“I do not remember you being such an enchantress. But you caught my eye the moment I spied you sitting in your box.”
“Oh, Mr. Wilcox… surely…” Elizabeth waved her hand, dismissing Wilcox’s foolishness.
“You were wearing that enchanting deep maroon gown with the emeralds and your hair was so ingeniously woven with… what were they?
“Pearls,” Elizabeth said modestly.
“A vision of loveliness I said to myself. I thought at first you were perhaps visiting royalty—from France, Russia, or Italy. One is not often struck so profoundly.”
“Now, My Lord, I know you are teasing me,” she said, opening her fan and peering over the top to heighten the impact of her eyes.
Wilcox decided to pull back a bit. “I would not be sincere if I did not express my admiration. Take it or leave it.”
Placing her fan on the tea table, Elizabeth offered, “Another cup of tea, Your Lordship?”
“Thank you, but I have had quite enough.” He stood and walked about the room, examining the many fine works of art that were displayed. “What a delightful collection of artworks—very international.”
“My husband collected from Southeast Asia where we were stationed for many years.”
He sat down again. “What an extraordinary life you must have led, Elizabeth—you do not mind me calling you Elizabeth, do you? I feel we have known each other forever.”
“You may, Wilcox,” she said blushing.
“And I was thinking, with so little fine weather left in the summer, I was hoping you might agree to take a turn with me in Hyde Park. I have an open carriage and we might enjoy a tour of the park and then perhaps have luncheon at my club.”
“That might be acceptable. And I am going to be having a small dinner next Thursday. Perhaps you should like to join us—as my evening companion.”
“I should be delighted,” Wilcox said, rejoicing that he had maneuvered himself into her good graces.
The Barnett household was in chaos. Mama hovered as Dr. Springfield examined Claudia’s ankle. Jenny was anxiously awaiting the Doctor’s verdict knowing it could affect her job at Pemberton. The brother and other sister hovered at the bedroom door, and Papa paced the hallway outside the children’s bedroom.
“Is it broken?” Mama asked as she fussed with her apron peering from behind the doctor.
“Yes, I am afraid it is,” the Doctor said. “I shall need to set it and construct a cast.” He turned to his patient and said, “Miss Claudia, you are going to need to be off this foot for a good many weeks.”
Claudia cast a look at Jenny and then said to the Doctor, “But I am to replace Jenny in the bakery. I cannot be disabled.”
A stab of anxiety shot through Jenny as she realized the gravity of the situation.
“I am afraid that is not going to be possible. You must rest in bed for at least a week and then you will only be able to get around on crutches. You are absolutely forbidden to use this leg until the break has completely healed, and that should take, at the very least, six weeks.”
Jenny put her hands to her face in anguish. How could she possibly take the job at Pemberton now? She must stay with the family. The bakery and the family’s very livelihood depended on it.
Mama could see that Jenny was distraught. She went over to her daughter and took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“Maybe there is someone else who could fill in for you?” she suggested.
“Oh, Mama, you know there is not.”
“Perhaps Robert could step up.”
“No, Mama, there is no time to train him. And even if there was, he is still too small to manage the rigors of the job. The kneading, the lifting, the shopping—it is just not possible.”
Claudia began to cry. “Oh, Jenny, I am so sorry. I was so foolish to climb around on those wet rocks. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course, dear Sister,” Jenny replied, but had to admit to herself that she did feel some resentment.
“Might I ask all of you to leave, please?” the Doctor asked. “I need to set her leg now and I think it is best if we are alone.”
The family filed out and walked to the sitting room.
“There must be something we can do?” Mama pleaded with Papa. “This is the opportunity Jenny has dreamed of all her life. Papa, what can be done? You make the meat pies… how difficult can it be if you make the fruit pies as well?”
Geoffrey put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Mama, it is not just the pies, it is the cakes, the tarts, the biscuits. I could never manage that much volume in one morning. Our customers rely on us to be timely, and you know how much we sell each day. It is just not possible.”
Jenny went over to them, facing them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “I will stay. It is what must be done.”
Mama began to cry, covering her face with her apron and turning away.
“Do you want me to go to Pemberton to inform the Duke?” her father asked.
“No, Papa. I must do this myself. I will need to meet with the head cook and go over the details of what needs to be done. At least there, they have enough staff to take over my responsibilities.”
Mother turned and threw her arms around Jenny who was feeling numb by now.
“Oh, my baby, I am so very sorry. Maybe his Grace will find a use for you another time.”
“I doubt it, Mama. I have betrayed his trust and I doubt he will be able to forgive me for that.”
