Authors: Jennifer McNare
As she turned to leave, Alex was fairly certain that he
detected the telltale patter of footsteps as they quickly hastened away from the
door.
“Excuse me, my lady.”
Having just left the breakfast room, Tiffany turned to see
Penrose approaching.
“Yes?” she queried.
“This arrived for you while you were at breakfast,” he said,
holding out a cream-colored envelope.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it from his hand.
With a slight bow of his head, he left, returning to his
duties.
Walking into the morning room, Tiffany slid her finger
beneath the envelope’s wax seal.
Pulling
out the single sheet of paper, she quickly scanned the page.
It was an invitation to tea from Alex’s
mother, the Dowager Countess of Chesterfield.
Apparently she and Alex’s two sisters had returned from their trip
abroad and the countess was now eager to make her acquaintance.
Oh dear, she thought, feeling a touch of
anxiety.
However, as she had no plans
for the day, she moved to the small writing desk that sat in the corner and
immediately penned a note of acceptance, for postponing the inevitable would
surely only increase her nervousness.
Arriving at the Chesterfield residence later that afternoon,
Tiffany felt as if a dozen butterflies had suddenly taken flight in her
stomach.
In spite of Alex’s assurance
that his mother would welcome her with open arms, she felt apprehensive nonetheless.
Exiting the carriage, she took several deep,
calming breaths.
Then, after instructing
the driver to return for her in just over an hour, she made her way slowly to
the front steps.
“Hello,” she said as the front door swung open a mere second
after her soft knock.
“My name is Lady
Tiffany Marlowe.
I believe the countess
is expecting me,” she continued, handing him her card.
“Of course, my lady, welcome to Chesterfield House,” the
butler responded, stepping aside so that she could enter the foyer, then
closing the door behind her.
“If you
will follow me to the Emerald Parlor.”
Walking down a short hallway, they stopped before a closed
set of double doors.
“Come in,” a female voice called, responding to the butler’s
light knock.
Opening the doors, he announced Tiffany’s presence in a
refined voice.
“Lady Tiffany Marlowe to
see you, Madame.”
Stepping back, he
motioned for Tiffany to enter the room.
As Tiffany walked into the room, she could well understand
how it got its name, for emerald green was the primary color in the elegantly
decorated space.
“Lady Tiffany, thank you so much for coming.”
The woman who rose to greet her was a vision in burgundy
silk, and as she approached Tiffany could clearly see from whom Alex had gotten
his striking good-looks.
The countess
possessed the same silver-hued eyes and chestnut-colored hair as her son, and
her welcoming smile reminded her of Alex’s.
However, aside from a few tiny wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, she
hardly seemed old enough to be his mother.
“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Chesterfield,” she replied politely.
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” the countess proclaimed.
Reaching out, she took hold of Tiffany’s hand
and pulled her further into the room.
“Come and sit so that we may become better acquainted,” she said,
leading her toward a delicate-looking settee covered in green and gold striped
jacquard silk.
Sitting down, the
countess motioned for Tiffany to take the seat next to her.
Lowering herself onto the sofa cushion, Tiffany felt her
anxiety gradually begin to lessen.
The
countess wasn’t nearly as imposing as she had feared, and in fact, appeared to
be quite warm and friendly.
“Would you care for some tea, dear?”
“Yes, please,” Tiffany nodded, turning her attention to the
lavish tea service set out upon the low table before them.
As the countess filled two cups from the
matching floral-patterned china teapot, Tiffany glanced briefly around the
room.
It was beautifully decorated in
contrasting shades of green and gold and the magnificent artwork and opulent
furnishings displayed within were a tasteful mixture of various European
styles.
“Here you are,” the countess said.
Taking the delicate teacup, Tiffany smiled graciously.
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Please, call me Cecelia,” the countess said amiably, as she
lifted her own cup from the tray.
“Alright, Cecelia. And please, call me Tiffany.”
Over the course of the next hour, the countess went out of
her way to put Tiffany at ease as they chatted pleasantly about a wide and varying
range of topics.
And though they touched
briefly upon Alex, Cecelia didn’t press her for the details surrounding their
relationship.
All in all, it was an
enjoyable conversation.
And before long,
Tiffany’s nervousness was all but forgotten as she and Alex’s mother eagerly
got to know one another.
Hearing a light knock upon the door, Tiffany and the
countess both turned just as it swung open.
It was Alex.
Entering the room, Alex smiled at the two women.
“Forgive me for intruding, but as Hastings
just informed me that the two of you have been closeted away in here for nearly
an hour, I thought I had best check to see if Tiffany needed rescuing,” he
teased.
“Rescuing?
From me?”
the countess retorted in mock affront.
“Honestly Alexander, you will have the poor girl thinking that I’m some
sort of tyrant.”
Alex’s grin merely widened.
“I’m hardly in need of rescuing, my lord,” Tiffany said with
a tiny laugh.
“In fact, your mother and
I have been having a lovely conversation.”
“There, you see,” Cecelia added, with an
I told you so
look.
“You needn’t have worried, for clearly I
haven’t frightened the dear girl away as you so obviously feared.”
“I suppose that will be left to Amelia and Lizzie then,” he
said in a jesting tone.
The countess shook her head.
“Do not listen to him, dear,” she said, turning to Tiffany.
“Elizabeth and Amelia are delightful girls.”
“They’re a couple of hoydens,” Alex refuted good-humoredly
as he walked over to the silver tray that held a variety of scrumptious looking
tidbits.
