“Rowena!” The voice came from the distance and ripped them both from their state of bliss. Horrified at having been caught out, she jumped up from her seat and turned toward where the voice had come from.
Beside her, Christopher also jumped up and together they glanced into the light, where a dark figure had just entered the church, just in time to observe their first, passionate kiss.
Chapter 21
Christopher rose early and stretched until his joints popped audibly. He stepped to the window and looked out over the vast landscape before him. Acres upon acres of land stretched out, almost as far as the eye could see. He’d already rode along the perimeter of the property with Henry, as Charles and Lord Hazelshire and assessed it.
The vineyard held much promise. He’d felt good about his decision to go into business with Lord Hazelshire without having seen the property for himself, but he’d known he could trust Henry’s judgement. He’d not been wrong.
He knew enough of the grape-growing business to know that, while this vineyard had been mismanaged, it could well be the answer to all of his money troubles. The land was fertile, the vines before him would soon grow heavy with grapes.
He looked out to the west where an abandoned winery stood. Once, this vineyard had produced its own wine, but the building was now in a terrible state and would need to be rebuilt almost from the ground up. It would be worth it though to produce here, instead of having the grapes brought to the winery that produced Summerwind Wines.
Christopher’s eyes were drawn to movement down below. Two women were walking with a parasol to protect their fair skin against the sun. He opened the window, feeling the heaviness of the hot summer’s day that lay before them. Leaning out, he peered at the women.
“Good morning,” he called out without using their names, for fear one of the women beneath the parasol was Lady Hazelshire. It was not. He was uncomfortably reminded of the day at St. George’s of Hanover when he’d first found the courage to kiss Rowena.
That terrible moment when he’d been certain they’d been caught out. That everything was over before it had the chance to begin. And the relief he’d felt when he’d seen the face of her sister instead. She’d come to warn them of the impending arrival of their mother. It had been a close call. Too close for Christopher’s liking. He treaded more careful now.
“Your Grace,” Lady Catherine waved at him, a smile on her face. Beside her, Rowena looked up. Her dark hair had been bound back into a bun with a few strands of hair falling into her face. “Join us,” Catherine called up. Rowena smiled up at him, her entire face lit up by the sunlight, giving her an even more ethereal glow.
He was about to reply when he heard a door open and the harsh voice of Lady Hazelshire drifted to his window.
“Catherine, it is entirely unsuitable for a lady to be hollering in such a manner. We might be in the country, but we still have our manners to maintain.”
Noticing the direction her daughters faced, she looked up. The expression on her face changed at once and she fell into a curtsy. “I am sorry, Your Grace, I did not see you there.”
He dipped his head in her direction. “Never mind, Lady Hazelshire. And please forgive your daughter. I drew her into conversation in this awkward manner. I shall join you presently.”
He stepped away from the window and dressed. He’d never enjoyed the aid of the valet when dressing himself, as he found it a rather tedious manner of dressing. Instead, he threw on a pair of trousers, a white shirt with a brown waist coat, and a matching hat. Peering into the small looking glass on the wall, he nodded at himself and made his way downstairs.
* * *
“You have risen at last, brother,” Henry greeted him when he passed through the parlor toward the front yard.
Henry was dressed down, like Christopher was.
“I did not find the need to rise early,” he replied causing his brother to chuckle.
“Is that so? I see this visit was just what you need to further your plans regarding the Lady Rowena. I saw you sneak away into the old well house last night, followed by your lady love not long after. I trust you had an enjoyable time,” Henry winked. Indeed, Christopher had found that the old property offered a great many places were two young people could hide away.
For the past few evenings, while Henry had kept the Earl and Lady Hazelshire busy with plans for the future, Christopher had taken the opportunity to at last spend time with Lady Rowena. They’d sat side by side, looking out over the landscape, their hands always clasped. The hours had flown past as they talked and found more and more in common with one another. The previous night, she had fallen asleep with her head leaning against his shoulder.
“It was a lovely evening indeed. Oh, Henry. Rowena is all I thought she would be and more. She is loving and caring to those around her. Kind, charitable, and ever so smart. If only I could free her from the clasp of Thornmouth. If only she could be mine already and we could start out life together.” He shook his head.
Am I making a cake of myself, allowing myself to live out this dream while we are here, removed from reality?
Henry patted his shoulder. “You are well on your way. This afternoon, we will speak to the Earl about the winery. If he is willing to front the money for the repair, and we provide experts, we will make a profit of this property very soon. And our money worries will be forgotten.” A smile spread on his brother’s face. “Havisham House might be within our reach before the next London Season, brother.”
Christopher nodded, “I can only pray you are right, Henry.”
Outside, he saw the two young women pass by, accompanied by their sister-in-law, who, to everyone surprise, had insisted on making the journey to the vineyard. His attention was at once diverted.
His brother shook his head. “I shall not keep you from your lady love,” he motioned toward the door and a moment later, Christopher stepped through, followed by his brother.
“Good morning, Mister Newmont,” Lady Catherine said, the moment she laid her eyes upon Henry. Lady Margaret Burton stood beside her, looking flushed from the sun and exhausted. She had served as chaperone whenever Lady Hazelshire was occupied but the task was clearly too much for someone in her condition.
Henry smiled at Catherine and bowed to the group. There was a slight blush on his face as he caught the eye of Catherine and Christopher tried hard to avoid grinning. He’d noticed that, while his brother still had his nose in a book most of the day when he was not occupied with business, he had been spending considerable amounts of time with Lady Catherine. He appeared to enjoy her company a great deal, as she did his.