It was already dark when Jenny and her father left Chatsworth and headed toward Pemberton. Geoffrey had an arrangement with a neighbor to use his horse and wagon when necessary, and he had offered to take Jenny to see the Duke, as it was late, and he did not want her walking all the way to Pemberton and back by herself.
Geoffrey halted the wagon at the entrance and Jenny jumped down.
“Do you want me to wait for you here?”
“No, Papa, it is too cold, and I have no idea how long I shall be. Come with me. I am certain they will have a comfortable place for you to wait by a fire.”
They headed to the great door and knocked. Presently, Willoughby answered.
“Oh, Miss Barnett, is his Grace expecting you?”
“No. I am afraid it is an unexpected, but very important visit. Might he be available to see me?” Willoughby gave a glance to Geoffrey. “This is my father, he drove me over.”
“Please come inside,” Willoughby said, standing aside and allowing them to enter. “You may wait there,” he indicated a table with several chairs in the entryway.
It took at least ten minutes before they heard returning footsteps.
“Miss Jenny…” his Grace said as he came toward them.
Jenny and her father stood. “I am so sorry to disturb you, Your Grace, but there has been an urgent development.”
Thomas looked startled. “Come. Let us speak somewhere more comfortable.”
He led the way to a sitting room with a lively fire and they sat opposite each other as the fire snapped nearby. Jenny needed to keep her errand in mind because she could not help but notice how appealing his Grace looked with the firelight flickering on his handsome face.
“Please,” Thomas urged, “What is the issue?”
Jenny snapped out of her admiration for Thomas and explained about the accident. “And I am so very sorry, but I shall be unable to make your pastries for the ball. I cannot tell you how distraught I am about that, but I have no choice. My family’s business cannot survive without my presence.”
Thomas was silent as he absorbed the new information.
Then Jenny offered, “I shall be more than happy to meet with your cook and explain what must be done to whoever is to replace me. But it will have to be after work tomorrow afternoon.”
“Of course, I am disappointed,” Thomas said, “but I completely understand.”
“I hope you are not angry with me,” Jenny said shyly.
“How could I be? What happened was an accident. I can take no fault with
that. And I wish your sister a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” Jenny took a small parcel out of her bag and offered it to Thomas. “We do not often have any unsold items left at the end of the day, but I have some day-old tarts. I offer these to you as a thank you gift for giving me this opportunity. I am just sorry I was unable to perform my duty.”
“Thank you, Miss Jenny,” Thomas said, taking the package and smiling, almost sorrowfully. “But what about your recipes—for my cook? How will she know how to make what you do?”
“Oh, I imagine she has her own. My recipes are no different from hers, I expect.”
“Very well, I shall let you work that out with her tomorrow.”
Jenny elbowed her father and they stood. “We had best be going. And again, I am so very sorry to disappoint you.”
Thomas led them out of the sitting room and to the front door. Jenny pulled her shawl over her shoulders and up around her neck, as it would be a chilly ride home.
Before turning to leave, Jenny said to Thomas, “I hope this has not ruined your trust in me. And if at any time in the future I might be able to assist you when you entertain again, I hope you will think of me.”
“Fear not, Miss Jenny, after becoming familiar with your wonderful pastries, you can be certain I shall remain a loyal customer,” Thomas said, taking her hand and kissing it, much to Jenny’s surprise. And she was surprised even more when she felt a shiver run down her spine—and it was not from the cold.
Chapter 20
Jenny’s cancellation had caused some consternation in the Duke’s kitchen. Cook needed to rework her schedule and rearrange the assignments of her staff to accommodate for the loss of Jenny’s pastries.
“What is going on, Thomas?” Grandmamma asked at lunch after she had visited with cook in the kitchen. “Mrs. Stokes is fussing and cautions that there may not be enough time to get everything ready for the dinner.”
Thomas sighed. “Mrs. Stokes loves to fuss. Everything will be just fine for the ball. There was a little upset. But it is all in hand.”
Grandmamma poked at her Dover sole. “Well, I certainly hope so. We have received a great many RSVP’s, and we are going to have a full house.” She looked up to gauge how Thomas might take her next statement. “I know you would rather not discuss this, but I have been scheduling your dances for the evening. I want you to dance with all the lovely young ladies who will be lining up to dance with you.”
“As you like, Grandmamma.”
She was surprised he was so compliant, so she pushed a little harder. “You know Miss Cynthia the daughter of Lord and Lady Livingston from Winchester…”
Thomas stopped her. “I am sorry. I do not have time for this right now. I have a most important meeting shortly with George and Mr. Edgerton. I am afraid my mind is not on the ball just now. You must excuse me, Grandmamma.”
