Page 12 of A Season Beyond A Kiss (Birmingham #2)

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I T WAS A VERY PROUD J EFFREY B IRMINGHAM WHO escorted his fetchingly garbed wife through the doors of the church and into the pew where Heather, Brandon, and their three-year-old son, Beau, were already seated. The young tike broke out into a wide grin when he espied his uncle and quickly scooted around his mother and Raelynn in his haste to climb onto the elder’s lap.

“Unc’ Jeff, yo’ wanta see my frog?” the youngster whispered confidentially, his blue eyes searching the face above his own as he thrust a small hand into the pocket of his linen jacket. “I gots it hidden where Mama can’t see.”

Clasping a hand to the boy’s back, Jeff leaned forward and grinned at his sister-in-law, whose expression grew increasingly perplexed as she tried to determine just what was going on. She recognized that particular gleam in her brother-in-law’s eyes only too well; she had seen it numerous times. Mischief was brewing, she had no doubt.

In the next instant, her sapphire-blue eyes widened in horror as her son thrust a frog beneath his uncle’s nose. To make matters worse, it croaked rather loudly, drawing the attention of the whole congregation. Twittering laughter quickly erupted from the onlookers who, in amused curiosity, craned their necks to see what would follow. Seeing the need to intervene, Heather promptly readjusted her lace shawl in an effort to conceal her child-bearing state and sought to push herself to her feet.

By now, Brandon had become apprised of the situation and, laying a large hand upon his wife’s arm, gently urged her back into the pew. “Never mind, love,” he soothed with a soft chortle. “I’ll take care of the frog and our son.”

After making his way around the front pews, Brandon approached the end of the bench where his brother sat with the boy. He leaned near Jeff’s ear to whisper, “I should let you handle this matter since you’ll probably be needing practice in the not-too-distant future.”

“Shouldn’t I be instructed by example first?” Jeff inquired mutedly through a grin as the other lifted Beau from his lap. “I’ll grant you, there’s a lot to learn, but you should be an expert by now.”

Brandon offered him a grin. “If this next one is a girl, I’ll have to start learning all over again. Hatti swears boys and girls are as different as day and night.”

Reflectively Jeff pursed his lips until he nodded. “That’s good to know. Just think of the confusion it would create if we weren’t able to tell male from female at birth. Life would certainly prove boring after that.”

“Dear brother, I wasn’t referring to the differences in our anatomy,” Brandon corrected with a pained grin. “I was talking about dispositions.”

The younger flicked a forefinger back and forth between the two of them. “You mean the difference between our personalities?”

Brandon heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Has anyone ever told you how exasperating you can be?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, you have, on a regular basis.”

“Obviously my complaints have never settled down into that hard head of yours,” the elder quipped.

Jeff grinned puckishly. “Are you talking about mine?”

“Who else’s, Wart?”

Held in the child’s tenacious grasp, the frog croaked all the way down the aisle, drawing applause and hilarious laughter from nearly everyone who was aware of the happenings. Raelynn giggled behind a handkerchief and glanced aside at Heather who could only smile and shake her head.

Once order had been restored, the service began with Reverend Parsons making an effort to appear unaffected. He cleared his throat and glanced around until silence prevailed. “We’ll be singing a hymn now,” he announced with a measure of calm, “but before we do, I would suggest that the one who was making an effort to sing, kindly restrain himself so the rest of us can find some enjoyment in the song. I’m afraid he sounded like an ol’ bullfrog.”

Uproarious laughter filled the church as Brandon muttered jovially, “Amen!”

Once the sermon had been concluded and the congregation was dismissed, folks began gathering outdoors. The elderly Mrs. Abegail Clark made her way across the yard with the help of her long parasol, which she used primarily as a walking cane.

“Jeffrey Birmingham,” she called, commanding his attention, “I’m dreadfully put out with you for not bringing your lovely bride over to my house and making us acquainted. And here I thought you loved me.”

