Page 23 of Marie’s Merry Gentleman (The Bookshop Belles #2)

CHAPTER 22

Reunion

I t had only been a little over a week since Bernadette had mailed the letter, and as Marie walked home from church arm-in-arm with her youngest sister, she found herself wondering if Renwick had received it yet, and if so, what his reaction might be when he read it. She felt a little sick at the thought, pressing her hands to her stomach.

“Are you hungry?” Bernadette asked. “I know I am; that sermon seemed to go on forever. Reverend Millings is getting more boring by the week!”

“Keep your voice down,” Mrs Poole, walking just behind them, warned.

Bernadette sighed a little impatiently and tossed her head. “I’m only saying what everyone’s thinking, Mrs Poole! Even Cousin Joshua looked thoroughly bored by the end of it.”

Marie was not listening, staring in disbelief at the coach just then coming into Hatfield from the north and rolling right past the Red Lion towards them. It looked so terribly familiar… but it couldn’t possibly be. How could he even have received her letter so soon, never mind then travelled back to Hatfield all the way from Alston?

The coach stopped right in front of the bookshop. Her incredulous eyes traced over the crest on the door. Somehow, it was Renwick, he was really here. In fact, he was stepping out of the coach, a broad smile coming to his face as he saw her standing, staring at him.

Marie didn’t think. She just ran to him as though it was the only possible reaction she might have in that moment, and he opened his arms wide to receive her.

“Renwick!” she cried, almost falling into his welcoming embrace.

“Dearest, darling Marie,” he said, and kissed her, right there in the street in front of her sisters and Mrs Poole and Mr Jackson and very nearly half of Hatfield, walking home from church as they all were.

“Lord have mercy!” Mrs Poole almost shrieked it. “Inside, both of you; what a disgrace! On a Sunday!”

“You don’t even like travelling on a Sunday,” Marie said nonsensically as Sebastian laughed and let her go, his warm hand reaching for hers and wrapping around it.

“And lose another day in getting back to you? Certainly not,” he replied.

“But how did you get my letter so fast?” She could not fathom it, unless the mail had somehow begun using winged horses.

“What letter?” he frowned, looking down at her. They were inside the bookshop now, standing by the counter, Louise going about busily lighting lamps so it was not too dark to see.

“I wrote you a letter…”

“Did you?” He reached up to gently tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “I’m sure it will get to Alston at some point and I shall be delighted to read it, but I was barely home long enough to read the mail that had arrived in my absence before I realised I had left something critically important here in Hatfield, and I had to turn around to come back and retrieve it.”

“Something important?” Bemused, she blinked up at him. “A… book?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “No, my dearest, though I have no doubt with more time I’ll find plenty of those here that I want too. No… I cannot live without what I left here, but it took getting home without it to realise. Can you not guess?”

She couldn’t, and she stared up at him, blinking slowly.

“ ‘Tis my heart, Marie Baxter.”

She thought she heard Bernadette give a little shriek behind her, but she couldn’t look away from Sebastian’s dark, dark eyes.

“I,” she started, but then she couldn’t think of what to say. “I… I thought you were going to marry Miss Stamford!”

That wasn’t what she’d meant to say at all, but somehow they were the words that had come out.

Sebastian looked as puzzled as she’d felt a moment before, and it was quite obvious that he was struggling to even think of whom she might be referring to. “Miss… Stamford?” he said slowly. “Oh!” The light dawned. “Her! Goodness me, no. She might have attempted to catch my eye, and certainly her parents were keen to promote the match, but they were always doomed to failure. I could see no-one but you, my dearest.”

It did not seem possible. “Am I in a dream?” Marie whispered. “This is too much, I can’t…”

“It’s not a dream, beloved.” His thumb brushed tenderly along her jaw, and then he stooped to kiss her again, much more slowly and thoroughly this time.

The troubles of the world disappeared in that kiss. A kiss filled with longing, passion and love for just the two of them.