Now she was the one to fuss. “Well, I am so sorry to disturb you. After all, this is all being done for your benefit. But if you are too busy to care…”
Thomas reached across the table and took his grandmother’s hand. “I do care, and I want this to be a successful ball for your sake. But my future—our future depends on George and me being successful with our program.”
“And I believe your future also depends on the success of the ball. The perfect woman at your side will bring you peace of mind, a family, and a much-needed infusion of money into the family.”
“I know your motivation. But, as I have said many times before, I am not to marry a woman I do not care for. And right now, my most important task is to get our project successfully funded, and I am off to see about that right now,” Thomas said, standing and dropping his napkin on the luncheon table.
Earlier that morning, Thomas had received a note from George explaining that he had finally managed to get his father to come to a decision about investing in their project, and could he please be at their house at two o’clock. But the note said nothing about what that decision might be. But the fact that George did not know the answer did not bode well for a positive outcome.
As Thomas rode over to the Edgerton’s, his mind drifted to his meeting with Miss Barnett from the night before. At first, he had been shocked by her need to withdraw from making the pastries for the ball, but as she sat before him with the firelight playing across her face, he was once again taken up by her beauty—her honest simplicity and how much he found himself admiring her. There was no doubt he was going to miss having her at Pemberton this week.
But he had arrived at George’s house and was eager to find out what Mr. Edgerton’s thoughts were about investing in their project.
George came out of the house even before Thomas had dismounted.
“George, I was pleased to get your note, but it said nothing about what your father’s decision was.”
“And that is because he has not told me. He wanted to tell us together.”
“Oh, that does not sound promising,” Thomas said.
“I fear you might be right,” George said, escorting Thomas inside. “When he is tight-lipped it usually means he is dissatisfied with something. And in this case, it is most likely our proposal.”
“Then we shall accept his decision gracefully and move on.”
Silas Edgerton was waiting for them in his study. He was standing behind his desk looking over the proposal they had given him to review. He looked up when they came in.
“Your Grace, thank you for coming.”
“It is my pleasure. And I hope you have some good news for us.”
Silas looked away for a moment, then said, “First a libation. I would be a poor host indeed if I did not offer my distinguished guest some refreshment. What shall it be?”
Thomas was not happy with the evasion, but said, “It is a bit early in the day for me, but please, do not let me stop you.”
“Father,” George spoke up, “please can you just let us know your decision. If you are not interested in our proposal, then tell us so. Otherwise, let us know what you wish to invest.”
Silas seemed taken aback by his son’s bluntness. “Ah… yes… well… Let me see…” He picked up the proposal again and leafed through it.
“If you have any questions or concerns ask us so we might answer to your satisfaction,” Thomas said, trying to move this along.
Looking up, Silas said, “I assume you have run everything through your bankers and solicitors?”
Thomas took the lead. “As of now, we have not, as we are in the early stages of this project. But I will be doing both on my next trip to London. We wanted to sound out our potential investors first to see what their concerns might be so that we could address any of their thoughts before we created legal documents. It is always best to get it right before you have to go back and make changes.”
“I understand,” Silas said before studying their proposal again. “As you might already understand, I am a cautious man, Your Grace. I do not jump into a new project easily—especially when it concerns a great deal of money.”
“I would expect no less,” Thomas assured him.
George stepped forward and put his hands on the edge of his father’s desk, and said with some urgency, “Then tell us, please, what do you want to do?”
“Very well…” Silas said, looking up, “Yes, I should like to be an investor. And I am willing to invest up to twenty percent of your total. If you are agreeable to that?”
George and Thomas looked at each other and smiled. Neither one actually expected him to be interested or willing to invest anything.
“However, I shall need to liquidate some assets before I can make the funds available.”
“Thank you, Mr. Edgerton. I trust you will not be disappointed. As you know, we have a ball coming up soon and, right after that, we shall go to London and have all the paperwork prepared for your perusal and signature—if it meets with your approval.”
“Your Grace… George…” Silas said, offering his hand to seal the deal.
/> George and Thomas were standing in front of the Edgerton house chatting before Thomas headed back to Pemberton. They had been pleasantly surprised by Silas’s offer to invest. But Thomas had to remind them both that they still had a long way to go before they reached the full investment.
“Do you think we should go ahead and buy the two horses?” George asked somewhat tentatively.
“I should like to, but we do not have the money yet. I need to get the papers drawn up, and your father needs to liquidate the assets he needs to make the investment.”
A Pure Lady for the Broken Duke_A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 15
