Beatrice (The Tipton Hollow 2)

y on top of an assortment of fruit, cheese, meats, a pie, and bread. The veritable feast was everything a discerning picnicker could want when trying to impress a lady. He mentally thanked the housekeeper for her unwavering support of his extremely worthwhile cause, and threw Beatrice a rueful smile.

“It seems that my housekeeper has outdone herself. I hope you are hungry because there is enough food here to feed a small army.” With that, he started to pull the contents out, and handed them, one by one, to Beatrice.

They sat in companionable silence for a long time while they ate, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Thank you,” she murmured when Ben topped her wine up. She smiled at him. “Do you know something? I cannot remember a day that I have enjoyed more.”

Ben looked as relaxed as she felt, and didn’t do anything other than turn his head to look at her.

“Lie back and look at the clouds with me?” he suggested softly.

Beatrice smiled and did just that. They spent several minutes discussing various shapes of the clouds before the empty blue sky left them silent. “Thank you for this. It has been wonderful.”

“We needed to begin courting properly,” he replied simply. He rolled onto his side, and propped his head in his hands while he studied her.

Her heart flipped at his suggestion that they were now ‘courting’, and this officially counted as their first outing together. She couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

“Whatever is going on with the plant, we shouldn’t put our lives on hold until we establish who owns it. For both of our sakes, it is important that we start to get our relationship on a firmer footing.” His voice grew quiet and thoughtful as he spoke. “I want you to know, Beatrice, that once the mystery is solved I have absolutely no intention of following the usual courting process.”

Beatrice froze in the process of taking a sip of wine and stared at him. “Is there such a thing as a normal courting process?” She was only half-joking and, for a moment, wondered if there was something she may have missed.

“I mean that the usual courting process can take years. I have no intention of waiting that long before we make matters more permanent.”

Beatrice studied him; a little nonplussed at his statement. He sounded as though he was reading an article in a newspaper. The stern, authoritative lines on his face made him look almost officious, and considerably less like a man with romance on his mind. His blunt words, untampered with flowery words and amorous declarations, dampened the thrill of the moment a little if she was honest, and she wasn’t quite sure what to say.

She studied the blanket beneath them a little too carefully while she tried to quell her disappointment, and find something suitable to say.

Ben watched her, and wondered if he was pushing too hard. While he didn’t want to rush her into anything she wasn’t ready for, it was important that she understood his intentions were honourable. It was not a case of ‘if’ they were going to be married; it was a case of ‘when’.

“You are aware of the attraction between us,” he argued, even though she had yet to speak. “Neither of us can deny it is there. I have wanted to get to know you from the second I first saw you in Tipton Hollow. To be honest with you, I followed you after service last Sunday, just to be able to find a way to speak to you. While I am sorry that you were injured, at least something good came out of it. Not only did I manage to get you to talk to me, but I came to your rescue as well.”

“I am glad that you were the one who came to my rescue,” Beatrice admitted softly. “Although I could have done without the injury, I cannot think of anyone I would have liked to rescue me more. I just hope that you don’t make a habit of it.”

“Talking to you?” Ben scowled dramatically.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Rescuing me,” she sighed. “I have to admit that I felt a fool for being so helpless.”

“You are no fool, Beatrice,” he assured her.

To his consternation, he watched her pack the left-overs back into the basket, and wondered if she wasn’t ready to acknowledge the prospect of a future together yet. It irked him a little that she was clearly uncomfortable discussing matters so close to her heart, especially with him. He wanted her to feel as though she could talk to him about anything, whenever she wanted; even her deepest and darkest feelings.

Beatrice closed the lid of the basket and sat back to finish her wine. She was aware that Ben had moved to sit right beside her, but kept her gaze firmly locked on the river.

“I want you to know that I am happy to slow the progress of our relationship a little, if that is what will make you more comfortable. The last thing I want is to push you into anything you are not ready for. I want to assure you that, now I have you in my life, I am never going to let you go, Beatrice. As far as I am concerned, our future lies together; as man and wife.”

“I am just not used to this kind of thing, Ben, that’s all. I am glad that you want to see me again; of course I am. It is just that we hardly know each other,” she sighed. “So much has changed in the past week that I don’t know what to make of it all. I just need things to settle down a little before I make any decisions about anything. My life has gone from being boring and predictable, to downright chaotic. While I would feel considerably better if I never saw that plant again, or any of the men involved with creating it, all of this has made me realise just how much I am missing out on in life.”

“Now wait a minute,” Ben gasped. He dropped his glass onto the grass beside him and turned to face her. “I hope you are not getting used to all of this espionage and subterfuge? I don’t mind it for a little while, but if you even think for one second that you are going to find another mystery to keep yourself occupied with when this is all over, then you really will have to think again.”

Beatrice stared at him with eyes that were tinged with just a little bit of disquiet. “I make my own decisions on what I do in life, Ben,” she replied quietly, but firmly. “I am an independent woman who makes her own choices in life. All I am trying to say is that I don’t think I am suited to marriage,” she added with a frown.

She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her. Her was a man; a dark, passionate, caring man, who was offering her everything she had ever wanted. Yet all of a sudden, she had doubts. She had no idea where they came from; or how to get rid of them; they were just there, and refused to be ignored.

Ben snorted disparagingly. “There has never been any woman more suited to marriage than you, Beatrice. You are kind, generous, caring, considerate, passionate, loving. You would make an excellent mother, and perfect companion. I have the strongest suspicion that life with you could never ever be considered boring in any way, shape or form.”

She looked frankly at him. “My life has been boring, Ben.”

“That is because of your circumstances. Those are changing around you as we speak. Marriage won’t stop you continuing to change things until you establish the life you are happy with,” he assured her. “You will never find out what you want if you don’t take chances. I know that you have the Circle, your friends, and the house to run. That alone is more than enough for any woman to contend with. However, you are an intelligent young woman who needs stimulation, and something to think about. While I cannot provide you with another mystery to solve, we are both in a financial position that will enable us to explore the country a little, if not the world around us. There is nothing to say that marriage will confine us to the house. I, for one, do not want a biddable wife who will put dinner on the table each night, but will be bored stupid doing it. I want someone to share my life with; someone who will walk by my side.” He picked her hand up in his and interlaced their fingers. “Hand in hand.”