Page 75 of Romancing the Artist

Chapter 25

Caroline fussed with her hair in front of the mirror one last time, and her mother stood beside her with an amused smile crinkling the corner of her eyes. Papa, Mama, Amelia, Alfred, and Victor had come in a coach that morning. Tomorrow, Sir Thomas would arrive in the afternoon. And tonight, they dined with the Everly family.

“You look charming, my dear.” Mama put her hand on Caroline’s shoulder and turned her gently away from the mirror. “Edward certainly already thinks the world of you. It was good of him to be here when we arrived, and he was so thoughtful with the children.”

He had gifted the boys with tin soldiers from his childhood collection, for their exclusive use while they visited Inglewood. Then he’d treated Amelia as though she were a lady of sixteen instead of six, winning her over by inviting her to take tea with his mother and sisters in two days’ time. But the moment he had taken with Mama, bowing as though she were a lady of high rank rather than a gentlewoman farmer, had been lovely. His every word had been sincere.

Caroline remembered them well, and always would. “It is an honor to meet you, Mrs. Duncan. Your daughter has told me of how much she admires and loves you. I hope we come to know each other well, someday. I would consider it a privilege to have you as a friend.”

Then he had taken a walk with her parents while Caroline settled the children into the nursery. When they returned, Papa had seemed impressed. Perhaps Edward had won him by finally acting as his normal self. Whatever had passed between them, her parents hadn’t said a thing to Caroline about it.

Would it be terribly foolish for her to sigh in contentment every time she thought of him? The girl who had never dreamed of being swept off her feet had turned into a woman who enjoyed the situation greatly.

Teresa Clapham adjusted the pearl necklace around Caroline’s neck, then kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I am happy for you. One can tell at a glance how deeply in love you are.”

“Surely not,” Caroline protested, wrinkling her nose. “I look as I ever did.” Yet she saw it, too, when she glanced in the mirror.

“You glow with it, my dear. As though you have been lit from the inside, like a lantern.” Mama led the way from the room, and they met Papa in the corridor. Mrs. Everly had sent the invitation for a family dinner, including Caroline, her parents, the Barnes family, and all the Everlys at home. Someday, Caroline would meet the only one of Edward’s sisters not present. She couldn’t guess when.

Edward had remained secretive about his book and his plans. And just as spare with his kisses. The week had flown by with preparations for house guests, with Edward taking her for rides through the country, meeting his sisters for tea, and even sitting beside him in church. Mrs. Kimball had stopped glaring at them both, too, and Mariah’s smile had turned brighter.

Despite the anxiety of Sir Thomas’s visit, Caroline had never been so happy.

They arrived at the Everly home at the same time as the vicar and his wife, their gig ahead of the borrowed Inglewood carriage. Papa and Mr. Barnes exchanged bows and polite greetings, while Mrs. Barnes actually embraced Caroline’s mother.

“You must be so proud of Caroline,” the vicar’s wife said as she took her husband’s arm. “I have seen some of her work. She has talent and dedication, and she is such a lovely person to know.”

“We are very proud of her,” Mama said, her chin tilted up. “Thank you for welcoming her into your home.”

“Ladies, we can exchange pleasantries much more comfortably in the house,” Papa said with an arched eyebrow. “Barnes. Any words of warning from the vicar before we enter the lion’s den?”

Caroline shook her head while Mr. Barnes chuckled and took his wife’s arm. “It will not be too terrible. I have managed as an in-law for several years now. Do not fear, Miss Clapham.”

“I hadn’t thought I had reason to,” she replied, following behind the married couples and into the house. They gathered in a sitting room Caroline had visited earlier that week to read with Edward’s sisters. The room was pleasant and large, with tall windows framed in ivory curtains and furniture in green and gold.

The Everly family had already gathered, with the exception of their visiting cousin, and all had risen when the guests entered. Once everyone had been introduced to Caroline’s mother, the only remaining stranger to the Everly family, they found their places again.

Edward came immediately to Caroline’s side and threaded his fingers through hers. Despite their gloves, her fingers immediately tingled from the contact. She lifted her gaze to his and then raised her eyebrows in some surprise. “Are you well, Edward? You look…nervous about something.”

“Nervous? Me?” He squeezed her hand. “Likely because I am. Quite nervous, in fact.”

He reached into his dinner jacket and withdrew the little sketchbook. He pressed it to his heart, then held it out to her. “This is for you. Inside, I have written all my hopes and dreams, all my plans, and how to make them a reality. Every moment I have not been with you, I have worked at ordering my life. And now, I have an announcement to make. I have just one question for you first.”

It didn’t matter that there were others in the room. In that instant, nothing existed outside of the two of them and the place they occupied. The universe had contracted around Caroline and Edward, making them the sole occupants of a work of art, perhaps even a masterpiece, as he held her hand and searched her gaze for an answer to the question he was about to ask.

“Yes,” she whispered.

His smile quirked upward. “Now who is leaping before they look?”

“One of us obviously must take that role, and it certainly hasn’t been you of late. Planning, organizing, and scheming, Edward?” She tipped her head to the side and sighed. “Very well. If you must. Ask.”

“Ask what?” a voice said beside them. An annoying sort of voice, too. Claude Everly had arrived and stood less than two feet from them, a smirk on his face. “If he has trod on your foot, perhaps? Does Miss Clapham enjoy it when you loom over her like that, Cousin?”

Before Caroline could worry herself over Edward, he laughed. Actually laughed about Claude’s terrible timing. Then he tugged her with him to the center of the room, and the talk around them ceased entirely. Edward didn’t pay anyone else attention, though. His focus remained on Caroline, while she blushed and smiled at her parents before returning her gaze to his.

“Will you marry me, Caroline Clapham, and let me come on all of your adventures? May I come with you, as your husband and friend, as you travel and share your talent with the world? May I grow with you, in talent and experience, as we open our hearts and minds to all the beauty that lies beyond our door?”

It was more than she expected. Edward wanted to marry her, and he wanted to give Caroline her dreams. Her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know how he’d managed it. The answers to all those sorts of questions would be in the book pressed against her chest. All that mattered was that he’d found a way for both of them. Whatever came of Sir Thomas’s visit, Edward would stand with her, loving and supporting her.