An Unexpected Love

Chapter 5

Edward nodded at him; then closed the door behind Matthew's retreating form. That had been close. He had not been prepared for the fact that his friend may have his sights set on the elder Miss Montgomery.

But what about Miss Amelia? Edward couldn't very well claim them both; and if he tried to ask Matthew to not to pursue either one of them, he'd have to tell him the whole story. But he couldn't do that; it really wouldn't be fair to any of them. This mess of a situation was already giving him a headache.

Edward walked over to his trunk and dug out his black evening tail coat, trousers and waistcoat. He washed his face at the washstand and smoothed his hair down. Then he pulled on his white shirtwaist and his trousers. He buttoned his black waistcoat as he checked his appearance in the cheval glass. The deep V of the waistcoat accented his broad chest.

Edward thought about Miss Montgomery and wondered how she would act toward him. He finished up, tied his bowtie and pulled on his smooth evening coat, checked the tails, and blew out a deep breath.

As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he slowed his step. Edward turned to enter the parlor, and took note of the surroundings; Matthew stood talking to Mr. Montgomery and Miss Amelia, of whom, the latter was dressed in a gown of pink and garnet silk, with bows trailing down the skirt. It complemented her green eyes and her golden hair, which was wrapped atop her head with pink beads as trimmings. She smiled sweetly at Matthew and fluttered her fan as he talked.

Edward swept his gaze further into the room and spotted Miss Montgomery and Mrs. Gray talking quietly. Elizabeth looked stunning in a gown of dark plum silk trimmed in a warm pink lace. Her dark curls were partially twisted upon her head, with a few long, loose curls trailing down her back. Purple flowers woven into her hair crowned the top of her head.

Edward by-passed the others and walked toward the two women, his gaze fixed upon Miss Montgomery. As he drew near, he noticed Mrs. Gray nod her head in his direction, alerting Miss Montgomery to his presence, and she turned toward him, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Miss Montgomery," Edward bowed toward her.

"Mr. Stanton," Elizabeth did a slight curtsey.

Edward's eyes probed hers, "Call me Edward, if you please, miss." She stared back at him, unmoving.

"Mr. Stanton, you look well rested, and quite dashing in that suit, if I may say so," Mrs. Gray entered the conversation.

"Thank you, ma'am," Edward bowed to Mrs. Gray, and then glanced at Miss Montgomery to see if he could catch any hint in her expression that she agreed with her aunt. She had dropped her gaze to the floor, leaving Edward with no clue as to what she was thinking.

Just then the butler entered the parlor and announced, "Dinner is served."

Edward held his arm out to Miss Montgomery. "May I escort you to the dining room?"

Elizabeth looked down at his arm, and then up at him before slipping her hand through his crooked arm. "Yes, thank you," she said quietly.

As they walked, Edward leaned his head toward her and said quietly, "You look quite lovely tonight."

She gasped slightly, looking up at him for a split second. Her cheeks flushed and then she looked down at the floor again.

Edward was confused by her reaction. Had he embarrassed her? Perhaps he had been a little too forward. Typically, women responded to that sort of complement by giggling and hanging on his arm even tighter.

"Please forgive me if I was too forward. I only speak the truth," Edward tried to apologize. Her cheeks darkened and she did not look up at him or answer.

Wonderful, I have succeeded in offending her.

Obviously Elizabeth was not a typical woman. This would be harder than he thought.

In the dining room, their places were set, Mr. Montgomery and Mrs. Gray at respective ends of the table, Matthew next to Miss Montgomery, and Miss Amelia next to him. Luckily, he was across the table from Miss Montgomery so that he could still try to converse with her.

They all fell into the usual humdrum dinner conversation, and Edward kept glancing at Elizabeth, trying to read her countenance. She was very quiet, mostly looking down at her plate. How could he get her to open up?

"Ah, Miss Montgomery, what sort of hobbies to you enjoy?" Edward prompted. He hoped the question would encourage her to converse more.

Elizabeth glanced up at him, as if unsure if he really addressed her. Before she could reply, Miss Amelia burst out, "Reading is her favorite, Mr. Stanton. She has her nose stuck in a book all day long!" Miss Amelia giggled as if she made a joke. Matthew and Mr. Montgomery joined in on the jest, while Mrs. Gray merely smiled. Edward looked at Elizabeth, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

Edward spoke in hushed tones across the table, "I, for one, find reading quite beneficial. It speaks highly of your intelligence." Elizabeth raised her eyes to meet his with a hint of curiosity. Edward smiled at her.

Miss Amelia spoke up again, "So, what about you, Mr. Stanton? What hobbies do you enjoy?"

This time, Matthew spoke up for Edward before he could answer. "Well, Miss Amelia, Mr. Stanton here is a pretty good shot, but his little brother is hot on his tail. The other day, the three of us were taking target practice, and Edward's brother, William, matched every shot Edward took." Matthew chuckled and grinned at him.

Edward took the opportunity to get back at his friend, "What Mr. Callaway failed to mention is the fact that he himself missed the target completely three times." Laughter broke out around the table, and Edward grinned back at Matthew.

Matthew chuckled again, pointing a finger at Edward. "Good show, my friend."

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully with friendly and mundane banter. When everyone rose to retire to the parlor for games and more conversation, Edward offered his arm to Miss Montgomery again. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, yet Edward was not quite sure what she was thinking. She did take his arm, however, and they walked slowly back toward the parlor.

"The meal was outstanding; very enjoyable," Edward commented.

"Yes, it was very nice."

Please say something. Give me something to hope for.

They reached the parlor door and she paused.

"Are you alright, Miss Montgomery?"

"I...I'm sorry. I think I'll retire to my room now. Goodnight, Mr. Stanton."

"Ah, goodnight, Miss Montgomery..."

She turned to leave and he stood in wonder and watched her ascend the stairs.