Charming the Duke

by Holly Bush

  Jonah came down the vast marble stairway with Mrs. Plumsbly trailing behind. He skidded to a stop beside Thornsby and stared in awe. Millicent did make quite a picture, Thornsby admitted.

  “Jonah, make your hellos to Miss Marsh,” Thornsby said.

  “Hello, Miss Marsh,” Jonah said as he bowed.

  Millicent blinked her eyes. Alice came out of the door of the library at that moment carrying a long slip of paper and scratching her head.

  “I can’t get them to add up the same,” Alice said as she approached him.

  “Let me see, Alice. I believe you’re carrying your tens incorrectly. Miss Marsh is here.”

  Alice looked up with a start. “Good morning, Miss Marsh,” she said with a curtsy.

  Millicent blinked again. “Whose children are these, Thornsby?”

  “Martha Gilbert, an employee of mine passed away recently. I was named as their guardian. I’ve been trying to find a suitable orphanage, but . . .”

  “Let us to our luncheon, Thornsby,” Millicent said with a smile as she hooked her arm through his and led him down the vast hallway to the dining rooms.

  Alice and Jonah followed, and Withrow reminded them of their manners. Jonah climbed up on a chair, and Alice walked around the table to her seat.

  Millicent looked from one child to the other as a footman helped her into her seat. “Certainly, Thornsby, you don’t wish them to dine with us.” Thornsby stared at her. “I just meant, well, you did say you have something to discuss with me. You hardly would do it with such an audience.”

  What had he been thinking? Millicent Marsh, good ton that she was, would firmly believe children should be seen and not heard and kept ensconced in a nursery until a suitable age.

  Thornsby looked at the children. “Miss Marsh is correct. I do have something to talk to her about. Why don’t you go and see if Mrs. Plumsbly’s eating in the kitchens? You could have luncheon with her and Withrow.”

  Jonah jumped from his chair, made a quick bow and ran to the door. Alice, however, walked slowly down the side of table, staring at Millicent all the while.

  Thornsby felt as if Alice and Millicent were circling each other as Alice left the dining room. Then Millicent whispered something and Alice hurried to the doorway. Alice glanced back at him as if her last hope were fading as the footman opened the door.

  “Finally, Thornsby, we are quite alone,” Millicent said with a sweet smile. “Do tell. What is it you wish to talk to me about?”

  Thornsby felt the noose slip down over his head. He smiled in spite of it. “There is, of course, no need to be coy, Millicent. We are of an age and have been friends for a long while. I was hoping you would do me the honor of becoming my Duchess.” Thornsby’s tongue felt thick and huge, and he gulped a great drink of wine. Then he prayed she would say no. Having said the words and made the commitment was a far sight more unappealing than merely thinking them.

  “Oh, Thornsby,” Millicent said with a sniff and a touch to the corner of her eye. “You have made me the happiest of women. Yes, I will marry you.”

  Thornsby didn’t know if it was the smell of the salmon on his plate or Millicent’s words in his ears, but in any case he felt nauseated. He smiled in spite of the roll and pitch of his stomach.

  “I do believe there is one piece of business we must resolve, though, Millicent. I am well aware that often society looks a blind eye to the wandering of a partner. We are both sophisticated enough to understand marriage amongst our set. However, I find it hard to imagine how these husbands know their heirs’ true parentage. I will want to be certain of my mine,” Thornsby said.

  How odious a proposal, he thought to himself. He, couching a request for a brief length of fidelity in tame words, and she, shedding crocodile tears, and batting her lashes as if she cared on iota about him. It was distasteful.

  “Thornsby,” Millicent said and produced a blush. “Really. I can hardly imagine any woman tiring of your charms.”

  Thornsby picked up his fork. Enough of that business. Millicent understood what their marriage was to be as well as he did.

  “Although, I beg one favor of you,” Millicent said with a smile. “As your newly betrothed.”

  “Fair enough, Millicent. How can I accommodate you?”

  “Well, it is quite out of the norm. And I really don’t know how to approach the subject in a ladylike fashion. But I will try,” Millicent said coquettishly.