“But even so, they’re
relatively harmless.”
Lifting one of the
sweets from the tray, he smiled broadly and then popped it into his mouth.
Observing the playful banter between mother and son, Tiffany
couldn’t help but smile herself.
It was
obvious that the Chesterfields were a warm and loving family, so unlike her
own, and it was truly wonderful to see.
Even more so, knowing that one day she might very well be a part of it.
“Do mind your manners, Alexander,” his mother gently scolded
as he lifted another morsel from the tray and promptly bit into the sugary
sweetness.
“Sit down and I shall pour
you a cup of tea.”
Unrepentant, Alex swallowed the bite size confectionary and
then licked the few lingering crystals of sugar from his lips.
“Actually, mother,” he began, “if you don’t
mind me depriving you of her company, I was just thinking to invite Tiffany to
take a turn about the rear garden.”
“Oh, what a wonderful idea,” the countess said
agreeably.
“The late-blooming flowers
are so lovely this time of year.”
“Would you care to join me for a walk?” Alex asked, turning
to Tiffany.
“I would love to,” she replied eagerly.
As she stood, Alex moved to her side and
extended his elbow.
Taking his arm, she
smiled at the countess and then allowed him to lead her from the room.
“It appeared that you and my mother were getting on quite
well,” Alex commented as they made their way along a wide hallway, moving
toward the rear of the house.
Tiffany nodded.
“Yes,
we were.”
“I told you that she would adore you,” he reminded her.
Tiffany merely smiled in response.
Just as I do
, she added in
her head, recalling those wonderful words he’d spoken days earlier.
As they continued down the hallway and then made their way
out to the garden, Alex was in remarkably good spirits.
Although he’d known that his mother would
like Tiffany, it was still gratifying to hear that they had gotten on so well
together during their first encounter.
And despite his teasing, he had little doubt that Tiffany would get
along famously with his sisters as well.
“After you,” he said, opening the door for her as they reached the end
of the hall.
Stepping out into the late afternoon sun, Tiffany was
instantly rewarded with the sight of one of the loveliest flower gardens she’d
ever seen.
There were blossoms
everywhere in nearly every color imaginable.
“Oh, how beautiful!”
“These are mother’s pride and joy,” Alex told her.
“I can understand why,” she said appreciatively, as her gaze
skipped eagerly from one grouping to the next.
“My grandfather had an avid interest in horticulture and he
shared that interest with my mother,” Alex explained.
“She spent countless hours with him as a
child, designing and cultivating the gardens at her childhood home, and she’s
continued the tradition here, as well as at Chesterfield.”
“Well, she’s certainly done a marvelous job,” she said as
they strolled along the narrow walk.
“There’s a gazebo just up ahead,” Alex said a few minutes
later, as they neared a bend in the path.
“Just beyond those trees.”
“Oh my, it’s lovely,” Tiffany exclaimed as they rounded the
corner and the wooden structure came into view.
“Would you like to go inside?”
She nodded eagerly as he led her to the steps.
“My father had it designed and built for my mother shortly
after their marriage,” Alex said as he guided her inside.
Glancing about the small room, Tiffany could see that a
tremendous amount of time and effort had gone into the crafting of the
gazebo.
In addition to the structure
itself, the interior was a superb display of detail and artistry.
From the elegantly carved benches,
upholstered cushions and beautifully embroidered pillows, to the intricate
scrollwork and colorful friezes that adorned the walls and ceiling, the space
was utterly enchanting.
“What a
wonderful gift,” she breathed, as she spun about in a slow circle, taking it
all in.
“Would you like to sit for a moment?” Alex asked, motioning
to one of the benches.
“Alright,” she agreed eagerly.
Settling her skirts around her, she lowered
herself onto the thick cushion.
As Alex
sat down next to her, Tiffany suddenly realized just how secluded the gazebo
was.
Surrounded by leafy trees and tall
hedges, it was completely hidden from the house.
Casting a sidelong glance at Alex, she felt
her pulse quicken, for this was the first time they had been alone together in
weeks.
“It’s so quiet and peaceful,” she
said softly.
“My father said that he had the gazebo tucked away back here
to give my mother her own private sanctuary from the city.
However, I’ve always suspected that he had an
ulterior motive,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“An ulterior motive?”
“A place where the
two
of them
could be alone.”
“Oh.”
Tiffany grasped
his meaning at once, and in turn, felt the heat rise to her cheeks.
“And there it is,” Alex said with a light chuckle, eyeing
her reddening cheeks, “another of those charming blushes that I’ve grown so
fond of.”
“My blushes?
Why ever
are you fond of
those
?” Tiffany
asked, embarrassed and curious at the same time.
“They remind me how delightfully innocent you are,” he said
softly.
“Oh.”
She thought
about that for a moment, and then met his gaze with an unexpected
boldness.
“But then again, I’m not
entirely innocent,” she reminded him.
His expression lost all traces of humor as he recalled their
time at Sethe.
Raising his hand, he
brushed the backs of his knuckles lightly along the line of her jaw.
“No, I suppose you’re not
entirely
innocent, are you?”
Thanks to him, of course.
A cool breeze was blowing gently through the gazebo, but it
was Alex’s touch, as well as the sudden direction of her thoughts that made her
shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asked, his voice dropping to a husky
whisper.
“No.”
She wasn’t cold
at all.
In fact, there was a warm,
delicious heat building inside of her and it was quickly spreading throughout
her entire body.