Charmed By Knight (The Fielding Brothers Saga) (28 page)

She inhaled sharply. “He did? Who was he?”

“He asked if I knew a woman by the name of Miss Megan Ramsey.” His brows rose in question. “By his description, I knew it was you. What I’m wondering is why he didn’t refer to you as Mrs. Knight?”

A knot of fear lodged in her throat. “Unless he’s someone that wasn’t informed of my marriage.”

Jake shrugged. “That’s a possibility.”

“What did you tell him?”

A wide smile touched Jake’s mouth. “Only the truth. I don’t know a Miss Megan Ramsey.” He touched her hand. “Because I don’t. I know a Mrs. Megan Knight.”

She laughed, her fear easing. Panic grew inside her, wondering if Edmund had sent this stranger here to find her. She’d have to keep a close watch for this person. Of course, Jake didn’t give her a description, and really, she was afraid to ask. What if it was Edmund himself asking about her.

“Shall we go?” he asked.

Trying to put the strange man from her thoughts, she nodded and placed her hand on Jake’s arm. She glanced at him, her chin even with his shoulder. He wasn’t as tall as Edmund, nor was he as lean or muscular, but he was fine looking just the same.

She cursed the direction of her thoughts. Why couldn’t she stop comparing other men to Edmund? And why did she miss him more now than when she’d first arrived?

Like a gentleman, Jake helped her into his two-seated buggy, and climbed in beside her. He took the reins loosely in his hands and urged the horse forward.

“How was school today?”

He broke her unsettling thoughts. Perhaps she shouldn’t have agreed to dinner tonight.

“Perfect, as always.” She chuckled. “The children are absolutely adorable.”

He glanced her way. “Even young Billy?”

She smiled. “Yes, even Billy. It took a while for me to realize why he acts so unruly.”

“And what were your findings?”

“All Billy needs is tender loving care. He vies for attention, either good or bad. When I decided only to reward him when he was good, I noticed a dramatic change in him. Now the children call him teacher’s pet.”

He laughed. “And rightly so. You speak so fondly of him.”

She shrugged. “I must admit he’s one of my favorite students. He brings me a flower every morning before school starts.”

“What do the rest of the children think?”

“There’s no rivalry, if you’re hinting of that. Since Billy is one of the younger children, the older ones accept his behavior and they see him the way I do.”

Jake reached over and squeezed her hand. “You were certainly a Godsend.” She met his gaze. “I thought you were an angel when you first walked into my office that afternoon, and now I realize my first impressions were correct.”

She pulled her hand away from his touch. “You are overly kind, Jake. If I had not arrived that day, you would have found another teacher.”

“I suppose, but not as good as you.”

His excessive flattery created questions. Would he eventually want to court her? Try to win her heart? She hoped not. It was too soon. Her chest constricted and made her want to scoot over in the buggy.

“I fear I don’t deserve such extreme praise.”

For the remainder of the ride, he ignored her comment and continued to praise her in a flirtatious manner. Obviously, he tried to get on her good side, and what other choice did she have but to sit and listen?

Jake finally brought the buggy to a stop in front of a grand mansion. She released a big sigh, relieved that she wouldn’t be sitting so close to him now.

Many mansions lined Montgomery Street, but she never took the time to study their beauty. She’d lived her whole life in a large estate, but these mansions were so noticeably different in the way they were built, her interest perked. In England, the houses had height, but here they were grand in width, too. Anxious, she clutched her hands together and waited for Jake to help her down.

“Do you live here?” she asked.

He chuckled. “No, just my mother.”

He lifted her down and she braced her hands on his shoulders. Gently, he set her on her feet. He took her hand and hooked it around his elbow, escorting her up the steps to the front door. He knocked twice. When the door opened, an elderly servant in plain black livery greeted them.

“Good evening, Master Jake.”

“Good evening, Porter.” Jake motioned for Megan to enter, then stepped inside behind her.

She took two steps in, then stopped and gazed upward at the vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. In the middle of the entry, a staircase wound its way up to the second floor. Forest green and gold decorations highlighted the curtains and velvet furniture. Megan’s fingers itched to touch the statues and run her hand along the velvet texture of the sofas. She missed seeing such luxury since leaving England. She let out her breath, not realizing she had held it for so long.

From the opened double doors to her left, a handsome, older woman strolled out, wearing the newest fashion from Paris. The silver dress brightened the silver streaks through the woman’s styled black hair. She was stunning.

Jake squeezed Megan’s hand. “Mother, may I present Mrs. Knight.” He glanced at Megan. “And this is my mother, Mrs. Williams.” His smile stretched wider.

When Mrs. Williams smiled, Megan could see the resemblance between mother and son since their smile was the only similarity. Where did Jake get his blond hair if his mother’s had heavy streaks of raven black? And Jake’s blue eyes were not the vivid gray color of his mother’s.

“Mrs. Knight, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The older woman clasped Megan’s hands with her own. “Welcome to the grand city of San Francisco. How do you like it thus far?”

“Thank you, Mrs. Williams. I must say it’s so very different from England.”

Mrs. Williams chuckled. “Yes, it’s different, but I don’t miss the heavy fog, nor the rain.”

Megan arched a brow. “Are you from England?”

The older woman nodded. “I was born and raised amongst the lower class. It was my first husband who brought me here to live, but then he died soon afterward. By then, I loved the land and so I stayed.”

“Then we shall have much to talk about.” Enthusiasm bubbled in Megan’s chest again, making her feel alive.

“Let’s adjourn to the dining room. I believe the servants are waiting to serve us our evening meal.”

Like a gentleman, Jake held out his elbows for each lady. Mrs. Williams took his right arm and Megan grasped his left, and he led them into the formal room. The table wasn’t as large as some Megan had seen before, and she could only suppose San Francisco didn’t entertain like England’s aristocrats.

