Chapter 10
W
“Garrett has made a deal with the devil. I don’t want to be grateful for it, but I am.”
The next morning, long after breakfast had ended and Mary had returned to the Prestons’ home, a knock sounded at the cottage door.
I jumped up from the drawing room sofa before Mama had the chance to react.
She stayed seated while I tried to keep myself from running to reveal the visitor.
I mostly managed but had to take a calming breath before pulling open the door.
It was David.
I let my eyes wander over him and gave my heart a moment to rejoice. Happiness had been scarce over the past few years, and knowing that in David, I at last had a dear friend who cared deeply about my welfare made me happy indeed.
The sun shone behind him, accenting hints of red in his dark-brown hair and making it appear as if he wore a blasted crown.
His eyes were as bright as the sunlight behind him, and his lip quirked up in a half-smile.
He’d traded in his rough work clothing for his clean, crisp coat and hat, and if I hadn’t spent the morning remembering his skill on the Walkers’ roof, I would think the gentleman standing in front of me had lived a life filled only with gentlemanly pursuits.
Both versions of David were fascinating.
In his uplifted hand, he held a note.
I reached out to take the note from him, and my finger brushed his gloved hand. He wouldn’t have noticed the contact, but I did.
“Good morning,” I said, wishing I could have thought of something witty to say.
“Good morning,” he replied easily. “I’m here acting as a footman today. Will you see to it that this note makes it to the ladies of the home?”
“Does that mean you won’t be coming in?”
He looked behind me as if he were tempted but then shook his head. “My tutor will be arriving at my home at any moment, and I don’t want Julia to have to entertain him until I arrive.”
“Mr. Allen?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Have you met?”
I shook my head. “No, but the Mortensens mentioned him. They said he also runs a school.”
David nodded. “I never had a formal education, so in the last few years, I’ve supplemented my reading by hiring him.
We are fortunate that he also had the time to open the neighborhood school.
” David never seemed comfortable when I complimented him, but I very much wanted to tell him how thoughtful he was, not just to the boys and girls in the community but to me as well.
“I must admit, lately, his lessons seem to interest Julia far more than they do me. Even so, I should return. Once I receive your reply, that is.”
“My reply?”
“To my note.”
“Oh, of course.” Somehow, I’d forgotten the small slip of paper, even though it was in my hands. I turned over the card and read his invitation.
Mrs. and Miss Atwood,
My sister and I would be delighted if you would join us for an afternoon of music at Tate Hall today. If that is agreeable, we will send a carriage to collect you at 4pm.
Yours,
David
“An afternoon of music?” I asked, confused.
I’d assumed we would either spend more time looking for work for me or enjoy another walk.
Mama and I were down to days left at the cottage, and we needed to decide what our next plan was.
“You don’t think we should be deciding on where Mama and I will go? ”
“I haven’t yet fulfilled all my duties as fiancé.”
“What duties?” I asked and then grimaced. My list of what I’d thought engaged couples should do had included playing duets. Why had I said that?
I was terrible on the pianoforte. I had a rudimentary knowledge and knew how to play a few pieces badly, but if David thought he was going to be able to open a sheet of music to a complicated piece and have me play it with any sort of talent, it was going to be a disaster.
“My invitation disappoints you?” David was leaning forward, hand on the doorframe of the cottage as though that were the only thing stopping him from coming in and staying for tea.
“No, it sounds lovely. I’m only concerned about how little time we have left in the Prestons’ cottage.”
“I’ve already told you I plan to move into James’s home, and you and your mother will stay with Julia.”
We’d discussed this plan several times before, but I’d hoped we wouldn’t actually have to send him into Breckenridge to live with his good friend the doctor there. As far as I knew, he hadn’t even talked to his friend about it.
He narrowed one eye. “The face you made as you read my note didn’t seem to be the face of someone who thought the invitation was lovely.”
“No, but it is. We would love to come. Thank you for sending the carriage. Mama will be very pleased.”
“Will my fiancée also be pleased?”
I gave him a smile. “I will, I promise. After all you have done for my family, nothing you could do would displease me.” My reassurances didn’t seem to reassure him at all. If anything, he seemed dissatisfied.
