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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, End

As Marcus stood watching the scene unfold, he was even more shocked to hear Lucian return the confidence. His friend explained about his longstanding engagement with Penelope. The additional torture he went through when the relationship was broken off and the girl married to another mere months before his father’s death and the will that left him in a position to wed. He told of the responsibility thrown upon him with the loss of his father. He went into detail about the difficulty and emotional turmoil of having a depraved brother. Then he and Emily began sharing all their life’s struggles as if they had known each other for years.

Marcus sat in the corner growing more and more uncomfortable. Outside, it remained dark, but a cock crowed, reminding him how short time was. As he rose, the doctor walked into the room to check on his patient, and Marcus was thankful for an excuse to leave.

“Shall I go for a marriage license, then?” he asked stiffly.

Lucian and Emily exchanged glances.

“It does seem to offer both of us the best way out of our individual disasters,” Lucian was the first to speak. Grasping Emily’s hand, he asked, “I know I am asking much of you, but Emily, will you be my wife? I only expect you to stay with me through the ceremony. Then, Marcus will escort you to my estate. You do not need to tolerate my woeful company any longer than that.”

“Lord Westings, I shall only agree to marry you if you allow me to stay by your side until the end. I shall not have people saying I was an unfaithful wife who married you solely for your income. If you let me care for you in your sickness as any dutiful wife should, I will gladly marry you.”

Lucian smiled and turned to his friend. “Yes, Marcus, I believe you may go for the license.”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 18

Lucian smiled. “You may call me Lucian. I am sure Marcus made you aware of my situation, but would you mind informing me of what brought you here this evening?”

Emily swallowed. What had brought her to the inn was an accident, but she now wondered what brought her into this room. How was she to explain to the dying Baron that she came to see him because she believed he could be a solution to the financial problems of her family? She decided that if the Good Lord were guiding her actions, He would want her to be completely honest. She would tell her story, and if Lucian rejected her, so be it. Since Stephen had paid for her night at the inn, she had enough money to return home or to attempt to see if she was still needed with the Pickerings. If, on the other hand, Lucian accepted her, she would see it as the Lord’s will and trust Him to guide her through the days ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcus watched from his chair in the corner. At first, Emily told her story haltingly. She related the distress of having her father die and discovering the estate was entailed to a distant cousin, whom she had never met. She told him how her eldest sister immediately took their mother into her home while her two other sisters offered to take Miss Radford and her younger sister. She explained how her older sisters could little afford the burden of bringing Beatrice out in style or keeping Emily on the market for a husband. Rather than set her hopes high or weigh her siblings down, she alone decided to enter into service in order to offset the burden of her mother and Beatrice’s care. 

To Marcus’ surprise, Lucian listened patiently, encouraging her to forge ahead with her story whenever she stalled. His constant urging, seemed to relax her as she stood stiffly in the doorway. Then she stepped further into the room and seemed to pour her heart out to his friend, explaining in detail her disastrous first employment and her dashed expectations with this one.

By the end of her tale, she had taken the chair at Lucian’s side. Again, a flicker of jealousy rose in his breast. Why had she refrained from telling him all her troubles? He stifled the emotion, knowing he still would have felt obligated to thrust her at Lucian.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 17

Marcus frowned. He knew Lucian was right, but he did not want to sit in the room while Lucian tried to convince the beautiful Emily to marry him. He stifled a tinge of jealousy. He had proposed the scheme, but he was not exactly pleased about following through with it. He remembered the story of Job. Dear Lord, you gave patience to Job to endure many hardships, please be with me now and help me to deal with my peculiar emotions, he prayed silently. From what he could see, the Lord brought Emily to this inn to save his friend’s estate. That meant she was not here to develop a relationship with him. If the Lord intended her for Lucian, that is what he must help achieve. If that meant preserving her dignity although it placed him in an uncomfortable position, he would do it.

“I see your point. I shall stay,” Marcus added quietly, dragging one of the chairs to a corner and sitting in it with his arms crossed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 “Well, Miss Emily, may I call you by your first name?”

