Chapter Twenty-One
Charity Strickland sat comfortably in her favourite chair in the Comstock town-house library. The rest of the family insisted that it was more pleasant than the one in the manor. But that was precisely the problem she had with it. She liked her privacy and she could not seem to get any here.
She could hear footsteps coming down the hall and Hope paused in the open doorway. As she had since the morning after she’d seduced Mr Drake, she looked so radiant that the room seemed to grow brighter when she smiled. Charity set aside the journal she had been readying and gestured her to enter. ‘Have you come to scold me about my plans to return to the manor again?’
‘You know I have not,’ Hope replied. ‘Grandmama says that you are worried about the Earl’s dog.’
‘The poor thing is used to company,’ Charity replied. ‘And it is a very large house for such a small animal.’
‘Your argument will be more convincing if you allow him in the library with you,’ Hope replied. ‘Be sure you have prepared a bed for him there by the time the Earl arrives.’
‘As long as he does not chew on the books, he can have his choice of any chair in the room.’ She gave Hope an encouraging smile. ‘But never mind that. You have come to tell me about your impending marriage to Mr Drake.’
Hope laughed. ‘Why is it impossible to surprise you?’
‘Because as I have told you before, you are easier to read than these journals. Our ancestors had atrocious penmanship. Now tell me about the wedding, and I promise I will not try to guess the details.’
‘We are eloping,’ Hope whispered, taking both her hands and squeezing them. ‘Running away to Scotland this very afternoon. Of course, it is not exactly a proper elopement, since we have Grandmama’s blessing and the Earl’s as well.’
‘Only you would try to find a way to elope properly,’ Charity said with a shake of her head.
‘But it is possible that Faith and her husband might object.’ She sounded almost hopeful of the idea. ‘I do not know what Mr Leggett will think when the man he hired to help us runs off with me.’
In Charity’s opinion, if James Leggett had a problem with this, then he should have had better sense than to send the perfect man for Hope. ‘I do not think it is any of their business who you marry, as long as you are happy.’
‘It will be even less so if we are properly married by the time they return,’ Hope said with an evil grin.
‘You are displaying an impressive level of rebellion, Hope Strickland,’ Charity said. ‘I applaud Mr Drake’s corruption of your high standards and hope that it continues after your marriage.’
Hope bent to kiss her on the cheek. ‘Even if it does not, I will not have as much time to bother you about your future as I did. If Grandmama intends to travel, it will be up to the Earl to find you a husband.’
‘Or I shall have to find one for myself,’ Charity said.
‘And for that you insist you shall need money.’ Hope pulled a paper from the pocket of her gown and handed it to her. ‘And that is why I am giving you a wedding gift, in advance.’
Charity unfolded the paper, and read the letter from the jeweller, describing the purchase of the paste stones. ‘How very interesting. Wherever did you get it?’
‘I asked Gregory to search for the jewels and he found the information in just one day.’ Hope was beaming again. ‘Isn’t he amazing?’
‘Indeed,’ Charity agreed.
‘And the most fascinating thing is he can find no evidence that the stones were sold. They must still be in the house somewhere.’
‘What wonderful news!’ Charity said. ‘The next Countess will not have to parade around in paste if the Earl can find them and replace them in their settings.’
‘I have an even better idea,’ Hope said, then went to check the hall lest they be overheard. When she saw no one, she returned to Charity’s side and whispered, ‘You must go back to the manor and hunt for them yourself. You know the house better than any of us. Find the stones and keep one or two of the smaller ones for yourself, just as you joked of doing before. Use them for a dowry, or travel as Grandmama is going to do. There will be little hope for you if you remain in the country. And I know you do not want to live with your sisters.’
‘Keep stones for myself? That is a positively wicked idea, Hope. Those stones belong to the entail and I would never think of doing such a thing. I am going to pretend that you never said it.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Hope said, raising her arms in surrender. ‘But I have learned from experience that there is such a thing as being too moral.’
‘It’s about time,’ Charity muttered, then smiled at her sister to prove that there were no hard feelings.
Hope smiled back and for the first time in ages she did not seem the least bit upset that she did not obey.
‘Enjoy your elopement,’ Charity said. ‘And everything that comes after.’
Hope’s eyes went wide. ‘When we return, I shall go to the manor and tell you all about it.’ She giggled. ‘Scotland, that is.’
‘Or you can write to me,’ Charity said, glancing towards the door. ‘I hope that Mr Drake means to take you on a honeymoon of some sort. Do not delay it for my sake.’
‘I am sure Gregory would not mind,’ Hope said. But from the faraway look in her eye, the offer to return had been nothing more than courtesy.
‘Do not let me keep you,’ Charity said, making shooing motions towards the door. ‘It is a long way to Gretna Green.’
Once Hope was finally gone, Charity sat down with a sigh of relief and rang for tea. It was good to see both sisters properly settled and to be left alone to bask in the glow of her grandmother’s loving neglect.
Some girls might have been bothered by the lack of attention. But as the youngest of three, Charity had been waiting a lifetime for it.
She glanced down at the letter Hope had brought her, still on the table next to the sofa. It was kind of Mr Drake to have gone searching on his own and very clever of him to have got this far without her help.
She had needed to give him so many clues to the winning of Hope that she had begun to worry he might be a touch slow. But then Hope had needed help as well. But his success in this and his eagerness to help boded well for her sister’s future. Charity had wanted her second brother-in-law to be both smart and kind, just as Mr Leggett was.
Of course, she also wanted him out of the way. The longer his inventory could be prevented, the more time she would have to look for the stones. She’d spent months reading old journals, making pages upon pages of notes, measuring walls and comparing architect’s notes with old floor plans. As soon as Hope was gone, she could pack up her books and return to the country so that her search could begin in earnest.
Though Hope had suggested she keep a diamond or two, by Charity’s calculations it would take four of them to catch a husband, but five if she wished to remain unmarried. It begged the question if the gowns and folderol that were deemed necessary to attract the masculine sex were an effective use of the money.
She smiled. It did not really matter as of yet. She need not make a decision until after she had her hands on the diamonds and had found a man worth marrying. But of one thing she was sure: she would not spend a minute of her life sitting on the edge of a dance floor waiting for the future to come to her. After all, the Lord helped those who helped themselves.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story check out
this previous connected story by Christine Merrill
“Her Christmas Temptation”
in REGENCY CHRISTMAS WISHES
And be sure to check out
Christine Merrill’s other full-length reads
THE SECRETS OF WISCOMBE CHASE
THE WEDDING GAME
A CONVENIENT BRIDE FOR THE SOLDIER
Also, watch out for the next book in the
THOSE SCANDALOUS STRICKLANDS miniseries, coming soon!
Keep reading for an excerpt from CAPTAIN ROSE’S REDEMPTION by Georgie Lee.
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