“All right, then. As soon as I receive my answer, I’ll take my leave.”
“I gave you my answer.”
“You forget, I’m only the footman. Would you like to write a note for me to deliver to . . .”
He paused, obviously unsure of who exactly he would be delivering a note to. “Yourself?” I asked.
He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe and folding his arms. “I’ll wait.”
I gave a soft groan and grabbed him by his arms, pulling him into the cottage. “Wait inside. You’re letting in far too much cold air.”
He stumbled forward in surprise. I tightened my grip on his arms until he was steady, then quickly shut the door.
The cottage foyer was small, with barely enough room to greet guests and servants who arrived there.
David’s lean form and vibrant energy seemed to fill the space around us.
Only a day ago, his arms had been around me as we had worked on the Walkers’ roof together, and having him this near again brought back the memory of him holding me.
Not that the memory had ever been far from my mind.
“I’ll be back presently,” I said with a quick puff of air, turning and escaping to the small drawing room. As soon as the drawing room door shut behind me, I sucked in a long breath.
“Who was at the door? Mary?”
I jumped at the sound of Mama’s voice. What had gotten into me?
“No, a note was delivered from David.” I didn’t mention it was delivered by David himself.
He was just on the other side of the door.
If Mama knew, she would likely accost him and make him stay, and he’d already said he couldn’t.
I didn’t trust him to say no to Mama. He’d proved himself much too willing to put his needs aside for others in the past week and a half.
Mama stood up quickly from her seat and held out her hand. Grateful he hadn’t written anything misleading, or provocative, this time, I handed his note to her.
Mama read it at least twice over, a smile rising on her face the second time. “His handwriting is impeccable, isn’t it?”
I nodded my agreement. It was. He wrote in a bold script, clear and unembellished, except for the capital letters at the beginning of each sentence. He’d mentioned he hadn’t had a formal education. Was penmanship something he’d learned later in life?
“And he is sending a carriage,” Mama continued. “Do you think he has planned a concert for us? Hired musicians?”
“I don’t think so, Mama. I think it will be just our family and his enjoying music together.”
Mama’s eyes widened, and her head jerked up from her third reading. “You don’t think he will ask you to play, do you?”
I grimaced. “I think there is a very good chance he will.”
“But you can’t.” Mama wrung her hands together. “I mean, you shouldn’t. Does he think you are accomplished musically? How important do you think that will be to him?”
“I’ve never divulged my lack of talent to him. But don’t worry, Mama. It will have no bearing on our engagement.”
She held David’s note to her chest and started pacing in front of the fireplace. “How can you be certain? Perhaps we should suggest something else.”
“I’m certain, Mama.” I might be humiliated in front of him and Julia, but our engagement’s end would be determined not by how much David was impressed by me but by the two of us finding a safe and sustainable position for Mama and me.
I went to the small table that acted as both writing desk and tea table. “I need to send my reply. I assume you will be joining us.”
“Of course. Perhaps if I’m there, I can save you from having to perform.”
I nodded, took out a card, and sat down.
I left my nib in the ink, dabbing it up and down.
What should I write? My reply for our walk had been quick and dry.
I’d never had the pleasure of correspondence with a man who wasn’t related to me, and if this was going to be a regular occurrence, I wanted to get the tone correct.
Mama might read my response, so I couldn’t make it too brief or businesslike. David was my fiancé after all.
I started by writing his name.
David.
That alone felt more intimate than saying it. Perhaps because I’d called him by his name when he was younger. But addressing a letter to him? It felt like one more boundary I shouldn’t cross with a man who would not always be a part of my life.
Thank you for the invitation. My mother and I gladly accept.
My pen paused over the paper. What else?
I’d responded to him, let him know we were grateful, but it was much too stilted to be a note written between fiancés.
I dipped the nib back into the ink and took a deep breath.
We were pretending. What I wrote next wouldn’t mean anything real, and David would know that.
I will count the hours until we can see each other again.
That was good enough, wasn’t it? Probably too good. David would most likely tease me mercilessly about it after he read it. But the pen still had ink, and I found myself wanting to add just a bit more.