CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Gabe glanced toward the ceiling and grimaced at the long peal of thunder spreading overhead.
Raindrops pelted the tall study window where he stood with Caleb Parker, looking out at the black and ominous day, and the rainwater ran down the glass in such thick rivulets as to obscure whatever little they were able to discern beyond the window.
“Better send someone to the barns to check on the animals,” Caleb mumbled as a flash of lightening streaked over the distant hills. “If they’ve started lining up two by two, we’re in trouble.”
Gabe forced a tight smile but didn’t laugh at Caleb’s attempted humor. His mood was as glum as the weather.
“Giving the workers the day off was the right decision,” Caleb said, as if reading Gabe’s mind.
Gabe nodded. They were ahead of schedule, and standing around in the cold rain while the ground turned to mud and the mortar refused to set would have done no good at all.
It also gave the two men time to go over the project’s details again, look at supplies, and gauge the timeline.
Yet the delay still gnawed at his gut. It seemed as if everything did these days.
He knew the approaching wedding was the cause, and every day that brought him closer only worked to make him fret more.
He would be beyond happy once the vows were taken, the register signed, Helena his wife… and the past finally set to rights.
Until then, the waiting might just kill him.
“Hopefully, the weather will clear by morning.” Gabe sank into his leather chair behind his desk as a familiar gnawing returned to his belly.
He nodded at the table where all the planning documents were currently spread out.
“By the way,” he asked, stretching out his long legs beneath the desk, “how’s the new school coming along? ”
The glimmer of amusement in Caleb’s eyes showed he wasn’t fooled at all by Gabe’s nonchalance. “Very well. In fact, I’m beginning to think we should put the women in charge of all the building projects.”
He blew out a breath. “Don’t give them any ideas.”
The entire school project had been turned over to the ladies.
Gabe had given Helena final say in decisions, right down to the budget and supplies, and Caleb had handed over most of the building decisions—and workmen leadership—to his wife Maggie.
The school was emerging as a parallel project to the men’s, and in no small part a competition to see which construction site would be finished first and best.
As of right then, the women seemed to be winning, especially as their men could continue to work inside in the dry and with villagers stopping by to help as they could.
Truly, though, the two had done wonders in such a short time, he had to admit, and the villagers themselves had begun to recognize Helena’s dedication to them and their children.
Despite being busy with all the plans for the wedding and breakfast, she was still somehow spending hours turning the old building into something approaching a real school, with more ideas for improvements most likely on the way.
He felt proud of her, he had to admit, even if he didn’t dare say it aloud. Damnation, he felt a hell of a lot more than proud, and their encounter in the cottage confirmed it.
He should never have touched her like that, should never have let her touch him—but he’d been too wound up over Adam’s return, the threats to Alice’s security, and once again the necessity to protect his family from one of its own to tamp down the need for comfort that had flared inside him… and the simple need for her.
Thank God he’d had the restraint to stop things when he had. He foresaw nothing that would prevent their marriage in a little over a week’s time, but he’d never been friends with fate. He couldn’t risk Helena getting with child before they were irrevocably wed.
“The school building is coming along nicely,” Caleb admitted.
“The walls have been replastered, the leaks around the windows fixed, the uneven floorboards replaced… Structurally, it’s sound.
Starting off in an existing building rather than creating a new one from the ground up was certainly the right decision. ”
“And the furnishings?” Even now, receipts for new desks, books, and all kinds of other teaching supplies that Helena had ordered sat in a pile on his desk, waiting to be paid.
“The bookshelves are arriving in a few days from a local carpenter and will be installed along with the cloakroom. The desks are coming from London and will take a bit longer to arrive, but the books and remaining supplies should be here by the end of next month.”
“It’s a shame it won’t be ready by the wedding,” Gabe mused. “A completed school would have been the perfect wedding gift to Helena.”
“Oh, I’m certain you’ll think of something just as lovely as that old building to give her.” Caleb added, deadpan, “Like a cow shed.”
Gabe rolled his eyes.
“Maybe you should consider furs and jewelry instead. They don’t have quite the same effect on a woman’s heart as an abandoned building site, I admit, but I’ve heard that most brides seem to like them.”
His lips quirked into a half-grin. “Most brides aren’t Helena.”
