Page 44 of A Match Made On Duchess Square

“And you hope this for yourself?”

She nodded. “I thought it would be with Andrew.”

“I understand what you are feeling, this expectation of moving forward with one particular person and then realizing your future will not be with them. You want to move ahead but cannot do it yet because this new path is still uncertain. Where will it lead you? Can you take the first step onto it?”

“Yes, this is exactly what I am feeling.” She drank a little of her tea. “I am sorry for all the times I have unfairly admonished you. I know selecting a wife cannot be easy for you, especially since you were so happy in your first marriage.”

They spoke no more as Agatha hurried in to let them know their carriages were waiting and the boys were impatient to leave. “Oh, yes.” Gwendolyn scrambled to her feet. “I’m finished. Shall we go?”

James nodded and rose along with her.

The next two days of travel were uneventful. They made good time and reached their reserved coaching inns earlier than expected each evening because of the excellent condition of the roadways.

In truth, they could have pressed on and reached Milbury Hill close to midnight on the third night. But James wanted Gwendolyn to see his estate in the beauty of the morning light, when the grass shimmered with dew and the sea glistened under the rising sun.

Once they arrived and settled in, he would find a moment to tell her about Cordelia.

This was preying on his mind. He had assumed Fiona would tell her, but she had not. Gwendolyn would have mentioned her during one of their extensive conversations if she had learned of his sister and her situation.

The boys were hopping about excitedly as they embarked on the final leg of their journey on the morning of the fourth day. Good weather persisted, so sunshine and sea breezes escorted them the entire way home.

His boys cheered when Milbury Hill came into view and immediately began making plans to spend the day on the beach. “We’ll all go,” James said, “but not before our bags are unloaded and I’ve given Gwendolyn a tour of our home.”

“Can we picnic on the beach, Papa?” Robert pleaded.

James glanced at Gwendolyn. “Are you up for it?”

She smiled at him. “Oh, yes. That is an excellent idea. I have never been to a picnic on the beach before.”

“It is great fun,” Jordan assured her.

“I’ll send word to Fiona and Durham to join us for an early supper tonight,” James added. “I’m sure Fiona will stop in with or without invitation because she’ll be so eager to see you.”

Gwendolyn was now beaming. “As I will be delighted to see her. Oh, Milbury, your house looks so beautiful in the morning light.”

“We love it here,” Robert said.

“I can see why.” Gwendolyn fixed her gaze on the distant manor house as the two carriages rolled up the long drive. She looked happy.

He hoped that she was. He wanted her to grow to love this estate as much as he and the boys did.

“The manor house was in quite a state of disrepair when I first purchased it. But a thorough cleaning, inside and out, new windows and roof, and several coats of paint in all the rooms went a long way to returning it to its former glory. The wood floors are the original, sturdy oak. They merely required sanding and fresh staining to be restored.”

She cast him a breathtaking smile. “I cannot wait to see all you have done to it. I’m sure I am going to love it.”

James had retained the services of a renowned landscape artist to put his grounds in proper shape, for the gardens had been neglected, too. He had used a team of England’s best architects and decorators to restore the exterior and interior of the house. His one instruction to all of them had been to respect their natural surroundings, the seacoast and countryside, and make his home blend in.

Of course, it was a large manor house and would never be mistaken for an earthen hut or thatched-roof cottage. The outside walls, once properly scrubbed clean, turned out to be of Cotswold stone. These stones were known for their soft, golden tones that looked magnificent at sunrise, and especially at twilight when the last rays of sunshine cast a glow upon them. Red roses ran up along the walls on trellises perched on either side of the massive front door.

James spotted a family of deer grazing in the open parkland that ran alongside his drive and several rabbits hopping around the deer while foraging for their next meal. “Look, Gwen.”

She followed his gaze and laughed at the playful antics of a baby deer chasing the rabbits.

James next pointed to the woodlands that separated Fiona’s property from his. “It is but a short walk through those woods to Fiona’s house.”

He was pleased that Gwendolyn was enthralled by all of it.

James could not wait to show her the interior of his house. Since he had purchased it after Jessica’s death, the house was a masculine reflection of him and his boys. He would not mind Gwendolyn putting her feminine touches to it.