Enchanted Summer: (Regency Romance) (22 page)

“How dare you accuse
me!
” Caroline glared at her. “And not only that, but your brother challenged my cousin Jack to a duel, for an elopement your sister Bella talked him into, for everyone knows that penniless as you are, you and Bella cannot hope to marry except by tricks and wiles. Under the circumstances, you cannot expect to live here anymore. Bella and Fred have disgraced themselves.”

“The only person who has disgraced herself is you, Caroline,” said Celia, “and it has not brought you one step closer to your object.”

Caroline was stunned into silence by Celia’s words. Then Celia turned to her uncle.

“It’s a fact for which there is ample evidence and witnesses, Uncle Worth that Caroline planned and executed the elopement by manipulating Jack. Jack disclosed to us before a group of people that Caroline planned the elopement. You are welcome to ask any of the men who were at the duel. I shall have their names for you at your request.”

Worth shook his head sadly.

“My sister Bella was plunged into pneumonia as a result of this for which we have had to stay in London these past weeks,” Celia went on. “And as for the fact that we are no longer welcome in this house, Caroline,” she added, “that is now irrelevant. Sir Hugh died three weeks ago. Farley Hall has now passed to my brother Fred and it is now my family’s home.

“And as for assuring us that you no longer welcome us, Caroline, we have never had a single second of welcome from you since the moment we arrived. There is no fresh news in that disclosure.”

Celia looked into her uncle’s eyes. “I’m certain, Uncle that you are not in agreement with Caroline. I shall always hold you dear, and visit you as much as you like. Under the circumstances,” she added with a glance at Caroline who was glaring at her, “we shall leave tomorrow morning.”

“Surely you don’t have to rush…” Uncle Worth shook his head.

There was a knock at the library door.

It was Nellie. “Lord Merrick has arrived, Miss Celia. He’s in the drawing-room.”

“Lord Merrick is
here
?” Caroline glanced at her father. “Ask him to come here, please,” she ordered Nellie. There was a triumphant look in her eyes.

“Robert, dearest,” Caroline gushed as Lord Merrick walked into the room. “I have missed you this age that I’ve been in Bath!”

“Good morning, Caroline,” Robert said and looked beyond her at Celia. He walked a few paces and took Celia’s hand in his own.

Uncle Worth walked toward them.

“Sir,” Robert said, “I’m glad you were the first to hear our happy news. “You have told them?”

“Told us what?” Caroline’s voice came out strangled.

“Celia and I are betrothed,” said Lord Merrick. “We shall be married in three weeks’ time.”

“That’s not—that’s not poss—” Caroline looked from one to the other in disbelief and in seeing their locked hands she shot a poisoned look toward Celia, turned on her heel and ran out the room and up the stairs, stumbling in her haste to quit the room.

Caroline did not leave her room for the rest of the day and Celia could only surmise what was going on in her mind. But for the rest of them the day was spent in a similar manner to the day that had preceded it. Robert stayed for the whole afternoon and was invited to remain for dinner by Uncle Worth. And if Worth had once entertained hopes of the Earl’s son marrying his daughter Caroline, there was not the ghost of it on his face as he addressed Robert and conversed pleasantly with him.

Worth appeared anxious to dispel the memory of Caroline’s abominable treatment of Celia and her family and if Caroline existed upstairs, locked sullenly in her rooms, it was not apparent in the mood of either Worth, Tom or Sylvia.

Mrs. Bundy had also been asked to dinner and the little party was a lively one, talking well into the night.

“I shall make the journey to Farley Hall myself in a few weeks,” said Worth, “for I want to congratulate Margaret on her change of fortune, I’ll only leave you enough time to settle in for I’ anxious to the Hall for myself.”

“May I go with you, Papa?” Sylvia asked with a shy glance at Celia.

“Certainly,” said her father. “I’m sure Margaretta and her family will welcome us.”

“Mama and Fred will be so glad to see you again,” Celia assured them.

* * *

The following morning the little group left Rook’s End and headed toward the highway that led to Surrey County. Robert, Celia, Bella and Mrs. Bundy in one carriage, while in the luggage carriage, the servants followed.

Celia sighed and gave not a backward glance at Rook’s End.

She and Robert were to be married at Farley Hall with just their few close friends and family. She glanced at the heirloom engagement ring in her hand and then at Robert. Robert took her hand in his and kissed the ring finger. In his eyes the love that was also reflected in her eyes.

* * *

A few weeks later, Celia returned with Lord Merrick to Shelton Hall, as his wife.

“I have a surprise for you, Lady Merrick,” Robert said to Celia with a wide smile as his eyes sparkled with excitement and he leaned to kiss Celia’s cheek and hug her sideways.

“A surprise?” asked Celia. “But you have already given me so much, Robert. I love my engagement ring and wedding band. The emerald brooch is lovely and I shall treasure it always as my very own non-heirloom piece.”

“This is a different kind of surprise,” said Robert, leading Celia down the hall to the north end of the second floor.

When he reached double doors he opened them wide and stepped aside for Celia to enter the room.

“Oh!” Celia’s glance swept the wide and long room and a thrill went through her.

“Am I in a dream?” she asked. Smiling widely at her reaction, Robert took her hand and walked around with her.

“Your very own atelier, my love,” said Robert.

It’s incredible,” Celia said as Robert led her around. Long, slanted studio windows had been installed and all around the room there were cabinets.” Several wonderful tripods with built-in stands for paints and brushes had been placed around. Above the cabinets were hooks ready to display framed paintings and inside and over the long counters were jars with brushes in all sizes, boxes of paint powders in all colors imaginable and oil, spatulas, watercolors, boxes of charcoal sticks and pencils.

Celia walked around as in a dream. She and Robert sat on a visitor area with a small sofa and two adjoining chairs and tables.

“You can have tea here with visitors,” Robert said, leaning over to kiss Celia’s tears of joy.

“I will be one of those visitors, my love,” he added, “when you call me in to look at your latest painting!”

“Oh, Robert,” Celia said, wiping at her tears. “I don’t know what to say. “No has ever encouraged me in my art as you have.”

“I have a beautiful and very talented wife,” Robert said, “and I’m very proud that you chose me.”

“You couldn’t have given me a finer gift than this, my love,” she said, a lump in her throat.

– The End –

ENCHANTED SUMMER

About the Author

Author Gloria Gay’s love of painting and writing has always been entwined in her life. Her debut novel,
First Season
, earned a four-star review from Romantic Times Book Review and she went on to publish
Forced Offer
,
Canceled Courtship
and
Known to All
. Recently, Boroughs Publishing Group published her Regency historical romances,
Scandal at Almack’s
and
Lovely Little Liar
.

Gloria recently published, with Kindle Direct, a new edition of Canceled Courtship, under the title,
KISSED IN THE DARK
and a new edition of First Season under the title,
LOVE IN A DANGEROUS SEASON.

Gloria is grateful for the time you spent reading
ENCHANTED SUMMER
and would appreciate your thoughts in a review at a site of your choice.

Gloria and her husband Enrique, an architect, have three grown children and six grand-children and they are lucky to have them all living near them in San Diego, California. She can be reached at gloriagay.com, if you would like to be included in her mailing list for future books.