The Last Kiss

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

There had been nothing happen that afternoon, not since the new outfits arrived. The rest of the day was just plain and ordinary. Lindsey was almost beside herself, knowing that Ashton would not be joining her that evening. She didn’t even take her dinner in the study like she had the previous two nights. Instead she ate her dinner in the confines of her bedroom, taking to a book afterward.

Not able to keep her eyes focused on the book of poetry she had been trying to read, she finally gave up. Lindsey could tell that tonight was not going to be a night that she would rest easy. No, not at all, since all her thoughts turned to Ashton. Why could she not get the thought of him out of her mind? She had kissed a man before, she had even sexual relations with a man before. But still there was something about him that took her breath away, if she could only know how he had this much control over her. She had just met him for the first time, only days before. With thoughts of him swirling in her head, she finally fell asleep.

Slipping off into dreamland, Lindsey saw the face of a stranger. Someone she couldn’t possible be attracted to, much less fall in love with. The more she looked at the person, the more his face seemed to change into someone she did know. Focusing her eyes even more, she saw that the unknown person finally came into full view, it was Ashton. Seeing his face, looking into his eyes made her smile, it was as if, his eyes were calling to her. Taunting for her to come closer to him, almost begging.

Waking in the morning, Lindsey vaguely remembered anything that she had dreamed, unlike before, where she recalled every detail. This morning, Josie had brought the morning tray earlier, she knew this pleased her. Maybe it had been the smell of the fresh warm biscuits, or maybe it was the sun shining in the room. Getting up, she walked over to the window and looked out, yes today would be another lovely day.

Today Lindsey would take advantage of the warm weather, not sure who to thank for that. Yes, indeed she would take a walk in the park after all the overseeing was finished for the day. She was almost enjoying the changes made to house, even if it wasn’t hers anymore. Blocking that thought, that was something she would not think about on such a perfect day. No, instead she would think of all the good things that had been brought with Ashton’s presence.

The day preceded as normal, Josie showed herself just as Lindsey had finished her meal. Helping her dress for the day, she picked another simple gown, not one of her new ones. It was if, she was saving those for a special occasion, not sure if one would ever come, but all the same waiting. Just like clockwork, Mr. O’Shea arrived as Lindsey was descending the stairs. The day held all the promises of being simply perfect.

The meeting with Mr. O’Shea only took a matter of minutes, he just needed a quick oking of a new piece. Then he was well on his way, stating that the new furniture should be delivered in a fortnight. It almost appeared that everything was all apart of a grand puzzle, and for once all the pieces fit. The only thought that kept pushing its way before anything else was Ashton, he would see her tonight. Lindsey found herself looking at the clock, only half past ten, oh this perfect day might last forever it seemed.

That was until after Lindsey had her afternoon tea, a small rain cloud swooped in and crushed the what she had been eager for all day. Sam brought in a note, already knowing it was from Ashton, Lindsey wasted no time, she quickly raced upstairs to her bedchamber, shutting the door behind her. Looking at the message she quickly ran her letter opener threw the wax seal, that in itself should have warned her of the news.

Ashton had not taken the time to use a wax seal on the other two letters he had given her. Why the change for this one?

Soon enough Lindsey had her answer, as she read:

‘My dearest Lindsey,

First off I would like to tell you good day. I regret however that I have broken yet another promise to you.’ right then Lindsey’s heart sank deep into her stomach.

But she continued to read:

'I do swear that it shall be made up to you as quickly as I can. I know that does not excuse the lies, but I give you my word that in the long run it will be well worth it. On that you will have to trust me, I do hope you can grant me that.

On a different note, I did no receive your note on how your day had gone, I do hope it was a good one. That hope is what allowed me to be away this long, I do miss our conversations. Do promise me that you will write of today, I so long to read about your day and the progress of the renovation of the house. All is well I pray, do let me know if something is not up to your standards and it will be changed immediately.

Also, I do hope I’m not spoiling the milk, but did the gowns I ordered arrive yesterday? There was one I most particularly found as my favorite, the blue one. Oh, I almost forgot, I have given you credit at the shops in town, just give them my name and have fun. Not that you’re the type of woman that does nothing but shop, but with the new dresses, I guessed you would need matching slippers, and other female fripperies.

There was something else it seems im forgetting, oh, the carriage. Yes, indeed, I purchased a rather nice carriage some time ago, and it is at your command, use it as you wish. Do enjoy yourself today, it holds hopes of being a beautiful day as I look out the window. Once more, until tomorrow, my sweet, when I shall see your angel face again.

