“It certainly is, although it is a challenge since nobody else seems to think it’s a good idea.”
Odelia huffed her disgust. “One of these days men will realize we are just as capable as they are.”
“Maybe so, but half the battle will be convincing some of the ladies, too. But for now, let us keep our thoughts to ourselves. I am not quite ready to join the suffragette movement.” Odelia giggled at her aunt’s words before Julianna changed the subject. “Now tell me, what was your favourite part of the play?”
The two Montgomery ladies had a lively discussion debating the various merits of the different acts. They were so occupied by their conversation that they were surprised when the carriage pulled up in front of their house. They continued to be so engrossed in their opinions as they climbed the stairs that they failed to notice the viscount’s carriage a little way down the street behind them. It didn’t pull away until the door closed behind them.
“Thank you, my lord. I appreciate you following them. I have a feeling they would not appreciate our concern, though, so let us keep this as our secret.”
Lord Ackerley smiled at Fletcher over this statement. He allowed the boy to continue thinking it had been his idea to follow his aunt and sister home. Luc hadn’t been able to bear the thought of those ladies out on their own with only a young footman as guardian. But from Julianna’s reaction to his concern, he knew she would cut him dead for making any suggestions to the contrary.
“I wonder what my father was thinking to allow them to wander off on their own like that,” Fletcher mused.
The viscount laughed. “You better not let your aunt catch you speaking like that or you will get your ears filled with a lecture about how capable they are.”
Fletcher eyed him askance. “Of course they are capable. I think my aunt can do anything. It’s just that they are small and would look like a good target for thieves looking for an easy mark. I am sure Jules could handle it, but I would hate for her to have to.”
Impressed with the boy’s assessment, the viscount answered. “Well, if you put it like that, your aunt would probably be very happy. And maybe your father thought the same thing.”
“More likely he was just happy to not be asked to go along,” concluded Fletcher with a touch of disgust in his tone. “He would much rather debate the price of wheat or the state of things in Ireland than consider the merits of entertainment.”
Agreeing, but not wishing to encourage the young man in criticism of his father, the viscount changed the subject. “Where should we go now? Are you ready to seek your bed or would you like to down a glass at White’s before we call it a night?”
Gratified by the viscount’s continued interest, Fletcher accepted shyly. “White’s sounds good.” He didn’t want to disclose to his experienced friend that he had never set foot inside those exclusive walls. He was almost as giddy as a schoolgirl at the prospect.
Lord Ackerley had a pretty good idea that this might be the case and grinned at his unlikely position as surrogate uncle to the young man. He then gave orders to his driver and they set off at a brisk pace.
Chapter 22
The day dawned sunny and cloudless, a perfect day for traveling. Julianna experienced a surprising sense of anticipation as she climbed out of bed. For the past several days she had been in a grey fog bordering on despair. It was so unlike her usual optimism, so she was delighted to be feeling much more herself.
They were off to Yorkleigh that day to attend the earl and his countess’ exclusive house party. Odelia had been overjoyed at the invitation for far different reasons than Julianna. While Julianna was looking forward to the slower pace and fresh air, Odelia was excited for one-on-one time with what she hoped would be a lively, entertaining crowd. She had heard the earl and his wife were meticulous in their choice of houseguests and she was thrilled beyond bearing to be included in the elite group.
Julianna smiled at her maid as she came in with her chocolate.
“Thank you so much, Maizy. This is just what I need to get myself motivated to finish up the last bit of packing. Do you know if Lady Odelia is up and about yet?”
“Yes, milady, she says she cannot possibly sleep with all the excitement. She was ringing her bell right early this morning.”
“Oh, dear, I’m sorry about that, Maizy. Has she been running you girls ragged?”
“Oh, no, milady, it’s not so bad. She’s just mighty excited. I must say, so am I. This’ll be my first time to go to another house than one of our own. I’m a little nervous about the other servants.” The young, less experienced girl was a bit shame-faced to admit her fear.
Ever soft hearted, Julianna hurried to reassure her. “You have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. You do a fine job of looking after Odelia and me, and you have quite lovely manners, so I shouldn’t think anyone will have any reason to find fault with you. Just remember, should you have any problems at all, you are to come to me, and we can sort them out together.”
“Thank you, milady. Now we had best be getting a move on if we are to arrive while it’s still daylight, wouldn’t you think, milady?”
“Yes, I think you are quite right. Now if you would just help me fasten up this dress and tidy my hair, we can go see how Odelia is managing.”
Julianna made quick work of changing into her traveling clothes and her morning routine. Within minutes she was knocking on her niece’s door.
“Enter,” Odelia called out cheerfully, the sound muffled because she had her head buried in one of her many trunks.
Julianna walked in and allowed a gasp to escape from her lips. “Odelia Montgomery! Did a tornado go through here? I thought you were packed up last night before we went to bed.”
“Good morning, Aunt Julianna. I just had to check on a few things. One thing led to another and this is what happened.” Odelia lifted her shoulders in a brief, sheepish shrug before continuing. “It should be pretty easy to get it all back in order.”
