Whether she was looking for a husband or not, Gaston couldn't help but notice that Ruby Lucas certainly attended enough parties to have found one a dozen times over by now. Which, granted, he'd only noticed because he was also at all those parties and hadn't found a bride yet, but still. He couldn't help it if there was something wrong with every single woman in New York. Well, that wasn't fair. He hadn't met every woman in New York, and it was quite possible that one of them would be suitable, but he'd found something wrong with every single one of them so far. He was beginning to become discouraged with this entire endeavor, but he couldn't back out now; he'd come way too far to be able to return home without a wife.
Fortunately, he'd been invited to a house party. As a rule, he didn't enjoy house parties - not since what had happened to Belle. However, he was so damn sick of the city he could scream, and this had been his first chance in weeks to be out in the country with grass and air and space to breathe. He'd accepted the invitation in the hopes that some time in the country would let him clear his head before he went back and made his final decision. If he could just take an hour to himself, he was fairly sure he could make a choice of potential wife and pursue her. He just...he needed a little time.
Part of it, he was sure, is that he'd never properly courted a woman before. He'd never even tried to court a woman before. He'd proposed to Belle when she was seventeen because her father had hinted broadly that it was past time to get things put together. They were supposed to have married when she was eighteen, but had put thing off after his father died and really just hadn't gotten around to it by the time the engagement was broken. Maybe he should have just gone ahead and married her rather than taking so much time, but he hadn't really been in any particular hurry. He hadn't done anything with his life yet, and he felt like he should at least visit the continent or have one youthful misadventure before he married, and he hadn't had the opportunity for that.
He was pondering his situation and wandering the gardens of the house when he stumbled on Ruby Lucas. He hadn't known she was invited to this particular party, and hadn't even spoken to her at all since the day she'd cornered him at the ball. The fact that he'd noticed she was at most of the parties he'd attended (and, more to the point, that he'd specifically noticed the ones she wasn't at) was entirely irrelevant and he wouldn't dwell on it.
"Miss Lucas," he called out when he was still at a little distance from her, a habit he'd picked up from being around Belle.
"Mr. Heir-to-a-viscount," she replied with a smirk. "It's lovely to see you again."
"Likewise," he replied, coming to sit on the bench facing hers. "What brings you out here?"
"It's such a lovely day," she said. "I couldn't stand to be indoors. And you?"
"Similar," he said. "I take it you're acquainted with Miss Grey?"
"I am," she replied evenly. "She's my fiance's cousin."
Of all the things she could have possibly said, that was the one he had least expected to hear.
"Fiance?" he blurted out. "I hadn't heard the happy news. I suppose congratulations are in order."
"Hardly," she said, turning away from him for a brief moment. "He died a little over a year ago."
Oh. Suddenly it all made sense.
"My condolences," he replied. "I hadn't meant to dredge up a painful memory."
"It's fine," she said too fast, turning her head and swiping away tears he was pretending not to notice. "My mourning period is over, after all."
"It was a love match," he said, and she nodded slowly. "If you don't mind me asking, what was his name?"
"Peter," she said. "Peter Wolfe. He was in Louisiana to check on his father's shipping interests and caught yellow fever…"
She didn't quite finish her thought, but she didn't need to. He'd been warned to stay out of the American south for that exact reason. It wasn't a quick death, nor was it an easy one. He couldn't imagine seeing someone he loved lingering so and in such pain, but then again he had watched Belle struggling to survive after what had happened to her. He could empathize with the helplessness Ruby had felt, and her inability to do anything to save him. There had been an instant attraction to Ruby Lucas the day he'd first met her, but he hadn't understood it and had chalked it up to something purely physical. Now he was beginning to suspect that it was more than that. Perhaps he had recognized in her someone who he could help in a way he'd not been able to help trick, of course, was going to be convincing her of that fact.
Somehow, after everything that had happened with Belle, it had slipped Rhys' mind that Neal would be visiting until his son was walking into the study, having arrived twenty minutes previously. They barely had time to exchange pleasantries, though, before Belle was at the door with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Neal," she said pleasantly. "I thought I might find you here. I just heard you'd arrived."
Neal looked a little confused at the change Belle had undergone since he'd last visited, and to be honest Rhys was a little startled at the difference in her even from the previous week. She'd been avoiding him, and now she had a smile on her face and her hair up in the new style she'd had the other day. It hit him all at once how much he'd missed her. She took his breath away, and he had missed her so damn much.