Lovingly Yours,
Ashton’

Oh, how his words melted her heart away, Lindsey held this letter to her chest. Only to wish that it was not a paper but instead Ashton’s body. Walking over to the vanity table where she kept the other letters from Ashton, she grabbed them in her hand. She needed a new and better hiding place, knowing that her hands weren’t the only ones to go threw that drawer. Maybe she was just being nervous, she knew that Josie would never read her notes. The girl had never once given Lindsey any reason not to trust her, why should she worry now, but a sinking feeling inside of her took over. The letters must be kept in a different place, no matter who she thought might see them.

Going to the closet, she found the perfect place, an old box that was in the very back. The box had obviously been long forgotten about, it had layers of dust on the top of it. Yes, this would be the perfect place to hide the papers. One problem, peering at the box while standing might not be easy but reaching would be another thing. Glancing around for something sturdy to stand on, she thought of the chair that
Ashton had slept on when she fainted.

Dragging the chair into the closet took little effort but getting the box still might prove troublesome. Stretching as far as she could reach, she finally got her hand on it. Bringing it down, she saw that it wasn’t just some box, it had been her mothers music box. Tears filled Lindsey’s eyes, she had thought the box had been lost. Indeed this would be the best place to hide the letters. Opening it up, it started playing a sweet tone she had long ago forgotten about, much like the box. Placing Ashton’s letters inside, she put it back, hoping not to knock anything off the shelf.
With a sigh of relief, Lindsey took her time in going back downstairs. Returning to the room with her tea, she rang for a new pot, knowing the one there would be cold by now. A small clock on the mantel chimed out that it was already noon. She hadn’t thought that much time had passed, but she guessed she had lingered over Ashton’s letter longer than she had thought.

Oh well, it didn’t matter much, the rest of her day would clear to do as she wished anyhow. Although the more she thought about Ashton’s sweet letter, the more she thought about taking him up on his words. Lindsey couldn’t remember the last time she had went shopping for new clothing. She knew it was well before she had been married, it seemed like so long ago. That would be her plan for the day, she would eat lunch, then shop for a bit.

As usual Josie brought in the hot meal, with a fresh pot of tea, and left with instructions on the plans for the remainder of the day. While Lindsey enjoyed the meal that the cook had made, Josie did as she was told and prepared for an afternoon of shopping.
Thinking she might not stand out as much, after eating, Lindsey went upstairs to try on one of the other new gowns. Just as she thought, it too fit just right. It seemed as if Ashton knew exactly what she would like in style and in color. He had said that the blue one was his favorite, so, that would be the dress she would be wearing next time she saw him. But for today, she would wear the rusty mauve colored dress, it was pretty, but not as nice as the blue one. Getting changed, Lindsey was well on her way for an afternoon of fun, it was a sure change to what she had been use to.

When Sam had opened the door for her, she saw what had to be the most over-the-top carriage in all of London. The wheels were the color of gold, as were the lamps on the sides. The carriage itself, was the blackest color of midnight, and looked as if it had take a team of men to shine it so bright. The team of horses were obviously the best that England had to offer or another country’s best. They were almost the same color as the carriage and their coats shined as much too. A perfect fit to a carriage like this one.

The footman promptly opened the door for her and Josie, giving a bow as they entered. At that moment Lindsey felt like royalty, nothing could change her thoughts on that. Once inside the carriage, sitting opposite of each other, Lindsey saw that the seats were covered with the softest of velvets, rich in a deep burgundy. The small drapes hanging over the glass windows, matched that of the velvet, with golden tie-backs. It was simply elegant, and made Lindsey feel like she was queen herself.

Ashton had claimed that this one was his for some time, but it looked like it had never been used. It showed no wear as one that might be used everyday or even on special occasions. No, it had to be new, along with the strong horses, Lindsey wondered if Ashton had bought this for her also? He might have lied to her about it, to not make her feel like he was being kind, not trying to show off his riches. Not even having shopped yet, today felt like she might have been a princess in some fairy tail story and she never wanted it to end.

The ride over to the shops, was typical, no one could avoid being bounced around in a carriage, no matter how perfect they were. Fact was the streets of London were some of the bumpiest it seemed. But that didn’t seem to bother Lindsey, her thoughts were elsewhere. All she could think about was the last time she had felt like this, this well taken care of. It was when she was still living with her parents, before her marriage. Thoughts roamed in her head of her father, oh how she missed him.

