Page 55 of Discovering Grace

He raised his eyebrows skeptically but led her through the rest of the steps.

When the dance ended, Jacob escorted her back to her parents. She nearly laughed. This was no society event, so the gesture struck her as somewhat unnecessary. Any of their friends would have done. Perhaps his ordination had made him feel the need to maintain an air of reserve.

“Mr. Everly, Mrs. Everly,” Jacob said, bowing to them both with Grace’s hand still tucked in his arm. “I wonder if I might ask your permission to call on Miss Everly tomorrow.”

Instinctively, Grace tightened her hold on his arm. What was he doing? If someone heard, based on his wording, they would think Jacob meant to court her. That was taking the formalities too far, and she opened her mouth to say so when her father spoke.

“We would be delighted, Mr. Barnes.”

Grace stared at her father in surprise. Did he know how this must sound? She spotted Mrs. Parr and Mrs. Kimball standing near enough to hear. But her father was staring at Jacob, with a far too approving look.

What had come over them both?

Jacob removed her hand, bowed slightly over it, and released her. That same mysterious smile on his face as before. He withdrew, looking for another dance partner most likely. Jacob loved dancing, and he made it a point to ask the young ladies most often overlooked. It was yet another thing she admired about him.

A rustle of fabric indicated her mother had stepped near. “I think you have an admirer, Grace.”

Absolutely not. Grace shook her head, contradicting her mother immediately. “No. Not Jacob. He is acting strange, but I am only his friend.”

Isaac and Mr. King appeared at the corner of her vision, and when she turned, she saw they were coming directly to her.

“I have convinced Mr. King that you are the best dancer in the room,” Isaac said, without preamble or greeting. “You must prove me right at once.”

This sort of thing Grace understood, and she relaxed. “If Mr. King wants to learn whether or not you exaggerate, he must ask for himself.”

“As was my intention,” Mr. King said. “But first, will you introduce me to your mother?”

After the proprieties were seen to, Grace allowed Mr. King to take her into the line of couples preparing to dance. Reflexively, she looked down the rows to find Jacob. He immediately met her eyes, as though he had sensed her look, and winked at her.

Winked. At her. In a public room full of people. There went her excusing his conduct due to stringent decorum.

Mr. King proved an apt partner in dance, but Isaac appeared to take the second half of the set. The usual gentlemen took their turns leading her about the room, too. Jacob did not seek her out again, though every time she glanced in his direction it seemed his eyes were upon her.

Tomorrow, she would ask him about his behavior. Tomorrow, she might even summon the courage to tell him something of her own heart.

Chapter 22

Mr. Spratt’s belongings were loaded into a wagon, and his son-in-law had arrived in a coach to take him away. Jacob bid farewell to his predecessor and had not been surprised, not in the least, when Mr. Spratt took him aside for a moment.

“Grace Everly,” the old man said, a glimmer in his eye. “You mean to wed her?”

Jacob could not help the laugh that escaped him. “I must be the most transparent of all men. Yes, Mr. Spratt. I do. If she will have me.”

“Good. I worried you might be blind to her still.” Mr. Spratt gave him a pat on the arm. “God go with you, Mr. Barnes.”

“And with you, sir.” Jacob had stayed at the house, walking through the rooms that were now his. It was a simple house, with simple furnishings. There were two levels, a cellar, and the smallest of attics. But it was his. He would bring his clothing to hang and stack in the wardrobe. His books would go on the shelves in his study. Someday, there would be children in the second largest bedroom, which might be easily turned into a nursery.

Looking out the window of the study, it afforded him an excellent view of the path that led from the road to his front door. He could also see the garden, not as well tended as it had been under Mrs. Spratt’s care.

Would Grace like seeing to the garden?

The sudden thought made his heart trip and the tips of his ears go warm. He had promised himself to keep an open heart and open mind. Ever since that moment, Grace strayed often into his thoughts. He sensed her making inroads in his heart as well.

When Jacob walked through the small parlor, he noted that Mr. Spratt had left his wife’s pianoforte behind. It was a small instrument, perfectly suited to its humble surroundings.

Humble. That was a good word for it, though the house was certainly comfortable. It was not as large as his brother’s, or Isaac’s, and the Earl of Inglewood’s castle-like manor dwarfed the vicarage completely. Would the small house and modest income be enough for Grace?

There was only one way to find out.