CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Helena hurried through the village on foot, so fast she had lost her breath on the long walk from Grangely Park.
But she had no time to stop to catch it back, just as she’d had no time to wait for the carriage to be brought around or a horse to be saddled for her.
She couldn’t risk that Adam might find Gabe first, that he would say something awful about her—
So she’d simply run.
“Mark the level!” Gabe’s voice boomed up from the river.
She reached the embankment and halted. The new bridge site was a hive of activity, with over two dozen men of all talents busily working away.
Laborers with shovels and spades made sweaty work of leveling the riverbank on both sides of the river, while stonemasons checked the quality of the stones already stacked and waiting by the river’s edge to be positioned in the center of the river.
A ferryman pulled a wooden raft across the river by a rope stretched from bank to bank, delivering supplies and tools to both groups of men.
Gabe stood on the bank, tall and proud, supervising it all.
He wore the same plain, coarse clothes as the workers and the same tweed cap and leather gloves, with his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular forearms. But his proud bearing distinguished him from the others, so did his commanding stance as he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out again to the men on the bank below him. “Mark the level!”
The lead worker waved a gloved hand to acknowledge the order.
He stopped the four laborers with him, ordered one of them to lay down a board across the little terrace they were digging, then reached for a large spirit level to gauge the angle of the dug ground.
He signaled back to Gabe that all was well.
With a pleased nod, Gabe slapped Caleb Parker on the back, then gestured at the building plans beside them, lying on a plank supported by two sawhorses.
The construction was going well and far ahead of schedule—even Helena could see that, just as she could see Gabe’s pride when he swept his gaze over the site.
His broad shoulders were relaxed, and a smile curled his lips, only to burst wide into a beaming smile when he laughed at something Caleb said.
For once, he looked…completely happy.
“Helena!” Maggie Parker waved to her from the street as she walked toward the site, with a man beside her who was hauling two buckets of water, while her two young boys bounced around in circles.
Over her arm, she carried a basket covered by a checked cloth, undoubtedly filled with sausage rolls or pasties for the men.
“What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Did you come to join us for the break?”
“No,” she answered quietly, her gaze returning to Gabe as he and Caleb fell into an animated conversation. “I came to see Gabe.”
“He’ll be pleased you’re here.” Maggie came up beside her and gestured for the man to pour the water into a large barrel where the men dipped out their drinks.
“I’m certain he’ll want to show you their progress.
It’s all coming along nicely. They’ll be able to start placing the stones on the banks by the end of the week, once the ground is leveled off.
” She handed off the basket to one of her boys and ordered him to place it on a nearly large stone.
The boy did as ordered, then ran off toward the water’s edge with his brother.
She sighed after them. “And those two need to go into your school as soon as it’s open.
” She added in a mumble beneath her breath, “Not a moment too soon.”
Helena absently nodded and repeated, “Soon.”
At the lack of an expected laugh at her expense, Maggie laid a hand on Helena’s arm. “Is something wrong?” Concern darkened her face. “Is there a problem with the school? Or Grangely Park?”
A big problem. A six-foot tall, wickedly scheming problem.
“No, I just…” She broke off, then took a deep breath and forced a smile to reassure Maggie.
“The house is empty this afternoon—Alice and Verity are both out for visits, Gabe is here—and I didn’t want to work in the garden.
So I thought I would visit the site.” So I can speak to Gabe before Adam does.
And so I wouldn’t be alone in case Adam tries to approach me a second time…
But she couldn’t share that, not even with her new best friend.
So she waved a hand dismissingly in the air to disguise the unease swirling inside her and widened her smile.
“I’ve been boring Gabe silly lately with all my plans for our wedding and breakfast, so I thought I would ask him if wanted to give me a tour of the bridge site… and bore me for a little while.”
Oh, that was a lie! But Maggie believed it, and the concern lifted from her brow as she linked her arm with Helena’s. “I don’t think it’s touring the site that he wants to do with you.” A sly smile crossed her face as she leaned in toward Helena. “And I don’t think either of you would be bored.”
