Page 29 of Dared By a Lyon
The prospect of spending time with Gabriel filled her with anticipation, but equal parts anxiety, as she knew she must keep up her ruse of who she was.
Goodness, it seems I may havemuchto write about in my diary this week,she mused.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day
“The papers justarrived,” Gabriel said as he handed his mother her gossip sheets. “Before Miss Vickers joins us, I have a favor to ask.” He served himself eggs, bacon, and toast, and then sat down at the other end of the table.
“I’d be happy to, son,” the countess said, shaking open her paper.
“When you see Mrs. Fitz, could you please ask her to pack some wine, cheese, and a few fruits in a picnic basket for this afternoon? I should have inquired as to what Miss Vickers prefers to eat, but this seems to be the standard picnic selection. If Mrs. Fitz has other suggestions that you think would be good, please feel free to ask her to include them. And kindly pass along my appreciation for doing this so last minute for me.”
The countess smiled. “I’ll be glad to do that, Gabriel.” She glanced out the long window to her right. “It seems the weather is cooperating with you.”
“So far, yes,” he said, buttering his toast.
“Did you sleep well, son?” she asked.
He looked up from his plate. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“I can see that you seem much more rested. Where do you and Miss Vickers plan to go for your ride?”
“I thought we’d ride the higher ground on the property, since there’s been so much rain. Miss Vickers might appreciate stretching her legs. She mentioned that she enjoyed riding, and we have such beautiful paths. Although I’ll have to keep an eye on the lower lands because of all the rain—they’ll no doubt be soggy. But with the sun at our backs, there are several hill paths we can travel…” He looked at his mother and gave a crooked smile. “You’re rather interested in this ride, aren’t you?”
“Yes. But it’s just that things seem to have happened in a rather unpredictable fashion this past week,” she said, her voice strained.
He set down his knife and gave her his full attention. “Mother, I can tell you are working toward making a point, so perhaps you’d best just say it.” He sensed whatever she was hinting at was connected to her recent campaign to encourage him to meet eligible ladies and think about marriage again.
“Gabriel, I’m not trying to play matchmaker…at least, not this time.” She gave him a small, sheepish smile. “But I can’t help feeling somethingisdifferent. Think about it. Miss Vickers arrives out of nowhere after a sudden thunderstorm. Her carriage was in an accident, and she managed to find her way here in that storm with her maid and a boy who’d pretended to be a driver. That same night, Caro sleepwalks again and ends up in Miss Vickers’s room. A room that used to be Olivia’s. Miss Vickers has been spending time with Caro. She’s visited her several times in the nursery. And despite Caro’s sleepwalking episode, I haven’t seen her so engaged since before her parents died. You haven’t had any of those horrible dreams. I’ve noticed them together several times. I, too, have felt more at peace this week.”
He shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be taking. “What are you saying, Mother?”
“Have you considered that perhaps Olivia and Juliet are watching over you, hoping to see you smile again? I’m not blind. I can see what’s happening…” She leaned forward and said in a lowered tone, “It’s clear—at least to me—that you’re attracted to Miss Vickers.”
“You’re suggesting… You can’t possibly mean that my former betrothed and my sister are somehow working together in the spirit world to send me Miss Vickers?” The absurdity of the idea startled him.
“And if they are?” his mother said, her eyes shimmering.
“Do you really believe that?” he asked.
“Do you not see the various signs? Take, for example, how Miss Vickers arrived on the third anniversary. I will add that I noticed your immediate attraction—the first since Juliet’s death. Not only were you attracted to her, but I also noticed a protectiveness emerge—something that I haven’t seen from you in these three years. You’ve blocked yourself off from the rest of us. Yet she arrived, and it’s like my son is suddenly back.” She picked up her cup of tea and took a shaky sip, her lips clearly trembling with emotion.
“Have you considered it is simply all a coincidence?”
“No. It is not a coincidence. And nothing about this is simple.”
He blew out a breath. “Well, when you put it like that, it makes me have to consider it. I haven’t met anyone like her,” he said. “She is beautiful, of course, and kind, and charming… We are fortunate that things have not been worse. And that she found her way here and we were able to help her.”
His mother arched a brow.
“But perhaps this is all temporary, meant to happen to help us in our grief, a diversion from our troubles. That’s all, Mother. And Miss Vickers is simply part of this diversion, and maybe that’s what we needed.”
He preferred not to think any deeper, because the past three years had been full of such sorrow and pain that he could not even allow himself to envision the possibility of a happy future.
“You actually believe what you are saying?” she said. “Let me make a suggestion—rather than standing firm in this particular belief, allow yourself to enjoy the moment. Perhaps it is time that you set aside your grief and begin to live again.”
Before he could respond, the door opened, and Miss Vickers walked in. She looked stunning in her deep purple velvet riding habit. A dark beaver top hat with an olive-green plume trailed behind it, crowning the braided chignon at the back of her head. Wispy curls framed her face, and her lovely lavender eyes were the most beautiful he thought he’d ever seen. She was the very picture of elegance.