Emily hesitated. The man lying before her was propped up on several pillows, and his hair was flung around in untidy mats of sweat. The covers of the bed were pulled up, but his arms were free. She could tell he wore a borrowed shirt that swallowed him. His sallow complexion did nothing to add to his appearance, but she clung to the kindness in his eyes. Glancing at Marcus, she said, “I suppose the circumstances do not allow for long periods of introduction, my lord.”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 16

At that moment, there was a faint rap on the door, and Marcus jumped to open it. Standing there with her head bowed and a candlestick in her hand stood Miss Radford.

 “She’s beautiful,” Lucian murmured.

“I told you she was not pockmarked,” Marcus smiled. “And she comes from fine, noble stock.”

“I am not some horse on the auction block, if you please, my lord,” Emily scoffed, raising her fiery eyes, and then offsetting the severity of her comment by biting her lower lip.

“Forgive me, miss,” Marcus bowed. “May I present Miss Emily Radford, governess, daughter of Sir Henry Radford. Miss Radford, this is my dearest friend, Lord Lucian Grummel, Baron of Westings. I am sure you both have much to discuss, and I wish you well,” Marcus bowed and took a step toward the door.

“I beg your pardon, Lord Berkshire,” Emily gasped. “What kind of a woman do you think I am to attend to a man in his room, alone, my lord?”

Marcus paused. “But, Miss Radford, the man is dying.”

“So you seek to entrap me into marrying him?”

Marcus had a difficult time looking into the rekindled fire in her eyes without laughing. “I shall leave the door open.” He could not resist baiting her.

Lucian sighed. “Marcus, you told me you brought me a lady and that I would need to mind my manners, but where are yours?”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 15

Marcus quietly entered the dimly lit room where his friend tossed and moaned on the small bed. There was little furniture beyond the giant, rough-hewn armoire, but two chairs had been placed next to the bed. Marcus shuddered as he remembered how he had held his friend while the doctor cleaned the stomach wound. Quickly scanning the corner, he was relieved to find that Mol must have taken the bloody rags away. He said a quick prayer thanking the Lord that Miss Radford would not have to see those.

“Lucy, I have some good news,” Marcus said gently, sitting in one of the chairs and firmly grasping his dying friend’s hand. “There is a woman I would like you to meet.”

Lucian stopped thrashing, tried to sit, and then collapsed in a moan before asking, “You found someone, then? Oh, Marcus, I am so relieved. Where is she? Have you sent for the priest and the solicitor?”

“No, but I shall when they are needed. I must ask that you remain in your best form when I introduce you. She is a real lady. Although she has not yet agreed to the scheme, I am sure she is on the precipice of a decision in your favor. I need you to show her your charm, not your impatience.”

“A real lady? How am I to get a lady to marry me like this?” Lucian entered into a fit of coughing. Marcus helped him to drink a sip of water and then he was able to continue. “I could not get Penelope to marry me whole although she had known my charms for years. How shall I convince a stranger to marry me on my deathbed?” Lucian groaned.

“She seems to have a good heart.”

“Is she pockmarked?”

“No. She is Sir Henry Radford’s daughter.”

Lucian pursed his lips. “So, she’s mercenary then?”

“I don’t think so. But, I believe she does have a younger sister and a mother to worry about. Think positive! That could improve your suit.”

“I suppose one in my circumstances cannot be particular. When can I meet her?”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 14

Knocking on the door to Lucian’s room, he was greeted by the grim faced doctor with one eyebrow raised. The older gentleman stepped into the hallway to speak with him.

“He won’t make it through the night at this rate,” the doctor bleakly replied in hushed tones.

“He keeps demanding I locate a woman for him to marry. We must discover a way to put his mind at ease.”

“There is a woman of good birth downstairs. I have been begging her to come and see him, but she desires your permission.”

“Lord Berkshire, if she is a woman of any birth, she will not accept his proposition.”

