by Fanny Finch
Lady Christian stepped down from the carriage and went to both the women, leaning forward and placing kisses in the air around both of them.
“Hello, hello. I am Lady Christian, second cousin to the Duke of Rabney over there, my Bru…” She stopped midsentence, catching the warning look on the Duke of Rabney’s face. “My brutal young cousin who is so very strong and handsome.” She turned back to the women. “I do not know either of you. Who are you and do you live in this astoundingly beautiful castle?”
“This is my family home,” Camilla said, extending one gloved hand to the woman. Lady Christian took her hand and squeezed once before letting go. “I am Lady Camilla Fielding, and this is Cooksey Castle. My father is the Duke of Cooksey.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. And you are?” She looked at Emma.
Emma felt oddly amused and more than a little shocked by the woman’s outlandish behavior. She could not help wondering who had raised the woman to be that way. The woman’s accent gave her away as American but she claimed relation to the Duke of Rabney. She was curious to know the story behind that. “I am Lady Emma Wentworth, daughter of the Duke of Corning.”
“It is wonderful to meet you, as well. And to be invited to this beautiful castle was a pleasant surprise.”
Camilla turned her eyes up to the Duke of Rabney, who was looking down at her from the carriage. He and the Duke of Lox were still seated there, staring at Lady Christian in dismay. He shook his head at her.
“I do apologize for this sudden appearance of another person, my lady,” the Duke of Rabney said. “It was not intended.”
Camilla shook her head. “There is no harm done. Let us all go see this land you want to purchase, my lord. I am sure we will all have a lovely time.”
The women loaded up into the carriage. They waited until the Duke of Cooksey, who was riding along with them, came alongside the carriage on his large horse. Camilla looked proudly at him and he smiled at her.
Emma sat across from the Duke of Lox when Lady Christian resumed her spot next to him. She gazed into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. He apparently had changed his mind about pursuing her. It surprised her. It hurt her.
But it was expected. She should have known something like this would happen to her. Now she was once again stuck with the only two choices left on the table… Lord Carne and the Duke of Andryse.
Neither of which she had any desire to love.
Chapter 13
Lady Christian never seemed to run out of things to say. Her four companions barely got a word in as the carriage took them to the land the Duke of Rabney was considering. She didn’t seem to notice that the four of them looked about as uncomfortable as they could get. Whomever she was looking at would smile politely and nod if needed.
When Emma tried to start a conversation with the Duke of Lox, Lady Christian interrupted her with a story of her own that somehow related to what Emma was beginning to say but then trailed off into other topics she thought were more interesting.
Emma narrowed her eyes and avoided looking at the Duke of Lox after that. She did not know if he was being polite by not shushing the loquacious Lady Christian or if he was interested in listening to what she had to say. From the look on his face, Emma did not think he was enjoying himself as much as Lady Christian appeared to believe he was.
At one point, Camilla moved her hand just enough to wrap it around Emma’s and squeeze as the two looked at each other, trying not to reveal their shared embarrassment for Lady Christian.
When the land came into view, the Duke of Rabney pointed to it. He had to interrupt Lady Christian. “There it is.”
His companions looked in the direction he was pointing. A long gravel road led up to a dilapidated mansion with overgrown foliage all around it. The short hill that led up to the large, old house was overgrown with grass. The green reached up at least four feet all the way up the hill. There were trees scattered over the front lawn. Behind the house, which they could see as they made their way up the curving road, was nothing but trees. The woods started there and the end of them could not be seen as far as the next hill over.
The house itself was not in terrible shape but it was obvious it had not been occupied for some time. Emma looked over at Camilla and gave her a look of appreciation. “I like it so far,” she said.
The Duke of Rabney smiled at Emma. “I do, too. I am impressed with the look of the land. It has been ten years since the previous owner moved out but he has maintained it over the years as he attempted to sell it. That is why the grass is not higher than it is.”
“It will not be hard to get the land back under control,” the Duke of Lox said, scanning the land. “But we must also see what the inside of the house looks like.”
“Ten years is not a very long time,” Camilla said. “Surely…”
“I have seen many homes that are completely unlivable after ten years of emptiness,” Lady Christian interrupted Camilla. The four of them turned their eyes to her in amazement. Emma wondered if the woman was being rude on purpose. If so, why? “The people who lived in them did not take care of them even when they lived there.”
“That is most likely the reason for their poor condition after a short period of time, Lady Christian,” the Duke of Rabney said. “I met the previous owner of Lockwood Estate and he was… is not the type of man who would let his estate go to ruin. He has been maintaining it, as you can see but has not been here in several months. If I decide to purchase the estate, he will bring his men to take down the tall grass and trim the trees, bushes and other foliage. There is a garden over there.” The entire carriage turned once again when the Duke of Rabney did, pointing to another side of the house they could not see yet.
