Page 38 of An Affaire in Athens (The Grand Tours of the Aristocracy #2)

CHAPTER 37

A brEAKFAST BETROTHAL SEALS THE DEAL

T he following morning

Although he had considered walking to Vouros Mansion for that morning’s breakfast with the Henleys, Randy reconsidered and spoke with the butler about having the carriage made ready.

“Are you leaving for your breakfast with the Henleys?” Barbara asked. She was in the Engels Mansion breakfast parlor writing a letter whilst enjoying a cup of tea, the rest of the family not yet up and about.

“I am,” he replied.

Barbara dropped the quill she held and directed a critical gaze at his apparel from top to bottom. “Well, you look especially handsome this morning,” she said, admiring his snow white cravat, top coat, yellow embroidered waistcoat, buff pantaloons, and freshly polished Hobys. “And a bit frightened, if I might say.”

Randy winced. “I’m so nervous. What if she says no? What if her father says no?” he asked in dismay. “What if Marcus says no?”

Tittering, Barbara folded up the letter she had been writing and handed it to him. “Take this to Marianne for me, won’t you? I’m inviting them all to dinner this evening.”

He gingerly took the missive from her. “You think that will help my cause?” he asked.

“Oh, Randy, Marianne is no doubt on your side. It won’t matter what Jasper or Diana or even Marcus might say on the matter. Marianne will have the final word,” she assured him.

Randy’s brows furrowed. “I don’t want Diana forced to marry me,” he murmured. “She’ll hate me.”

“She won’t hate you, darling. Trust me when I tell you she’s a very clever girl. She’s already come to value your opinion, and she trusts you.”

About to ask her how she knew, he remembered Diana had ridden in the same coach as Barbara when they traveled to Cape Sounion. Knowing his aunt, she would have been able to learn all she wished to know without Diana realizing she was being interrogated.

“I hope you’re right,” he said. When he saw the butler waiting for him at the door, he leaned over and kissed Barbara on her cheek. “Wish me luck.”

“Luck,” she said, pulling another sheet of stationery in front of her. “I’m writing to your mother next, and I expect to finish it with your news, whatever it may be.”

About to ask that she not, Randy realized it would do no good. He was sure Barbara had promised his mother she would tell her everything whilst they were on this trip, no matter if it was good or bad.

“Oh, and one more thing,” she said, holding out her hand.

“What’s this?” he asked, moving closer to see what she held in the palm of her hand. “A ring?” he said in surprise.

“Well, you don’t have one, do you?”

“Uh...”

“Take it,” she ordered.

“But... isn’t it yours?” he asked, carefully plucking the ring between his thumb and forefinger to examine the gemstone. The simple gold band featured a single sapphire with a tiny diamond on either side.

“Part of a parure your uncle gave me years ago. I’ve never actually worn the ring—I’ve worn all the other pieces, of course—it came with a necklace, bracelet, hair comb, and a brooch—but I could never come to wear rings other than the wedding rings your Uncle Will gave me,” she explained.

Randy scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re sure?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, go get your girl,” she ordered.

Nodding, Randy tucked the ring into his waistcoat pocket and rushed out of the breakfast parlor.

A half-hour later, at Vouros Mansion

When Kyknos opened the door to Randy’s knock, he waved off his offering of a calling card and stepped aside. “Lady Henley is expecting you,” he said.

Randy’s gaze darted to the floor, and he wasn’t surprised to see the marble had been swept clean of all the paint chips shaved from the marble inlay. A quick glance at it showed the marble had been polished, the inscription now much easier to read.

“There you are,” Marianne said. Dressed in a bright apple green day gown, its bell skirt adorned with embroidered flower buds, her pale blonde hair rolled into a bun atop her head, he could have been his mother. He hadn’t noticed the resemblance so much the day before, but with everything that had happened prior to her sending him out the door, he wasn’t surprised.

“Am I late?” he asked, taking her hand to his lips.

“Not at all. The boys haven’t yet come down.”

“Michael is here?” he asked, expecting the youngest to have already left for the Acropolis.

“Yes. He and Jasper will go up together when we’re done with breakfast,” she explained.

“And Miss Diana?” he asked, his nervousness returning.

“She was in her room painting this morning. Said something about wanting to finish something she had already started.”

Randy inhaled softly, fairly sure he knew exactly which painting she was finishing.

“First door on the left, second floor,” Marianne said. “But not yet.”