“Only a few years ago all marriages were arranged by parents, and frequently brides did not meet their husbands until their wedding nights. What is wrong with such a proposition as this? After all, if they do not suit, they will not have long to endure each other’s company.”

“Where will you find a marriage license at this hour, so it will be recognized and not in vain? It would be a shame to put the poor girl through such an ordeal only for her to discover she received nothing out of it.”

“I do not fear the highwaymen. I can make it to the bishop and back before first light. If old Bailey sends for a clergymen and my solicitor, we can convene here on the morrow.”

“The woman will have fled your madness by then if she has an ounce of nobility in her. Still, if she is willing enough to meet him and spend a few minutes by his side, it may at least give him a peaceful death. I shall fetch her.” With that, the doctor continued down the stairs.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 13

She glanced from Stephen’s mischievous, pale blue eyes to Marcus’ serious, deep blue ones. A tingle went down her spine. “I highly doubt Lord Westings would like to make anyone’s acquaintance at this hour and on his death bed,” she stated weakly.

“Quite the contrary. He has been asking for a woman for some time now,” Marcus replied readily.

Emily sighed and finished her tea. As she stood, the two men stood with her. “Oh, all right, I shall meet him. Nevertheless, you must first send the doctor down to me so that I can be assured that my visit will not hinder him further. And,” she paused to make sure she had their attention. “I make no promise that I shall marry anyone.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcus gazed at the woman before him with admiration. She was dressed like any modest governess with her hair reasonably contained under a mobcap and a white, embroidered scarf arranged around her shoulders and neck. But the simple, dark brown, traveling gown was well-maintained. Even in her current attire she was quite a beauty, and he wondered that she had not been snatched up during her season. It was several moments before he realized he was grinning at her like a fool. He quickly headed down the hall and up the stairs toward Lucian’s room.

He reflected on his first sight of her sitting primly at the table with her tea, wrapped in the glow from the fire. He had thought she was an angel. If his best friend had not been in more dire need of a wife, he might not have been able to resist attempting to form his own attachment.

He was vaguely familiar with three of Sir Radford’s other daughters. They had each spent two or three years on the marriage market and married suitably. He wished he had met this one at the assembly, but perhaps she had come out the year he had toured the continent with Lucian. She had a strength of character that he found irresistible. He wished he could spend more time getting to know her, but time was of the essence for Lucian. Right now, his dying friend’s final wish came first.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 12

“Why would the good Lord want me to marry a dying man?” she asked aloud to herself as much as the two men sharing the room with her.

“His ways are often mysterious,” Stephen countered with an overly chaste expression upon his face and his eyes heavenward.

“Please, Miss Radford,” Marcus said, trying his best to ignore his brother, “all I ask is that you come meet Lord Westings. I assure you he will appreciate the hope your presence will provide. It may possibly give him a few moments of peace before his untimely death.”

Emily felt her will begin to waver. Her father’s greatest desire was to see all his daughters married gently. She had just begun her second season when he died from pneumonia. Unfortunately, his estate was entailed and went to a distant cousin, leaving Emily and her youngest sister, Beatrice, single and without income or dowry. Prior to his death, she had not secured the interests of any particular man, wanting to choose her life’s companion wisely. 

Only two men had approached her after it. Both were widowers more than twice her age. Instead of accepting a loveless marriage, she ceased considering matrimony as an option in her future. 

It was then that she became a governess. She promised to send what money she was able to spare to help create a dowry for her sister. Unfortunately, up until this point, she had found little extra. If she came into a fortune, she knew she would have enough to find a good match for Beatrice. She may even be able to take care of her mother nicely to prevent burdening her eldest sister any further. Perhaps this was the Lord’s answer to her prayers as well. It certainly would resolve her family’s problems more quickly than her life of service would settle it.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 11

“My friend is desperate. If his brother inherits, all will be lost. The estate has many farmers on it that would starve under his hand. If Lucy marries you, you can keep the estates intact. It will continue in your name even if you remarry. Could you find it in your heart to marry a man out of charity?”

