The Bad Luck Bride (The Brides of St. Ives #1)(9)
“Very odd.” Alice looked in the mirror to make certain the flush she felt wasn’t showing on her cheeks. It had always been that way, ever since she was fifteen years old and Henderson had come to stay for the summer. Her infatuation with him was a secret she held close to her heart; no one knew, especially not the man himself.
“It does make one wonder if he really did come to stop the wedding.”
Alice laughed, unable to stop herself. “Mama, he’s just got off the boat this morning. He must have heard about the wedding somehow and thought he’d peek in to see everyone. And on what grounds would he have done such a thing? Lord Northrup is a fine man with a good reputation. It wasn’t like the last time, with Mr. Russell. I could believe someone trying to stop that wedding.”
“I am sure you are correct,” Elda said, dropping the curtain and walking back to where Alice sat. “Besides, as much as I adore Henderson, he’s probably the last man I’d want for you.”
“Mama, what a snob you are!”
A small sigh escaped her mother’s lips. “His birth has nothing do with my feelings toward Henderson, you know that. It’s that he’s known as a bit of a rake, my dear. I can’t imagine he’s changed all that much in four years.”
Pressing her lips together to stop from smiling, Alice nodded. “I’d heard.”
“You had?”
“I may not read the Tattler, but my friends do. Before Henderson left he was tied to no fewer than three actresses and an opera singer. And he was only twenty-one. It used to vex Joseph terribly when my friends and I quoted from the gossip columns.”
Elda’s expression grew wistful. “It did. Joseph was fiercely loyal to everyone he loved. Why, I remember he got into a terrible row with Julian Giles when he said something unflattering about you. Your father had to go and apologize to old Mr. Giles for the violence done to his son.”
A smile bloomed on Alice’s face. “He did? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“We didn’t want you to be upset about what Julian said or what Joseph did.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Your father was secretly proud.”
Alice laughed. “What on earth did Julian say?”
“He said you were the homeliest girl in St. Ives.”
Alice was truly shocked, for she’d always liked Julian and the two of them had been friends when they were children. “He did? How old was I? Perhaps I was the homeliest.”
Shaking her head, Elda said, “No. You were never the homeliest. I think he said that terrible thing because he didn’t want the other boys to know how much he liked you.”
“That makes more sense,” Alice said, laughing. It wasn’t that she was vain, but she did have a certain appreciation of the fact that she wasn’t ugly. She let out a sigh. “It’s nice to talk about Joseph. Sometimes I feel as if he never existed, as if we want to forget him.”
Her mother’s eyes instantly misted. “It’s just so painful. Your father, he cannot bear to think about it. You have no idea how devastated he was, and still is.”
“We all are,” Alice said, gazing at her hands. “It’s just that talking about Joseph makes him less gone. Do you know what I mean? And seeing Henderson…”
“I know,” her mother said, reaching over and placing one hand on Alice’s knee. “It seems like it was just yesterday. Maybe because Henderson left right after the funeral.”
“I still get angry with Joseph, you know. I picture him with his mates, climbing that stupid roof, taking that insane chance. What was he thinking?”
“He was no doubt thinking what all young men think, that they will never die.”
Alice’s eyes filled with tears. “I hope he wasn’t frightened.” It was something she’d thought about for years, a thought that tortured her, and it felt oddly comforting to say it aloud.
Her mother smiled sadly. “I have a feeling that even in mid-air, our Joseph was thinking how grand it was to fly and that he’d likely bounce off the ground like a rubber ball.”
Alice laughed at the image. Her mother was right, that was exactly what Joseph would have been thinking.
Elda stood, looking uncertain, as if she were wondering if her daughter was truly as unheartbroken as she appeared to be. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“No, Mama. And lest you think I’m heartbroken, I am not. I am sad, yes. And embarrassed and mortified and angry. More than anything, I want to go home and never set foot in London again.”
Elda laughed, bringing her daughter back in for another embrace. “At least until next season.”
Alice pulled away. “No, Mama. Never again. I’m not going to allow anyone to court me and I’m never, ever going to wear a bridal gown again.”
“Oh, Alice, don’t say such things. This too shall pass.”
Alice hugged her arms around herself and fingered the embroidery on the sleeve of her wrap. This would not pass. This would be the defining moment of her life, the day Alice Hubbard vowed never to marry.
*
Henderson stepped down from his hack onto Albermarle Street and looked up at the fa?ade of Brown’s Hotel, his home for at least the next week. It felt strange to be back in London after the grit and poverty of India. Strange and good. He hadn’t known how much he’d missed the city until now. His mad dash from the ship hadn’t afforded him much of a chance to look about, and now that he had the opportunity, he realized how dear the old place was. Every corner, every street, held a memory. It was home. The accents, the smell of roses, the sound of horses on the cobblestoned streets.