Page 54 of Always the Chaperone

What a man. Charlotte shivered at the recollection of his naked form. She had studied classical art, naturally, and knew in theory what to expect—but he had been more.

She dressed and rushed down the stairs and did not wait for the footman outside the breakfast room to open the door for her. The table had been laid and was waiting for her, despite the late hour, and there was a letter waiting.

“Good morning, my lady.” With the uncanny knack of the best butlers, Matthews appeared in the room without seeming to have taken a step.

Charlotte beamed, and Matthews raised an eyebrow.

“It is good to see you in such a pleasant mood, my lady,” he said smoothly, pulling out the chair. “A letter came early for you.”

“Thank you.” Charlotte poured a steaming hot cup of tea. “That will be all.”

Accustomed to Charlotte’s wish of breakfasting alone, he bowed out of the room and closed the door quietly.

Charlotte sipped the tea and sighed. Nothing was the same; even tea was different! Was there a sweetness there that hadn’t been there before? Was this how the rest of her life was going to be?

Only after she buttered two pieces of toast and applied marmalade liberally to one of them, did she take another look at the envelope. It was small and discrete with a seal on the back.

A seal she recognized.

A magpie, beak open, around a swirled M. Her heart pounding, Charlotte broke the seal as carefully as she could and unfolded the letter.

Her pulse quickened as she glanced down and saw the elaborate M at the end of the letter. It was a short letter, barely more than a few lines, but she read it slowly, absorbing every word.

My Lady Charlotte,

I would appreciate your company today at twelve o’clock. If this is convenient for you, then please meet me on Pulteney Bridge, where I will be waiting for you. If not convenient, cancel whatever plans you have made.

Mercia

Charlotte glanced at the clock. It was almost eleven o’clock. She still had plenty of time to breakfast, get dressed, and make her way to the Sydney Gardens.

She picked up the teacup but had to immediately place it down because her hand was shaking. In an hour, she would see Will again. She grabbed her toast and ran for the stairs.

If only the clocks would go faster, no, slower!

“Danvers!” she called.

Her lady’s maid rushed into the room, never having heard Charlotte shout so loud before. “Yes, my lady?”

Charlotte dropped onto the bed and covered her face with both hands. “You know that new style of ringlets around the face you have wished to attempt for a few months now?”

Removing her hands from her eyes, she saw Danvers’s face light up. “The one Miss Tilbury has made so popular?”

Charlotte nodded, heart racing. “I would like to look…beautiful for an engagement this afternoon. I think it is time.”

The lady’s maid’s gaze slipped to her wardrobe. “Are you sure, my lady? You have waited so long.”

It was true. Charlotte took a deep breath and hoped she was making the right decision. “I have waited, Danvers, you are right. I think it is time.”

The servant stepped across the room eagerly and pulled open the wardrobe door. “My lady, you will not regret it, this gown is just beautiful, and a classic style that has not aged a day since your mother ordered it.”

Since your mother chose it.Charlotte had to force herself to stand still as Danvers moved around her like a butterfly, helping her into the last gown her mother had chosen for her. It was a delicate, light blue satin, the tucks under the bust still just as fashionable as when it had been first ordered.

“I have never asked, my lady,” Danvers said quietly as she adjusted a loose thread on the hem, “why you have never worn this gown. Indeed, you have refused to even put it on in the years I have known you.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. “Just before my mother died, I confided in her my fear…my fear that I would never wed.”She would not allow the tears to come, not now. Not on such a joyful day.“She listened and comforted me, and the very next day, she ordered this gown. When it arrived, she told me it was the gown my future husband would see me in and know, absolutely, that he had made the right decision.”

Saying the words aloud made her smile.Her husband.Well, he had not proposed marriage yet, but what else could his letter mean?