Michael found his usual shyness overruled by a sudden rush of passion to express to this adorable creature that she, and only she, could make him the happiest man alive by accepting his hand in marriage.
Touched by his approval of her person, Robina watched speechless as he rose and approached her.
Just then a voice sounded from within the library.
Recognizing his father’s voice, Michael peered over his shoulder towards the paned door he’d left open. When he turned back he found Lady Robina had withdrew to her earlier spot beside the pearl-bush, deducing she had no wish to be discovered by his father.
Acting fast, Michael rushed up the path and reached his father just as he stepped out into the garden.
“Ah! I have been looking everywhere for you, my boy,” stated the new holder of the Glenhamond title. Tall as he was portly, the earl was generous and jovial as well—a fact that made him a popular gentleman.
“Sorry, Father. After…after the crush in the ballroom, I…erm…came out here…for some fresh air.”
Lord Glenhamond, clutching his lapels, sniffed audibly in appreciation as he looked around. “And a fine place it is to take the air, I must say.” Noting the idealistic glow about the area, a wily sparkle came into his eyes. “You didn’t by chance find the Lady Robina out here, did you?”
Hoping his blush would not give him away, Michael shook his head. “No, sir.” Although stricken by the obvious disappointment in his father’s mien, he would not give Lady Robina away for the world.
“Oh well. Until she makes an appearance, let me introduce you to a lady I have found quite agreeable.”
Willing to do anything to get his father out of the garden, Michael went gladly. As he stepped into the library, he was struck by an outrageous impulse. “Ah, just a moment, Father. I forgot something.”
With the earl waiting in the doorway, Michael hurried back down the path to where he’d left the Lady Robina.
While staying hidden, Robina had listened avidly to the short conversation between the two gentlemen, smiling in appreciation at the younger’s having grasped and respected her wish to keep out of sight until she was ready to join the ball. Her brows twitched in curiosity when Lord Killifax came rushing back to her.
Cheeks and ears stinging, Michael began, in whispery urgency, “My lady, I shall not elude to your whereabouts. However, I hope you will join the ball soon that I might ask you to honor me with a dance.” As her fine mouth curled slowly in a beautiful smile, he felt his heart melt, dispersing any remaining doubts of his feelings for her.
“I would like that very much, my lord.”
The lady’s positive reaction to his request compelled his budding boldness to further heights. Taking her hand he brushed his lips feather-light across her gloved-concealed fingers. Then, reaching up, he gently extracted one of the pale rosebuds from her hair and tucked it into a buttonhole of his dark lapel.
At first, Robina had found the baron’s actions amusingly charming. The moment he’d plucked one of the flowers from her coiffure to claim as his own, all amusement had fled. In its place arose genuine liking for the gentleman.
Alone again, Robina sat contemplating the wonderful feeling Michael Killifax had left her with. Since her coming out, she’d had many admirers, but none of their attentions had touched her in so deep a manner.
Now rather eager to join her grandmother and their guests, Robina left the garden and entered the house.
Five
On the verge of giving up on her granddaughter coming down to the ball, Victoria was about to go into the dining room to see how the banquet table fared when a gorgeous vision in white entered the ballroom. The orchestra yet played, but Victoria could hear a hum of excitement going through the crowd as her granddaughter promenaded towards her, her elegant head bowing in recognition and words of greeting slipping past her pretty lips as she did so.
Setting her glass of champagne on a passing servant’s tray, Victoria made to meet Robina halfway. When they came together, she stated, in a low tone, “My dear, how glad I am to see you have changed your mind.”
Immediately, Lord Glenhamond and his handsome son materialized.
“Oh, my Lord Glenhamond! Please, allow me to introduce you to my granddaughter—Lady Robina.”
The earl was all reverence as he finally made the acquaintance of the daughter of the late Lord and Lady Glenhamond. “My lady! What a pleasure it is to meet you at last!”
Robina was hard put to keep herself from giggling as Michael was pulled forward by his eager father. Charmed by his bashfulness, she silently wondered where that bold gentleman who’d stolen one of her rosebuds had disappeared to. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Killifax.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Robina, for I have long awaited this moment.”
Just then, the orchestra began a piece suited for a waltz.
Perceiving the way the gentleman’s eyes suddenly smoldered, Robina was sure she was witnessing another glimpse of his more brave side.
“My Lady Robina, would you honor me with your first dance?”
Mouth crescenting, Robina placed her hand in his. “Nothing would please me more, my lord.”
