engagement tomorrow that was cheating her of happiness. Charlie would be hurt.
Nonsense. The only thing that would hurt Charlie Brewis was having to exert himself to find a less convenient bride.
At her door, Rupert kissed her hand again. "I can hardly believe we will soon not have to part like this, my darling."
Phoebe could hardly believe it either. How strange to be contemplating the intimacies of marriage with one who was like a brother. She looked up at him. "Will you kiss me again, please, Rupert? Properly."
He smiled and did so. Phoebe pressed closer, opening her lips, trying to find something she needed for this to be right.
It eluded her.
He broke apart, rather flushed. "How passionate you are, sweetheart. We had best be married soon."
~~~~
Despite his words, they were not married soon. Lady Kingsbury was delighted by the engagement, but would not allow Phoebe to be married with less pomp than her true daughters. Winter weddings, she said, always gave a scrambling appearance. Easter would be soon enough. Perhaps by then, she remarked pointedly to Charlie, someone else would have chosen a bride and it could be a double ceremony.
Phoebe had become uncomfortable with the idea of living in Charlie's home as Rupert’s wife. The thought of welcoming his bride here made her rather ill.
At least the bickering was over. On November 1 st , Charlie had accepted the news of the engagement without a blink, toasted their future happiness, had a brief discussion with Rupert about settlements, and left. He’d returned briefly for Christmas, but then spent the whole hunting season in Melton. Probably with his Clarissa.
Phoebe could see she would have been a great fool to have chosen him, but she frequently felt a temptation to smash things.
Virtually alone in the big house, Rupert and Phoebe fell back into sibling ways, with no courting behavior. Perhaps this was why he often seemed morose. The winter passed, spring arrived, with Easter and the wedding racing toward them full tilt.
When Charlie wrote to say he was a house-guest at Belvoir Castle, and three times mentioned Nan Gresham as also being there, Lady Kingsbury began to talk again of a double ceremony. Rupert took the suggestion badly. Phoebe supposed it bothered him to have his rival beside him at the altar. It certainly bothered her.
Not that Nan was precisely a rival, but with her thick dark curls and perfect, vibrant features, Nan would outshine Phoebe at the wedding and then eclipse her in her home. She could see it now – Nan, Lady Kingsbury, toast of England, laughing and flirting with Charlie over the dinner table.
Phoebe knew she’d fade away from a complete inability to eat.
It was Phoebe's practice in the evenings to join Rupert in the estate office and sew as he recorded the business of the day. That evening she said, "Rupert, perhaps we should consider living elsewhere on the estate. We could build a house of our own. There will be ample funds."
He looked up. "Actually, I’ve been thinking I should purchase an estate of our own."
"Leave King's Chase?"
"It makes no sense for me to manage another man's estate when I can afford one of my own. It would be more comfortable for you if we have our own home."
"That's what I said, but..."
"It's the common thing, Phoebe." His tone was unusually sharp. "Most girls leave home when they marry. Even if we were to build a house near here, we would still be living in Charlie's pocket. With him feeling for you as he does, it would be unpleasant, both for him and for his bride."
Phoebe stabbed her needle through the cloth. "You can hardly mean Charlie is devastated at losing me."
"It is not in his nature to be devastated by a reverse, but I’m sure he feels the loss. A loss I can appreciate," he said with awkward gallantry, "being the gainer thereby. When I told him, he said that his consolation was that you would be in the care of a man he trusts."
"When you told him?" she queried.
"Of course
Nonsense. The only thing that would hurt Charlie Brewis was having to exert himself to find a less convenient bride.
At her door, Rupert kissed her hand again. "I can hardly believe we will soon not have to part like this, my darling."
Phoebe could hardly believe it either. How strange to be contemplating the intimacies of marriage with one who was like a brother. She looked up at him. "Will you kiss me again, please, Rupert? Properly."
He smiled and did so. Phoebe pressed closer, opening her lips, trying to find something she needed for this to be right.
It eluded her.
He broke apart, rather flushed. "How passionate you are, sweetheart. We had best be married soon."
~~~~
Despite his words, they were not married soon. Lady Kingsbury was delighted by the engagement, but would not allow Phoebe to be married with less pomp than her true daughters. Winter weddings, she said, always gave a scrambling appearance. Easter would be soon enough. Perhaps by then, she remarked pointedly to Charlie, someone else would have chosen a bride and it could be a double ceremony.
Phoebe had become uncomfortable with the idea of living in Charlie's home as Rupert’s wife. The thought of welcoming his bride here made her rather ill.
At least the bickering was over. On November 1 st , Charlie had accepted the news of the engagement without a blink, toasted their future happiness, had a brief discussion with Rupert about settlements, and left. He’d returned briefly for Christmas, but then spent the whole hunting season in Melton. Probably with his Clarissa.
Phoebe could see she would have been a great fool to have chosen him, but she frequently felt a temptation to smash things.
Virtually alone in the big house, Rupert and Phoebe fell back into sibling ways, with no courting behavior. Perhaps this was why he often seemed morose. The winter passed, spring arrived, with Easter and the wedding racing toward them full tilt.
When Charlie wrote to say he was a house-guest at Belvoir Castle, and three times mentioned Nan Gresham as also being there, Lady Kingsbury began to talk again of a double ceremony. Rupert took the suggestion badly. Phoebe supposed it bothered him to have his rival beside him at the altar. It certainly bothered her.
Not that Nan was precisely a rival, but with her thick dark curls and perfect, vibrant features, Nan would outshine Phoebe at the wedding and then eclipse her in her home. She could see it now – Nan, Lady Kingsbury, toast of England, laughing and flirting with Charlie over the dinner table.
Phoebe knew she’d fade away from a complete inability to eat.
It was Phoebe's practice in the evenings to join Rupert in the estate office and sew as he recorded the business of the day. That evening she said, "Rupert, perhaps we should consider living elsewhere on the estate. We could build a house of our own. There will be ample funds."
He looked up. "Actually, I’ve been thinking I should purchase an estate of our own."
"Leave King's Chase?"
"It makes no sense for me to manage another man's estate when I can afford one of my own. It would be more comfortable for you if we have our own home."
"That's what I said, but..."
"It's the common thing, Phoebe." His tone was unusually sharp. "Most girls leave home when they marry. Even if we were to build a house near here, we would still be living in Charlie's pocket. With him feeling for you as he does, it would be unpleasant, both for him and for his bride."
Phoebe stabbed her needle through the cloth. "You can hardly mean Charlie is devastated at losing me."
"It is not in his nature to be devastated by a reverse, but I’m sure he feels the loss. A loss I can appreciate," he said with awkward gallantry, "being the gainer thereby. When I told him, he said that his consolation was that you would be in the care of a man he trusts."
"When you told him?" she queried.
"Of course
Similar Books
Emma and the Minotaur
Jon Herrera
Limassol
Yishai Sarid
Silent Striker
Pete Kalu
Half Share
Nathan Lowell
Regeneration (Mad Swine Book 3)
Steven Pajak
The Duke's Runaway Princess (Love By Accident)
Elizabeth Lennox
Marry Me
Cheryl Holt
Japantown
Barry Lancet
Starclimber
Kenneth Oppel
