Chapter Twenty-Four
The past week had been unbearable, at least where Violet’s heart was concerned.
Everywhere she turned in Bracknell, she found Gideon.
At the apothecary, the Raven, the mercantile, even along the boardwalks lining the streets.
She couldn’t seem to shake the stubborn lout who had been making every attempt to make amends.
She had to give him credit for his determination no matter how hard she wished to dismiss him.
The fair amount of groveling he had been doing was becoming embarrassing and the town folk were beginning to talk and worse, they were in his favor!
Even the people who had commented on his disfigurement when he first arrived in town seemed to now encourage Gideon to win her favor.
Everyone appeared to be against her. What was she to do?
She glanced across the aisle of the church to the pew where Gideon sat, to see him turning the page in the hymn book.
And then, she could hear the rich baritone of his voice as he joined the rest of the congregation in the song rising up to the heavens.
His singing had a calming effect on her, lulling her into a sense of security she had never experienced before.
Was it because she was sitting in church with her family that she felt the extra support she needed?
Perhaps. But when Gideon turned his head to look at her, she felt her resolve to remain uninterested in him crack.
There could be no mistaking she was witnessing such longing upon his features.
His expression brought her back to when they had locked eyes at the Lyon’s Den for the very first time or when he had awoken from his accident.
It was a clear reminder of that sense of connection to another living being who had originally pulled at her heartstrings to accept the inevitable…
they were meant to be together, if she would only finally forgive him and not remain so prideful.
When the services ended, she couldn’t leave the church fast enough and she hurried past the other parishioners as quickly as she was able.
Once she gained the fresh air, she leaned one hand on a tall oak tree while inhaling deeply to fill her lungs.
Her relief was short-lived when she saw the gentleman who had occupied her thoughts leave the church and head to a horse tethered nearby and then hard-pressed not to see the small bouquet of flowers he untied from the saddle.
She swiveled away from the sight. It was entirely possible he would be giving them to someone else but that only fired in her a ridiculous jealousy. Who else besides her and her family did he know in Bracknell? No one. The flowers had to be for her.
She heard the rich deep voice from her dreams calling out her name.
She could do nothing less than turn around to address him.
Otherwise, she would bear the scrutiny of the whole community who seemed to be gathering in droves on the grass outside the church.
She took another deep breath to calm her frayed nerves before she turned to him.
“Good morning, Captain Tyler,” she said softly while bobbing a curtsy. The closer he came. the more her heart began a rapid beat she was sure all the world could hear.
“Good morning, Miss Barnet.” He pulled the flowers from behind his back and thrust them in her direction with a smile that could melt an iceberg. “These are for you.”
Her hand trembled as she reached for the bouquet and studied the flowers.
Red and white roses were intermingled with green myrtle with small white blooms. There could be no mistaking the meaning of such an arrangement since Violet was well aware of the love language they represented.
Red roses implied a passionate love, the white said I am worthy of you, and the myrtle…
good heaven!… love, and marriage. He could drop to one bended knee and she would have known the implication without Gideon saying a word.
“Do you like them?” Gideon asked, stepping even closer. He became a human shield from spying eyes as he moved to stand next to the tree.
She raised her face to his. “Do you have any idea of what this floral arrangement means?” she asked, in a hushed whisper.
His smile told her everything she needed to know even before he spoke.
“I should hope so, or my mother might take me to task for not learning what a lady would like,” he said with a slight chuckle.
He touched one of the white roses. “I would have had violets in the arrangement to represent my faithfulness but the lady who helped me pick out the flowers didn’t have any in her greenhouse. ”
“But the myrtle represents marriage and love. I hardly think they are appropriate since our relationship isn’t at such a point.” She couldn’t help but lift the flowers to her nose and inhale as she enjoyed the fragrance of the blooms.
He reached to run a finger down one of her cheeks. “That can easily be remedied if you would only forgive me so we could start again.”
“You should give these to someone else whom you favor,” she replied, attempting to thrust them back into his hands.
His rich, deep laughter caused her heart to flip end over end. “And just who do you think I would give them to, Angel? You are the only woman in whom I am interested. I followed you from London for a reason, my lady.”
“I’m certain any of the young ladies back in the city would be more than happy to return your affection,” she responded with a lift of her chin, trying not to allow the green-eyed monster of jealousy to rear its ugly head at the thought of another woman who might attract his interest. It shouldn’t have mattered in the least who this mystery woman might be if Violet wasn’t going make it known that she wanted to be with Gideon.
“Let me again make one thing perfectly clear.” He stepped even closer and suddenly Violet found it difficult to breathe.
Trying to remain indifferent to him was getting harder by the second.
And then he spoke, and his voice felt as though it was reaching out to her very soul.
“There is no one here, other than you, or any woman in London for that matter, that holds my interest. I’m afraid you captured me from the very first glance and I am hard pressed to try and get you out of my mind.