“Charity, my lord? I should like to marry out of a more dedicated love. What you propose is mercenary. Furthermore, no other man would want to marry me afterward. You say that I should have no need to seek employment if I accept your offer, but I would sooner return to my sister’s home than marry a man for his title and lands, only that he would die the next day.”

“It is not mercenary. You would be doing it to preserve his estates and his good name. You would also be doing his brother Algernon a courtesy. He would be prevented from having the funds to sink his life into greater debauchery.”

“I highly doubt Mr. Grummel would see it that way.”

“Will you not at least meet Lucian to see if you could get on together?”

“If the man is dying, I do not see why it should matter if we get on together.”

“Then you’ll marry him?” Marcus’ eyes danced merrily.

“I did not say anything of the sort. As I recall, I have been presenting you solely with reasons why I should not do it.”

Stephen, enjoying the high emotion of the moment, threw himself shamelessly on his knees at her feet, hands clasped in supplication. “Please, Miss Radford, you said your employer did not arrive to fetch you this evening. Surely you are a believer in Providence?” Emily stared at the boy for a minute before nodding once. He continued dramatically, “What if the Lord has a hand in all this? You may be the answer to Grummel’s prayers.”

One of Emily’s eyebrows rose at the theatrical outburst. She was about to protest, but something made her stop and think about his words.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 10

Emily fought the urge to flee the room. She knew she had nowhere to run and realized that the two men easily could block her escape if she did.

Lord, please give me patience and help me find Your will in this mess. If You see me through this evening’s madness, I promise I shall do my best to be more patient in my future quest for a position. She turned to the teapot and began to pour herself a second cup to calm her nerves. Although her hand shook slightly, she did not spill any of it and was able to keep the quiver from expressing itself in her voice as she answered, “I hope you don’t mind me taking refreshment while you relate your story, my lord.” 

Lord Berkshire smiled handsomely and pulled a stool next to her table. “My friend,” he began, “as you may have heard is Lord Lucian Grummel, Baron of Westings. His father, Lord Richard Grummel, left his entire estate to Lucy after sending his eldest son – Algernon – into the military for reform. Algernon is a bad fellow. He fell away from the Church after his mother died and took to drinking and to gambling. As you may expect, the disgraceful punishment did nothing to reform him. In fact, the military life only increased his dissipation.

“After his father’s death, Algernon sold out and tried to have the will overturned. However, the letters of patent were very loose and only specified a male heir. Thus, the will held for both the title and estate, but during the proceedings, it was discovered that if Lucy died without marrying, the property and title would legally revert to Algernon whether he had reformed or not. Lucian believed he had years to choose a mate and raise a family. A recently broken heart did nothing to help the matter. However, tonight highwaymen waylaid him. He managed to make it to the inn, but the doctor is certain he now lay upon his deathbed upstairs. To preserve his father’s dying wish, he must marry immediately. You are the only suitable female available to perform this task.”

“I was given to understand there was a maid, my lord.” Emily glanced at Lord Berkshire’ pleading eyes and then wished she had not. A faint flicker of a smile brushed his face and warmed her heart.

 “She is but ten years old, Miss Radford, and Mol’s daughter is twelve. Neither were raised to attend to the details of an estate.”

Emily’s was aghast. “But I am a—”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 9

Lord Berkshire turned and looked at Emily, seeing her for the first time. His deep blue eyes took in her thin stature, her dark blonde hair, and eyes that matched his own. She blushed under his close scrutiny. Suddenly, she wished she could escape the gaze that seconds earlier she had hoped to catch.

Lord Berkshire’s brow furrowed deeper. “Radford as in Sir Henry Radford?”

Emily’s blush deepened. “That would have been my father, sir.” She never imagined gossip traveled this far from London.

