Chapter Fifteen
Before they could depart Dutton Hall the following morning, Aaran Graham arrived.
“What are you doing here?” Beaufort asked in irritation.
“It is good to see you also, brother,” Aaran replied as he bent to kiss Annalise’s upturned cheek. “Are you well, my dear? You appear heartier.”
“I am stronger,” Lady Annalise responded as she shot a glance to Navan.
“I ask again,” Beaufort began, “what are you about, Graham?”
“I made the assumption you remained as headstrong as ever, and you might require a witness to your honest regard for Lady Annalise. You may visit my southernmost Scottish estate and choose your course of both action and destination from there. No one must be the wiser. Obviously, the lady requires a sanctuary until her brother’s official return, and no one will think me of the nature to ruin her ladyship. After all, I am considered disabled.”
“Such is ridiculous!” Beaufort argued.
“It is, but you know my words are true.” Graham paused before adding, “There is a perfectly acceptable church on the estate, and it is not so far from Wales and Holyhead, that is unless you prefer Port Patrick and County Down in Ireland. Moreover, Marksman will look for you in Gretna Green.”
“I did not plan to be in Gretna when Marksman arrived,” Beaufort admitted.
“But he will chase you to Dublin and beyond,” Graham argued. “Whereas, Duncan will appreciate you married close to his home estate.”
Beaufort sighed heavily, for Graham made sense. “Though I do not wish to agree with Graham, my dear, he has the right of it. Are you comfortable traveling with Graham for parts of this adventure?”
“Whatever you think best, my lord,” she replied, but Lady Annalise appeared disappointed, which did Beaufort well.
“You leave with Graham,” he said in decision. “I will tell those inside that Lord Graham is escorting you to Marksman Abbey. Then I will return to my London home and wait an hour or so before I depart. Be aware, Graham. It is possible Mr. Stark will follow you.”
“I have an extra man on top of the coach,” Graham assured.
“You always think of everything,” Beaufort grumbled as he bent to kiss Annalise’s mouth briefly. “You are on the clock, my lord.”
Navan had been eager to flee London, and the need to wait around for an hour or so did not best please him.
Now that he had secured Lady Annalise’s agreement, he wanted the marriage to begin as quickly as possible.
He was also more than a bit eager to flee London’s constant noise and smoke and false faces.
He wanted to breathe clean air again, and he wished to view Ireland’s rolling geography and no longer be required to cram into a crowded ballroom or a gentleman’s club.
Unfortunately, if truth be told, he was not confident he was running towards his future, but rather into a disaster, and that fact alone had him frightened as he had not been in a long while.
Annalise watched out the window as Lord Graham slept contentedly in the opposing seat.
She prayed she had made the correct decision.
More than anything in the world, she desired the security of a home, where she would always be welcomed.
She desired to be in one place where she could watch one season slide into the next—where the people around her would call her by her real name and be happy to keep her company. No more to be a stranger, she thought.
May I have all that with Lord Beaufort and his relations? she asked herself. There is no doubt, his lordship will protect me and guide me in how things are done in Ireland. And when I learn, and I will do so, we may come to marital congress. Such is my prayer.
As he watched out the window on the first day of his travels, Beaufort considered what he might encounter at his grandparents’ estate.
“I have been away from there far longer than I should have been,” he told the empty carriage.
“But the work I do for Ireland in the British Parliament is essential to Ireland’s future.
Now, if I can convince my stubborn cousins to consider building canals or clearing roads so we might move their crops to shipping centers with more ease, I would know satisfaction.
Baskingstoke is a prime example of the efficiency of the canals.
And what of our own factories in Ireland?
Instead of working for pennies in Manchester or Liverpool or Birmingham, we can raise our own sheep and create wool and thread.
“England, like it or not, has not stood still, while Ireland is sinking fast. I vow that both my grandmother’s Klare Fields and my own Beaufort Court, though I have previously begun my renovations and improvements there, will no longer be backcountry estates.
When the English have bragged of their accomplishments, I have held my tongue and listened, even when I wished to shout against the gods who deemed it so.
I mean to have things in Ireland soon to be on an upturn. ”
As the day came to an end, Navan had overtaken Graham’s coach.
