A Pure Lady for the Broken Duke

by Hanna Hamilton

  “It has been delightful chatting with you,” she said, taking his arm. “And remember, next time you plan to come to London, you must come for supper and meet my mother and some of my dear friends.”

  “I should like that. In fact, my business associate and I are to be in London shortly after the frenzy of the ball is over.”

  “Oh, business associate? What sort of business are you in?”

  Thomas quickly told her about the horses they were to breed and manage.

  “Oh, how delightful. I adore riding Rotten Row and am often taking exercise there on my darling Caspar.”

  “Your own horse?”

  She nodded.

  Back in the ballroom, he caught his Grandmamma’s eye as she watched him escort Lady Alderman back to her table. She indicated she wished to speak to him. And, after settling Lady Prunella, he went to his grandmother.

  She was smiling broadly. “You spent quite a time on the terrace with that young lady.”

  “Lady Prunella Alderman. Do you know her?”

  “I know of her. We have not met before. But she comes from a very respectable family.”

  “And does she meet your financial approval?” he asked somewhat snidely.

  “I did not put her on my list because I have been unable to learn what she has to take with her into a marriage.”

  Thomas was thoughtful. “Well, I quite like her. I believe I shall be seeing her again when I go up to London with George.”

  That put a large smile on his grandmother’s face. “Then I shall make an effort to find out her worth.”

  Jenny could not help but notice the Duke dancing with the very attractive young lady. And then he took her outside to the terrace where they conversed for some time. When they came back in, Thomas went to his grandmother and they spoke a few words, and she just beamed with pleasure. Of course, she knew the Duke was only performing his duty in looking for a wife, but she could not help but feel devastated by the direction the evening was taking. And to top it all off, the young man, who had sat next to her at dinner, and who was scheduled to dance with her right now, did not show up. Obviously, he felt she was beneath his concern, and he had bailed on her.

  Helena had been watching Jenny’s shifting mood and asked, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Somewhat,” she said noncommittedly.

  “Did you meet anyone interesting at supper?”

  Jenny told her about the walrus and the snobby young man who had just ditched his dance with her.

  Helena cast a look at George and then asked her, “Do you want to leave? We could if you want—although I still have a number of partners to dance with—and my Georgie too, of course.”

  “No, absolutely not. Nothing could induce me to ruin your evening.”

  Helena patted Jenny’s hand and then turned back to chat with George before another gentleman came over to claim his dance with Helena.

  George seemed to take pity on her and asked. “Would you like to dance again? I find I am free.”

  Jenny smiled weakly. “Thank you, but I believe not. These dancing slippers are pinching somewhat, and I need to rest my feet.”

  “Very well,” George said, looking relieved, as he stood and headed to chat with some of his friends while Helena danced.

  Thomas made an effort to meet and chat with two more ladies he found passably attractive, but neither had the wit or charm of Lady Alderman, and only one had a living to bring to the marriage that would satisfy his Grandmamma.

  The clock on the east tower had already struck midnight and the ball was beginning to wind down. Thomas needed to confer with Willoughby about managing a smooth exit for the guests, and he was assured a number of footmen were already in place and prepared to call the carriages as the guests began to depart. And for those guests staying overnight at Pemberton, a number of housemaids, and the guest’s personal servants were standing by to assist.

  Wilcox slithered silently into the chair at the table next to his mother.

  “Have you spoken to any of your friends?” he asked, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

  She turned and said, “To a few, but, as I said before, there is no guarantee any of them will speak to Lady Monmouth.”

  He frowned slightly, “You ask me to make amends, but you thwart my efforts to repair myself.”

  “Oh, Wilcox, do not be so ridiculous. I have done what you asked. Now it is up to you.”

  “But you act on my behalf half-heartedly. Do not blame me if Lady Monmouth fails to see my worth.”

  Augusta looked at her son with a mixture of loathing and pity. “Oh, my dear, I am so sorry you lost your dear wife all those years ago. It has made you reckless and bitter.”

  “Mother…”

  “You used to be such a sweet boy. And even as a young man, you showed ambition and promise. What happened?

  “Life happened,” he said with a sneer.

  Thomas returned to the table but did not sit. Instead, he stood looking out over the ballroom, deciding what, if anything, he must do next as host. He was displeased his uncle had come, but he could not refuse him, as his Grandmamma had invited him.

  He saw that George, Helena, and Miss Jenny were all at their table and appeared to be readying to leave. He went over.

  “George, we will meet here tomorrow? We have a lot to go over before we leave for London. And, I have to say, I am most anxious to move forward as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes, most certainly. I have been able to speak to a few of your guests, and I may have a few new leads for investors.”

