by Jenna Jaxon
“I am Lady Kersey now.” Much good the title had ever done her.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I mean it when I tell you I will not marry again unless I am in love with the gentleman.” Gathering her nightgown around her, Maria stood on the stool close to the bed and marched down the two steps. “I look at the love matches Charlotte and Elizabeth and Fanny have made, how happy they are, and I can’t help wanting that for myself.” She stared at Jane, her heart sinking. Perhaps her cousin didn’t believe in marriage for love. “Don’t you want that with Lord Kinellan?”
Wrapping herself with her silk shawl, as if girding herself for battle, Jane fixed her with a defiant stare. “I am not in love with Lord Kinellan. I have a fondness for him, that is true. And he is an excellent lover, but we are not in love.”
Stunned, Maria’s brows rose sharply. She’d often wondered about the extent of her cousin’s liaison with the handsome Scottish lord. Now she knew. Not that she blamed Jane. Maria had met him the once, when he had escorted Jane to Kersey Hall after Alan’s death. Even in her shock and grief, Maria had admitted Kinellan was a splendid figure of a man.
Of course, she was a naïve young woman, who didn’t know much at all about love and passion. That was how Alan had managed to seduce her. He’d convinced her that he loved her and had then used that in turn to further convince her, as he had wanted all along, that she loved him. Had she not believed that, she would never have gone to his bed. Well, not after the first time. That had been for the sheer excitement of having an attractive man be attracted to her. Perhaps for some people, that thrill was enough. But she didn’t think that was true of her. “I’m sorry, Jane. I should not have asked you that.”
Her cousin sighed and held out her arms. “Think nothing of it, my dear.”
Maria hurried into Jane’s embrace. Lord, she would miss her when she left, but if her cousin was to be happy, she needed to go. “When will you leave?”
“I had thought tomorrow, but I would not be able to travel on Sunday.” Jane released her and walked toward the door. “That means I would be detained at some inn to the north of us for an entire day, when I could just as easily set off on Monday morning and travel straight through the week.”
“And thereby remain here with me another two days.” How sweet of Jane. Her cousin understood how much her departure would affect Maria’s spirits and was trying to ease her into the acceptance of it.
“As you say.” Jane’s smile trembled. “I will miss you as well, Cousin.”
It was on the tip of Maria’s tongue to beg Jane to stay, but she kept silent. Her cousin deserved her happiness, in whatever form it came. “We shall write to one another every day.”
“The expense of franking my letters will likely pauper Kinellan’s purse.”
They laughed together and Jane left on a happy note. Maria would simply have to make the best of the situation. Without Jane to confide in, she would need to foster a closer relationship with Margery. That idea was fraught with dangers, especially if the lady continued to make overtures toward Maria regarding her younger son. Not that she abhorred Mr. Garrett. Far from it. Still, she could not think of developing an attachment to him when her heart seemed firmly fixed on Mr. Granger.
Perhaps she simply needed more information about the man. If she could glean that he did indeed have prospects, no matter how slight, might that not prove reason enough to consider him eligible? Such information might well be obtained from his sister. So tomorrow she would seek out Mr. Granger and beg the introduction to Miss Granger that he had promised. Who knew where such a meeting might lead?
* * *
“Margery?” Lord Kersey slipped into his wife’s darkened bedchamber well after two o’clock in the morning, clad only in his banyan and swaying in an effort to remain upright. The fire had burned low and nothing stirred behind the drawn bed hangings. His lady was likely asleep by now.
He’d spent more time than usual after dinner drinking with Anthony and James, trying to ascertain what his younger son had been talking so avidly about to the young widow while simultaneously attempting to keep his elder son from blurting out the scheme for Anthony to marry the Dowager Lady Kersey. Not that he thought James would try to stand in his brother’s way, but any man faced with the prospect of marrying an heiress or letting another man do so would most likely elect to wed her himself.
He crept to the bed and pulled the curtains aside, then slid his hand over the covers until he hit a large lump. “Margery?” God, he hoped so. He hadn’t stumbled into the wrong room, had he? He’d put away several bottles of wine and several more glasses of brandy. He gave the lump a hard poke. “Margery!”
“What?” The lump sat up in the bed, and shrank away from him. “Who is that?”
“’S me, Margery. Your husband. William, Earl of Kersey.” His complete name sounded so impressive. Too bad he couldn’t be called that all the time.
“Good lord, William.” There was the rasp of the curtain rings being pulled, then the room flared into brightness.
Kersey blinked at the sudden light. His wife sat up, her hand on the lamp, her nightgown pulled askew, revealing one plump, enticing breast. Usually such a prospect would incite his cock to leap into action. Tonight, however, it remained soft and uninterested. Too much drink for sure. “I wanted to speak to you about James and young Maria.” He leaned heavily against the bed. “Were you able to find out what she and James were talking about so avidly at dinner?”
“Is that why you’ve woken me up in the middle of the night?”
The irritation evident in his wife’s voice was new and a little disturbing. She’d never before said so much as “boo” when spoken to, and now this insolence? What spell was this house casting on his family? First Anthony defying him about marrying little Maria. Then James insisting on returning to Virginia. Now his wife talking back to him and in the bedroom, of all places. “I need to discuss something of monumental importance to the family. Are you quite awake and sober?”
