by Abby Ayles
Lady Annabelle dropped her head, looking at the empty fireplace with sad eyes. She suddenly understood why her father was staring into the blackness.
Seeing nothing but the black soot against the back of the stone fireplace helped clear her mind of all thoughts but those she wanted to think. She was not distracted by movement or color. She could stare into the darkness and analyze what was worrying her.
“You are too young to be worrying about the many things that live in my mind, my dear,” her father said, putting his hand out to her. She took it and he held it between them, smiling. “You are too young and too pretty. You will have a fine husband and many lovely children. I look forward to seeing them and playing with them and watching them grow.”
“Oh Father, you speak of such things with wisdom. I will listen to your advice, I make you that promise.”
“You are a good daughter,” the duke said, squeezing her hand. “I do love you.”
“I love you, too.” She got up and leaned over to hug him around the shoulders. Once again, as she always did, she breathed in his scent, imprinting it in her mind so that she would always know when her father was near. Smelling it would remind her of the hugs and the love her father gave her.
He looked up at her, leaning forward and whispering in a voice just loud enough for her to hear, “Now you go and check on the duke and his friend. I know you want to see if they are still in the garden.”
Lady Annabelle giggled, standing up and going back to the window. It looked like the duke and Mr. Covington were taking a quick walk around the hill fountain. She turned when she felt a presence next to her. Lady Julia was smiling at her, her small arms folded over her chest. “How are you feeling, Lady Annabelle? Are you all right?”
Lady Annabelle nodded. “Oh yes, how could I not be? My father has given his permission to Duke Colbourn to court me. I could not be happier.”
“He has forgiven the Duke of Cardinal for the incident with Lady Joanna?”
“He had no need to forgive the Duke of Cardinal,” Lady Annabelle said, unable to keep the defensiveness from her voice. “It was Lady Joanna he has forgiven. The Duke of Cardinal did nothing wrong.” She looked at Lady Julia. “You know this.”
Lady Julia nodded. “Yes, I misspoke.”
Lady Annabelle tilted her head to the side. “You do not believe Lady Joanna, do you, Lady Julia?”
Lady Julia’s face turned to one of regret. She shrugged. “I do not know what to believe, Lady Annabelle. She is my sister. I cannot believe she would make up such terrible lies, just to get revenge on a man who spurned her.”
“But the duke did not do what she said he did,” Lady Annabelle insisted. “You know that Lady Joanna was not telling the truth.”
“She has never admitted to it.” Lady Julia’s arms were still crossed in front of her chest. She turned away from Lady Annabelle, looking out the window at the men in the garden.
They were making their way around the other side, beginning the walk back to the house. The look on her face showed that she did not want to believe her sister.
Lady Annabelle decided to drop the topic. It had to be sensitive for Lady Julia, knowing that her sister was capable of viciously attacking someone who had done nothing wrong. Especially the duke. Her duke. The thought of it brought back Lady Annabelle’s anger.
She mentally pushed the feeling away. Her anger would get her nowhere. Her father had forgiven Lady Joanna, there was probably some type of punishment involved and Earl Rickman had been notified of his daughter’s deceit. There was nothing more to be done.
She was glad to see the men were heading back into the house. They would want refreshments. She turned and hurried to the table where the pastries and tea were sitting. She poured two cups of tea and set several pastries on a small tray. She wanted to have it ready for him when he came in the door.
Someday, it would be her job to serve him in whatever capacity he needed. She would be perfectly willing.
When he came through the door, the exuberant Mr. Covington behind him, their eyes met. She lifted the tray and held it out to him. “Please take a cup of tea and a pastry. Mr. Covington?”
Both men immediately removed the cups from the tray. “Thank you, my lady,” Mr. Covington said. He sounded impressed. The Duke of Cardinal was looking at her with loving eyes.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice soft. Mr. Covington looked from his friend to the lady and back with a large smile.
“You see, Your Grace? You simply cannot miss it. Only a fool would miss it!”
The Duke of Cardinal colored slightly, a look Lady Annabelle was not used to. She knew instinctively what Mr. Covington was talking about and realized that once again, she had been talked about. This time, the thought made her want to giggle. She set the tray down on the table beside her and lowered her head to the men. “I will leave you to your conversation.”
“You need not leave, Lady Annabelle,” Mr. Covington said. “Do not do so on my account. I am pleased to know that my good friend has a lovely woman by his side. I encourage you to be good to him. He has always been good to others.”
“That is a lot of goods in one speech, Mr. Covington,” the Duke of Cardinal said with a laugh. He looked at Lady Annabelle. “We are very complimentary towards one another. It keeps us both in good moods.”
That made Lady Annabelle giggle. She picked up one of the pastries and took a bite, moving her eyes from one to the other. Mr. Covington launched into an adventurous story about a time he and the Duke of Cardinal had taken a ship across the ocean to America and the storm they endured that made them question their decisions in life. They had both feared for their lives but survived the ordeal to tell the story.