  Thornsby had seen Millicent parade naked in a most unladylike fashion. He didn’t doubt for one moment there was something that she could not broach.

  “Go on, Millicent.”

  Millicent picked up her wine glass and raised her stony gaze to Thornsby. “I won’t have you raise your by-blows in this household. Any children of mine, ours, must be insured their proper position as heir. Although they may be yours, their mother was a servant.”

  Thornsby was astounded. “You think Jonah and Alice are mine? That I would sully a maid under my roof? Under my protection? My God, woman, give me some credit.”

  Millicent’s eyes opened wide under Thornsby’s assault. “Well, what else was I to think? They eat at your table. You said they were an employee’s children. Why else would they still be here?”

  Thornsby narrowed his gaze. “And if they were my children what would you have me do with them?”

  “An orphanage. A distant cousin’s. I don’t know,” Millicent said. “Are they yours? You’ve yet to deny it.”

  “No! Of course not. I am a gentleman after all, and gentlemen do not impregnate their servants,” Thornsby said. Millicent raised her brows as if what he had said was drivel.

  “Then pray explain why they eat at your table, Thornsby?”

  He sat back in his chair. How did he explain that? Admit that he was lonely and enjoyed their company?

  “Alice and Jonah have had quite a shock losing their mother. Although unconventional, I was merely trying to make their adjustment less tedious.”

  Millicent smiled. “Well, it is good then I become your Duchess and handle such mundane household matters. You needn’t be concerned in the future. You are the Duke of Thornsby after all.”

  He wondered exactly how Millicent Marsh would handle such mundane matters as two homeless children. He was still wondering as Millicent explained how their wedding would be announced, where it would be held, and what color flowers she would order. Thornsby rose when Millicent announced she needed to consult with Mrs. Plumsbly about menus. He sat alone a long while. He dreaded when Athena returned and found out the name of her future sister-in-law. He wondered briefly when he’d become so jaded as to marry a woman like Millicent Marsh. Worse yet, he wondered if Matilda Sheldon would care that he was marrying.

  Millicent Marsh found Jonah and Alice Gilbert in their room. Mrs. Plumsbly had quite innocently revealed the information without Millicent having to ask. She cracked the door open and saw the two sprawled on the floor, playing a game. Both of their heads turned when she entered. Jonah jumped up. Alice rose slowly.

  “I will be shortly in charge of this household. I have not intentions of coddling orphans. The Duke of Thornsby and I will soon have children of our own. I will not tolerate your presence or your interference.” Alice’s eyes widened and she scowled. “Do not suppose to question the Duke. I will handle these matters with his blessing,” Millicent said. “Do you understand?”

  “We understand just fine,” Alice said. Jonah nodded and looked at his sister’s grim face.

  Millicent left the room smiling, one matter resolved. The changing of Thornsby’s staff may have to wait until after their wedding she conceded to herself. Perhaps not. But things would change, most definitely.

  Chapter Ten

  A week after Thornsby requested Millicent’s hand in marriage, his stomach finally settled. She was handling the business of the wedding with little trouble on his part. He supposed they would suit eventually. He even conceded that under the circumstances, he understood why Millicent had thought Jo
nah and Alice were his. Millicent was at his home often, consulting with Mrs. Plumsbly and the chef. He wandered to his club or stables and occupied himself otherwise.

  Thornsby was in his study when Withrow burst through the door. It was so unlike his butler that he knew immediately something was wrong.

  “What is it, Withrow?” Thornsby said and jumped from his chair. “Is someone hurt?”

  Withrow shook his head. “It’s the children, Your Grace. They’re gone.”

  “Gone! Whatever do you mean?”

  “They are nowhere in the house or on the grounds. Their bundle and the book of their mother’s is missing,” Withrow said. “I have questioned everyone who was on duty last night, Your Grace. The last time anyone saw the children was about ten o’clock when Mrs. Plumsbly checked on them.”

  Thornsby hadn’t been home last evening to sit with them while they fell asleep. He hadn’t been home in the evenings at all since he’d asked Millicent to marry him. Thornsby went into the grand hallway and was about to bellow for Mrs. Plumsbly, but it was unnecessary. Nearly every servant in his employ was gathered in the entranceway.

