Free Martha Schroeder by Lady Megs Gamble Page A

luck! If he let Meg announce their engagement without having told her of his irregular birth, she would have sealed her fate without full knowledge of the facts.
    “But, Meg—I mean, Lady Margaret,” he began haltingly. “I don’t think that would be at all a wise thing to do.”
    Meg stared at him for a moment, color flooding into her face. “I—I—Of course, Captain, I didn’t mean to force—I only thought—” She cursed herself for once again blundering in where angels wouldn’t tread and turned blindly toward the door, which Annis had tactfully closed behind her moments before.
    “No, no! You misunderstand! It is not that I do not wish to marry you.” James’s heart seemed to stutter in his chest before it began to beat more strongly than ever. He turned and gathered her into his arms, where she fit as if made for him. Her golden brown curls tickled his chin.
    “Oh, no, Meg. I do, I do wish it. Most sincerely. I only thought you might need time to reflect. It is such an enormous step, and the advantages are all on my side.” He bent his head and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
    At that moment James wanted nothing so much as to marry this warm, honest, glowing woman as soon as he could. To have the right to call all that loyalty and love his own was so much more than he had ever imagined he might have.
    Meg took a deep breath. She was moved and charmed by James’s tender kiss and his strong, warm arms holding her in a loose embrace.
    “That’s all right, then,” she said at last with a sigh. “For a minute, I was afraid that there was something that would keep us from marrying. What do they call it in church? An impediment? Or that, upon reflection, you didn’t wish to marry me.”
    “There is nothing I want so much as to marry you, Meg.” Guilt washed over him, but he did not bring up the one great impediment that he knew of and she did not.
    “Good.” She pulled away far enough to look up at him, her smile bathing him in warmth. “That’s settled, then. We’ll announce it as a surprise at the Headleys’ dance, and watch Mrs. Headley swallow her tongue.”
    She laughed and took his arm, and James knew he would say nothing to break this enchanted mood. He would be silent and trust to the sailor’s luck that had kept him safe through all the storms at sea and, God willing, would keep him and his promised bride safe through all the storms to come on land.
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Saturday evening was unexpectedly chilly. Meg and Annis wore only light shawls over their dresses, and they shivered a little as they entered the aging coach that was Hedgemere’s only suitable vehicle. Both had dressed in their best. Meg wore a simple green silk that fell in graceful folds to reveal the tips of her green kid slippers. The gown was unadorned, lacking even a ruffle, except for a pale yellow sash at the high waistline. Annis’s dress was cream-colored muslin, with a neckline even more discreet than her employer’s. Her gown was cut using less material so that the skirt was straight, falling less gracefully than Meg’s.
    Annis had designed both dresses and had made sure that there were enough differences so that a discerning eye—that of Mrs. Headley, for example—would see that Annis was not setting herself up as her employer’s social equal. What Mrs. Headley could not know was the argument that had occurred before Meg had given in to Annis’s insistence that the difference in their status be marked, for her own peace of mind.
    Meg had acquiesced but had insisted in her turn that Annis wear a pink-and-cream shawl that she had purchased for that very purpose. It was hard to get the best of Lady Margaret Enfield, Meg thought smugly as they rolled down the road toward the Headleys’ large stone house. It was set in a formal park-like lawn, with rhododendrons lining the drive. Every window gleamed with candles.
    The idea of a party was always exciting—even though one knew everyone who