Chapter Two

 

June 1810

 

Lady Lucy Balfour, formerly Honeyfield, looked out the window of their room at the Royal Piedmont Hotel in St. Mawes, Cornwall. Her eyes were wide as she watched a group of sailors make their way down a gangplank, their boisterous laughter rising above the clamoring of the dockhands as they moved cargo on and off the ships. Even from this distance, the activity amazed her, taking her breath away, much like the hands that came around her waist and pulled her back.

“Andrew,” she said in mock disapproval, “you are such a rogue.” However, she could not stop the giggle that followed.

He leaned down and planted a kiss on her neck. “I cannot help myself,” he whispered. “I am married to the most beautiful woman in all of England.”

She turned to look at him and could not stop the smile that erupted on her face. He was the most handsome man she had ever known with eyes as blue as the sea and hair as dark as night, and she found herself weak in his arms.

Then he leaned down, and when his lips touched hers, a flame deep within her ignited. She moved her hands up to the tight muscles on his arms and the kiss deepened, an urgency to which she wished to abandon herself.

However, she pushed him away reluctantly. It was their second day in St. Mawes, and she was ready to explore. “We can save that for tonight, my love,” she said in a low voice. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes, and she giggled when he sighed. “I suggest we walk down to the beach and then perhaps walk through the town. I am a bit hungry.”

Andrew nodded. “I think that would be wonderful,” he said, “but did you not say you wished to stop by the millinery first?”

Lucy reached for her gloves and slid them over her hands. “Oh? Does my husband wish to allow me to purchase a hat?” she asked playfully. She loved the way he smiled, much as he did now, the dimples in his cheeks making him look even more handsome.

“I do,” he replied. “In fact, I thought that perhaps you would enjoy visiting that shop several times before we leave.”

Lucy smiled as they headed to the door. When she had met him nearly two years ago, the rumors concerning him were mostly unfounded. Sadly, a few she found to be true. He was notorious for being a miser when it came to his money back then, and his cold demeanor was almost intolerable. However, the coldness and anger left him after they began courting, replaced by a light that shone in his eyes and his smile. A light that was called Love.

Though Lucy knew she could spend the next week shopping, and even hire an extra carriage to bring back the wealth of purchases to Chudleigh Hill, she did not care, nor did she wish to do so, for, in Andrew, she had everything she could need.

Well, I could add a new hat to that, she thought with a tiny giggle.

“Another beautiful day indeed,” Andrew remarked. “Good fortune is upon us both.” The sun reflected brightly off the water, making Lucy squint. However, to have this weather in January was a treat, and she would not complain. Even the people moving about, either on foot or by horse, seemed to radiate the sun with their smiles. Though she could not see her own smile, Lucy felt it and knew that she, too, exuded that radiance, both inside and out.

“Good fortune is upon me,” Lucy said. “I married the handsomest of men. I will have to fight off any woman who lays her eyes on you.”

Andrew laughed. “Fear not, my love. No woman will attempt to woo me, for it is not only I who would rebuke them, but if they see that fierceness in your eyes, they would run away in fear.”

Lucy giggled when Andrew winked at her. Not a year earlier, she had heard a rumor that Andrew had been caught alone with Lucy’s best friend Charlotte, a rumor started by her cousin, Anne. It had struck so close to her heart that she had believed it the moment she heard it. Later, however, having found Anne had exaggerated the situation, and after speaking with Charlotte personally, she found herself apologizing profusely. Though it had been quite embarrassing, it was a lesson well learned.

As difficult as it was to admit now that she was a mature woman of twenty, Lucy had previously been a renowned gossip who enjoyed spending her days discussing the latest tales, and no one was safe from the gaggle of gossips with whom she spent a good portion of her time. Just the thought of those days gone by made her flush with embarrassment; they had been childish games and nonsense, and she was glad those days were now in the past.

“Rhos Milliners?” Andrew asked, breaking Lucy from her thoughts.

Lucy stopped in front of the shop and studied the samples in the window display with an appreciative sigh. A friend of her parents’ family had recommended this particular shop, as it was renowned for its hats. However, Lucy found it much more intriguing that the shop was run by a woman. Not just any woman, but in fact a lady. Lucy admired the fact that a woman who was titled would be allowed to be the proprietor of any business. How forward thinking her husband must be.

They entered the shop and Lucy could not help but look around in awe. The walls were lined with rolls of fabrics of all sorts of patterns and hues. Ribbon choices were so numerous, they were difficult to count. Several books lay open to different plates depicting women in a variety of hats and bonnets, which could be made using any combination of fabrics, ribbons and other adornments. Lucy could not wait to get started and she worried only for a short time that Andrew would be left waiting outside for an undetermined amount of time. Well, let him wait; a woman’s hat was her calling card in Lucy’s opinion.