Blinking, Randy was about to ask what she meant when a knock at the door had Kyknos hurrying to open it. Randy chuckled softly when he saw Antonio and Jane enter the vestibule.

“Oh, good. They received my note,” Marianne said, her brilliant smile appearing.

“Have you already been introduced, or would you like me to do the honors?” Randy offered in a whisper.

“Oh, please do. This will be the first time I’m to meet my new daughter-to-be,” she said with excitement. “Oh, my, she is quite gorgeous,” she added in a whisper. “And quite striking in yellow.”

Randy once again chuckled. “So I’ve been told, but I prefer Diana,” he said in a hoarse whisper. He heard her slight inhalation of breath and took the opportunity to perform the introductions.

The two newcomers had barely finished their greetings when Antonio asked, “Marcus invite you?”

Randy shook his head at the same moment footsteps sounded on the marble stairs.

Marcus appeared, one hand tapping his chest. “Ah, please accept my apologies, my sweet,” he said, capturing Jane’s hand to kiss the back of it. “I intended to be the one to introduce you to my mother.”

“Apology accepted,” she replied, her face displaying more color than usual.

“You look especially lovely this morning,” he said. “Like a yellow rose,” he murmured.

Jane tittered, dipping her head as she thanked him.

“Please, come take a seat in the parlor,” Marianne said. “Mr. Kyknos will see to some coffee or tea,” she said, gasping when Jasper and Michael quickly stood from where they had already been seated in the parlor. “Oh, darlings, here you are,” she said. “However long have you been down here? I must be blind to have missed you.”

The two chuckled. They had been enjoying cups of coffee during their guests’ arrivals, but they now saw to greeting the newcomers, bowing and kissing the back of Jane’s hand.

While everyone else made their way to the parlor, Randy hung back near the bottom of the stairs, and when he was sure no one was watching, he bolted up the steps.

Pausing when he reached the second story, he discovered the first door was open. The faint odor of paint reached his nostrils even before he peaked around the edge of the door frame. He grinned when he saw Diana standing before her easel, her back to the bedchamber’s only window.

“Good morning,” she said, her gaze never leaving the canvas to which she was applying paint with a small brush.

“Good morning, indeed,” he replied. He made his way to stand next to her, and when it appeared she had lifted the brush from the canvas, he kissed the side of her head. He stepped back to admire first the gown she was wearing—a peach sprigged muslin with lace trim—before adding, “You look especially fetching in peach.”

She tittered. “I suppose you were expecting to find me wearing breeches this morning?”

“Actually, yes, I was,” he admitted.

“Later, perhaps,” she said. “I’m told we’re having guests for breakfast this morning.”

Randy turned his attention to the painting. “Oh. You’ve managed to match the color of the columns exactly as they appeared that night,” he marveled. He watched as she dabbed a bit more paint into one of the column tops, the slightly darker brown providing the detail of the Doric column capital. “You’re quite good at this,” he whispered.

“Thank you.” She stepped back and angled her head to one side. “I think it’s finished.” She placed her brush into a glass jar, the dark liquid giving off the scent of linseed oil.

He continued to study the painting, noting the simple details she had added since he had last seen it. Not only had she filled in the columns with the rusty brown as they had appeared during the sunset, their edges slighter redder, but she had also added highlights to the flowers and other vegetation in the foreground, as well as darker details to enhance the tops of the fluted columns and at the base of the blocks making up the floor. “I shall remember this always,” he whispered.

“The Temple of Poseidon?”

He nodded. “This was where I fell in love with you. When I fell in love with you,” he quickly added, waving to indicate the moment she had captured in the painting, the silhouettes of the temple’s columns against a sunset of blazing colors under a crescent moon. There was even a dot of bright white above the moon, exactly where Venus had appeared.

He turned his head to find her staring at him, her eyes wide. Before he could say anything else, she stood on tiptoes and kissed him, her hands clutching his shoulders. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss, finally pulling away to leave his forehead resting against hers. “Does this mean you’ll marry me?” he asked. He left one hand behind her waist while he dug into his waistcoat pocket for the ring his aunt had given him.

“I... I suppose?” she replied. When he straightened slightly and held up the ring between them, he watched as she focused on it. Watched when she blinked and finally displayed a watery grin. “Oh, Randy.”

