“And what good comes from such extravagance?” the Dowager Marchioness challenged.
“It is not extravagance, especially when it increases work production. My family found that the happier our servants and tenants were, the more effort that we received from them, which in turn increased our profits.”
The Dowager Marchioness’ brows rose at this. Diana knew that the Dowager considered it quite uncouth to be discussing money at all, let alone at the dinner table, but for the Earl to actually argue with her was quite a surprise for her.
“I assure you that our servants give all that they have to give already. I make certain of that each and every day. To reward them further would be for naught.”
“If that is so, My Lady, then surely they have earned such a reward.”
“I quite agree,” the Marquess cut short any further argument.
Diana thought that the Dowager Marchioness might swallow her tongue, she was pursing her lips so hard.
“So, you will have the staff doing more work for their own party? What of their other duties?”
“All will be well, Mother. You need not worry about such things. I will see to it,” the Marquess reassured her.
“I could be of assistance,” Diana offered, risking the Dowager’s ire. “We do something similar at Kilgrave for Christmas.”
“That would be most appreciated,” the Marquess smiled kindly. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Diana nodded her head. She knew the real reason for the Marquess’ sudden generosity towards his staff, but in spite of her feelings for Gabriel and a genuine dislike of the Marquess’ ulterior motives, she could not in all good conscience stand by and do nothing while the Dowager reacted as she did. The Dowager’s unkind attitude toward her servants having a day of festivities within the manor house was concerning and showed a singular lack of compassion.
“I was thinking of allowing them the use of the ballroom,” the Marquess added, causing the Dowager’s cheeks to flush red with anger.
“That is unacceptable,” the Dowager Marchioness blustered indignantly.
“Then what do you propose, Mother?”
“They can have it out of doors.”
“And what of the weather?”
“If it should rain, then they will simply have to postpone.”
“Not when there is a perfectly empty ballroom that can be used.”
The Marquess and Dowager Marchioness locked eyes in disagreement. “It is not appropriate, Ernest.”
“I disagree.”
The Dowager Marchioness shook her head. “I want nothing to do with this.”
“You need not be involved at all, Mother, if that is your desire, but I wish that you would consider it.”
“Never,” the Dowager shook her head again and arose from her seat to storm out of the dining room.
And this is the noblewoman that I am to learn decorum from, Diana thought, not for the first time.
“My apologies, Appley. It was not my intent to create such an argument,” the Marquess spoke as he arose from his chair to go after the Dowager Marchioness.
“Not at all, my good man. Please, go and tend to your mother. I will keep the lovely Lady Diana company until your return.”
“Thank you, my friend.” The Marquess bowed in courtesy, then left the room.
“Do you know the Dowager Marchioness very well?” the Earl asked of Diana once they were alone.
“No, I do not. She was a friend of my grandmother’s, but we had never met before my coming here.”
The Earl nodded. “Please do not judge her harshly from this. She merely believes that things should remain as they were in the old days and does not like change. She will come around to the Marquess’ way of thinking eventually. Just give her some time.”
“It is not my place to judge,” Diana shook her head as if to say that she did not need an explanation. Yet she found that she needed one to justify the Dowager’s strange behavior.
“You are a most forgiving guest, Lady Diana.”
“Not at all.”
The dinner went on with pleasant enough conversation and the Marquess rejoined them before dessert.
“Mother has seen the wisdom of my words and has agreed to the servant’s dance after all.”
“Splendid,” the Earl smiled, pleased to have been proven right. “You will see a vast improvement, I assure you.”
Diana sat in silence listening to the noblemen’s plans. The Marquess held his true reasons for hosting the event secret, not revealing even the slightest glimmer of his deeper intentions.
“Lady Diana, do you have any input to share?” the Marquess’s words pulled her from her reverie.
“It all sounds quite splendid. As I said, I will be happy to help in any way that I can. At Kilgrave, I usually assist with the decorations. My mother says that I have a hand for such things.”
“Decorations it is,” the Marquess proclaimed with a smile. “As to the guest list, I was thinking of inviting some of the people from the village and neighboring estates, but I was not certain of the reception among the other lords and ladies of the surrounding estates. I was wondering if you might aid me in the task of wording the invitations?”
“Of course, My Lord. Anything to be of service to such a worthy cause. We have done the same at Kilgrave and I know just what to do.”
“Excellent,” the Marquess’ smile broadened. “You are an invaluable addition to our household, Lady Diana. Were I a younger, wiser man, I might pursue your hand myself,” he teased, a light of empathy in his eyes. It was the first hint of anything from him that he knew his present course of action in finding the stable hand a wife was hurting her in any way.