"Yeah," Neal said, and Rhys cringed at his son's lapse in manners. The boy had been raised better than that. "I just got in from the city a few minutes ago."
Belle held her hand out and Neal - thankfully - remembered to kiss it politely.
She was bubbly and cheerful as she chatted politely with Neal about his trip and how the city had been. Neal, for his part, actually seemed fairly interested in what Belle had to say. Rhys should probably be a little jealous that the two people he loved most in the world were ignoring him, but he was honestly just relieved that Belle was downstairs and that she and Neal were getting along so well. He'd been a little nervous that she would panic again, but here she was putting her best effort into his son.
The two only talked for a few minutes before Belle made her excuses and left them again, promising to check to make sure Neal's bags had been put in the correct room (though of course they had, because there weren't that many rooms) and to talk to the cook about making something special for dinner.
"So she's doing better," Neal said as soon as Belle had left. "A lot better."
"I suppose she is," Rhys replied. "Though the last time you saw her was a bit stressful for her."
"It was," Neal agreed. "But I'll admit, I was a little worried about you - both of you. It was...there were stories. You've been in the gossip papers again."
"I'm sure we were," Rhys replied. "And I'm sure it was nothing but well-wishers."
He suddenly felt extremely tired. He'd known this was a possibility, but to have it actually happen was exhausting. How had Belle lived like this so long, anyway?
"You know what it was," Neal said. "You'll be pleased to know that you're being taken advantage of by a scheming harlot, by the way."
Rhys felt his temper increasing instantly at the implication about Belle.
"Am I?" he snapped. "Yes, clearly my wife is conniving her way to...what, exactly? A lower social rank? A tiny house?"
"I didn't say I believed it," Neal said defensively. "I said that's what the papers say. I like Belle. I've liked her since I met her. She keeps you busy, anyway. "
"I know," Rhys replied. "I just hate what she's been through - what she's still going through. It's not easy for her."
"Yeah, then keep her away from London for a while," Neal said. "Also the papers, if she still reads them."
"She doesn't," Rhys said. "You know I'm the one who pursued her, don't you?"
"I figured as much," Neal replied. "Though perhaps I should sell that story to the tabloids. Instead of a brazen harlot and a naive older man we can have a few issues about the opportunistic commoner who married his way into a connection with a title."
That did get a chuckle out of Rhys strangely. He could just see the ink that would have been wasted on that narrative had they married in any other circumstance.
"Is that what brought you out to visit, then?"
"No," Neal said. "Well, a little. I did want to check on you, but there's some new developments with the investors that I wanted your opinion on and some other little things. Do I need an excuse to come visit?"
"Never," Rhys promised. "You can come any time you like, you know that."
"It's not quite the same right now," Neal replied. "I mean, I'll come. I don't think it's a good idea if I drop in with no notice, though. Do you?"
"Probably not," Rhys agreed. "But she's not usually like she was at the wedding. You'll see."
"I hope so," Neal said. "For your sake, if nothing else."
Right. For his sake. Rhys wasn't even sure what he wanted out of all of this. He wanted Belle to not hurt anymore, but how was he even to achieve that? She was still struggling, and he didn't know that she'd ever not struggle. He'd seen what that sort of violation could do to a woman, and he had seen how it could end. His only goal in all of this had been to protect Belle the way he'd never been able to protect anyone before, but he was completely lost as to what to actually do for her. So far, he'd done nothing but fail miserably.
Belle was going to do better this time. She was going to prove to Neal that she wasn't a liability, and prove to Rhys that she'd been a good choice of wife. Maybe she had made a mistake, but she could overcome it. She had to work through it, because there were no other options. Divorce was as scandalous as could be, and she didn't want to be the subject of gossip and scorn again. She'd had quite enough of that lately. Her goals in life had become to live quietly in the country and never have anyone notice her ever again. She could be completely content with that life; she craved it. She craved the anonymity she'd enjoyed before, and she would do whatever it took to get back to it.
There wasn't really any need to check with the cook about dinner, but Belle had done it anyway. The woman had performed her duty admirably since before Belle had married into the house and had continued to do so ever since. Belle largely left her alone to do her job, and they'd reached what she thought was a fairly good working relationship. She approved nearly anything the cook wanted, and had yet to be disappointed with the outcome. Still, though, it was expected she'd arrange a menu for her husband's son and she was determined to do everything the right way this time. Speaking with the cook was more of a formality, but she was at least able to ensure that Neal's favorite dessert (or at least, the one the cook assured her was his favorite) would be served that evening.
