“Cassie!” gasped Mr Scott, looking horrified.
She turned a pair of wide, innocent eyes onto him. “Yes, Ferdy?”
“You can’t just go about requesting that Their Graces introduce us to a fellow peer!”
“Why not?” she said, cocking her head to one side like a little bird. “I am sure it’s no trouble, but it might not have occurred to them to arrange an introduction, for they have no notion that it would be of great importance to you.”
Mr Scott groaned and put his hand to his brow.
“It’s not the done thing,” said Lacey with brotherly affection. “Introductions impact reputation, you see, so asking for one from someone you have just met means you are requesting they vouch for you.”
Miss Scott’s eyebrows went up in surprise.
“Oh! In which case, I am truly sorry, Your Grace, for I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I see now that Lacey is right, and I should not have done it.”
“And I suppose I was just wrong when I said exactly what Lacey said,” said her brother with an exasperated shake of the head.
His sister gave a serene smile. ‘Nothing of the sort, Ferdy, but Lacey has been more about the world than either of us and is much more sophisticated as a result.”
Dr Lacey inadequately covered his laugh with a cough, while Mr Scott muttered something about the trials of having a younger sister.
“A very pretty apology to my mother, Miss Scott, but did you forget that you made the same request of me?” said Devenish.
The young woman smiled up at him. “Not at all, Your Grace, but I’m not going to apologise for my request, for you yourself told me that you have a terrible reputation. I don’t think you would care a fig if Ferdy and I turn out to be loose screws after you introduce us to the Duke of Lexborough.”
For the second time, Devenish let out a boom of laughter so rarely heard that Emily was glad to see that Lady Seraphinia and the General were as startled by it as she was.
“Miss Scott, will you be so good as to promenade about the room with me? I have a burning desire to learn more about your views on my reputation,” said Devenish, proffering his arm to the girl.
Emily blinked.
She could not remember him having done anything so chivalrous since they’d left London, not even for Jane, who he liked more than most. If anything, he avoided every unmarried girl he came across – and many married women as well, for that matter – and was more likely to give them the Cut Direct than to offer them his escort.
Miss Scott, however, did not jump at the chance to be seen on the arm of a Duke. She looked at her brother for guidance, who in turn glanced at his doctor.
Lacey stood immediately. “If Her Grace and Lady Seraphinia do not object, then I hope that not only may I join Miss Scott and the Duke in a turn about the room, but that Miss Lindon would accompany me as well.”
Jane looked vaguely startled as the man addressed her, his eyes fixed appreciatively on her face.
The girl blushed. Emily had never seen Jane blush, not even when general Mortimer was in his cups and singing bawdy tunes in French.
“Me? Oh, well, if you do not mind, Aunt Seraphinia?” she said, looking unusually flustered.
The old woman rolled her eyes. “Good grief, child, how many times have I told you that it would do you some good to gallivant about instead of sitting sedately at my side?”
Devenish’s lips twitched. “I suspect that is the first time anyone has described walking about the pump room as gallivanting.”
Lady Seraphinia turned an irritated gaze upon him. “Jane, Miss Scott, please do make them go away. His Grace is bringing on my headache. Mortimer, take Jane’s seat so you can converse with me properly instead of swaying on your feet. You might be a popinjay, but at least you are not annoying!”
Miss Scott curtseyed. “As you wish, my Lady! Do you need anything fetching for you while we are about? I promise you that His Grace is well able to carry things is you wish to put him to use.”
“Cassie,” groaned Mr Scott, softly enough that the Duchess suspected she was the only one who heard.
“He may bring me a glass of the waters,” said Lady Seraphinia, inclining her head to emphasise how great a favour she was bestowing upon Devenish. “There is no rush, however. I have just seen Mr Jones, and mean to berate him soundly for falling asleep at the Fitzburgh’s recital last night. Mortimer, you are not needed after all.”