  “That is excellent. I have not been able to think about business this evening, as my Grandmamma has been forcing me to concentrate on eligible young heiresses.”

  Thomas realized he was in Jenny’s presence and he regretted what he had just said, but he could not take it back. He glanced over to her and her head was bowed, and she looked devastated. Of course, she could not expect that he could consider her, but his words did seem to have wounded her, nevertheless. And to be honest… his heart was aching too. If only he could just throw caution to the wind and take the bride of his heart’s choice—but he could not.

  “Gentlemen,” Helena spoke up, “enough about business. It is time for us to go. You can chat to your heart’s content tomorrow, but for this evening, I am fatigued and need to go home. Thank you, Thomas, for the most delightful evening.”

  “Yes, thank you for inviting me,” Jenny said quietly, but not looking at Thomas. “It has been a great pleasure. I am only sorry I was unable to keep my commitment to you for the baking. I only hope you can forgive me.”

  Thomas’s heart was rending. He looked at the great sorrow in her sweet face and wanted to pull her to him and hug her, but he could not.

  “Miss Jenny, there is absolutely no need for forgiveness. And it was a delight having you here. And I thoroughly enjoyed dancing with you this evening. I shall never forget our time together,” he said, looking at her with the greatest sympathy and longing.

  At that, Jenny gave a faint smile.

  But he felt devastated. He backed away and ended by addressing George. “Until tomorrow, then. But not before ten o’clock. And then we get down to work.”

  “I did not belong. I should never have come,” Jenny said very quietly with tears in her eyes, as the carriage headed back toward George’s house. George had nodded off and his head rested on the side of the carriage. But Helena had heard and put her hand on Jenny’s.

  “I am so sorry you did not have a good time, my dear,” she said. “I am afraid I did not think it through. Of course, you felt out of place. But, you did look beautiful—a match for any of the fine ladies vying for the Duke’s attention.”

  “And tomorrow I shall rise early, once again, and bake my pies, my cakes, and my tarts. And all will be as it should be. I have learned my place, and I shall accept it.”

  Chapter 25

  Phineas Hargrove welcomed Thomas and George into his office at the London bank.
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  “Your Grace, Mr. Edgerton, please make yourselves comfortable. And what can I do for you today?”

  “Thank you for seeing us,” Thomas opened.

  “Is this about your investment portfolio? Did you ever get that matter settled?”

  “Not about that. However, I am working to rebuild the damage that was done. But it will take time.”

  “Then what exactly can I do for you?”

  Thomas and George laid out their plans for the horses, with an emphasis on how productive they thought their plan would be, and the fact that they already had one investor.

  Thomas then said, “As you can see, we have put a lot of work into this project, and we already have two horses, with two more we hope to acquire shortly. We are looking to enter as many races as possible at the start of the racing season next March. We have an excellent trainer, and George is very knowledgeable about both horses and the world of racing. We have every expectation of being successful.”

  “I see,” Mr. Hargrove said, without a great deal of enthusiasm.

  “We were hoping the bank could loan us this amount.” And Thomas gave him a paper with a list of several numbers. “The first amount is the additional funds we need to raise, and the other figures are… amounts we could accept but would require additional funding from other sources.”

  George spoke up, “Is this something the bank would be prepared to loan?”

  “One moment,” Mr. Hargrove said standing and taking all the papers with him. “Let me confer with one of my colleagues. I shall be back shortly.” He started to leave but stopped. “Might I offer you gentlemen some refreshment in the meantime?”

  “We are fine, thank you,” Thomas responded.

  Mr. Hargrove left the office.

  “What do you think?” George asked. “He seems less than enthusiastic.”

  “Hmm. Banks are much more cautious. The world of racing holds less of an allure for them than for an adventurous investor. I think we are going to have to look elsewhere.”

  Shortly, Hargrove returned with a less than promising expression.

  “I am sorry, Gentlemen, but this is far too risky a project for our bank. We are going to need to pass on this.”

  “I am, of course, disappointed,” Thomas said. “And after our loyal business these many years, I expected a more positive response.” He was not going to let this go without letting the banker know he was dissatisfied.

  Mr. Hargrove raised a finger, “However, personally, I am a great aficionado of the sport of kings.” He turned to see if any of his colleagues might be within hearing and said quietly, “I would be interested in investing—a modest amount—if the return is adequate, of course.”

  Thomas appeared to be thoughtful before replying, “We might consider such an arrangement. As you can see, we have a twenty percent commitment already. What percentage were you thinking?”

  Hargrove stroked his chin. I might be able to do thirty percent under the right conditions.”

