Chapter 6
Noelle pulled her borrowed cloak closely to her body, trying to avoid the chill of the night air against her skin but finding it hard with the thin shabby cloak over her equally worn borrowed dress. She tried to remind herself that any amount of temporary discomfort would be worth it to see Soren again.
She came to a halt in front of the Madame Cavelle’s milliner shop located on Bond Street. She was familiar with this particular shop, having frequented it often to purchase elaborate bonnets to match some of her favorite gowns. She looked at the familiar red brick façade of the shop before glancing up to see the windows facing the street on the second story of the building were illuminated and appeared welcoming. She could see shadows flicker across the panes on occasion and imagined Soren in the room he was letting from the milliner.
She looked around not exactly sure how to go about gaining entrance to the dwelling above the stairs. She observed the front of the shop, noticing only one entrance, the main door. She walked around the corner of the shop and saw a small door with a brass knob. She cautiously turned the handle and was pleased when the door opened to reveal a narrow staircase leading up to what she hoped would be Soren’s room.
She gathered her cloak and skirts in her hands and carefully ascended the stairs in the darkness. At the top of the landing was another door, presumably the one she was looking for. She reached her hand out from beneath her cloak and rapped on the door. She heard some shuffling and footsteps before the door swung open revealing a surprised Soren.
“Noelle, what a pleasant surprise!” Soren looked even more handsome than she had remembered him. He was still wearing his waistcoat and cravat though his tailcoat had been removed. It felt so good to see him that Noelle momentarily forgot herself and threw her arms around his neck.
“Oh Soren, it’s so good to see you.” She felt his strong arms go around her waist, pulling her close to his warm body and she felt herself shiver in response.
“Darling you’re freezing, I know it’s highly improper, but you must come in and warm up by the fire before you catch a cold.”
Noelle laughed at the absurdity of the situation—going into a gentleman’s home un-chaperoned while impersonating her lady’s maid was beyond the pale but she was doing it anyway. She followed him into the small room where a fire was flickering in the fireplace. He gestured for her to sit in the single chair in the room then went to stoke the flames to roaring before leaning casually against the mantel, turning his brilliant green eyes on her.
“My love, I knew you couldn’t stay away for long, and I can’t say that I mind for I found myself missing you terribly.”
Noelle was warmed more fully by his words than by the fire, “Truly?”
“Truly. Now tell me you missed me too.”
“Oh Soren, I did. I have thought of little else but you since our last meeting.”
“I confess the same. But?” He left the question open, sensing there was more to her visit than just a yearning to see him.
He watched as her beautiful face took on a look of distress, “Oh I’ve been delivered the most horrendous news today by my father. He’s arranged for me to wed the Duke of Kerrington. I knew I had to see you one last time before you set sail and before I…before I am to wed.”
Soren stood abnormally still never once breaking eye contact with Noelle as his thoughts churned in his head. He knew he was being ridiculous to harbor such intense feelings for this girl he had barely met but the thought of her marrying some other man made his blood boil with envy. He had a sudden desire to hold her in his arms and to never let her go. Noelle must have sensed his desire because before he knew what was happening she was in his arms. He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead before reaching up and pulling the pins out of her hair, releasing the braid that had been wound into a bun at the back of her head. He sighed as he watched the golden waves cascade down and around her shoulders.
When he looked into her warm amber eyes he saw a longing in them that must’ve mirrored his own. He reached up and took her lovely face in both of his hands then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. They were warm and soft and completely addicting. Before he knew it he was deepening the kiss and she was responding eagerly. His heart was beating a frantic rhythm that he was sure she could feel through the cloak she was still wearing.
He pulled back long enough to trail kisses along her cheek and towards her ear before whispering huskily, “You aren’t going to marry the duke, you’re going to marry me.”
Noelle tensed in his arms and pulled back slightly so she could look into his face, “What are you talking about?” He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by his proclamation, him or her.
He took her small hands into his much larger ones, “I’m talking about us. I can’t leave you here to marry someone else when I’m in love with you.” He momentarily pondered the possibility that he was truly in love with this girl whom he barely knew, at last concluding that it must’ve been love at first sight.