“Oh, I do, love, I do!” He swept off his top hat and placed it over his heart as if to swear an undying truth. “You’re the light of my eyes, the nurturing warmth of my heart....”

“Fiddledeedee, you young whippersnapper!” she retorted with a chuckle and lifted the tip end of her cane to indicate Raelynn. “Now introduce us before I grow even more vexed with you.”

Gallantly Jeff swept her a courtly bow and performed the honors. “My lady, may I present my lovely wife, Raelynn, to you and all others within hearing distance.” He faced the beauty at his side and smiled into her eyes as he took her slender hand. “My love, this feisty dowager is Abegail Clark, an old friend of the family. She all but adopted my mother, Catherine, while she was still alive.”

Raelynn sank into a gracious curtsey before the elder. “A pleasure, madam.”

“Nay, girl, the pleasure is all mine,” the elder assured her kindly. “I’ve been waiting some years to see who this young gallant would choose for a wife, and though I’ve heard rumors of the difficulties you’ve had to face since your arrival, it’s obvious you’ve weathered them amazingly well and have come through no worse for them. May I extend a fond welcome to the Carolinas, my dear, and a blessing that God may watch over you and keep you safe and happy through a long and fruitful life.”

Taking the initiative, Raelynn stepped forward and gently pressed her cheek against the one that had grown wrinkled through the years. “Thank you, Mrs. Clark. I shall hope that I prove worthy of your expectations.”

Mrs. Clark hurriedly blinked at the tears that gathered in her eyes and, upon clearing her throat, glanced around to find herself in the midst of the Birminghams, one and all. Eagerly she stretched out a hand to Heather, drawing the younger woman quickly forward. “So good to see you, child. It has been a couple of weeks since you were last here. I was afraid you might be suffering some difficulties with the child you’re now carrying. Have you been well?”

“Oh, yes, of course, Mrs. Clark,” Heather reassured her, smiling radiantly. “Beau had a slight fever last week, that’s all, and of course, you heard about the commotion the week before.”

“Mr. Fridrich, you mean.” The older woman clucked her tongue in distaste. “He’s a brute, that one.”

“Thanks to him, none of us got any sleep until everyone was at home safe and sound. Once the ordeal was over, we could hardly hold our eyes open.” Heather cast a mischievous glance toward her handsome husband. “Reverend Parsons would surely have thought bullfrogs had invaded the church if Brandon had started snoring during the service.”

Her husband’s jaw descended forthwith in a fair imitation of one who had been shocked out of his senses, evoking the laughter of his family and friends. “Madam, I protest. You accuse me unjustly. I don’t snore.”

Heather rolled her eyes in feigned disbelief and, lifting her hand before Mrs. Clark, measured off a degree by bringing her thumb and forefinger slowly together. She cringed in mock fear as Brandon stalked near, but she quickly burst into giggles as he caught an arm about her shoulders and, with a growl, threatened to take a bite out of her slender nape, much to the hilarity of those who watched.

“Unc’ Jeff,” Beau said, leaning his head far back and squinting up at the tall man. “Will yo’ help me catch ‘nother frog? Pa made me turn the other one loose so’s I could go back inta church.”

Jeff passed his hat to Raelynn and, bending down, swooped the youngster into his arms. “Maybe your pa will bring you over and let you look for one in the pond near my house. You can catch plenty of them over there, but you must promise me that you won’t bring them into church again. They like ponds and the outdoors, and that’s the best place to keep them.”

“But they’ll get ‘way from me out there.”

“It wouldn’t be hard to catch another ... anytime you want to. Promise?”

The boy lifted doleful, black-lashed blue eyes to his uncle. “Guess so, Unc’ Jeff.”

A sudden realization struck Jeff, and in some astonishment, he looked past the boy’s head, claiming his brother’s attention. “Beau has blue eyes! But I thought they were ...”

“Green?” Heather queried, stealing the word from his mouth. She laughed and, turning her head slightly, peered at Jeff saucily from around the brim of her bonnet. “They’ve been blue for more than three years now. I thought you’d have noticed by now.”

