“Well, believe it, Freddie. Not only are you my son, you are my heir. You are going to be the Duke of Bowdon and Lydney someday.”
Julia stared at him with her sky blue eyes wide. “My God, Freddie, you’re his heir. Freddie, you are going to be a duke!”
“Someone like me can’t be a duke,” he said.
“Oh, I beg to differ. My family doesn’t have much choice. Of course, there aren’t many of us left. I had two younger brothers, and they both died in weird twists of fate. My middle brother was with his lady love when her husband came home. He decided to escape, by climbing out of the window during a storm, and he slipped and fell. The fall killed him. ‘Course if the fall hadn’t killed him, the husband would have.
“My youngest brother died after serving in the Napoleonic Wars. He liked his brandy, and he decided to smuggle over a good deal of the French stuff. Whilst on the ship back to England, he got roaring drunk, fell overboard and drowned. They died three days apart.
“Exactly two years later, my sister died in childbirth with her babe, and six months later, my mother and father both perished in the same fever within days of each other. So you are the last of us, Freddie. Some say my family has been cursed…I think we’ve merely been victims of life, hard such as it is.”
“Your brothers sound like they were a bit daft,” Freddie said bluntly.
“I suppose they were,” the Duke laughed.
“I rather think they were victims of stupidity,” Freddie declared.
“You are probably right,” the Duke agreed.
“One was a libertine, the other one was a drunk,” Julia whispered.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I wager that your sister was the smartest one out of the lot,” Freddie said.
The Duke looked a little taken aback at first, and then he chuckled. “Aye, she was rather.”
“And you…I take it you either stayed home all of the time…or you thought your actions out beforehand?” Freddie asked.
“I…” the Duke tugged at his cravat in a nervous gesture. “I liked to stick close to home. Those who know me, are perplexed that I decided to travel this far.”
“Ah, I see. So you never thought to pursue my mother and me,” Freddie snorted. Resentment boiled within him.
“I…my father told her to leave or he would let her brother who had been caught for poaching, hang. She did as he demanded, but I don’t think he supposed she would flee with you in her arms. The guilt weighted on him heavily, and we didn’t know where she had gone off to until recently when I saw your name mentioned in The Times. I hoped you were my son…as I recognized the name Merriweather, as your mother’s maiden name, though they had only listed you as Frederick Merriweather, Baron Axbridge, I had to hope it would turn out the way I prayed it would. Thankfully, she never changed your other names. Your mother’s mother was Scottish, and she had married an Englishman, while in service in London. They returned to Scotland after they were married.”
“I have to say, I’m finding it hard to believe this whole Banbury story. Why should I believe that you…a son of a duke was allowed to marry my mother? What was she? The scullery maid?”
“She was one of the maids, aye. She and I secretly eloped. By the time my parents knew about it, there was nothing they could do—and I didn’t return home until her belly was full with you.”
“So…you weren’t always a recluse,” Freddie snorted.
“No…I wasn’t. Where is your mother?”
“She’s dead. She’s been dead for many years. She died when I was a small child.”
The Duke looked as if he might have a heart attack at his words. “She’s dead?” he said hoarsely. “And…and what fate awaited you in her absence?”
“The slums weren’t too kind to me, mate. I had to go out and work for a Master Chimney Sweep when I was five. I was, as they say, a climbing boy. I’ve had more fires lit beneath me than I care to count. I barely remember that time, except to this day, I do not like enclosed spaces. Fortunately, I became too big for that dangerous work. After that I found employment as a Dustman’s assistant, and after that, I became an errand boy for a kindly woman who was known as Mrs. Robinson, who actually gave me protection against the man I believed was my father, and his wife, my horrid stepmother. After that, I enlisted in the Army, using my mother’s maiden name, instead of my Da’s surname of Smith.”
“Your Da?” Now, the Duke looked like he was going to go into a thundering rage.