He didn’t wait for her to say anything else. He captured her wrist from his shoulder and slid the ring onto her fourth finger. “It matches your eyes,” he whispered. “When they’re in the dark, like they were that night.”

She swallowed. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“Does it fit all right?”

She nodded. “It does.”

She wrapped her hands around his shoulders and embraced him for a moment. He grinned as he tightened his hold on her. “You’ve made me a very happy man.”

“You’re already so happy, I can’t imagine making you more so,” she countered.

He laughed and once again kissed her forehead.

Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, we should go downstairs. We’re expecting guests at any moment,” she said in alarm.

He chuckled. “Actually, they’re already here.”

“What?” She stepped out of his hold. “Why didn’t you…?” Realization dawned and she sighed. Mother sent you up here, didn’t she?”

Randy angled his head first to one side and then the other. “Well, she only told me which room was yours,” he said. He offered his arm. “Shall we?”

She placed her hand on his and they made their way down the stairs to the entry.

“I noticed the marble inlay has been polished,” Randy remarked as they paused before the front door. “It’s much easier to read the inscription now,” he added.

“The housekeeper must have done it,” she said, studying the carving. “It does look much better than how I left it last night.”

“Well, it couldn’t be helped. You were interrupted,” he said.

She grinned and turned to discover that everyone in the parlor was watching them. “Good morning,” she called out. “Uh, I apologize for my tardiness,” she added as she and Randy joined them, the men standing upon her arrival.

“It’s all my fault,” Randy said, leading her to one of the few remaining chairs in the room. “I was admiring her work of art.” He moved to stand before Jasper to bow and shake his hand before he took the adjacent chair to Diana’s.

“Your painting?” Jane guessed. She was ensconced in an upholstered chair next to Marcus, her yellow gown adding more color to the floral array. “Is it finished?”

“It is,” Diana said. “Only a moment ago. Right before I accepted Randy’s marriage proposal.” The words tumbled out so quickly, she lifted her left hand to cover her mouth. The announcement along with the appearance of a betrothal ring had the others gasping in surprise.

“Oh, best wishes, Diana,” Marianne said as she sighed contentedly. “We have two betrothals to celebrate this morning!”

“Thank you, Mother.” Her gaze went to her father, but his attention was on Randy, his expression one of worry.

Randy noticed his future father-in-law’s regard and cleared his throat. “Not only has Miss Diana agreed to be my eventual countess, she will also be the Gisborn earldom’s archaeologist,” he announced.

“What’s this?” Jasper asked in surprise.

“A number of Roman coins have been found on our property,” Randy explained. “Evidence of what we believe to have been a Roman settlement along the River Isis in Oxfordshire.”

Jasper chuckled softly. “And you’re going to allow her to dig it up?” he asked.

“I am,” Randy replied. “I’ll offer assistance should she ask for it?—”

“I’m going to make him do all the heavy shoveling,” Diana said, a teasing grin lifting her lips.

“But I’ve learned she likes to make her own discoveries,” Randy finished, aiming a grin in her direction.

“Well, then about the question you had for me yesterday, I suppose my answer is yes,” Jasper said. “Best wishes to you both.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Randy replied.

“Thank you, Father.”

“So, Forster, where are you planning to take your bride for a wedding trip?” Marcus asked. “We’re off to Roma after we say our vows before the mayor next week,” he added. “Then it’s to Derbyshire.”

Randy arched a brow. “Well, not to one-up you, Cousin, but we may be joining you when it comes to seeing the mayor next week, and then, after we complete our time here in Greece, Diana and I are off to Egypt for an expedition up the Nile and then to Roma before heading back to England.”

The others in the parlor boggled at hearing the itinerary. “Egypt?” Jasper repeated.

Diana nodded. “I can hardly wait to walk through the Temple of Luxor,” she said. “And see the pyramids and the Colossi of Memnon.”

Blinking, Randy scoffed softly. “You mean, you’ve never been to Egypt?” he asked in confusion, remembering her tale of Romans on holiday in Egypt sounding as if she had actually witnessed it for herself.

She shook her head. “I’ve only ever read about it,” she admitted.

Randy chuckled softly. “You really do remember everything you’ve ever read,” he commented.

“Or seen or heard,” her father said, as if in warning.

She gave Randy the most brilliant smile he had ever seen on her. “I really do.”

Although he might have felt a moment of unease, Randy merely smiled back at her. “When next we play cards, you’re on my team,” he said.