Good Dukes Wear Black
Page 22
“I suppose that’s true,” Ophelia said thoughtfully.
“Marriage is not about always agreeing,” Maggie said wearily. “It’s about knowing that even as you fight there’s no one you’d rather be with.”
Maggie needed to know that George was recuperating too, Ophelia thought. But that would come later. For now, she needed to rest herself.
Just then Trent returned, the two hulking brutes who’d attacked them on either side of him.
Ophelia’s eyes grew wide, “No! Those are the men who—”
“It’s all right, my dear,” her husband said as he put an arm around her. “I know who they are. But for now, they work for me. When they’ve finished removing Mrs. Grayson to the carriage, I’ve got the watch downstairs to take them away.”
“If you’re sure,” Ophelia said, watching the two men like a hawk as they gently lifted Maggie onto a litter.
Slowly they walked behind the two men and their burden as they went down the stairs, and out the door to the waiting carriage.
“You care very much for those you love, don’t you?” Trent asked as they watched the two men who normally wielded manacles get manacled themselves.
“Of course I do,” Ophelia said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”
Which was the honest truth.
Epilogue
“How much longer?” Trent asked Ophelia, who was seated, along with Mainwaring and Hermione, in the drawing room of Craven House.
“Five minutes more than the last time you asked,” his wife responded with a smile. “Babies are notoriously bad at punctuality, my dear,” she assured him with a rub on his back.
The four had descended upon Freddy and Leonora’s residence after Leonora had been overcome with labor pains at the belated celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Trent’s marriage. Beside himself with nerves, Freddy had carried her from the ducal mansion himself and deposited her carefully in their carriage with orders for a footman to summon the physician.
Unable to leave immediately thanks to the hundreds of guests in their ballroom, Trent and Ophelia had finally been able to get away two hours later. They’d come into Craven House expecting to find that the baby had arrived, but Hermione and Mainwaring had greeted them with the news that there was no news.
“Bad form,” Trent grumbled. “Though I should expect nothing less from any child of Freddy’s. He’s always enjoyed making a grand entrance.”
“Too right,” said Mainwaring from where he sat with Hermione perched most scandalously on his knee. “Been that way since our school days. Though it would serve him right if the child turned out to be as stiff rumped as Freddy’s eldest brother. In fact, I think that would be splendid. Imagine the fireworks!”
“It’s quite rude of the two of you to speak ill of Freddy when he was so devoted to Leonora as to breach the sanctity of the birthing room,” Ophelia said with a sniff. “How many husbands do you know who care so much about their wives that they would demand to be there for the birth of their child?”
But that didn’t seem to make a difference to the men.
Trent made a rude noise, and Mainwaring openly scoffed.
“There is no great valor in going where he has no business going,” Mainwaring said with a scowl. “All he’s doing is making things more difficult for the rest of us. Now wives all over London will be demanding that their husbands be there to hold their hands while they are … well, you know.”
“The husbands did have a role in creating the child,” Ophelia argued. “It’s the least they can do to be there for the pain of birthing them.”
“Fee,” Hermione said apologetically, “I’m afraid I’m with the gentlemen on this one. There is no way I will allow Jasper anywhere near me during the birth of our child. I would sooner invite all the members of Brooks’s and their wives. It is a private business, and as much as I love you, Jasper, I do not wish for you to see me like that.”
“You needn’t fear on that score, darling,” said Jasper, kissing her hand. “I promise to stay far away smoking and drinking while you’re bringing our babe into the world.”
Ophelia narrowed her eyes at the other couple. Exchanging a glance with Trent, who had also heard something in their words, she spoke up. “Is there something you two would like to tell us?”
Smiling at each other, like two lovebirds caught kissing, the Mainwarings turned to face their accuser.
“I was waiting until the celebrations for your wedding and the arrival of Baby Lisle died down,” Hermione said with a grin. “But if you’ll keep it to yourselves, then yes, we are expecting a happy event.”
With a squeal, Ophelia launched herself across the room and pulled her friend up in a hug.
At a more decorous pace, Trent followed and clapped Mainwaring on the back and kissed Hermione on the cheek.
“Wonderful news,” Trent pronounced, pulling Ophelia against his side. “And not too far after this one to keep them from being friends.”
“Just what I said.” Mainwaring grinned. “I’d like to see them all at Eton together. Like we were, only more popular.”