Once that self-made errand was completed, she double checked with the maids that his room had been properly prepared. There really wasn't much for her to do, in the end, and she wound up sitting quietly in the library teaching Grace embroidery while everyone else worked. It was something constructive, at least. The little girl was a steady hand with a needle already thanks to her experience with sewing and mending, but the grandmother who she'd been living with hadn't quite taught her the delicate embroideries that Belle had been instructed in.
For Belle, needlework had been a hobby that she had needed to develop for purely impractical purposes, one that she hadn't truly appreciated until she'd been hurt and reading had become too difficult to manage. For Grace, though, this could be a life skill. Delicate needlework could lead her to a career in service if she chose, or one as a seamstress - or it could let her keep her children well dressed. It didn't matter if the embroidery felt a little useless to Belle sometimes, teaching it to Grace felt helpful. Like she had some worth as a person, even if it was just helping this girl secure her future.
A knock on the door brought Belle's attention away from Grace and the fabric the two of them were looking over. Neal stood there, waiting patiently in the hall for her to acknowledge him. She smiled, setting her embroidery down instantly to welcome him into her library.
"Grace," she said, after introducing the girl to Neal. "Can you take Rose outside for me?"
The little girl nodded, setting her fabric down as well and scooping up the puppy who had been curled around Belle's ankles.
"Is that Jefferson's daughter?" Neal asked after Grace had left.
"It is," Belle replied. "She's staying as my companion."
"That's good," Neal said, taking a seat. "I like your new library. Very cozy."
"Thank you," she said. "It was a gift from your father."
"Was it?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "That's odd."
"Why is it odd?" she replied, bristling a little.
"No, no," Neal said quickly, looking entirely too much like his father as he panicked. "I didn't mean...he's just never been a gift person is all. Not for lack of trying, but it's never been something he was good at."
"Oh," she said, deflating a little. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," he said. "I misspoke, and it wasn't my place anyway."
"In that case, apology accepted," she said. "Did you want something, though?"
"I just wanted to check on you," he replied. "I'll confess I was a bit worried about how you were adjusting."
"That's very kind," she said. "But you don't need to worry about me. Everyone has been very kind."
"It was more concern for my father," he said. "He surprised me a bit with the proposal, and I wasn't quite sure what he was thinking when he went through with it. I suppose I owe you an apology for that, as well."
"I'd have been concerned as well," she admitted. "With my reputation and all."
There was no keeping the brittleness out of her voice, even though she understood everything he was saying. Had her own father married a woman like her, Belle would have hit the roof. As publicly as Belle had fallen, he'd been absolutely right to be concerned about her and surely her behavior last time hadn't helped his estimation of her any.
"The point is," Neal broke into her thoughts], "I was wrong, and I wanted to apologize for it."
"Thank you," she said. "I mean it, I do appreciate the thought."
Neal smiled in something that looked close to relief, and she was glad he'd told her. It had hurt to hear that her fears had been correct and he had feared the worst, but the fact that he'd said it meant that he didn't think it anymore. So if nothing else, he'd decided to trust her.
Just at that moment, Grace burst back into the room with tears streaming down her face and threw herself into Belle..
"I lost Rosie," the little girl sobbed before Belle could even ask what was wrong. "I'm so sorry. She saw a rabbit and ran and I tried to catch her but I couldn't and I don't know where she is, I'm so sorry Belle."
It took a moment for Belle to work out exactly what the little girl was telling her - that her constant companion and the closest thing Belle was likely to have had run away - but Neal caught on much faster, jumping to his feet.
"I'm sure she didn't get far," he said quickly. "Can you show me where she went?"
Grace nodded, climbing to her feet and letting him lead her from the room. Belle got up and trailed after as they hurried outside. Lizzie was already out there, calling for the puppy and scanning the horizon. Grace gestured towards a bank of trees as the place where the dog had gone off to, and Neal wasted no time in taking off towards them in search of her with Lizzie in tow. Grace, however, returned to Belle's side and began sobbing out an apology again.
"Oh sweetheart," Belle replied, reaching out to stroke the little girl's hair. "It's truly all right. I know you didn't lose her on purpose and Neal will find her."
Belle knew that Grace loved Rose almost as much as she did, and that made it a lot easier to set the strange overwhelmed buzzing in her head aside to comfort the girl.
"But it's all my fault," Grace said through a sniffle and tears. "I let her get away."
"It could have happened to anyone," Belle replied, bending down to dab Grace's face with her handkerchief. "She's always trying to run away. She'll turn up."