“Why here is Providence to intervene! What a blessing you have found, Stephen.” He grabbed his brother’s hand and patted him on the shoulder. “We are pleased to make your acquaintance at such a time of need. Miss Radford, if you would be so kind as to marry my dying friend, we would be forever indebted to you.” Lord Berkshire executed a terse bow.

Emily’s face blanched. That was the last thing she expected any gentleman to ask her especially if they were familiar with her family name. “M-m-marry, sir? I am a governess. I cannot marry.”

“My brother seems to believe you are ill-suited for the position. Besides, if you marry Lord Westings, you will have no need to be a governess any longer. In case you failed to hear it, he will pass into the arms of God by tomorrow’s eve. As you are young, you may even find another husband after your period of mourning is finished.”

“You don’t really look like a governess anyhow.” Stephen added cheerily, shaking his head.

“Do I look like a widow?” Emily asked in shock.

“Excuse my brother,” Lord Berkshire frowned at Stephen before quickly returning his gaze to Emily. “He is still at Eton. Will you at least give ear to the dire circumstances in which we have found ourselves?”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 8

Footsteps echoed on the stair interrupting her line of thought. The man who entered the inn with the doctor appeared in the doorway. Emily raised her eyes and connected with the pain in his expression. For some strange reason, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt the urge to try to fix all this man’s troubles.

He was perhaps twenty-six to Emily’s twenty-one if she had to guess. A few strands of his tousled, dark brown hair had come free from the tie and were scattered across his worry-strewn forehead. His chin was solid, and bristles were beginning to show along his cheeks. Unlike Stephen, his waistcoat and cravat were neat.

“How is Grummel, Marcus?” Stephen asked gravely.

The man shook his head. Emily was disappointed that he did not notice her, but she was unsure why she should be. She realized the brothers had far more on their minds than a lowly governess in an inn’s common room. As she sipped her tea, she could not keep her curious ears from listening to their conversation.

“The doctor says he will not make it through the night with all the agitation he is exhibiting. He is completely distraught and fully aware that he won’t rise again from that bed. However, he is more upset that Algernon will inherit the estate and throw it away on the gaming tables than he is about the fact he will soon be with his parents. He is desperate for any woman to marry him. He even asked if he could marry the inn’s maid! It is a shame Penelope married before Lucy came into his inheritance. If she had only a little more patience…”

“Here’s a woman,” Stephen interjected, “– a lady none the less. Brother, may I present Miss Emily Radford of London. Miss Emily, my brother, Lord Marcus Duval, Earl of Berkshire.” 

Stephen lowered his voice to a loud whisper and leaned toward his brother’s ear, “She says she is a governess, but she isn’t stuffy enough, so her employers changed their minds.”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 7

“Please accept my humble apologies. Since the highwaymen have overrun the roads in this area, the people who live here have become extremely suspicious of any stranger. If I may introduce myself, I am the Honorable Stephen Duval, younger brother to the Earl of Berkshire, and currently heir presumptive. Will you permit me to join you?”

 “I am Miss Emily Radford, governess.” Emily looked around the room with a raised eyebrow. “I think it would be rather impolite of me to refuse to sit with you after just receiving your charity. I shall do nothing to dissuade your company. In fact, if there were another cup, I would offer to pour you some tea.”

“I don’t much care for the stuff.” Stephen grinned and sat in a chair on the other side of the table holding the tea. “I like you too much for you to be a stuffy old governess. Where did you come from, if I may be so bold as to ask?”

“London.” Emily smiled and felt as if she were conversing with one of her pupils. “I was employed by the Pickerings down Stockbridge way, and supposed to meet with them here, but I apparently missed them. I don’t suppose you know of a way to arrive at Stockbridge this evening?”

“Not a safe one.” Stephen ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe you mistook the day?”

Emily shook her head sorrowfully. “There is perhaps the chance they changed their minds about me.”

“See. I told you that you were not stuffy enough. It just goes to show that you weren’t meant to be a governess.” Stephen grinned, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms.

