Chapter 16
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When Tamsin had finally caught up with her mother and the children in Cheapside, they were on their way back.
Her mother still had her arm threaded through Big John’s, and the children were holding hands and skipping.
Tamsin smiled when she saw them. They looked like a very happy family.
The children seemed to already be putting their time with Snoozer behind them, and if she was not mistaken, and based on the way Big John was looking at her mother, she might soon have a new stepfather.
“There you are!” her mother said. “We thought you’d forgotten us.”
“Not at all. Did you see any houses for let?”
“Nothing really, but then yer in no ’urry to move, are ye?” Big John asked.
Tamsin couldn’t resist poking him a bit. “You did say we could only stay one night, and we’ve overstayed that welcome tenfold.”
“I never said that,” Big John argued. “Yer welcome for as long as ye like. In fact—” He ducked his head a bit sheepishly. “I’ve been thinking maybe we could trade places. Ye lot take the room upstairs, and I’ll sleep downstairs.”
“We couldn’t put you out of your quarters,” Mama said.
“I insist,” Big John said. “There’s four of ye and only one of me. It makes sense.”
“But John…”
Tamsin left the two to discuss the matter and jogged to catch up with Charlie and Joanna, who had stopped to peer in a shopwindow.
Tamsin studied the display of paintings for sale.
One was of a lake with a small boat churning on the waves.
She wondered if that was what Garret’s lake in Ireland looked like.
“I wish I could make pictures like that,” Joanna said.
“Perhaps you can. It just takes paint and paper and a bit of practice.”
“I don’t have paint or paper or practice.”
“One day you will.” She sent a silent wish that all worked out with Mr. Maillardet. “If that’s what you want, you’ll have it.”
“I like that painting of the horse,” Charlie said. “I like horses.”
“One day you shall ride one.”
“Do ye think?” Charlie asked. Tamsin nodded and hoped she wasn’t wrong to give the children false hope.
After all, people didn’t always get what they wanted.
She’d certainly not gotten anything she wanted.
Not ever. But maybe her luck was about to change.
Maybe she’d be so busy in Maillardet’s shop she’d forget about Garret Kildare and how, for a brief moment in her life, she’d known what love was.
The family spent much of the day looking in shopwindows and pointing out what they’d buy if they had the coffers of a king.
Eventually, they ate pies sold by a street vendor and watched the hustle and bustle of the city.
As it grew late, Big John urged them to start for home.
Back in Covent Garden, they walked past Brown’s on the way to the pawnshop.
Molly was standing outside, her curls limp and a bucket in her hand.
She pulled a face when she saw them and tossed the dirty water out far enough to splash them if Tamsin hadn’t scooped Joanna up and jumped out of the way.
“Feeling well, Molly?” Tamsin called. “You look tired.”
“Oh, go eat rocks.”
The door behind her opened, and Mrs. Brown came out. She turned her nose up at the family and ushered her daughter inside, saying loudly, “We don’t speak with rubbish, dear.”
“She looks a little more ragged than when I saw her last,” Mama said with a small smile.
“Must be working too hard to fuss with her hair all the time,” Tamsin said. Then she set Joanna down and started walking again. But just as the pawnshop came into view, she stumbled and almost tripped.
“What’s he still doing at the shop?” Big John asked.
Tamsin wondered the same. She and Garret had said their farewells hours before.
He shouldn’t have returned. She stiffened her back when he pushed off from the door, and she noted he held a bulging cloth in front of him.
She just knew it contained food. Her belly rumbled, but she wasn’t pleased.
Dropping Joanna’s hand, Tamsin marched toward Garret, who smiled at her despite the fearsome look she gave him.
“What is this about?” she hissed. “We said this morning was goodbye.”
“I brought supper,” he said, looking past her.
“We’ve eaten,” she said.
“I’m hungry!” Charlie interrupted.
“Here, take it.” Garret bent and handed the napkin to the boy.
“Listen, Kildare,” Tamsin said as Big John unlocked the door to the shop. “You can’t keep bringing us food.”
“ ’E can bring me food,” Big John said.
“John,” Mama murmured. “Don’t interfere. Children, come inside. Your sister needs to have a private word with Mr. Kildare.” She looked back at her daughter before going inside. “A quick word, Tamsin.”
The door closed and Tamsin rounded on Garret, hands on her hips.
“Why are you back here? We said goodbye. I told you I didn’t want to see you again.
” She was perilously close to tears at seeing him again.
She had to make him understand that he couldn’t keep dropping into her life or she would never be able to recover.
She took a breath. “Go find your heiress and leave me alone.”
“No.”
“No?” She stared at him, uncomprehending.
“That’s what I said. No.” He smiled at her and reached for her hand, but she pulled it away.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, no, I won’t find an heiress. I don’t want an heiress. I want you.”
She shook her head impatiently. “We’ve been through this. I don’t have any money.”
“I don’t care.”
“But your family—”
“Doesn’t care. I told them about you.”
Her breath caught in her chest. “You told them?” she whispered.
“Yes, my mother, my father, my sister, everyone—well, Daire wasn’t there, but I’ll tell him later. They gave me their blessing.”
Nothing he said made any sense. She was misunderstanding or light-headed from the heat and the sun. “I don’t understand.”
“Maybe you will understand this.” He lowered to one knee. A man passing by paused and said, “Wot’s this then?”
“A proposal,” Kildare said without looking away from Tamsin.
“Get up, Kildare,” she hissed as a few people across the street began to wander over. “You’re making a scene.”
“Couldn’t be helped. Tamsin—”
“I very much doubt that. Get up.”