Mrs. Williams took her place at the head of the table, Jake on her right, with Megan next to him. As soon as they were seated, three servants scurried through the door at the back of the room as they brought out trays laden with food. The scent of lobster teased Megan’s senses and made her mouth water. She prayed her stomach would settle enough for her to enjoy the dinner.

Mrs. Williams turned her attention to Megan. “Jake tells me you’re widowed, Mrs. Knight.”

Megan finished chewing her mouthful of vegetables before answering. “I am.”

“I find it remarkable, and such a coincidence to have met you. My first husband was a Knight.”

Megan inhaled sharply, making her choke. She hurried and lifted her glass of water to her mouth to wash down the food. “Indeed?” she managed to say, her voice a notch higher than normal.

“Yes. His name was Phillip Knight. We met in England. In fact, I had referred to him as ‘my knight in shining armor.’” She chuckled. “He had rescued me from my life as a serving girl at a tavern and whisked me to America.”

Phillip Knight?
Wasn’t that Edmund’s father, and the same man Megan’s grandmamma would have betrothed her to?

Megan picked up her napkin and dabbed the corners of her mouth before speaking. “That’s remarkable, Mrs. Williams, because I know of a man named Phillip Knight. Was your husband the Earl of
Thornwyck
?”

The elderly lady shook her head. “My Phillip did not hold a title. He was a lower class working man.”

Megan frowned. “Then I must not know your husband.”

Jake cleared his throat. “Mother had a child with this man, too.”

Megan stared wide-eyed at Jake. “You didn’t tell me you have a brother.”

Jake shook his head, but his mother finished the story.

“That’s another tragedy in my life, I’m afraid. Not more than a month after giving birth, my son was taken from me in the dead of night and never found. My Phillip had already passed on by this time, and I had no one to turn to. That’s how I met Jake’s father. He was Sheriff here in San Francisco at the time, and he led the search party to look for my baby.”

Megan gasped, her hand flying to her chest. “How horrible.”

“Yes, it was. A difficult occurrence that took me quite a while to recover from.” She gazed out the window, a faraway look in her eyes. “Strange, but even now I find myself searching every face that comes through this city, hoping it will be my son.”

“Oh, Mrs. Williams, that’s a terrible story. I’m sorry you had to go through such an ordeal.”

Mrs. Williams looked back at Megan and nodded. “Yes, it was a nightmare, to be sure. Maybe one day I will discover he’s still alive. Perhaps one day I will reunite with my son.”

“Perhaps you will,” Megan said with a warm smile. She raised her glass of wine to her lips. “What did you name your son?”

“Edmund.”

The name hit Megan like a bolt of lightning, and jolted her body just as badly, causing her hand to shake the wine glass and almost splash the burgundy liquid onto her bodice. She studied the older woman and could finally see the resemblance between Edmund and Mrs. Williams. The same black hair. The same stubborn chin.
And the same remarkable blue-gray eyes.

Megan clutched the edge of the table to keep herself upright. Suddenly, the room tilted and spun around her. Darkness clouded her vision as she fell against Jake into unconsciousness.

Chapter Seventeen

As if through a tunnel, Edmund reached for Megan, but she couldn’t touch him. Pleading, his warm eyes beckoned her to come to him, but through her struggles, she couldn’t move. Her forehead moistened with the great effort it took, but she still couldn’t go to him.

“I love you,” he whispered before disappearing into the surrounding fog.

She cried and covered her face with her hands while sobs wracked her body. Because she’d left him in England, she’d lost him forever.

“Megan?” Someone shook her, but she refused to acknowledge the presence. She wanted to wallow in her pity…in her loneliness.

“Megan, are you all right, dear?”

Slowly, awareness settled in. She’d been dreaming of Edmund.
Again.
And as always, she knew it wasn’t real.

Her head throbbed. She blinked and focused on the two people who stood over her. Where was she? It felt as if she were lying on a soft mattress. Running her hands on the cushion beneath herself, she verified her curiosity. She was in bed. But this wasn’t the lumpy mattress of
her own
bed in the small house by the school.

She blinked again, and Jake came into view. Lines of worry marred his forehead, and his eyebrows creased. Next to him, his mother patted her hand, and the same expression touched her familiar features.

Edmund’s real mother!
Indeed, Megan could see the resemblance. Edmund had this same worried expression when they’d been caught in an intimate embrace the last time they were together.

“My dear, are you all right?” The older woman’s fingers stroked along Megan’s cheek. “You gave us such a fright.”

“I’m sorry. I feel much better now.” She tried to pull herself up, but a wave of dizziness assailed her again, forcing her head back onto the pillow. “Perhaps not.” She lifted her hand and touched her moist forehead. “I don’t know what happened.”

Mrs. William’s cheeks reddened. “My dear, this is quite a normal reaction for a woman early in pregnancy.”

She gasped, her eyes opened wider. “Pregnant? But how do you know?”

Both Jake and his mother shared a smile. Jake took her hand as he sat beside her on the bed. “Megan, for the past two weeks, you’ve been complaining of morning sickness.” He shrugged. “It hasn’t been that long since your husband passed away. You’re carrying his child.”

“Can you be certain?”

Out the corner of her eye, there was a movement by the window. A tall man with white hair stood by a table stuffing a stethoscope in a little black bag.

“I had my physician summoned here after you swooned,” Mrs. Williams offered. “I hope you don’t mind. I worried something was dreadfully wrong.”

Squeezing her eyes closed, Megan held back the grin threatening to claim her face. She couldn’t show excitement over this unexpected event. Not now. Not when she knew she must inform Edmund of his forthcoming fatherhood. Her heart beat with life again, yet it frightened her. She’d be raising a bastard child, exactly like the babe’s father had been.