“But I must make an honest living somehow…” Emily began to protest.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 6

Emily glanced at the doorway as a lanky seventeen-year-old stepped into the lounge. His wavy, black hair was not quite long enough to tie back, and he had not donned a wig or powder to cover it. His blue eyes shot fire from them. Not only was his dark green coat unbuttoned, but also his waistcoat had been fastened unevenly. There was even little attention given to his cravat.

Emily wondered if he were normally so careless in the way he dressed because of his age or if he had dressed in a hurry tonight.

“’Allo, Master Stephen,” an older feminine voice called from the hallway. “Good to see ye again, though I wished it were for a better affair than the one ye came to visit us about. I’ll make ye a light sup quick as can be.” The innkeeper’s wife glided into the room and deposited a tray on the table nearest Emily. “There you go, miss. That’ll be a thruppence.” She held out her hand expectantly.

“Molly, where are your manners? You don’t charge before a meal,” Stephen protested.

Molly glanced at him. “I’m sure the miss understands our position. We can’t be trusting total strangers like those we ken.”

Although Emily wished she could keep her few precious coins, she could not find anything wrong with the inn’s policy. She reached into her reticule to retrieve the money.

“Hold, m’ lady,” the youth interrupted, raising his hand grandly. “Although Molly has lost her manners, I retain mine. Here are three guineas to pay for any expense this lady, my brother, Grummel, or I incur this evening.”

“But, sir!” the woman’s jaw dropped. “Ye ken that ‘tis too much. You can have got three rooms, your meals, and the private parlor and still not spent all that.”

“Good. Hopefully, the extra will pay for you to acquire a little etiquette,” he replied, dismissing her and turning his attention to Emily. 

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 5

Emily blanched. “Your wife may certainly take as long as she needs to attend to the gentleman.”

With that, Emily retreated further into the common room. The fire was still burning, but the flames cast long shadows. Two long tables with benches ran the length of the room, and chairs were set in the corners. She made her way back to the cushioned rocking chair near the fire where she had dozed earlier. Just as her eyes began to droop a second time from the exhaustion of the past day, the door to the inn burst open once more.

“Where is he? Where is my brother?” She could not help but overhear the young man’s raised voice as it cracked in distress.

“Now, now, Master Duval,” the innkeeper soothed. “Don’t ye go getting yourself all riled. Lord Berkshire be up there now with the doctor doing all he can for Lord Westings. There be nothing for ye to do except get yourself in the way. Me Mol’s in the kitchen fixing some tea. I think it’d be best if ye had a seat in the common room while I go see if I can find ye a sandwich or some other light sup. Then I’ll swing upstairs and get ye some news before I bring it to ye, sir.”

“Fine, Bailey,” the man huffed. “I’m warning you now, though, I want to be notified if Marcus needs me for anything. I don’t want him blamed for Grummel’s death just because he was summoned here with the doctor.”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 4

 “Could I perhaps get some tea before I make my decision?” She asked after finishing her silent request and opening her eyes.

“I don’t know what exactly ‘tis that ye have to decide. I told ye I be not sending the wagon out again. The next stage is in the mornin’. An’ there’s not another inn within walking space even iffn’ you wanted to take your life in your hands and walk there, so here is where you’ll stay in my mind. I have naught against serving a lady tea before she retires, but it seems ye could at least tell me that ye are stayin’ afore ya do,” the innkeeper frowned.

“They said they would meet me here today. I just would like to see if they come before I retire,” Emily did her best to smile.

The innkeeper frowned perplexedly. “It’ll be a little wait for tea ‘til they get the man above stairs fixed up. When that’s done, me Mol will return to the kitchen and fetch it for ye.”

“What happened to the man upstairs, if I may ask?” Emily blushed. She realized a woman of her age and station should be able to restrain her curiosity better, but it was late, and the uncertainty about her future led her to seek something else on which to focus her mind.

“He was shot by highwaymen – not that ‘tis any of your business. Still, it might be a lesson to ye about traveling in the night ‘round here.”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 3

“Perhaps when the emergency is finished?”

