“Of course not, Your Grace,” Cecilia said, feeling there was nothing more that she could say without managing to offend the Duchess.
“So, then your father will be paying his debt?” the Duchess asked in a falsely-sweet voice.
“In truth, Your Grace, he is unable to pay the debt in full, immediately. We had hoped that he might be able to come to an agreement with Sir James to pay the debt in installments over time.”
Cecilia looked at the Duchess as she began to speak. As she explained the situation the Duchess barely changed her facial expression, but Cecilia could see the distaste in her eyes, and eventually she looked down at her hands, folded in her lap.
“No,” the Duchess said, sounding matter of fact, as though Cecilia’s family’s livelihood did not hang in the balance. “That simply will not do, surely you can understand that, Miss Baxter.”
“Of course, Your Grace, I understand that Sir James wants his money without delay, and by rights he should have it,” Cecilia said, feeling exasperated. “But the fact is that my father is unable to pay it all right now. Surely, you must agree that paying a portion of the money and the rest later is better than not paying at all!”
“Do not presume to tell me what I ‘must agree’ to!” the Duchess said, raising her voice somewhat.
“I apologize, Your Grace,” Cecilia said quickly, “I did not mean to be presumptuous. I merely meant that—”
“I know what you meant, Miss Baxter,” the Duchess said, coldly. “Please stop trying to explain yourself, and listen to me.”
Cecilia stared at the Duchess for a moment, feeling confused and frustrated. Finally, deciding that she had no real choice but to comply, Cecilia looked down and said quietly, “Yes, Your Grace.”
“Good,” the Duchess said, returning to what Cecilia supposed was her normal tone of voice. “If your father is not able to repay his debt in the next month, I will direct Sir James Wiltshire to seek recompense through other channels.”
“Other channels?” Cecilia asked, feeling even more confused than she had been already.
“Yes. By that I mean that your father would be forced to forfeit all of his property to settle the debt. Sir James would take possession of his house, his workshop, any other property he might own.”
“Your Grace, if that were to happen, we would be ruined entirely!” Cecilia protested, unable to keep her emotions in check now. She had tried so hard to appear calm during this meeting, but now she was breathing heavily, and the Duchess could hardly fail to notice it.
“Yes, Miss Baxter,” the Duchess said with a slight smile, “I am glad to see that you are finally beginning to understand the gravity of the situation.”
Cecilia merely nodded at this, continuing to breathe quickly in spite of her efforts to calm down.
“Now, I suppose it has crossed your mind that marrying my son would alleviate your financial troubles?”
Cecilia was genuinely surprised at these words. She had considered how Nicholas would react in her situation, and had determined that he would simply pay the debt and give the matter no more thought, but she had never considered that she could do the same if she were married to him.
“It had not crossed my mind, Your Grace,” she said, feeling rather foolish that this had never occurred to her. Although, I would never marry him for that reason, of course.
“Good,” the Duchess said, sounding as though she was merely playing along and did not really believe what Cecilia said. “I am glad to hear that. Marrying my son is not the way to pay this debt, in fact it is quite the opposite.”
“What do you mean, Your Grace?” Cecilia asked. She was intrigued now, and thought she had an idea of what the Duchess might mean.
“What I mean, is that I shall pay Sir James what he is owed, on the condition that you agree to break with my son.”
“Your Grace, I…” Cecilia began, but in truth she had no idea what to say next. She was spared the need to speak because the Duchess held up a hand to stop her.
“Of course, we have discussed this before,” the Duchess said. “I think that we can both agree that you are not an appropriate marriage partner for a Marquess. For some reason, my son seems unwilling to accept this fact, so you must convince him of it.”
“Your Grace, I am not sure I will be able to convince him of that. He is of the opinion that the only real requirement for his future wife is that he loves her and she loves him in return.”
“And you believe that you meet those requirements?” the Duchess asked, sounding skeptical.
Cecilia did not answer, and continued to look down as the Duchess continued.
“That may be true, or it may be that he is smitten by your beauty and will lose interest in you within a few years. It really doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter?” Cecilia asked, stunned. “How can you say that, Your Grace?”
“Men are fickle,” the Duchess said, shrugging a shoulder, “if your mother had lived longer, no doubt she would have told you the same thing. But, even if my son is the rare type of man who would love you for the rest of your life without ever wavering, it does not matter. The fact remains that your father will be ruined, he will lose everything that he has ever worked for unless you agree not to marry my son.”
Cecilia stared at the Duchess, working hard to keep her breath steady. How can anyone be so cruel?
As Cecilia contemplated the Duchess and her machinations, there was a knock at the drawing room door. The Duchess indicated that the person should enter, and a maid walked in with a tray of tea, followed by Lady Isobel.
Cecilia stood up and curtseyed when Lady Isobel entered the room. “Lady Isobel,” she said, “it is a pleasure to see you again.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Baxter!” Lady Isobel said with a genuine smile, “When I heard that you had come for tea, I knew that I must come and greet you!”
