She reread the letter to make sure she had read it right the first time.
To Miss Robena Fleming,
I realize that no young woman should accept a letter from a man who is neither a relative nor a betrothed, but I am hoping you will reconsider after you hear what I have to say.
It is possible you do not remember me; after all, we met quite some time ago when we shared the same tutor back home.
I understand what I am about to propose will sound slightly mad, but I’ve come to a time in my life when I want someone to share it with, and you have never been far from my thoughts. To make things easy for you, one way or the other, I have enclosed an envelope and return postage, so all you have to do is let me know if you will consider becoming my wife. And please, bring a companion with you; I realize it might look scandalous if you do not.
Most sincerely and awaiting your answer,
Gavin Eliot
Robbie clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Gavin Eliot, the boy she’d fallen in love with the first time she laid eyes on him ten years before, was proposing to her?
Robbie read the letter a third time. Yes, there was no mistaking it. He had proposed marriage. Stunned, she tried to tamp down her excitement. After all, he had never paid much attention to her back then; it was always Birdie, Birdie, Birdie. All the boys flocked around Birdie; she was like a brightly colored bird with her red curls, deep dimples, and coquettish laugh. Robbie felt like a colorless wren next to her.
But that was ten years ago. She had known even then that Gavin was as infatuated with her sister, as all the boys were, but now perhaps he’d matured enough to realize that Birdie would make a questionable bride.
Gavin was not only intelligent, he was brilliant. That’s what had drawn Robbie to him in the first place—his beautiful mind. Oh, it was nice that he was also handsome, with his tight blond curls and his lovely blue eyes. But when Birdie wasn’t around, she and Gavin would have the liveliest of conversations. He could speak on anything. His mind was like a trap; he remembered everything he read. But their time together was always cut short when Birdie entered the room, floating along in her gauzy gowns and her pretense at elegance and regal helplessness.
Robbie remembered the time she and Gavin were playing a lively game of chess, their rivalry serious but fun. To Robbie, it had almost been like they were a couple. She had felt so comfortable with him. That was probably because she knew she had no chance to win his affections as long as her sister was around. That day, Birdie flew into the room, pouting because Gavin was not paying attention to her. Of course, that didn’t last long, and Robbie was left alone, again. She had gone to the window to watch the two of them leave; Gavin’s head bent toward her sister’s red curls, as if what she was saying was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. At that moment she realized that boys were every bit as fickle as girls.
But now…Robbie sighed. Gavin could not have timed his proposal more perfectly. Robbie was essentially a positive person; she knew things would look better one day, but she hadn’t imagined it would be because of a marriage proposal from Gavin Eliot.
She tipped the envelope upside down and pound notes drifted out, landing lightly on the table. She turned the letter over; there was a note: In case you agree instantly, I have sent you traveling money and directions to my estate in the country. GE
It was really happening. She pressed her fingers over her mouth to stop a laugh. She didn’t even have to think about it. She quickly drew out a sheet of paper and responded, anxious to get the missive posted.
Mr. Gavin Eliot,
It is with great honor that I accept your proposal.
She added that she would wire ahead when she was on her way, and then she signed it with a flourish.
She was nearly giddy. She’d never felt this way before. And although Jeremy had wanted to bed her many times, she had refused, claiming to want to save herself for the man she would marry. How appropriate now! And how often had she daydreamed that the proposal would come from Gavin?
She grabbed her cape and bonnet and hurried out the door, letter clutched in her hand, anxious to post it. The only thing that bothered her, truly the only thing, was that for once in her life she wished she had something special to wear. She only had one suit, her brown flannel with the velvet collar and leg-of-mutton sleeves. Fortunately, she didn’t wear it often, so it would be fine enough as her traveling outfit. But what other clothing did she have that was in any way presentable? Very little, truth be told. She had packed away a few gowns from her life before she left for university, for they were too delicate to wear either in academia or what she was doing now. She would take them with her; at least she wouldn’t be carrying an empty valise.
Although Gavin’s letter had suggested she bring a companion to stave off gossip, protocol and propriety were far removed from her situation. In truth, she knew of no one she could ask.
After mailing her letter, she stopped by the clinic to see Lydia. As she entered the room, Lydia frowned. “You’re supposed to be off doing something fun today.”
Robbie laughed. “Oh, my dear Lydia, you can’t imagine what has happened to me since yesterday.” She told her friend the story of Gavin Eliot, how she knew him, and what he had proposed.
Lydia embraced her. “You deserve to be happy, dear.” She held Robbie away from her and scrutinized her. “Now, don’t get upset with me, but I’m thinking you need a bath and a hair wash, am I right?”
Embarrassed, Robbie felt herself flush. “I won’t even pretend I don’t.”
With a conspiratorial wink, Lydia said, “Tomorrow morning is when they come with some clean linen. We’ll use the big old tub in the back room and give you a good cleaning, how would that be?”
Robbie collapsed into a chair. “You make me sound like a floor that needs a good scrubbing,” she teased. She studied her only friend. “If I knew the circumstances of where I’ll be, I’d take you and Karl with me.”
“Nonsense,” Lydia said with conviction. “Karl and I will be just fine.”
But Robbie wasn’t so sure. Karl, who suffered from a fairly severe palsy, had developed a thick skin toward the bullies and bruisers in the neighborhood, but Robbie knew that each time Lydia saw him suffer, it broke her heart. The fact that he had been a foundling also made Lydia fiercer when it came to how people treated him.
“When will you leave?”
Robbie stood and hugged Lydia once again. “As soon as I get all cleaned up, and of course, I’ll have to check on the coach’s schedule.”
They said goodbye until morning, and as Robbie made her way back to her room, she wondered what Gavin would think of a prospective bride arriving on his doorstep with little more than a comb and a toothbrush and what she had on her back.