And knowing he’d be seeing his beloved Ruth very soon, made him all the happier. His mother had returned from Brighton with what seemed to be a more conciliatory mood than upon her departure. While she was in no means pleased at his choice of wife, she was amenable to accepting Ruth, given that Kenneth had made it clear he would not be changing his mind.
Either Ruth became the Marchioness of Rotham, or nobody at all. These were in fact, the last words he’d spoken to her before she left for Brighton and they’d had an impact he was pleased to see. Peace was descending upon Goldclaw Manor. A fragile peace but peace, nonetheless.
“Rotham! What is with the smile upon your face? Have your cygnets taken flight?” Jack asked as he sauntered into the hall past Rimbault.
“Jack. You are here and by my mother’s invitation. Whoever would have thought this day would come?”
Jack chuckled. “Not I, certainly not I. Her Grace loves nothing better than to feign a headache whenever your father invites me such is her dislike for me. I dare say, she blames me for this entire quandary she finds herself in.”
The two walked down the hall and peeked into the drawing room where maids rushed hither and fro, setting out the fine china on the best tablecloths. And amidst them all was none other than –
“Gadzooks! Is that Her Grace? Laboring alongside her servants?”
“Making their work more difficult is more like it.”
He watched as his mother followed the maids, rearranging what they had just placed on the tables, and generally making her presence known.
“This is all your mother’s doing, if anything, it is she after all who suggested a gathering for tea after dinner.”
“That she did. However, I was not speaking of the quandary of having to host my family. I was speaking of her finding herself mother-in-law to Lady Ruth.”
“My mother likes to refer to it as a calamity, rather than a quandary although she has held her tongue since exiting the carriage yesterday. Something I did not believe possible.”
Jack snorted so loudly; Kenneth’s mother looked up with a sneer.
“She must be bottling up all of her comments and observations. I should not like to be in the vicinity when she, at last, relieves herself of the burden of having to keep it all in. Your poor father will likely be the recipient of her frustrations.”
Kenneth placed a hand on Jack’s back, and they entered the adjacent music room.
“That, I believe is why he has chosen to accompany Lady Sophia and her father when they set off for Shropshire by week's end.”
Through the window, he saw the arrival of Lord and Lady Caster in their carriage. Whilst in the next room, the cakes, and sweetmeats were carried in by a line of footmen.
Jack dropped back in the armchair; his long legs stretched out in front of him. “Does this mean you will be left alone with your mother and poor Lady Ruth? Now, why would you expose her to such evils? I thought you loved her.”
Kenneth stuck his tongue out at his friend and chuckled. “I do. More so than life itself. This is why I am taking her for a house party at my sister, Lady Margaret’s home, in Kent. My mother will thus be left alone by her choice, a circumstance I am sure she welcomes.”
Chatter drifted into the room from the hall, the voices of Lord Caster and Ruth’s father discussing matters of state could be overheard while in the far distance, the soft voice of Ruth sounded out, calling for her sister.
His heart filled with love at once. It was odd, he’d fallen for her with such ferocity, he’d heard that his feelings might peek and ebb, but they had not. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to be near her.
“Am I to understand I will be left to my own devices? How long am I to make do without your presence?” Jack laughed at his own joke.
“A fortnight,” Kenneth replied, and Jack threw his head back with a groan.
“A fortnight! I shall have to call on Lord Cragshade in prison for company.”
Kenneth was about to reply when Ruth entered, accompanied by her sister. At once, Jack jumped up and walked over toward her.
“Lady Ruth, how can you sentence me to such a terrible fate as to be without my best friend for a fortnight? It simply will not do.”
To Kenneth’s relief, Ruth broke into a wide smile, understanding Jack’s character and sense of humor.
“Faith, Lord Bronwyn, we cannot have you upset. Why not accompany the three of us?”
“Three?’ Kenneth stepped forth. Ruth took a step toward him. They stood close enough to feel each other’s presence. The little hairs on his forearm stood on end with the sensation of her nearness. Briefly, he clutched her hand, and she squeezed his before letting go.
“My sister and I conversed, and we thought it might be nice for her to come with us and press on to Shropshire from Kent after our first week there. Papa and your father would go on ahead.”