Looking from her mother to Cecilia and back again, Lady Isobel added, “I hope that I am not interrupting an important meeting?”
“Not at all, darling,” the Duchess said, “Miss Baxter and I were merely discussing the finances of her work for us. But I think that I have made my points perfectly plain. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Baxter, that there is nothing more to discuss?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Cecilia said quietly, “you have made yourself perfectly plain.”
“Well,” said Lady Isobel, in a kind voice, “it seems that I have arrived at exactly the right moment! I do not doubt that talk of finances would have put me directly to sleep. Now, Miss Baxter, tell me, how is your work progressing?”
Cecilia made conversation with Lady Isobel, telling her about the construction she had been working on with her father and Archie. All the time she kept looking at the Duchess, hoping to discern her thoughts on her face. Cecilia had no luck in this endeavor—the Duchess’ face was inscrutable.
As Cecilia continued to tell Lady Isobel about the work she was doing, the Duchess looked pointedly away from her. After a few minutes, she picked up her embroidery and began her needlework once again. Without waiting for Cecilia to stop talking, the Duchess said, “Thank you for coming, Miss Baxter. Billingsley will escort you home.”
“Oh,” Cecilia said, feeling surprised but also relieved to be dismissed. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Cecilia stood and curtsied to the Duchess, but then stood awkwardly, unsure of where she ought to go to find Billingsley.
“You may wait in the hallway,” the Duchess told her after several uncomfortable seconds. Cecilia nodded her head in acknowledgement of this and began to retreat from the room.
“It was lovely to see you again, Miss Baxter!” Lady Isobel said, warmly.
“It was lovely to see you again as well, My Lady,” Cecilia said. She turned to walk out of the room and into the hallway, making a conscious effort to walk steadily and not run.
Chapter 24
As Cecilia stood in the hallway, waiting for Billingsley to arrive, she thought about what the Duchess had said.
As she continued to replay the conversation in her mind, her emotions shifted quickly from confusion to anger. How could the Duchess suggest that I only want to marry Nicholas to pay this debt? I did not even know that the debt existed when we met!
Cecilia was imagining what she would have liked to say to the Duchess, when the drawing room door opened. She felt her body tense in dread of seeing the Duchess once again, but it was Lady Isobel who stepped out of the room. She approached Cecilia, smiling warmly at her.
“Miss Baxter,” she said, sounding worried, “Are you all right? You seem upset about something?”
Cecilia was unsure of what she should say in answer to this. She liked Lady Isobel, and felt that she could trust her, but the Duchess was her mother. Surely Lady Isobel would not appreciate what I would have to say about the Duchess. It will be best if I say nothing.
Lady Isobel must have sensed Cecilia’s hesitation, because she smiled at her and said “Please, come with me into the library for a moment. We will be able to speak more freely in there while we wait for Billingsley to escort you home.”
Cecilia could hardly deny this request, and so she followed Isobel into the library. This was the room where she had met Nicholas, and Cecilia felt a fond sensation when she entered it. Of course, that had been the moment that set in motion a series of events that had led her to her current predicament. Cecilia felt overwhelmed by all of her contradictory feelings.
“Now, Miss Baxter, please tell me truly,” Lady Isobel said in a hushed voice once they had entered the room, “my mother has obviously said something to upset you. What was it?”
“My Lady,” Cecilia said, still feeling uncertain of what she ought to do, “I would not wish to speak ill of Her Grace.”
“I promise you, Miss Baxter, you may speak freely with me,” Lady Isobel assured her. “We shall be sisters by marriage soon enough.”
“I’m not sure that we will, My Lady,” Cecilia said, feeling quite sorry for herself, and cursing herself inwardly for her self pity.
“What do you mean?” Lady Isobel said, sounding confused. “Have you changed your mind about my brother? I am quite certain that he will not ever change his mind about you. I understand that he can be a bit pompous at times, but I assure you that he is a good man who would always treat you with the utmost respect!”
“Oh, My Lady,” Cecilia interrupted her, “it is not that! I could never change my mind about your brother—I love him dearly, in spite of his pompousness.” Cecilia smiled conspiratorially at Lady Isobel at the end of this statement.
“Why do you say that we shall not be sisters-in-law, then?” Lady Isobel asked, sounding confused.
Cecilia managed to keep her voice steady, and to avoid crying while she spoke. In broad terms, she outlined the debt that her father owed, and the conversation she herself had just had with the Duchess. Lady Isobel listened with interest as she spoke and expressed shock at the end of the story.
“Miss Baxter,” she said, sounding nearly as angry as Cecilia felt, “I wish that I could tell you that I am shocked that my mother would say such things to you, but unfortunately I am not. I should have anticipated that she would do something like this, especially with Nicholas away for the next week.”
