Chapter Four #2
Adorable. That was what they always called her. Never lovely, or pretty—just adorable, as though she were one of her little nieces. ‘Just call me a rosebush,’ Meridith muttered under her breath.
‘What?’ Diana asked.
‘Nothing,’ Meridith answered, and pointed to the porch, where Peter and Alena were already climbing the stairs.
Diana spun around and joined the others, awaiting their turn to enter next, and Meridith shook her head.
The fun she’d had in the coach, merely conversing with Drake, was indeed over.
The next several hours would be dreadfully dull.
The best she could hope for would be to find a seat in a hidden corner or some secluded room, where she would sit in peace and privately count the minutes until it was time to leave.
Lately, she’d found that much easier than being introduced to people, mostly marriage eligible men, all night.
‘I don’t believe I’ve ever met your sister’s husband,’ Drake said.
‘You probably won’t, not unless you visit their country estate,’ she replied. ‘Or Ascot.’
‘He enjoys the horse races, does he?’
Everyone knew the racetrack was the draw to Ascot. ‘He might live there for all I know,’ she said.
‘You do not sound impressed.’
Meridith shrugged.
‘You don’t like horse racing?’
‘I’ve never been to a race.’
‘Does Holdenstall raise horses?’
‘Yes, and he bets on them.’ She shouldn’t be sharing such family secrets, but Drake was already hiding her bustle in his coach, so she could trust him with one more confidence.
Try as they might to make everything appear normal, she not only saw the way her family was trying to marry her off, but also that her sister’s own marriage wasn’t as wonderful as Diana wanted people to believe.
It was her and Drake’s turn to climb the steps and wait as her family was greeted by the hosts ahead of them.
‘I hauled two racehorses to America once,’ Drake said. ‘Spirited animals that needed exercise daily.’
Glad for the slight change of subject, to one that was far more interesting, she replied, ‘That had to have been difficult on the ship. What did you do?’
‘The most we could do was walk them around the hull of the ship several times a day. It’s that way with a lot of animals.
Tame ones. Or perhaps I should say, ones that can be trusted.
Some horses and cattle, you simply can’t trust, so I wouldn’t classify them as tame.
Lions have to stay in their crates no matter how domesticated they might appear.
All large cats do. They can’t be trusted.
Monkeys are shysters, they can’t be trusted, either. Same with alligators.’
‘Good heavens, how do you sleep at night when such dangerous animals are on board? Aren’t you afraid?’
‘Not afraid, just vigilant. Someone is always awake and at hand when we haul animals. Even those that can be trusted. They are in a strange place and a ship can toss about quite a bit when we hit rough water. That can startle them and cause them to act differently from normal.’
There was a shine on his face and in his eyes, and though she was happy for him, it caused her to feel a sense of longing. A longing to have something that she loved so much that just talking about it made her shine. ‘You love it, don’t you? Being a sea captain.’
‘I do. There’s not a greater life, in my opinion. However, it’s not for everyone, and in that too, I’m glad. If everyone loved it as I do, the ocean would be overflowing with ships, and no one would live on land. Meaning there wouldn’t be anyone for me to haul cargo for, and that would be a shame.’
‘That is true,’ she said. ‘My father was a sea captain at one time, before he met my mother. Before he had a family.’
It was their turn to step into the house.
Upon seeing Drake, the Baroness Montgomery instantly took a hold of both of his hands.
‘Captain Taylor, we are so pleased that you could join us! Our son Adam, who will be asleep soon, was ecstatic to hear you might be in attendance. I think I mentioned that he’s enthralled with Hugo, your elephant. ’
‘Thank you for the invitation,’ Drake said. ‘I’m honored to attend, but I must correct you, Hugo is no longer my elephant. He belongs to the zoo.’
‘I know, I know. Captain… Please forgive me for being so direct, but I must ask if you wouldn’t mind sparing just a brief moment to say hello to Adam? I would forever be grateful.’
‘My apologies, Captain Taylor,’ Baron Montgomery said. ‘I’m afraid my wife has filled our son’s head with hopes of meeting the man who brought Hugo to the zoo. It’s all either of them has talked about since we met you yesterday.’
‘I’d be honored to meet your son,’ Drake said. ‘Could I ask that Lady Meridith joins me? She’s more familiar with entertaining children than I am.’
Meridith’s heart skipped several beats. She did enjoy spending time with children, but the idea of staying at Drake’s side for a few more minutes was even more pleasing.