“Oh Soren I love you too,” she leaned her head against his hard chest, “but I don’t see how that could possibly help now. My father has already arranged things with the duke and he made it perfectly clear that he would not go back on his word. Besides, you’re a foreigner without a title, father would never agree to such a match even if he hadn’t already made this arrangement.”
Soren placed both hands on her shoulders and held her out at arm’s length, “Titles and ranks don’t matter one whit in America—you can sail to the continent with me and we can be married there. I already have a successful shipping company and a modest house in Boston. I believe we could be happy together.”
Noelle’s eyes widened in surprise, her heart beating excitedly at his proposal—could she really do it? Thoughts began to formulate in her mind of what consequences would entail from making such a drastic decision. The first and most obvious consequence being that she wouldn’t have to marry the arrogant duke, she could marry the man she truly loved. That alone was almost enough to persuade her to go along with the outrageous plan. Almost.
But then she thought of the negative consequences—fleeing the country with an unknown, common man would bring disgrace and humiliation upon her family. It could possibly affect Devon’s place in society not to mention how her actions would greatly affect his ability to make a proper match. Her father would be furious and feel betrayed by her actions and she dared hope that he might possibly even be saddened by the absence of his only daughter from his life.
Soren watched as a mixture of emotions played out on her beautiful face, knowing there was much more for her to consider than love alone. For him there was nothing to lose and everything to gain, she would be the one sacrificing everything she knew and everything she was for him, a simple man with no titles or estates to offer her. But he was a hard working man who had built his shipping company from the bottom up and knew how to be successful. He would be able to provide her with nice things and a fine house and more importantly, with love. His heart was brimming with the unfamiliar emotion and he knew that she felt it too.
“Oh Soren, as much as I want to do that I can’t help but think about the damage it would do to my family’s name. I’m not sure I can be so selfish.”
He had already anticipated her response and had prepared his own in return, “But Noelle, what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if you could come away with me and avoid any negative repercussions for your family? Would you agree to come with me then?”
“Of course,” she replied airily, not daring to hope that could be possible.
“I cannot believe the solution isn’t obvious to you—you’ll just have to convince your lady’s maid to take your place. If she’s been able to pull it off before, she can do it again.”
“But this would be permanent, I had to practically force her to take my place for a few hours, I know she would never eagerly agree to such a preposterous idea. Her whole world would change forever.”
??
?Exactly, and that’s the part you will use to convince her. What servant wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to advance their situation in life? She would be a real lady and would marry into a wealthy, titled family and have a large estate of her own to run. She would have fine dresses, the likes of which she has never known, and she would never again have to perform manual labor to earn her keep. It sounds like a fairytale and she’d be foolish not to agree to such a life.” When he put it that way, she had to agree, it did seem rather convincing.
Noelle moved to the chair, suddenly finding herself too weak to stand. The possibilities that lay before her were overwhelming and she felt slightly faint at the idea of such immense change. Soren moved to kneel before her, taking her hands once more into his, “Darling, I can’t promise you that you’re life will be the way you’ve always known it to be because it won’t. But I can promise you a life full of adventure; you’ll have a house and lovely dresses and someday children of your own.” The thought of having children with him made her cheeks flush with heat, “and you’ll have me, heart and soul forever. That’s all I can offer you but it’s all that I have.”
And she realized that it was all that she wanted. She nodded her head slowly as she began to speak, “Yes, yes, I’ll go with you. I couldn’t possibly stay here and be content with letting you leave my life for good.”
He rewarded her with a smile that made her insides melt, “I’ll ensure that you never regret your decision. Now, my ship sails three days from today. I realize that doesn’t give you much time to convince your maid that she needs to take your place, but it’s all the time you’ve got. Pack a few things in your valise and meet me here before sunup on the third day, our ship will set sail at dawn. I’ll take care of all the other necessary arrangements and we’ll be free to sail forth into our new life together.”
Excitement and anticipation were rapidly taking root in Noelle’s heart for she knew she was making the right decision, she just fervently prayed that Hope would agree to help her, to be her salvation.