Chapter Fifteen
Miranda retired to her bedchamber after the soiree had ended, her mind awhirl.
She had just undressed, washed, and donned her nightgown when Gwenys knocked on her door. “Are you ready for me, Aunt Miranda?”
“Yes,” she said with a laugh, opening the door to her niece.
“What a perfect night this was,” Gwenys declared, dropping onto Miranda’s bed with a gleeful sigh.
Yes, the dear girl’s dreams of marrying Douglas would come true.
Miranda slipped in beside Gwenys, who was behaving like a little pup, curling this way and that in her excitement.
She burrowed against her. “I’m glad we are spending what could be our last night together,” Gwenys said.
“Although I am joining you as a protective measure for myself, it seems fitting that my last night here should be the same as the first night I arrived in your care. Do you remember? I was so scared, and you took me into your bed and held me in your arms until morning. I knew then that I was finally safe and out of the grasp of my awful stepmother.”
“I remember,” Miranda said softly.
“Sweet dreams, Aunt Miranda.”
“And to you, my sweetheart.”
It was not long before Gwenys was fast asleep and nudging her off the side.
Miranda smiled, knowing she would miss these nights of being pushed off the bed by her niece. But she could not fall asleep because she was thinking of Solway and what to do to make things right between them.
She awoke early the following morning, determined to talk to him before he got caught up in his work, and before Douglas’s planned meeting with Gwenys’s father.
By nine o’clock, she was washed, dressed, and had gulped down a cup of tea, ignoring her usual intricate ceremony of slowly adding in honey, milk, sugar, and a dash of lemon because there simply wasn’t time nor any longer the need to hide behind this ritual.
Once done, she returned upstairs to look in on Gwenys before she went in search of Solway.
“Ah, you are up.”
Gwenys greeted her cheerfully. “Oh, yes. Douglas said he would come by at ten o’clock, and I need to hurry if I’m to be ready in time to greet him. Where are you going at this hour?”
“To find Solway.”
“Why? Does it not make more sense to wait for Douglas? He will tell you where he is and save you needless running around.”
Miranda did not have the patience to wait another minute, much less an hour. “Perhaps it is more sensible, but I cannot leave this matter undone. I must apologize to him.”
“Now?”
She nodded. “Yes. He must hate me, and I have to make amends.”
“Oh, he doesn’t hate you, Aunt Miranda. He adores you.”
“Then why did he not show up when Mr. Barrow called on us? Or last night at Berry and Gideon’s party? Why did he send Douglas in his place? Indeed, why did he not show up with Douglas? I’m telling you, he hates me now.”
Gwenys sighed. “I’m sure he will stop by after they see my father. I’m going to pray very hard that Papa accepts his offer. Do you think there is a chance?”
“Truthfully?” Miranda pursed her lips because the honest answer was going to disappoint her niece. “No, your stepmother’s tentacles are too firmly entrenched in him. I am quite certain a journey north is in the cards for us.”
“And you are not even packed for this,” Gwenys chided her. “I prepared a bag for myself last night. But I think Lottie had better go over it with me, because I’ve probably forgotten something important. My head has been in the clouds since Douglas appeared at Berry’s soiree.”
“Ask Lottie to set out some of my clothes, too. That would be helpful.” And would keep her occupied while Miranda went in search of Solway.
“I think it makes sense for us to grab the fastest mail coach to Gretna Green or wherever else in Scotland it first stops,” Gwenys mused. “I’ll make certain Douglas secures three seats for us.”
“I’m sure Solway would give us his carriage,” Miranda said.
“Perhaps, but that will only slow us down because we’d have to rest the horses every ten miles or so. Mail coach is the better idea. Why are you frowning, Aunt Miranda?”
“I am not frowning.”
“Yes, you are. You cannot beg out. I need you with me or I’ll have no loved ones at my wedding.”
If one could even call these hasty Gretna Green ceremonies a wedding. The entire recitation would take two minutes in front of a blacksmith, if that long.
Gwenys was sentimental. Miranda hoped her niece would not be disappointed by the businesslike brevity of what should have been the most important moment in her life.
As for her, she’d had a big wedding with plenty of family and friends invited. Within the month, she’d realized the marriage had been a catastrophic mistake.
Miranda shook out of the thought. “Gwenys, I’ll be with you for as long as you need me.”
Gwenys smiled. “Let’s think of this as a grand adventure. We’ll return to London after the wedding to the cheers of all our friends on Duchess Square.”