“But they were green, weren’t they?”

Grinning, Brandon thrust out his chin, indicating his fetching wife. “I swear she talked to the fairies and coaxed them into changing the color of Beau’s eyes. If you’re satisfied with the way you look, you’d better watch her tricks. Next thing you know she’ll be turning yours blue.”

Heather grinned contentedly as she faced Jeff. “I wouldn’t dare tell your brother that he was mistaken about the color.” She wrinkled her nose and playfully winced as Brandon snorted like a cantankerous bull. “Truth is, babies’ eyes have a way of changing in the first year. What we thought were green eyes were just blue ones in the making.”

The Birminghams and Abegail Clark laughed in hearty amusement at Heather’s simple logic. As she glanced around at the cheerful faces that surrounded her, she shrugged girlishly. It was the tantalizing little grin she wore that prompted Brandon to dismiss the fact that they were standing within full view of nearly the whole congregation. Drawing her near, he bestowed a kiss upon her suddenly gaping mouth.

Hurriedly pulling away, Heather glanced around in some embarrassment to find several, normally beady-eyed spinsters now gawking in astonishment. “Brandon, people are watching. Behave yourself.”

Nevertheless when Brandon cast a smile toward the trio of old maids and drew her back with an arm about her shoulders, she leaned against him with a grin that was nearly dazzling. Her compliance certainly caused the three onlookers to raise their brows and glance knowingly at each other.

As for Raelynn, she had found the show of affection between her in-laws quite refreshing and felt led to slip her hand within Jeff’s as she lifted a loving smile to him. No words were exchanged as his eyes searched hers, but had he asked, she would have found explanations beyond her ability. She was just simply glad that she was part of the Birmingham clan.

IT WAS TOWARD THE END OF S EPTEMBER WHEN THE final fitting for Raelynn’s ball gown was scheduled to take place. Knowing that Nell would be working at Farrell’s shop, no doubt with her new son in close proximity, Jeff utilized every precaution within his capability to prevent a confrontation between the young seamstress and his wife. Thus, he did the only sensible thing a gentleman could do under the circumstances and that was to set aside some time to escort Raelynn to the shop himself rather than merely having Thaddeus drive her in. Upon their arrival, he was greatly relieved when he learned that Nell had asked for the day off to run errands. He could only hope that she would decide to leave the area for good. As much as the idea might have distressed her, he never wanted to see her again.

Men were not allowed in the fitting rooms, a fact which left Jeff nearly champing at the bit as he waited for Raelynn to reappear. A whole wardrobe of clothes and other accouterments had been ordered for the fall season for her, and he began to chafe at the prospect of having to bide his time through many tedious fittings, especially since he seemed to be the only male customer on the premises. He was definitely surprised and relieved when Raelynn came out garbed in the shimmering ball gown. As he watched with a feeling of awe, she seemed to float across the room toward the mirror to which Elizabeth had directed her.

“Close your mouth,” Farrell advised with a grin as he came to stand beside Jeff. “And for heaven’s sakes, man, pick up your jaw.”

“Beautiful!” Jeff breathed, seemingly in a daze as his eyes swept down the length of her.

“Of course,” the couturier replied and proudly polished his nails on his lapel. “I designed it.”

Jeff pointedly arched a brow as he gave his friend a sidelong stare. “I meant my wife, Fancy Man.”

Farrell shrugged nonchalantly, never losing his affected aplomb. “Well, that’s true of her, too, of course. In fact, it’s hard to say which is lovelier. Nevertheless, your wife’s beauty has definitely been magnified by my creation. She has the kind of form that would complement a shroud. She’s tall, slender and moves like a dream....”

“Stop drooling,” Jeff cautioned, bestowing upon the man an outrageously indignant glare that should have belied the twinkle in his eye. “She’s spoken for.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been trying to remind myself of that fact for the last few weeks and have decided I should take your advice....”

“What advice is that, pray tell?”

