Merely the Groom (Free Fellows League 2)

Gillian’s father waited until the resounding chorus of cheers faded before he presented his toast and his wedding gift to the bride and groom. “My dear old friends and my dear new friends, please raise your glasses to my beloved daughter, Gillian, and her bridegroom, Lord Grantham, the truest of gentlemen and the best man any father could hope to have wed his only daughter.” He looked to Colin. “Today, my daughter will leave my home and begin a new life with her husband. Lady Davies and I hate to see her leave. This big, old house will be empty without her, but our loss is Lord Grantham’s gain. Gillian has brightened our lives from the moment she came into the world. When we bought this house, her presence in it made it a home. And we have no doubt that she will do the same for you. Lord Grantham.” Gillian’s father removed a thick vellum envelope from inside his coat pocket and handed it to Colin. “Colin, my son.” The baron glanced over at the Earl of McElreath. “Your father and mother and Lady Davies and I would deem it a very great honor if you will accept this as our wedding gift.”

Colin glanced at Gillian and at his parents and realized they were as surprised by the baron’s gesture as he was. Colin understood that his mother and father hadn’t been part of the process, but he deeply appreciated the baron’s generosity in including his father and mother in the giving of the gift.

“Don’t keep us in suspense,” someone called. “Open it!”

“May I?” Colin asked.

Lord Davies nodded.

Colin opened the envelope and withdrew a pair of heavy brass door keys and the deed for Number Twenty-one Park Lane.

“What is it?” Gillian asked, leaning close to peer over Colin’s arm.

Colin opened his palm to reveal the keys. “A house,” he answered, stunned. “Door keys and a deed for Number Twenty-one Park Lane.”

“Twenty-one Park Lane!” Alyssa exclaimed. “We’re practically neighbors! It’s a lovely house with a fine, old-fashioned formal garden that could be magnificent with a bit of attention.”

Number Twenty-one Park Lane was the former home of the late Lord Herrin who had died without wife or issue. It was a beautiful home just down the lane from the Duke of Sussex’s residence, around the corner from Griff and Alyssa’s town house, a block from Shepherdston’s house, and two and a half blocks away from the Davies town house.

Colin stared at the deed and then shook his head as if to clear it. If he had had any doubts about the lengths to which Davies would go to see his daughter well settled, Colin laid them to rest. The baron had bought him a house. His name was inscribed on the legal document in big, bold letters. Colin McElreath, Lord Grantham. If he accepted the house Gillian’s parents offered, two of the original Free Fellows and their wives would be the newest Free Fellow’s neighbors. He and Griff and Sussex could labor to decipher French ciphers over coffee in the gardens where the corners of their properties converged. Colin couldn’t decide if Fortune had decided to shine upon him or if Fate was simply showing her hand.

“We know it was presumptuous, but we took the liberty of having it cleaned and made ready,” Lord Davies said. “In the event you decided to honeymoon there.”

Colin looked up from the deed. “My friend, the Marquess of Shepherdston, has made his country house in Bedfordshire available for our use.”

Lord Davies nodded. “The house is ready should you wish to use it tonight.” He smiled at Gillian. “The staff is temporary, though. Your mother and I thought it best that we not overstep our bounds by hiring a permanent one. As mistress of the house, you should be allowed to hire your own staff.”

“But, sir—?

?? Colin began.

“No, it’s not part of the marriage settlement.” Lord Davies anticipated Colin’s protest. “It’s a gift.”

“I don’t know what to say to such a generous gift.” Colin’s pride warred with his gratitude. Pride won. “It’s too much.”

“That all depends on your point of view.” Lord Davies laughed. “Every bridegroom needs a threshold over which to carry his bride. Or would you rather begin your married life living with your in-laws? Or your parents?”

Colin smiled. “I see your point, sir. And I thank you for your generous gift, Lord Davies.”

Lord Davies clapped his new son-in-law on the shoulder. “Wise decision, lad.”

Gillian threw her arms around her father’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Oh, thank you, Papa.”

Lord Davies shrugged his shoulders. “I cannot take complete credit for the idea,” he admitted, looking over his daughter’s shoulder to where his wife stood with tears shimmering in her eyes. “I selfishly wanted to keep you close. I wanted to refurbish the fourth-floor apartments and the nurseries for your use, but your mother thought the two of you needed a greater degree of privacy. A home of your own seemed the ideal solution.”

Gillian met her mother’s gaze and then walked over and embraced her. “Thank you, Mama, for understanding.”

“Your father and I lived with his mother and father when we first married.” She smiled at the memory. “We loved them dearly, but living in their home wasn’t the best way to start a marriage.”

Lord Davies chuckled. “Your mama threatened to leave me on numerous occasions. And I remember thinking that if I had to choose between my wife and my mother once more, I would leave.”

“We didn’t truly become husband and wife until we left his parents’ bed and board. And if we hadn’t managed to find a cottage of our own, you would never have made an entrance into the world,” Lady Davies told her.

Lord Davies agreed. “Twenty-one Park Lane can’t compare to Plum Cottage but—”

“Plum Cottage?” It was the first time Gillian had ever heard the name.

“A tiny cottage outside London proper,” Lady Davies said. “There were plum trees in the garden. They bloomed shortly after we moved in. We named the cottage after the trees. Plum Cottage.” She smiled at her husband. “We left Plum Cottage and moved into this house just before your fourth birthday, but we still own the cottage. We couldn’t bear to part with it.”