by Abby Ayles
Even if the duke had seen the cemetery’s new beauty, he would not have known the difference from the way it looked before. Unwilling to point out this simple fact and take the risk of humiliating the good reverend, Colbourn shook his head. His mind was distracted. If the men were out scouting the land, they would come across the women having their picnic lunch.
An uneasy feeling slid through him. He did not recognize it as jealousy but was not sure what else could cause such a feeling of dread. He did not trust the two young men, even though Lord Gilbert had been amicable for the most part.
Those few times he let slip something degrading or rude stuck in Duke Colbourn’s mind. It was as if the young man was wearing a mask and every now and then it slipped off and revealed an unsettling character underneath.
The thought made him shudder and have a sudden urge to find the women and make sure they were safe.
It was an unreasonable feeling. The Duke of Cardinal had not been given any evidence to prove Lord Leonard and Lord Gilbert were dangerous.
They had shown themselves to be gentlemen since the moment of their arrival. Thinking back, he could not think of more than a few things he had even heard Lord Leonard say. The younger Balfour was the talkative, outgoing one. Lord Leonard was large and muscular.
The older brother protects while the younger one speaks, the Duke of Cardinal thought.
No matter what he did, he could not shake the feeling of uneasiness. After ten minutes, he gave up trying. He put his plate down where others had been stacked and was through the door moments later.
Before he reached the front door, it opened and he saw an older woman come through, assisted by a younger woman.
He recognized the young woman as Lady Joanna. He assumed the older woman must be her mother and was shocked by the condition she was in.
Her hair was completely grey. She stared straight ahead of her, completely directed to move by her daughter. Lady Joanna prompted her to move forward and she did so. She stopped when Lady Joanna stopped. She made every move that Lady Joanna urged her to do.
When she looked up at the duke, Lady Joanna’s face changed from agony to delight. She smiled brightly. “Your Grace! It is good to see you today.” She curtsied lightly. “This is my mother, Lady Christina Rickman. Mother, this is the Duke of Cardinal. Father has told you about him, I believe.”
He saw no response from the lady and moved his eyes to Lady Joanna. She shook her head. “It is all right, my lord. She does not respond to anyone anymore.”
“This is terrible for her!” the duke exclaimed, his voice compassionate. “Is there nothing that can be done for her?”
“I do not believe so.” Lady Joanna looked surprised by his passion for the subject. He looked like he wanted to grab her mother into a hug and not let go until she was mentally sound again.
The Duke of Cardinal rested a hand on the small woman’s shoulder. “I am glad you are bringing her out into the world, Lady Joanna. That is good of you.”
“Thank you,” Lady Joanna smiled at the compliment. “I do try. I am sure my mother would love to have a handsome young man accompany us some time.”
The tone of her voice changed in the middle of the sentence, indicating she was inviting him to walk with them. The Duke of Cardinal was taken by surprise. He blinked a few times and blurted out, “I am looking for Lady Julia and Lady Annabelle. Have you seen them?”
Lady Joanna frowned. She blinked rapidly and looked away from him. “I have not seen them. I have been out walking around the lawn with Mother. They are probably in the garden. I am sure you will find them there, my lord.”
“I apologize, Lady Joanna. I did not mean to offend you…” The Duke of Cardinal would have continued but Lady Joanna pushed her mother to walk forward and they passed him without another word.
The Duke of Cardinal followed them with his eyes for only a moment before turning back to the front door. He felt such a strong urge to find the women and protect them.
But from what?
He was acting like a lovesick child. There were two Balfour brothers and him, competing for three separate women. It did not make sense.
Perhaps the Balfour brothers would not pursue Lady Annabelle. That would give him no call to be against them.
But even that thought did not settle his nerves. There was something about Lord Gilbert that made him uncomfortable. Something that seemed to writhe below the surface. He got the feeling the brothers were using a façade, covering their true characters with something more pleasant for society.
He did not look back once he had turned away. He did not see that Lady Joanna had looked back, curious whether he was still watching her or not. He was already rushing toward the door.
Chapter 11
Lady Joanna narrowed her eyes, a streak of anger flooding her. She regretted looking back. She should have known he was not going to be watching after her. He had his eyes on Lady Julia. Or Lady Annabelle. One of them. Not her.
She took her mother into the dining hall and made her a plate, seating her near the window, as she liked to do. She was curious about the men she had met the day before.
The younger one was the same age as she, and very handsome. She watched him the night before while they were on the porch, hiding behind her teacup and the fluff around the collar of her thick robe. When she had smiled, seeing the four of them come up on the porch, it was because of the men. Not her sisters.
