by Fanny Finch
“Your Grace, I am surprised. You were planning to send her to an Inn? When she has traveled so far to see her friend? Lady Agatha would have been sorely disappointed if you had turned her away.”
The Duke of Thornwall looked at Ursula with resentful eyes. “She is rude and… and pushy!”
Ursula was still smiling. She shook her head, closing her soulful eyes before looking back at him. “Thornwall. I have known you for many years. I know you are not the same as you were years ago, when you were with Sophia. I know you hold great pain because of her loss. You must be hospitable to the young lady. She is a good friend to Lady Agatha.”
“I am not certain of that.”
“Have you not spoken to your sister about Lady Elizabeth?”
The Duke of Thornwall grunted with a frown. “I have. Of course I have.”
“Then I must admit, I do not understand how you can be so sure of her negative affect on Lady Agatha when it is clear how much your sister adores her friend. Lady Elizabeth will be good for Lady Agatha. I am sure of it.”
“How can you be sure?” It was a genuine question. The Duke of Thornwall often depended on the opinions of others to help him make good decisions. The Thornwall village below would not run smoothly if he made all the decisions himself. He did not live there and could not possibly understand the life of a villager.
He had appointed several village men to a council to help him be the best lord he could be. He hoped the people in Thornwall were pleased with the way things were going for them. Truth be told, if they were not, the blame rested solely on the shoulders of the men on the council.
He relied on them to tell him the truth for the sake of their village as a whole. If something was not going right, they were to tell him. If they did not tell him, there was no way for him to know. He could not fix something he knew nothing about.
“I have listened to Lady Agatha speak of Lady Elizabeth many times. She has never spoken an ill word about the woman. They have been good friends since they met almost two years ago. These are things that Lady Agatha has told me, Your Grace. I do not lie.”
The Duke of Thornwall shook his head. “I would never accuse you of lying, Ursula.”
“Do you want to know what I think the problem is here?”
“I do. Please tell me.”
“You are not trusting in your sister. Do you truly believe she would make friends with someone rude and brash? When has she ever consorted with people like that?”
The Duke of Thornwall pulled down the corners of his mouth. “I suppose she never has.”
“No, she never has.”
“You must trust your sister and give Lady Elizabeth the chance she deserves. Perhaps she was tired from the long journey and only wished to get here so she would no longer be traveling in the carriage. Perhaps she has been extremely worried about Lady Agatha and saw your behavior as a delay in her plans. There are any number of reasons why she behaved the way she did.”
“I do not want her to hinder Lady Agatha’s recovery.”
“I understand that, Your Grace. I truly do. But she is a friend to Lady Agatha. My advice is to give her another chance.”
The Duke of Thornwall was not sure he wanted to do that. Ursula had made some valid points. Perhaps Lady Elizabeth was tired. Perhaps that had affected her behavior.
He left the library a half hour after his conversation with the old woman, whom he had hired without actually giving her a job. He paid her a monthly salary just to have her around. She reminded him of his lovely Sophia.
Thinking of Sophia made The Duke of Thornwall’s heart ache. Had she lived, she would be the Lady of the castle and he would not have to deal with Lady Elizabeth at all. It would his wife’s job to entertain women, especially with Lady Agatha bedridden.
He went up the steps, looking up toward his destination.
Chapter 5
From the moment Lady Elizabeth went in Lady Agatha’s room, she felt a tremendous amount of relief. She was glad to be with her friend once again.
She ran to the bed and had to hold herself back from throwing her arms around the injured woman.
“Lady Agatha! It is so lovely to see you! So lovely.”
She bent over the bed and the two women exchanged air kisses on both cheeks. Lady Agatha smiled wide, showing a line of straight, white teeth. Her dark hair was spread across the white pillows under her head. Her brown eyes flashed at Lady Elizabeth in the dancing light from the fireplace.
“Oh, Lizzie! I have been waiting so long to see you again! And here you are. Sit! Sit and let us talk about life. Have you met my brother?”
Lady Elizabeth regretted that the Duke of Thornwall had been brought up first thing. She nodded.
“Yes, I have met him.”
Lady Agatha’s grin turned teasing. “What do you think of him? Is he not quite dashing? Is he not handsome?”
“He is handsome, yes,” Lady Elizabeth replied, keeping her eyes from Lady Agatha’s. Her attempt to deflect how she was feeling about the Duke of Thornwall did not work on Lady Agatha. Her friend lost her smile and looked at her with concerned brown eyes.
“What has happened? Did you not get along with him?”
Lady Elizabeth ran her eyes all around the room, taking in everything but her friend’s eyes. “What a lovely room you have here!”
Lady Agatha pushed herself up closer to a sitting position, trying to adjust the pillows behind her back with her good arm. Lady Elizabeth leaned forward hurriedly and adjusted them for her.
