Page 73 of A Foreign Crown
“Let’s venture inside. I don’t want you to catch a chill.”
They nodded to the servants who stood at the ready always in the front hall. Then Lord Bartholomew led her to a sitting room. The fire still burned at its coals in the grate, so they sat as close to it as they could.
When a servant entered as though to relight the thing, Aribella held up her hand. “That won’t be necessary. We won’t be long.” She glanced at Lord Bartholomew. “At least, I don’t think we will be.”
Two footmen joined them at the doorway, and the maid left.
“No, not at all.” Lord Bartholomew cleared his throat and adjusted himself in his seat, then at last found her gaze.
She did not pretend she didn’t know what he was about to say. She steeled herself, not because she was afraid of the words but because she was afraid of what she would say.
“Might I call you Aribella?” His usually dull hair shone in the lone candlelight from the mantel. He had a nice face, pleasant eyes.
“Yes, you may.” She didn’t ask to call him by his first name. Perhaps they could maintain a level of formality even while married. She scoffed inside. Perhaps to some degree, but she might need to address him by his name.
“Before you left to come to court, I asked you a question. Do you recall?”
She smiled. He really was so unassuming; she was more endeared to him because of his hesitance. “I remember. I thought the direction of your conversation very generous.”
“My desires and hopes have only strengthened after spending time with your father and spending this time with you at court, seeing the vital contributions you make here. I know how much you love the estate. I would be the happiest of men if you would consent to be my wife.” He lowered to one knee and even produced a ring.
Aribella gasped. “How did you get that?” It was her mother’s ring. Even though she knew her father must have sent it with Lord Bartholomew, she felt betrayed on her mother’s behalf, in an odd way. “I mean, I’m so touched to see it.” She reached for it. “May I?”
“Of course; that’s the object in giving it to you.” His small smile would have made her laugh under any other circumstance.
She tried to continue to see the good in him, tried to find the gratitude in her heart for the ability to save her estate, but seeing her mother’s ring in his hand felt so wrong that she questioned everything about his offer—and her own ability to make a good choice without her mother’s guiding influence.
“I am so honored and grateful.” She slipped the ring onto her gloved finger. “I will wear this ring because it belonged to my mother, and father at one point, but I will ask for some time to further consider. Might I give you my answer in two weeks’ time, once we are settled back at home?”
“Certainly.” He raised her hand to his lips and pressed his mouth over the ring. If he was disappointed, he didn’t allow the emotion to show, for which she was grateful.
She bid him goodnight and left the room as quickly as propriety would allow so she could be alone. She had much to think on.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Layton made it safely homewith only two mild skirmishes from enemy ships, this time openly flying the French flag. He shrugged. All the better for him and his crew to know who their enemies were and to protect themselves. The shots fired from the enemy guns were only warning shots. The French ships didn’t fully engage, which Layton found even more aggravating, in a way, because he would just as soon sink their ships out of the water. But they raced away, not daft enough to engage three British warships as well as his own.
Docking in front of the palace should have felt like the homecoming it was. His crew certainly cheered enough. He sent them on their way, but he lingered on board, trying to find a certain satisfaction that he was back in his homeland. His gaze turned to the opposite side of their sheltered bay, to his own private residence up against the cliffs. The turrets of his castle rose high among the peaks that sheltered them. Waves crashed against the shoreline beneath his home.
He considered Brittiny Castle. For so long, his ship had felt like home, and while he did still love his time on board, something had changed. Something that made him want to form roots on dry ground. Was it time to live in his own residence, to begin building a life there? As head of the country’s navy and his mother’s youngest son, he had been given what he thought was the most beautiful estate, towering high in the sky, overlooking the ocean. It was simple to access by water, but the roads were at times treacherous by land. He grinned, suspecting Aribella would love it.
But thoughts of Aribella coming to his country, his home, benefitted no one. He had left her free to marry the man who would make her father happy and her the duchess of her own estate. And he was free to pursue—or rather, accept—the attentions of a princess of England. His countrymen would think he’d brought great honor to their small country were he to marry one of them. His parents obviously supported the idea, and they were correct. An alliance with England would ensure their security for many years, or it should. As he thought about Prince George and his careless and raucous ways, however, he wondered if that were accurate. Would the new regent honor Layton’s marriage to a sister and provide continued protection with his navy? He’d already sent help, and Layton had to give him credit for honoring his father’s promise.
Patrolling the waters outside Oldenburg benefitted England as well. The Royal Navy’s presence helped protect the strip of water on the north. For years, it had been clear of trouble, and the pirates’ sudden return as privateers for the French was concerning to all involved, no matter whom they were parading as.
Layton shook his head. Pirate or privateer, neither was welcome, and neither would be permitted to steal from his country any longer.
A sense of the satisfaction he had long sought now filled him. He’d accomplished what he’d been sent to do.
At last, he stepped off his ship, enjoying the moment his boots touched the Oldenburg shore. Home. But another feather of dissatisfaction stole his peace. No matter how many times he told himself he was home, he knew he was missing a most important piece of his heart. He wondered if he’d ever be happy again now that he’d known Aribella and she could not be in his life. He hoped so. He hoped that a life of duty would be satisfying and fulfilling in such a way that happiness would follow.
With those thoughts strengthening his resolve, he moved his boots toward his parents’ palace and the room where he knew the advisors and his brothers and father awaited his report.
He arrived at the door and waited, knowing he brought victory, that he had been a success. As he stepped into the room, every person stood and applauded his arrival. His father moved forward to embrace him, pounding his back and expressing accolades. “So good to see you, son. Well done.”
Hayes shook his hand. “Three British naval warships! One would have been sufficient, I’d imagine.”
Layton grinned. “The English want to secure these waters. Our move to become allies has helped them as well as us. They have a safe port here, where they can obtain supplies, and they have our assistance also.”