Grace nodded, collapsing into Belle for a hug before pulling away and going off towards the woods herself.. Belle watched her long enough to see the little girl staying outside the bank of trees, instead hovering at the edge calling the dog's name out.
"That was good of you," Rhys said from off to Belle's side. She hadn't heard him come up, but hadn't been too startled for once at his appearance.
"She didn't do anything wrong," Belle replied. "Rosie needs a leash, or some training. Or both."
"Probably," he replied. "She went into the woods?"
"Apparently," Belle said. "According to Grace, anyway. There was a rabbit and she ran."
The idea of her dog being lost was awful. She loved Rose as much as she'd loved anything, and besides her affection for the puppy itself, it was also the first gift her husband had ever given her and a symbol of all her hopes for her marriage. Losing Rose (especially so soon after everything else) would mean that she'd lost all hope and she couldn't quite face that yet.
"There aren't any wild animals in the woods besides deer," Rhys broke into her worried thoughts. "She'll be out soon enough."
Belle nodded, willing herself to believe him. There was no reason to think Rose wouldn't come back any minute now. She just had to wait and hope. Rhys didn't leave her side, although she couldn't think of what to say to him - she appreciated that he was there for her and that he was a source of comfort even though neither one spoke as they watched the search party in the woods. Grace had taken up Lizzie's spot at the tree line while Lizzie had followed Neal into the woods.
"I need to go help look," Belle said finally. "She doesn't know Neal, and she only sometimes comes when you call her."
She expected to have to defend her choice. There was no way her father would have allowed her to go wandering through the woods regardless of what she had planned to do in them.
"I'll come with you," he said. "You shouldn't go in by yourself."
She glanced at his cane, and he seemed to unconsciously move it out of her line of sight. She wouldn't question him about it. If he believed she could go hunting through the woods for her puppy in a petticoat and a corset, she would believe he could do the same with his cane.
"Thank you," she said, reaching out and taking his hand in hers before she could second-guess her choice.
He looked at where her hand held his with a slightly stunned look on his face before glancing back to her and nodding a little.
"Come," he said, moving towards the trees without pulling his hand from hers - and she chose not to let his go, either. She'd been starving for touch since her aborted attempt at marital intimacy, and even this touch of his hand was a little like a light in the darkness. She felt more whole now, and she wasn't sure if it was him or just what he represented and the life she had been so close to reclaiming.
Either way, he led her towards the woods and they were preparing to enter together, when Neal's voice rang out followed by a shout from Lizzie. The two of them spilled out of the woods not long later, Neal holding a little bundle of fur that might once have been recognizable as Belle's pampered pet were it not for the burrs and mud on her coat.
"We found her!" Lizzie called out cheerfully, wiping her hair back from where it had fallen from her pins. The maid looked the happiest Belle had ever seen her.
"She was having a grand time," Neal said, holding the puppy out towards Belle who took her gladly despite the horrible smell. "She found a dead frog to roll around in."
Belle paused for a minute, glancing down to the dog who was currently wagging her tail so hard and trying to lick Belle's face in excitement at their reunion that Belle couldn't stay angry with her. Anyway, Neal had been cradling the dog in his coat for God only knows how long and he seemed fine.
"Well," Belle said cheerfully, curling her arm under the dog to keep her steady and secure in her arms.. "I guess that means everyone gets to have a bath today. Grace, can you please ask your father to get a bath ready for Neal?"
Grace nodded and ran off ahead.
"Lizzie, can you help me get a wash bucket for the dog?" she asked her maid who was looking a little ragged around the edges, but at least seemed to have avoided picking up the smell from Rose. "You can take a bath yourself after that. I'll get cleaned up once Rose is taken care of."
"Of course," Lizzie replied, before wrinkling her nose. "That dog stinks so bad."
"She does," Neal agreed jovially. "But she's safe and sound and that's the important part, isn't it precious?"
The last part was directed at the puppy, who took up her tail wagging again and started squirming. Neal glanced at his father - who had been planted firmly at Belle's side for the entire exchange - before heading back towards the house with Lizzie not far behind.
Belle curled the dog in her arms like a baby, just happy to have her back even if she was disgusting. She felt a slight pressure on her back, and realized that Rhys had put his hand on her spine and was guiding her towards the house.
"I'm glad she's home," he said quickly. "Although she does stink."
"She really, really does," Belle replied with a giggle. "I barely want to touch her but I can't bring myself to put her down."
"Maybe next time I'll get you a cat," he teased gently. "Something self-sufficient."