“Of course, I am. You just awakened me. And I am not the one who spent most of the night drinking.” Margery adjusted her clothing tying the neck of her gown and removing the sight of temptation. “Now what is it that you wish to discuss?”
“Maria and James. They sat at dinner together and appeared to be having a spirited conversation at one point. We need to make certain that Anthony is put forward to her as the prospective bridegroom. Not James.”
“But Maria and James would suit so much better together, my dear.”
His wife must have lost her mind. Did she think that such things mattered at all when their livelihood was at stake? “You have not been speaking to Maria about the merits of James, have you, Margery?” He seized her arm in a vicious grasp.
“Aww, William. You’re hurting me.”
He shook himself and released her arm. All women were a dammed nuisance. “What did you say to her after dinner?”
“Nothing of any consequence, it turns out.” Margery rubbed her arm and glared at him. “She and James spoke about Bellevue and his desire to return there. Maria, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with journeying to Virginia. She is perfectly content to reside here, at least for now, and swears she has no interest in marrying again.” Margery shrugged. “I assume that puts an end to our hopes of reuniting the Kersey properties.”
“On the contrary, my dear. It gives me more hope than ever.” Kersey climbed up on the bed and flopped down on the pillows, his head spinning.
“It does?” Margery slid over next to him. “Why? I thought your whole idea was that Maria would agree to marry Anthony.”
“And she will, my dear, she will. If Anthony has one virtue, it is tenacity. Once he sets his sights on something, then he will move heaven and earth to make it happen.” After more explanation than it should have taken, he’d finally convinced his son of the absolute necessity of marriage to the Dowager Lady Kersey. “And one impediment has just been removed.”
>
“What impediment?”
“James.” Kersey opened his eyes to try to stop the room from spinning.
“How was James an impediment?” His wife’s puzzled voice grated loudly in his already throbbing head.
“As you said, Maria and James suit one another much better than she and Anthony. So James might have easily persuaded her to fall in love with him and whisked her back to Virginia, along with the control of all her properties.” Now the room spun in the opposite direction, making his stomach queasy. “But since she does not wish to travel, and actually wishes to settle down here at Kersey Hall, then James will have the devil’s own time getting her to agree to marry him. Which leaves ample opportunity in the coming weeks for Anthony to seduce her into his bed and get her pregnant. Then we can force her to marry him or risk complete ruin for the entire family.”
“William. That is a horrible scheme.” Margery’s voice sounded as sharp as an ice pick in his head.
“Margery, lower your voice or I shall cast up my accounts all over your bedcovers.” Kersey pressed his hands against his eyes, trying to keep his brains from leaking out his eyeballs.
“I’ll fetch the lavender concoction. My mother swore by it all her life.” She paused in the act of getting out of the bed. “Unless you’d like the vinegar instead?”
The mere mention of vinegar almost ensured that Kersey would lose the battle with his stomach. But a deep breath settled him again. “The lavender water, please, Margery.”
The pattering of her bare feet on the carpet as she retreated to the door to her dressing room where such potions were stored, made him relax onto the mattress. Anthony could take the plan from here and make certain Maria would land in his bed sooner rather than later. Kersey wanted the girl bound to his heir before the Christmas party welcomed its first guest. He had ample faith in Anthony’s reputation with ladies. Now that his son had picked up the gauntlet, so to speak, he’d lay odds little Maria would be warming his bed before the month was out. Sooner, once Lady John took her leave. With no one else to run to or discourage her, Maria would fall easily into Anthony’s arms. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Eleven
Totaling up the figures on the renovations to the dower house—which had been used approximately two weeks when all was said and done—gave Hugh an unexpected delight. Not that the repairs had been an unnecessary expense, but now the house would likely fall back into disrepair before it could be used by the next Dowager Lady Kersey. The thought of so much time and effort now going to waste should have had him grumbling at everyone he came into contact with this morning. But the effect was actually quite the opposite.
The money had actually been well spent—Francis House was as right as rain now—if only the house would be put to some good use. Of course, Lady Kersey had had the use of it for a couple of weeks, which had given the lady pleasure, and so him. But now his primary job would be to visit it each year and hope to keep the property from becoming run-down again.
He might suggest to his lordship that they rent the house and its park until such time as it was needed for a dower house or as the primary residence of Lord Wetherby, perhaps upon his marriage. Not that that would come to pass for some time to come. Wetherby’s reputation had been whispered about all over London, so that even one who visited the city infrequently had heard of the newly titled lord’s exploits in gambling and whoring. Such a wild buck would not be settling down anytime soon.
Still, Hugh couldn’t help but be delighted by the way things had turned out for the Dowager Lady Kersey. With her return to Kersey Hall, Hugh always walked in the front door with the expectation that at some point during the day, he would get to see the lady. A sight that made the dreariest of days shine like midsummer.