“No one tells the story like Mr. Covington does,” the Duke of Cardinal said. “He indulges himself and makes it much more horrific than it really was. But to his credit, it was a deadly storm and yes, our lives were in danger.”
It was but one of many stories Mr. Covington had to offer. After a solid hour of nonstop talking, the Duke of Cardinal cut politely into his speech to suggest they take a look at the paintings.
“Oh yes.” Mr. Covington nodded vigorously. “I am ready to see these beautiful paintings. Please point me in the direction.”
Lady Annabelle watched him move his head, reminding her of a chicken. The thought struck her as so funny, she had to turn away and almost choked on her laughter. Lady Julia was standing next to her and patted her on the back. “Are you all right, Lady Annabelle?”
Lady Annabelle nodded, deciding it would be best to keep such a horrid thought to herself. She was ashamed of herself and vowed not to be so mean-spirited in the future.
Chapter 24
The room was silent while Mr. Covington looked at the paintings. The ones in question had been propped up on easels, as much in the light as possible.
The Duke of Norrend offered to have the paintings taken outside to be seen in the natural light but Mr. Covington said it made no difference. If there were any problems, he would spot them either way.
The quiet felt like a weight on Lady Annabelle’s shoulders. She shifted in place. She’d asked her father if he would allow her to come and view Mr. Covington’s examination. She was as curious as the rest of them. Knowing her love for fine art, he had agreed she could come along.
Mr. Covington viewed each painting from a distance, then moved in for a closer examination. He looked at the frame and tilted the painting forward to look at the back.
After the third painting, he walked away from all three, turned and stared at them, one hand under his chin. Finally, he turned to the Duke of Norrend and the Duke of Cardinal.
“These paintings are genuine,” he said bluntly.
Lady Annabelle watched both her father and the Duke of Cardinal breathe a sigh of relief at the same time. Their shoulders relaxed and they smiled at each other.
“I am happy to hear it,” the Duke of Cardinal said. He was elated to hear the paintings were the re
al thing. “This is why I do not rely on my own judgment. I hope you understand, Your Grace.”
The Duke of Norrend nodded. “I do. It is a relief to me, as well. Would you care to see the rest of my collection, Mr. Covington?”
“I would like to very much, yes.”
The Duke of Norrend went to his side and they walked around the room together, stopping at each painting, lifting it if it was not hanging, making remarks about the artist and the style.
Lady Annabelle was usually very interested in such things. Had it been any other time in her life, listening to an expert such as Mr. Covington talk about paintings and fine art would have been a dream come true.
But when her father walked off with Mr. Covington, he left the Duke of Cardinal behind and she could not resist the opportunity to speak to him, no matter what they talked about.
“I am so happy the paintings are real,” she said in a low voice, stepping over to him. She had her arms crossed over her chest, gripping her arms with her hands. He noticed and raised his eyebrows.
“Are you cold, my lady?”
She shook her head, trying to relax her tense muscles. She did not want to admit she was now quite nervous being around him. She had been perfectly relaxed before. What had made the difference?
“I believe I am still feeling the tension from before. The anticipation was terrible. Did you not feel it, too?”
He nodded. “I must confess I did feel somewhat apprehensive. I did not want the Duke of Norrend to think I was in any way disrespecting his knowledge of fine art. It was my own that I was questioning.”
“I understand,” Lady Annabelle nodded. “I believe my father does, too. The duke is a very thoughtful man. He is known for considering all sides of the equation.”
“I have noticed. If he was any other man, I may not have been able to escape the wrath of the duchess. I am dismayed that she does not approve of me. I did not feel her approval when I arrived and I feel it even less now.”
“I am sorry, my lord. I will talk with her on your behalf, if you would like.”
The Duke of Cardinal looked down at her, drinking in the high cheekbones, the dark lips, the narrow, pretty eyes of the woman he loved. “You are a jewel, my lady. I must tell you how beautiful I think you are.”
“I thank you, my lord. I am equally fond of your face.” The way she worded her compliment made them both smile broadly.
“You are fond of my face?” the Duke of Cardinal repeated, chuckling as he said it.
“Yes, my lord.” She decided to make the most of her blunder. “It is a face I would like to continue seeing frequently. As in daily. For a very long time. As in perhaps the rest of my life.”
The Duke of Cardinal’s smile widened if it was at all possible. He had come for the paintings. He had found love. It was an amazing thing to him.
“That is something I am also looking forward to.”
Lady Annabelle wanted to move closer to him but etiquette prevented any further movement. She would have given anything to kiss his lips, to let him know how much she wanted to be his bride.
She held back, turning her head when her father and Mr. Covington came back toward them.
