Page 16 of Bluebell’s Fate

“Your name is entirely captivating, Lady Bluebell. Was it inspired by the bluebells in the woods behind the house?” His grandmother winked.

Bell laughed lightly. “It is, in fact. Perhaps I can show you before you leave.”

“That sounds lovely, dear child. I look forward to it.” Nathaniel’s grandmother nodded once. “I am so pleased to have you in the family.” Her voice broke with emotion before she was ushered into the house.

Young Lord Winberg, in his smartly cut coat and tiny gleaming hessians, stepped forward and gave a slight bow to Nathaniel. He promptly turned and hugged his sister. “May I walk in with you?”

“Certainly, Ash. I must walk in with Mr. Payne, but you may hold my other hand.” She tipped her chin up and looked at Nathaniel. He spun into position and held out his arm. Bell placed her gloved hand into the crook of his elbow, igniting a measure of protectiveness Nathaniel had never felt before.

Lord Winberg whispered up to Bell. “Cook made cake.” A wicked grin slipped across his face, and he momentarily looked his age of seven.

Bell laughed lightly. “That does seem like a good reason to celebrate, don’t you think?”

A humorless chuckle escaped Nathaniel’s throat as well. No matter that the cake was to celebrate their wedding, Bell and her little brother were celebrating for the opportunity to eat cake. He numbly made his way into the large dining room and sat through the elaborate breakfast. All the while, he kept mental notes of all the things Bell would be leaving behind to join him at Cairnsby Hall, his humble estate. The cake—he reluctantly agreed—made that list. Nathaniel had never tasted something so rich and sweet, and the fresh strawberry slices that decorated the top made the entirety of the concoction divine. No wonder Bell and Lord Winberg celebrated for cake.

His grandmother stole Bell from his side at the close of the meal, leaving Nathaniel with no barrier between the conversations that swirled around the room. He’d had permission to miss what people had been saying when he was distracted by his bride, but now the onslaught came in full force.

Nathaniel’s parents, seated beside him, whispered to each other, reminding Nathaniel of a nest of angry bees. His father locked eyes with Nathaniel. “It is clear, due to the small gathering, that you are not precisely welcome into this family.” He pitched his voice a little lower. “How did you possibly think that this alliance would help us with our estate? As soon as you leave here, your ties to Lord Gardner’s connections will be severed.”

Could his father not wait a single day to remind him of his disappointment in his son? No, he was not marrying Miss Stone, thus their estate would remain the same size as it was currently. They had discussed this many times over the course of the past few weeks. Today was his wedding day, and his father still felt it an appropriate time to berate him. “Excuse me.” Nathaniel stood and walked to the edge of the room to put some space between himself and his parents.

Lady Dalrymple, to whom he had been introduced by Lady Gardner, came and stood beside Nathaniel. She was one of the women he recalled seeing upon his fateful exit from the woods a few weeks ago. She looked down her nose at him as if he were an incredibly disgusting insect. “Congratulations, Mr. Payne, on entrapping the daughter of my dear friend.”

He felt heat begin to rise in his chest. He did not want to have this conversation with the one woman he predicted had made his current situation what it was. She had not been discreet in her implications nor her assumptions of what would be done about Lady Bluebell and himself when he’d seen her last. Honesty was likely the quickest way to extricate himself from this conversation. “I cannot in good conscience allow you to believe my motives were to entrap Lady Bluebell, but I do accept your congratulations.”

She pitched her voice lower. “I am in earnest, you know. My Meredith is having the time of her life in London right now. She is so highly sought after that she couldn’t possibly make time to come away for the wedding. I am not one to boast, but the queen herself considered Lady Meredith to be a diamond of the first water this season. It is a shame that Lady Bluebell was not allowed to make her bows. To have that dream stripped away must have been a hardship indeed.”

Nathaniel gritted his teeth. Was being presented to the queen one of Bell’s dreams? He didn’t know, and he was too upset with Lady Dalrymple to care at the moment. The only reason he deigned to continue speaking to the spiteful woman was the necessity of defending his wife. “It is fortunate then, for Lady Meredith, that Bluebell is not participating in the season. Surely that would have made it more difficult for your daughter to find herself so lucky.”

Lady Dalrymple turned a mottled red. She opened her mouth to surely give Nathaniel a verbal slap in the face when Lord Gardner stepped up beside him. “It is a beautiful morning for a wedding, isn’t it, Lady Dalrymple. I am so glad you were able to leave London for a time to join us in wishing the couple well.”

Lady Dalrymple slashed at Nathaniel with her eyes, and then ignored his presence completely. “Certainly, although I cannot stay long. Meredith needs me, you know. With so many invitations to consider, she is in quite over her head.” Her sickly-sweet smile toward the earl reminded Nathaniel of a witch from an old storybook.

“Of course she needs you.” Lord Gardner looked over to Nathaniel. “I say, as much fun as it is to be speaking with us, you must be anxious to be with Bell. She and your charming grandmother went out to the back of the house.” He gave Nathaniel a pointed look.

Seeing his escape for what it was, he bowed to his new father-in-law. “Thank you, Lord Gardner.” He bowed to his odious companion. “Lady Dalrymple.”

Nathaniel strode from the room toward the back of the house as quickly as his legs could take him. The last thing he wanted to do was repeat a similar conversation with more guests. His blood was pumping hard through his veins.

He didn’t know why he was so upset. Was it because he was made to look like a cad, or was it that Bell was settled so far beneath what she deserved in a husband? He knew he wasn’t a cad, even though it looked like that for society. Neither was he a titled gentleman with funds to spare. What stung the most was the realization that there was nothing he could do to fix either problem. His lineage was not something he could alter with patience or time. No, his wife had definitely been dealt a poor hand in this whole situation, and he felt helpless to fix it.

Chapter Eleven

After being kept from the woods for three weeks, Bell finally found a reason to enjoy her wedding day. She felt like a budding spring flower that had been waiting to stretch her petals out toward the sky and feel the warmth of the sun. In her woods, she felt reborn and peaceful.

She couldn’t believe she was in her sanctuary with her godmother. Bell looked sideways again. Yes, she was still there.

Feeling the wildness of nature around her, the last remaining bluebells of the season at her feet, the birdsong in the air, and her godmother there beside her brought fresh life to Bell’s soul and wrapped around her heart with the force of a roaring fire. “I thought I’d never be in these woods with you again, Godmother. It was the worst day of my life, not being able to meet you here.” The back of her eyes smarted.

Her godmother chuckled, a low hearty laugh that Bell imagined woke the fairies. “It was certainly more concerning for you than it was for me. I had Nathaniel with me when I arrived here for our meeting a few weeks ago. Under the circumstances, I assumed that you were in some sort of trouble with how things played out.”

“What has Nathaniel told you?” Bell tucked her chin close to her chest, watching her feet as she slowly walked over twigs and dead leaves and fresh plants just emerging from their winter slumber.

“I would guess he told me mostly everything. But I believe he left out some of the details.”

Bell felt her cheeks go red. Had he told her about the kiss? What would her godmother think of her if she knew that Bell had acted so rashly?

“To be frank,” Bell’s godmother continued, “I think everything has worked out splendidly. Nathaniel really is a good man. He works hard, and he takes his responsibilities seriously.” They stopped walking, and Bell looked up into the wrinkled face she loved so well: the beautiful face of the silver-haired woman who had given her attention and advice and love throughout her childhood without expecting a single thing from her in return.