Ashes of Roses Read online

  “You’re a treasure trove of information,” Miles said.

  Doreen smiled proudly, and got back to her research.

  “When do you intend to go?” Mom asked.

  “A ball is being held at Bannerman Manor next Saturday,” Miles answered. “We’ve been invited to join the Carlisles this week, and attend.”

  “That’s soon,” Mom commented in surprise.

  “It is,” I agreed. “The Carlisles expressed regret at the late notice, but as they only just discovered the existence of their American cousin, I’m not sure why.”

  “If I find anything suspicious, I’ll call you,” Doreen informed us. “But… so far, it checks out.”

  “That’s very reassuring,” Miles smiled. “Barring receipt of that phone call, our flight leaves tomorrow.”

  Chapter 3

  “I have no idea what to wear,” I fretted, as I stood in the closet doorway of our bedroom at the Lodge, staring at its contents. Skirts, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, dress shirts, casual dresses, fancy dresses, and absolutely no idea what to pack! Then there were the boots, athletic shoes, flats, heels…

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Miles said without concern, as he sorted through his gym bag. “Pack a little bit of everything, if you can’t, and we’ll supplement after we get there.”

  “Hm,” I considered. “Do you think the tiny little town of Camden will have much to offer?”

  “If it doesn’t, we’ll drive another ten minutes to the next one,” Miles replied, as he glanced at his watch.

  “You’re leaving, already?” I asked. I put clothing concerns off for later, and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

  “Not until Jenny and Annette get here,” he smiled, as he returned my hug.

  “Good,” I said, and hugged tighter.

  “You know… you could always come with me,” he suggested, but the look in his hazel eyes was teasing.

  “Right,” I tried not to laugh. “Because stopping to take all the weight off the machines every time it’s my turn, wouldn’t lengthen your workout significantly, and make us miss our flight.”

  Miles tried to loosen the grip I had on him, and I squeezed tighter.

  “Are you kidding? With your strength, I’d have to add,” he said, and I laughed. I also resolved to kiss the cutest guy that ever lived, until Jenny and Annette arrived.

  All too soon, there was a knock at the door. I kissed him once more, then with great reluctance, I relaxed my grip.

  “Hurry back,” I ordered.

  “You’ve ensured that,” he teased, and I laughed.

  “Whatever it takes,” I replied.

  We walked to the door, past the fireplace, where the kids lay sprawled. There was no fire, but they were ever hopeful, and determined to secure the most coveted roasting spots. Night’s fur was rather crispy in places and his whiskers curled, due to his insistence on pressing right up against the screen. There’d be no fires while we were away, and soon it would be too warm to want one. Maybe it wouldn’t take that many scorch-free days before he looked like himself, again. I wouldn’t miss the smell of burnt fur, that was for certain!

  I would miss him, though. I’d miss all of them, I thought with a pang.

  Miles opened the door for my friends, and his, and after we wives kissed our husbands goodbye, and Jenny her fiancé, the guys headed to the gym.

  “So, are you excited?” Jenny asked. At the moment, she looked like she was anticipating our trip a lot more than I was.

  “Yeah, I am,” I said, because that was true. “I’m also dreading being away from everyone.”

  As if on cue, Fidget stood and shook, then joined me and my friends. She pressed her furry gold cheek against my leg, and looked up at me with her trusting brown eyes. I scooped her into my arms—which was becoming increasingly difficult—and cuddled her.

  “She’s growing up so fast,” I added. “I hate to miss anything, and I know I will.”

  “That’s true,” Jenny said sympathetically. “But it’s only for a few days.”

  “To us,” I replied. “That’s like several years, to her.”

  “Says who?” Jenny laughed.

  “Probably ‘they’, whoever ‘they’ are,” Annette replied. “We’ll take lots of pictures, and video. It won’t be the same, but it’ll be something.”

  “That’s better than nothing,” I sighed, and kissed Fidget’s furry forehead.

