by J. Jay Kamp
* * *
She waited in the duchess’s library for almost two hours. Alone, worrying unreasonably that Christian might have attacked her benefactors, that he’d killed the baby in a fit of hatred and this was the reason for the duchess’s delay, she fell crying across the sofa. All she could think about was Paul. Relentlessly the memories poured over her with the realism inspired by the man at the opera—Paul swabbing the deck, Paul showing her how to reload a musket, Paul laughing to himself with that velvety tone, raising his eyebrow wickedly and pursing his lips with a flirtatious wink. All these things were perfect in her mind, as if he’d never died, as if he’d waltz in with the duchess at any moment, talking about the amazingly uncomfortable things women did in the name of fashion.
Finally, near two o’clock, she heard the duchess returning with her friends…laughing.
She feared suddenly they hadn’t gone at all to fetch her baby, but had been sidetracked by a coffee house or an acquaintance in the Strand. Giddy and idle, Christian had called her. Then my son’s still back there, at Christian’s mercy.
But the duchess came smiling into the library, and when Ravenna saw her son, she felt guilty for ever having doubted the woman. At her side was frightened Megan, and behind trooped the duke and his lady-friend, the duke carrying what Ravenna saw was Christian’s diamond-buttoned jacket, while the young woman had Shasta on a leash between them. After this, came the coachman—Ravenna’s coachman. Then two of her footmen, and next the cook, even Christian’s own personal servant, Mr. Davis, all of them blinking and uneasy to find themselves suddenly in the Duke of Devonshire’s apartments.
At last, bringing up the end of the procession, the duchess’s other masculine companion directed the servants to put down her trunk. It was obviously heavy with her dresses, her shoes and the baby’s things, for the duchess hadn’t only rescued her son, she’d humiliated Christian. She’d taken every servant, every possible possession belonging to Ravenna, and she’d made absolutely certain she’d brought it all.