“Hot and cold, Phinnie,” said the General. “One day, I may grow tired of your ways.”
“Is Mr Jones not a lover of music?” asked Miss Scott with a sympathetic smile.
Lady Seraphinia shuddered. “My dear girl, anyone who considers themselves a lover of music would not even bother to attend a recital by the Fitzburgh girls in the first place. However, if I must endure the assault on my ears for the sake of propriety, then so must the Joneses!”
It was obvious that the young woman had a mountain of questions to ask, but Devenish knew Lady Seraphinia well enough to know where that path would lead, and instead gently led Miss Scott away from the group.
The Duchess noted a gleam in Miss Linden’s eyes as the handsome doctor offered his arm, and thought for perhaps the thousandth time that the girl was too often overlooked in their social circle, despite the best efforts of her great aunt.
“I believe that is the first time since I got ill that Cassie did not spend twenty minutes fussing over me before taking her leave,” said Mr Scott to no one in particular.
Emily studied him for a moment, unable to read his expression. That he was in pain was obvious, but as it naturally turned all other emotions a darker hue, it was difficult to ascertain what he was thinking.
“Did you wish to ask your sister to run an errand?” said the Duchess. “Carter here is at your disposal if that is the case.”
Mr Scott startled. “Your Grace! My apologies, but I am so used to being left on my own that I quite forgot you were here!”
“I am not sure whether I should be offended by that,” she said, smiling to show there was no malice to her words. “The offer stands, however. Carter can fetch and carry for you if needed.”
Mr Scott smiled as he shook his head. “You mistake my meaning, Your Grace, for I am glad that she forgot about me for once! Cassie is the best of sisters, and I have no notion of how I would get on without her. There are times, however, when I wish she would be a little more selfish in her ways. It cannot be easy to have been buried in the country caring for me. She had no Season during her youth, and few in our neighbourhood can match her for wits. Most of her thoughts are for me and for my care, which I appreciate, of course, but…”
He trailed off, then lifted his hand to scratch against his lips.
Emily touched him lightly on the arm.
“But sometimes you wish that she would remember that despite your infirmities, you are still an adult,” she replied. “And that while she may gain satisfaction from taking care of you, sometimes you really wish she would just go away and let you be miserable about everything for a little while.”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping in relaxation. “Yes! And understand that occasionally I do not want to be cheerful or be around cheerful people. You want to wallow in your misery and self-pity, and it is awfully hard to do that without feeling like a villain when they are doing everything in their power to help you.”
“Or when they try to help you with things you don’t want to be helped with,” added the Duchess. “Sometimes you are well aware that you are making more mess than needed, or you are slower by yourself, but you still need to do it that way for as long as you can, no matter how frustrated you and others may become, because it’s more frustrating when people assume that you cannot manage at all.”
“And then you feel terrible for being so grumpy about things, for you know they are absolute saints for all that they do, and you truly do appreciate them, and love them, and understand that without them you would not have as full a life as you do. Bu
t the guilt of that can be a burden as well.”
“And not one you can share,” said Emily, smiling at the sense of melancholy floating between them.
Mr Scott nodded. “Precisely! If I so much as suggest that Cassie think of herself first, she’ll go out of her way to assure me that she prefers to live buried in the country with an invalid brother! I might be mortified at the way she speaks to your son, Your Grace, but I’m dashed grateful that he seems to be amused by her if it means she enjoys herself on her own terms for once.”
“Do you know, I feel exactly the same way about Devenish, right down to being mortified by his manners,” smiled Emily.
Mr Scott grinned suddenly, and a glimpse of the person he was when not consumed by pain made her heart ache for him.
“Will they be very long, do you think?” he asked her.
“I hope so,” she responded. “That way, we can heartily indulge our desire to complain and be ungrateful about everything we can think of so that we can get it all off our chests.”
“Your Grace, I believe you are my favourite person in the world,” the young man declared.
