Page 23 of Jillian’s Wild Heart (Ladies of Munro #4)

She leaned away from him a little to see Penelope. “I’m so glad you have come. I felt simply awful that Lewis would have no family here.” A thought struck her. “Would you like to see my dress?”

“I would love to,” answered Penelope, “but I must grant my brother a longer stay in your company, for he has sorely missed you. We shall talk of dresses when he has sated himself with your presence.”

“That will never happen,” Lewis declared, smitten fellow that he was.

Jack pulled a face. He sidestepped the small crowd and made his way with quiet determination to the steaming, fresh bread. He was stealthily unwrapping it when Timmy pointed a finger and announced, “Jack is at the bread again,” before beaming proudly up at Penelope for his traitor’s reward.

“Jack! That is our dinner!” his mother scolded before turning back to her guests. “He’s a growing boy, but I can’t keep up with his stomach. Soon, I will have to bake a second loaf just for him.”

“I will be tall and strong like Da’,” Jack retorted, his currently scrawny chest puffed out.

“I’ve no doubt you will,” his mother said, but a small pleat had formed upon her brow. “Though how I am to keep up with feeding ye when Jilly is not here to help me, I do not know.”

“Could you supplement your own cooking with the baker’s help?” asked Lewis.

Jilly gave him a little shake of her head and indicated with a surreptitiously empty-cupped hand the lack of funds for such a solution.

Lewis was not discouraged. “It would be only fair if I provided a stipend toward this purpose since I am stealing your helper away, ma’am.

I shall make arrangements in town before we return to Munro.

Would two loaves a day be sufficient? And maybe the odd meat pie to build up Jack’s strength?

He can repay me by chopping wood and carrying buckets of water for his dear mother, who cares for him so well. ”

“I do all that already,” grumbled Jack ungratefully.

“That is good to hear,” Lewis acknowledged with a nod. “Then I feel the stipend will be well spent. It will greatly reduce my guilt that your sister will not be here to see you grow into the excellent young man you will no doubt become.”

“What about me?” Timmy wanted to know. “Will there be meat pies for everyone? I like kidney pie best, but Sam likes pork and Mum always makes what he likes because he is the eldest.”

The sting of these words momentarily put Lewis off his stride. But Mrs. Kinsey quickly corrected her youngest.

“Sam gets to choose because he works all day with your father and therefore deserves a treat. You are at home, sampling the biscuits I make while he sweats in the sun. Now, let’s hear no more about favorites.

For you know full well I don’t have any.

” She grabbed both boys by the arm and pulled them close to her.

“If I squish you all together like this , I have room in my arms for all of ye.” And she proceeded to do just that, with Jilly joining in and the boys squirming and complaining that they weren’t babies anymore.

All at once, the room fell into shadow as a large figure filled the doorway.

“Da’s home!” Timmy wriggled out of his mother’s arms to climb into his father’s.

Mr. Kinsey scooped him up and tucked him under one muscular arm like a piglet. “It seems I’ve caught my dinner.” Grinning, he ruffled Timmy’s hair before setting him back on his feet again.

“What fine guests we have,” commented Mr. Kinsey. He winked at Jilly before adding, “If only your husband-to-be was as smart a fellow as this, you would have done well, indeed, Jilly girl.”

Jilly stepped forward and took Lewis’s hand. “This is Lewis, Da’. But of course you knew that. And here is his sister, Miss Penelope Bradford, come to watch us be married.”

Lewis extended a hand to Mr. Kinsey, who took it firmly. “I am grateful for your blessing, sir, though I wish I could have asked for it in person.”

“No harm done, lad. You just be good to our daughter and we’ll never have a cross word between us.

” There was a slight increase in pressure in the handshake.

Lewis could feel it wasn’t a patch on the sheer force the powerful man could exert.

But it was enough. A not-so-subtle warning from a protective father who loved his daughter.

As friendly as the man appeared, Lewis would not want to be on his wrong side.

Fortunately, he could imagine no scenario in which he would be.

A tall, lanky lad stepped around Mr. Kinsey. He could have been Jack’s twin, except he was several inches taller, and his hands, though free of dirt, were rough and stained from the juices of many plants—unlike his father who probably wore working gloves.