“Is this what Douglas told you?”
Miranda knew that Douglas had duties at Lanark Castle. Could Solway spare him for an entire month or longer? Was it not more likely that Douglas and Gwenys would ride straight north to Lanark Castle afterward?
When she mentioned this to Gwenys, the girl’s smile faltered. “How could he take me there when all my belongings are here? And I would never allow you to travel back to London on your own.”
Miranda nibbled her lip, for this was what she’d feared.
Gwenys had not thought this through completely.
She had been so caught up with falling in love that important details had been overlooked.
“Think about this carefully. Once you marry Douglas, your life is with him. And his life is in Scotland.”
“We did not discuss our plans beyond the wedding ceremony,” Gwenys admitted. “I was so frightened out of my wits when Papa burst in here to take me home that all I wanted or thought about was to be safely married.”
Her father’s brutish attempt to reclaim her was reprehensible, and perhaps had led to a rushed decision.
Gwenys must have read Miranda’s mind. “I am certain about my feelings for Douglas. My only concern is about how to get you home safely and deliver my belongings up to Douglas’s home in a way that makes sense.
There’s also a bit of sorrow involved, isn’t there?
You are my home, and have been my rock of love and protection until now.
It will be hard for me to part from you. ”
Miranda nodded. “It is so hard for me, too. You have been a blessing for me. But you deserve a happy life with Douglas.”
Gwenys frowned. “I hope those two witches keep away from you. I worry about what they plan for you once they realize they cannot use me for their evil purposes.”
“I am not afraid of them,” Miranda lied—although was it truly a lie? Had she not gained some measure of confidence over these past few weeks? Perhaps not complete confidence, but she was no longer a pathetic weakling. She refused to ever be frozen in fear by them again.
Gwenys gave her a hug and laughed softly. “We both need to work on our bravery skills. Am I not worse?”
Miranda smiled. “Oh, I think I win the prize for cowardice. Look at me. I am so afraid to make another mistake in marriage that I hurt Solway deeply. I was unpardonably rude to the best man I have ever met. This is why I need to go now and make thing right with him.”
“And accept his marriage proposal,” Gwenys insisted.
Miranda returned her niece’s hug. “We’ll see if he will even talk to me.”
She had ordered her carriage brought around earlier and now saw it waiting for her at the front gate.
Mr. Barrow had patrolled the grounds last night. He nodded to her as she walked out of her house. “Good morning, m’lady.”
“Good morning, Mr. Barrow. Was all quiet during the wee hours?”
“Yes, all quiet. Not even the rustle of a cat prowling among the flowers in your garden.”
After extending her gratitude for his diligence, Miranda climbed into her carriage and directed her driver to Solway’s residence, which was not very far away.
The ride took a mere five minutes, but to her dismay, Solway had already left for the day.
“Oh dear. Would you know where I might find him?” she asked his butler.
His expression turned wary. “Forgive me, madam, but I am not at liberty to disclose this information.”
“Oh, of course. Quite understandable.” She tried to hide her disappointment. “Would you please let him know when he returns that Lady Miranda Lawson called on him?”
“Lady Miranda?” The man immediately softened. “Oh, my apologies. Please do come in. Laird Douglas is here and will be able to tell you His Grace’s schedule.”
Douglas walked downstairs at that moment and heard this last exchange. He quickly strode forward. “Is everything all right with Gwenys?”
Miranda nodded. “Yes, all is well.”
His tension eased. “I’ve just finished breakfast and was on my way to see her. How is she?”
“Eager to see you,” she said, smiling.
“I was going to call upon her father later this morning, but Bram has meetings scheduled and will no’ be free until later this afternoon. I may call upon Lord Lowery on my own after I visit Gwenys.”
Miranda shook her head. “No, that is not a good idea. You’ll need Solway at that meeting. Gwenys’s father is easily manipulated by his cruel wife, and the only one who intimidates him more than that awful woman is Solway. Is there any way he can postpone his appointments and join you earlier?”
Douglas arched an eyebrow. “Nay. He has important government matters that require his attention. I asked him, but he apologized and said he could no’ do it.
Perhaps ye might have better luck persuading him.
He’d give ye the world if it were in his power.
But I suppose ye’ve noticed how besotted he is with ye. ”
Little daggers of pain shot through her. “He has been wonderful to me and Gwenys.”
She left, thinking to simply take a quick jaunt around London while she cleared her head. But what was there to think about when she already knew what had to be done?