Chapter 20
Brightmore Mansion 1830
Gavin gave his reins to the stable lad who had run out to greet them as Bradley and Gavin rode up to the circular drive entrance of Brightmore Mansion. The lad was eager to please. It was cloudy and a light snow covered the trees and shrubbery that protected the mansion from view. The trees and greenery were lush and rich with silver highlights that seemed surreal. The dark green leaves were glossy and shiny giving a clean fresh look to the landscape.
“Thanks lad. Be sure to give our horses some extra feed for their hard work. They are tired and in need of some special attention,” Gavin said as he watched Bradley jump down to join him on the gravel drive. The crunch of the gravel was the only sound save for a distant chirp of a bird finding cover in the dense tree formation.
“That I will, sir. I have some carrots for them and I will brush them down well.”
“Good lad, you are.” Gavin said rumpling the boy's already messy red hair as well as dropping a coin in the surprised lad's pocket.
“I thank you kindly, sir.” The boy led the horses away to the stable behind the mansion.
“I love the weather when it is like this. Makes me think of new beginnings. It's cool enough to wake you up with just the right amount of moisture to remind you it's still winter. We have some catching up to do with your young friend and Bea. I must say…it was quite a shock to see the mirror image of my wife standing before me,” Gavin stated slapping Bradley on the back as they mounted the front steps. “It took me back a few years, I can tell you that.”
“How did she take it, Gavin?” Bradley asked with concern. He had wanted to be here for her and Millie too. But it couldn't be helped.
“I wasn't here but a moment before I took off to join you on the hunt. But I imagine there was shock, anger, remorse and happiness. Quite a surprise too, I would imagine. She did tell me before we were married, you know. I loved her even more for her honestly. Said she didn't want to start a new life without truth between us. Honesty is a good thing, my boy. Can't say I ever respected her parents and now I know I was right in my judgment. They certainly weren't my kind of people.”
“You have a special relationship I envy. I always admired…”
“It's called love, my boy. Trust is something that is all part of it. Don't settle for anything less. You used to be quite infatuated with your Aunt Bea when you were but a lad. Do you remember?”
Bradley smiled a sly grin and said, “I still am half in love with her.”
Gavin grinned right back at Bradley. “Well, now there is always the younger version…”
Having heard the men talking as they entered the front door, Bea and Millie met them in the hallway.
“Did you find her? Is she all right? Where are Arden and Amy? What happened?” Millie asked without taking a breath, her face anxious with concern. She was looking back and forth between the men trying to capture a clue by their expressions. It was a good sign that they were joking, was it not? They were too happy to have bad news to share. But it was hard to wait to hear what she needed to know. Patience wasn't one of her strong points.
Both men laughed. “Slow down and take a breath, child. We will require some tea and reinforcements and then we will answer all your questions,” Gavin said with a grin.
As if on cue, Godwin appeared with a silver tray with tea service and small sandwiches as well as tea cakes. Godwin set the tray on a table and then took the second tray from a maid standing behind him with brandy and glasses.
“I took the liberty of bringing stronger reinforcements for the gentlemen,” Godwin stated, bowing.
“You read my mind, Godwin,” Gavin stated pouring Bradley and himself brandy as Bea poured tea for Millie and herself. It was quiet for a moment while everyone dove into the food and sighed with contentment as they drank, Then Millie and Bea looked to Gavin to tell the story.
“You were very patient ladies,” Gavin stated. “Arden is with Amy now, I imagine giving her some tenderness and understanding. When they are ready, they will return to Brightmore.” Gavin took another swallow of his brandy. “Ummm…this is good and smooth. Brightmore keeps a good…”
“Oh, Gavin, do give us the details,” Bea interrupted. ‘You men get to the point and there is so much you leave out. Now, Millie and I want more information. Do we not, Millie?” Millie nodded her approval.
Gavin laughed. How I love women. No wonder they gossip. There is so much to tell. He began with his rush to catch up to Bradley and Arden. Then how they ran into Jeb and finally splitting up.
“Of course, we were all disappointed that Dodd died and not at our hands,” Gavin added.
“Isn't it just like men to be blood thirsty and itching for a fight,” Bea added.
“But why are they not here yet?” Millie asked which created a moment of silence.
“When you fall in love child, this will all make sense,” Gavin responded.
“Rats. I do not think before I speak.” They all laughed.
Bradley was watching Millie. When she noticed she blushed and stared back at him. His blond hair was windblown from his journey and he had a two day-old beard that gave him an earthy rugged look. When Bea witnessed their attraction, she looked to Gavin.
“Gavin. Let's see if we can find that interesting portrait gallery of the Brightmore descendants. I believe it is on the second floor. Perhaps Godwin will point us to the direction we need to go…” They both stood and Gavin gave Bea his arm. She rested her hand on his offered arm with a smile and they left the room.