Maggie laughed when Helena’s face flushed. Thank God for that! Otherwise, she was certain the blood had all drained from her face and left her white as a ghost.
As if he could feel the two women’s gazes on him, Gabe turned and saw them.
His lazy smile greeted them, and he nodded his welcome.
Just then, Maggie’s two boys raced past him.
Gabe darted forward and grabbed the youngest one around the waist and tossed him into the air, eliciting squeals of laughter from the boy.
Joining in with their play, he tossed the boy over his shoulder and ran down to the river’s edge with him, where he pretended to throw the boy into the water.
More peals of laughter drifted up to the two women on the high bank, with Gabe now laughing nearly as hard as the boys.
“Look at him.” Maggie nodded toward Gabe as he placed her son on the grass and tickled him.
When Gabe let him go and started to walk away to rejoin Caleb, the boy and his brother chased after and jumped on him from behind.
Soon, all three were rolling around in the grass in an impromptu wrestling match.
“I haven’t seen Gabe this happy in years.
If ever.” She squeezed Helena’s arm. “It’s all because of you. ”
“No,” she countered quietly, not wanting to be the reason for his happiness. Because if she were, then she could also so easily be the cause for his unhappiness. “He’s helping the village, and that’s why he’s happy.”
Maggie slid her a scolding glance. “Believe me, he was never this happy before when he…” She bit her lip and looked away.
“When he was married to Clarissa,” Helena finished bleakly.
“Well…yes. She criticized him for caring about the village and wanting to improve it, about loving Grangely Park, and for all other kinds of things.” She censored herself before she listed them all, summarizing instead by saying, “It was as if dark clouds had settled over Grangely.” She turned a smile onto Helena.
“Until you arrived and brought out the sun. Now he laughs and smiles more than I can ever remember him doing, and when he speaks of the future, it’s not from a sense of obligation or fatalism.
It’s because he’s actually looking forward to the future. With you.”
Guilt flooded through Helena and seized her chest until breathing pained her. Her eyes blurred as she watched one of the boys snatch off Gabe’s hat, only for Gabe to set chase after him along the riverbank.
Unaware of the truth behind Helena’s sudden emotion, Maggie squeezed her arm. “He’s going to be such a good father when you have children.”
Helena didn’t dare glance at her friend.
Gabe was happy, truly happy… Helena knew that, and she hadn’t needed to see him laugh and play with the boys to prove it.
After all, she had seen the change in him herself.
The past few days—and nights—together had been among the happiest in her life, too, and although he had yet to say he loved her, she knew he cared for her and wanted to claim the future that fate had denied them before.
But if she told him about Adam, would she rip that happiness away?
Adam’s threats were most likely empty, she knew, and couldn’t be easily carried out.
After all, she had no money to give him, and a simple chat with Verity or Mr. Putnam could easily prove that.
He also couldn’t linger in England long enough to create the rumors and scandal he’d threatened, not if Gabe was right that his younger brother was staying barely one step ahead of men who wanted to harm him.
He needed to move on as quickly as possible, and even delaying his departure until their wedding was a great risk.
If Adam was a barking dog without a bite, all she would accomplish by telling Gabe would be to create a permanent rift between the two brothers. How could she live with herself if that happened?
Helena bit her lip. She wanted no more secrets between them. And yet…perhaps some secrets were better kept from the light of day.
Shaking the boys off his legs, Gabe charged toward her.
Her eyes widened when he scooped her into his arms, slung her over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and carried her off toward the grassy patch by the river where he’d been playing with the boys.
He slid her off his shoulder, then laid her on the ground on the grass.
Within moments, she was caught up in the wrestling melee with the boys, a tickling match breaking out that left all of them squealing with laughter—all except Helena, who did her best to scramble away.