“Unfortunately, that honor belongs to another,” he bowed his head in gracious surrender to the Earl, who smiled and nodded back in acceptance.
Diana wished to scream from the roof tops that she was not a forgone conclusion, but she knew that it would do her little good. She studied the face of the Earl, content and confident in his lot, and wondered if she could truly go through with such a farce as to wed a man that she did not love. He was handsome, and kind as far as she could tell, and yet she felt little to nothing for him.
Gabriel held the same qualities of kindness and beauty as the Earl and yet from the very first moment that she had met Gabriel, Diana’s heart had immediately reacted to his presence. There was no comparing the two where her heart was concerned, even if her mind was still attempting to fight the truth. She refused to accept that Gabriel was the one that she loved, as her one true love could not be of the class forbidden to her own. The thought shamed her even as she thought it, but she could not change the social strictures of her class any more than she could change the weather.
If I cannot wed for love, am I capable of marrying for the sole purpose of pleasing my parents? Is such a life something that I can bear to live?
She thought of Georgette standing on the clifftop, ready to step off into the unknown to escape the pain of losing the man that she loved. That moment had shaped Diana’s perception of love more than any other in her young life.
Diana had always believed in love, as it was impossible not to do so when watching her own parents together, but Georgette’s heartbreak had firmed her resolve.
Now I know that Mother and Father did not wed for love at all, yet they love each other now in spite of such beginnings. Is my parent’s life something that I could bear, or would it leave me with nothing but misery? I do not know, and I will not know unless I am willing to risk everything to ascertain the truth of the matter. Will I find a love other than that forbidden to me? Or am I doomed to walk the earth alone?
Chapter 13
The morning of the hunt arrived, and the stable yard came alive with the sounds of horses, dogs, and men. Diana exited the manor house wearing her riding attire and walked over to where the Marquess and Earl awaited her.
“You look lovely, my dear,” the Earl greeted her, stepping forward to kiss her hand
while appraising her clothing with an appreciative eye.
Diana’s riding habit was a lovely moss green that brought out the color of her eyes and hair. The golden and black piping and epaulets of the tight-fitting jacket gave it an almost military appearance, while the rippling downward flow of the skirt was the picture of simplistic elegance. The high, masculine-style hat was decorated with a bit of black veil, and similar piping to that of the jacket was wrapped around the base. The ensemble was a marriage of masculine and feminine design that made Diana feel strong and powerful.
“Thank you, My Lord,” Diana inclined her head in acceptance of his praise.
“Please, call me Tobias.”
“It would be best if I did not. The Dowager Marchioness would not be pleased for proper decorum to be abandoned.”
“I am certain, in this case, that Her Ladyship would be willing to make an exception.” The expression on his face left no doubt as to why such an exception might be made. It was quite clear, that along with everyone else within her immediate circle, he believed himself to be her future husband.
Diana, not wishing to start an argument in front of everyone else standing near them, did not answer, but turned to greet the Marquess instead. “Good morning, My Lord.”
“Good morning, Diana,” he greeted, a spark of amusement in his eyes for so obviously being used as a diversionary tactic. “Are you ready to hunt?”
“I am,” Diana nodded with a smile. She was more than happy to be allowed to miss her daily lessons with the Dowager Marchioness and honestly would have taken nearly any excuse to do so. Gabriel and two other stable hands waited with the horses and their noble little trio turned to join them.
Gabriel stepped forward and helped Diana up onto her horse. The feel of his hands around her waist and the strength of his muscles as he lifted her up made her feel a bit lightheaded. “Good morning, My Lady,” he murmured softly for her ears only, as his hand lingered ever so slightly on her waist.
“Good morning, Gabriel,” Diana murmured in return, her senses feeling as if they had suddenly been sparked to life by the merest touch of his hand. “How are you?”
“I am well. And you, My Lady?”
“I am well.”
Once Diana was settled into the saddle, Gabriel moved to mount his own horse. The Marquess and the Earl were already mounted, along with each of their stable hand attendants, and ready to ride out. The stable hands would prepare the firearms between each use, leaving the hunter’s hands free to shoot as needed. The dogs were led to the edge of the forest and the moment that they picked up a scent, they were released from their bounds and ran off, baying through the trees.
The hunters gave chase, following the hounds through the forest. The Marquess and the Earl raced on ahead of Diana, leaving her in Gabriel’s capable hands. Not for the first time, Diana cursed the awkward nature of the sidesaddle. She would much rather have ridden astride in men’s breeches if she had her way, but there was no possible way that she would have been allowed such a rebellion from proper decorum.
