“Of course, my lord,” she answered. “You can’t be a housekeeper for long if you don’t know how to mind your tongue.”
He smiled and nodded, then he looked to Amber. “I received a missive from Mr. Christopher Jupp this morning. He wishes to discuss your marriage contract. I have set the appointment for tomorrow. I believe he will then speak to you that evening. That is…” He cleared his throat. “Is this to your liking?”
Now it all made sense. Now that she was to marry Mr. Jupp, she was to be a proper woman. That involved chaperones and apologies. “It is everything that I ever wanted,” she said, her voice cracking with the strain.
It was everything. And yet, her heart broke with the words. She knew now that there would never be another kiss from Elliott, another improper touch, or even a longing look. It was over because she was to marry a future baron.
Beside her, Mrs. Hopkins cheered in delight. She gave Amber her heartfelt best wishes and then she began sharing everything she’d ever heard about Mr. Jupp and his family. All of it was complimentary, and it continued for a good hour. And once she was finished with that, she began to give advice on the wedding breakfast. What to serve, how not to overwhelm the bride on the most exciting day of her life, and all sorts of other very practical, very useful suggestions. Amber listened closely and asked appropriate questions. There was a great deal to learn about being a proper woman. Things about running a household that had never entered her thoughts before. But if she were to become a baroness, then she would need to know these things. And Mrs. Hopkins was a font of information.
So she listened, learned, and tried not to let her head swim with details. And all the while, she pushed away any thought of the man sitting across from her. She would think only of Mr. Christopher Jupp and how to be a good wife to him.
They arrived at Lord Morthan’s country estate to the patter of rain. Mrs. Hopkins went directly downstairs to visit with the housekeeper. Lord Byrn handed a missive to the butler, and they were immediately escorted to the library and left alone. Apparently, Lord Morthan had directed his staff to give them the privacy they required to accomplish the task.
Lord Byrn then went to open a safe hidden beneath the library floorboards. With careful hands, he brought out a tiara and bracelet to match the one that Amber’s father had melted down so long ago. And then Elliott brought out a sketching book and pencils, plus wax and her carving knives. And then he opened a pouch and poured out the stones that would have to fit in the finished piece.
“I visited your father this morning,” he said. “He gave me these for your use today.”
She nodded, feeling dazed. She knew for sure that her father hadn’t been the one to think ahead. That had been Lord Byrn, arranging everything.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“You are doing this for me, so it was incumbent upon me to make sure you have everything you need to accomplish the task.” He looked down at the things set carefully on the library desk. “Did I forget anything?”
“This is everything.” She swallowed. “Did you discuss Mr. Jupp’s missive with Papa as well?”
Elliott nodded. “Yes, of course. He was very excited. He also told me how you brought Mr. Jupp there yesterday and told him your true identity.” His voice lowered. “That was a risky gambit.”
She lifted her chin. “I will not marry a man based on a lie.”
He nodded. “I am not criticizing. Indeed, I am most impressed.”
“That I am honest?” Her tone was stiff and angry.
He sighed. “You are determined to quarrel with me today. Very well, yes, I was surprised you would reveal yourself. Surely you have felt some of the backlash from Mr. Walsh’s drunken statement. To tell Mr. Jupp the truth was very risky, but it seems to have paid off. According to your father, he means to let you keep sculpting in secret.” He lowered his voice. “It is a heavy burden to lay on a man to hide his wife’s true identity, but I believe he will honor it.”
That was a lot spilling from a man who had barely spoken two words throughout the carriage ride. True, she and Mrs. Hopkins had given him few openings, but her mood was so foul that she would indeed damn him for that as well.
“You have arranged everything,” she said quietly. “My tools and my marriage to a worthy man.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” he asked. Was there hesitation in his voice? Hope perhaps that she wanted something else?
She couldn’t tell, and it didn’t matter anyway. “No, Lord Byrn, this is perfect. As I said before, it is everything I have ever dreamed of.”
“Including falling desperately in love?”
He would throw that back at her. He would press her into confessing that that piece was missing. She didn’t love Mr. Jupp. No, the man she loved stood in front of her casually arranging matters such that she married someone else.
“Yes,” she said. “I am desperately in love.” With Elliott. And that truth nearly broke her right there.
She might have confessed all, but she wasn’t given the time. Elliott gave her a stiff smile and then gestured to the table. “I shall leave you to it,” he said. “I will be in the front parlor. Lord Morthan has some fine brandy.”
She blinked in surprise. “You are leaving me alone here?”
“Your father said you never like being disturbed when you work.”
That was true. But now that he was leaving, she found that she enjoyed his presence even when in such a horrible mood. She would have liked having him read nearby. She would have enjoyed smelling his scent and listening to his breath even as she grew absorbed in her work.
But that was illogical, and she didn’t blame him for wanting to quit her company. So she nodded and sat down to work. He bowed and showed himself out.
And three hours later, the rain came.