CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AUGUST 18, 1818
It was Owen Robert Daniel Dereham’s first birthday and his grandparents were at Grex to help him celebrate. The weather was cooperating and a lavish picnic had been spread on the newly built stone patio that opened off the new garden room. Both Owen’s godparents were in attendance as well, and a few family friends from the parish had also been invited. Anne’s father, Lord Grex, had recently died, and she and Daniel had been forced to cancel the more elaborate celebration they had initially planned.
The center of the festivities was sleeping on his grandmother’s lap as she and his mother chatted comfortably under the shade of an awning. Dorothy was curled up at Anne’s feet keeping an eye out for whatever food might drop to the floor.
“He must be getting heavy for you, Mother,” Anne said. “Give him to me.”
“He’s not heavy at all,” Maria Dereham protested. “You have him all the time, Anne. I need to take every chance I can to be close to him.”
“If you and Father would only move in with us, as we are always urging you to do, you could see him all the time.”
Maria smiled. There were lines in her forehead and around her mouth, but nothing could disguise the perfect bone structure of her face. She had given that bone structure to her son, who had in turn passed it along to her grandson.
Anne saw Miss Bonteen come out onto the patio and waved to her. As she came toward them, Lady Lovejoy, the squire’s wife, stopped her, and she bent to listen to what that lady had to say.
Maria asked, “How is the school coming along?”
“Wonderfully. When the children first started they were a bit boisterous and disobedient, but Bonny took care of that very quickly. Whenever I’ve gone there now they are attentive and eager to learn. It’s lovely to see.”
Dorothy got up and trotted toward the man who was now approaching. She had fallen in love with Owen Dereham and Anne often humorously complained that she had been supplanted.
Owen smiled at his wife as he came up to them. “You look beautiful sitting there with a baby at your breast,” he said.
“I could hold him forever,” she returned.
“I was just telling Mother that if you came to live with us she could spend as much time as she liked with Owen,” Anne said sweetly.
He laughed and took a seat next to his wife. “What would I do with myself all day if I lived here, lass? Have ye thought of that?”
“Yes,” Anne returned promptly. “Daniel wants to restore the farms that my father let go derelict. Then he wants to get new tenants in. You’d be just the person to do that for him. You know a lot more about farming than he does.”
Owen raised an interested eyebrow. “I did not know he planned to restore the farms.”
“I know he wanted to speak to you about it. He probably hasn’t had time yet.”
Maria said, “That would certainly keep you busy, my dear. And you would be a help to Daniel as well.”
Anne’s attention diverted to the French doors that led from the house out to the patio. They were opening, and Daniel and Matthew stepped out on the patio. Matthew was Owen’s godfather and, despite her protests that she was too old, Miss Bonteen had proudly become Owen’s godmother.
The rector’s wife said something to Daniel and he moved to join the group at her table. After Daniel had given the rector the money to put a new roof on the church, he and his wife regarded the owner of Grex as an angel sent by the Almighty. To his credit, Daniel appreciated the deep, fundamental goodness of the two elderly people and always made time for them.
Matthew came over to join Anne. She smiled up at him and said, “We appreciate your coming, Matthew. We truly didn’t expect you to.”
He laughed and sat down beside her. “I wouldn’t miss my godson’s first birthday for the world.”
“How are Charlotte and Thomas doing?”
“Well enough. She’s increasing again and is quite uncomfortable.”
“Yes, so she wrote.”
The entire Preston family was also in mourning. The earl had taken a fall at the end of the last hunting season and three days later had died. Matthew was now the Earl of Preston, and Daniel had been helping him sort out the assets and debts of Preston’s stud farm.
The baby awoke suddenly and began to cry. Maria tried to rock him but he fought her. “I give up,” she said to Anne. “He’s too big for me.”
“He’s getting teeth and he’s been miserable,” Anne said, getting up. “We’re lucky he was quiet for so long.” She lifted Owen Robert Daniel from his grandmother’s lap and kissed his head. “There, there, little one. We’ll go inside and see if there’s something you want to eat.”
“Walk,” her son demanded. He squirmed in her embrace. “Walk, Walk, Walk!” He had begun to walk when he was ten months old and no longer wanted to be carried.
“All right. But we’re going back into the house.” Anne put him down and took his hand. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Maria watched misty-eyed as Anne and the baby walked slowly toward the house. “She’s such a wonderful mother,” she said.
“Won’t you sit down, Lord Preston,” Owen said.
Matthew took Anne’s empty seat. “I don’t think my godson’s grandparents should be calling his godfather by his title. Please, won’t you call me Matthew?”
He was looking at Maria as he spoke and she flushed and dropped her eyes. They were both cognizant of the wrong his father had done to her and it still made for some awkwardness between them. She had not expressed regret for his father’s death and he hadn’t expected her to.
Owen asked him a question about the geological map he had been working on with William Smith and soon the two men were immersed in talk about rocks and fossils and dates. Maria listened to them, a faint smile on her face. After meeting Matthew at the baby’s christening, Owen had developed a keen interest in geology. They were deep in discussion when Daniel joined them.
“Thank heavens,” Maria said. “A human being who is not obsessed by rocks.”
Daniel grinned and the two men hastened to apologize to Maria. She smiled and said, “I was only joking. I think it’s wonderful that Owen has discovered this interest.” She patted the seat next to her and said to her son, “Sit down and talk to me, Daniel. I haven’t had you to myself since we arrived.”
Daniel obeyed with alacrity and the rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly for all his guests.
# # #
Daniel didn’t come up to bed until after midnight, and he was surprised to find Anne still awake. She was sitting up in bed reading a book by the light of the gas lamp on the table next to her. She put it down on her lap when he came in.
“Still awake?” he said as he came toward her.
He was still immaculately dressed in dinner attire, and his blue eyes looked crystal clear as he sat next to her on the bed. She said with surprise, “You haven’t been drinking?”
“No.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Did you expect me to totter in here drunk?”
She smiled. “No, but I thought you and Matthew and Owen might be sharing a bottle or two.”
“Believe it or not, we have been talking about geology,” he said. “Matthew was telling us about the fossils Smith has been finding embedded in the different strata of rocks and how they can be used to match rocks across different regions of the country.”
“I know your father is fascinated by this science. I didn’t know you shared his interest.”
He sat on her side of the bed. “I don’t really. I was watching my father. He’s done a lot of reading on the subject and he asked Matthew some highly intelligent questions. I could see Matthew was impressed.”
She reached up and began to unfasten his tie. “If Owen had been born to wealthy parents he would have gone to university where he could have studied about rocks.”
“He was the one who made me go to the village school. All the other farmers’ sons had to work on their father’s farm, but Owen made me go to school.”
“He was a wonderful father,” Anne said.
“He was the best.”
Anne was now working on his shirt, pulling it out of his trousers and beginning to open it. He didn’t say a word, just sat and let her do it.
“Did you speak to him about taking over the farms?” she asked.
“Yes. I also told him Matthew says there are some interesting rock formations right here at Grex he might like to take a look at.”
“Clever,” she said admiringly.
He stood up and began to unfasten his trousers. “Good thing I told Lloyd not to wait up for me, that I could undress myself tonight. I never thought to get help from my wife.”
Anne smiled serenely. “I feel happy.”
“Good.” He came over to the bed and got in next to her, leaning up on his elbow. She looked up at the dark angel that was her husband and whispered, “Kiss me.”
He did.