by Amelia Grey
A bright beam of sunlight streamed through the east window in the drawing room, making it the perfect place for Louisa to help Bonnie and Sybil work on their embroidery samples. Bonnie was patient and diligent with her sewing, wanting to make each stitch perfect. Sybil, even though she was two years older than Bonnie, found it difficult to sit still and do her best. She wanted to hurry through her pattern with little care for accuracy, so she could be done with sewing and on to something she enjoyed better than making pretty drawings with thread.
Once Louisa had Bonnie and Sybil busy, she picked up her teacup and walked to the other side of the room. She pushed the drapery panel aside and looked out. There was nothing to view except a little patch of blue sky, a hedgerow of yew, and the upper floors of the house next door. That was all right with Louisa. She really didn’t want to look at anything. She wanted to stare and think.
Last week, she and her sisters were living a quiet life in Wayebury. Now, she had a feeling her life would never be so tranquil again, certainly not with the likes of the commanding Duke of Drakestone and the brash Mrs. Colthrust in it.
Last night, Louisa had tried to convince herself she wasn’t going to think about the duke—but every time she tried to put her mind on something else, the powerful-looking man would stride right back into her thoughts, looking so dashing with his shiny knee-high boots, his pristine white shirt, and beautifully tied starched neckcloth. It was no wonder he was considered the most eligible bachelor in England. And it had to be on his looks alone, for he didn’t have the temperament or the charm to enchant any young lady with his wit. Louisa smiled after she thought that, knowing there wasn’t a bit of truth in it. She didn’t understand why, but the duke’s arrogance held a certain attraction for her.
The front door opened and closed quickly with a bang. It startled Louisa and the girls, who looked up from their embroidery hoops.
Louisa heard loud mutterings from a female voice. “Back to work, girls,” Louisa told her sisters calmly. “I’ll go see what this is about.”
“I can’t believe it! The man refused to see me,” Mrs. Colthrust remarked, swishing into the room in a dark pink carriage dress before Louisa had time to set down her teacup. “I don’t care if he is a duke. I am responsible for two of his charges. He should have had the decency to put his other work aside and talk to me.”
There was no mistaking that Mrs. Colthrust was unhappy, but Louisa wasn’t sure if the woman was talking to her or to the room. It was well past noon, and Louisa hadn’t seen or heard a peep out of the chaperone, so she had assumed the woman was still resting from her long and arduous journey.
“You’ve been out already?” Louisa queried.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she answered testily, untying the ribbons under her chin. “Of course I’ve been out. I wanted to see the duke the first thing this morning before he left his house for the day. He brushed me aside as easily as a fly on his cuff. His portly butler told me he was busy and unavailable to speak with me. Ha!”
“I didn’t know you had even left the house,” Louisa said.
“I think you were in the garden. I told you last night I would see him today and discuss some things with him.”
“Yes, I remember,” Louisa said calmly. “The tea is still warm. May I pour you a cup?”
“No, don’t bother,” she said, pulling off her bonnet and tossing it on the settee. “I had chocolate earlier, and that was quite enough.”
“I don’t believe you’ve met Bonnie and Sybil. Girls, come meet Mrs. Colthrust.”
The girls dutifully put their sewing aside, walked over, and said, “Good morning.”
Mrs. Colthrust looked down at them as if she were inspecting something on the ground that she would just as soon step on as over. Without a hint of a smile, she greeted the girls and turned immediately back to Louisa. “I’ve just decided I must go to the duke’s house again. Only, this time, I’m going to take you with me.”
“Me?” Louisa asked, confused by the leap in her breath and tightness in her lower abdomen at the prospect of seeing the commanding man again.
“Of course. I should have thought about it before I went. You are his ward. If you need to see him, he can’t refuse you. I am merely a chaperone in his eyes and not worthy of his precious time.”
Bonnie looked up at them with eager eyes and said, “I want to go. Can I go, too?”
“What?” Mrs. Colthrust responded sharply. “Certainly not. The duke’s house is not a place for children.”
