Chapter Fourteen

Sarah looked at the clock for what seemed like the eighth time that hour. It had only been a few minutes since the last time she looked. Letting out a sigh she returned her gaze to the front Street. She had been perched on the window sill all morning, waiting but it was now three hours after he was due to arrive. Sarah began speculating different scenarios to explain why he was late but all they did was fill her heart with dread. Her mother was the one who broke the spell. "Sarah you need to calm down and be patient. What's that saying, umm... Yes. A watched clock never boils... Wait, that's not right."

Sarah hid a smile even as she corrected, "I'm afraid that's only for pots mother."

Amelia gave her a deadpan look that only served to widen Sarah's smile. Sarah let out a sigh and stopped looking longingly out the window and regarded her mother, who was now seated, serving tea.

She sat silent for moments watching her mother's movements as she expertly poured the tea. Shaking her head softly when her mother asked her if she wanted a cup, instead she let out a long suffering sigh and asked, "Why is he always so late?"

Amelia sipped her tea elegantly before replying, "for as long as I've known Jonah and that's all his life give or take a few years, he's always been late and not fashionably so. You do realise that as his wife, you're going to have to get used to his tardiness."

Sarah cast another brief glance at the window before responding, "maybe if I hit him over the head it might reprogram the part of him that makes him tardy?"

Amelia frowned at the eager expression on her daughter's face and put her tea cup down before sternly reprimanding Sarah, "Jonah is no longer the little boy you had your jollies hurting as a child, he's a gentleman, a lord and soon to be your husband and also the father of your children. You should regard him with as much respect as you would have any of your other suitors."

Sarah let out a sigh, feeling chastised she said, "I'm sorry mother, it's just rather odd seeing Jonah as he is, granted it's been years since we've been around each other but he'll always be Jonah to me, not Lord Holland."

Amelia gave a sad smile, "I know but you must remember that society doesn't see it that way. That is why all your antics should be behind the spotlight. As children you might not have had to face the consequences of disrespecting him but as his wife, you shouldn't give society a reason to be judgemental,as your parents and Jonah as your husband, we may not be able to help you if that happened."

Sarah smiled and said, "Jonah wouldn't care about what society had to say. It's one of the things I adore about him. I know for a fact that he would protect me not matter the scandal. It's one of the things that help me tolerate trivial things like his tardiness."

Amelia smiled, "the sacrifices we make as wives always pale in comparison to the rewards we get in the end."

Sarah smiled and nodded in agreement, casting one final glance at the window, she was almost giving up on waiting for him when she saw a carriage stop in front of their house. It held the Holland family crest. A few seconds later she saw a familiar head of brown hair and the telltale broad shoulders she'd come to adore. Getting up, the smile on her face widening, she raced out of the drawing room, feeling an excitement fill her. She couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"Mother, he's here. I will be back in a few hours." Sarah spoke quickly as she picked up her purse and bonette which were laying right beside her. She noticed her mother smile a knowing smile at her but she chose to ignore it. Just as she was about to walk out of the room, her mother stopped her, "I know you're excited to be spending time with Jonah but please be back before afternoon tea, there is much to do before the wedding and we have to visit the modiste  for your final dress fitting."

Sarah nodded impatiently as she listened to her mother with one ear yet the other was fully focused on the receiving room. Giving her mother a kiss on the cheek she walked into the receiving room just as the door opened.

"Good morning Miss Sutton." Jonah smiled at her as he entered the room, Sarah felt her heart skip a beat as she looked into his honey orbs. She collected herself after a few seconds of admiring his smile.

"Good morning Mr Holland. Shall we depart?" Sarah asked as she placed her hand in his outstretched palm. He nodded and in no time at all they were out the door.

Instead of going for a long leisure walk as they usually did, they got into the carriage waiting outside Sutton House. Sarah started to panic because she knew that they would most definitely be late returning but just as she was about to protest, he assured her, "I promise we won't take long. I promised my mother and yours to have you back by three, besides, this is honestly much faster." At his words, she felt her resistance ebb away and she boarded the carriage. As soon as her back hit the cushioned seat, Sarah felt her body relax. Minutes passed after their departure from Sutton House and as they sat in the carriage she noticed his uncharacteristic silence, when she started to talk she realized that he had been staring at her. So without any finesse at all Sarah questioned him about his staring, earning herself a repressed giggle from Mary, the unofficial chaperone for the day.

"What?" Sarah asked, "why are you staring? It's a little unnerving ." Jonah smiled and shook his head. " I was admiring your dress. You look very beautiful Sarah."

She was suddenly at a loss at his unexpected compliment. Her cheeks bloomed and had she been fair, her cheeks would have been beet red. She looked at him thoughtfully, "I wore a dress with a similar cut to this one a few days ago. You did not compliment me then."

Jonah laughed, "You always look beautiful, it isn't about what you wear. I just like the colour of this one, it compliments you."