  Trixie sat up and shook, then looked at me. I once again wished I could understand her the way Miles did, but… I couldn’t. I had no idea what she was trying to say.

  Either she thought I got the message, or gave up on me. She assumed her semi-transparent form briefly, then returned to her spot of choice and solid form, thus catapulting Pandora back where she came from. The little interloper protested indignantly, even though you’d think after going through this routine repeatedly over the past three months, she’d be used to it. Or resigned to staying out of Trixie’s chosen space. But, no.

  “We’ll take really good care of her,” Jenny promised. “And of all of them.”

  “You guys are the only reason we feel comfortable leaving, at all,” I said, as I set Fidget beside Trixie, then led the way to our bedroom.

  “How much packing do you have left?” Annette asked, eyeing the empty suitcases lined up on the bed.

  “This much,” I said, motioning to the empty suitcases, lined up on the bed. “I’m struggling to decide what I’ll need.”

  “Well, it’s warmer where you’re going, although I wouldn’t call it warm,” Jenny considered. “You’ll want a couple of coats, at least one casual, and another for dress.”

  “A warm sweater, too,” Annette suggested, as she and Jenny began sorting through my side of the closet. “Bannerman Manor doesn’t necessarily have a state of the art heating and cooling system, like your estate does.”

  “Ooh, good point,” I said.

  “How formal are the Carlisles?” Jenny asked.

  “It would help if I knew,” I answered. “Ashley, the house manager and PR lady, could answer that if it wasn’t the middle of the night, where she is. She seems really nice, we emailed back and forth several times today.”

  “Have you talked to the Carlisles, at all?” Annette’s forehead furrowed.

  “No, although their names were on the letter we received.”

  “Hm. Then err on the side of formal,” Jenny advised. “You can dress an outfit down, easier than you can dress one up.”

  “Good idea,” I agreed.

  “Coordinate with Miles,” Annette suggested. “You won’t be under, or over dressed, if you’re at the same level.”

  “That’s a very good point,” I said.

  “Besides, you both have enough presence, that if anyone’s over or under dressed, it’ll be them,” Jenny said loyally.

  “That’s true,” I acknowledged. “I can’t imagine anyone making Miles uncomfortable. He’s the most confident person I know.”

  “You’ll do great,” Jenny said encouragingly.

  “Yeah, we will,” I assured her. She seemed a lot more nervous than I was! “And like Miles said, we can pick up anything we need, once we’re there.”

  “Have you decided what you’ll wear to the ball?” Annette asked, as she studied the sparse supply of formal gowns the closet contained. My clothes were spread out between our suite, our apartment, and the estate, with the majority being at the estate.

  “It’s a fancy dress, period style, masquerade ball,” I replied.

  “Oh,” Jenny said in surprise. “Well… unless the period is modern day, I’m afraid none of this will exactly fit the bill.”

  “No kidding,” I laughed. “I’m out of luck, and so is Miles. At the estate there’s plenty of authentic attire, not that we have time to go home and sort through it. Ashley said the manor also has period clothing, and there’s a costume shop in town. We’ll figure something out.”

  “What period is it, exactly?” Jenny wondered.<
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  “Anywhere from regency, to Victorian, to Edwardian,” I replied. “If it was solely Victorian, forget anything vintage! There’s no way I’d try and squeeze into one of those silly corsets.”

  “Would you have to?” Annette wondered.

  “If I wanted to fit inside one of those wasp-waisted dresses. Although if I could find one worn by a short, stocky girl, that might work.”

  “You are not stocky!” Annette scolded a little indignantly. “If you were any thinner, it would be unhealthy!”

  “If I tried cinching my waist into one of those Victorian torture devices, which I’d have to do to fit in a dress that fit the rest of me, that would be unhealthy,” I replied.

  “Ug, my ribs hurt just thinking about it,” Jenny shuddered. “No wonder people died so young, back then. A lot of the women probably suffocated.”

