REMEMBRANCE (6 page)

“Then you shall be my slave for life, Thomas Bradley,” she laughed.

“As you wish, Mistress Austin,” he bowed with a smile.

All too soon, the music stopped and she reluctantly let herself be led off the floor in search of refreshments. She gratefully took the long-stemmed glass from his smooth fingers and started sipping at the bubbly liquid.

“You dance very well, Mr Bradley,” she complimented, “I believe that you may have had a good teacher?”

“Ah, my secret is out. Is it that obvious that I have been coached? I thought that I might have been able to convince you that it was one of my hidden talents, but alas, that is not to be.”

The enigmatic smile he gave sent her pulse racing and little butterflies dance in her stomach; for the second time in one evening, her legs were trembling. She found herself hypnotised by his blue eyes and felt ready to lose herself in their watery depths. As she observed him with renewed interest, she thought that she saw the flicker of an emotion just before his impossibly long lashes covered them as he blinked.

Maria sighed as, even in her dream, she seemed to be plagued with the same issue that pursued her in her waking life. She just couldn’t come to grips with the fact that she had supplicated such an alluring man. It was just her luck that this transcendent person would be married, leaving her utterly desolated.

“Are you married, Mr Bradley?” she blurted out.

He looked at her shocked, “Married?”

God, how embarrassing! Had she really asked such a hideous question? Trust her to know how to ruin a perfectly good fantasy with a few simple words. His laugh had her raising her eyes to his face. Certain that she had put her foot in it; she was relieved to realize that she was mistaken, for he seemed humoured by her remark.

“I see that you have not lost your sense of humour M! No, I am not married.”

“Oh!” she reined in her surprise, “Why not?”

God, there she goes again; she and her big mouth!

He smiled down at her, “I have all I need, including wealth and privileged position, and I am in no hurry to tie myself to matrimonial bonds. There is nothing anyone would have that would entice me to enter such an arrangement.”

“Oh!” was all she could say, for she felt more than a little disappointed by his abrupt response.

Thomas noted the deflation in her face, “Not that I won’t ever get married, of course; but I would only reconsider changing my mind if I find the right person…”

“You make marriage sound like an inconvenience.”

“Not at all. I do believe that marriage could work well if the two people truly love each other. Unfortunately, though, society today dictates that it should be undertaken to enhance one’s position or acquire more wealth.”

“And you believe that such arrangement is wrong?”

He threw her another of his devastating smiles that made her stomach flip over, “There is no wrong or right with societal decisions. It works very well for those in need of a higher title, or lacking wealth. But those of us that lack in neither find it overbearing, constricting.”

She stood in silence, fascinated by the way his face changed from one expression to another, as his emotions regarding the topic he discussed manifested themselves. She was so focused on the way his lips moved that she forgot to concentrate on what he was actually saying.

“Would you not agree?”

Maria snapped her eyes up to his, completely taken by surprise, “Agree?” she questioned dumbly.

He chuckled quietly, not wanting to draw attention of other guests to their conversation, “Have you heard a word I have said?”

She drew herself up to all her five foot, six inches, “Of course I have,” she said defensively, “You were discussing...what society dictates.”

“I was?” Thomas asked questioningly. This made her a little nervous and she tried to backtrack on their conversation in her mind. Having realized that she must have missed his last few sentences, confusion started forming on her face, when she caught his crooked smile. “You’re teasing me?” she finally said, as it dawned on her that she hadn’t missed anything at all. His smile broadened. “Thomas Bradley... you...If all the men in these parts are just like you, then I fear I shall never marry, for I am certain that it could only bring me heartache and distress,” she muttered defiantly.

Thomas started to laugh.

“Why are you laughing Mr Bradley?” she asked, confused by his reaction.

“I never thought that I would see the day that you, Miss Austin, would be put out by a little jest and I would dearly like to see your uncle’s face when you refuse every suitor’s offer—and I can assure you that there will be many.” He looked at her boldly, as if waiting for her to deny it. “Your uncle has spent a great amount of money on your education. In my view, he did so in an attempt to tame the wild child into something that society would regard as the perfect lady. Do you really think that he would sit back and watch you turn into an old spinster?”

“Spinster is such an ugly word! Where I come from, there is no age limit on when a woman should marry.”

He laughed again, “You are such a delight; so refreshing. It is a pleasure to listen to your views!” He leaned closer and she all but held her breath. She was sure that her heart would burst from her chest at any moment. “Still, I will give you a word of warning, M—society does not have the same opinions that you and I hold, so it would be best if this conversation stayed between you us. Why let on to your uncle that he has wasted six years and a lot of money grooming you, only to find that the wild child is still hidden under the more mature exterior?”

Maria gave him a quirky smile, which caused his heart to flip over; he had half-expected her to poke her tongue out at him, as she had done on many such occasion as a child. He was finding it very difficult to keep his feelings in check. It had been a long time since they had last seen each other and there was so much that he wanted to say and ask. Regretfully, he recalled the last time they had been together, and just how much between them had gone unsaid. He realized that, now that she was no longer a child, she had possibly outgrown their friendship. He, on the other hand, had not.

He was about to add something else, when, to his frustration, Mr Grainger happened upon them and swept Maria away to claim his dance.

As he watched her walk away, he was immediately engaged in conversation by an elderly lady, who happened to be an acquaintance of his mother’s. As she chatted about the state of the weather, he tried to position himself so that he could acquire a line of sight on the woman of his intentions, as she danced with the handsome Mr Grainger. He saw the way she smiled at the young man as he engaged her in conversation and felt the little flicker of jealousy edge its way into his chest.