“This is the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen,” Marie heard Louise say somewhere distantly behind her, but Marie could think of nothing but Sebastian, the heat of his mouth on hers, the tender way his hand caressed her cheek. Her knees sagged a little, and his other arm swooped around her waist to hold her securely close against him.

“I love you, Marie. Come away with me, and be my bride,” Sebastian whispered, peppering gentle kisses across her face.

She might very well faint, and she never fainted!

She wanted nothing more than to say yes, but as he lifted his head and looked down at her, she saw the bell behind his head, recognised the familiar setting of the bookshop.

“Oh, but…” she began to say.

Louise shrieked from behind her, “ARE YOU MAD?”

“What…?” Marie turned to look at her sisters.

“Don’t even think about saying you have responsibilities here! You’re going to be a countess, you lunatic, say yes at once!”

Bernadette was nodding vigorously. “We’ll hire more help if we need it, Marie!”

“And we have Shaun to help with the accounts,” Louise said. “So there is absolutely no reason at all to refuse this lovely, lovely earl .”

Sebastian grinned at Marie’s sisters and then said to Marie, “It’s still completely your choice, but your sisters do make excellent points in my favour. Plus, I love you with all my heart. Also, not that it matters, but Mrs Ellwood may not allow me to go back to Alston if I don’t bring you with me.”

Marie had no tears, only happiness. “You love me?”

“Completely. Besottedly,” Sebastian confirmed.

Despite their audience, Marie leaned in for another kiss. It filled her with sunshine and light. When she eventually pulled away, she looked into his beautiful face and said, “I love you with all my heart, too. I would be so happy to be your bride.”

Behind them, Louise and Bernadette cheered.

The door to the bookshop opened and the bell above tinkled someone’s arrival. It was Sunday, so they wouldn’t have any customers.

“Oh, no,” Louise sighed, then said with a very loud voice. “It’s Cousin Joshua, come to ruin a lovely moment.”

Marie groaned aloud. Sebastian raised an eyebrow and turned, unruffled, to find Cousin Joshua glaring at him, puce with fury.

“Unhand my cousin!” he barked at Renwick.

Renwick quickly looked him up and down and said in his most languid, aristocratic drawl, “I don’t believe we have been introduced.”

Joshua puffed himself up and stared at Marie to make introductions.

Louise said, “He’s been like this for months .”

Stepping out of Renwick’s embrace, but still holding his left hand, Marie made introductions, emphasising Sebastian’s title a little more than strictly required.

The men warily shook hands.

Joshua seemed to miss the significance of his title, or perhaps disregarded it, and turned on Marie with righteous fury. “Young lady, you’ve disgraced yourself and the Baxter name with your behaviour, out in the street, where all of Hatfield could see. On a Sunday no less!”

Renwick spoke up, his voice calm and steady. “My good man, there is no disgrace, we are to wed. By all means call the banns and we shall marry in Hatfield in three weeks.”

“You forget yourself,” Joshua said to Marie, a nasty smirk coming to his face. “As your legal guardian, I do not give my permission. There will be no wedding.”

Bernadette spoke up, which was unusual for her. “For goodness sake, cousin. He’s an earl! Stop being so petty.”

“I don’t care if he is an earl, I do not give permission and that is the end of it.” Joshua was only too obviously enjoying himself as he spoiled the moment. He’d tried with Estelle when he’d at first refused to walk her down the aisle, but had endured that rather than surrender the job to Baron Ferndale.

Marie looked to Sebastian, feeling her happiness slipping away. “My father is not yet returned from France. When he does, he will grant permission immediately, of that I’m sure.”

“Your father could very well be dead,” Joshua interfered meanly.

Sebastian tilted his head in thought. “Mr Baxter, you are a singularly unpleasant man…”

“I am the head of the Baxter family, and the magistrate of Hatfield. You do not have my permission to marry my cousin!”

Marie’s stomach plummeted. She turned to Louise and Bernadette, whose faces were like thunder. Louise said, “We keep hoping he’ll calm down.”