The baron’s father was all smiles as his son led the delightful Lady Robina off; the dowager beyond amazed. Since Laurence Killifax had inherited her late son’s title and all that was entailed, her granddaughter had out-right refused to have anything to do with him or his son—an obstinacy that had not letup during the two years that had followed.
Having expected introductions between the three to be uncomfortable at the very least, Victoria could only watch, dumfounded, as the young lord led an obviously agreeable Robina through the dance.
“They make a striking pair, my lady, do they not?”
Snapping out of her personal reflections, Victoria glanced at the earl. “Yes…”—She turned back to watch the couple in question—“…I daresay they do.”
Six
In the days that followed the ball, Robina found herself more and more unable to keep her mind from drifting to Michael Killifax. Despite their association being short, she could not refute the life his endearing, ungainly geniality had breathed back into her existence, into her heart. Then one morning, as she was meandering through the garden, pondering the recent state of her mended heart, Michael was suddenly there.
Wondering if she was daydreaming, Robina gawked at the gentleman’s anxious, handsome face for a long moment before she regained her ability to speak. “My Lord Killifax!”
Ever since their meeting in the Hamond Park gardens, Michael had been beyond himself with restless longing. Uncertainty had been the only thing that had kept him from returning to Hamond Park the very morning following the ball to profess his love for the Lady Robina. What if he had mistaken her interest in him? What if she laughed at his proposal? But after several long days of silent suffering, he’d gathered all his courage and called for his father’s coach.
After arriving at Lady Robina’s home, Michael had been informed by the dowager that her granddaughter was taking a turn in the garden. When he found the young lady watching the goldfish, a glorious beauty amidst the vivid foliage and bright sunshine, his courage had faltered. When she noted his arrival, her eyes widening in unmistakable wonder, his courage had shot high once more.
Swallowing and licking his lips, Michael approached Robina as she rose from the stone ledge. “My lady, I can suppress my feelings no longer!” He reached for her hands. “I fear if you refuse my request for your hand, I shall surely perish.”
The genuine adoration in Michael’s eyes, and his unexpected profession and proposal, did for Robina what no length of pondering could have done—they sweep away all remnants of doubt of her sentiments for him.
Clutching the hands holding hers, her lips curled as she gazed up into the face of her future husband. “Well, we can’t very well have that, can we, my lord?”
Grasping the true meaning behind her words, Michael closed his eyes in
silent joy.
As he raised her hands to his lips, Robina thought of her parents. Yes, she would feel their loss for the remainder of her life, but with Michael at her side, she would be able to live once more. And it would be a happy life indeed, she was sure of it.
Seven
After leaving her future intended in the family drawing room, Robina rushed off to search for her grandmother. Finding the dowager in her own apartments, standing in the window—the window Robina very well knew afforded a perfect view down into the area of the garden in which Michael had just proposed—Robina’s mouth bowed in knowing.
As her grandmother turned around, eyes sparkling with joy, Robina sighed, “Well, as I know the view from that window, there is no point in wasting my breath announcing what you already know. Which leaves me only one thing to do.”
Victoria tipped her silvery head to the side. “And what’s that, my dear?” she asked as Robina neared.
“To eat humble pie, of course.” Reaching out, Robina took one of her grandmother’s hands into hers. Her smile faded as true lines of contrition appeared between her brows. “Can you forgive me my obstinacy these past two years, Grandmama?”
Shaking her head, Victoria raised her free hand to Robina’s cheek. “Never a major concern to me, my girl. I was always certain of the outcome of things between you and young Lord Killifax, even if others, including yourself, imagined it unlikely. It was only a matter of getting you two together.”
Amazed by the old woman’s faith and tenacity, Robina sighed and sagged into her embrace. “I love you, Grandmama.”
Caressing a gentle hand over her granddaughter’s dark glossy curls, Victoria smiled, heart brimming with love for this one being. “And I you, my dearest. And I you.” They stayed this way a minute longer before Victoria put the girl a little from her. “But come. Let us go join your future intended that we might toast to the bright future that lies ahead.” Inwardly, she thought, No, Robina would never get over the loss of her dear parents. What loving child could? But she would now have the good Michael Killifax to offer her ample opportunities to create new happy moments that would warm her heart for the rest of her life. And of course, she would have her Grandmama as well.
With these uplifting truths, Victoria led her granddaughter out of her apartments. Quiet joy mirrored in their eyes, they drifted arm-in-arm down to the family drawing room, to their future.
The End
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