Julianna looked around at the chaos with a doubtful look, but then two more maids entered the room and began quickly straightening everything. They made tsking sounds as they moved, but within minutes order had been restored once more.
“See? No problems here.” Odelia grinned at her aunt. “Are you ready to go?”
“Just about. The footmen are carrying my trunks down to the coach right now. I was just going to see if Cook had packed us a hamper, but I stopped in to see you on the way.” Julianna smiled at how that had gone. “Have you eaten anything this morning? If you want any breakfast, you should be quick about it. I would like to be on the road within the hour.”
“That should not be too difficult. I shall meet you downstairs in just a couple minutes.” On an impulse, Odelia ran to her aunt and gave her a squeeze. “I am so excited about this trip. Thank you for accepting the invitation.”
“You are welcome, scamp. Now hurry up. It’s a good thing your father is not traveling with us. He would have an apoplexy if he saw how many trunks and boxes you are bringing for four days.”
“One never knows what will be required,” Odelia excused airily as she turned back to her chest of drawers to see if she had forgotten anything of import.
“Do not get too side tracked, Dee. I shall be waiting.” Julianna left on those words, hurrying off to complete her own errands before settling in the breakfast room while Odelia’s trunks were finally being loaded by the burly footmen.
Moments later Odelia came tripping down the stairs, still giddy with excitement over the trip. Julianna mentally reviewed what she had packed that would help Odelia to while away the hours and not drive her aunt to distraction with her excitement. Her niece was too excited to eat very much, quickly downing a piece of toast to tide her over until later.
After giving last minute instructions to the butler and housekeeper, Julianna and Odelia were finally on their way. Odelia was bouncing beside her on the seat and Julianna had to suppress a sigh, resigning herself to the exhaustive task of ke
eping her niece entertained in the confines of the coach.
“What do you know about the Earl and Countess of Yorkleigh?” Julianna asked.
“She was his maid, and he had to marry her to rescue her from a wicked plot concocted by her evil cousin,” Odelia answered with relish.
“I did not ask what gossip have you heard,” Julianna reproved. “I asked what you know. What facts do you have that will help you be socially correct while at their home?”
Odelia wrinkled her nose in concentration. “Do you mean like who should be seated first, and things like that?”
“Exactly! You have grown accustomed to the relaxed way we do things at home, but some people are sticklers for that sort of thing.”
“Well, an earl comes after a duke and a duke comes after a royal duke who comes after a prince who comes after a king. Wives would come after their husbands, right?”
“Yes. But didn’t you forget one?”
Odelia looked blank for a moment before brightening. “Oh, you mean marquess? But there are hardly any marquesses, I rarely think about them. And Papa said it’s not a real title anyway, that the crown only makes someone a marquess when they don’t want to appoint another duke.”
Julianna laughed. “Now you are beginning to sound like Lady Ashwood.”
Odelia laughed with her. “Sorry, Aunt Jewel, I didn’t mean to sound like that, I was just embarrassed that I forgot. Back to my lesson, should one ever turn up, a marquess would be between a duke and an earl.”
Julianna laughed again, “And where do you fit in with all this?”
“I am the daughter of an earl and granddaughter of a duke, so I guess after an earl or countess. But since I am younger, if someone my social equal but older than me was present, I would allow them precedence. Like you would come before me.”
Julianna grinned wryly at her niece before commending her. “Very good. But I again ask, do you know anything about the earl and countess that would affect the order you just mentioned?”
Odelia again had to think for a moment. “I guess I have not been studying my Debretts, Aunt Jules.” She continued gazing out the window in thought.
“Wait! I remember. Lady Yorkleigh inherited several old titles from her parents, one of which was Marchioness, so she would take precedence before her husband.”
“Excellent, Odelia.”
“I know you don’t really want me listening to gossip, but do you think it’s true that their baby was stolen?” Odelia looked at her aunt, gauging her reaction, wondering if she would cave to the delicious tidbit of information and indulge in a round of gossip.
“I suspect there must be some truth to that rumour since they have not come to Town for the Season. They wish to entertain, so they have invited a group to their home in the country.”
Seeing Odelia’s fascination with the subject, Julianna tried to make her see the error of her ways.
“Can you imagine how tragic it must have been for them, if it is true? How awful to have your beloved baby stolen away from you and not knowing if you would ever see him again? I am only an aunt, but I know my life would end if something were to happen to you or Fletcher, and you are far from being helpless babies.”
Odelia had obviously not thought about things from this perspective. She turned widened eyes upon her aunt’s face and continued to listen in silence.
“We should be thanking God that their baby was restored to them. But even though he is now safe, no doubt for the rest of their lives the earl and his wife will have trouble trusting people or allowing their children out of their sight.”
“You are right, Aunt Jules. I should not indulge in gossip. I forgot to think how they must feel. I just listen to the story and thrill to the sensationalism of it. How tragic for them.” Odelia was contrite.
“We must keep this in mind while we are guests in their home. You are not the only one to be so forgetful. Some of the other guests may wish to speculate, and we should not lower ourselves to such a level. And if we observe what might seem to be odd behaviour on the part of the earl or countess, we should keep in mind what they have been through.”