“How about me?” Sybil asked, looking just as eager as Bonnie. “Can I go? I’m older. I’m old enough to go. Tell her, Sister.”
“No, no, stop it, girls,” Mrs. Colthrust said, sounding offended that Sybil had asked. “Neither of you may go anywhere but back to your sewing, or embroidery, or whatever it is that you are doing with that needle and hoop.”
Louisa watched the exchange, and it tugged at her heart to see Sybil’s and Bonnie’s happy faces sag to disappointment.
“Wait,” Louisa said, feeling sorry for the girls because of Mrs. Colthrust’s coldhearted tone. “Perhaps it is not the thing to do that children show up at a duke’s home unannounced, but I don’t see why they can’t ride with us. They are well behaved and will give us no trouble. They haven’t left this house or the grounds since we arrived last week. I know they would enjoy the outing and be happy to wait for us in the carriage—right, girls?”
“Yes,” Bonnie and Sybil squealed in unison, their expressions turning hopeful once again.
“Not so loud, girls, please!” Mrs. Colthrust said, rebuking them. “I’m standing right beside you, so you don’t have to scream at me.” She turned to Louisa. “You are very free with the funds, my dear. Do you know how much extra it will cost to have a carriage wait for us?”
Louisa didn’t care at the moment. “I’ll pay it,” she said firmly.
Mrs. Colthrust stared down at Bonnie’s and Sybil’s eager-looking faces. Suddenly a smile stretched across her face and a wicked gleam shone in her coal dark eyes. Louisa was astounded at how quickly the chaperone’s expression changed from scowling to a look of victory.
“You two have just given me a wonderful idea! Of course you can go. Fetch your bonnets and capes.”
Bonnie and Sybil immediately dashed toward the door. “Girls,” Louisa called to them. “What do you say before you leave this room?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Colthrust!” they yelled at the same time, and went racing out the door.
Mrs. Colthrust looked back to Louisa, still smiling. “I just had another superb idea. We will all go. As you said, the girls need an outing and I will tell that to the duke. Get the other three girls. I’ll teach His Grace a lesson he won’t soon forget. After I show up at his house with all of you under my wing, I guarantee you he will see me next time when I go alone.”
Louisa shook her head, exasperated. “There are two other girls, Mrs. Colthrust. There are five of us total.” And Louisa wasn’t at all sure she wanted her sisters to be used as pawns in whatever Mrs. Colthrust had planned for the duke.
“Yes, well, of course—you know that’s what I meant.”
Louisa doubted that, but let the matter drop and said, “Why do you want to see the duke? I thought everything was settled yesterday.”
“Not by me. I want to make sure he does right by me—us. I mean you and Gwen, of course, mostly. Besides, I will not have him treating me so shabbily as to turn me away from his door without so much as a glimpse of him.”
“But he said he’d take care of everything,” Louisa reminded her.
“Ha! He is a man, and I’m sure there are things he hasn’t thought about. He must know that we will need a coach immediately to take us to the shops. He should have had one delivered and had it waiting here for when you arrived. It’s much too far to walk to the shops, and without a maid to carry our packages. I don’t even want to consider how we could manage. Servants! We must have servants to do things for us. Hiring a coach as we mu
st do today is simply too much trouble. So go get your bonnet and your sisters, and we will be on our way. He will deal with me like it or not, even if he is a duke.”
If His Grace didn’t want to see them, he would not. Mrs. Colthrust may not know that but Louisa did. It was obvious that Mrs. Colthrust had never met the Duke of Drakestone. He was no ordinary man. Everything about him spoke of power, privilege, and wealth. He was a pleasing man to look at, for sure, but in the short time she’d spent with him yesterday, Louisa gathered that the duke took orders from no one.
Louisa left the room with Mrs. Colthrust still muttering about His Grace. If only the laws allowed Louisa to be responsible for her sisters so she didn’t have to deal with Mrs. Colthrust or the duke, she would be a very happy lady.
Half an hour later, Mrs. Colthrust, Louisa, and her sisters were seated in the Duke of Drakestone’s drawing room. Lillian and Gwen flanked their chaperone on one settee, and Louisa was between Sybil and Bonnie on the other. All the girls were quiet as mice, taking in the elaborate grandeur of their surroundings.