Not that it wasn’t torture to see the woman almost on a daily basis, although he spoke to her much more infrequently than he saw her. He managed to discover when she liked to walk or when she came down for tea in the breakfast room. Then he would station himself somewhere nearby, out of sight, and watch as she walked down the corridor or entered a room. Something told him such conduct was unseemly, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see her, to talk with her as he’d done that day out by the fountain.
The weather now prevented such meetings outside, but he could perhaps arrange an outing for Lady Kersey and Bella. He’d promised them both an introduction and now seemed as good a time as any. A good one also because it might help distract the lady from the loss of her cousin on Monday.
That settled it. He’d arrange the introduction for tomorrow afternoon, after church. The ladies at the Hall did not attend, but he and Bella went faithfully. After luncheon he would suggest Lady Kersey and Lady John accompany him over to the farmhouse where he and his sister resided, with several servants, for tea.
A knock sounded on the office door.
Hugh turned from his column of figures and barely stopped his jaw from dropping open. There before him stood the Dowager Lady Kersey, splendidly dressed, as always, this time in a deep purple gown with a square neckline that accentuated the curve of her bosom to a sinful degree. He blinked and quickly raised his gaze to her face.
“Good morning, Mr. Granger.” The exquisite creature smiled at him, taking Hugh’s breath away.
“Good morning, Lady Kersey,” he managed at last. He must not stare at the lady, but it was so hard not to when all he wanted to do was gaze his fill. “How may I help you?”
Lady Kersey smiled, a quirking up of her pink lips that incited a riot in Hugh’s nether regions. “I had realized this morning that with my removal to Francis House and then the flurry of the return, I had not had a chance to ask you about the Tates.”
“Ah, yes.” Hopes dashed that her visit pertained to something more personal, Hugh nevertheless returned her smile and motioned to the nearby sofa. “Won’t you have a seat, my lady?” As she complied he closed the door all but a crack and sat on a leather-backed chair opposite her. “I do have something to report on that front.”
“Oh, good.” She smoothed out her gown and raised her face to his. “How is Mrs. Tate faring? It has been some weeks since I had any news of her.”
“I believe her first grief at her husband’s loss has passed. Her children seem to be a great comfort to her.” He lowered his voice, mindful of the cracked door. “The family is still on the tenant farm. No one has applied to take it over so far, as expected.”
“That is excellent, Mr. Granger.” Her tones were hushed as well. “It was so good of you to come up with this scheme to help them.”
“Unfortunately, it will not work forever. We know that if Lord Kersey finds out there will be the devil to pay.”
“He will evict them out of hand, you mean?” Her brows knit over her petite nose in a most charming way.
“That would be the logical assumption.” He didn’t want to mention that he would also quite likely be sacked for insubordination. “And even if he doesn’t discover our little subterfuge, word does get around the counties, about tenants’ deaths, you know. Any day, a worker could show up and ask if the tenancy has been filled.”
“What can we do to help them if the worst comes to pass?” The lady stared earnestly into his face, her absolute faith in his ability to solve the problem evident in her eyes.
“I . . . haven’t quite been able to work that out yet. If the son were older there would be an argument that he could take over for his father. If a prospective tenant happens to apply, I can express to his lordship once more that Mrs. Tate is willing and able to take it over, but I doubt he will be any more amenable about that than he was before.”
Lady Kersey sighed. “I am sorry I am not able to provide another solution to their situation either. If only little Jane had been a son, this would not be a problem at all.” Her eyes widened, making them an even more startling blue. “Do not think I mean I don’t love my daughter, Mr. Granger. I do, most fiercely. It’s only that now I have no control over a decision that otherw
ise would have been mine to make.”
“Of course, my lady. I would never think such a thing.” One of his most precious memories of her was the afternoon he came upon her playing with her daughter at Francis House. Her love for her child had shone with absolute clarity. “How is Lady Jane?”
“She is well, thank you. Still growing at an incredible rate.” Lady Kersey relaxed and smiled. “Every time I see her she seems to have grown an inch.” Her smile became tinged with sadness. “But I fear I will not be able to see her every day as I have been used to doing. Since I am returned to Kersey Hall, I expect I shall have to conform to the more traditional ideas about child-rearing and see her only occasionally. My cousin had stressed this to me after the baby was born, but I would not listen. She was all I had, and I wanted to be with her . . .” The lady trailed off, then brushed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Forgive me, Mr. Granger, if I have become too personal in my conversation.”
“Not at all, my lady.” He fumbled for his handkerchief and finally presented it to her. “You have not had an easy year yourself, though some might not see it that way. Perhaps you can rebel a little, when no one is noticing, and find your way to the nursery more frequently than others might do.”
She wiped her eyes, then clutched the square of linen, kneading it between her fingers. “I have never thought myself a rebel, but perhaps you are right.” She smiled up at him, her gaze warm. “For Jane I may well have to become one.”
“I think you may not find it difficult at all, when your reason for rebelling is someone dear to your heart.” He meant the words to be encouraging, but they had a rather startling effect.
Her luscious lips thinned into a straight line and she sat straighter on the sofa before leaning over to place her small hand on his. “Please tell me how your brother is doing, Mr. Granger. I do not know the particulars about his injury, but I wondered if the circumstances had changed in any way.”