“I plan to replenish it and have gardeners make it as beautiful as it can be. Unless my future wife decides to take over that part of the house.”
“Surely you will have a housekeeper,” Lady Christian said hurriedly as if she thought she would not have time to get the words out. Emma looked at her curiously, sliding her eyes to the Duke of Lox, who looked nothing short of miserable. She wondered what his relationship was with the woman. She was obviously enamored with him, as she had complimented him and brought him up as a topic nearly their entire ride up to that point.
She could think of only two things. He was not interested in courting her and her mere presence made him miserable. Or he was upset that her presence showed his lack of loyalty and honesty. She vowed to find out. With Camilla growing closer to the Duke of Rabney, she was sure to be spending a lot more time with the Duke of Lox, as it appeared the two dukes were joined at the hip.
They reached the front of the house. The Duke of Cooksey dismounted from his horse, leaving it to stand by the front steps of the house. He went to the carriage and opened the door, holding out one hand for his daughter. Camilla took it and stepped out of the carriage, thanking him.
He did the same for Emma and Lady Christian. He let the dukes get out themselves, though he did jokingly ask if they needed a hand. Both the men smiled at him and shook their heads.
The group turned to look up at the mansion.
The Duke of Rabney was the first to go up the stairs. He used a key to let himself in the front door.
Emma looked around as she went up the steps onto the porch. Two very tall pilasters flanked the steps. They had once been white. Now, the portion that could be seen through the vines that had grown up around them was gray. It would need to be polished up and the vines cut down.
Certain parts of the wood that surrounded the front windows looked like they were weather-beaten. The windows were dirty. The front door was a bit creaky when the Duke of Rabney pushed it open.
He went in first, letting the Duke of Lox take up the rear behind the women and the Duke of Cooksey. Emma followed Camilla who went in right after the Duke of Rabney. She looked around, feeling a bit strange to be in such a huge empty house. It was not really in that bad a shape. She did not think the Duk
e of Rabney… or Camilla… would have a hard time decorating it.
“It needs a few repairs,” the Duke of Rabney said, walking through the long front room to the curving stairs that would take them up to the second floor. “As you can see, a few of these stairs have cracked. There are several door handles that will need to be replaced. The front windows should all be replaced. There are many decisions that will need to be made.”
Emma noticed that the Duke of Rabney looked at Camilla when he said that. She also noticed that Lady Christian was standing just behind the Duke of Lox, looking up at him adoringly. He, for his part, had his back to her and was completely unaware that she was practically breathing down his neck. She felt a minor annoyance in her chest and looked away from the two.
She went to the curving stairs and put one hand on the railing, admiring the etchings in the wood. She looked up the stairs.
“It would behoove you not to take those stairs to the second floor, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said, taking a few steps toward her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, once again noticing that Lady Christian kept up with the duke as if she was attached to him by a rope.
She pulled in a deep breath and held her chin up. “I was not intending to go up the stairs, my lord,” she said in a polite but bland voice. She turned away from him once again, not noticing the confused look on his face.
“Duke Christian, come look at this,” the Duke of Cooksey said from one of the open doors. The entire group gravitated toward the door, with the Duke of Rabney arriving first. He went through the door with the rest of them behind him.
Emma was taken aback by the beauty of the ballroom in front of her. It was empty but the pine floors were spotless and perfect as if they had just been cleaned. The other side of the room was nothing but glass from floor to ceiling. The long drapes that closed off the windows had been pulled back to reveal them.
She had to assume the drapes were usually closed.
“It is brilliant,” the Duke of Lox said in an impressed tone. “This side of the house does not see the rising or setting sun. It is facing south. That is why these floors look nearly brand new.”
The Duke of Rabney looked at his friend, nodding. “Yes, Baldwin, I noticed that, as well. It is a selling point for me.”
To her left, Emma noticed a small stage had been built for the quartet or small orchestra that would play during parties and balls. Against the wall on the other side of the room sat multiple rows of chairs, some turned on top of another to provide space. Round tables were also stacked one on top of another, tabletops turned together.
“He left you some furniture,” she remarked. The Duke of Rabney glanced at her over his shoulder.
“He just brought these back to Lockwood,” he replied. “He wanted me to see them as another selling point. He has no use for the tables and chairs.”
“That is brilliant,” Camilla murmured. Emma looked at her, knowing her dear cousin was picturing herself living in the mansion, decorating it to her liking, probably having children here and raising them with the Duke of Rabney. If she were Camilla, that’s what she would be thinking. She watched her friend turn to the Duke of Rabney with a smile. “I love this mansion, my lord. I would buy it if I were you. What do you think, Father?”