"Oh, don't say that," she mock scolded him. "She can hear you! She's been a wonderful companion and I love her so much."
He seemed to stumble a little bit but he caught himself so quickly she might have imagined it.
"Good," he replied. "That's very good."
She wanted to apologize to him for what had happened between them the other day, but her courage deserted her once they were at the door to the house.
"Will I see you at dinner?" she asked him instead.
"Of course," he said. "I wouldn't miss it."
Belle loved the dog. Rhys didn't know why that of all things had set his head spinning, but she loved the dog. That was a good thing. She loved something. She loved something he had given her. He wasn't sure yet why that was so important, but he could feel in his bones that it was. She could love the dog, so she could love other things.
Poor Grace had been the only other person to come back from the woods untouched by the dog's smell, and the rest of the staff had to be employed in helping the three others get cleaned up, so it probably shouldn't have been much of a surprise to find the little girl perched in front of a fire in one of the drawing rooms with the wet dog, a towel, and a brush. He cleared his throat to get her attention and she jumped a bit and spun around to see who was there before relaxing.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Lady Belle asked me to dry the dog so she could get a bath. I can go someplace else."
"No, no," he said hurriedly. "I interrupted you, not the other way around. I was merely looking for something to do and everyone else is busy. Do you mind if I join you?"
Grace shook her head before dropping back down onto the hearth with the puppy and the brush. Rose seemed to have exhausted herself in her adventure and was settled quite comfortably on the blanket while Grace brushed out her coat.
"Are you enjoying your stay here?" he asked, and Grace looked up before nodding.
"I really like getting to see my papa more," she replied. "It's been a long time since we were able to live together."
"That's good," he said. "Very good. And do you like Lady Belle?"
His wife tended not to use her title since their marriage, preferring instead to be called Mrs. Gold, but with Grace 'Lady Belle' had been a compromise between the girl not feeling comfortable calling her by her first name without some sort of honorific in front of it.
"I do," Grace said. "She's very kind. And very pretty."
Grace looked over to him as though she wanted some confirmation this had been the right thing to say, but he was beyond giving her any guidance on that front, consumed as he was with wanting any information he could get about his wife.
"She is," he said at last. "What do you two do all day?"
"I've been teaching Lizzie to sew," Grace said. "Papa says she has to learn, and I'm very good at it. Granny used to take in laundry when I was staying with her, and I'd help her with the mending."
"That's very good," Rhys replied. "I'm sure you're an excellent seamstress. What else do you do?"
Grace thought for a moment before answering.
"Lady Belle is teaching me to embroider," she said, setting her brush down next to the now sleeping puppy. "And she likes to read sometimes."
"Does she?" he asked. He'd known that, but hadn't seen any evidence of her doing much of it, although Grace did spend much more time with Belle than he did. "She reads a lot with you, then?"
"Not with me," Grace said. "But there's always a different book in her sewing basket. I think she reads them at night after I'm in bed."
"Oh," Rhys replied, feeling like he'd been slapped. She wasn't sleeping, she was reading all night instead. "And what do you two talk about? Her books?"
"Lots of things," Grace said. "Books sometimes, but also we talk about Rose and London - I've never been, you know - and dresses. Sometimes we talk about Lizzie's day because she's the only one of us who ever leaves the house."
"Do you want to go out?" he asked. He could at least give Jefferson the idea that perhaps Grace might like a trip to town on his next free afternoon.
"I do," Grace said. "But I think Lady Belle does, too. We talk about it a lot. She said someday she'd take me to the sweet shop in town and we can get a collar and a leash for Rose."
"You know," he said. "That's not a bad idea. Do you know where the town is?"
Grace nodded. It really wasn't too far away, after all.
"Go find your father and tell him I said to give you and Lizzie a few pence and that you could go into town and buy the dog a collar and leash. Afterward you can go buy some candy."
"Really?" Grace said, jumping up. "You mean it?"
"Of course," Rhys said.
The little girl squealed loudly enough that the puppy stirred before settling back down.
"Thank you!" Grace exclaimed, kissing his cheek affectionately before dashing out to find her father for her promised trip out.
It was really nothing at all for him to send her with a little money, and after this little misadventure Rose was officially in need of a leash. As for Belle, if she wanted to go out he would take her and Neal out someplace much more interesting than the tiny little town where she'd have to listen to village matrons who wanted to cluck over her scandals as though she wasn't right there.
Rhys couldn't shake the feeling that he was in over his head with Belle, but he couldn't stop himself now. If spoiling a little girl and a puppy made her feel better then that's what he would do.