“The no good piece of shite that my Ma shacked up with once she ran from your lovely family’s embrace. Except, I think she went from bad to worse. I think she thought to flee him as well, but her health went downhill fast, and she died.”
“Leaving you at his mercy.” The Duke’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. Why the man was so indignant on his behalf, befuddled Freddie. He barely knew him. Therefore, how could he possibly be angry about his upbringing?
“Aye.”
“And I trust this pitiful blackguard is dead now as well, and burning in hell.”
“Oh, no. Enoch Smith is the picture of health. He is being taken to New Bridewell, as we speak. Prison is the only place for that sodding bastard.”
“What crime did he commit?”
“Strangely enough, poaching,” Freddie laughed. “He poached off my lands, thinking that I owed him a living.”
The Duke’s blue eyes, so much like his own, crackled with fire. “I shall see that bloody bastard hang.”
They rumbled to a stop. “Oh, thank heavens. We have arrived. I don’t think I’ve been so pleased to see Lark Hall,” Julia said softly. “You are now on Lovett Lands, Your Grace. I pray you will like them.” Freddie could see she struggled to remain cordial with the man.
“And this house is your family home, Lady Julia?” he asked softly.
“Oh, no. This is my uncle’s home. He is the Honorable Edward Lovett. My family home is Castleton Court. Once we alight, you might be able to see it from here. It is a majestic sight to see on a clear day.”
The Duke nodded his head. “I think…if possible, I should like a good stiff drink.”
“Uncle Edward keeps the best brandy. We are Moonrakers after all,” Julia said softly.
“I rather thought more of a glass of whisky,” the Duke said.
Freddie bit his tongue. He wanted to tell the man that he would take what was offered to him, and yet, somehow, he couldn’t make the harsh words pass his lip. The Duke looked as if he’d had all of his hopes dashed. He almost pitied him.
“Can you ever forgive me?” the Duke asked softly. Their carriage door was whisked open by Hamish. “You pick the times, Hamish! I am not done talking to my son!”
Hamish’s eyes widened, and he promptly shut the carriage door.
“You can’t blame the poor devil,” the Duke sighed. “He is an orphan, and he was taken in by my father right after we lost you, Frederick. We call him by his Christian name, but he does know his place within the household.”
“His manners need improving,” Freddie said.
“Aye, they probably do,” the Duke gave him a faint smile. “You never had the opportunity to answer my question. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I…I don’t know if I am in the position to forgive you, sir. You have not done ill by me. You did ill by my mother. You said yourself that your father didn’t think she’d leave with me. Do you think she was the kind of woman to abandon her own child?”
“No. Quite the contrary. And you are mistaken. I have done ill by you. I let my father rule over me with an iron fist, and I let him bellow and berate my wife until she felt as if she had to run from me, and she took you. I never should have allowed any of it. I shouldn’t have stood for it.”
“You never should have married beneath your touch that is what you shouldn’t have done. You would have saved us all a world of grief, mate.”
Julia gasped. She started to cough. “Is that what you think, Freddie?” she asked, her face now lacked al
l colour. “I want to leave this carriage, now. I want to be away from the lot of you. The air in here is quite stifling.”
Freddie did as she bid, and opened the carriage door. She somehow pushed past him, and staggered down the steps.
The Lovett children had by now surrounded the carriages and the curricle.
“Julia,” Hyacinth exclaimed. “You look quite out of sorts! What has happened?”
Freddie stumbled after Julia, and tried to draw her close to him. She shook him off.
“I don’t want to look at you now, Freddie. Much less, let you touch me,” she said angrily.
“I merely meant that the Duke, being the son of a duke, never should have fiddled with a maid.”
“Some would have said you were beneath my touch, Freddie. You can be crass and even lewd, and everyone knows you can be blunt, and your manners sometimes need improving! Even though you had been ennobled, they would have said that I was marrying beneath my class, and you openly admitted back there that that is something that shouldn’t be done!”
“I only meant that they shouldn’t have done it. I wasn’t speaking about us, Julia.”