Lewis reached out to shake his hand, but the youngster self-consciously tucked his own into his pockets and dipped his head to acknowledge the greeting instead. Then he ignored Lewis and called to his mother. “Is dinner ready, Mum? I’m starving.”

“Just about,” she answered and turned back to the saucepan to give the soup a quick stir. “Jilly, set the table, will you?” she said. “And remember to add bowls for our guests.”

Pen nudged Lewis. “We should go,” she whispered.

“I’ve hardly got here,” he muttered back.

“Do you mean to take food from their mouths?” she replied with a note of dismay.

Lewis had not considered this. He was ashamed that he had given it no thought at all. He was just so happy to be with Jillian again. And the interactions of the family drew him like a magnet. He was loath to leave, but it was the right thing to do.

“Thank you, Mrs. Kinsey,” he said, “but we have made arrangements to dine at the inn. Besides, I probably shouldn’t really see my bride before the wedding.

I did very much want to meet you all, but I suppose the rest must wait until tomorrow.

We will see you at church and after, when we sample your delicious cake.

” He paused and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“I would like to contribute toward the celebrations, but Jillian has assured me in her correspondence that the ladies of the neighborhood have everything in hand. I confess this degree of unhelpfulness makes me very uncomfortable. Is there nothing at all I can do?”

“Look yer best for the ceremony,” said Mrs. Kinsey, “and be good to our Jilly, and you’ve got it all covered, I’d say.”

“A crate of drink wouldn’t go amiss with the village lads,” added Mr. Kinsey, patting Lewis on the shoulder with his broad hand.

“An excellent thought, sir,” Lewis answered gratefully.

He didn’t doubt for a minute that ample drink had been arranged.

Mr. Kinsey was taking pity on him, as one provider to another.

The task, small as it was, gave Lewis a satisfying sense of purpose.

He felt better about leaving now when he knew he would not be returning empty-handed.

“Enjoy your dinner, everyone,” he said. “Make sure Jilly isn’t late for church.” He drew her hand to his lips. “Until tomorrow, my love.”

Jilly did not release his hand at once, even though he had begun to draw his fingers back.

The parting was necessary, but bitter so soon after their reunion.

In the morning, they would be wed. He had to remind himself of this when his hand slipped free and Jilly’s went to her heart—a goodbye like that of two lovers who were to suffer a severance of great distance and time, not one night and only a few miles.

The boys and their father had already seated themselves at the table, eager for their simple repast. Mrs. Kinsey stood with saucepan and ladle in hand, waiting to dish up.

“Jilly, love, come on. We’re waiting for those bowls,” she said. “Mr. Kinsey, you cut the bread in the meantime, please.” She threw a quick glance at their guests. “You have a safe walk back to the village, Mr. Bradford, Miss Bradford. Enjoy your dinner.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Penelope replied, stepping out into the soft light of the fading day. “Lewis, we need to go. We have but an hour before the sun begins to set.”

Lewis withdrew from the house with great reluctance.

The walk back, though equally beautiful, lacked the novelty of its first discovery and the anticipation of its outcome.

At the inn, they ate a meal of more substance than that shared by the Kinseys, though Lewis couldn’t but think their togetherness would have made it more enjoyable.

First thing tomorrow, he would take Penelope to obtain a dress in the village for her to wear to the wedding, as the one she had used today was marred by dust and sweat from their outing. It was a nuisance, but—he had to admit—worth the joy of having her with him for his special day.

Come the night, he found he wasn’t tired at all, the afternoon rest having been sufficient, and the prospect of making Jillian his wife thrilling him into a state of eager restlessness.

He crept quietly down the passage and knocked on his sister’s door.

“Pen, are you asleep?”

“No, I’m too excited.”

“Me too. Are you presentable? May I come in?”

“I’ll just throw a blanket over my shoulders. Give me a second.”

Her bare feet pattered across the floor, and she drew the bolt that protected her from strangers.

Lewis stepped inside and pulled up a chair next to the bed so that Penelope could get back under her warm covers while they talked.

“Are you nervous?” she asked when she had settled with her back against the headboard.

Lewis leaned forward. “Not at all. I thought I would be. But it just feels right, you know? Like slipping your hand into a perfectly fitting glove.” He splayed his fingers away from him, as if he could see the glove resting upon his skin.

Penelope hugged a pillow happily. “I like her very much,” she declared. “She is good for you. May tomorrow be the beginning of a smooth-flowing future.”