“What kind of odd behaviour are you expecting?” Odelia, always ready for a joke, could not keep a hint of laughter from her voice.
Julianna couldn’t help a smile at her niece’s tone. “Well, I don’t know exactly, I must admit. But I am actually surprised they would even want to invite anyone to their home after what they have reportedly been through. I think I would be suspicious of everyone I encountered for the rest of my days if I had been through such a terrible experience. I think I would be a candidate for Bedlam after such a trial.”
“Thank you for the reminders, Aunt Jules. I shall do my best to be understanding of other’s idiosyncrasies and not indulge in gossip of those very same things.”
“That is all I ask. Now, what shall we do to keep ourselves occupied?”
“Did you bring any books? Perhaps we could take turns reading for a bit,” suggested Odelia.
Thus they whiled away the hours of the journey, stopping only once to change the horses. They made decent time and finally arrived at Yorkleigh just as the sun was starting to set.
Odelia and Julianna both found themselves pressing their faces to the window to catch a glimpse of the beautiful, elegant estate. With the descending darkness, they couldn’t see everything, but what they could observe filled them with awe.
Odelia whistled like a young boy. “Wow! I fear we will get lost at least once or twice over the next few days.”
Julianna laughed. “You may be right. Hopefully, they have strategically placed footmen throughout the house to offer directions to wayward guests.”
Their shared laughter helped them overcome the sudden onslaught of nerves as they pulled up to the front door. Just before a footman came to help them down, Odelia gripped her aunt’s hand.
“It would be silly for me to be nervous, right? Socially we are equals to these fine folks, aren’t we? I have no reason to be nervous.”
Julianna smiled lovingly, covering her niece’s cold hand with one of her own. “Exactly right, my dear. You are about to have a completely fascinating time. You have been raised to do well in such a situation. Never fear. Everyone will love you, and you will have so much fun you will never want to go back to London.”
Odelia laughed. “Now you have gone too far, Aunty Jules. I will never be in a situation where I do not want to go back to London.”
But her aunt’s words had done their job. Odelia had a smile on her face as she stepped down from the travelling coach to be welcomed by their hostess.
Lady Yorkleigh stepped forward with her hands outstretched. “Welcome, ladies, it is a pleasure to have you at our home.”
Julianna and Odelia both dipped into polite curtsies as Julianna took the countess’ hands in hers. They were gratified by the warm welcome they were receiving.
“Welcome to Yorkleigh. You must be Ladies Julianna and Odelia Montgomery. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Emilia, the Countess of Yorkleigh, among other things, but my friends call me Emily. We shall be spending several days together so we surely shall be good friends, so you might as well start calling me Emily from the beginning.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Emily, please.”
“Thank you, Emily. You may call me Julianna, and this is Odelia. We often call her Dee.”
Julianna was happy to see that her well-trained servants were already at work unloading the baggage. The Yorkleigh footmen were ably assisting. Julianna turned back to her hostess knowing she could safely leave the work in their capable hands.
“You ladies have impeccable timing,” the countess was saying as she linked arms with Julianna and Odelia, escorting them into the house. “We will be dining in thirty minutes. We are not being formal this evening and not all of the guests have arrived, so if you would like to just go up to your rooms to refresh yourselves, you are welcome to join us as soon as you are ready.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t change first?” Julianna asked, looking down at her slightly crumpled gown, a little the worse for the long day’s wear.
“You look quite lovely. Never fear. You must be ravenous from your travels. Please, pay it no mind. What you have on will be perfectly acceptable,” soothed Lady Yorkleigh in a kind, gracious voice.
“Oh, but I must at least run a comb through my hair,” Odelia almost wailed in distress.
“Of course, Dee. Perhaps a footman could show us to our room and we will quickly tidy up and re-join with you in a few minutes?” No matter how relaxed the earl and countess might be, Julianna refused to sit down to a meal with mussed hair and a smudged face.
The countess crooked her finger and a footman hurried forward. “Please show our guests to the Rose suite.” Turning back to the ladies, she explained, “We thought you would enjoy being together. There are two bedchambers with an adjoining dressing room where your maids could sleep on a trundle.”
“Oh, thank you, my lady. That is very generous.” Julianna was glad to be close by Odelia and had actually been expecting that they would share a room. To each have her own chamber was luxury indeed. And having their maid nearby would make everything so much easier. The countess had implied there was room for more than one servant, but they had only brought Maizy with them. She could manage to look after them both. The young maid would be delighted to have space of her own for a few days, Julianna thought.
“Not at all. James here will wait in the hallway for you while you get settled. Then he will be able to give you a bit of a tour about the house while he shows you to the dining room. I shall see you ladies shortly.” The countess then left her guests in the capable hands of the footman. He gathered up their bandboxes and started for the stairs.
Julianna and Odelia followed him sedately, trying to be discreet as they gazed about at the earl’s beautiful estate. From what they could see as they climbed the elegantly curving staircase, very little expense had been spared in the upkeep of the large home. It was obvious to Julianna’s trained eye there must be an army of servants to keep up with the care and maintenance of such a massive house. She could not see a single speck of dust on any surface. Everything had been shined to a sparkling glow.
Sweet Surrender Page 21
