I could not disagree with her, but I had a sinking feeling that if Clara did not win Sir Ronald’s heart, I could more easily understand marrying for protection, without much say as to whom.
“Be grateful you know so little of the subject to be able to wonder on it.” I gave in to another yawn and closed my eyes. There was something about a ride in a coach, heading far away from Lord Gray with Clara as my companion and the soft sound of Mary’s knitting needles, that was so comforting and so familiar, I fell asleep every time.
We stopped at a small inn for a meal before continuing on our way, but then a few miles outside of Hampshire, Clara sat bolt upright. “My gloves! Amelia, my gloves! I took them off for lunch. I’ve left them.”
I sat up straight. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She moaned, covering her face with bare hands. “They were my last short pair.”
I took a deep breath. Our allowance was small, but gloves were a necessity. Clara couldn’t wear evening gloves during the day. “We will have to stop at a shop in town.”
“I am sorry, Amelia. How could I be so careless? Wasting money on new gloves.”
“It is an inexpensive mistake. And easily remedied,” I assured her, though inwardly I groaned too. What would happen when our reticules emptied?
A few hours later, we pulled up to a row of shops lined side by side down a broad street in the middle of a small farm town. Clara had fallen asleep in the coach, and I did not want to worry her. Our hands were nearly the same size, though it would be a miracle if the glove maker could accommodate us on such short notice. I could only hope to persuade him to sell me another person’s order at an inflated cost. Or with a hefty tip in the least.
The store was much larger on the inside than it appeared and looked as though the owner was in the middle of a remodeling. At the front, a clerk sat at a long, rectangular wooden desk, writing in a thick book. He looked up through his spectacles as I approached.
“Welcome, ma’am, I am just finishing this order. I shall be with you in a moment.”
“If you could point me in the direction of the gloves you offer, then I shall wait for you there.”
“Oh.” The man removed his spectacles, uncovering a furrowed brow. “I am sorry to disappoint you, but our glove maker has recently moved his business elsewhere. Unfortunately, I can take no further orders until our new man arrives next month.”
Would luck ever find us? I could handle disappointment, but I could not bear to see it in my sister. “I’m afraid our need is great. I must ask you to sell me anything you have on hand, sir. Anything at all. I can pay you well.”
“Well, we’ve sold quite a lot of his old things already—patterns, samples, and the like—but I think there’s one pair of sample gloves left on the table. Smaller in size, which appears to suit you, and I believe they are a fashionable beige. Just there, on the back corner table. I will assist you in a moment.” He motioned me forward, and I nodded my thanks, hurrying to the back corner of the shop.
Squeezing around a large sign, I spotted the table, my eyes searching desperately for beige fabric. Just as I approached the edge of the table, a rustling sounded directly underneath it. I drew an anxious breath, taking a step back.
A man appeared near my shoes, climbing out from below the table. My eyes widened in shock as he recovered himself. Where on earth had he come from? He bore no resemblance to a shopkeeper.
In fact, he looked quite the gentleman. A fashionable coat clung tightly to broad shoulders and a wide chest. He had a breezy air about him, with full, smiling lips and a clean-shaven jaw, his dark, wavy hair loosely drifting over his forehead. But it was his eyes that captivated me. They were the clearest green, boring into mine without reservation. The man chuckled through my scrutiny, and I burned to my ears with embarrassment. My gaze had lingered too long.
“Pardon me,” he said, a smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes as he dusted off his knees. “My search led me to a pile of stray fabrics under the table. This shop is rather disorganized, is it not?”
What a strange man. The corners of my lips twitched as he ruffled his hair. “Terribly,” I responded. “Excuse me.”
Reminding myself of my goal and my limited time, I twisted around him and began sorting through the dreadfully unorganized accessories on the table.
But the man did not leave. He moved closer to me, lifting a cherry-colored ribbon from the table. An odd bubbling sensation filled my chest, and I did not like how flustered it made me.
“Perhaps I can help you find what you are looking for,” he offered, clearing his throat.
I turned, eyebrows raised in interest. “Have you seen a pair of beige gloves? I’ve been sent back for the very last pair, and I’m in a bit of hurry.”
The smile on his lips fell instantly, and I dropped my gaze to his rising hand—and the gloves he held.
“Oh, you’ve found them. You won’t mind, will you? My sister left her last short pair at an inn, and I—”
“I am sorry.” He shook his head. “But I cannot give these up.Myyounger sister, who is, I am sure, far more commanding and much whinier than yours, will have my head if I return without these. She’s found a spot on hers that will not do, and these happen to be just the right size.”
“A spot? That can be remedied. My sister is without gloves entirely, sir. I am afraid this little shop is our only hope of acquiring a pair before arriving at a rather important house party. Surely your sister will understand.” I held out my palm, hoping I’d pled my case sufficiently. The man had done his duty to his sister by arguing her case, but clearly Clara’s need was greater.
“I assure you she would not, unfortunately.” He flashed me a look of meaningful regret with a deep sigh, and I retracted my hand. “Allow me to offer you their value in currency as recompense for her disappointment. You seem like a reasonable woman.”
“I do not want your money, sir. And I assure you, I am not at all a reasonable woman.” I folded my arms across my chest, the ridiculousness of my last statement bringing heat to my cheeks.