“I shall be escorting Elizabeth to your ball.” He looked askance at Jeff in time to see a grin break across his face. “Do you mind?”

“Well, I’ll be damned!”

“In that case, perhaps I shouldn’t,” Farrell replied, stretching his neck above his collar as he straightened his handsomely tailored frockcoat. “I wouldn’t want you to be cast into hell or anything like that, Jeffrey.”

The green eyes danced with puckish humor. “It’s long overdue, my friend, but I’m relieved to hear that you’re finally making use of that ol’ noggin of yours. I thought it was good for something. I just didn’t know exactly what until now.”

The couturier cleared his throat, uneasy about making certain confessions. “Actually, I’ve taken Elizabeth out a time or two for dinner since you were last here, Jeffrey. On business, of course. What with our past difficulties, that ex cuse seemed the best way to get her to accept my invitations.” The clothier flicked his brows upward as he revealed a past astonishment. “What I hadn’t expected to confront was the audacity of some men to openly ogle her while she was with me. Believe me, Jeffrey, I saw more than the usual froth running down their jowls, which, by the way, I grew increasingly desirous of punching.”

“Meaning you saw a threat of your talented assistant being stolen away and led to the altar by an infatuated swain?” Jeff prodded, amusement shining in his eyes.

Taking offense, Farrell ran a finger beneath the band of his collar at his nape, as if he now found it too tight. “Dammit, Jeffrey, you make it sound as if I’d court Elizabeth or even marry her merely to save my business from certain disaster.”

“You mean you wouldn’t?”

A cantankerous snort evidenced Farrell’s irritation. “You make me out to be a conniving scoundrel, Jeffrey, and that’s not the way of it at all. Elizabeth is a damn good-looking woman whom I’ve admired for some years now. Of all the young fillies I’ve ever courted, there isn’t one among them who can compare. It just finally dawned on me that I’ve been letting hurtful memories of past years dictate my actions even as late as last month. As yet, I’m not sure that she would appreciate any attempt on my part to ease our relationship into something less formal than employer and employee, but I think it would be much more relaxing and enjoyable to set my sights on the dove in my own back yard rather than trying to pluck the feathers off the neighbors’ chickens.”

“Smooth your ruffled nape, my friend. I’m just delighted to hear of your change of heart. Two months ago you were still gazing past her, or at least you seemed to be. It’s a relief to know you’ve become more short-sighted.”

“Short-sighted, hell. I’m nigh cross-eyed. I didn’t realize she was so much underfoot before. It’s somewhat like looking at the end of my nose.”

“And you don’t appreciate that,” Jeff vocally deduced.

“Hell and damnation, Jeffrey, you can be as vexing as a ten-foot alligator. I didn’t say that.”

Jeff was growing more perplexed by the moment. “Then what are you saying, Fancy Man?”

The couturier sighed in exasperation, not at all sure he could explain it all well enough. “Elizabeth has been so close at hand all this time, it never really dawned on me what I was doing until recently.”

Jeff searched for enlightenment. “Meaning that you’ve mainly been ignoring her?”

“Nooo,” Farrell fussed. “You should know better than that, having been the bachelor for so long. I know well enough that you were no different than I am now. I saw the way you’d size up a woman when she wasn’t even aware of you looking at her. Bachelors can’t seem to help themselves. Maybe it’s something instinctive, or the fact that appeasement doesn’t come that often unless a man gets desperate enough to seek out harlots, but I’ve never been led that way. Nor do I think you were. When a good-looking woman comes within view, we can mentally strip ’em, dissect ’em, and bed ’em all in a matter of a moment, at times without being completely aware of what we’re doing. I didn’t have to search for a better looking female to use as a standard by which I could judge all the other women. Elizabeth was here all this time, which made it easy for me to compare others to her, but, by the same token, I was so used to having her around, I never

realized I was going through the same mental scenario many more times with her than all the others put together. Strip her, dissect her, and bed her ... all in my mind. Emory put a name to it.” Farrell shook his head as if aghast at himself. “Coveting. That’s what I was doing long before she ever became a widow, and I wanted to hit the man for telling me that.”