The furniture was upholstered in expensive, well-textured fabrics, and the tops to all the tables had a glimmering beeswax gleam. Vaulted ceilings were trimmed in moldings and fretwork that were edged in gilt. Each wall was adorned with paintings, sconces, and baroque framed mirrors. Louisa had never seen so much luxury displayed in one place.
“Mrs. Colthrust, Miss Prim,” the duke said as he strode through the doorway.
All the females jumped to their feet and curtsied.
His Grace stopped and hesitated for a moment as he looked at Louisa’s sisters standing like little soldiers behind her. Clearly he was taken aback by the girls’ presence, and Louisa wondered if he might throw them all out of his house without a backward glance. But as she stared at him, she detected a chink in his steady armor. She realized he was trying hard to remember the girls’ names.
She was pleased that he wanted to, but was convinced he wouldn’t even get two of them correct. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know what her first name was. But just as the smile spread fully across her face and she was feeling quite pleased with herself for figuring out his dilemma, he bowed to her sisters and said, “Miss Gwen, Miss Lillian, Miss Sybil, and Miss Bonnie. All of you are looking lovely today.”
Louisa was impressed that he’d somehow managed to get all her sisters’ names correct. Her heart started beating a little faster as she looked at the handsome duke. His black, fine wool coat stretched perfectly over his broad shoulders and back. His pale red waistcoat with its leather-coated buttons fit seamlessly over his flat stomach, enhancing his slim hips and his long, powerful-looking legs. Her gaze stopped at his casually tied neckcloth. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she had the strong desire to reach up, untie the cloth, and slowly unwind it.
His gaze met Louisa’s, and he said, “This is an unexpected visit.”
Louisa’s cheeks heated and she prayed the duke had no idea what she’d been thinking.
Mrs. Colthrust stepped forward, not giving Louisa time to respond, and said, “How can it be unexpected when I was just here not more than an hour ago, trying to see you?”
“Exactly.” He gave the chaperone an indulgent smile. “I thought Mr. Tidmore made it clear I was busy today and couldn’t see you, but that I was making the arrangements you needed.”
“Thank you for that, Your Grace, but being a gentleman, you can’t possibly know what a woman would need to be properly prepared for a Season in London.”
“True, however, I knew my mother would be very knowledgeable, so I enlisted her help.”
Mrs. Colthrust’s demeanor changed in an instant. She smiled pleasantly. “Your mother, Her Grace?” Mrs. Colthrust said softly, obviously surprised and happy about the information. “Oh, my.”
“Yes. She is out right now, seeing that accounts are being set up in your name so that all your needs will be met. I’ll see that a list is delivered later today.”
“That’s so very kind of her to help me—I mean us. Yes, yes, I’m sure Her Grace knows the best shops in all of London. We’ll be in excellent hands with her help. Thank you, Your Grace, but—” Mrs. Colthrust rubbed her gloved hands together nervously. “—there is also the matter of servants? Miss Prim and her five sisters have been making do with only a cook and a governess ever since they arrived.”
“Four, Mrs. Colthrust,” Louisa interjected under her breath. “I have four sisters.”
“Yes, of course, dear, I’m sure that’s what I said. We’ll get them all maids, won’t we, Your Grace? You see, though I’m ashamed to admit it, my sister’s husband saw fit to take every servant but the cook with them.”
Louisa looked at the duke and said, “One maid will be sufficient for us. We are used to helping each other.”
The duke gave her a slow, easy appraisal with his questioning gaze. She felt her skin being peppered with little goose bumps that sent delicious sensations through her body.
“However many you wish, Miss Prim,” he said.
“The cook will need a scullery maid as well,” Mrs. Colthrust added. “And I must insist we have our own coach-and-four.”
“It’s been ordered and will be delivered to Lord Wayebury’s address later this afternoon, along with a driver and a groom,” he said. “A housekeeper is being interviewed in the kitchen right now. Perhaps you would like to go meet her, Mrs. Colthrust, and give your opinion as to her qualifications?”