  “And what would those conditions be, Mr. Hargrove?”

  “I was thinking… if one of the new horses were to be named after my wife… well. We might have a deal.”

  “And your wife’s name?”

  “Florabell.”

  Thomas winced inwardly, but said, “A lovely name. I feel certain we could accommodate your wish,” he said and cast a quick glance at George who nodded. “But it would need to be a filly.”

  Mr. Hargrove smiled broadly. “Excellent.” He tamped the papers and handed them back to Thomas. “Have you drawn up investor papers yet?”

  “We have but will have a copy made with your name and your share and will get it to you before we leave London.”

  Mr. Hargrove added, “And I have the names of two other gentlemen you might approach who might be interested in investing.” He wrote on a paper and handed it to Thomas. “Just say I sent you. I know they will receive you.”

  “You will not be disappointed,” George said.

  “Your Grace… Mr. Edgerton,” Hargrove said with a nod.

  Thomas was ushered into the Alderman’s drawing room by the butler. Another couple was seated by the fire. They stood when he approached them.

  “Thomas Haddington, the Duke of Pemberton,” he said in greeting.

  “Lord and Lady Gregory,” the man said, “I am Harold and my wife, Henrietta.”

  “A pleasure,” Thomas said, taking an offered sherry from the butler.

  “Lady Prunella will be with you shortly,” the butler said.

  The Gregorys sat back down and Thomas took a tour of the room. Excellent collection of books, he noticed. Fine paintings—must be Prunella’s influence, he thought.

  Thomas was alone this evening, as George was visiting with Helena and her mother, who had arrived in London that afternoon.

  Presently another foursome was ushered into the room and introductions made.

  “Ah, you have all arrived. How splendid,” Prunella said, as she swept into the room, looking radiantly handsome. “I hope you have introduced yourselves.”

  Once again, Thomas was taken by Prunella’s beauty. She wore a light green dress that was stylish but simple and which emphasized her natural beauty and grace.

  “I am so sorry, but Mother will not be dining with us this evening. She had a prior engagement, so it shall just be us. Shall we go to dinner?”

  Thomas was seated to Lady Alderman’s right, and the other guests were all young friends of Prunella’s—a lighthearted and sometimes boisterous group.

  Thomas was surprised he had not met Prunella before now. He had been to London so many times during his days of dalliance, but perhaps it was because this young lady was more composed and less frivolous than most of the lady companions he had known previously. In any case, he was enjoying her company and looked forward to getting to know her better. And that included getting to know what she could bring to a marriage.

  After supper was over, Prunella suggested a game of cards, and two of the couples took up the offer, but the Gregorys said they must leave, as they had young children at home. That left Thomas and Prunella alone to chat by the fire.

  “Your Grace…” Prunella started.

  “Please call me Thomas,” he insisted.

  “Thomas, then… tell me more about your new venture with the horses. It sounds most intriguing. And I believe you said you were coming to London to secure financing?”

  “Indeed. That is so. In fact, my partner and I met just this morning with our banker who has become one of our investors.”

  “How splendid.”

  “But no need to bore you with details…”

  “No, I am sincerely interested,” she said, fanning herself leisurely. “I have a little investment money to play around with. My father was very savvy when it came to money, and despite being a woman, he taught me a great deal, and it is why I have been able to maintain the family’s fine standing.” Most interesting, Thomas thought to himself. “My mother takes no interest in these matters and leaves the running of the estate up to me.” She laughed. “Most unladylike I am certain, but with no men in the family, except a distant uncle, it all falls on me.”

  “No, I find that most courageous of you—and commendable.”

  “Perhaps you might stop by tomorrow, at your convenience, and you could explain to me the details of your offer and I might see if it is something that would be suitable for my portfolio.”

  “I would be delighted to. Would eleven o’clock be a good time? And I should like to bring my partner, Mr. George Edgerton if that is suitable.”

  “Of course. I would be delighted to meet him.”

  “And if you have time, I should very much like to see the art you have been collecting. While not a connoisseur myself, I am always willing to learn.”

  “Then why not stay for luncheon—the two of you, of course. And then you can also meet my mother. I know she will be charmed to meet you—as I have been,” she said modestly, but conveying her certain interes
t. “Lovely chatting with you, but you must excuse me. I must not neglect my other guests.”

  And she stood and glided over to the card table, leaving Thomas to contemplate this most interesting development.

  Wilcox climbed the stairs in the dingy tenement building to meet with Ezra Stanton, having secured all the paperwork necessary to enable his plan to aid the smuggler.

  He knocked and Ezra, himself, answered the door.