

“No,” Aaron firmly stated.

“No?”

“She’ll remain at Fox Run.”

“I don’t think that’s wise.”

“And I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think.”

Iggy gasped with offense. “Honestly, Cousin Aaron, there’s no need to be vulgar.”

“No, there’s not, so let me be clear. She’s staying. Don’t argue with me about it.”

Iggy was about to pitch a fit like the spoiled child he’d always been, but ultimately, he dipped his head in defeat. “All right.”

“While she’s here, she will be welcome to behave however she likes. She can sing or dance or drink wine or ride my horses or chat with neighbors of whom you disapprove. It will be none of your business how she acts.”

“I see,” Iggy grumbled.

“You will not chastise or scold her for any conduct she undertakes, most specifically those that I have asked her to perform.”

“I understand.”

“If you can’t mind your manners, you and your mother won’t be invited to Fox Run ever again. You can sit in the rectory and pout about how unfair I’m being.”

Two slashes of red marred Iggy’s cheeks. He leapt to his feet. “Will that be all, Cousin Aaron?”

“For now. But if you aggravate me in the future, you’ll definitely hear about it.”

Iggy spun to go, but Aaron stood and beat him to the door. He yanked it open, and as he’d suspected, Gertrude had been peeking through the keyhole. She stumbled into the room, struggling to muster her aplomb, to not look like a fool.

“Cousin Aaron,” she sputtered, “I was…about to knock.”

“Were you?”

“I was wondering if Iggy could return to the party. There are guests leaving and they want to say goodbye.”

Aaron simply glared at her until she shut up. Once she was quiet, he said, “My housekeeper informs me that you took it upon yourself to ensconce Miss Etherton at Fox Run.”

“Well…ah…I didn’t suppose you’d care. It is a big house, and you’ve always been so accommodating to me.”

“I
do
care—very much. Not that Miss Etherton is here, but that you felt free to extend the offer on my behalf. You will not presume again, Cousin Gertrude. I’ve instructed the housekeeper to check with me first from now on. She’s not to believe you on any topic.”

“Fine,” she fumed. “Be that way—if you must.”

She grabbed Iggy’s arm, and they stomped out.

CHAPTER FIVE

Aaron crept down the hall, feeling like a burglar in his own home.

The guests were gone, the servants in bed. He’d been downstairs having a brandy with Bryce, but it hadn’t calmed him or improved his mood. Their conversation kept meandering back to Miss Etherton, and he’d struggled mightily not to display too much interest.

Bryce was a gambler and ne’er-do-well, and in light of Aaron’s elevated position, it was odd that they were friends. But they’d attended school together as boys and had never lost their connection.

Bryce was the sort of fellow Aaron might have become if he hadn’t been his father’s heir. Aaron took his responsibilities seriously—to study, to learn the workings of their vast estates, to understand his role. Because of that burden, his life had been a tedious slog.

In many ways, Bryce was Aaron’s exact opposite. He’d been an orphan and charity case at school, his tuition paid by a kindly benefactor. He rarely mentioned his past and claimed not to remember his parents, though Aaron wasn’t sure if that was true.

Yet without the encumbrance of familial obligation, Bryce was free to live how he chose. There were no expectations to meet, no grumbling father to complain about his conduct. Bryce could gamble and carouse without worrying that anyone would notice or chastise.

He occasionally supplemented his income by performing on the stage. His plunge into theatrics was further evidence that Aaron should have cut ties long ago, but Bryce reminded Aaron of Lucas, and in Aaron’s stilted, boring world, he needed more people like Bryce in it, not less.

Bryce had surrounded himself with actors and other performers, so he’d been particularly delighted by Miss Etherton, and the more they’d talked about her, the more determined Aaron had grown.

He absolutely could not allow her to marry his cousin. The match was a grand folly in the making, and Aaron was desperate to quash it. He could imagine nothing more horrid than beautiful, charming Evangeline Etherton wed to Ignatius Bosworth. It seemed a crime against the natural order, and the universe was pushing Aaron to intervene.

He arrived at her door and, without pausing to reconsider, he knocked.

Was she still up? He hoped she was. After Iggy had scolded her in the garden, she’d hurried into the house and hadn’t reappeared. Clearly, Iggy’s behavior had upset her, so she’d be more inclined to listen to Aaron. She had to refuse the match or agree to delay until they could come up with a more viable plan.

“Miss Etherton?” he murmured. “Miss Etherton? Evangeline?”

He pressed his ear to the wood and was debating his next move, when she moaned as if she was in distress.

“No, no…” she was saying.

Without hesitating, he spun the knob and stepped in, terrified over what he might find, but she was asleep in a chair by the fire and in the throes of a nightmare.

“No, no…” she said again. “Don’t go! Don’t leave me with them!”

He walked over and knelt in front of her. He clasped her arm and shook it.

“Evangeline, wake up.”

“No!”

“Evangeline!”

She jumped to consciousness, lashing out with a fist at an unseen foe, so she nearly clocked Aaron on the jaw. He lurched back, and she barely missed him.

Gradually, her senses returned, her gaze focused, and she asked, “Lord…Run? What is it? What’s wrong?”

“You were having a bad dream. I was passing by in the hall when I heard you cry out.”

She was distraught, her cheeks pale, her hands trembling. There was a bottle of brandy on a table in the corner, and he went over and poured her a glass.

“Have a sip,” he said. “It will calm you.”

“Thank you.”

He held it out, and she downed several swallows. Ultimately, she mumbled, “I hate that dream.”

“Do you have it often?” “Not often. When I’m stressed or weary, it comes to haunt me. The details are so real, I think it’s probably an event that actually occurred, but I don’t recollect.”

He pulled up a chair and sat, positioning it closely enough that their knees were touching, their feet and legs tangled.

“What is it about?” he inquired.

“I’m very tiny, and I’m down at the docks. Maybe in London? I’m not certain where it is. There are some boys with me—they might be my brothers. We’re being separated. I have to go away with someone, and I don’t want to. I want to stay with them.”

“You don’t remember if you have brothers?”

“No.”

“How many are there?”

She thought and thought, then said, “Three? There’s always one for sure, and he’s the oldest, but there might be others. Sometimes they’re present and sometimes not. The oldest one claims I shouldn’t be afraid, that he’ll find me.”

“Then what happens?”

“Then…I wake up. I guess the ending must be so heart wrenching that I can’t bear to know what it is.”