Blinded by Grace: Book Five of the Cotillion Ball series (Crimson Romance) (12 page)

So how was it that one wisp of a woman was making him nervous, if that was truly what was happening? There was plenty of room in his new house for both him and Grace to reside there separately, yet under the same roof; giving the appearance of a married couple to anyone who cared. Only Grace and Halwyn, and Grace’s next husband, need ever know their marriage had never been consummated.

A flurry of noise and activity in the hall outside the large parlor announced the arrival of the ladies. Halwyn turned toward the door, searching for Grace. He was anxious to see how her new gown fit. Jasmine had shown him the creations she had put together for Grace’s weekend activities yesterday when he dropped by her store to align her accounting books for the week. Halwyn’s particular favorite was the butter-colored riding attire, which was complemented by soft brown leather boots. But he also thought the burgundy gown she would be wearing this evening was lovely, too.

Grace stopped for a moment in the doorway, and Halwyn spotted her. She resembled a fine painting, with the doorway as the frame. The deep red wine color of the gown brought a pale pink hue to her cheeks. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, with a few sausage curls cascading over one exposed shoulder. Even though the neckline of the dress bared both shoulders, it was still modest in design. The arms of the gown puffed slightly before ending at the elbow in a flourish of creamy lace. Halwyn nodded to her, and cleared his throat as he moved toward her.

“You’re a delight to the eyes, Grace,” he said quietly.

The pink in her cheeks darkened slightly. “Thank you, Halwyn. Again. The clothes are lovely. I’m beginning to think I’m getting the best end of our bargain. You haven’t asked me to do a thing yet, except to tour some homes with you.”

“Possibly, so far. But the owners of the house have agreed to my terms, so you’ll soon be placed in charge of filling the home with furnishings. Mother is dying to help you.”

Grace settled her bare hand on Halwyn’s arm, and he stared at it. No gloves tonight, he noticed. Her neatly manicured nails fascinated him, and he covered her hand with his own, his fingers running lightly over hers. He caught her shiver as he did so, and pulled her close to him. The room was a bit drafty. She must be reacting to the chill in the air.

“We have much to talk about, Grace. Let’s sit in the corner for a few minutes before dinner.”

Grace positioned herself beside him on the loveseat, smoothing down the skirt of her gown. She then glanced up at him, expectantly. “It’s wonderful news about the house, Halwyn. I suppose we’ll now need to talk about how you see it outfitted. Is that what you have to discuss with me?”

“No, it’s something else entirely. This was Mother’s idea, actually, but I think it’s a sound plan. My parents bought a home in the Hamptons several years ago, and the grounds are lovely. Mother came up with the idea that we plan to marry in the church in the neighboring town, and have an outdoor reception in the gardens of the Hamptons estate. We could hold the ceremony the weekend of the Fourth of July, if you have no objection. I realize it’s not that far off and doesn’t give you much time to plan, but Jasmine’s already come up with a design for your wedding gown. We won’t have a lavish wedding, but rather an appropriate one, considering our circumstances.”

Grace’s eyes began to shine with unshed tears. She blinked rapidly. “You mean appropriate to our sham of a marriage?”

He took her hands in his. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Grace. But you and I both are aware this is not a typical marriage. As we agreed, we will marry only for a year, after which we will each go our separate ways.”

“Then I suppose where the ceremony takes place or what I wear really doesn’t matter. The Hamptons will be fine, Halwyn. And I am grateful you are agreeing to help me.”

“All right, then. I’ll announce our intentions after dinner.”

“Fine.” She replied softly.

“What did you say?” He leaned in to better hear her comment, and got a whiff of lilac water. His head began to swim.

“I said, that would be wonderful.”

• • •

Grace, you have no right getting your feelings hurt by Halwyn. You sold yourself, and this idea of a marriage, to him as a business proposal. The fact that you hoped it would evolve into something more is a one-sided notion and yours alone. Maybe you did too good of a job of selling the idea. Blast and damn!

She pasted a demure smile on her face as Halwyn rose from the loveseat and extended a hand to her. She had enjoyed sitting so close to him, inhaling his very masculine scent of starch and spice. Ah, well, the intimate moment was gone. Dinner awaited … as if she could eat anything.