It had been some of the worst luck for her family, she had fallen in love with Robert, and she was floating on air. Until her father had told her that she would be wise not to marry Robert, but indeed try to find someone else. As with most young women, she ignored her father saying she was hopelessly in love. Tragedy came shortly after she had been warned about her future husband, they found her dead.

Kids playing in the streets had found his body, it was the worst thing Lindsey could possibly imagined. Her father had been murdered but the clues quickly turned cold, and still had not been solved. Her mother took the news in the worst way, she fell ill soon after, never to recover. It had been the saddest year of Lindsey’s life, first her father, then only a few short months after, her mother too. She had been left alone in the world, except for the man who had loved her, Robert. She had been seventeen when both her parents had passed on, and with waiting the proper mourning time, she was only two months after her eighteenth birthday.

The carriage coming to a stop, jolting Lindsey’s thoughts to the present time. Seeing that Josie wasn’t paying any attention to what she was doing. She lightly pinched her cheeks, hoping she didn’t look puffy or flustered. The thoughts of her parents untimely deaths always upset Lindsey, she just hoped that she didn’t appear to be upset. Right now the one thing she wished for was a looking glass to see to her appearance, but recalled that she had broke hers. Lifting her spirits a bit, she mentally put that on her list of things to purchase today.

***

Back at the house later that evening, Lindsey looked over all the things she had bought that day. She had been right, shopping did raised her spirits so much. Ashton also had been correct, not a single vendor had given her any troubles, when she said it would be paid by him. It must be nice to have people respect you that much and fall all over themselves at your beck-and-call. Everywhere she had gone to today, once Lord Manning’s name was said, they couldn’t keep from asking if she needed help. It was nice to be pampered in such a way, she thought in truth, that she could get use to that.

Opening the boxes, she saw that she had purchased a lot more than she thought. She had made a small mental list in her head, but once she arrived at the shops, that list seem to disappear. Scanning the room, she saw four new hats that had not been on her list of things. Even some of the items that were on the list, she seemed to buy more of. What would she do with seven pairs of slippers, or two corsets, she could only wear one at a time anyhow. The satin nightgown was sure not on the list, what in the world had she been thinking.

With a smile on her face, she knew exactly what she was thinking when she bought that nightgown. The way Ashton seemed to just walk in, she had hoped maybe he would see it, and...the smile grew larger, and wouldn’t be able to resist her. With that thought of him inside of her, her whole body tingled with desire. Needing those type thoughts out of her mind, she turned her attention to the new things laying scattered around the room. Her only hope was that Ashton would not be mad at her for buying so much. But then she recalled his letter, ‘have fun’ and ‘you would need other female fripperies’. She laughed, he hadn’t exactly put it in that order, but she promised herself that he would understand.

The clock sounded its time as half past six, just as her stomach chimed in also, indeed she had worked up an appetite. It was a good thing that supper would be served soon. She could almost hear the footsteps of Josie or Sam bringing her food or at least coming to state that dinner would be served soon. She thought for a minute, what would she do to pass the time, until the hour rang seven. Oh, a note, yes, she had almost forgotten. Ashton had asked, no, almost begged for her to write him.

Sitting down at the writing table, opened the drawer pulling out some paper. She picked up the quill, dipping it in the inkwell and started to write:

‘My dearest Ashton,


I regret that I did not write of yesterdays happenings, but I shall tell you of them now. Yes, the dresses were sent over, and they are all lovely. I very much agree with you though. Not that I don’t like the others but the blue one is indeed my favorite. Miss Brittenstel came by again, she was not able to measure my bedchamber windows or the rooms adjoining. Today, Mr. O’Shea stopped by, updating me with some of his drawings, they are quite good. I think you will be very pleased with what will be done with the house.

Today I took you up on your offer and went shopping. I do feel however you might be anger with me, I do think I over spent. If so, please let me know, and some of the things can be returned without any question. But again, you were correct, I did not have slippers to match the dresses you had sent over for me. I had hoped though, that I could give you a proper thank you in person, but I know not the next time we shall see one another. I do very much hope that it shall be like you said, tomorrow. There is already so much I would like to speak with you about, that I can not express properly on paper. I do have to admit that I am now exhausted and famished. Do return to me soon as you can.

Yours Always,
Lindsey’


Just as she finished penning her name, a knock came at the door. Announcing that dinner was served and needed to know if she was going to take her meal in the dinning area or in her room. Deciding that since the food would take less time getting to the table rather than her room, she choice to dine in the dinning room. For Lindsey, this would be another first in some considerable time. She realized that her complete world had changed in just the matter of days and she was happy.