As they sailed through the trees chasing after the dogs, Gabriel stayed right by her side, never moving ahead or lagging behind, as if their horses had somehow become one. The skill that such a feat took was not lost on Diana and her heart sped up at having him so close. She was very much impressed by his horsemanship as he could have easily outridden the two noblemen ahead of them with very little effort on his part.
Diana was so distracted by Gabriel’s presence that she nearly ran straight into a low hanging branch. Gabriel, seeing the danger, grabbed the reins and pulled her horse away from the obstacle at the last instant. Diana’s heart raced as she nestled her head in her mare’s mane. Gabriel slowed their horses to a walk, then halted altogether.
“Are you well, My Lady?” Gabriel asked as soon as the horses came to a standstill. “Were you harmed in any way?”
“No,” Diana shook her head, breathless from the excitement of the near miss. “I am not harmed.”
Gabriel sighed in relief. “You had me quite concerned for you. Did you not see the branch?”
“No, I did not. My thoughts were elsewhere.”
“Not an advisable thing to do when racing through the forest at such a speed.”
“No, it is not. I know better and yet…” Diana shrugged her shoulders so as to say that such things happened even at the most inopportune times. She was not about to admit that she had been too busy looking at him to mind where she was going.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“It is my duty and my pleasure, My Lady.”
They both dismounted. Diana turned her face up to look into his eyes. She had only meant to gauge the sincerity of his words and found herself unable to look away, captured by the desire she saw in the crystal blue depths.
“Pleasure…” she murmured absently, her mind unable to move past the word.
“Yes, pleasure,” he murmured back, his eyes just as lost in hers. In the next moment, before either of them could think better of it, he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. The feeling of the kiss traveled from Diana’s lips through her body to the tips of her fingers and toes. A dizzying sense of bliss took over her being and left her feeling breathless. Gabriel deepened the kiss and Diana could not help but respond with a fervent passion and abandon that nearly sent them both to the ground.
“Gabriel,” Diana gasped, pulling back to breathe.
“Diana,” he whispered. “You are trembling.”
“I am?”
“You are.” Gabriel pulled Diana into his arms. He lowered her down to the ground and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, wetting it in a nearby stream, then returned to dab the wet cloth across her face, removing her hat, and loosening her top button. Such an invasion of her person was a new experience for Diana, and she was not at all certain how to react.
“My apologies,” she whispered. “I am quite well, I assure you.”
“No. It is I who should apologize for having taken such liberties. I beg your forgiveness, My Lady.” His steady crystal-blue eyes met hers and she felt dizzy all over again. There was something about the man that made her react in ways that she had never before experienced.
“We were both in the wrong. We are simply fortunate that no one saw us. I would never wish to put your place here at Westwallow in jeopardy.”
“For you, it would be worth it,” Gabriel murmured, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Do you truly plan to seek a wife?” the question came out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“I am,” he nodded gravely. “It is the only way that I can think of to keep myself from desiring you so. I cannot have you, as you are destined for another, and are above me in every way. How I feel about you is of no true consequence to the world. They would punish us both severely for it. I would never place you in that situation. I could never stand by and see you disowned and ostracized, knowing that I was the cause. I will wed another and remove any such temptations for us both. It is all that I have to give you. It is the only way that I know to protect you from me.”
“What if I do not wish to be protected?” Diana asked, her rebellious spirit surging to the forefront. “What if I am willing to be disowned and despised for the sake of you?”
“I could never allow you to make such a sacrifice. Were your heart to be broken, then mine would also break. I could not bear to watch you suffer so, to see you treated as a woman disdained. You deserve to be revered and loved beyond measure. I could never give you the life that you deserve.”
“What if I do not care for such frivolities? What if all that I want is you?”
“I wish such could be so, but it cannot. You, My Lady, are a sparkling jewel within the firmament and well beyond my reach. Men such as I were never meant to touch the stars.”
Diana took his hand on hers and pressed it to her cheek. “Then I am a fallen star, for here we are.”
“If only, my darling Diana, if only.”
A silent tear slipped down Diana’s cheek as she leaned into his caress. “If only,” she whispered, her heart breaking into two as he stood, pulling away from her as the sound of horses came tearing through the bush.
The Earl’s worried face appeared out of the undergrowth. “What has happened here?”
Chapter 14
Gabriel’s heart felt as if it had been ripped out of his chest and stomped on as he watched the Earl take his place in front of Lady Diana, placing his hand on her cheek where Gabriel’s had just been. It took everything within him not to punch the Earl square in the face for daring to lay a finger on her beautiful flesh.
The Enigmatic Lady in the Ivory Tower Page 9
