Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace (Lords of Avalon Novella Series) (7 page)

“I
must
get you back to Radley
, Grace
.
I do not want your father to be displeased
if we stay too long
.”

“I suppose we should.” She sighed heavily
.
“I hate to leave such a beautiful place.”

“I shall bring you back before I leave for Italy, I promise.”
He winked at her.

Grace nodded
.
Owen started to lead her
back down
the path
but
stopped
suddenly
.
“
Ah,
I nearly forgot
y
our pendant.” He smiled as he
removed the silk bag and a gold chain from his pocket
.
He slid the pendant onto the chain and moved behind Grace.

T
he
large pearl felt cool
against her skin
.
After he fastened the chain, Owen’s fingers caressed her nape
.

“It’s so beautiful, Owen
.
I shall treasure it always!” Grace smiled
up
at him as he returned to her side
.

“I will treasure you always, Grace,” he said, his voice sounding deep and husky
.
He entwined his hand with hers and led her through the wood back to their horses.

Once again racing across the moorland, Grace caught sight of a woman rider far ahead of them
.
When the woman met two m
ale
riders in the midst of the moor, Grace recognized one of them as Charlie
.
There was no mistaking
his large black gelding
which
sported
one solid white foreleg and
a
grayish
mane and tail
.
The horse was aptly named Lucifer
.
“Look, there’s Charlie.”

Owen nodded
to her and slowed his pace
.
Grace followed suit
.

Owen had
some
idea of what was taking place when he recognized the man with Charlie as a fellow Avalon Society member
.
Charlie
had called in S
t. Erth for assistance
with a certain confidential matter involving Catherine
.

Charlie raised his hand in a friendly wave to them
.

Grace noted Charlie and Owen exchanged looks
.
At Charlie’s nod
Owen led the way toward them.
Grace followed
.
As they neared the trio she recognized
Catherine.

“Grace, h
ow good to see you
!
” Catherine smiled and gave Grace a nod.

“Catherine
!
It’s nice to see you
.
How is your mother
’s health
?”

Catherine sighed
.
“In truth, she does
quite poorly
.
I decided to take a ride to lift my spirits
.
I chanced upon Lord Silverley and Lord St. Erth.”

Owen introduced Grace to the Earl of St. Erth.

Grace thought Lord St. Erth appeared to be a dangerous sort of man
.
His hair was as black as a r
aven’s wing.
H
is eyes were dark;
in truth they appeared to be black
.
His features were sharp and angular
.
St. Erth
was
exceedingly
tall, and in his finely tailored clothes, she could see he was solid muscle
.
He did not smile as he greeted her.

“Miss Brackenridge,” he gave her a curt nod
.
His dark gaze moved
to Owen
.
“Greyton
.
Good to see you.”
Again he gave a nod.

Though his words
and tone
seemed kind, again there was no sign of emotion on Lord St
. Erth’s face as he greeted Owen. Grace thought it
somewhat
odd
.
Charlie was his usual kind and congenial self
.
He greeted her warmly
.

They conversed for a very short amount of time.

“Well, I must return Grace to Radley, good day!” Owen moved forward
.
Grace followed him after saying her good-byes.

When they reached the lane leading to Radley, Grace turned to look back
.
The trio
remained where they left them.

Catherine’s head was
bent
, and Grace thought it looked like she held a handkerchief to her nose. She saw Charlie reach out and rub Catherine’s arm
.
She remembered Meg’s words
regarding the rumors of forbidden love between Charlie and Catherine
. S
he shook
such thoughts away
and decided the last person in the world s
he would believe would be Meg! Meg was
no doubt the biggest gossip in the
Hartland
Peninsula
.

Owen walked Grace back to the house after they dismounted
.
He left her with a smile and a promise he would see her the next afternoon. Grace watched hi
m
ride away from
where she stood at
the parlour window
.
She smiled as her fingers touched the large, smooth pearl at her
breastbone
.
She
felt she must be
happiest woman in the world
at th
at
moment
.
Owen loved her
!

Owen beamed as he joined his
family at dinner that evening.

