Oh, that is too cruel and mercenary, even for him!Amelia placed her hand on Adam’s arm in sympathy. “I apologise sincerely for my father’s behaviour.”
“There is no need. He was only doing what was right for you and his family interests.”
“Oh, do not excuse him! I’m mortified by his behaviour.”
“It does not matter. In the end, we came to an agreement, that you and your parents were to come to Wellworth Park for the Christmas week so that we could be introduced and get to know each other. There was to be no talk of marriage at such an early stage in our acquaintance! I wanted you to meet my parents and see my home, as well as to get to know me, so that if I could engage your affections, then you could make an informed decision about what your future life with me would be like.”
Amelia broke their eye contact and lowered her chin to her chest while she thought about all he had revealed. To have endured so much, and persisted in his pursuit of her despite serving the nation, injury, and her parents’ manoeuvrings. It wasn’t just her mind overwhelmed by his actions, her heart was also so full of emotion it seemed to have expanded to fill her chest. She swallowed to remove the lump in her throat. “Thank you for your honesty. Yours was a very well-thought out and sensible plan, but my parents had a wholly different view of the affair.”
“So I now understand, and I’m sorry to have been the cause. I was naïve about their take on the matter.”
“I don’t think you realise how desperate their money situation is.”
“I ought to have.”
She nodded in acceptance.
He drew a deep breath. “Let us start again, Miss Fortescue.” He held out his hand. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
She slid her hand into his and he raised it to his mouth to place a kiss upon her knuckles, all the while his chocolate-coloured eyes gazing into hers. Her heart leapt in her chest. When she spoke, her voice was a little breathless. “And I’m delighted to meet you too. I look forward to showing you around Bath.”
Perhaps Major Adam Wellworth was the gentleman she had been searching for, all these months?
***
Over the next few days, Adam experienced a different and more fascinating Bath than he had on his previous visit.
On Boxing Day, he escorted Amelia to the Pump Room, where their fingers brushed together repeatedly as Amelia passed cup after cup of the appalling-tasting, smelly water to him. That he felt quite bilious when he returned to his hotel was no surprise, but not even turning green from the brew would have stopped him experiencing each jolt of awareness when their fingers touched.
At the Roman Baths the next day, Adam sheltered Amelia under his umbrella from a short sharp shower of rain. Perhaps they could have stood further out of the weather, hard up against the stone walls like the other hardy visitors, but where was the joy in that? Not when Amelia fitted so snuggly against his chest, encircled by his arm.
Another day, with Amelia’s hand nestled in the crook of his arm, they walked the paths of the snow-dappled Sydney Gardens … until Adam guided Amelia behind a wide-trunked tree and stole a kiss. He would have like to have had many more, but the popularity of the gardens in such fine weather was against them and half the town seemed to have chosen that day to perambulate there.
One evening they attended an assembly in the Upper Rooms, where they drew the censure of the Master of Ceremonies for dancing together more than twice. Amelia had blushed hotly as Adam told the man it was an honest error. Lady Lavinia had snapped her fan closed, apologised profusely for her failure as a chaperone to her great-niece because she had been chatting to Colonel Landon, and ushered the couple into her carriage bound for home. To them she said not one word of recrimination. Instead, after tea had been served in the parlour she fell asleep, snoring loudly. Adam and Amelia were left effectively alone, to entwine their fingers, gaze into each other’s eyes and talk, for as long as she slept. And that was a satisfyingly long time.
Adam found Amelia’s interest in helping those less fortunate than herself equalled his own. They visited some of the many charitable institutions that Amelia supported with her time and Lady Lavinia’s money. He told her of his work to assist the families of dead and invalided soldiers from the war.
He wished there was more time before they needed to return to the reality of Wellworth Park and the pressure from Amelia’s parents for her to marry him to resolve their financial plight.
He was more in love with her than ever, but were her feelings for him strong enough for her to want to marry him?