Mrs. Colthrust seemed to grow two inches as her shoulders went back and her chin lifted triumphantly. Her voice softened again as she said, “Why, yes, Your Grace, yes. I’d like that very much.”
“Good. Come with me.” The duke went to the door and called, “Mr. Tidmore, come here.”
An older, rotund gentleman with thinning gray hair appeared in the doorway. Louisa couldn’t hear what the duke said to the butler, but Mrs. Colthrust followed him out of the room as if she were walking behind the Prince himself.
His Grace strode back to where Louisa stood in front of her sisters and said, “Are you smiling at me, Miss Prim?”
She didn’t realize she was until he’d asked, but readily admitted, “Yes, I believe I am.”
“To what do I owe the honor?”
“I’m not sure it’s an honor, but I think Mrs. Colthrust almost got the best of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“No, you don’t.”
A tempting roguish grin lifted the corners of his mouth, and Louisa’s breathing became shallow and fast. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears. When he looked at her like that, for some ridiculous reason it thrilled her. She was aware her sisters were standing not far behind her, so she stepped a little closer to him and, lowering her voice, asked, “Are you saying I’m fibbing?”
“That’s putting it a little nicer than I was actually thinking, but, yes.”
“I did say Mrs. Colthrust almost got the best of you.”
“Still a prevarication,” he said.
“If so, not by much,” she argued.
The duke laughed softly. “I’m glad you came back with your chaperone.”
“Really?” She smiled some more. “Me and all five of my sisters.”
Again, he grinned. “It takes a while to get the names and the number right. But, when I woke this morning, I had wondered if you were really as lovely as I remember you being yesterday. And you are.”
His compliment made Louisa feel shy. She lowered her lashes over her eyes. “Now you are prevaricating, Your Grace.”
“If so, not by much.”
“What are you talking about?” Bonnie asked from behind Louisa.
The duke looked at Bonnie and said, “I was just asking Miss Prim if she thought—”
A loud clatter sounded behind Louisa, startling her. She turned to see Sybil standing by a table, wide-eyed with fear, clasping her hands together under her chin.
“What happened?” Louisa asked.
“
I didn’t mean to drop it,” Sybil said. “I promise I didn’t mean to.”
Louisa’s heart jumped to her throat and she rushed over to where Sybil stood. Louisa looked on the floor for whatever her sister had dropped but didn’t see anything.
“Sybil, what did you touch?” she asked.
“Did it break?” Sybil asked, her bottom lip trembling as big tears quickly welled up in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to, Sister,” she said again, flinging her arms around Louisa’s waist. Sybil buried her face against Louisa’s chest and started crying loudly.
The duke frowned as he walked up to them. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked. “Why is she crying?”
“She’s frightened.”
“What about?”
“She didn’t keep her hands to herself and she broke something but I’m not sure what.”
He looked around the floor. “No. Look, it’s not broken.” He reached down and picked up a brass handle that looked to be about a foot long. “See, there’s no need to be crying like that.”
“But she’s upset,” Louisa explained, rubbing Sybil’s back while she boo-hooed louder. “She knows she shouldn’t have touched whatever it is and she’s in trouble for doing so.”
The creases in the duke’s forehead deepened. “Why would she be in trouble when it’s not broken? And I don’t understand her crying when she’s not in trouble.”
Louisa wasn’t sure she understood the duke either. “Perhaps that is because it is you who doesn’t understand young girls, Your Grace.”
“That is a given, Miss Prim, because, good Lord, this is nothing to cry about.”
Louisa gasped. “Did you just swear in front of the girls?”
“What?” The duke looked incredulously at her. “What? No. I mean saying ‘good Lord’ is not swearing.”
Louisa placed her hands over the ears of the sniffling Sybil, and Gwen put her hands over Bonnie’s ears. “You said it again.”
“I did not, I mean—” He stopped and gave Louisa a deep, penetrating stare that let her know in no uncertain terms he thought she was being unquestionably harsh about her stance.