“We are going to have a celebration dinner, Lady Annabelle, Duke Colbourn. Mr. Covington has appraised the value of my art pieces at a much higher amount than I had originally assessed. I must thank you for bringing him to my home, my lord. It is much appreciated.”
“It is certainly my pleasure.”
Lady Annabelle followed the men through the door and down the narrow passageway that would take them back to the main house. She was behind the Duke of Cardinal, who glanced over his shoulder at her every so often with a warm smile on his face.
She scanned his broad shoulders, his strong legs. He was a well-built man. She could not have found a better man to fall in love with. And how lucky was she that he felt the same way?
The passageway entrance was a door that led from the parlor to the other portion of the mansion. That area had always been used for storage. Every time Lady Annabelle went down the passageway, she wondered why it had not been built a bit wider. Some of the items stored in the space must have been difficult to get through.
“Oh! Lady Joanna. Lord Gilbert. I did not know you were here, my lord,” she heard her father saying as he went into the parlor through the doorway. She shuddered off a disgusted feeling and put a smile on her face.
“Your Grace. Your Grace. I have just come by for a visit with the lovely Lady Joanna. I hope that is acceptable.” Lord Gilbert bowed to them.
“Yes, I do not see why you cannot call on her. Have you spoken to Earl Rickman?”
Lady Annabelle came around the back of the men, moving past the windows to go around Lady Joanna and Lord Gilbert. The Duke of Cardinal followed her route.
“I have not.”
Her father had stopped to talk to Lord Gilbert. Lady Annabelle was not in the mood to speak to either of them. She was still stewing about Lady Joanna’s near sabotage of her relationship. The Duke of Cardinal reached out and grabbed her arm to slow her down. She stopped and looked back at him. He let go, turning his eyes to the other people in the room.
She instantly understood what he was implying. She was being unladylike, hurrying past the two and trying to leave the room. She stood stock-still, her eyes on her father.
“I would suggest that should be your next move, my lord, as it is he you will need permission from if you plan to court the young lady.”
Lady Annabelle watched Lady Joanna’s back stiffen. She shuffled her feet and clasped her hands behind her back. Because of Lady Annabelle’s position, she could see the girl was kneading her fingers so hard she was changing the color of her skin.
She gripped her hands together. She was nervous about something. Lady Annabelle looked up at the back of the girl’s head, wishing she had not been in such a hurry to leave. The look on Lady Joanna’s face would tell her much more about what the girl was thinking. But she had acted too soon and she was lucky the Duke of Cardinal had stopped her at all.
By contrast, Lord Gilbert looked completely at ease. He was relaxed and smiling, like he always was. He had turned to the side and she could see his profile. Nothing was a problem for Lord Gilbert.
“I will take that under advisement, Your Grace. Thank you.” Lord Gilbert bowed at the waist.
“We are on our way to the dining hall. Lunch will soon be served. We will see you there?”
“Yes. Yes, we will be there.”
The Duke of Norrend looked around the room. “I trust your brother is here?” He looked at Lady Joanna directly.
“He is. Yes. He is around here somewhere. He will be back shortly.”
The Duke of Norrend stood for a moment, assessing the situation. He moved his eyes from Lady Joanna to Lord Gilbert.
“Perhaps Lady Joanna should come with us to the dining hall,” he said.
“We are planning to play a game before lunch, my lord,” Lord Gilbert said. “I do hope we have your permission to do so. Lord Leonard will be back shortly. The game is ready to play.”
He waved his hand at the card table nearby, where indeed, the cards were laid out for a game of Whist.
The Duke of Norrend glanced at the table. He nodded. “We will see you in the dining hall.”
“Thank you, my lord. Thank you.” Lord Gilbert bowed twice as the Duke of Norrend walked around him. Lady Annabelle and the Duke of Cardinal waited until her father and Mr. Covington went through the door to the foyer before following behind them.
True to his word, Lord Leonard was approaching the parlor door. He stopped and bowed to the dukes. “Your Grace. Your Grace.”
“Lord Leonard,” the Duke of Norrend said. “You are staying for lunch?”
“Yes, my lord, we plan to after a few games of Whist. Lady Joanna expressed an interest in playing and my brother is known to give in to a pretty face.”
“Yes. I have noticed.” The Duke of Norrend sounded more se
rious than Lady Annabelle thought he intended. “We are going to the dining hall now. We will see you there.”
“Yes, my lord.” Lord Leonard bowed again and turned toward the parlor door. He stopped and turned back quickly, saying, “Pardon me, my lord, but did you receive good news about your paintings?”
The Duke of Norrend looked back at him. “Yes. We have genuine paintings.”
“I know that is a relief to you, my lord. Congratulations.” With that, he turned and went to the parlor door.
The men continued but Lady Annabelle hung back a little and watched Lord Leonard slip through the door, only opening it enough to get through. She caught a glimpse of Lord Gilbert in the room when the door opened. His face was very serious. He did not look like he was getting ready to play a game of Whist.