“I am heartbroken at the thought of breaking with your brother, My Lady,” Cecilia said, hearing the sadness in her own voice. “But I see no alternative. I cannot allow my father to be ruined for my sake. He has worked so hard to build his business while raising me on his own since my mother died. I must protect him any way that I can, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness.”
Lady Isobel looked at Cecilia for a moment, seeming to study her face. After a few seconds she nodded slightly, as though she had come to some conclusion.
“Leave it to me, Miss Baxter,” she said kindly. “I shall think of a way to convince my mother not to do this. I shall write to Nicholas and get his advice as well. Shall I include any message from you in my letter?”
“Oh, Lady Isobel, that is very kind of you,” Cecilia said, feeling sincerely moved by this offer. “But I cannot see how anyone can convince the Duchess to change her mind.”
“Do not underestimate me, Miss Baxter,” Lady Isobel said with an impish grin, “after all, I am my mother’s daughter.”
* * *
Nicholas sat across from Michael and their friend Thomas Ellsbury, the son of the Earl of Farringdon. The three had been inseparable in their school days, and as adults they enjoyed reminiscing over drinks at the West End Gentlemen’s Club in London.
Tonight, they sat in rich leather upholstered arm chairs around the fireplace, smoking cigars and drinking brandy from heavy, cut-glass tumblers. Michael and Thomas were laughing about the time that they had snuck into the headmaster’s office and stolen his best quill.
The headmaster had been a stuffy sort of man whose happiness hung upon things such as having the right quill, and he had been apoplectic with rage—even more so when the quill had reappeared with no explanation two days later. He had suspected Michael and Nicholas, though never Thomas who was quiet and well behaved whenever anyone was looking but had never been able to prove that it was them.
Thomas and Michael never tired of telling this story, and Nicholas usually laughed along with them when they did. Tonight, however, he could not stop thinking of Cecilia, and now wondering what she might think of his schoolboy antics if she knew.
Nicholas knew that Cecilia was a sensible sort of person. It seems unlikely that she would play practical jokes herself, but she is not so serious that she cannot appreciate a good joke when she hears one.
“Nicholas?” Thomas said, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.
“What?” Nicholas asked, returning his thoughts to present company, somewhat reluctantly.
“Where is your head, old friend?” Thomas said impatiently, “Michael and I have been doing all of the talking all evening, and you merely stare off into the distance, distracted.”
“Now, don’t be offended, Thomas,” Michael cut in, “Nicholas is not just bored of your conversation, the fool is in love!”
“In love!” Thomas said, sounding excited. “Well, now, Nicholas you must tell me everything! Who is she?”
Nicholas scowled at Michael. He had no intention of keeping Cecilia a secret from his friends, but Thomas was prone to ask too many questions. If he were formally engaged, Thomas would be compelled to speak politely of his fiancée, but for now there was no telling what sort of jokes he might make at her expense.
He resolved to share as little information as possible about Cecilia, and to make his feelings known immediately if Thomas crossed the line of what he considered acceptable banter.
As it turned out, he need not have worried. Thomas did have a rather roguish grin when he asked Nicholas to describe his love, but when Nicholas stopped speaking, Thomas looked at him directly and said, sounding genuinely pleased, “I am so happy for you, Nicholas. She sounds wonderful, and I hope that you will be very happy together.”
Nicholas smiled to hear his friend speak this way, and the three old friends spent the pleasant remainder of the evening, talking and drinking by the fire.
* * *
Cecilia had returned home for her meeting with the Duchess in a daze. She hardly remembered the carriage ride home, but was sure that she had not said a word to Billingsley.
“Welcome back, Cece,” her father said, when she entered the workshop. “Let me just finish sanding this and then you can tell me all about tea with the Duchess. It’s nearly time for supper, anyway.”
“Yes, Papa,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, “I shall see you in the kitchen shortly. I’m going to wash up before supper.”
Archie looked up from his work and gave Cecilia a studied look. “Is everything all right, Cecilia?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“Yes, everything is fine,” she said, hoping that she sounded convincing. “I’m merely tired from the journey. I shall see you at dinn
er, Archie.”
She walked out of the workshop and upstairs to her bedchamber. Cecilia removed her cloak and hung it in her wardrobe. She poured some water from the pitcher into the basin and splashed her face to clean it. She took several deep breaths and then studied her reflection in the mirror.
Her face had not changed, of course, but she thought that her eyes looks many years older than they had before she met Nicholas, or rather, since she had met his mother, the Duchess. Papa does not seem to notice the change, but as usual, Archie senses that something is wrong.
Cecilia took a few more steadying breaths and resolved to focus her attention on the positive outcome of the day. The Duchess of Huxley would pay the debt her father owed, and they would not be ruined, financially. Her own, personal, heartbreak was a small price to pay in exchange for her family’s financial security. At least that was what she would have to tell herself.
The Marquess In Her Bed (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 19