She went pink at the compliment. “Excellent! Now let me begin by demanding to know what nincompoop architect thought to design houses with the main reception rooms up a flight of stairs in Bath, of all places!”
*
“I don’t think I’ve seen so many people in one place before,” said Miss Scott, looking about at everything but him. “Is it always such a squeeze?”
“I would rather say that company is thin on the ground today,” replied Devenish, silently thankful for that fact.
“I think you are bamming me again,” she said, shaking her head at him. “It’s not very nice to take advantage of a country girl, you know.”
Devenish counted to ten slowly in his head, reminding himself that Miss Scott truly was a country Miss, and had no notion what taking advantage of her would actually entail.
“I'm perfectly serious, and you can ask Miss Linden for confirmation if you like,” he replied when he could trust himself. “It will only get busier over the coming weeks, both during the day and at the evening assemblies.”
Her eyebrows went up in surprise. “Truly? But how could anyone walk about the room? It must be a sad crush with no one able to move without bumping into another soul.”
“That’s a very accurate description of Bath in the busiest months,” said Devenish.
“Good grief,” said Miss Scott. She considered the matter for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. “But then that must mean there are lots of interesting people here!”
It would be like kicking a puppy, thought Devenish, and excused the lies he was about to tell on the grounds that no one else was listening to their conversation.
“I find that Bath is full of characters, many of whom are a delight to converse with.”
“Do you know many people in Bath? I am not asking for an introduction, of course, but simply an indication of the type of people I may meet; especially anyone from abroad!”
He gave her a puzzled smile. “Anywhere in particular?”
She made a vague, flapping gesture with her hand. “Anywhere that’s not England. Don’t misunderstand me; I love our countrymen, but everyone I know is from this place! Lacey says if we ever go to London, he will introduce me to his father, but the elder Dr Lacey was brought over to be a page when he was only six, so doesn’t remember much of where he was born. I did meet a gentleman with a pronounced accent at the county fair, once, but it turned out he was only from Yorkshire, and you can have no notion how disappointing that was. Now, what can I have said to send you into whoops?”
He shook his head, unable to open his mouth for risk of laughing so hard that he’d be the subject of gossip for weeks.
Miss Scott, realizing he was not going to reply, simply shrugged and went back to looking about the room.
“Lacey and Miss Lindon seem to be having a nice conversation,” she commented after glancing over her shoulder. “Do you think I should tell them not to dawdle, though? There is a rather irritated looking lady behind them.”
“I am certain that Jane can look after herself, and have no doubt that your Dr Lacey is perfectly competent,” he replied, wondering how such a perfectly wonderful woman could have been hidden away from him for so long.
“I expect your right,” she said. “Ferdy tells me I’m a very managing female at times.”
“Only at times?”
She gasped, but it fell to a light laugh before she could hold on to any outrage. “What a perfectly mean thing to say to me. No woman likes to be told she’s a managing female regardless of how accurate it is. Besides, I have to be managing in order to support Ferdy. I expect Her Grace would describe you as being an awfully managing son if I asked her.”
“I suspect ‘trying’ would be the word she used,” admitted Devenish.
“Has she been ill for long?” asked Miss Scott, her tone slightly softer.
He felt the familiar tightening in his neck and shoulders as he thought about his mother’s ongoing condition. “Most my life, although it’s only in the last three years she’s come to depend on me. Reluctantly, I might add! The Duchess is as strong-willed and independent of mind as ever, and the frailty of her body is an ongoing source of vexation.”
“Sounds like Ferdy,” said Miss Scott. “He’s as sharp as a tack, but his physical ability is deteriorating.”
He noted the lack of commiseration in her tone and the absence of pity. Instead, she discussed the illnesses of both her brother and his parent as simple facts rather than problems to be dealt with.
He could not quite articulate how much that meant to him.
“Is that why Dr Lacey travels with you? To care for your brother?” he asked, shoving down the unfamiliar sensation of jealousy that flared at the doctor’s name.
