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As boundless as the sea
(Romeo and Juliet II.ii.139)
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EVENTUALLY, AND VERY reluctantly, Edward broke the kiss. He felt like a child who had just been handed the delectable sweet he had been craving all week, only to have it taken away after the first tantalizing taste. But he knew he must hold back now, lest his baser nature take over from his civilized self. Her lips were too soft under his, her kiss too intense and insistent.
“We must stop, Lynnie dearest,” he heard himself murmur, his voice thick and rough, his breath uneven. Somehow her hands had worked their way under his riding jacket to caress his back through only the thin barrier of his shirt, and one of his own hands seemed to be entangled in her soft, silky flaxen hair. The other was beginning to worry at the bindings that she used to compress her bosom in her current guise, and the thought of his errant hand unwrapping those same bindings was causing him some remarkable degree of delightful agony. Blood was rushing in his ears and his heart beat so loudly he wondered if the men at the redoubt below them could hear it, its rapid patter rivalling the crashing of waves.
Madelyn inclined her head and touched her sweet lips to the tip of his nose, bringing a smile to his face. Before he could stop himself, he crushed her once more to his chest and held her for a minute as he waited for his body to calm. At last he pulled her down to the ground again as he sat once more on the soft spring grass.
“Am I to assume that you have forgiven me?” she asked with a mischievous grin. “If not, I will be certain to work doubly hard to win your favours, for if that is how you deal with enemies, I can only imagine the delights to be won in being your friend.”
“Cheeky girl!” he growled as he grabbed for her neck for one more quick caress. “Yes, I believe we can safely say you have been forgiven. But promise me,” he was more serious now, “that you will confide fully in me from now on. I cannot bear to be hurt like that again.”
“Oh, my love,” came her quiet reply, “I would not willingly hurt you for the world. I so regret that you were a victim of my ruse. I never intended it, and when I realized how deeply entangled we both were, it was too late to change my plan.”
“So now we may wed.” It was half a statement, half a question.
“I do not believe, sir, that I have been asked,” she countered.
“Silly girl! Must I make a speech? Must I enumerate your charms and how you have captured my soul? Or will it suffice to tell you that I love you and cannot live without you, and wish to have you for my wife. Will you, Lynnie? Will you be my wife?”
A lovely smile crept across her pink lips, far too pretty ever to have been on a boy’s face, and a soft blush spread over her soft white cheeks. “That, sir, is a direct question, and one which I can only answer in the affirmative. Yes, Edward my love, I will be your wife.”
“Oh Lynnie!” He kissed her once more, quickly now, and withdrew. “If I kiss you as I wish to, I will completely disabuse you of any notion that I am a gentleman, and may well shock the birds and any small animals hiding in those woods. But oh, how I ache for you.”
Madelyn looked around at their surroundings and Edward was fairly certain he realized her aim. “No, dearest,” he shook his head. “Not here, and not now. You deserve better. But soon.” Taking one last deep breath, he hoisted himself to standing and brushed the grass from his trousers before offering his hand to Madelyn to help her rise.
“Come now, let us return to town and share our good news. I hope your brother will be happy. As sister to a landholder, you far outrank me socially. You are gentry, I but a merchant.”
“He will. He likes you, Edward, and trusts you. After all, he has you to thank for saving his life.”
They walked, hand in hand, to where their horses were tied and were grazing on the short grass. After adjusting her clothing and replacing her hat, Madelyn swung easily into her saddle. Edward watched, entranced by her graceful movements, then mounted his own horse and led the way down the slope to the road that would take them back to Halifax.
They rode slowly this time, taking their time and conversing easily as they let their mounts move at a moderate trot. The experiences of nature that had so entranced Edward on his ride that morning were completely eclipsed now by the woman beside him. He did not notice the sun in the blue sky, for she outshone its splendour. The play of light and shadow on the road were nothing to the sparkle in her eyes, and the cry of the birds faded to nothingness in the sweet sound of her mellow voice. What was the feel of wind on his skin when that same skin had so recently felt the touch of her hand? What was the feel of his horse’s breaths when his own heart was beating so fast? His world had expanded beyond his imagination, and had then focused completely on one slight woman who had just agreed to be his wife.