Simon and Sophie Huffman crossed the room to stand in the way of Halwyn and Grace. Even though Grace thought she might burst into tears at any moment, she did not miss the way Halwyn protectively placed her hand on his arm, and gave a gentle squeeze. She took a deep breath and blinked her tears away. Simon would never bear witness to her emotions.

“Another new gown, Grace?” Simon’s scowl moved from her to Halwyn, whose hand tightened over hers. “Don’t you think you’re overdoing things just a bit, Fitzpatrick?”

“Momentous occasions call for finery, wouldn’t you agree, Simon?”

He scoffed. “What’s so momentous about this evening? It’s merely dinner in an ostentatious home with a group of people who think of themselves as mightier than God. Nothing to get excited about.”

“But the evening’s barely begun. Who can predict what’s in store?”

Simon harrumphed, and Sophie gave Grace her pleading gaze. At least that’s what Grace called the please-don’t-force-the-issue watery stare her mother threw her way. She’d seen the goggled expression more times in the past year than she cared to. Grace did harbor some sympathy for her mother but, if she hadn’t been so frightened of being on her own, none of this nightmare would currently be taking place. And Grace would not have been forced to exercise such extreme measures.

“Enjoy your meal, Mother,” she replied as she twitched her burgundy skirts out of the way and glided past the pair.

Grace breathed a sigh of relief when she took her seat. Her mother and Simon were at the other end of the long, elegant, mahogany table. She was surrounded by Fitzpatricks, or spouses and extended families of the Fitzpatricks, on every side. Jasmine and Parr were across from her and Halwyn, Charlotte and George Fitzpatrick were on her right. At the head of the table was Alistair Wickersham, and his lovely wife, Lydia, occupied her customary seat at the opposite end. Charlotte Fitzpatrick turned in her chair and took one of Grace’s hands.

“Has Halwyn discussed my idea with you, dear?”

“Yes, Mrs. Fitzpatrick, he has. And may I say you are most gracious to offer up your home and grounds for our reception. But I don’t want to interfere with your usual festivities. We can just as easily marry in town, in front of a justice of the peace. The wedding needn’t be anything elaborate.”

“Nonsense, Grace. You’re marrying into the Fitzpatrick family, so of course we must have a proper ceremony. Our usual festivities will be all the better if we have a wedding to celebrate, too. Don’t you worry about a thing. Jasmine and I will attend to the details.”

Grace glanced across the table and caught Jasmine’s gleaming eyes and huge smile. Her body quaked a little again. This whole marriage thing was about to become a reality! Now she surely wouldn’t be able to eat a thing.

Halwyn kept a close eye on her throughout the meal, and made a game out of the meal, encouraging her to try just one bite of everything.

“You and little Saffron are two of a kind. She turns her nose up at everything, even food she loved last week. We have a constant battle of wills to get food down her.”

Grace helped herself to a forkful of salmon. “Well, considering how much I’ve stuffed away this evening, at your insistence, I’d say Saffron’s in no immediate danger of starving.”

“No, she’s not. But you and I have a lot coming up in the next month or so, and we need to be at our best. A good, hearty meal will see you through hours of wedding gown fittings, and shopping with Mother for the perfect fixtures for my, er, our, home.”

Grace began to relax in the company of such a fine family. She laughed and joked with her tablemates. This was her first real exposure to Parr, Jasmine’s husband. His gentle Irish lilt was quite pleasant. And he was extremely good looking. She understood now why Jasmine picked him over the titled Alistair. What a handsome couple.

The dessert cups of stewed fruit with sponge cake had yet to be cleared away when Alistair stood. “Before we take our leave and head off in our separate directions, Mrs. Fitzpatrick has asked if she can make an announcement. A highly irregular request, to be sure, but this is Charlotte Fitzpatrick we’re dealing with, so we’ve come to expect nothing less. Shall we give her the floor?”

Alistair sat and Charlotte rose to the smattering of applause. Grace held her breath.

“My dear friends and family. I want to take this opportunity to invite you all to our home in the Hamptons over the Fourth of July. We usually fill the entire weekend with events, and have a steeplechase horse race, croquet, and other fun events. This year will be even more special, as we are set to invite another person into our family. The lovely Grace Wagner and our son, Halwyn, want to be married while in the Hamptons and to hold their marriage reception on the grounds of our estate, the day prior to Independence Day. You’re all invited to the festivities.”