“I said no, miss.” The innkeeper’s voice was firm. “I think it already be too late for anyone to be traveling in these parts. ‘Specially not a respectable lady like yourself. There’s highwaymen here ‘bouts. Now, may I be assisting you to securing a room?”

Emily looked down at the worn, wooden floor for a minute. She had not come prepared to spend the night at an inn. She had enough money to buy a seat on tomorrow’s stage if she needed a way home, but she did not have enough to purchase both her seat and an overnight stay. She wished her meager savings from the past year of hard work as a governess had provided more. However, after her refusal to change the bed sheets like a maid, her previous employer refrained from giving her the last month’s pay, which had forced her to dip into the little she had saved to make this trip.

She sighed inwardly. In her eagerness to obtain employment after her father’s death, she had accepted the first open position that she found, which happened to be in the home of a merchant family with modest means and upward social notions. She thought she learned well from her first experience in the working class, but it seemed her inexperience and impatience continued to lead her to poor employment choices.

Afraid her previous employer would slander her name, she decided that she could only find decent employment beyond the confines of London. Now, she regretted taking the country job with the Pickerings. Although she had done a little more research to ensure that their household contained a full serving staff, she found the child she was to watch had left seven governesses in tears when they reported back to the agency. She knew that she was of stronger stuff than the others had been, but the extra pay she requested apparently caused the Pickering family to balk at the last minute. She wondered if she ever would learn patience and discernment.

Please, Lord, guide me in Your ways and help me to be more patient in my future choices, she prayed silently.

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 2

 “He be upstairs, m’ lord. First door on the right.” Turning to the doctor, the innkeeper added, “Me Mol’s got him calmed, but she hasn’t been able to stop the bleeding, sir.”

“Is he awake?” the doctor inquired.

“Aye, that he is and angry ‘bout his quandary. He proposed to me daughter even.”

The two men rushed up the stairs, and the innkeeper peered at Emily with raised brows.

“Was there somethin’ you be needing, Miss?” he asked pointedly.

Emily blushed. “Pardon me, but I must have dozed. Has there been no message yet for Miss Emily Radford from Mrs. Pickering?”

“No, Miss, I told ye earlier that the Pickerings live down Stockbridge way,” the round, middle aged man with cherry cheeks replied. “Don’t think they get up ‘ere much, and I don’t ‘spect them tonight neither. In fact, I haven’t seen either o’ ‘em in years since they had that young ‘un.”

“But they were to send me a carriage. I must get to their home this evening. I’m sorry, sir, but is there any way I could hire a barouche to take me there still?”

“Well, I only got one wagon, an’ I don’t like to send me lads out after dark, ya see,” the man paused and scratched his chin. “But I might have been persuaded to do a favor for ye, for a goodly fee of course, iffn’ this emergency hadn’t arisen. I got to keep the wagon on hand in case…”

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The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 1

Chapter 1

1739
Whitchurch, Hampshire

Emily awoke with a start when the door to the inn slammed open. The cold night air played upon the back of her neck as footsteps rushed into the hallway. Her neck was stiff, and a slight headache was threatening. She did not remember at first why she was at the inn, but when the memory came, her eyes popped wide open. She had been waiting in this common room for hours. Her employer had failed to arrive and escort her to her new position.

 “Where is he?” she heard a young man’s voice demand. Convincing herself she could use the exercise, she allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. She carefully stood and strolled toward the dark window, glancing into the hallway as she passed the doorway leading to it. A young man dressed for a country evening dance stood with his back to her, talking to the innkeeper. He was tall, and she could tell by the width of his navy colored coat that he was of medium build. Fawn colored breeches peeked out from beneath the coat and fit nicely over his muscular legs. Unfortunately, from her position she could not see any of his face only his unpowdered, dark brown hair that had been tied back with a leather strap that matched his pants. Next to him stood what could only be described as a rather unremarkable country doctor, clasping a black bag in his hands and adjusting his pince-nez.



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