It’s no easy task, I assure you, Violet. ”
“I am hardly some society lady, Gideon, as you very well know,” she said quietly, still touched at the thoughtfulness he put into the arrangement of flowers.
“And I am no titled gentleman but an ordinary man who knows his own mind and who he wants in his life.” The quirk on his lips made her wish to reach out to touch his mouth with her own, which of course she would never do.
“You should return to London. I’m sure Asher is worried about you,” Violet stated trying not to become captured by the spell he was weaving around her.
“And you’re changing the subject, my dear.” He held out his arm for her to take. “Come, let me escort you back to your parents.”
“I can walk without your aid.”
“I’m certain you can, but couldn’t you just humor me for a change? I wouldn’t want your father to think I wasn’t behaving like a gentleman.”
“I suppose for my parent’s sake I could yield just this once,” she replied, as she gently placed her fingertips in the crook of his arm.
He gave her hand a pat before he started walking with her back across the lawn. “See… that wasn’t too difficult, was it?”
She lifted her brow to stare at him. “You have no idea just how difficult it is to remain unresponsive to your charm, Sir Knight.”
His smile was wide, showing even teeth. “Progress! You finally admit I am charming and are using your nickname for me again.”
“A mistake I will clearly regret. I could call you a pirate but you forgot your eye patch,” she replied thinking of how irritated she had become when Arianna called him such a name.
“Feel free to use whatever nickname you’d like to call me as long as it’s… charming,” he said, giving her a wink. “I feel as though I just might be breaking through that wall you’ve erected around yourself, my lady.”
“You should enjoy your moment of conquest while it lasts, because you won’t hear such complimentary words from my mouth again.”
“Shall we make a bet on that, Angel?” he asked with an amused grin plastered on that handsome face.
“I think not,” she snapped, trying to hold her resolve to remain indifferent to him in place.
“Afraid of losing?”
“To you? Hardly. But I’m not the betting type. Instead, I’ll remain silent and if I must bear your company, you can continue escorting me to my parents. You can then be on your way back to London.”
He didn’t say anything further but his face told her more than she wanted to know.
She had admitted her deepest secret, that she found him charming, to him.
And using Sir Knight to address him? Good heavens, that had been a huge mistake on her part.
Now he was acting like she had gifted him with a huge treasure.
If only he knew how close to the truth he truly was.
She stepped away from him when they reached her mother and father because her fragile emotions were going to get the best of her.
But when she saw her brother’s approach from the church with Clarissa and Daniel, she could breathe a little easier.
Her parents excused themselves and went to speak to one of their neighbors.
Violet gave her sister-in-law a hug before taking hold of her nephew’s hand. “Captain Tyler, may I introduce you to Owen’s wife, Clarissa, and his son, Daniel,” Violet said. Daniel began playfully swinging their arms.
Clarissa bobbed a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain Tyler. I’ve heard so little about you and yet you’re related by marriage by my husband’s cousin,” she said brightly. “Patience and Asher’s wedding was so big I’m afraid I can’t remember being introduced to you.”
“It’s also a pleasure to meet you both,” Gideon said nodding. “And yes… my brother and his wife’s wedding was the event of the Season, or so my mother bragged. I’m afraid I was a bit indisposed and didn’t stay for much of the festivities following the ceremony.”
Violet studied him for a moment and realized perhaps this is why she also didn’t remember seeing him at her cousin’s wedding. “It was a lovely wedding. Patience has never been happier,” she murmured.
Gideon nodded. “As is my brother. I believe Patience has made him a new man. I’ve never seen anyone so devoted to his wife.”
Clarissa smiled brightly. “How wonderful that their relationship is a love match and not one of convenience.”
Daniel tugged at Violet’s hand. “Is he courting you, Auntie?” he exclaimed with a frown. “Cuz if he is, he better have Gramp’s approval.”
“Daniel! We don’t say such things aloud,” Violet replied, aghast that her nephew would say something so personal.
Gideon gave a chuckle. “No harm has been done,” he stated, before kneeling down to Daniel’s level. “I spoke to your grandfather just yesterday to clear up any matters of concern he might have had about me spending time with your aunt.”
“Seeing as you’re still in town attending church, he must have liked what you told him.” The young boy tilted his head to stare at Gideon. “So… you plan on marrying my aunt?”
Violet bowed her head while embarrassment flushed her cheeks. “Good heavens!” She took a moment before she at last raised her eyes to see her Owen and Clarissa staring at her and to see Gideon ruffling Daniel’s hair.
“Maybe once the lady and I have settled a few more things among us,” he finally answered before standing to face her. “I would be the luckiest man alive if she would honor me by becoming my wife. If only she would forgive me.”
Owen gave a grunt and Violet wasn’t sure if this was in approval or not but even her own brother appeared to be on Gideon’s side when he invited him over to sup.
And as she strolled next to him while he led his horse to her brother’s house, Violet was certain that her ruse of remaining indifferent to him would completely fall apart in a matter of days.