The Christmas Heiress (39 page)

"What could possibly be better than someone
who loves him as completely and wholeheartedly as
you?" Charlotte asked, amazed at Evelyn's unselfish
attitude.

Nervous, scared and dreading this moment,
Evelyn's main concern remained her husband and
how all of this was going to affect him. Incredible.

"Chin up," Charlotte admonished. She saw that
Evelyn was trying to summon a smile, but could
barely manage a slight curve of her lips.

She grasped Evelyn's hands and gave them a
quick squeeze. Then side by side, they left the bedchamber. When they reached the entrance to the
ballroom, they paused in the doorway. Most of the
guests had already arrived and the receiving line
had been disbanded. The women could hear the
soft murmur of voices as the guests mingled, greeting old friends and making new acquaintances.

More than one brow rose when Charlotte entered the ballroom, with Evelyn by her side. The
two women looked stunning, dressed in complementing red and gold silk gowns. Edward, standing
near the center of the room, correctly surmised
that the beautiful dress Evelyn wore must be borrowed from Charlotte. It was far too stylish and expensive to be part of Evelyn's wardrobe.

The two women passed through a large archway
framed with holly, ivy, evergreens and a vast array
of fruits and berries all tied with silk and satin ribbons of gold, red and green. The earl noticed their
eyes widen when they saw the ethereal glow from
the magnificent Christmas tree. The tiny candles
positioned on each branch had been lit and an
anxious footman strategically positioned to ensure that no guests accidentally came too close and lit
themselves afire.

The earl was too far away to easily reach their side
and he was pleased to see his brother did not have a
similar difficulty. The ballroom was crowded with
merry guests, laughing over the sounds of the orchestra. Edward could not help but wonder if this joyful
spirit would remain once he had announced Jonathan
and Evelyn's sudden marriage. Well, no matter how it
all came out in the end, this was certainly going to be
the most memorable and talked about Christmas Eve
ball ever held at Farmington Manor.

Edward had spent the carriage ride back to the
manor contemplating his life and his future.
Jonathan and Evelyn's love and selfless devotion to
each other had been humbling to see and had
forced him to confront some harsh truths about his
own relationship with Charlotte.

Above all, it made him envious for the most basic
element that was missing from his life-happiness.
Despite all the possible difficulties they faced, there
was no denying that Jonathan and Evelyn were deliciously happy.

Edward had never thought happiness to be something of great importance, had never expected or
craved it for himself. Hell, he had not precisely believed that happiness, like true love, really existed.

But he had felt happiness, albeit briefly and at
odd times, when he was with Charlotte these past
few weeks. A sense of contentment and joy, but
beyond that, a sense of peace with his life and himself, a sense of eagerness when looking toward tomorrow, a belief that tomorrow would somehow be a better day than today simply because she was a
part of it.

In many ways, Charlotte was the most exasperating woman he had ever known, and yet with her
and only with her, he had found a measure of joy
that added meaning to his days. Though he had
tried, he could not explain it. He had thought it
was like so many of life's great mysteries, something
that was simply unexplainable.

But seeing Jonathan and Evelyn together made it
all very clear to Edward. Jonathan and Evelyn shared
the type of happiness he desired because they had
taken their relationship one important step further.
They loved each other. Freely, openly, without
restraint.

He suddenly understood why Charlotte had refused his earlier proposals of marriage, had been so
insistent that they wait. Perversely, he now agreed
with that decision. She knew she wanted more, she
had told him she would accept no less than unconditional love from her husband. He had not believed that more existed. Until now.

He had cared for her, but he had not declared
his love for her. He had shared his body, his
thoughts, even some of his feelings, but he had not
been willing to share himself completely. He had
not committed himself to their relationship with
the type of selfless devotion she deserved.

Yes, they had made love and it had been wonderful, magical, but he admitted only to having a deep
attraction for Charlotte. He had treated it as a temporary passion, and Charlotte had known that could
not result in a lifelong, happy, loving marriage.