  “I suppose restricting the flow of oxygen to the brain helped to support the once widespread belief that women were mentally inferior,” I said. “Miles’ sister was an outspoken advocate for women. It’s disgusting how little rights they had, although it was a lot better in the US during her lifetime, than before. Miles was telling us about that at lunch today. It makes me very thankful to be living now, instead of then! The husband had control over everything, and since the parents decided who their daughters married, then forget choosing wisely. They had no choice.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Jenny bristled. “The husband controlled everything?”

  “In England, and at one point here, since that’s where the colonies originated from,” I replied. “It was awful.”

  “Amazing how some people wish they could go back and live in another time period,” Annette shook her head. “That doesn’t sound romantic, at all!”

  “It’s the exact opposite,” I agreed. “As hard as it is to grasp, when Miles lived back in the 1800’s, it was with the understanding that his parents would decide who he married.”

  Jenny and Annette looked utterly appalled.

  “It makes me feel insanely jealous, if you’re wondering,” I said, which made my friends laugh. “But it didn’t seem odd to him, back then. Normal, is what you’re used to.”

  “I guess so,” Jenny grimaced.

  “Did… his parents have someone picked out?” Annette dared ask.

  “No, thank goodness his brother was the future head of house,” I replied. “Their mother and father had their hands full, trying to get Delevan to cooperate. Besides, Miles was only nineteen. It’s a good thing, too! You think I’m jealous now, you don’t want to know what I’d be like if there’d ever been anyone else. Even if it was all his parents’ idea, and they never met.”

  Jenny and Annette laughed. Maybe they thought I was joking. I wasn’t!

  “I’m leaning toward the Regency period,” I said. “It’s most figure flattering.”

  “What, you don’t care to look like a pigeon?” Jenny smiled.

  “No! Edwardian is out. Although, some of the dresses on ‘Titanic’ were really beautiful. But no S-shaped corsets for me, thank you very much,” I declared.

  “I love the Regency style,” Annette said, as we ceased browsing my closet, and browsed the images on my iPad.

  “Me too,” I agreed. “I can pull this off, without strapping whale bones around my midsection.”

  “This is beautiful,” Jenny declared. “I think what I’m feeling right now, is envy!”

  Annette and I laughed, but she looked like she felt the same way.

  “How fun,” Annette sighed dreamily. “Take lots of pictures!”

  “We will,” I assured her. “There’ll be photographers there, too.”

  “Good. We’ll live vicariously, through those,” Jenny said.

  “We’ll have our own ball at the estate, after we get back,” I decided. “Maybe incorporate it into your bridal shower, or the bride and groom party, in lieu of bachelor and bachelorette.”

  “That might be fun,” Jenny considered. She was probably wondering what Xander would think of that.

  “What do you suppose Xander would think of that?” Annette asked.

  Jenny shook her head slowly.

  “There’ll be cake,” I added. “As long as you or your mom bake it, no one will be able to keep him away.”

  “That’s true,” Jenny laughed, and so did Annette.

  “The only thing he’s crazier about than your cooking, is you,” Annette declared, and Jenny’s eyes shone softly.

  “I feel the same way,” she said. “Minus the cooking.”

  I smiled, too. It made me infinitely happy to see Jenny and Xander, and John and Annette, so happy together.

  Jenny sighed, and looked as though she was resigning herself to something.

  “Honestly, more and more, we both wish we eloped, like you guys did,” she referenced John and Annette. “But, we’ve done so much planning, and Mom’s really excited about it… Xander’s family is, too.”

  “He’s the last to get married, right?” Annette sympathized.

  “Actually, no,” Jenny answered. “I was wrong about that. One of his brothers is still single.”

  Annette looked at me in confusion. Now, so did Jenny.

  “How did you not catch that?” they both asked.

  I thought back to that particular conversation.

  “I heard a tone, because even though you believed it was true, you didn’t know for sure one way or another. It happens more often than you probably think. It didn’t mean you were wrong, just that you didn’t know for certain.”

  “Oh,” Jenny and Annette both had to puzzle over that for a moment.

  I felt the need to elaborate.