“For always calling those from my rank, toffs and lady toffs, you overlook one thing, Freddie.”
“And what is that?” he asked softly.
“You, sir, are a snob.”
Without a further word, she turned on her heel, and marched into Lark Hall. He made to follow her when the Duke spoke, “I think the lass has something there.”
“Shut your bone box,” Freddie muttered, leaving the Duke standing alone while he raced after Julia.
Chapter Eleven
Julia raced to the Lavender Saloon and heard Freddie pounding after her. The servants scurried out of the way, and as she rushed into the Lavender Saloon, she was relieved to see that her aunt had moved into the house.
Grandpapa Somersby was nowhere in sight.
Thank God.
“Gracious, Julia. Sit down, you look quite peaky. Would you like me to fetch Lewis?”
“I don’t need a doctor, Aunt Alice, I only need sanctuary.”
“Sanctuary from whom?” Alice asked, quickly setting aside her needlework.
“Me,” Freddie said.
“Ah, I see. So the two of you are still at odds? I had hoped you had made up, and had decided to marry. I am sorry to see that is not the case.”
“We are never going to be married, Aunt Alice,” Julia lamented, sighing heavily.
“Because of Lord Charles?” Alice asked.
“No…I have decided he is not the man for me. I wanted Freddie up until he showed me what a bloody snob he was.”
Alice chuckled. “Lord Axbridge, are you a snob?” she asked, attempting to maintain a straight face.
“According to Lady Julia, I am,” he admitted ruefully.
“Julia, dear, I think you have the wrong definition of snob. Lord Axbridge isn’t a snob.”
“Oh, but he is Aunt Alice. He said that those from our class, shouldn’t marry beneath their touch. He quite cut up my peace.”
“Oh, my,” Alice said softly.
“Where is the Duke?” Julia asked, confronting Freddie.
“The Duke? Is Tobias here?” Alice asked, in her serene way.
“No, Aunt. I speak of Freddie’s father.”
“Freddie’s father?” Now her aunt looked befogged. “And…is this a clever little nickname…or…”
“Oh, no, Aunt Alice. It is a title. He is the Duke of Bowdon and Lydney. Freddie is a true blue nobleman. His mother was married to the Duke, and took him away from that life when he was a wee babe. The Duke has the necessary documents to prove their relation, and one can simply tell by looking at them that they share a blood bond.”
“I…and you left the poor man where?” Alice asked. She could see that her aunt was struggling to maintain her composure, as panic welled in her eyes.
“In the drive,” Freddie said calmly.
“Oh, no. My father could come across him. Oh, whatever will he say? I must reach the Duke first.” Alice stood up, smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress, and went flying from the room.
Julia chuckled. “You shouldn’t have done that, Freddie. It was too cruel.”
“I didn’t mean to scare your aunt so.”
“I’m not talking about my aunt. I’m talking about your father. You left him in the lurch.”
“Trust me. He will live,” Freddie said, settling himself on the cushion next to her.
“Did I give you leave to sit beside me?” she asked.
“No…you didn’t. But when has that ever stopped me?”
“Freddie, you shall be the death of me.”
His eyes sobered. “Don’t jest about such things, Julia. I don’t want to ever think about that. I don’t want to ever lose you.”
“You already have,” she said softly.
“No…you will come round. You can’t resist me. I’m simply irresistible.”
“You should go out there and help Aunt Alice. It isn’t right that she has to introduce herself to your father,” Julia said sighing.
“Well, that explains things,” Grandpapa Somersby’s voice boomed throughout the Lavender Saloon. “I almost died when I saw you, Your Grace. I couldn’t believe there was someone else that looked so much like Mouse.”
“Mouse?” she heard the Duke say.
“Oh, aye, that’s his nickname. He earned it while in the Wars,” Grandpapa Somersby said proudly.
“I…uh…I understand,” the Duke said.
Julia winced. What had Thomas Somersby said or done to Freddie’s father?