  “I’ve checked all the barns and the out buildings,” Henderson his groom said, out of breath.

  “I’ve looked in every cupboard in every room, sir. Everywhere,” Hilary the upstairs maid supplied.

  “Mrs. Plumsbly? Have the children been unhappy or restless as of late?” Thornsby had already decided they’d not fell prey to any plot for kidnapping. They were destitute. The Gilbert children must have left on their own.

  Mrs. Plumsbly wrung her hands. “Well, Your Grace. Things have been in a bit of a frenzy. But they said nothing to me.”

  “A frenzy?” Thornsby asked.

  Mrs. Plumsbly looked at Withrow and the servants surrounding her.

  “Your Grace? May we speak in private?” Withrow asked.

  Thornsby lead them into his library.

  “What is this all about? Do you have some idea why the children left?” he asked.

  Withrow closed the door. “It is a delicate matter, Your Grace. I didn’t wish to air Mrs. Plumsbly’s and my concerns to the rest of the staff.”

  “Out with it, Withrow. Anything you may know may help us find the children.”

  “Miss Marsh has the household in what Mrs. Plumsbly aptly describes as a frenzy. It is not our place to judge our new mistress, but I believe her presence here has something to do with the children’s disappearance,” Withrow said.

  Withrow was tiptoeing close to the line of impropriety, and he was well aware of it. Yet, it did not stop the butler from looking his employer square in the eye. There was clearly more the two of them were not saying.

  “What of this frenzy, Mrs. Plumsbly?” Thornsby asked and turned to face his housekeeper.

  “With all the changes in the staff and Miss Marsh’s ah . . . attitudes, things have been in an uproar, that’s all, Your Grace,” Mrs. Plumsbly replied and wrung her hands at her waist. “We’re doing everything possible to make the next Duchess’ . . .”

  “What staff changes, Mrs. Plumsbly?” Thornsby asked.

  Withrow and Mrs. Plumsbly exchanged glances.

  “Miss Marsh informed us she had your blessing, Your Grace,” Withrow said.

  The two were silent, and Thornsby’s mind raced. “I have known you both since I was in short pants. I promise that nothing you say will leave this room nor will any punishment be meted out. But I demand that you tell me right now what it is you’re talking about before I strangle you both.”

  “She dismissed Susie and Marguerite. Said they were too sassy and flirty,” Mrs. Plumsbly said.

  “Told Cook his days were numbered,” Withrow said. The butler pursed his lips. “Informed me if I shan’t mind my willful ways, I would be the next to go.”

  “I’m so frightened, Your Grace. My daughter needs help with the new baby and all, and if you turn me out as well, I’ll be hard pressed to get a job at my age,” Mrs. Plumsbly said and pulled a worried hanky from her pocket.

  Thornsby flopped down in the chair with a thud. “Do you think she spoke to the children,” he asked softly.

  “I saw Miss Marsh leaving the children’s rooms the day you asked her to be your bride. Jonah had trouble sleeping that night,” Mrs. Plumsbly said.

  It was now apparent to Thornsby how Millicent Marsh would handle all the mundane household details. And he had allowed it.

  “Find Susie and Marguerite and tell them to come back to work. You two have no worries about your employment. Tell the rest of the staff as well. Assemble the footman, Withrow. We’ll go house to house in the neighborhood and ask if the children have been seen,” Thornsby said.

  There was something crushing about a trust abused. Something that Thornsby had never experienced. He had never felt a bigger fool in his life.

  “Millicent Marsh!” Athena screamed only a half an hour later. Her and Andrew’s arrival was overshadowed by the missing Gilbert children. “You proposed marriage to Millicent Marsh?”

  “Apparently, with what I now know, it was unwise,” Thornsby said to his sister.

  Andrew harrumphed from his seat and stared into his brandy snifter.

  “I cannot believe it. I cannot believe you would marry that odious creature. I can’t believe you allowed her to fire staff that has worked here for years. I shan’t ever be able to leave this household, Frederick, without the fear it will crumble down around your head,” Athena shouted.