Edward suspected he would bear a stupid grin for a week, and he cared not, for he wanted all the world to know of his happiness.
Harry noticed his grin as soon as they achieved the inn. He had recently returned from making some social calls and was sitting in his room with a tray of tea and biscuits. “What is that smile, Edward?” he asked with a grin of his own. “And Maddy, my dear sister who looks like my brother, your smile matches that of Edward. I will not dare to ask where you two have been, so completely unchaperoned all morning, only to return like this.”
She threw her arms around her brother. “Wish us joy, Harry! We are to be married as soon as we may!”
The young man stood and offered his hand to Edward. “Brother,” he said by way of congratulations. “I am very pleased.”
“That suits me well, Harry,” said Edward, “for I have come to realize that I must ask permission to marry this lovely creature, and you are the man from whom I must ask it. Will you give us your blessing?”
Harry’s face grew sad at this. “Yes,” he drawled, “that is so. Father is dead, and I am now the man responsible for my estate and my sister. You forget, Maddy, that you have mourned him this past year, but I have not, for the news is only recently come to me. But I will not get in the way of your happiness, and I willingly and gladly grant my permission and offer my blessing.”
More tea and cakes were ordered for a quiet celebration of the betrothal, and some of the innkeeper’s best port, and the three sat and talked for many hours. If Edward and Madelyn sat a bit too close to each other, Harry did not notice, and if he left the room to retrieve something and did not return for some several minutes, it was likewise not remarked upon. The couple had already spent much time together alone and unchaperoned, and a few more minutes, with the threat of the bride’s brother walking in at any moment, did not seem too dangerous a risk to take. “I can hardly imagine you would compromise her virtue now,” Harry said at one point, “when you had her to yourself under the trees all morning.”
Edward glared at him, then laughed. “Do not think for a moment that I did not consider it,” he chided the younger man, “but despite appearances and despite my base social connections, for I am only a tradesman, I do have my own expectations of respectability. I am a gentleman in deed if not in name. I would not compromise your sister’s virtue.” He thought for a moment, then added with a smirk, “But if I did, then I should have to marry the girl!”
Madelyn punched him playfully in the arm, which earned her a kiss whilst Harry found something very interesting to examine on the windowsill.
They were talking and joking in such a manner when, much later that evening, Sherrington returned from his day with Sir John and his family at Government House. He took one look at the small assembly, at Edward and Madelyn’s relaxed and happy faces, and at the satisfied expression on Harry’s countenance, and asked, “Am I to offer my congratulations on an upcoming joyful event?”
Sherrington, it seemed, was not only delighted at the news, but also not entirely surprised. “I had hoped you would soon see reason, son,” he told Edward when the two had a moment to speak privately. “But I am very pleased you did not take too long. She loves you, and I believe you will have a happy and successful marriage. She is a unique young woman, and you are the rare man who will not only accept her more unusual characteristics, but will cherish them.”
He cast a warm glance over the young woman and her brother sitting by the fire. “Come, let us join our friends. We have much to discuss.”
The following morning dawned stormy and dark, but the company gathered in the inn paid scant attention to the scudding black clouds that moved in from the horizon or the heavy pelting rain that soon beat a tattoo on the inn’s shingled roof. With a promise from the innkeeper to send hot tea and trays of food at regular intervals, the four were well prepared to spend the day in discussion, the topics ranging from matters quite serious to the lighthearted and frivolous.
Madelyn had an unusual request to make of her erstwhile employer, now betrothed. She wished to remain in his employ! “I have found,” she told him as they sat together in the sitting room in the inn, “that I enjoy being useful. I like being able to use my abilities for more than entertaining guests.” Edward, at first, balked at this suggestion, proclaiming quite vehemently that his wife would not need to work.
“Besides, you are a lady,” he insisted. “Despite your questionable attachment to a tradesman such as myself, you are gently bred for a life of leisure. I cannot have you working for your keep.”
