Page 14 of A Perfect Engagement
Charlotte looked sideways at the food-laden tables. “Oh no. Actually, I am not hungry. Perhaps I will have a small snack later.” She would not meet his eyes. “I’ll meet you at the table.”
It was no mystery why she was no longer hungry. He stalked over to the buffet. What sort of mother pulls food away from her daughter? He quickly filled two plates with cured ham, deviled eggs, bread slathered with butter. He added three fruit tarts for good measure before striding back to the table. Charlotte glanced up at him with startled eyes as he set one of the plates in front of her.
“Just in case you decide you are hungry, after all.” Settling himself next to her, he chose a tart from her plate. “These looked scrumptious.” He lifted the tart to her lips, daring her to take a bite.
Charlotte met his eyes, and a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. “If you insist, my lord.” She took the tart from him and sank her teeth into its flaky crust. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she let out a soft mmm sound. Her enjoyment in that one bite may have been the most erotic thing Daniel had ever watched. It took all his willpower to tear his eyes from her before she could see the hunger in them. He turned his attention to his own plate of food. Across the table, Lady Rivenhall gave him a small nod of approval before turning the conversation to the events of the day.
*
Charlotte stood sideby side with Ellie and Suzanna in the shade of the stone folly. The three of them rested their forearms on the cool stone balustrade and stared down at the flowing water. Her grandfather commissioned the folly to be built in the Greco-Roman style. It bridged a stream that fed into the lake. Columns and arches gracefully held up a peaked roof that shaded the cobbled stone floor. The tall grasses lining the banks of the stream danced in the light breeze.
“Charlotte, I think your new fiancé is handsome and quite nice. He and I chatted over breakfast,” Susanna said.
Ellie let out a very unladylike harrumph.
She ignored her friend’s unspoken comment. Eleanor seemed to dislike Daniel from the moment they were introduced. Charlotte shrugged. It hardly mattered as Daniel was just a substitute this week. Hawksridge would have his chance to win over her friend.
“Thank you, Suzanna. He and I still have things to learn about each other.” Wasn’t that the truth. She still knew next to nothing about her fiancé, except his brother was quite observant and a bit bossy. Daniel shared her passion for horticulture and music. She chewed on her bottom lip. Would she have as much in common with Hawksridge?
“We shall endeavor to arrange for you two to have plenty of time together this week. We want you to feel confident and sure going into your marriage.” Suzanna elbowed Ellie. “Don’t we?”
“Yes, of course.” Ellie gave Charlotte a smile before her eyes widened. “Oh, I almost forgot. Look what I found in the copy ofEvelina.” She reached down into the neckline of her dress and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Another letter!”
Charlotte gasped. “What?”
“How exciting,” Susanna exclaimed. “We must read it immediately. I wonder if it will be as saucy as the other two?”
Ellie’s face beamed with excitement as she crossed to sit on a bench seat. Charlotte and Susanna sat flanking her. Another letter! She had been thinking about the first ones ever since they discovered them last week. She’d read the words over and over, reveling in their intimacy. What would it be like to be loved with such ardent passion?
Ellie read out loud:
“My love,
When can we meet again? Your visit to my aunt’s home was far too short. Three measly days are a pittance compared to the time I spend thinking about you. Your wit and beauty have entranced my soul. I have begun to write again since our time together, and I have my muse to thank. The tale I began simply to entertain you has become a story for the ages. I hope to be able to tell you the rest one day soon. I promise you it has a happy conclusion, as you requested. No angst, and no death. This story is one of adventure and hope.
The summer has bloomed in the gardens here. The wisteria that climbs the trellis outside my window is fragrant and heady, reminding me of the delicate scent you wear. Come again to visit us, and I will take you down to the seashore to walk along in the cool ocean breezes. London must be miserable with the heat and the stench. Let me be your escape, your refuge.
Yours always, J”
All three of them let out a sigh of feminine appreciation. This man might be the most romantic gentleman in all of England. None of the men in Charlotte’s acquaintance would ever espouse anything like what was written in these letters. Certainly, her father or brothers would never be capable of this sort of poetry. She stood and drifted over to look out at the lake. Today it glistened in the sun.
“This letter must have been written before the first ones we found. The timing is backward. He wrote about her sitting among the seagrass in one of the other ones,” Susanna said.
“You’re right. The two novels must have come from the same home. Perhaps there are more letters?” Charlotte turned to face her friends, leaning against the stone wall.
“Maybe she tucked her letters from him among her favorite books to hide them from her family? It does appear their relationship was clandestine.” Ellie folded the letter and started to tuck it back into her bodice.
“Shall we put the letters together? I have the others in the library.” Charlotte held out a hand.
Ellie handed over the letter with reluctance. “When we have some time, we should go into town and hunt through the bookshop for more hidden letters before someone else buys any books which might contain them.”
Susanna nodded in agreement. “I hope there are more. I must know if they ever reunite.”
A shrill laugh rang out. Charlotte peered out and spied two ladies walking along the path toward them. Recognizing Miss Thornton and Miss Young, she took two steps back, retreating into the shadows. Suzanna and Ellie looked back at her, and she put a finger to her lips.
“Come here,” she whispered. “I definitely don’t want to have to converse with those two.”
As they stood in the shade behind two pillars, the women’s voices grew louder.