‘Certainly,’ Baron Montgomery replied. ‘Lady Meridith, it’s our pleasure to have you join us this evening.’
Meridith exchanged greetings with both her hosts, then the baron assured his wife that he would receive the guests alone until she was able to return.
With that, she and Drake were swept away from the doorway and up a wide set of polished wooden stairs to the first floor.
‘I simply can’t thank you enough, Captain Taylor,’ the baroness said, as they climbed the staircase. ‘You, too, Meridith. You remember Adam, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do,’ Meridith replied. ‘He’s been a guest at several birthday parties for my nieces and nephews.
’ A quiet boy compared to her nephews, Adam was often on the sidelines, watching as others played.
As a result, Meridith had spoken to him during all of his visits to any of her siblings’ homes.
‘Oh, yes, and your nephews were at Adam’s seventh birthday party, just a few months ago,’ the baroness said, as they reached the landing. ‘His room is right this way.’
The baroness continued talking about her son, and her other two children, both boys older than Adam, who were currently away at school, until they arrived at the nursery, where she opened the door and led them inside.
Adam, a small child with curly red hair and dozens of freckles, was sitting on the floor with his governess, playing with an assortment of wooden animals.
The baroness introduced them, and within moments, Meridith recognized that Drake hadn’t needed her assistance in order to visit Adam.
He sat on the floor with the boy and was answering questions asked of him two at a time.
He had questions of his own that he asked Adam, and the laughter between the two of them genuinely warmed Meridith’s heart.
‘Oh, I just can’t tell you how happy this makes me,’ the baroness whispered. ‘Adam usually shies away from people, even those he knows, but look at him. He’s beaming with excitement.’
Adam was certainly far more talkative than Meridith had ever seen him. ‘Captain Taylor can draw anyone into a conversation,’ she whispered in return. ‘Especially when it comes to animals.’
‘I can see that.’ Glancing towards the door, the baroness added, ‘I really should return to the foyer. I don’t want to abandon Alfred with so many guests yet to arrive. Would you mind?’
‘Not at all,’ Meridith said. ‘Go. Captain Taylor and I will find our way back downstairs when they are done talking.’
‘Thank you, my dear, and thank the captain for me again, would you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Meridith replied, glancing about the room. It was filled with toys and books, everything a child was meant to need to be made happy, but as she’d learned long ago, things alone couldn’t make anyone happy.
Meridith would have been content to stay put, simply watching the interaction happening on the floor, but Drake motioned her forward.
‘I told Adam that Hugo will be providing rides to zoo visitors soon, and about how you want to ride him,’ Drake said.
She smiled at him, then looked at Adam. ‘That is true. I do want to ride him. Do you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Adam replied, a bit hesitant. ‘He’s so big,’.
Drake reached up and took hold of Meridith’s hand. ‘I said that perhaps we could meet Adam at the zoo one day, and the two of you could ride Hugo together? I’d be there the entire time, too.’
Both Adam and Drake were looking at her expectantly, and she was more than willing to agree with their silent pleas.
With Drake holding her hand, she felt as if she was a real part of something.
Even if it was just making a child feel more comfortable.
It had been a long time since she had felt so included.
Lowering herself onto her knees, she said, ‘I think that would be wonderful.’
‘Will you ride Hugo, too?’ Adam asked Drake.
‘I already have,’ Drake answered. ‘Several times. It’s like riding a horse. He’s just bigger. What’s not comfortable to ride is a camel. Their gait is hard to get used to, and that makes you bounce around like a ball.’
Adam laughed. ‘You rode a camel, too?’
‘Certainly did,’ Drake replied.
The conversation continued, with the subject bouncing between the zoo animals, sailing, and other topics, which had Meridith laughing along with Adam and Drake.
Eventually, Drake suggested that it was probably past Adam’s bedtime.
He promised to discuss a zoo visit with the baron and baroness, who would confirm the day and time with Adam tomorrow morning.
By the time they left the room, Meridith was convinced that Drake could very well be the nicest man she’d ever met.
‘Thank you for joining me,’ he said, as they walked down the hallway.
‘You’re welcome. You’ve made him very happy. I’ve never seen him laugh before. He’s a very shy child.’
‘I noticed that.’
‘And I noticed you are very good at making people laugh.’
‘I try,’ he said.
‘That’s what you did with me during the croquet game. Tried your best to make me laugh.’
He grinned at her. ‘Guilty.’
‘Why?’
He shrugged. ‘I like seeing people happy.’