“You look very happy, Owen.
”
Libby smiled at him as they sat
at the
dining room
table
.

“I am, pet
!
I am v
ery happy
, indeed.”

“I wonder if your recent euphoria has anything to do with your fr
equent visits to Radley of late,
” Reginald Darrington, the Earl of Fitzlewis said, the corners of his mouth turning upward
slightly
.

Owen gave his father a grin
.
“Perhaps
.”
He noted
his
Aunt Priscilla
watched
him keenly
.

“Grace is very lovely, and a dear person
.
I am happy she has r
eturned to Devon
.
I missed her,
” Libby provided with a
knowing
smile directed at her brother.

“I am
also
very happy Miss Brackenridge returned to us here in
Hartland,
” Owen offered and set about eating his meal
.
He could feel his family’s eyes upon him
.
But he could say no more
.
He and Grace were not yet officially engaged
.

Owen and his father retired to his father’s study after the meal for a brandy
.
They rarely left the ladies of their household to their own company, but Reginald requested the presence of his son
in his study
.

“Owen
, do you have something to tell me?” Reginald peered from his spectacles at his son.

“There is really nothing official to tell you, father
.
I can tell you I am in love with Grace Brackenridge
.
She returns my love
.
I have asked her to wait for me to return from Italy
.
She said she would
.
I would have already offered for her yet when I approached her father he said he would hear nothing until my return from Italy
.
I suppose I can understand his hesitation, I will be gone three months.”

Reginald nodded
.
He frowned
.
He
had never
liked the Squire
.
He was a man not to be trusted
.
“Just make certain that your lady will wait for your return,
son,
and all will be well
.
I am happy for you, Owen
.
I was beginning to think you might never settle down.”

Owen grinned
.
“I shall settle down with Grace, father
.
She is the one
,
I am certain
.
I am hoping
to stay
here at Roseland
.
I do not wish to leave you
and Libby alone.”

“Of course, son, I would expect you
to
remain
here
.
Someday Roseland shall be yours
after
all
.
Do you think the Viscount and Viscountess apartments will do
? 
We can do some redecorating if your future Viscountess doesn’t approve
of their current condition
.”

“I think the apartments will serve our needs well
.
When I bring Grace to Roseland as my bride I shall let her do what she wishes to our rooms.”

Reginald nodded
.
“We’ll keep th
is between the two of us
since there is no official engagement
.
Your Aunt Priscilla will be beside herself when the news is made official
.
Libby and I do not need to deal with Priscilla’s
dictates
and
fanci
ful
ideas on
prepar
ing
Roseland for
your bride
.
She would also start harping on the subject that Libby should marry. It would be three long months for your sister and me, I’m thinking!”

Owen laughed
.
“I would not wish that on you
or
Libby, Father
!
Upon my return, I shall offer for Grace, and we shall be married as soon as the bans are read if at all possible.”

“The sooner
you marry,
the better
,
where your Aunt Priscilla is concerned, my boy
.
If you give her enough time, she would turn your wedding into the largest spectacle Devon has ever seen!” Reginald chuckled then
began
cough
ing
.

When his father’s coughing fit subsided, Owen asked,
“How are you feeling, Father?”
His father had been
in poor health
for the last year
.

“
I am feeling m
uch better today, son
.”
He smiled at Owen
.

“Father, I think we must join Libby, you know I do not like to leave her alone with Aunt Priscilla for too long
.
Aunt
will be scolding her for some erstwhile behavior she
does not approve of
.
”

Reginald grinned
.
“Let’s rescue my little lamb, shall we?”

They left the study together to join Libby and Aunt Priscilla
.

Owen and Grace
strolled
through the garden at Radley
once again
.
Jenny, Grace’s maid,
took her place
upon
the
bench at the rear of the garden
to
wait for them while they walked the path
leading
into Lady’s Wood.

Once the path curved and they were hidden from Jenny’s view, Owen took Grace’s hand in his
.

“I spoke to my father last evening, Grace
.
He is very happy about our news
.
We will keep it from Libby and my Aunt Priscilla until my return
.
Do you think you will
be comfortable living at Roseland?”