“So Tom, the ugly duckling is transformed into a beautiful swan,” Dudley spoke, once he was back at his side.

“So it would seem.”

“Shall I save you from a fate worse than death, my dear friend?”

“What?” Thomas asked distractedly.

“I am your protector, after all, just in case she still holds her childish fantasies.”

Thomas swung round to his friend, “I need no protector.”

“No?” Dudley asked innocently.

“I have the situation completely under control.”

Dudley glanced to where Maria was dancing, “Not that I’m jealous at all—well, maybe I am a little. I will go as far as to admit that, if she were to look at me the way she looks at you, I would be just a mere puddle at her silken slippers.”

“That is nonsense, Dudley; she looks at me no differently to how she would look at you or anyone else.”

“You think?” his friend chuckled, “Then God help you when she really does.”

Thomas decided to ignore his friend’s remarks, and gave Maria his full attention, watching her every move. Several times throughout her dance with Mr Grainger, he had caught Maria’s eye. He scolded himself silently, for he was a grown man and he should have been able to conquer these feelings. He had never been beholden to a woman before and, sure as hell, he wasn’t going to start now. She was a beautiful woman; still, he had known many a lovely lady in the past and knew that their beauty was rarely reflected on the inside. Still, he wondered if it would be the same with Maria. He tried to convince himself that she was no different from the others and should be treated as such, until proven otherwise. He resolved that he should stop mooning over her like a lovesick calf. Just as he had convinced himself to keep a little distance, another young buck approached her for the next dance and he could all but refrain himself from going over there and snatching her away.

As Maria took another turn on the floor with Mr Alfred Grainger, she found him to be very charming, and he was keen to make conversation throughout the dance. He had an easygoing nature, which she found relaxing after spending the last few dances with several other young gentlemen that persisted on battering her with questions and trying to encourage her to take a stroll in the gardens.

“It is a great honour to be invited to Sir John’s ball,” he had said as they passed each other, “you are newly returned from Scotland, Miss Austin?”

“Yes, Mr Grainger you have been correctly informed,” she smiled, but she couldn’t quite keep the frown off her face.

“I must say, Miss Austin, that it is a very fine ball that your uncle gives and there were many that had wished to have been invited that were not.”

She smiled up at him, “I am sure that is a great shame, for there is nothing more tantalizing than a ball.”

“Yes, yes you are right. I am sure that, come tomorrow, the fortunate folk that are here this evening will have much to say.”

As she weaved between another couple that also took the floor, so that she could moved back within Mr Grainger’s range, she heard him say, “Well, may I be so bold as to note that there are a number of pretty walks around Whitmore and I would very much like to gain a better acquaintance with you?”

She looked at him, a little shocked that she had been wrong after all; he was just like the others. Where the men in this dream just like the ones in the real world, always thinking of ways to manipulate a lady in to giving them her favours? “Err… I am sure, Mr Grainger that you would have to ask my uncle’s permission.”

They continued with the dance and Maria found her eyes drawn to the man in the blue velvet coat. Of all the men in the room, she had an interest in only one, and he seemed to be avoiding her. She hoped that he hadn’t taken offence at her boldness earlier. With a disappointed sigh, she forced herself to smile at her dance partner as forgotten memories of this life invaded her mind, filling their images before her like the reel of film, until she no longer knew what was real and what was not.

The evening passed all too quickly, and soon, the great hall fell quieter as the guests started to take their leave.

“So my dear, how have you found your evening?” Maria’s uncle asked, as he approached her, accompanied by Thomas. She was finally alone, sipping the contents of her glass. It had been the only time during the entire evening that she had managed to grab a few minutes to herself without being approached by some gentleman or other, pestering her for a dance. She sighed with contentment and wriggled her toes in the silk slippers; she had never known her feet to ache so much. Now, just when she had started to relax from the onslaught of attention, she was facing Thomas once more. As he stood before her, the will to speak seemed to have evaded her for the second time this evening.

“So, have you, my dear?”

She drew her gaze away from Thomas to look at her uncle quizzically.

“Enjoyed your evening?” her uncle repeated, realizing that she was lost in her own thoughts.

“Oh, it has been magical Uncle, thank you,” she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Thomas watched her reaction to the question, noting the flush on her pale cheeks, the pinkness of her lips, the sparkle that could be found in her eyes. Could this really be the girl he had last seen when she was 14? Still, had he not seen her immature beauty way back then? She had turned out far more intoxicatingly handsome than he had ever imagined. He felt the pull at his chest; after all these years she still managed to make him feel this way. He had spent all evening trying to put some distance between them, and although he had succeeded in doing so, he had failed miserably where matters of the heart were concerned. So, throughout the entire evening, he’d had to suffer in silence as he’d watched her dance with every young man in the room.

Dudley had made slight comments every now and then, before disappearing completely. Thomas was sure that a rendezvous with a young woman was the cause of his absence and new that it would be well in to the day before Dudley sought his company again.

“What do you say Thomas?” Sir John broke into his thoughts.

“Sorry… what was that?” he said, slightly embarrassed that they were both looking at him.

“I was just saying that young Miss Austin has made quite an impression on a few of our young bachelors this evening.”

“Err… yes I believe she has,” he replied to her uncle, but the words were addressed to her directly.

She had certainly made an impression on him! Still, that was six years ago, when he was 18. That had been beneath the old oak tree by the Crystal Pool and he had never recovered since.