In the quiet applause following her remarks, Grace exhaled slowly. Simon didn’t jump to his feet and cause a scene by objecting to the marriage. She glanced down the table at him, and realized why. Her mother had fainted, and was slumped over the table, her cheek resting on top of the stewed fruit. Grace gasped and rose quickly, rushing to her mother’s side the same time as Dr. Alexander, a family friend of the Fitzpatricks’, began to check her over.

“Will Mother be all right?” she asked the doctor, as fear etched her words with whispers.

“Seems as though she’s fainted at the stupendous news of her only daughter’s wedding plans. I’m certain she’ll be fine as soon as we get her to a couch and administer some smelling salts.” He nodded at Simon and the gentleman on Sophie’s immediate left, who picked up the limp woman and carried her into the next room.

Grace, with Halwyn and Charlotte close behind, followed the men and the doctor into the parlor. Simon turned to her once he deposited Sophie on the divan.

“Are you happy now? This is all your doing. Your poor mother has fainted! You didn’t even have the decency to make her aware of your plans in advance. What kind of daughter are you?” His words rumbled through the room, increasing in volume as he continued.

“I, I didn’t know myself, Simon, until right before dinner, that a Hamptons wedding was being discussed.”

“We did kind of spring our idea on her, Simon,” Charlotte replied, putting one hand on Grace’s back. “Blame me, not Grace. This was my idea.”

“I’ll blame the lot of you, if I want to. I don’t need or want your permission. You damn Fitzpatricks are bent on destroying my family. Grace will not be marrying Halwyn, in the Hamptons or anywhere else.”

“Yes, she will, Simon,” Halwyn replied quietly, but he stood face to face with the man.

“No, she won’t, Fitzpatrick. You haven’t bested me yet.” Simon spat out the words and walked away, leaving Grace to tend to her mother.

• • •

Halwyn restrained himself with every ounce of willpower he had, even though he desperately wanted to throttle Simon Huffman. Halwyn hadn’t gotten any man into the collar and elbow position since his wrestling days at Yale, but his muscle memory was still intact, and his arms and hands were twitching as he attempted to control his impulse. He was grateful Simon had stormed off, his regard for his wife irrelevant. Typical of the man not to care that his wife was still unconscious.

Halwyn’s thoughts were not for Sophie Huffman either, but rather for Grace. He glanced at her as she sat beside her prostrate mother, holding her hand. Grace had done nothing to bring the wrath of Simon to her. She was a victim, and Halwyn was certain her refusal to bow to Simon caused her more grief than if she had gone along with him. But she was a proud young lady, and Halwyn applauded her for not losing herself and her character, as Sophie seemed to have done.

The smelling salts finally worked, and Sophie’s eyes fluttered open. She struggled to a seating position and waved the doctor away. People drifted off, too, once the doctor determined Sophie was going to be all right, leaving only the Fitzpatricks and Grace. Sophie clutched Grace’s hand as if she was holding a rope leading her up from the dark chasm her life had become.

“I implore you, Grace, don’t do this. Don’t marry Halwyn and leave me alone with Simon. I don’t think I can bear his tirades by myself.”

Charlotte Fitzpatrick leaned over Sophie and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to stay with Simon, Sophie. If he’s hurting you in any way, our home is open to you as well as your daughter. Please hear me.”

Sophie’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Things are not that simple, Charlotte. I’m responsible for this mess, and now I must live with the results.”

“Very well then. But we will do our best to make certain your daughter is safe. Will you not stand in our way?”

Sophie locked eyes with Charlotte then, and breathed out the words, “Thank you,” before lowering her gaze again.

Halwyn caught his mother’s quick glance at him, and the nod of her head toward Grace. He realized she wanted a quiet moment with Sophie, to talk some sense into her, he guessed. He took Grace’s hand and moved her away from her mother’s side.

“We need some fresh air, Grace. Let’s take a walk.”

“But the countryside is so dark, Halwyn. We can’t possibly see to walk anywhere.”

“We won’t go far. I just need a smoke.” He led her to the front porch of Alistair’s home, and took a seat. Darkness prevented the pair from seeing much beyond the porch railing, but Grace sat quietly beside Halwyn as he lit his cheroot, and then leaned back in the loveseat.