“And better looking,” Trent said with a wink.
“Hard to be better looking than this,” Mainwaring said, gesturing from his head to his toes. “Though I daresay there is godlike. I’ve never quite achieved that.”
“Only in your mind, dearest,” Hermione said with an elbow to his ribs.
“Better get busy, the two of you,” Mainwaring said with a pointed look in the direction of the Duke and Duchess of Trent.
“It’s not for want of trying,” Trent said just before Ophelia jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow. “That is to say, we are quite looking forward to the time when we can announce our own blessed event.”
“Better,” Ophelia said with a scowl.
He was saved from replying by the sound of the door being thrown open.
They all looked up and saw Freddy, in his shirtsleeves, looking disheveled but brimming with happiness in the doorway.
“It’s a girl!” he said with a grin. “Mama and baby are doing well. And can I be the first to say that my daughter has the best set of lungs in England!”
The quartet of onlookers shouted a huzzah and rushed over to hug and congratulate the new father, who quickly ushered them upstairs to Leonora’s sitting room.
Inside, they found a nursemaid cradling the newest little Lisle, who was demonstrating her excellent lung capacity.
“Lads,” Freddy told the other two men, as Ophelia and Hermione rushed over to see the baby, “I don’t think you know what love is until you’ve watched your own child being born. I don’t know why every man doesn’t demand it.”
“Lord Frederick,” said Dr. Simpson, London’s most celebrated accoucheur, as he entered the sitting room, “I hope you will not go about preaching this nonsense to your fellow ton husbands. For if every man were as intrusive in the birthing chamber I’d be forced to leave my profession.”
“Have no fear, Dr. Simpson,” Hermione assured him after a pointed look in her husband’s direction. “I do not think the ladies of the ton will be quite so keen to invite their husbands in as Leonora was.”
“Whatever you wish, my dear,” said Mainwaring, exchanging a relieved look with Trent. “I will follow your wishes in these matters since you are the one who will be doing the hard work.”
“Leonora is well, Dr. Simpson?” asked Ophelia from where she was holding the new baby, who had stopped crying just as soon as Ophelia picked her up, against her chest.
“She is indeed, your grace.” Dr. Simpson beamed. “Indeed, were it not for the unusual circumstance of Lord Frederick insisting upon being there for the birth, it would have been a routine matter.”
“She likes you,” Trent said, stepping up beside Ophelia to look down at the impossibly tiny thing in her arms. “You’ve got a natural talent, it would seem.”
Ophelia beamed up at him. “I hope so, for I mean to have a pa
ssel of these.”
“That many, eh?”
“Well, perhaps just a plethora.”
Unable to stop himself, Trent leaned down and kissed her.
“Don’t do that in front of my child,” Freddy chided, coming forward to take the baby away from Ophelia. “Come, Leonora should be ready for visitors now.”
After ascertaining that it was indeed the case, he ushered the others into his wife’s bedroom.
“Congratulations,” Ophelia said, moving to the bedside to take Leonora’s hand.
She was pleased to see that her friend looked exhausted but overjoyed. And when she took the baby from Freddy, something about seeing their little trio together brought tears to Ophelia’s eyes.
“Isn’t she the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen?” Leonora asked, beaming.
“By far,” Mainwaring said with a nod.
“In all my years,” agreed Trent.
“But not quite as beautiful as her mama,” Freddy said with a grin.
“I just wish Jonny were here to meet her,” Leonora said, tears springing to her eyes. Kissing the child on her tiny nose, she said, “He would have loved to meet you, my dear girl.”
“He’d have been proud,” Hermione said with a watery smile. “And surprised to find us all married off. But not disappointed, I think.”
“No,” Freddy agreed, exchanging a look with Mainwaring and Trent, who stood with their arms around their wives, in a semicircle around Leonora’s bed.
“He’d have been happy,” Trent said with a grin. “Damned happy.”
Author’s Note
In 1829, Freeman Anderton’s lawsuit against prominent alienist (psychiatrist in 19th-century speak) Dr. George Man Burrows for wrongful confinement (which Anderton won) revealed something to the British public that had not hitherto been common knowledge. Namely, that it was a common practice of many alienists to use unofficial “letters de cachet” to lend legitimacy to their attendants when they came to take away the person in question, solely to prevent those around the “lunatic” from interfering.
And, perhaps more disturbing, was the fact that these declarations of a person’s lunacy were most often made without the physician ever having examined the patient.
