Page 14 of Loving Mister Stratford
“Please, Mother,” he sighed as he brushed her hands away from his coat. Again.
“This is a big moment,” the countess fussed and plucked a bit of invisible lint from Simon’s sleeve. A small crease had worked its way between her brows. His mother had always been a little overbearing, but she’d been set on her ear as soon as she’d learned of his betrothal to Miss Leroy.
She’d clapped her hands in joy, excited tears blurring her bright green eyes when he’d first told his parents in the privacy of the ice-blue family sitting room in Aldborough House. He hadn’t relished having this conversation more than once, so he’d decided to settle with explaining the details to his mother and father, then sending along notes to his siblings at their respective homes to advise them of the pending nuptials, with details to follow. For his part, his father had seemed more than a little pleasantly surprised that his youngest son had made a match.
Their abundant joy, however, was shortly lived when confronted with the full story. Simon chose to leave out a few details—most notably his rather heavy suspicion that the whole incident had been carefully orchestrated—to avoid any blame being laid at Odette’s feet. He’d spent all of a fraction of a second wondering if she’d been complicit in the scheme, but one look into her crystalline eyes had told him the truth: She was just as shocked and betrayed as he had been. And the last thing he needed to do was start her life in this family off by giving his opinionated parents and siblings a poor impression of her.
“But how—why?” his mother had stuttered, clutching her hands to her bosom. His father stood beside her, pressing his fingers into his eyes as if to stave off a blossoming headache. It was a gesture with which Simon was intimately familiar.
“Of my sons, you are the one I thought we had to worry about the least when it came to this,” the earl had grumbled before raking back his silver hair and fixing Simon with a very piercing gaze. His father was not a cruel man, but he could demand the utmost respect with a simple glance.“How do you go from a book permanently in your hand to…to being discovered with an innocent in your lap at a dinner party? And by her mother, the Earl of Bane, and his guests, no less! Were it not for the witnesses, we might have been able to avoid all this and attempted to settle with the mother to satisfy the situation. You should have come to us before agreeing to anything.”
Simon had shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, feeling like a coltish youth once more. He’d never liked being viewed as a disappointment, and the scandal this would surely bring to the Stratford name (even if he did right by Odette in the eyes of Society) qualified as just that.
His mother had inhaled a shaky breath and placed a hand upon her husband’s taut arm.“We must look on the bright side.” She’d turned to Simon.“We never believed you’d wed, but now the issue has been taken into the hands of fate.” The words hadn’t been meant as a jab—his mother was well-meaning above all else, and never intentionally cruel—but Simon nonetheless felt the sting of being discounted. He’d spent his entire life being viewed as a few steps off of normal, and here was just another example of that.“Surely she is a nice enough girl to have attracted your attention; who are her people?”
Simon barely resisted the urge to flinch. He couldn’t care one speck where Odette came from, but not all of Society could be so welcoming. He liked to think his parents were open-minded—especially when it came to their children—but he’d have been lying if he’d said he didn’t fear the truth might just push them over the edge.
He’d taken a deep breath and surged forward.
The way his mother had dropped dejectedly onto the nearby chaise and his father had refused to meet his eyes were answering enough.
Not only had he embarrassed them by allowing himself to be caught in such a compromising situation, but he’d done so with an entirely unsuitable girl.
And now all of them were to live with the consequences.
“Leave the poor man alone, Mother,” George’s voice broke through Simon’s spinning thoughts.“He’s as white as death and your prodding and tugging at him aren’t helping.” He and Meredith had come down from London along with Simon and their parents, and intended to stay in residence through the wedding ceremony.
Only a few days in and Simon was already anxious and itchy from all of the attention. He sincerely hoped Miss Leroy didn’t run screaming after she was shut away with his family. Bridleton was no tiny cottage, but it was still difficult to find peace when one had determined siblings.
Thank God for Meredith.
As an interloper herself, she was the best chance Simon had to gently integrate his future wife into the family and prove that notallof them were overbearing.
As if hearing his thoughts, Meredith offered him a reassuring smile.“I think he looks quite dashing; ready to meet his bride.”
A band loosened around his chest—a pain he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying. He was hardly a vain man, but to know he looked presentable for Miss Leroy first impression of his family was a great deal more reassuring than his mother’s fluttering hands and constant adjustments to his person.
There was a silent, controlled flurry of activity as the entryway was filled with footmen and the butler. The crunch of gravel and clatter of carriage tack indicated Miss Leroy’s conveyance had been spotted. Simon’s heart redoubled in an unexpected way.
“This is it,” his mother breathed, echoing the words throwing themselves against the walls of his skull.
There was a tug at his sleeve as the doors were opened into the golden afternoon light and Simon looked down to find Meredith’s hand on his arm. She gave him a small, reassuring squeeze before they all followed the servants into the summer air.
Simon stood at the top of the stairs, flanked by his father on one side and George on the other, as Miss Leroy was helped down from the Aldborough carriage. After conveying Simon and his family to Kent, he’d had the carriage sent back to London for his betrothed and her belongings, not caring to have her travel all that way in a hired coach.
She shook the wrinkles from her blushing rose-colored traveling dress before looking up and tilting her head back to take in the soaring height of Bridleton’s facade. Her hair—a unique shade of rich honey—had been plaited and pinned to her head, providing a sturdy perch for a small hat decorated with only a single silk peony. The wideness of her crystal eyes was adorable, but Simon somehow managed to prevent his lips from splitting into a grin. The thought of seeing her again after the unfortunate circumstances of their last encounter had caused him no small amount of anxiety. Now that she was there before him, in the flesh, all of his discomfort fled. He felt only a warm flood of relief through his veins, unexpectedly soothing and comforting.
He watched, unblinking, as she was greeted by the butler and ascended the steps to the front door. His heart thudded harder at every inch she grew nearer.
Unable to resist, Simon stepped forward and helped Odette climb the last steps. She seemed pleasantly surprised by the action and a warm flush crept across the apples of her cheeks.
“I trust your journey was pleasant?” he murmured and brought her gloved hand to his lips. He suddenly, inexplicably ached to feel her bare skin against his.
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Stratford,” she replied gently.
“Simon,” he interjected.“I believe we’re well past the use of formalities at this point.”
If anything, her blush intensified.“I appreciate your thoughtfulness at sending your carriage, Simon. It was by far the most comfortable journey I’ve ever experienced.”