But she was equally insistent. “Edward,” she cajoled, her hands lightly stroking his forearm, distracting him more than she ought, “is a marriage not a partnership of sorts, where each spouse brings to the union some benefit, be it financial, such as a dowry, or social, such as companionship? In our marriage, I merely propose to extend this partnership. If, as you say, I am a lady, I surely have standards which I wish to maintain for my lifestyle and my personal income. Is it not reasonable, then, for me to assist you to the utmost of my abilities to enable you to have the income which will let me live in the luxury to which I have grown accustomed?”
He could not help but laugh at her supposition, for she knew that his income was more than sufficient for her modest needs. It was her following words that finally convinced him of the advantages of her proposal.
“I also must admit, my love, that I wish to be with you all day, as I have been for so many months. If that requires me to sit at my desk and write your letters and total your accounts, then that is what I truly desire. Besides,” she whispered quietly when she was certain that there was no one to hear her, “if I am in your office and we are alone, then I can kiss you whenever I wish.” She moved her hand to take his and licked her lips and smiled, victorious, as Edward stifled a groan.
“Lynnie...” he warned her, his voice low and rough.
She sat back, satisfied. “Good. Then it is settled. I shall, of course, no longer draw wages, but may demand to be compensated in other ways.” She fluttered her eyelashes innocently at him and was rewarded by his eyes slamming shut as he flung his head back onto his shoulders.
“Lynnie...” he rasped again. “Please...”
She smiled at him and proceeded to caress his hand, which drew more quiet groans from between his lips. “You are torturing me, dearest,” he murmured, hoping that they were, indeed, unobserved. “You take delight in seeing me suffer.”
“Shall we discuss a wedding date then?” Jeremiah Sherrington intruded upon this most private conversation and for he must have recognized the look on Edward’s delightfully tormented face. His tone was jovial and teasing, but his expression grew serious as he added, “If I may be so bold as to make a recommendation, I would suggest marrying before we sail.”
Two sets of eyes turned to look at him. He continued, “If the captain’s plans and calculations are correct, The Arabella returns for us in a week. From that time, there is no way to know how long we will be at sea until we return to England, for we will be at the mercy of the winds and the tides. If you are happy to wait for seven or more weeks until we reach land, I shall not deny you that privilege; however, you may find that the time passes exceedingly slowly.” He looked at Edward from below raised brows.
“I have other reasons for my impertinent suggestion. The first is purely practical: We know the plan of our ship’s cabins, and we have seen for ourselves that guest accommodations are somewhat scarce. We would require cabins not merely for you and me, Edward, but for Miss Grant and Mr. Grant as well, and these cabins simply do not exist. You two might be more comfortable together than having to share with the likes of Harry or myself. Or the captain,” he added with a chuckle, seeing their faces growing red under his gaze.
“More seriously, I would recommend that you be wed before we reach England again. Although you have roundly thwarted your uncle’s plans to have Harry killed, Miss Grant, you will not be completely safe yourself if you are still a potential match for your cousin. Sir John and I have discussed some arrangements which might forever remove Percival as a danger; being already married will provide one more layer of protection to you, and to Harry as well. The more impediments we place in the path of Percival’s ambitions, the less likely he is to act again, for he will know that he must be caught.”
Edward and Madelyn looked to each other for confirmation, and they came to a silent accord.
“Yes,” said Madelyn after a heartbeat. “Those are indeed sound reasons. We agree. But do we have time? What are the laws here concerning marriage? We hardly have time enough to have the banns read in our home parishes. What sort of licence would we require?”
Sherrington cleared his throat and, somewhat sheepishly said, “I can assist there. The Marriage Act does not hold force in the colonies, which could be used to our advantage, but we need not even reach that far. Before we departed England, I took the liberty of speaking to the Archbishop on your behalf, Edward, and letting him know that you were travelling on the King’s business to protect a lady and a loyal subject, I have made the suitable arrangements. With Sir John’s agreement on this matter as well, you will find no legal bars to your immediate marriage.”
Edward now grinned widely. “Is such a thing even possible? Ah, I suppose that when His Majesty puts pen to paper, miracles may occur. Lynnie, my dear, shall we be married this week?”
“Yes, Edward,” she stared into his deep warm eyes, “That would suit me quite well indeed.”