“I do apologize, Your Grace. They never should have left you out there,” Alice said breathlessly.
“It’s quite all right, Mrs. Lovett. I…I am a bit parched from traveling though. If…”
“Say no more, Your Grace.” She turned to a footman, and told him to tell the butler to bring some refreshments.
“Now, I recall you, sir,” Grandpapa Somersby said. “Your family was in the papers quite a few years back. They called your brothers those Hamilton Harlequins. Didn’t your youngest brother die climbing out of his mistresses window and the other one…your middle brother...didn’t he fall overboard and drown on his way back to England?”
“That is the manner of the deaths, aye. Save for one small difference, you have them reversed. It was my youngest brother who drowned, and my middle brother who fell to his death, and aye, they were both bloody fools. My youngest was a greedy drunk, and my middle brother was full of sin. He didn’t want to marry, but he was more than happy to fool around with other men’s wives.”
“And so…that makes you another Hamilton, Lord Axbridge. What a startling turn of events,” Grandpapa Somersby said.
“And that makes me a fool, isn’t that right, Mr. Somersby?” Freddie asked.
“If you were a fool, son, you never would have survived this far. No, I rather think you broke that streak. You are certainly no fool. You are a fine man, but I do pity you.”
“And why is that, sir?” Freddie asked.
“You are going to be a duke someday,” Thomas shuddered. “I can’t wait to see the faces of your mates when they find out. They will never believe that their once Sergeant Major, their beloved Mouse, is the heir to a dukedom. Tiny will have a bird. So…is there a courtesy title you could take on, something that would promote you from a baron to say a viscount?”
“Papa,” Alice chastised.
“Why you needn’t look at me so reprovingly, Alice. I haven’t said anything wrong. I am merely making civil whiskers, Daughter.”
“No…Mrs. Lovett, he hasn’t said anything offensive,” the Duke said. “And aye, there is a courtesy title set aside for the heir. You shall now be known as the Marquess of Knightwick, Son. When you were born, you became the Earl of Kilmun, and upon my father’s death, you became the Marquess of Knightwick, as I became the Duke.”
“The hell I am. I’ll stick with being a baron, thanks, mate.”
“You shall never want for a thing, from now on, Frederick,” the Duke’s voice became soft.
“I don’t want for a thing now. I do not need anything from you. I am a rich man, Your Grace.”
“I would have you call me, Father, or if you’d prefer, Papa.”
Freddie snorted. “Not bloody likely.”
The butler brought in the drink, and Alice started to pour. “Have a brandy, dear,” she said to Julia. “You look frightful. I think someone should take you back up to Castleton Court.”
“You have a lovely home, Mrs. Lovett,” the Duke said, choosing to sit in her Uncle’s chair. “I would like to see more of it. And from what I could see before coming in here, you have a lovely family. I always wanted a large family. Alas, fate didn’t have that in store for me. Shall we be graced with your husband’s company?”
“My husband is out fishing. He should return shortly, Your Grace.”
“Your husband, I gather was a younger son of the last Earl of Tisbury?”
“Aye,” Alice said.
“I see. And he lives here on the current earl’s charity?”
“You’re like a bloody cannonball, you know that, mate? I suppose I came by my blunt ways naturally. No one can blame me for it,” Freddie angrily surmised. “No, Mr. Lovett isn’t living here on charity…he is a wealthier man probably then you. He is the gentleman that is known throughout some Beau Monde circles as King Midas.”
“Is he really?” the Duke asked, completely astonished.
Julia eyed him warily. The Duke was going to take Freddie away from her. He would take him away from England…and she couldn’t leave Wiltshire…not for long anyway. This county was in her blood—and her family—how could she leave her family?
The sound of Artemis and Athena barking, and her uncle speaking in a low tone to servants, met Julia’s ear, as the doors to the Lavender Saloon had been left open.
He entered the room a few minutes later, wearing his banyan and his cap.
His Michaelmas Mistress Page 10
