Any Groom Will Do by Charis Michaels

Author:Charis Michaels
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

25 December 1830

No. 43 Wilton Crescent

Belgrave Square

London, England

Dear Cassin,

I write you on the evening of Christmas, sitting alone in the attic studio of my aunt’s home in Wilton Crescent. Just a few lines I hope, after which I’ll pen notes to my mother and brother.

Happy Christmas, my lord. Our hasty farewell has weighed heavily on my mind, but it has taken me these many weeks to muster the wherewithal to put pen to paper. What better time than Christmas?

I struggle to imagine Christmas morning on a tropical island, but with any luck you have arrived safely and are settled in. I hope you have managed to take a special meal and have a song or two to celebrate. This letter will not reach you until late January or possibly February, but please know even now that my thoughts were with you on Christmas, et cetera, et cetera.

After a day of window-rattling winds and intermittent sun, the night has gone cold and still. I can scarcely make out the trees and pathways of Belgrave Square. My aunt has arranged a workbench for me in their studio, and I drift to the window so frequently they tease me about laziness. They do not know the spectacular view of trees and parkland to which I was accustomed in Leland Park, nor how intrigued I am, even after weeks in London, at the rush of city life on the street below.

How correct you were to warn of the differences between country and city life. London is as different from Surrey as night is from day. But I am quite taken with the pace and crowds of it all, dazzled, you might say. From the crush of street stalls to the museum exhibits and theatres, I devour each new sight and experience.

Tessa and Mr. Chance are married now (more on that in the postscript), and his paddle steamer should be nearly to you. Now that I have both friends with me, exploring the city at my side, I can but marvel that my dream actually came true. Never fear about homesickness, there’s none of that here. Well, with the exception of dear Perry. I have suggested that she may eventually view the noise and the commotion as vital and progressive, but I cannot say that she values vitality or progress as I do. She is a country girl at heart. I would not say that I prefer the city to the country, but I do so relish the discovery of a way of life so different from what I have known.

And of course the access to craftsmen and artisans in London is far greater than ever I had dreamed. My aunt has included me in calls to what surely must be every workshop and studio in the city, and I am astounded at the variety and splendor of the fabrics and carpets, the art and stonework. And the international markets! Spilling over with furniture and decorative pieces from around the world. I feel we shall never see it all, and new ships arrive daily with more treasures.

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