Chapter 28
I came downstairs to find Jeremy Beaumont waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a bouquet of wildflowers. But it was the expression on his face, so tender, almost shy, that made my breath catch in my throat.
“I picked these for you,” he said.
“They’re white, pink, and lavender.”
“They’re not roses and lilacs, but I tried to match the colors.”
“You did. They’re beautiful.”
One of the maids was passing by. “Shall I put them in some water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Shall we walk?”
I took his arm, but before we were out the front door, we had a string of children following us. They were hiding giggles behind their hands and whispering. Out on the lane, they grew louder.
“If you please,” Jeremy said, “I would like you all to tell me your name again and your age.”
“I’m Elizabeth, and I’m twelve,” Elizabeth stated boldly. She was carrying little Anne, who was sucking her knuckle. “And this is Anne. She’s four.”
“Very good,” Jeremy said. “Elizabeth, twelve and Anne, four. Next?”
“I’m Nathaniel, and I’m ten years old.” My precocious little brother stuck out his chest.
“I’m Matthew. I’m eight, but I can beat anybody at cards, even my father.”
That caused quite a loud, sharp argument with Nathaniel, and the two looked as though they might come to blows until Jeremy interrupted them.
“I shall play you both at cards, and we shall see who is the winner then.”
The boys whooped and talked at once, both bragging about their skill.
Catherine hurried to get in front of us and walked sideways, gazing up at Jeremy.
“I believe it is your turn, young lady,” he said.
She grinned shyly, then said, “I’m Catherine, and I am six years old. I have a baby sister, Diana, who’s two years old, and a baby brother, Philip. He was born in February.”
“I am sure you are a very good sister to them.”
“And I have an older sister, Lavinia, and there’s Oliver and Jonathan and Adam. They are my oldest brothers.”
“And where are they?”
“I don’t know. Well, Lavinia is probably helping Mother, but Oliver and Jonathan are at school, and Adam is . . . I don’t know.” She smiled and shrugged.
“Jonathan is not in school. He’s a curate in Wiltshire,” Nathaniel announced.
“He is hoping to be a rector someday,” I said. “But as he is only nineteen, he is glad to hold the curate position.”
“Of course. He is doing a good service for the people of that parish.”
“And I believe Adam is helping Father with the books, as Father does not like numbers and says they don’t wish to be acquainted with him, and he doesn’t enjoy their company either.”
Jeremy smiled at that.
“Will you marry my sister?” Catherine asked in her childlike way.
“I certainly hope so.” Jeremy jiggled his eyebrows up and down at Catherine. She giggled.
I hadn’t seen this playful side of Jeremy before. I liked it.
Father had come to me the evening before and told me that Jeremy had asked his permission to marry me, and he’d told him that if I wished to marry him that we had his blessing.
He also said that he could give me one hundred fifty pounds per annum.
I cringed a bit, knowing that though such a sum was generous, coming from my father, it was a pittance compared to what Jeremy might have had from many other young ladies who had wished to marry him.
So obviously he wasn’t marrying me for my dowry.
We walked along with the children asking Jeremy questions. Nathaniel and Matthew wanted his opinions on Napoleon, Admiral Nelson, and Sir Percy Henry. “Who was the greatest military leader?” Nathaniel asked.
“Admiral Nelson, of course,” Jeremy replied.
“Would you ever serve in the army?” Matthew asked.
“If my country were at war and needed me to serve, I would.”
This answer seemed to please them, and they stared up at him in admiration.
“Will Amelia have her own house if she marries you?” Catherine asked.
“She will indeed. She shall be mistress of our house in Bedfordshire.”
“Is that a long way away?” she asked.
“You will be leaving us?” Matthew looked at me as if he might cry. “Who will make our soldiers and tell us stories if you leave?”
The children were staring at me with alarmed looks on their faces.
Jeremy said, “It is not so far that you cannot come and visit us. And your sister and I will come and visit you here as well.”
This seemed to satisfy most of them, or at least they looked less sad, although Matthew turned aside and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.
Perhaps they did love me and need me. I liked to think they would visit me often.
“That’s enough questions for now,” I said. “Why don’t you all see how many pretty flowers you can find to pick for Mother.”
This started a competition between them to see who could pick the most and the best flowers as they scattered into the roadsides and nearby pastures. Even little Anne picked a handful.
We didn’t take a very long walk, as I was afraid the children might get too tired or even get lost, in their flower-picking zeal, and we made it back home with Jeremy carrying Anne.
“I’m surprised she let you take her.”
He held her as if he held small children every day. It was a strange sight, and yet, he seemed quite content to be among my crowd of siblings. Seeing him now, I could well believe that he would be just the sort of father I would want for my children.
We had only been home a few minutes when my friend Margaret came walking down the lane.
I introduced the two of them and we ended up discussing our tutors and governesses and the subjects we studied versus the subjects Jeremy had studied in school.
“And what was it that drew you to Amelia?” Margaret asked, without any preamble.
“I saw what a good friend she was to my sister. I also saw that she was kind and gracious to everyone, without exception. She was wise enough not to fall in love with men who lacked integrity, and she had all the other qualities that I could have wanted in a wife—prudence, steadiness of temper and character, and the ability to enjoy waterfalls and the British Museum.”
I laughed at that. The smile on Margaret’s face was all I needed to know what she thought.
As Margaret was leaving, I offered to walk her to the door. She whispered, “You have done very, very well, my friend. He is so in love with you. The way he looks at you . . .” She looked up at the ceiling. “And so handsome. I wish I had an aunt who would invite me to London.”