In his defense against Anderton’s suit, Burrows argued that it was often necessary for a physician to rely on the word of family members or close friends to determine a person’s state of mind because “procrastination could end up in suicide or homicide in an urgent case” (Suzuki 53).
It doesn’t take a devious mind to see the possibilities for corruption of this practice, and it’s one of those possibilities that I write about in Good Dukes Wear Black. While there don’t seem to be any cases similar to the one I describe in the book, where Dr. Hayes is persuaded to have women confined on the word of his own brother, it does seem to me to have been possible. And from there I wove my story.
If you’d like to read more about the treatment of madness in the 19th century and the ways in which alienists navigated the waters between the public and the domestic, I highly recommend Madness at Home: The Psychiatrist, the Patient, and the Family in England, 1820–1860, University of California Press, (2006) by Akihito Suzuki.
Coming soon …
Look for the next novel in Manda Collins’s
Lords of Anarchy series
READY SET ROGUE
Available in January 2017
from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Also by Manda Collins
Good Earl Gone Bad
A Good Rake Is Hard to Find
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts
Why Earls Fall in Love
Why Dukes Say I Do
How to Entice an Earl
How to Romance a Rake
How to Dance with a Duke
Novellas
The Perks of Being a Beauty
Once Upon a Christmas Kiss
PRAISE FOR MANDA COLLINS’S DELECTABLE REGENCY NOVELS
A GOOD RAKE IS HARD TO FIND
“A fresh and promising start to the series.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An exciting mystery and a powerful love story!”
—Fresh Fiction
“This book has fighting, fast driving, mystery, a super bad guy, and some sweet love.”
—Romance at Random
“Warmth, wit, wicked sensuality, and an intriguing whodunit take this story over the top.”
—Romance Junkies
WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS
“This sweet and sensuous novel has an undercurrent of mystery that will keep readers riveted.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Collins’s tale blends intrigue and desire in a story that is an unusual and intriguing combination of chilling and sweet.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A suspense-filled tale, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, the third book in author Manda Collins’s Wicked Widows trilogy, is a witty, sensual historical romance that will captivate readers from the very beginning. Filled with warmth, clever dialogue, engaging characters, sizzling chemistry, mystery, danger, surprising plot twists, tender romance, and true love, this story is a delight.”
—Romance Junkies
“Fresh dialogue, suspense, revenge, a most unlikely villain, and of course, romance, make Why Lords Lose Their Hearts a definite must-read!”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
WHY EARLS FALL IN LOVE
“With its shades of I Know What You Did Last Summer and strong gothic overtones, Collins’s latest is a chill seeker’s delight. Along with the surprising climax, readers will thoroughly enjoy the well-crafted characters, the charming setting, and the romance that adds spice to the drama.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Sparkling romance amid mystery.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Combining love, wit, warmth, suspense, intrigue, emotion, sensuality, interesting characters, romance, and plenty of danger, Ms. Collins has created another enthralling story.”
—Romance Junkies
“Award-winning author Manda Collins brings sensual historical romance to a new level with wit, heat, and beautifully written detail, finely drawn characters, and a flair for fun.”
—Examiner.com
WHY DUKES SAY I DO
“Witty and smart, Collins’s prose flows smoothly as she merges a charming, compassionate love story with gothic suspense … Add strong pacing and depth of emotion, and there’s no doubt this is a winner.”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick, 4½ stars)
“Collins has a deft touch with characterization, and she expertly weaves a thrilling thread of danger throughout the story. Why Dukes Say I Do is highly recommended for readers who enjoy their historical romances with a generous soupçon of suspense.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“Manda Collins pens a charming, romantic tale with Why Dukes Say I Do.”
—Single Titles
“Totally engrossing, witty, and suspenseful.”
—Tulsa Book Review
About the Author
Manda Collins spent her teen years wishing she’d been born a couple of centuries earlier, preferably in the English countryside. Time travel being what it is, she resigned herself to life with electricity and indoor plumbing, and read lots of books. When she’s not writing, she’s helping other people use books, as an academic librarian.
Visit her website at: www.mandacollins.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
&n
bsp; Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Also by Manda Collins
Praise for Manda Collins’s delectable Regency novels
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
GOOD DUKES WEAR BLACK
Copyright © 2016 by Manda Collins.
All rights reserved.
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / April 2016
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