“What are you going to do about it now?”

Farrell blew out his breath in frustration. “That, Jeffrey me dearie, is what pickled the pig on the poker. It’s damned frustrating, but I don’t know if I can do anything about it.”

Jeff cocked a wondering brow as he considered the couturier. His friend hadn’t been blind after all, just wary of old grudges, and what would follow, no one could predict.

L ATE THAT AFTERNOON THE L ANDAU PULLED UP IN front of Oakley house to allow the master and mistress of the manse to alight. Shortly after Jeff handed Raelynn down and the conveyance pulled away, their attention was promptly snared by an angry voice that seemed to be coming from the back of the house.

“An’ ah says, yo’ ain’t gots no business bein’ here, Missy. All yo’ wants ta do is make mo’ trouble for Mistah Jeffrey. Ah knows dat for a fact, jes’ like ah knows what yo’ did nigh ta a year ago. Now yo’ takes yo’self off afore de mastah comes home an’ finds yo’ skulkin’ ’round dis place like some no-account white trash.”

Recognizing the butler’s voice, Raelynn looked up at Jeff in acute surprise, thoroughly astonished by the servant’s harsh tones. Kingston was usually the very soul of propriety and unswerving patience, yet at present, his gruff voice was filled with outrage. “Who in the world can Kingston be talking to like that, Jeffrey?”

Her husband’s lean cheeks had darkened perceptively, and his eyes had taken on a cold glitter that chilled her to the bone. Facing her, he clasped her arms and, meeting her gaze directly, bade firmly, “Wait here, Raelynn. I’ll tend to this.”

She nodded hesitantly, reluctantly committing herself to staying behind while he faced another confrontation, which had similar qualities of that night wherein Gustav and his ruffians had forced their way into Oakley. Except that this time, it was obviously a woman ... or, perhaps more accurately, a girl by the name of Nell, making trouble.

Worriedly Raelynn chewed at a bottom lip as her eyes followed Jeff around the end of the house. She could only wonder how he would handle the situation. If he were the debaucher as Nell had claimed, would he reveal that fact? Or would he skillfully hide his involvement in the form of outrage?

A moment later, Raelynn started abruptly as she heard him bark in irate tones.

“Just why in the devil have you come out here?”

“Oh, Jeffrey, I’ve been waiting for you for nearly an hour now,” a feminine voice complained sweetly. “I was beginning to think I’d have to leave, what with Kingston talkin’ to me so mean-like. I knew you’d be wonderin’ about our son, and I just wanted to show him to you. I named him Daniel after me pa. I hope you don’t mind.”

Raelynn clutched a trembling hand to her throat. She had felt a great measure of relief when Farrell had told them that Nell had asked for the day off to tend to some pressing business. Now she understood Nell’s reasoning. The girl had obviously planned her offensive well in advance and had chosen to launch her cannonball in a place where there wouldn’t be any threat to her job.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I do mind, Nell,” Jeff answered caustically. “The babe may well be your son, but he sure as hell isn’t mine. Now stop this chicanery or I’ll have you carted back to Charleston again, this time in the back of a wagon, and you can bet I won’t be instructing anyone to find you a room. I can only wonder what rake you invited into the last room I paid for. ‘Tis obvious you didn’t waste any time getting with child after leaving here.”

Nell’s cajoling tones were pleasantly subdued. “Look at him, Jeffrey. He’s a right beautiful little boy. Why, he’s the most adorable baby I’ve e’er seen, and with all that fine, black hair and his li’l eyebrows anglin’ up just like yours, he’s bound to be the very image of you. Why, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if his eyes turn green. I just have to wonder at times if’n he’s gonna favor me atall, what with him already favorin’ his pa so. Look at our son, Jeffrey. Can’t you see the resemblance?”

“Stop harping on a lost cause, Nell!” Jeff barked. “I have no idea who the father is, but this much I know ... it isn’t me!”