“Thank you, my dear. Now you tell me what has happened. I find it inconceivable that you two did not immediately become enamored with each other.”
Lady Elizabeth giggled, putting her hand up in front of her mouth. “I find it highly unlikely that I would become immediately enamored with any man, Aggie.”
Lady Agatha did not smile back. She shook her head. “I do not understand. What happened?”
“I may have been a bit… energetic when I saw him upon my arrival.”
When Lady Agatha turned her head and looked at Lady Elizabeth through the corners of her eyes, a skeptical look on her face, Lady Elizabeth proceeded to tell her what had happened in the courtyard. Halfway through her account, Lady Agatha was biting her lips together to keep from grinning. By the end of the story, her grin was on full display.
“Oh, Lizzie! You have put your foot in your mouth, have you not?”
Lady Elizabeth sighed in an accepting way. “I suppose I have, Aggie. Do you think the Duke of Thornwall will be forgiving?”
“Of course. Malcolm is a good and kind man. He does not judge anyone nor does he act like a rake. He is…”
Lady Elizabeth prepared herself for more gushing about the Duke of Thornwall and got what she expected. Lady Agatha sang his praises for five minutes and then proceeded to tell Lady Elizabeth two stories of her brother’s accomplishments, how noble he had been on several occasions.
She had just finished the second story when there was a knock on the door. The knob turned and the Duke of Thornwall let himself in.
He looked around the door at the bed where his sister was laying. Lady Elizabeth had not moved from her perch on the side. Both women looked at him when he entered.
“May I enter?”
Lady Agatha smiled and held out her good arm in his direction. “Brother! Come and let us all get to know each other better.”
“You must mean get to know me better,” Lady Elizabeth giggled. “You two are quite well acquainted.”
Lady Agatha laughed with her, making Lady Elizabeth feel better instantly. The moment the Duke of Thornwall entered the room, she felt a sense of apprehension. He took a few steps in and stopped to stand with his hands clasped behind his back.
“I have been thinking, Lady Agatha. It might be best, seeing that you are still bedridden and have not been feeling well, if Lady Elizabeth takes a room in town and returns to her home tomorrow. I will pay for lodging and traveling expenses, of course.”
&
nbsp; “Malcolm!” Lady Agatha said in a stern voice, shaking her head. “That is not a good idea at all!”
“I do not want to leave,” Lady Elizabeth said, sharing her friend’s tone of voice and narrowing her eyes in the Duke of Thornwall’s direction. She did not want to be impolite but her friendship with Lady Agatha made her feel as though her brother was not a nobleman. She chided herself silently and wiped the look from her face.
She did not want to disrespect her good friend with rude behavior.
Lady Agatha reached out with her good hand and touched Lady Elizabeth on the knee. “You are not going anywhere, Lizzie. You are my dear friend and I will not have it.” She frowned at her brother. “Malcolm, Lizzie has traveled far to come visit me in my time of need. She is not going to leave.”
“But…”
“No,” Lady Agatha shook her head. “She is my truest friend, a dear woman that I hold close to my heart. We have an obligation to care for those who come to visit us. It is necessary that we treat her with the respect she deserves. She is the daughter of a duke. You cannot force her to leave. I will be very upset if you do.”
The Duke of Thornwall frowned. Lady Elizabeth watched his face contort as he tried to decide what to do. It amused her, in a way, because it was obvious how much he adored his sister. Lady Elizabeth could see the love he had for her all over his face.
It softened her heart for him and she thought perhaps she should give him another chance and attempt to be the lady her governess had raised her to be. She stood up.
“I do not wish to leave, Your Grace. Perhaps we can start again?” She gave him a genuine smile.
He looked at her skeptically. “I believe that would be best. Welcome to our home, Lady Elizabeth. I do hope you are able to cheer up my sister and help her on her road to recovery.”
Lady Elizabeth’s smile beamed from her face.
“Thank you very much, Your Grace. I am so happy to be here, helping my dear friend. She means quite a lot to me.” Lady Elizabeth turned her smile to Lady Agatha, who returned it with a soft one of her own.
“There are a few rules we must put in place while you are here. It is best if you are available for meals promptly, as you will be eating in here with Lady Agatha so that she is not alone. I will…”
“Oh, oh!” Lady Agatha put the back of her hand against her forehead and closed her eyes, leaning her head back. She peeked out at Lady Elizabeth through one eye and lifted that side of her lips at the same time. “I am weary of these rules and regulations. We will discuss them another time. I must rest.”
The Duke of Thornwall stared at Lady Agatha. Lady Elizabeth could tell he was finding his sister to be aggravating but he could not get angry with her. She could almost see the struggle he was going through. His mouth twitched as he tried to decide how to respond to her obvious feigning of fatigue.
