A Rose for Laura by Callie Hutton

23

Laura fingered her skirt, telling her heart to slow down. She could get through this. Of course, Diana and Hunt made it so she had no choice. Although she doubted if they would actually prevent her from leaving if she tried.

What she really wanted was to either hear the truth from Keniel or use this as a final goodbye.

Someone had to break the ice. She stared at Keniel, her heart already aching. "I assume you were tricked into this, too?"

He nodded and gestured toward a chair. "Can I ask you to sit down?" When she hesitated, he smiled and said, "Or should I barricade the door, so you don't leave?"

"Do you want me to leave?" She held her breath as he studied her.

"No."

She took a seat on a comfortable chair across from an identical one. She avoided the settee on purpose, afraid if he sat next to her, she would lose all dignity and throw herself into his arms.

No sooner had his bottom hit the chair than he was up again, rubbing his palm over his hair. "Laura."

She waited a full minute. "Yes? Did you want to say something to me?"

His laugh was more a sneer. "There is so much I want to say to you, but none of it is appropriate and none of it will change the facts."

Her eyebrows rose. "And those facts are?"

He squatted down alongside her and pulled up the cuff of his shirt. He placed his hand next to her hand as it rested on the armchair. "This. This is a fact."

"That we both possess hands? Very well, I accept that."

He shook his head. "Do you not see a difference?"

"Indeed, I do. Your hand is much larger than mine."

Keniel climbed to his feet and walked to the window, his hands clenched behind his back. After about a minute, he said, "I think I've grown so accustomed to the bleary London weather that I am actually missing the constant sunshine."

Laura's heart lurched. Was he thinking of returning to Jamaica? "Enough to leave London?"

He shrugged, scaring her further.

She stood and walked to the window, standing next to him. "You have a life here. Your brothers love you, and they would be heartbroken if you left."

"And you? Would you be heartbroken if I left?" Before she could answer, he turned back to the window. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked that."

She slid her hand into his, their fingers linked. It was perhaps time to take a stand. "Yes. I would be heartbroken if you left London and returned to Jamaica."

He continued his perusal of the garden. "Things were simpler there."

"Things don't have to be complicated here."

He chuckled. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

He took her other hand in his and turned, facing her. "Laura, you want the truth, do you not?"

"Yes. That's what I've been asking for. Nothing you've said has made any sense. I know you care for me; I know we enjoy each other's company. But for some reason, you're pushing me away."

He hesitated, as if working up the nerve to continue. "I love you. I want to marry you. I want to give you children. Many children so they won't be lonely as I was with no siblings." He shook his head. "But that's not possible."

Her heart soared. He did care for her the way she cared for him! But the stubborn man would not acknowledge that they could have a future together. She wasn't stupid, she knew why he put their hands together to see the difference in their skin color, but she refused to give up on her own happiness because of some restriction he needed to place on them. "Why not?"

"You would lose your place in Society. Any children we had would be looked down upon. There would be no place for them." He raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. "But the worst part is you would deprive yourself of an acceptable marriage."

All right. Now he had her blood boiling. "Who would find a marriage between us unacceptable?"

"Everyone who is now part of your life."

"My father?"

He shook his head. "Probably not from what I've seen and heard."

She tapped her chin. "Your brothers?"

"Noooo."

"Your sisters-in-law?"

He began to smile. "No."

"Ah. I know. The orphans. They would definitely shun us."

Now he was laughing. "No. And before you mention the babies' caretakers, my household staff, and the other employees of the club, the answer is no, no, and most likely no."

She pulled her hands from his and threw them up in the air. "Then who is this mysterious group of people who will make us and any children we had miserable?"

"I shouldn't tell you because I believe they meant for me to keep it to myself."

She immediately grew suspicious. Her eyes narrowed. "Keep what to yourself?"

He took her by the hands and led her to the settee where they both sat. "You have wonderful friends who are concerned for you. For your future."

"Friends? Who are concerned for my future? Whatever are you talking about?"

"Three of your friends took the trouble to visit me to explain how damaging any permanent relationship between us would be for you."

When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up his hand. "They said no more than I already knew myself. Their words only reinforced what I had been wrestling with for weeks."

Always one to keep a small, tight circle of friends, Laura's closest friends were Christine and Margorie, who served on the committee for the orphans with her. She also had the women in her suffragette group she considered her friends. But among all those women, she couldn't think of any who would call on Keniel and speak about her behind her back.

She stood. Keniel stood. "Let me understand this. You are saying that my friends called upon you—I assume at your home—and told you it was imperative to my future for you to not continue any sort of relationship with me that would lead to permanency?"

He began to look somewhat uncomfortable. "They care about you."

Something very strange was going on. She took a deep breath to remain calm. "Who are these friends?"