  “If I knew the truth even when someone else didn’t, or that it wasn’t the truth when they didn’t know it themselves, I wouldn’t need to get the truth from the guilty,” I pointed out. “If I asked anyone enough yes and no questions, I’d be able to solve all the mysteries in the universe, given enough time and imagination.”

  “Huh,” Jenny processed. “Well, one thing’s for certain. My imagination isn’t big enough to imagine experiencing what you do!”

  “It’s amazing what you can get used to,” I said. “But, you’re telling the truth.”

  “I know!” Jenny laughed, then so did Annette and I.

  “It’s lousy you can’t elope, but at least June isn’t far away,” I remarked, as we returned to the task of packing. “In about two and a half months, your wedding will be here.”

  Jenny grimaced a little, then bit her lip.

  “Would you think it was awful if we did elope, then had the wedding anyway?”

  “The only awful thing about it, is that you didn’t make this suggestion when Miles and I were engaged,” I declared.

  “John and I talked about doing that,” Annette admitted. “But, we didn’t want to have to sneak around, and hide that we were married. And after the fact, a wedding just didn’t hold much appeal.”

  “You’re right… I guess it wouldn’t,” Jenny considered. “I truly apologize though, for ever giving you and Miles such a hard time over wanting to spend every second together. I completely get it, now.”

  “As I predicted,” I replied. “I’m glad you do, for your sakes. How sad to be expecting to marry someone, and not feel that way.”

  “Can you imagine, being expected to marry a stranger?” Annette said. She looked a little horrified.

  “How about someone who wasn’t a stranger, but for whom you felt nothing,” I posed. “Or worse yet, someone who wasn’t a stranger, and you wished he was.”

  “I’d have to be more than oxygen deprived to put up with either one,” Jenny frowned.

  “What a miserable existence,” Annette spoke for all of us. “It makes me appreciate John, all the more.”

  “And me, Xander,” Jenny agreed.

  “I appreciate that Miles’ brother kept their parents so busy, they didn’t have time to go hunting him a wife in the wrong century,” I declared, and my friends laughed.
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  “Speaking of the guys, if we don’t hurry, they’ll be back before we pack a single bag,” Jenny warned, with a glance at the clock.

  We got down to serious business, and one by one the suitcases began to fill.

  “What about Miles’ younger brother?” Annette looked puzzled. “Was his marriage arranged? Because… if it was, her father must have changed his mind.”

  “It wasn’t her father’s idea, that’s for sure,” I half-laughed, but not because anything about the man was funny. “And I wouldn’t say his marriage was arranged. A lot changed by the time James became an adult. He was only three, when his brothers were killed. The family isolated themselves to some extent after that, because of how the rest of the town picked up the story that Miles was responsible, and ran with it. James resented the lies and gossip as much as anyone. When he became an adult, he preferred never to marry at all, rather than marry one of the local girls. Arranged marriages were out by then, but even if they weren’t, the Bannermans realized the loss of their sons was due, in part, to their refusal to respect Delevan’s choice. They left their youngest son free to choose for himself, should he decide to do so. James was in his thirties when Katharine’s brother asked him to help her escape, and find a place for her to hide. He had no romantic aspirations toward her. She was twenty-five by then, but he still thought of her as a child. After he and his sister Cynthia rescued Katharine, and they returned to the estate, both Cynthia and their mother suggested to James that he should marry her. The safest place for Katharine to stay was right there, as his wife. James was surprised by the suggestion, and kind of troubled. Miles said he struggled over it, that is, until he saw her coming down the stairs, dressed for dinner, instead of disguised in her brother’s old shirt, pants, and cap. He suddenly realized she was very much grown up, and very beautiful. Miles said he practically stuttered, he was so overcome. Katharine was completely in love with him already, and couldn’t be more pleased with his reaction. He offered her his arm, they had dinner, he asked her to marry him afterward, and the next day, she did.”

  “Oh, wow,” Annette’s eyes were starry, and so were Jenny’s.