“Oi, ’ear ’im out, dearie,” cried an older woman with a large basket on one arm.
“I can’t do that. I don’t want to ruin his life,” she told the woman and the gathering crowd. Looking back at Garret, she gestured for him to rise. “Stand up.”
The door behind her opened, and she closed her eyes in frustration. “What on earth?” her mother exclaimed. “Mr. Kildare, what are you doing?”
“I’m trying to make your daughter an offer of marriage, Mrs. Archer.”
“Why?”
Now Tamsin turned to glare at her mother. “Oh, thank you very much, Mama.”
Her mother waved her hand. “I don’t mean it that way. You’re far too good for him, Tamsin.” But she peered closely at Kildare, who was still kneeling. “But I still want to hear why he’s on one knee in the middle of the street.”
Tamsin might have argued this was hardly the middle of the street, but she wasn’t about to say a word. She wanted to hear why Kildare was proposing marriage too.
“I’m on one knee, Mrs. Archer, because I love your daughter.
I love her wholly and completely. I love how clever she is.
I don’t know anyone who would have had the patience and intelligence to repair that automaton.
I love how brave she is. She’s clearly terrified of horses, but when tending them meant a chance to help her brother and sister, she didn’t hesitate to face her fear.
And that brings me to what I love best—how much she loves.
She loves you and Charlie and Joanna so much that she would have done anything for you.
She never gave up hope of finding them.” He gestured to the children, who had come out of the shop and were holding on to their mother’s skirts.
“She’s strong and resilient, passionate and tender—don’t argue, Archer. You can be.”
Tamsin felt her cheeks heat and shook her head. She felt as though she were floating off the ground, watching all of this unfold as from a distance. Surely, the man she had dreamed about for years was not kneeling before her and listing all the things he loved about her.
“I only hope one day she might love me as much as she loves you. I told my family nothing could keep me from her—not censure, not scandal, not banishment. They now know how much I love you, Archer. I have their blessing to ask this question—”
Tamsin reached back and grabbed her mother’s hand.
“Tamsin—er—”
“Mary,” Mama whispered.
“Tamsin Mary Archer, will you marry me?”
Tamsin squeezed her mother’s hand, and Mama squeezed it back then released it and stepped away.
Tamsin understood this choice was hers alone to make.
She looked at Garret Kildare, still on one knee before her.
His auburn hair was unkempt, his jaw unshaven, and his beautiful brown eyes looked weary.
She’d imagined him so many times—the feel of his hand in hers when he’d helped her up outside the Theatre Royal.
The way he’d smiled at her and actually looked at her, not through her, as most of his class did.
He was looking at her now, and she saw something more in his eyes: love. He really did love her. He loved her enough to give up everything for her. Even if his family accepted the match, he had to know he’d still be giving up everything.
“Did she answer yet?” an older man said, breaking the silence.
“Not yet,” someone answered.
Garret raised his brows. “Well?”
“Are you certain?” she asked.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
“What about the…” She didn’t want to expose his family’s financial straits to all gathered. “The reason for the heiress,” she said.
“We Kildares will figure it out. We always do.”
“What about your position? You won’t be invited to balls any longer. Your friends will desert you.”
“I never cared much about my position in Society, and if I never attend another ball, I won’t miss it. As for my friends, if they desert me, they weren’t really my friends to begin with. Tamsin, I don’t care about any of that. Really. I only care about you. Will you have me?”
She took a breath, stepped forward, and put her hand in his. As soon as they touched, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I will.”
And then she was in his arms, being lifted and spun around. The crowd around them was cheering, and someone was throwing flower petals. Kildare finally set her down, and she looked up at him as he bent to kiss her hand.
“Aw! Kiss ’er on the lips!” the lady with the basket cried.
Garret raised his brows and Tamsin shrugged. He cupped her face and leaned forward.
“What the devil is this?” came a voice. “Garret! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Tamsin turned and saw another of the Kildare brothers marching toward them. Like Garret, he had auburn hair, but his eyes were green, and his clothing was the most stylish of any man she’d ever encountered. She’d never seen boots so polished or such a starched neckcloth.
“Daire!” He reached an arm out and drew his brother in. “Meet my betrothed, Miss Tamsin Archer.”
“Betrothed?” Daire blinked. His gaze dropped down for what she assumed was an assessment of her cheap dress and manservant’s shoes—she wasn’t about to part with that aspect of the livery Garret had given her; she’d never had buckles on her shoes before—then looked back up at her again.
“Felicitations, Miss Archer.” He looked past her to Mama.
“Mrs. Archer. Er—” He looked back at Garret. “Do Mama and Papa…?”
“Yes. They approve—well, they gave their blessing. I won’t be disowned.”
“Excellent.” Daire gave a tight smile and reached into his coat pocket. “Welcome to the family.” He pulled out a small notebook and a stubby pencil. He opened the notebook to a marked page, licked the tip of the pencil, and drew a line through something.
Tamsin looked at Garret, who seemed unfazed by this odd reaction. “What are you doing, Mr. Kildare?”
Daire looked up at her. “Crossing my brother off the list of people I must outwit to take possession of the summer house.”
“You’re an arse.” Garret gave him a light shove.
“Careful. You’ll want to be in my good graces if you ever hope to visit me in the summer house.” He looked at Tamsin. “When is the happy day?”
“We have to call the banns,” Garret said.
“And find you something to wear.” That was from Mama.
Garret waved a hand and pulled Tamsin into his arms again. “How does a month from today sound?”
She looked up at him, into those velvet-brown eyes. “Perfect.”