Lady Agatha lifted her hand and stared at the Duke of Thornwall with an amused face. “Malcolm. I must have some private time with my friend. We have much to discuss. It is all female related and you would not be interested. Go on now, shoo.”
Lady Elizabeth turned her eyes from her friend back to the Duke of Thornwall to see how he would react. She knew of men who would never have allowed themselves to be “shooed” away. But she saw only adoration on his face. She knew then that it would be impossible for Lady Agatha to anger her brother.
The kind of loyalty she saw on his face further softened her heart for him.
When he did not look so angry, Lady Agatha was right about him being handsome. She had already decided the scar did not take from his good looks. But there was one thing the scar had obviously done.
Whatever caused it, it had made him bitter.
Chapter 6
The Duke of Thornwall left the room, reluctantly. He had gone in there with the intention of seeing how Lady Agatha was feeling having her excited friend by her side. She looked exhausted and his first thought was that he had been wrong to let Lady Elizabeth come in.
When Lady Agatha told him she would not allow Lady Elizabeth to leave, he knew he had no chance convincing her. She was his weakness and she knew it. Her behavior had made it impossible for him to stand his ground. He could not bear the thought of hurting her by removing Lady Elizabeth from the castle and sending her back home.
“I must resign myself to my fate,” he said aloud to no one. He took the stairs back down to the large foyer and headed back toward his study. There were only a few business matters to attend to.
He saw a flickering light through a half open door. The parlor was on the other side of the door and he did not think anyone was in the parlor. He went to the door and pushed it open, scanning the large room. A maid was holding the candle, while a young man cleaned out the fireplace, dumping ashes in a tin bucket by his side.
They both glanced at him and smiled before going back to work.
The Duke of Thornwall was proud of his servants. They were aware of his need to keep fire where it belonged. On candles, in lanterns, in the fireplace. But never unattended.
“Good work, you two,” he said gently.
Milla glanced at him, her smile returning. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
He pulled the door to the half-open position it had been in when he entered and turned to cross the foyer to go back to the library. An idea prompted him to return to the parlor. He held onto the door with one hand and just pushed his head and shoulders through the crack.
“Milla, do you know where Smithson is?” The Duke of Thornwall would get the butler to take care of the lady and her companion, setting up two rooms for them near Lady Agatha.
“I believe he is in the kitchen with the cook, my lord,” Milla answered. “Would you like me to find him for you?”
The Duke of Thornwall shook his head. “No, that will not be necessary. I will go down there. I need to speak with Hetty anyway.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He left the parlor behind and crossed to the dining hall. He took the steps down to the kitchen once he had passed through the door. The kitchen always smelled like food cooking or something baking. Today, it smelled like butter cookies.
His stomach rumbled and he licked his lips.
“I smell something tasty down here in my kitchen!” he announced, turning at the bottom of the stairs and approaching the dining table the servants used to eat their meals. His cook, Hetty, stood at the big iron stove.
She was a large woman, one of the best cooks in the entire county. There was not one person in the village who could match her cooking and he knew it for a fact. It had been the council that did all the work for him, holding fun contests to discover the best cook for their lord.
It was not a surprise that she was the best cook. Anyone who looked at her short, round body could tell she had done her fair share of eating.
She had a bright, jolly personality and had played an angel in every Christmas pageant the village put on for the last fifteen years. Her husband, the very thin, tall, Smithson, also worked for the Duke of Thornwall as his butler.
He did not, however, play a part in the pageants. Nor did he want to.
“I am making butter cookies for you, my lord,” Hetty said in her high-pitched voice. She always sounded excited, no matter what she was saying. She could be telling him the ham was rotted and it would sound as though she had told him she won a pageant award at Christmastime.
“I can smell them. Are they ready? I want them now.”
Hetty laughed. She watched Lady Agatha and the Duke of Thornwall grow up. She had entered the family as the cook when he was just six years old and had never left. She and Smithson had met at Thornwall Castle and the Duke of Thornwall’s father had allowed them to get married on his estate in the large gazebo looking out over the rolling green hills and thick forest around them.
The Duke of Thornwall grew up with a healthy respect for human happiness because of the way his father treated everyone around him. The elder duke was a man of the world, possessing a uniqu
e characteristic that drew people to him. He was intelligent and friendly. The Duke of Thornwall strived to be a man that emulated his father’s personality.
“You will have them soon enough, young man. But they must cool off. You will burn your mouth if you eat them straight from the oven.”
The Duke of Thornwall stuck out his lower lip, pouting for a moment before letting out a sharp laugh. He looked at Smithson, who had been sitting at the table, looking through a recipe book. He stood respectfully when the Duke of Thornwall entered the room.
“Smithson, I need you to prepare two rooms for our guests. Attend to their needs as best you can. Make sure they are quite comfortable. If an extra sheet or pillow is needed, be sure to provide it. Lady Agatha will be quite upset if we do not treat her friend with the best care possible.”