“You poor things,” Marie commiserated.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Louise said. Then she raised her voice so that Joshua could clearly hear her, “Now, where did I put that crowbar?”

Joshua took a half step back, but Marie could see he did not plan to relent. Misery filled her. How long would she have to wait? It could be months yet before Papa returned from France!

Sebastian drew himself up to full height and looked down upon Joshua, before saying in a cold voice, “What a petty example you set for the good people of this town. I’d direct you to stick your head in a bucket, but then I’d feel sorry for the bucket.” Then he turned to Marie, his expression filled with love. “There is another way. We could travel via Gretna Green and elope on our way home to Alston Castle. It is just over the border, only about fifteen miles from home.”

Love warmed her heart. Marie could have floated with happiness. He’d taken a suddenly awful situation and found a happy and terribly convenient solution. “I will gladly elope with you any day! We can leave as soon as you like.”

He gently cupped her face and delivered a kiss in full view of her apoplectic cousin and cheering sisters. “My carriage awaits, my dearest.”

The journey to Gretna Green was long, but they didn’t mind. They changed horses frequently and even travelled on the next Sunday, because reaching their destination as soon as possible was vitally important. They arrived at Gretna tired and a little travel sore, but elated they could wed. Marie wore the rust-coloured dress with the fur lined cloak, the one Sebastian admired so much on her, and Sebastian found the blacksmith at his forge and handed over a jingling purse of coin for the man to pronounce their vows over his anvil.

From there, it was a blissful afternoon covering the last leg of the journey back south over the border to Carlisle and finally the steep incline home to Alston.

“My wish came true,” Marie said suddenly, as the ruined archway appeared in the distance.

“I beg your pardon?” Sebastian turned to her, his brow furrowing.

“When I lit the candle from the Yule log.” She nestled closer against him. “I wished to come back to Alston Castle someday.”

“Did you indeed!” He laughed.

“But not as its mistress. I did not dare to dream.”

“I loved you even then.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, and leaned in for a kiss. “I should never for a moment have let you wonder as to my affections, and I promise, I never will again.”

As they neared the main castle door, Marie saw the staff hurry out the front to greet them.

“Sit back for a moment, my lovely bride, this will be fun,” Sebastian said, a grin coming to his face.

When the carriage came to a stop, Sebastian stepped out of the carriage and left Marie inside.

Peeking through a gap in the drapes, she saw Mrs Ellwood’s hopeful face and Mr Martin, along with what appeared to be everyone else from the estate. There was Morag, holding the hand of her strapping farmer, Mr Andrew Charles.

“It’s lovely to see you all,” Sebastian said. “But please don’t stay out, it’s far too cold!”

Mrs Ellwood stepped forward and said, “Have you returned with Miss Baxter?”

Marie muffled her giggles behind her hand but remained seated.

“Mrs Ellwood, I am afraid I must inform you that Miss Baxter is not with me.”

“What?” The housekeeper exploded, her face turning red. “I told you not to come back without her!”

Rewick laughed cheerfully and said, “But, Mrs Ellwood, I have instead returned with the Countess of Renwick.” He opened the carriage door fully and extended his hand.

Marie took it and stepped out of the carriage into the wintery light. The staff burst into applause, cheering and laughing at Renwick’s teasing joke.

Mrs Ellwood rushed forward and wrapped Marie in a motherly embrace. “Welcome home, My Lady! Oh, I am so glad he came to his senses and went to fetch you… this is where you belong, and no mistake!”

As soon as the grooms finished cheering, they took the horses and carriage into the stables.

The staff formed a guard of honour to welcome them home, with another round of applause.

They reached the steps and Sebastian held them back a moment. “Just to be on the safe side,” he said.

Marie almost fainted when he picked her up and carried her safely up the steps and across the threshold into the castle to begin their new life together, as the Earl and Countess of Renwick.

We hope you’ve had a wonderful time enjoying Marie’s romance with Sebastian. Turn the page to read chapter 1 of book 3 in The Bookshop Belles , Louise’s Christmas Champion.