That was the God’s honest truth, and he thanked heaven every day for being so lucky.
Whatever he decided to give her, though, she would more than deserve it.
The past few weeks had proven to him that he was right to accept her father’s offer for her hand.
She would make a good mother, wife, and duchess, and her family would be saved from the poorhouse.
Finally, he would be able to make reparations for the hell he’d once put her through.
Love, though…well, that was another matter completely.
“She likes picnics,” Gabe teased before his thoughts went down a dark path. “I’ll buy her a basket and blanket.”
Caleb laughed and pushed himself out of the chair. “Let me know how well that goes over when you—”
A sharp rap sounded on the door, interrupting them. Gabe called out, “Come.”
Adam sauntered into the study. He wore a grin, yet tension filled the room at his presence. Even Caleb stiffened, although he knew nothing about Adam’s attempted blackmail or Alice’s true paternity. Gabe had been forced to keep that secret even from his best friend.
“Apologies for interrupting,” Adam said as he helped himself to a drink from the side table and nodded apologetically over his shoulder at Caleb. “I didn’t realize Thurston had company.”
“We were going over the village construction projects.” Gabe rose to his feet to make introductions. “You remember Mr. Parker, I’m sure.”
“Ah yes, the best man!” He grinned at Caleb, who glanced uneasily at Gabe. “Good to see you again.”
“Cavanaugh,” Caleb said coolly. “Welcome Home.” He turned toward Gabe. “I should be going. I’ll be in touch about tomorrow’s work schedule if the weather improves.”
“Thank you.”
With a nod, Caleb left, unwilling to be drawn into a longer conversation with Gabe’s brother. Smart man.
Adam finished giving himself a generous pour of Gabe’s most expensive cognac and carried the glass toward the desk. He plopped into one of the leather chairs, kicked out his legs, and made a loud sound of satisfaction as he took a swallow of the golden liquid.
Gabe did his best to hide his frown—and ignore his brother—as he reached for the stack of receipts on his desk and began to thumb through them.
“So the new bridge is going well, then?” Adam asked.
“Yes.”
“Good to hear it. The villagers will certainly be happy to have it finished.”
“Yes.”
Single-word answers were easier. Having to say more, Gabe knew, might end in an argument that might end in blows. Perhaps he should save time and just head straight to blows.
What restrained him—the only thing that restrained him—was Helena. He didn’t want to make the start of their marriage any more difficult than it would already be, and pummeling his brother would do exactly that, no matter how gratifying it would feel.
Adam leaned forward. “I truly am sorry about what I said the other day. I was out of line.”
“Yes.”
“I suppose I’d grown too used to India’s lawlessness and thought I could get ahead the same way I had done on the subcontinent, through blackmail and threats.” Adam paused and studied his cognac. “I sincerely hope you meant what you said about giving me a second chance.”
“Yes.” This time when Gabe looked up, he fixed a gaze on him that brooked no misunderstanding. “If you earn it.”
“I would expect no less.”
Gabe tossed down the receipts and crossed the room to the side table to refill his drink, not bothering to offer to top off his brother’s. “What can I do for you, then? I thought you’d be abed until dinner, sleeping off last night’s drunkenness, gambling, and whoring.”
Adam wisely let that bait slide past. “I’ve decided to book passage on a ship to the Bahamas after your wedding.”
Relief sank through him, as warm and welcome as the brandy sliding down his throat as he took a long swallow. He returned the decanter to its tray and turned to face his brother, knowing the second shoe was about to drop. “And you want me to pay for it?”
“Of course not!” But his expression of indignation was immediately undercut when he added, “Although I wouldn’t turn down such a kind gesture.”
Gabe’s mouth twisted as he returned to his desk, standing behind it. Easier that way to leap across the desktop and grab Adam by the throat, if necessary. He set down the glass and reached for the stack of unpaid household bills. “Fine. It will be a welcomed wedding gift.”
Adam blinked and quirked a confused half-smile. “But I’m the one who’s supposed to be giving you a gift.”
“Oh, but you are,” he muttered and turned his attention to the bills. “Contact my accountant in Canterbury. Bennington will make all the arrangements for your passage.” He glanced up sternly. “But only for the passage. You’ve already been paid out your allowance.”
“You don’t trust me any longer,” Adam said wide-eyed, feigning insult.