A Wallflower Christmas (Wallflowers #5)(12)

“No one will enter an engagement with me?” Natalie smiled wryly. “Last season I received four proposals of marriage, and had I cared to encourage any more, I could have gotten another half dozen. Believe me, Hannah, I know how to manage men. Bring my hairbrush, please.”

Obeying, Hannah had to acknowledge that there was good reason for Natalie to be so self-assured. She was, or would be, the ideal bride for any man. She gave the silver-backed brush to Natalie and watched her draw it through a flurry of rich blond curls. “Natalie, why didn’t you accept any of those offers last season?”

“I’m waiting for someone special,” came the thoughtful reply. “I should hate to settle for anyone ordinary.” Natalie smiled as she added flippantly, “When I kiss a man, I want to hear the angels sing.”

“What about Lord Travers?” Of all the gentlemen who had shown an interest in Natalie, the one Hannah had the highest regard for was Edward, Lord Travers. He was a sober, quiet gentleman, careful in appearance and bearing. Although his countenance did not lend itself to outright handsomeness, his features were strong and regular. He did not seem dazzled by Natalie, and yet he paid a close and respectful attention to her whenever she was present. And he was rich and titled, which, along with his other qualities, made him an excellent catch.

The mention of Travers drew a frown from Natalie. “He is the only man of my acquaintance who will not make an advance to me, even when handed a perfectly good opportunity. I chalk it up to his age.”

Hannah couldn’t help laughing. “His age?”

“He is on the wrong side of thirty, after all.”

“He is mature,” Hannah allowed. “But he is also confident, intelligent, and from all appearances, in full vigor.”

“Then why hasn’t he kissed me?”

“Because he respects you?” Hannah suggested.

“I would rather be regarded with passion than respect.”

“Well, then,” Hannah said wryly, “I would say that Mr. Bowman is your man.”

The mention of Bowman restored Natalie’s good spirits. “Possibly so. Now, Hannah, tell Mama and Papa that Mr. Bowman was exquisitely well behaved. No, they won’t believe that, he’s American. Tell them he was quite presentable. And not one mention of the kiss under the stairs.”

CHAPTER 5

HAMPSHIRE STONY CROSS PARK

Hannah had never expected to have the opportunity to see Stony Cross Park. Invitations to Lord West-cliff’s famed country estate were not easy to obtain. Located in the southern county of Hampshire, Stony Cross Park was reputed to have some of the finest acreage in England. The variety of flowering fields, fertile wet meadows, bogs and ancient forests made it a beautiful and sought-after place to visit. Generations of the same families had been invited to the same annual events and parties. To be excluded from the guest list would have resulted in the most inconsolable outrage.

“And just think,” Natalie had mused on the long carriage ride from London. “If I marry Lord Westcliff’s brother-in-law, I will be able to visit Stony Cross Park any time I wish!”

“All for the price of having Mr. Bowman as your husband,” Hannah said dryly. Although she had not told Lord and Lady Blandford about the stolen kiss, she had made it clear that she did not believe Bowman would be a suitable partner for Natalie. The Blandfords, however, had counseled her to reserve judgment until they all became better acquainted with him.

Lady Blandford, as blond and lovely and ebullient as her daughter, caught her breath as Stony Cross Manor loomed in the distance. The house was European in design, built of honey-colored stone with four graceful towers so tall they seemed about to pierce holes in the early evening sky, which was washed with an orange and lavender sunset.

Set on a bluff by the Itchen River, Stony Cross Manor was fantastically landscaped with gardens and orchards, riding courses, and magnificent walking paths that led through massive tracts of forest and parkland. Owing to Hampshire’s felicitous southern location, the climate was milder than the rest of England.

“Oh, Natalie,” Lady Blandford exclaimed, “to think of being affiliated with such a family! And as a Bowman, you could have your own country manor, and a London house, and a villa on the Continent, not to mention your own carriage and team of four, and the most beautiful gowns and jewels …”

“Heavens, are the Bowmans that rich?” Natalie asked with a touch of surprise. “And will Mr. Bowman inherit the majority of the family business?”

“A handsome portion of it, to be sure,” Lord Blandford replied, smiling at his daughter’s bright-eyed interest. “He has his own wealth, and the promise of much more to come. Mr.Bowman the elder has indicated that upon your betrothal to his son, there will be rich rewards for both of you.”

“I should think so,” Natalie said pragmatically, “since it would be a comedown for me to marry a commoner when I could just as easily have a peer.” There was no disparagement or arrogance intended in her statement. It was a fact that some doors would be open to a peer’s wife that would never be open to the wife of an American manufacturer.

As the carriage stopped before the manor entrance, Hannah noticed that the estate was laid out in the French manner, with the stables located at the front of the house instead of being concealed to the side or behind it. The stables were housed in a building with huge arched doorways, forming one side of a stone-flagged entrance courtyard.