Sarah looked at Mary who was seated next to her, holding in what might have been uncontrollable laughter and she bit her tongue to silence the wayward appendage. Jonah noticed this and he smirked, he would bet a pretty sum that she was about to say something her maid would not have approved. He winked in her direction and watched as she rolled her eyes.

"Have we arrived?" Sarah asked as the carriage rolled to a stop half an hour into their journey.

Jonah nodded as he stepped out of the carriage. Helping her down, Jonah marveled at the size of her small hand, even after she was safe on the ground he did not release her hand, making sure to engulf the small hand with his mammoth one.

Sarah looked at the house before her, it was huge, with ornate doors which reminded her of the fancy cathedrals in town. Like the large chapels, the mansion before her had magnificent gardens around it and immaculate stone steps leading to the front door but this clearly was a residential area, question was, who's residence?

"Where are we?" Sarah asked as she followed him up the steps, admiring the click clock of her heeled shoes on the stone.

Jonah turned to her and smiled, taking great pleasure at the clear appreciative look on her face as her eyes roamed all-over the face of the property.

"This is Bloomsburg house. It was one of my grandfather's many homes, he willed each one of his grandsons a house and on my return to London I found out that he'd willed Bloomsburg to me. This is where we shall reside once we wed." He spoke as he knocked on the door.

Sarah was speechless as she watched the doors open. The inside was magnificent and splendid. She struggled to keep her mouth closed from opening in shock.

The footman stood at attention by the door, a smile on his face as he greeted Jonah, next to him was a kind looking woman who Jonah introduce as the house keeper of the lovely property.

"Love, this is Mr and Mrs Sherwood. They have taken care of Bloomsburg house since my grandfather resided here . Mrs Sherwood this is my wife to be Miss Sarah Sutton."

Sarah greeted the couple with a warm and friendly smile, assuring Jonah for the nth time that she would be a lovely hostess in the foreseeable future.

"The official introduction will occur after the wedding of course but for now I wanted to take you round the gardens." Jonah spoke as he led her through an open door. Sarah followed closely, eager to explore the gigantic house that in few days time would become her home. Accustomed to having a living shadow, Sarah turned to gadge Mary's closeness when she found that they were alone. She looked back to find Mary in deep conversation with the housekeeper. Excusing herself from Jonah she approached Mary, talking in hushed tones she questioned "aren't you going to follow us into the gardens, Mary? You are my chaperone after all."

Mary shook her head excitedly before saying, "There's simply no need my Lady, I believe that his grace will behave in an appropriate manner in your presence. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? You are to be his wife in a few days, so there is absolutely nothing to worry about."

Sarah bit her bottom, glancing at Jonah who stood patiently at the door she then turned back to Mary, biting her lip once again in worry, "are you sure Mary?"

Mary held her hand and said, "yes, I'm sure it's perfectly fine. I have to go talk to the housekeeper, get the lay of the land. I am going to be the chief maid of the lady of the house. I have a lot to learn, my Lady."

Sarah nodded then watched as Mary walked away, she then turned and walked over to  Jonah who had been waiting for her patiently. Taking his hand, they fell into step with each other and started walking in the gardens. The main garden was beautiful and had an enormous lawn that Sarah Immediately associated with balls, luncheons and banquets.

Rushing to the bountiful rose bushes that were the crowning jewel of the garden, she found herself cooing over the beautiful flowers. Jonah came to stand beside her, "My grandmother loved her garden, she grew a lot of flowers but she mostly loved her roses." Pointing to a recently dug up patch of ground. "I instructed the gardener to plant more rose bushes all around the house. I know how much you love roses."

Sarah looked at him and she couldn't stop her heart from racing, he was so thoughtful that it was borderline unnerving. She watched as Jonah plucked a rose from the bush and as he deftly removed the thorns before handing it to her. As she admired the beautiful and healthy flower, she felt his finger at her chin, she let her head rise at the soft coaxing to meet his golden gaze.

"This is your home now Sarah. In a few days you will be the lady of the house. I want you to be comfortable." Sarah smiled at that adoring him even more with every word he spoke. She felt her heart flutter from the way he looked at her but then her smile dropped and she let out a sigh as uncertainty begun to crawl up her spine. Walking over to a bench overlooking a beautiful pond and sitting down she twirled the rose in between her fingers, thankful that the thorns were missing.

"What's wrong little dove?" Jonah asked. He could sense that something was amiss judging by the shift in her demeanour. He had intended to bring her to his home, their home to make her happy but now her demeanor had changed and it gnawed on his brain. Sitting next to her he was determined to find out what the matter was.

She gave him a sad smile. "I can't explain it."

Jonah took her hand in his, trying to lift the mood while also getting some answers he said, "you can try, I'm sure I can manage to understand. I'm honestly not that daft."

Sarah laughed slightly before looking him in the eye, taking in the golden honey orbs that made her feel extraordinarily warm all over.