“He’s got black hair and ...”

“Thousands of babies have black hair! That doesn’t mean I’ve sired them all!” Jeff bellowed.

Raelynn struggled to subdue the sickening feeling roiling in the pit of her stomach. The scene was hardly much different than what had evolved the first time Nell had come out. The girl was just as insistent and Jeff no less incensed. If anything, he was even more irate over her audacity to accost him a second time at his home. Although Raelynn couldn’t imagine that he’d be unaffected by the situation, his rage frightened her. When Jeff normally seemed so even-tempered, this display of temper caused her to wonder what really lay beneath that carefully maintained facade of levelheaded aplomb.

Raelynn glanced around in hopes of finding something that would draw her attention away from the argument presently going on behind the house, but even as she searched, she knew it was ridiculous to expect her thoughts to be diverted for even a second. The odds of that happening were about as great as the earth pausing on its axis.

Nell grew noticeably petulant. “You don’t have to shout, Jeffrey. I’m standing right here.”

“Well, truthfully, young lady,” he retorted snidely, “I’d be overwhelmed with delight if you were to do me a special favor and take yourself and your son back to Charleston or, for that matter, off the face of the earth, as long as it’s well out of my sight.”

“You’re just afraid of what your wife’s gonna think when she gets a peek at our son,” Nell challenged in a hurt tone.

Jeff lost any aplomb he once might have had. “Get out! Right now! I’m not going to waste my breath talking to you about this matter another moment. And don’t ever come back here again! If you do, I swear you’ll be taking your life in your hands, because right now, young lady, I’d like to throttle you! So I would advise you to get the bloody hell out of here before I do!”

Jeff’s voice softened as he questioned his butler. “Kingston, does she have a carriage waiting somewhere?”

“Yassuh, Mistah Jeffrey, she sho do. Right in front o’ de house.”

“Then would you kindly ... or by force, if need be, escort Miss Nell to it and inform the driver that he’s not to stop until he’s entirely off my property.”

“Yassuh, Mistah Jeffrey. Ah sho will.”

Raelynn waited in a poorly contrived semblance of calm as Nell came stomping angrily around the end of the manse. Kingston scrambled to catch up with the girl, but to no avail. Aqua eyes met briefly with blue, and in that moment Raelynn was brought face to face with the indisputable meaning of visual daggers. It was rather like being pierced to the bone.

Nell’s upper lip curled upward in a disdaining sneer as she stalked toward her rival. “You think you have Jeffrey all to yourself now with all his money in the palm of your hand, don’t you? Well, Miss Rich Bitch, I’m not finished with him yet. I’ll see you both shamed ‘til you can’t bear to be seen in public. Then perhaps Mr. Tight-fisted High an’ Noble Lord Birmingham will relent and give me what I’m askin’ for. ‘Tain’t as if he don’t have enough ta spare.” She snorted contemptuously. “Bet if’n you whelped a dozen, his purse wouldn’t suffer none.”

Nell dismissed Raelynn with an arrogant toss of her head and stalked down the drive to where the hired livery had stopped within the curve of the lane. Kingston hustled in her wake and was there to offer a helping hand when Nell paused beside the carriage step to readjust the bundle she carried within her arms. After a final glare toward Jeff, who now stood stoically beside his wife, she accepted the butler’s assistance into the conveyance and never looked back.

The carriage rattled off down the lane, allowing Raelynn to release her breath in a long, quavering sigh. Still trembling, she peered up at her husband who had swept his frockcoat back from his chest and jammed both hands finger-deep into the pockets of his finely tailored trousers. His expression of concern clearly conveyed the fact that he was expecting some contrary reaction or comment from her, for his eyes watched her carefully and a dark eyebrow was sharply notched at a discomfited angle. Perhaps under the circumstances, she should have had something profound or serious to say, but at present, Raelynn just couldn’t think of anything notable. Distractedly she glanced around and mutedly observed, “One should never count on the sky not falling around here. It seems to do that on a regular basis.”