“I win,” Gabe declared as he grabbed her around the waist to keep her there, then rolled her over onto her back and pinned her to the grass. Hoots of laughter and cheers went up from the workers who’d all stepped to gawk at the ungentlemanly mischief their boss and lord had gotten into.
Even then, clearly beaten, she had her pride. “No, you don’t.” But when she tried to shove him away and climb to her feet, she couldn’t move his large body an inch. “I won’t surrender without a fight.”
A happy gleam lit his eyes as he stared down at her. “Helena,” he said in a low voice so the others wouldn’t overhear, “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
Just as he lowered his head to scandalously kiss her right there in the middle of the village, a loud bell clanged out.
Maggie forcefully clanked the bell hanging from a tall post in the center of the building site to signal to the men for their afternoon break, and they all eagerly set down their tools and jogged to the water barrel and basket to claim their refreshments, Helena and Gabe instantly forgotten.
The boys gave up their play, too, and raced up the bank to steal their own treats before the basket was emptied by the hungry workers.
“Saved by the bell,” Helena announced. This time when she pushed at Gabe’s shoulders, he fell beside side on the grass with a groan of defeat.
She began to rise to her feet.
“Wait,” he ordered softly, his hand covering hers in the grass.
She settled back down to sit beside him as he sat up on his hip, his forearm resting across his bended knee.
“I’m glad you decided to visit today.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her lips, claiming the kiss the lunch bell had denied him.
It was only a touch, yet in that kiss she tasted the growing affection between them, and her chest tightened achingly.
At moments like this, convincing herself that he loved her was easy. “You should stop by more often.”
“I’d only be in the way.”
“Never.” He squeezed her hand.
“Constantly,” she corrected.
When he laughed and reached out to caress his gloved fingers across her cheek, she took a deep breath. They were happy. At that moment, they were happy and looking forward to the bright future they’d always wanted.
But Adam stood in their way. If she told Gabe now what he’d said to her…
“Nevertheless, I’m glad you’re here so you can see for yourself how fast we’re progressing on the embankments.
” He shifted closer to her and pointed at the two short terraces being leveled on both sides of the river.
“We have to clear off the spots for the foundations first, but we should be done in two days.”
If I tell you, I will ruin your happiness.
“Then, we’ll place the first foundation stones and let those settle into the ground for a few weeks while we work on the piling for the river pillar from wooden rafts tied in place in the river by cross ropes.
” He crooked a grin at her. “That is, the men will. I’ll be safely dry—and not seasick—supervising from the bank. ”
Your new fatherly feelings for Alice will change, perhaps be destroyed…
She nodded absently as he explained the next steps in the project, but she never heard a word.
Her thoughts had strayed to a dark place of worry and guilt.
You’ll cast Adam out of your life forever, if you don’t pummel him first, perhaps grievously hurting him…
or worse. She swallowed. Hard. And I could never live with myself if I caused you pain.
“So what do you think?” He playfully nudged her shoulder with his.
“I think…” she choked out, her voice cracking to the point that she couldn’t continue.
They would be married in a matter of days, and then Adam would no longer be able to harm them.
All his threats would turn to dust, but how much distrust and doubt could he sow before then?
I think I won’t let your bother rip apart my marriage before it even begins.
And in the meantime, she would somehow convince Gabe to ask his brother to stay at the village inn instead of Grangely Park for these last few days until the wedding.
“I think,” she started again, slipping her arm around his and pressing her breast flirtatiously against his bicep.
I think I should not stray from your side.
Until her name was entered next to his in the parish registry, she would make certain she would never be alone so that Adam couldn’t approach her again.
She’d be his constant shadow until they said their vows.
“I think you should let Caleb finish supervising for the day and walk me home to Grangely Park. We’ll have the house all to ourselves. Wouldn’t an afternoon nap be lovely?”
A wolfish gleam lit his face, and he stood, pulled her to her feet, and escorted her quickly toward his saddle horse.