Guilt, confusion, perhaps even fear had masked the true feelings of his heart, but the mask was now
gone, ripped away by the truth of his needs.
Edward loved Charlotte, needed Charlotte and intended to do whatever was necessary to prove it.

But first he had a commitment to his brother that
he needed to complete. Edward signaled to the orchestra to cease playing, then checked to make sure
that Evelyn was still standing beside his brother.

"Please gather 'round, everyone. I have a most
important and splendid announcement to make."

The earl's booming voice could be clearly heard
in the vast room. The chatter of private conversations dwindled as all eyes turned curiously in his direction. Edward was more nervous than he had
expected, but Jonathan was depending on him and
he would not forsake his brother.

"Earlier this morning my brother, Jonathan, and I,
along with Miss Evelyn Montgomery and Miss Charlotte Aldridge, took a carriage ride to Somerville.
There, in the lovely village chapel, my brother and
Miss Montgomery were married by the town's vicar.
It was my great joy and privilege to be a part of such
a happy event, and I ask you all to join me, and my
mother, in congratulating the newly married
couple."

At first they were all unsure how to react. There
was an instant of shocked silence and then, as
Edward had expected, pandemonium reigned. The
guests began talking and shouting at once, exclaiming their astonishment and total surprise.

The surprise soon gave way to alarm and then
wariness, as he had feared. A few of the older matrons even glanced away quickly, refusing to catch his
gaze. Clearly, they were all waiting for the countess to give them the cue on how they were to respond to
this most incredible news.

His mother stood alone, near the orchestra at the
far side of the ballroom. Her face was a frozen mask
of surprise, her eyes shaded by the candlelight so
that he could not see them clearly, but Edward
knew they must be blazing with fury.

For an instant he worried that he had made the
wrong choice, that he should have told his mother
the news in private, instead of announcing it so
publicly. Maybe it would have gone better if he had
given her a chance to become accustomed to the
idea of her younger son marrying her companion,
for at this moment she was exhibiting a frosty
degree of outrage and offense that spoke volumes
of disapproval.

But there was no opportunity to second-guess his
decision. In for a penny, in for a pound. His course
set, Edward forged ahead, determined, for
Jonathan and Evelyn's sake, to sway the outcome.
Lifting two fluted glasses of chilled champagne
from the nearest servant, he crossed the room and
presented one to his stunned mother.

"Let us raise our glasses high and drink a toast to
the happy couple," Edward shouted, his face wide
with an exaggerated smile. Lowering his voice to a
mere whisper, he commanded, "Drink, Mother."

The countess regarded him with an unblinking,
rebellious stare. "I am not thirsty."

"Drink," he repeated, "or else you will be most
displeased by the consequences."

A flicker of wariness crossed the countess's face.
Then to his vast relief, she lifted her goblet fractionally and touched her lips to the rim. The crowd broke out in a happy cheer and downed their own
drinks. Only Edward saw that the champagne did
not reach the countess's mouth.

"He has made a fool of himself over that girl!"
the countess hissed. "How could you not only allow
this to happen, but to sanction it?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Edward replied.
"They are in love."

The countess stared incredulously at him. "Love."
She snorted. "What a bunch of rot. Claiming to be
in love hardly gives them license to act like fools. An
elopement! I shall never recover from the scandal."

Edward's lips thinned out. Though he had known
in his heart this would be his mother's response,
he had started hoping she might feel differently.

"You may rant and rail and beat your chest all you
wish in private, but publicly you will stand beside
me and show one and all how accepting and happy
you are over this marriage."

The countess gritted her teeth in exasperation.
"Never!"

Edward drew in his breath sharply. "I know this is
difficult for you, Mother, but you have no choice.
'Tis done. They are married and will remain so
until death parts them. Evelyn is of good birth,
gently reared and a fine woman who has been an
asset to you and this household for several years.
Try to remember how much you liked her before
you cut her and Jonathan from your heart."