A woman with hair the color of fire approached Lucy with a smile. Lucy could not help but stare at her. She was one of the most beautiful women Lucy had ever seen, with kindness that showed in her eyes, which were the color of emeralds. She was several years older than Lucy and it was clear she came from a wealthy upbringing given the way she held herself.

“Your Graces,” she said with a nod, “allow me to introduce myself. I am Alice Blackmoore. Welcome to my shop.”

***

There were so many varieties of fabrics, Lucy struggled to choose which colors she should use for her new hat. Andrew had left, more than likely bored with her indecision but too much a gentleman to comment, saying he would be in another shop down the way. Lucy had waved at him without looking up from the board of swatches she was studying, and she had received a laugh for her inattentiveness.

“I cannot believe you are from Exeter,” the woman, who had insisted she be addressed simply as Alice, said. “And your home, it is not even a half-day’s journey from my own!”

“You are more than welcome to come by my estate for a visit whenever you are staying at Shetfield Manor. I would so enjoy your company.” She studied the sign on the wall. “I would be very interested to know how you came about the name for your shop,” she said.

Alice laughed. “When I first arrived in St. Mawes, even before I had lain my head on a pillow for the night, I spoke with a kind woman on one of the rocky beaches on Rosewalk Cliffs. According to her, the cliffs were named for Rhos, the Celtic word for gorse, which I found amusing.”

Lucy felt her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. “That is interesting,” she said. “I would have thought it was because perhaps wild roses grew in the area.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Alice replied. “I loved the word, so I decided it would make a wonderful name for my shop. So, there you have it. Rhos Millinery.”

“Well, I believe it is a wonderful name,” Lucy said. Then she glanced around at the busy shop. “It has brought you great luck, I must say. You seem to have many clients.”

Alice laughed. “Yes, I have been quite blessed. Not only do I have this shop, I have one in London and am looking at a location in Exeter for a third.”

Lucy gasped. “How marvelous! I will be able to purchase more hats when I am home.”

“Speaking of purchases, have you decided on your choices of colors?”

Lucy returned her attention to the fabrics and ribbons. She ran her finger across a swatch of bright yellow. “I believe I would enjoy this fabric,” she said firmly. “It represents the sun and the warmth and brightness it gives us.”

Alice smiled. “How poetic!”

Then Lucy chose a striking blue ribbon. “And this blue, for his eyes.”

Alice nodded. “Very romantic.”

“And finally, I would like this dark red as a reminder that the sun sets with a promise of a new day.”

Alice had noted each choice on a small form and then looked up at Lucy with a wide smile. “What a wonderful story your new hat will tell,” she said with great admiration, which made Lucy blush profusely. “It will take several days for us to complete your order, but I will send a message to you when it is ready.”

“That would be wonderful,” Lucy replied. “We are on our honeymoon, so we will be here for two weeks. Will that be sufficient time?”

“Oh, quite enough time,” Alice said. “As a matter of fact, it should be completed in three days’ time.”

The bell above the door tinkled lightly and Lucy turned to see Andrew enter.

“Did you choose one?” he asked.

She laughed. “I did, my sweet husband,” she said. “But a lady’s hat takes some time to design. I will be picking it up by the end of the week.”

After saying goodbye to the lovely milliner, Andrew led Lucy outside. They crossed the road and walked down the long pier. Then they walked down a long staircase to the right, which led to a sandy beach, and the sand crunched under their shoes as they made their way to the far side while seagulls called out to one another above them.

“Oh, Andrew, it is beautiful, is it not?” Lucy said in awe.

“I must say, it is a sight indeed,” he replied.

They stopped and gazed over the water. The laughter of children made Lucy turn, and she watched as two young boys chased after one another, their feet flicking sand up into the air behind them. A path winding its way up a hill caught her eye, and she smiled. “There,” she said, pointing at the crest of the hill. “We will be able see the end of the Earth from there.”

“Very well,” Andrew said, though his voice was a bit skeptical. He did tend to have a fear of heights.

“I will go on my own, if you prefer,” Lucy teased.

“Oh, no, you will not,” Andrew said. He insisted that she begin the climb before him, stating that it would be much easier for him to catch her if she fell than the other way around.

“Oh, you worry too much,” Lucy said breathily as she made her way up the steep embankment. When she reached the top of the hill, she followed the thin path to the edge overlooking the beach from where they had come, shading her eyes from the bright sun. “What an amazing view!”

“Lucy!” Andrew shouted. “Come away from there this instant.”

“I am a grown woman not a child,” she shouted as she inched her foot closer to the edge to allow her to look upon the rocks below.

“Lucy, what are you doing?” Andrew called out in a choked voice.

As she peered down the side, the ground beneath her shifted and her foot shot forward of its own accord. The world around her had slowed to a crawl, and she felt herself falling. She tried to scream, but her stomach shifted into her back as the rocks rose toward her. The last thing she remembered was Andrew screaming and darkness overtaking her before her body hit the ground below.