They looked in each other's eyes for what seemed like hours but was only seconds. Sarah was the one to cut contact first when she looked at the beautiful hyacinths growing by the bench. With a nod followed by a deep sigh, she started..

"From childhood, women are trained to become wives and mothers. It's a fate we all must await. Marriage garners us protection and status, not just for ourselves but for our families too." She stopped to take a breath. "My upbringing wasn't any different. I was raised to be a poised and mild mannered debutante who would attract the highest ranking suitors I could find. Honestly I can say that, I've always wanted more. To be more than a trophy wife who does nothing but host parties and Balls. I wanted to take control of my own future. To be my own person."

She turned to face him, looking straight into his eyes.

"When Edward died, I was thrust into the spotlight. As the eldest the responsibility was thrust upon my shoulders. If I don't bear an heir, my family can lose the title."

Jonah nodded before asking, "what about Harold won't he be next in line."

"Traditionally yes but he's still young. At fifteen winters old, he has a long way to go. My grandfather, is still young but my grandmother feels the need to have a ready heir if God decides to take him. The title would be passed over to one of our cousins, if only temporarily but in this day and age, hoping that it would be temporary would be like betting on a lame horse at a derby."

Jonah held her hand in his, understanding dawning on his features, "that's a lot of responsibility for one person."

Sarah nodded then wrapped her fingers around his, feeling the warmth of his skin through the satin material of her glove.

"I don't like change." She declared with barely a glance in his direction.

Jonah looked up at her, shocked at her proclamation but he kept quiet, giving her the time and opportunity to open herself up at her own pace..

"Change always destabilizes me. I love being in a constant state, where the variables are always the same. If I'm being honest with myself it is probably the main reason I have rejected so many proposals thus far. I just didn't want to wake up one day as the wife of a stranger. Thrust into the spotlight as some countess or duchess."

Jonah listened silently, giving her his ear, letting her continue. "I think it's why I accepted your plan so quickly. I preferred familiar to something new. I can be free with you. I don't have to be something I'm not, I don't have to be some empty headed debutante from Mayfair. For that, I am extremely grateful Jonah."

He looked at her in shock. She was grateful to him. He was the one who was grateful, with her in his life he felt complete. More than he had in quite a lifetime.

Jonah was surprised when he found himself drawing her in his arms. She too was shocked, he could feel it when she tensed in his arms but only for a short while then she softened and moulded herself to him. She was probably afraid of being seen but he knew that his staff would honestly careless what he did with his betrothed and he was glad that he didn't have to convince her.

They sat in silence for almost half an hour until Jonah remembered something important.

"I spoke to Justice Darwin last night."

Sarah turned to face him, curiosity in her eyes. "Is there a problem?"

Jonah shook his head, "no, there's no problem at all. I just talked to him concerning fastening the processing of our marriage license."

Sarah sat up, removing herself from his embrace. "Whatever for?"

Jonah knew that he had to tread lightly so as not to make her angry, "I thought it would be better to have the ceremony on a Saturday. So we can have both our families in attendance. Fastening the ceremony would make it harder for any interruptions to take place." He thought quick, coming up with the excuse she was most likely to believe. If he'd told her the real reason then a resounding slap would have most definitely been in his future. His bed being a little too cold for his liking was not a valid excuse.

Sarah looked at him thoughtfully, "I hadn't thought of that. It's a rather thoughtful gesture Jonah. Thank you." She smiled, even as she settled back against him. She turned to face him when once again he lifted her chin with his finger.

She was really close to him and Jonah couldn't stop looking at her lips. Beautiful soft lips that he ached to cover with his own.

She was clueless as to where his thoughts had gone. Jonah reached out and lifted her chin slightly more before he spoke huskily, "I want to kiss you Sarah."

He could tell that the request surprised her and he was more than shocked when she gave a small nod. A simple tilt of her head and drawing closer on his part and their lips connected.

Jonah admitted to himself that although he had kissed his fair share of women before, none of them had ever made him feel the way she did. She let out a sigh and he took advantage of that, delving deeper. Sweet caramel and apples. That was what he tasted when she let him in. He let his hand slide to grab her waist, feeling her hand hesitantly rise to cup his head, running her fingers through his hair.

He didn't want to let her go, ever. Even as he felt the air in his lungs dissipate, he wanted to drown in her. Letting go of her waist was the hardest thing he had ever had to do and he thanked God that he had fastened the wedding.

She was flushed and her lips swollen when he let go of her. She had never looked as beautiful as she did in that moment, drunk in his kiss.

He drew her near and settled her beside him once more, wrapping his arms around her. When she melted into his embrace he felt content.

A few meters away, Mary stood looking at the couple. A smile on her face as happiness for her lady was evident. Giving a brisk nod to the clueless couple she walked away, humming to herself. Getting herself mentally ready for the move into this magnificent house.

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Hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. See you next week after as usual, slow editing is taking place. Take care.💜