As was customary for Graham, who possessed a great mind for both large and small details, his lordship had kept Navan honest by arranging for a large suite at the inn that Navan and Aaran would share, with a smaller attached room, customarily used by a servant for Lady Annalise.
Navan would have had to hire a girl to stay with Lady Annalise if they had traveled together, and, though he had employed one of the inn mistress’s daughters to assist Annalise in changing her clothes and bathing, he would have enjoyed private time with his betrothed.
Unfortunately, as was customary, Graham’s practicality trumped Navan’s ill-consideration.
By midday on their fifth day of travel, they were within ten miles of Graham’s smaller estate when Graham’s coach pulled up suddenly.
Beaufort reached for his guns as his coachman called to Graham’s to learn what had occurred.
Navan could not hear Mr. Jamison’s response, and so he stepped down with cautiousness to survey the area.
He assumed Annalise was still in the coach with Graham, and Beaufort moved with great care in case his friend and his betrothed had been stopped by a highwayman.
However, he was happy to see Graham speaking to another gentleman. “You recognize Lord Cunningham, do you not, Beaufort?” Graham said with a bit of strain lurking in his voice, which spoke to the occasional arguments Graham had with the Scottish lord on the floor of Parliament.
“Good day, my lord,” Beaufort said to the gentleman. “What have we here?”
“My coachman says we have broken an axle,” Cunningham reported.
“We could see you to my southern estate,” Graham offered, “and send someone back to assist your man.”
“I suppose such must be our choice,” Lord Cunningham said with a bit of hesitation in his tone until his lordship was joined by a strikingly beautiful young lady.
“We are fortunate his lordship was the one to discover us, Papa,” the young woman said.
Beaufort glanced at Graham, expecting him to take charge of the situation, but his brother stood in apparent dumbfoundedness, which was assuredly not like the Aaran Graham he knew and admired.
Therefore, Navan took control of the situation.
“Why do we not place some of your trunks on both my and Graham’s coaches so as to lighten the load, which would make repairs easier.
We will send a flat wagon back with Graham’s men to offset the rest of the weight.
Is it just you and the young lady, my lord? ”
“Pardon my poor manners,” Cunningham said as he gestured to the woman at his side. “This is my younger daughter, Lady Freya. My wife is also in my carriage. She is not one to be as curious as our daughter.”
“That is correct. Your eldest married this season, did she not?” Beaufort asked, though he really did not care.
“Yes, to Lord Dickerson. She is now Dickerson’s viscountess and will reside in Buckinghamshire.”
“Excellent news.” Beaufort kept control. “You and Lady Cunningham should join me in my carriage, my lord. It is a bit larger than the one Lord Graham has employed for this journey.” Navan would provide Graham time to recover his aplomb.
“I could not permit my daughter to ride alone with Lord Graham,” Cunningham declared in protest.
“Lady Freya would not be alone with Lord Graham,” Beaufort corrected.
“My betrothed is traveling with my brother. We are to marry at Graham’s estate and then travel to my grandmother’s estate in Ireland.
We chose Scotland because we may cross more easily to Ireland from here than seeking passage out of London and around to the Irish Sea. ”
“I did not know you were betrothed,” Cunningham said suspiciously.
“It is a relatively new betrothal. We planned to wait until spring to announce our intentions, but my grandmother is quite ill. I wished for her to know that I am well settled. Permit me to fetch my future bride.” He stepped back to Graham’s coach.
“Come, my dear. I would have you presented to Lord Cunningham and his daughter.”
Annalise stuck her hand out before showing herself.
He knew without her acknowledgment of his words she had heard his conversation and knew the excuses he had offered Cunningham.
Annalise would follow his lead, for she was no ordinary woman.
He lifted her to the ground. “My lady,” he said as he led her back to where the others waited, “permit me to give you the acquaintance of Lord Cunningham, who, like Graham and Lord Duncan, represents Scotland in Parliament. Beside his lordship is his daughter, Lady Freya. Their coach has broken an axel. I have offered to assist in transporting his lordship and Lady Cunningham to Graham’s estate.
My lord. My lady. This is my betrothed, Lady Annalise Dutton. ”
“Marksman’s sister?” Cunningham asked in surprise. “But you are brother to Dutton.”