Miss Scott, however, just laughed.
“Lord, no! Ferdy, agree to be treated as an invalid? The sky will turn yellow first!”
“My apologies, Miss Scott. Am I to understand that there is a closer relationship between you and your brother’s…friend?” he said, the unfamiliar sensations both uncomfortable and complex in his chest.
She looked at him in puzzlement, before lighting up with amusement as realization dawned.
“Do you mean to ask if we are courting? Your Grace, I must protest at your suggestion that Lacey has ever treated me with anything but brotherly affection! Indeed, it would be very improper of him to attempt to court me while living in the same house, and besides, knowing Lacey, he’d probably spout off a list of moral objections if he’d had so much as a stray thought about me in that way.”
“My apologies for the misunderstanding,” he replied, hoping that his meek demeanour disguised the surge of joy in his chest.
“I don’t think I’m the type of woman Lacey would want for a wife, anyway,” said Miss Scott with a thoughtful expression. “He’s forever trying to teach me to be a more refined lady, and I think he finds it rather exhausting.”
“Because you don’t wish to be a lady?” he asked, raising an eyebrow to quiz her.
“Not if it involves being so stuffy all the time,” she replied. “Lady Climping was forever telling me what I should or should not do, but she never explained to me why. Lacey at least tries to do that, but then I ask questions that leave him all flustered. He needs to work on that, you know, for I’m sure when he’s a famous physician his lady patients will come to him with all sorts of embarrassing problems, so how can he help them if he chokes up at the merest suggestion of something improper?”
Devenish couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder at the young man in question. It struck the Duke that the guileless Miss Scott, in her dull dress and shiny spectacles, enjoyed teasing the doctor at every opportunity.
“Is Dr Lacey aware that you say outrageous things just to vex him?” he asked, and was rewarded by a gasp of surprise, following by a sheepish giggle that rendered his companion ador
able.
“No, for he’s far too good to believe such a thing of me! Am I very terrible to tease him so? It’s just too easy, you see, and it makes Ferdy laugh ever so much. I promise I never cross the line, for my brother will always tug me back.”
Devenish shook his head. “I have no idea why Dr Lacey would put up with either of you.”
“That’s easy,” she said with a cheerful grin. “We’re the only people who will put up with him. He’s studying Ferdy’s illnesses, you see, to try and understand what has caused his body to play such awful tricks. He asks lots of invasive questions, and then pokes and prods at my brother on an almost daily basis, which means I have to be there to calm him back down again.”
“Ah, so he seeks to develop a cure?”
The breeziness disappeared from Miss Scott’s face, replaced instead with a type of resigned strain that he knew too well from the mirror.
“No, or at least not for my brother. He hopes to find ways to ease his symptoms without addling his brain, thus ensuring that Ferdy can enjoy life to the fullest for the longest amount of time possible.”
“My poor dear,” he said without thinking, and gave her arm a small squeeze of comfort.
She looked up into his eyes and smiled, her sunny disposition banishing the worry as though it had never been there.
“There’s no need to feel sorry for me, Your Grace! Ferdy’s the one who suffers while I get to do as I please. Well, other than travel, I suppose, but that’s not such a big sacrifice when all things are considered. And when you think about it, I get to live with two wonderful brothers. Ferdy and Lacey, I mean; not Oscar. That’s the one who is a Colonel in Wellington’s army.”
“I see,” said Devenish, not really sure how else to respond.
Miss Scott chuckled and shook her head. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I? Rabbiting on about whatever catches my interest. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell me to be quiet if you wish. Everyone does so, because they know I will talk forever otherwise.”
“Miss Scott, never let anyone tell you that you talk too much,” declared Devenish. “I find your candour refreshing, your company delightful, and your thoughts of great interest to me.”
The Devilish Duke: Book eight in the Regency Romps Series Page 6