Millie and Bradley didn't seem to notice their departure. Millie gave him a tentative smile and he noticed a spot of lemon curd on the side of her bottom lip. He stared at it for a moment and then reached a finger to capture it. She was surprised when his finger advanced toward her face, but didn't draw back or object. She just looked at his extending finger with confusion. He showed her the curd on his finger and then before she could comment, he licked his finger clean watching for her reaction the entire time.
“Rats. I am such a…”
Bradley shook his head slowly. “You left it for me, I am certain. I do love lemon curd kissed by a beautiful mouth.” Then he smiled at her, erasing any awkward feelings that had come to mind. “You look lovely today, Millie.”
“Are you flirting with me, Your Grace?'
“But of course, Miss Balston.” Bradley eased into a slow grin that lit up his boyish face. “You truly are the most beautiful woman I have had the honor of meeting.”
Millie blushed. “Perhaps you have been in the sun too long, Your Grace.”
Bradley smiled a boyish grin that was undeniably sexy and charismatic. “When I was a young lad, there was a time when I was lost and lonely. You see, my mother had died and she was my world. I had a governess and a nanny, but my mother was always in my life. We had so many adventures together. She had quite the imagination a little boy needed. I missed her very much. About two years later my father remarried and I got an aunt in the deal.
“Bea,” Millie supplied and Bradley nodded.
“She was…well, she saved me. My stepmother Charlotte was kind…, but Bea. She understood me instantly and I grew to love her. She reached me when I was in a dark place and brought light and new meaning to my small world. She had a lot of the spunk my mother had and she loved little boys and their antics. She seemed to understand a boy's needs and it was comfortable and a relief for me to have that.”
“I am so glad she…”
“What I am trying to say is I had a fancy that she was mine…that I would someday rescue her from Gavin…” Bradley seemed both bemused and tormented by this confession. Millie thought this was something he didn't speak lightly about nor shared with just anyone.
“Oh, my,” Millie muttered in surprise. “Did she know how you felt? How old were you?” She was leaning forward anxious to hear the rest of his story. She watched his face seem to change before her eyes and gave her a glimpse of the boy he had once been.
Bradley grinned again. “Oh, yes. She knew. Everyone knew. There was some laughter behind my back, and a bit of snickering. I guess it was written all over my pathetic love sick face. And I was only nine years old at the time.” They both burst out laughing together. When the laughter quieted down to silence, Bradley looked at Millie for a moment. “So I guess the news of Bea being your mother was not too much of a shock to you,” Bradley carefully asked.
Millie's smile grew somber. “It was more of a shock to meet her and see yourself in her face…older. I do see myself in her.” Tears threatened to overflow Millie's eyes, but she made every effort not to cry. “I always wanted a family…to know who I am. You cannot imagine how terrible it is to wonder if you come from some unsavory beginnings. To have come from a thief or murderer. I worried that I might have some unsavory background in my family.
“It was a wonderful too… to first see her and then I guess I was not surprised to learn we are related. Obviously related. Rats. I am babbling. Amy says I like to fill up silent spaces. I should pause to think. I know I sound like an idiot.”
Bradley had been watching her facial expressions and felt compassion for what she was going through. Her “babbling” said a lot about her confusion and surprise over the news that her mother was alive. It was not easy. She didn't seem to have any bitterness. She was a marvel. She had Bea's blood in her all right.
“You do not sound like an idiot, just like someone that has had a lot to digest in a short time. You are dealing with it well, as well as can be expected. And besides, your mother is an aristocrat. You will be accepted as a lady.” His face showed his bemusement at her antics which he found refreshing.
“How odd to be suddenly acceptable in society when hours ago I would be shunned and snubbed. I am not certain I care if I am part of such a fickle unfair pack of arrogant fools.”
Bradley laughed. “I like your spirit. But position and money has its advantages. It presents opportunities you would not have otherwise.”
Millie was thoughtful a moment her brows knit together as she turned over these things in her mind. “I am not unhappy in the position of companion to Amy. I have quite enjoyed my experiences and adventures.”
“You do not wish to be married and have children of your own? I thought all women wanted that.”
“Of course. That doesn't mean that being married to a vicar or merchant would not answer those needs. I have never had any particular desire for material things. Maybe because they were not something I thought I would ever have. I am a dreamer…I love a good fairy tale, however, those dreams were fanciful.” Millie found Bradley easy to talk to and he was a good listener. He seemed interested in what she had to say.
“There will certainly be more opportunities for you now that you have Bea as a mother. I will warn you right now, she will take you under her wing and see to it that you meet someone of your new standing.”
“I am ill prepared for such an undertaking. I doubt very much those men would be interested in a women from America with my background.”
“Have faith in Bea. She is quite respected in the ton. Besides,” he said with a bemused smile, “I am thinking of courting you myself, Millicent Balston.”