  “We will purchase a house nearby, Athena,” Andrew supplied.

  Athena turned to her husband and smiled. “So sweet you are to care about me and my worries,” she said.

  “Obviously I will break the engagement,” Thornsby said.

  “And what good will that do the Gilbert children?” Athena asked her brother with a scowl.

  “I made a mistake, Athena,” Thornsby said. “I admit it. Is it necessary to grind my nose in it?”

  “I just don’t understand your reasoning, Freddie. There had to be some other woman for you to marry,” Athena replied.

  “No need to yell at Athena, Thornsby,” Andrew said.

  “She’s my sister. We’ve been shouting at each other for years,” Thornsby said. He sat down behind his desk. Slouched down. “I thought perhaps I’d marry Matilda Sheldon but she made her feelings very clear.”

  Athena cocked her head. “Matilda Sheldon? What happened?”

  Thornsby repeated his dealings with Matilda. From the odious Ethel’s inquiries about his family to the dimwitted mother’s suggestion, to the ball, and the dress Matilda wore. Berfine’s dance with her and his dragging her off. The kiss. And her parent’s reaction.

  “Told her mother she wouldn’t marry me. Ever. No uncertain terms,” Thornsby concluded. “With my birthday looming, I was desperate. And maybe a little lonely,” he added.

  “Did you court her at all?” Athena asked.

  “No,” Thornsby admitted. “Just mistook her first for a maid then a char woman.”

  Athena plopped down in a chair. “For a man who’s had any woman he ever wanted, charmed them all till their clothes fell off, Freddie, you’ve made a muck of this.”

  “Thank you for the summation, Athena. Now what are we going to do about finding Alice and Jonah?” Thornsby asked.

  Thornsby and Andrew and the footman dragged themselves home near midnight. There was no trace of Alice and Jonah. Thornsby shrugged off Athena’s concerns, seated himself in the library staring at the fire and proceeded to berate himself. There were so many missteps, so many miscalculations, he was in awe of his own ineptitude. Had wounded pride pushed him to offer for Millicent? After all, Matilda acted as though he were the last man on earth. His behavior towards her was hardly stellar though. But that kiss! He would give in and think about that one stolen, innocent kiss for just a moment.

  Her face was soft and full of longing and curiosity. Her tongue never stopped wagging though, questioning him till he silenced her with his lips, Thornsby though
t and smiled. He thought Matilda was stunning. Something about the tilt of her head and the color of her eyes that made her appearance far superior to any other woman he’d met. She was smart as a whip. Independent. Generous. Maybe her kindness, honesty and intelligence were part of the reason he found her so attractive. Matilda would have never fired his servants and scared off dependants.

  And somewhere out in the city right now, Jonah and Alice were alone and defenseless. Thornsby was scared to the depths of his soul. Another uncomfortable feeling previously foreign to him. If anyone harmed those two, he’d kill them without a moment’s hesitation. If he questioned himself, he would wonder why two servant’s children mattered so much. He couldn’t place the time or situation when he’d begun to care about Jonah and Alice. But he did and he’d failed them.

  * * *

  Early in the morning Mrs. Brewer opened the door of the Sheldon Home for Lost Children to sweep the front steps. She hummed as she went swinging her broom. She stopped mid-swing when she saw two children stand up beside the steps from behind the shrubbery.

  “Who are you?” Mrs. Brewer asked.

  Alice pulled Jonah along beside her till they made their way out of the bushes to stand in front of the rotund woman on the porch.

  “I’m Alice Gilbert, and this is my brother Jonah. We’ve come to see Miss Sheldon.”

  “Miss Sheldon ain’t here quite yet. She’ll be along mid-afternoon,” Mrs. Brewer said. “How long you been hiding here waiting to see her?”

  “Since last night,” Jonah said and shivered.

  “You were here all night long? Alone? Good Lord in heavens. Come in out of the cold and get a bite to eat,” Mrs. Brewer said as she ushered the children inside. “All night alone, merciful heavens. Come along then. The kitchens are straight ahead.”

  “Who is this woman?” Matilda asked Alice Gilbert later.

  “He’s going to marry her. He told us,” Jonah said.