Guilt was written all over his handsome face. "There were three of them. They presented their cards, and honestly I don't remember all of their names and correct titles."

"Try." She barely got the word out between gritted teeth.

He rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Is it really important?"

She was familiar with the ladies of the Upper Crust. Some of them had never accepted her because she had no noble blood. Her father was a businessman. She'd only been allowed in their circle because she came with a great deal of money and many gentlemen needed a wife with deep pockets. "Oh, yes, Mr. Singh. This is very important. Especially since they went out of their way to seek you out and make sure you did precisely what they'd set out to accomplish."

"I remember one name was a Mrs. Mallory, I believe."

Laura sucked in a breath. "Mrs. Judith Mallory?"

The look on her face must have been frightening, because he backed up a step. "Yes."

She tapped her foot. "Let me see if I can name the other two. Lady Hereford?"

"No."

"All right. She was most likely the mastermind. How about Lady Warwick? Tall, thin, pointed chin, mud-colored hair."

He grinned at her description. "Yes."

"Then most likely Miss Abigail Smythe was the third one."

"I believe so."

Laura dropped to the settee and covered her face with her hands. After attempting to calm herself, she looked up. "They are not my friends. They are three women, along with Lady Hereford, who are vicious, nasty, troublesome, and any other word that matches those that I can't think of right now."

He sat alongside her. "I'm sorry I allowed them into my home, and even more sorry I gave credence to their so-called concern. But, despite that, they did make good points."

She'd had enough of his stubbornness. "Keniel, do you think me dim-witted?"

"No, and I know what you are trying to say."

"Yes. What I'm trying to say is I don’t need anyone else to tell me what's good for me and what isn't good for me. If your attitude toward me has changed because of the spiteful three witches and your need to protect me from myself, then you are not the man I thought you were."

She stood, brushed off her skirts and headed to the door. "You might say you love me, but you don't trust my decisions. You can't have love without trust."

* * *

The dayafter the dinner at Hunt's house which saw only Keniel, Hunt and Diana at the table since Laura had taken her leave, Keniel strode up the steps to the Benson townhouse and dropped the knocker.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Singh. Mr. Benson awaits you in the library."

"Thank you." Already knowing his way around, Keniel hurried up the stairs to the first floor, down the corridor to the library. He knocked once and was bid enter.

"Ah. Mr. Singh. How very nice to see you." Mr. Benson stood and walked across the room to shake Keniel's hand. "What do you have there?"

Keniel moved past the man and dropped the ledger onto Mr. Benson's desk. "These are my financial records."

Laura's father grinned. "Why are you bringing those here?"

"May we sit?"

Mr. Benson nodded and they both took seats on comfortable armchairs in front of the fireplace. Keniel leaned back and rested his booted foot on his knee. "I wish to propose marriage to Laura." He shook his head. "Wait. Let me rephrase that. I am going to propose marriage to Laura. Since she is a grown woman of a certain age. I am not asking permission, but requesting your blessing. I love your daughter very much, and even though I can see some problems in the future with the difference in our heritages, I will protect her and do my best to make her happy."

The silence that followed disturbed him for a minute, but his resolve kept him planted in the chair, with no intention of leaving without putting a betrothal ring on Laura's finger.

"Well, then. That is quite a speech, young man. If you do not wish my permission, then why did you bring your financial records?"

"I respect you, sir, and I plan to be your son-in-law. I want you to be assured that I am able and prepared to take care of Laura. I will provide her with a home, sufficient staff to make her life easier, and enough money so she will never want for anything." He stopped for a moment. "Within reason."

Mr. Benson continued to study him, a slight smile on his face. "What of the rest of society? Are you also willing and able to put up with ignorant remarks?"

"As a very smart person once told me, sir, that is their problem, not ours."

He dipped his head. "I agree." Mr. Benson stood and walked to the desk and picked up the ledger and handed it to Keniel. "I do not find it necessary to go over your financial records. Once a gentleman begins to look a certain way at my daughter, I have him investigated." He grinned at Keniel. "I see you are surprised."

"Surprised, and now I plan to do the same with any daughters of ours if we are fortunate enough to have a few."

His host took his seat again. "I know all about you, Mr. Singh. I would have run you off long ago had the report come back any less than it was."

No wonder Laura was so smart. And it was no surprise that Mr. Benson had built a successful business. "May I speak with Laura?" He fidgeted with the ring in his waistcoat pocket.

"Yes. I will send for her directly and leave you alone. One thing I must add. Laura does come with a tidy dowry."

Keniel shrugged. "That is not of importance to me. She will be well taken care of regardless."

Mr. Benson nodded and left the room. Keniel stood and paced. Once Laura arrived, he had to make up for the stupid things he'd said the day before. How much groveling would she require?

More importantly, how soon could they have the wedding?