Lewis nodded. “I will make sure of it.”

“As far as you are able , dear brother,” Pen corrected him. “There is a reason why the wedding vows cover sickness and poverty, to name but two of the troubles that life may throw at the best of couples. You cannot control every situation. But you may weather it together.”

Lewis cocked his head to the side. “Why do I think that neither of these troubles is what truly concerns you?”

“Indeed, you understand me well enough.” His sister placed her hand upon her heart.

“I, for one, pledge my support to you both. Sadly, there are many who will not. You will soon know who your truest friends are. Your world will shrink awhile. It is unavoidable. But you will thrive. As long as you remember what it is you love about each other and celebrate it every day.”

“Wise words, Pen. But too soon. I would prefer, at least for the next few days, to live in a state of oblivion. This is not na?veté or willful blindness, but a decision. There will be plenty of time for the rudeness of others. And I know it will come. You may think me a fool, but Jillian is worth every minute of it. Such antagonists will be like dung on my shoe, to be scraped off and discarded, forgotten about. But Jilly is my north star, a constant bright presence. And I am the luckiest of men.”

“Ah,” sighed Penelope, “if I could find someone who loved me as you do Miss Kinsey, I, too, might tie the knot.”

“I am glad you will not settle for less.”

“What a pair we are: two hopeless romantics.”

There was silence for a while as they pondered this.

“I am glad you are here, Pen.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Another pause.

“Mother is going to have our guts for garters when we get home.”

They stared wide-eyed at each other. Then a contagious smile from Penelope caused one to form on the face of Lewis. Soon, they were chuckling together like two naughty children.

“Poor Mother,” said Pen, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “She really hasn’t had much luck with her offspring.”

The smile dropped from Lewis’s face. “She brought much of it upon herself.”

“Be that as it may,” replied Pen sagely, “we, at least, have had satisfaction—I, in my freedom from marriage and you in your attainment of it. Our parents have not been as fortunate with their goals. Now that you are claiming your bride, perhaps a little kindness toward them and the dreams they have lost might be in order. Whatever bitterness there has been in the past, this would be a good time to pave the way toward a better connection between you. Let them see the positive effect Jillian has on you.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Maybe a little less talk of rejecting all of society and running barefoot across the estate. Instead, bring some of the Kinsey warmth into our family. Goodness knows we could use it.”

“I won’t have Jilly stick her neck out, only to have her efforts slapped away,” said Lewis fiercely.

“Just don’t hide her away. Her natural goodness will shine if you would let our parents see it.”

Lewis hesitated.

“I suppose,” he admitted grudgingly.

“You know I’m right.”

“Hmph, you certainly like to think you are.”

“Have I ever led you astray?”

“Yes! I have lost count of all your wayward escapades.”

“But they’ve always left you smiling.”

“Ye-es. That is true.”

“Then take the advice from your loyal footman.” Penelope grinned.

“You’re silly.” Lewis smiled. “I’m going to bed before some form of giddy inspiration hits you.” He stood and leaned over to kiss her on her forehead.

Penelope gazed at him earnestly. “I promised to behave myself in Ermenbrough, and I shall. But you must think on my words, Lewis.”

“I will. Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow is a busy day of shopping, marrying, and celebrating. And you have tired me out. I think I shall rest easily now.”

“Happy to be of service,” Penelope answered.

“Come and bolt the door.”

“I shall once you are gone.”

“Good night, Pen.”

“Good night, Lew.”

Lewis waited in the corridor until he heard the bolt slide into place. Then he padded back to his own room. Changing into his nightshirt took a little longer without his valet. But it was only a bother for one night. Tomorrow, his bride would help him undress.

He ran his fingers down his torso, imagining they were Jillian’s. Her hands slipping his shirt from his shoulders. Her body pressed against his, skin to skin.

A rush of current surged within.

Lewis strode quickly to the basin on the stand beside his bed and splashed his face with cold water.

He must set aside these thoughts, else he would never sleep.

Tomorrow night, though… Ah, yes, he would be well tired then.

They would fall asleep in each other’s arms, her hair spread like strands of gold upon the pillow, her scent upon his body. Just one more night…

The sheets were cold and rough. Lewis tucked his feet into the fold of the blanket to warm them. As he drifted off, he smiled dreamily. Tomorrow night, he would not be cold at all.