The Duke of Cooksey gave his daughter a satisfied grin. “I am in agreement, daughter. This is a fine home and though it can use a few repairs, I see it as a solid investment in your future. My lord, I believe, though, that you have already made up your mind, have you not?”
The Duke of Rabney grinned at the older man. “How did you know?”
The Duke of Cooksey laughed, along with the others. “It is quite obvious from the expression on your face, sir. As I said, this is a fine home and I encourage you to follow your heart and purchase it for your future.”
The Duke of Rabney’s expression turned to one of delight. Emma thought he must have brought the Duke of Cooksey along to get his approval. It was where his daughter would be living by this time next year. The thought brought an instant smile to Emma’s face.
The Duke of Rabney turned and looked around the room. “I believe I will purchase it, your grace. I am very satisfied with it.” He looked at the Duke of Lox. “What do you think, Baldwin?”
“I think you would be a fool not to purchase such a beautiful home, Christian,” the Duke of Lox replied.
Chapter 14
The entire time they were in the Lockwood mansion, strolling through each room and marveling at the architecture and interior design, Lady Christian stayed close to the Duke of Lox. For his part, he noticed as soon as they all went in the grand ballroom that the woman was staying right behind him or beside him. When he’d spoken to Emma and she had given him the cold shoulder, he knew why.
It was as he’d expected. Lady Christian would make it impossible for Emma to relax around him. How could he win her heart when another woman was standing in between them? As a man, he wanted to physically remove Lady Christian from his side. But as a gentleman, he knew he could not.
When Lady Christian attempted to encircle his elbow with her hands, he quickly moved to the side, pointing to a marble fireplace mantelpiece and talking to the Duke of Rabney about it as if he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He did not care that the woman frowned and stood back, her hands clasped behind her, staring at him.
She followed him all around the house, even as he attempted to get away from her and draw close to Emma. He wanted to engage the woman in conversation but she was skilled at avoiding him. She made sure to be speaking to the Duke of Cooksey or, more likely, Camilla so that she did not have to speak to him. She complimented the Duke of Rabney several times but would not speak to him unless she had to.
It was extremely frustrating for him.
Just before they left Lockwood Estate, the Duke of Rabney pulled him to the side. “Baldwin, you have one of the most disappointed looks on your face I have seen in quite some time. It is because of Lady Christian, is it not? She is bothering you?”
“She is certainly not making it easy for me to express my interest in Lady Wentworth. I wish she had not found us.”
“I agree with that,” the Duke of Rabney stage-whispered to him. “But, my dear friend, the look on your face is very revealing and will not help you with your cause. Be patient, Baldwin. Lady Christian will not always be in your way. There will be future opportunities for you, I am quite sure.”
“I do not see it.”
The Duke of Rabney sighed. “I can see that you are quite miserable. This is what is making you so pessimistic. You must get control of yourself. You will not be marrying Lady Christian. Not now, not in the future. You know that and so do I. It matters not what she wants or thinks. Nor does it matter what she tells other people. You are in control, Baldwin. Not her. Do not let her sour your mood when you are in the presence of the lady you most desire.”
“She does not desire me. She has been avoiding me the whole time.”
“I noticed. And you know why that is.”
“Because she is always annoyed with me?”
The Duke of Rabney dropped his head and tried not to show his amusement. “No, no, Baldwin. Because she is annoyed with Lady Christian. If she was not annoyed by the woman’s presence, she would surely not be avoiding you. Since she is annoyed by Lady Christian, you have cause to hope.”
“And why is that?”
The Duke of Rabney chuckled, shaking his head. “Because she is jealous, Baldwin. Come now. Can you not see this?”
The Duke of Lox instinctively moved his eyes to where Emma was standing with Camilla. The Duke of Cooksey had taken Lady Christian in hand and was leading the young woman around the house.
“Perhaps you are right.”
The Duke of Rabney nodded. “I am right, Baldwin. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, Christian.”
“Then lift your spirits and let us explore the outside of my new home.”
The Duke of Lox smiled at
his friend. “Yes, that sounds like a fine idea.”
The Duke of Rabney announced to the rest of them that they were going outside and to follow along if they wished. As it was, they all followed him out onto the porch.
As soon as the door closed behind them, a clap of thunder rolled through the sky, followed by a bolt of lightning that lit the darkened sky. The Duke of Cooksey looked up at it.
“Oh dear. We are going to have a storm.”
“You will fit in the carriage, Papa,” Camilla said. “We can just rope the horse to the back of the carriage. You will not get wet.”
“I would not want that, your grace,” the Duke of Rabney said. “I invited you here and I will not allow you to ride back in the rain on your horse. As Lady Fielding has said, there is room for you in the carriage.”