The countess clamped her mouth shut. Edward
could see the vivid flush of color climbing her
cheeks as she seemed to realize all she could do was
fall back on her indignation.

"Evelyn might have held my regard and even my affection at one time, but all that changed when this
odious girl became so openly disloyal." The countess made a look of disgust. "And I most definitely do
not appreciate your high-handed attempts to tell
me what I should think and how I should feel."

"At last the shoe is on the other foot. Perhaps
now you will understand my reaction when you and
Father insisted I take Charlotte for my wife all those
years ago.

"That was not the same."

"It was very much the same."

The countess lifted her goblet again and this
time drank until the glass was empty. She then
sniffed. "I did what I thought was best for you, best
for the family. Perhaps it was not the right course to
consider. Hindsight, while superior when making
judgements, is useless in correcting mistakes."

Edward blinked with astonishment. Had he
heard correctly? Did his mother just admit she had
made a mistake? Extraordinary! It was the nearest
thing to an apology he would ever receive and
Edward was pleased to realize it was sufficient to
erase a large part of his hurt.

"Since you are in such a congenial mood,
Mother, I might as well tell you the rest of it. Miss
Montgomery is without family, so I am providing
her with a modest dowry and will also be increasing
Jonathan's allowance."

"You are not only condoning, but now rewarding
this disgraceful behavior? Shocking!"

"They are family, Mother, and as such deserve
our love and support."

Brighter color infused her cheeks as his mother
wrestled with her emotions. Pride could manifest itself in odd ways, but Edward had counted on his
mother's pride to carry her through this moment.
He held his breath as he waited for her to make her
final move. Then, to his great relief, the countess
took a deep breath, pasted on a smile and stepped
forward to embrace the newlyweds.

The earl was not foolish enough to believe it
would be so easy, but the first and most difficult
hurdle had been breached. It was a good beginning, the best that could be hoped for given the circumstances.

It was nearly twenty minutes until he was able to
have a quick word with his brother. "Thank God
that's over with,"Jonathan remarked.

Edward shared his brother's feelings utterly. "It
actually went better than I expected."

"So, you believe Mother will eventually forgive me?"
Jonathan asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

"Eventually. We cannot expect too much, too
soon. At least she is speaking to both of you."

"So I should be grateful for small mercies?"

"You should be happy you have such a delightful,
loving wife," Edward said.

"I am." Jonathan's expression visibly softened.
"Evelyn's sweetness overtakes any of the bitterness
in my life."

"The power of love." Edward took a deep breath,
then thrust back his shoulders. It was now or never.
"I apologize in advance for upstaging you, but I am
about to give everyone something to talk about for
years and years to come."

With a cryptic smile, Edward headed in Charlotte's direction. She was speaking with Lord Bradford and Lady Anne, but turned to greet him with a smile. Edward waited until she faced him completely, then reached out to grasp her hands, sandwiching them between his own, and sank to one
knee.

"Oh, Edward, do you feel ill? Have you a fever?"
Charlotte's face was lined with concern as she bent
over him, the back of her bare wrist pressing
against his forehead.

The maternal gesture calmed his racing heart. "I
like it when you fuss over me."

She jerked her hands from his grasp. "What
game are you playing at, my lord?"

"No games." He caught her wrists and pressed them
to his chest. "I require your complete attention."

"You have it. Now please, get up. People are beginning to stare."

"Let them. I want everyone to see and hear me.
But especially you. Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Good." He cleared his throat, which had suddenly become dry. "I am a successful man, who has
been given much by birth and achieved much
through hard work, and yet I have come to discover
that for all my worldly possessions and noble title,
life without you is flat, uninspired, uninteresting.

"Life without you, Charlotte, is life without meaning, life without happiness. In short, 'tis no sort of life
at all." Edward swallowed and took a deep breath, to
ensure his voice would remain loud and strong.