“I shall invite you.” I was imagining all the balls I could take her to next Season. After all, Lavinia wouldn’t be ready for her first Season for at least two years.
“I did not say that so you would invite me. However, if you did, I would not say no.”
At midday, the children decided we should have a picnic. So we took our tea in the garden, all of us sitting on blankets. Diana was sitting with me, Lavinia nearby, until she toddled over to Jeremy and plopped down in his lap.
His eyes met mine as she held out a small tea cake.
“Eat,” she commanded.
Jeremy took it from her, ate a bite, and winked at her.
“Eat,” she said again.
He pretended to take another bite, opening his mouth wide and then pretending to chew. It made her laugh.
Well done, Jeremy Beaumont, I thought to myself. Suddenly, I couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone but him.
After dinner, Lavinia was playing the pianoforte. When she finished, everyone started talking, half a dozen different conversations happening at once. It was a usual evening in the Moore household.
Soon the maids came and took the children away to bed. Jeremy and I found ourselves alone with my father.
“Well,” Father said, getting to his feet, “I’m sure you two have things to discuss. And I’m too old and tired to stay up any longer.”
We bid my father a good night, and then we were alone, immediately making me think about kissing Jeremy. Oh, how I anticipated him holding me close.
The house was quiet except for some faint crying that sounded like Anne, who hated going to bed, the faint voices of my mother and one or two of the servants, and some footsteps above us.
“Amelia?” He leaned quite close, and I could see the tenderness in his blue eyes. “I know I should be patient, and I can be patient, if I must. But I cannot help asking . . . Have you decided if you will marry me?”
“I have. And I will.”
He took my hand in his and kissed it.
“I love you,” I whispered. “You are everything I want.”
His eyes met mine just before he kissed me, pulling me into his arms.
I hoped no one came into the room while we were kissing, but I didn’t care enough to stop him. I’d dreamed so many times of kissing him again, and the reality was even better than the dream, even better than I remembered.
When the kiss ended, we were eye to eye. It was as if I were connected to him, as if we were on an ethereal level, beyond the physical. So much intimacy was a bit overwhelming, but it was also wonderful, the most wonderful thing I’d ever felt.
“I suppose it is a bit disrespectful to kiss you in your father’s house.”
“I don’t think it’s disrespectful,” I whispered back. “He’s given you his permission to marry me. Besides, I like kissing you.”
He made a noise like a groan and kissed me again. When the kiss ended, he held his palm against my cheek.
“The question now is when we should get married. We can go to any bishop and obtain a common license, then we can marry any day we wish.”
“We must give a sworn statement, I believe?”
“Saying that there is no impediment to our marriage. Would you like to go with me tomorrow to find a bishop?”
“Yes.” I felt a frisson of excitement.
“After we have the license from the bishop, we can marry here or at my home parish in Bedfordshire.” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it.
“I’d rather marry here, if that is all right.”
“So you are willing to marry me soon, then? Forgive me, but I am ready to marry you at this very moment, or tomorrow, if it were possible.”
“You would have to speak to the rector first, I should think.”
“Yes. I can go as soon as we obtain the license.”
“I suppose there is no reason to wait. We could be married the day after tomorrow, if that is all right with everyone.”
“Who is everyone?”
I tried to think. “My family will be agreeable, so I suppose just you, me, and the rector.”
The next day we went to Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, which was fifteen miles away, and were fortunate enough to be granted an audience with the bishop.
He took our statements that there were no impediments to our marriage and granted us the license, then affably wished us a long and joyful union.
The next morning, we were married in my parish church in the presence of my family. We departed immediately afterward for Bedfordshire, where we would spend the night at Mosspoint, the Beaumont estate, and from there we would travel to Scotland for our honeymoon trip.
I barely remembered being introduced to the servants, focused as I was on my husband.
In truth, we quite enjoyed the carriage ride to his home, as we kept the curtains drawn over the windows and indulged in all the kisses we’d been saving for each other.
My hair had gotten a bit mussed on the long ride, but I was too happy to care very much.
After our trip to Scotland, which was interesting and quite beautiful, we arrived back home to Mosspoint. I wasn’t sure I could possibly be happier. Juliet and Mr. Shelley were still on their honeymoon, but I was glad to be at the home I would share with Jeremy.
“You must make it your own,” the housekeeper told me. “You are mistress now, and you may do as you wish.”
It was a heady feeling, but best of all was knowing that I was loved and that my husband needed me, in his own way. How wonderful to be two people who were committed to caring for one another.
We were celebrating two months of marriage, having a late breakfast, when I received a letter from my aunt. In the middle of Mrs. Kendall’s letter, I began to read aloud to Jeremy.
“‘It has been revealed to me by my friend, Mrs. Roberts, that Mr. Fairweather lost his home due to debt and had to leave the country to escape his creditors and debtors’ prison. Such a shame, since he has disgraced his family name and lost his land and home. It seems to be happening more and more these days.’”
I put the letter down and met Jeremy’s eye.
He took a sip of his tea before saying, “You see, my dear? I told you that there was no need to try to exact vengeance on Mr. Fairweather. ‘Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord.’”
“Excuse me, Mr. Beaumont, but I believe I told you that.”
“So you did. How wise of you.” He gave me his secretive smile, then winked.
I gave him an equally mysterious smile, thinking that I might very well have an announcement for him very soon about a new addition, and in perhaps eight months or so, we two would become three.