They were competition. And she had much less to offer than they.
Lady Joanna hung back, gazing through the window without seeing what was on the other side. She was listening to the men talking behind her. Her father was with the reverend.
They were talking about Duke Colbourn, discussing the arrival of Mr. Covington, who was supposed to be at Norrend later that day. They said nothing negative and only spoke of business, not mentioning him in a way that characterized him.
She listened to them discuss the different paintings in the duke’s possession, those that he wished to sell and those he did not. She did not recognize most of the names. She had not taken any special courses in art as Lady Annabelle had. Lady Annabelle was the one with special knowledge.
The more she thought about it, the more she resented the fact that Lady Annabelle seemed like a perfect match for Duke Colbourn. Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard Balfour were gentlemen but they were the sons of an earl who was still alive and they had nothing to show for themselves.
Not that Lady Joanna was particularly keen on finding a man who had status and title. She was a lady, and no doubt it would help her father if she did marry a wealthy man. But she was not interested in looking for a rich man to marry. She just wanted to be cared for.
Lord Gilbert had shown her attention more than the other brother. She noticed the night before, watching the men talk, Lord Leonard rarely said anything.
He contributed only when he was asked a question or mentioned by one of the others. She noticed the movement in the garden and focused her eyes, standing up to see better. She lifted the cup of tea to her mouth and scanned the garden.
On one side, the two Balfour brothers were heading down a path, stopping every few feet to point and gesture around them. On the other side of the fountain, out of their line of vision, the girls had seated themselves on a blanket in the grass and were happily sitting there, small sandwiches in their hands.
Closer to the house and the entrance to the garden, she saw the Duke of Cardinal taking long steps. The men were headed toward a collision course with the girls in the middle. Lady Joanna grinned, lifting her cup to her lips. “This should be interesting,” she mumbled.
Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia were enjoying the sunny day. Although it was difficult to get him off her mind, Lady Annabelle strived to think about Duke Colbourn as little as possible. When he was not around, she was preoccupied and could not get anything done. When he was around, he was all she could focus on.
“I am thinking of making a quilt with the new fabric Moth
er bought several days ago,” she said, looking at Lady Julia over the rim of her cup. “Do you want to help me?”
Lady Julia smiled. “You know I do. I love quilting. You are the one who showed me how to do it, do you remember?”
“How can I forget?” Lady Annabelle asked, laughing. “You have been reminding me ever since, every time we make a new one. I want to make several and send them to the rescue missionaries in New York in America.”
Lady Julia’s smile remained large, her eyes twinkling. “I am willing to bet you did not think of this until last night.”
“I must admit the mention of Duke Colbourn’s contributions to the mission brought the idea to mind,” Lady Annabelle nodded. “I have thought and read about the plight of the children in America who have no parents to guide and love them. It saddens me to hear of such things.”
Lady Julia nodded, her smile faltering. “Yes, they were in a difficult situation.”
“You should know something about how it feels,” Lady Annabelle said, sympathetically. “You are not an orphan but you have had a different family help to raise you. That must be somewhat the same.”
Lady Julia shook her head. “I cannot compare myself to those children. I would not want to take anything from their hardship and claim it as my own. I have a loving, healthy father and a warm home. In addition, I did not get caregivers to help me, I had a second family and got two more sisters at the same time. I have been blessed and I will not forget that.”
Lady Annabelle was so grateful for her friend. Lady Julia was one of the best women Lady Annabelle had ever met, with a heart open to anyone. She often defended her sister’s actions even when Lady Joanna did not deserve her loyalty.
“Family makes a big difference. I suppose these institutions are not the warmest places to grow up in.”
“I would think not,” Lady Julia said with a firm tone. She scooted from her position, settling more comfortably on the blanket. “I think I am sitting on a rock.”
“That cannot be comfortable. You must move. Shall we go to another spot?”
“No, I will just move to the side. But be careful, there are rocks under here. I am surprised we did not look first.”
“I did,” Lady Annabelle scanned the blanket for any lumps that might indicate a rock was beneath it. When she looked up she saw the Duke of Cardinal coming from the entrance of the garden.
He looked worried. She tilted her head to the side, blinking in confusion, ready to jump to her feet and run to him. She stayed where she was but every nerve in her body lit on fire as she resisted the urge to go to him. Her heartbeat sped up and she swallowed hard.
As she moved, Lady Julia pushed herself up with one hand and scooted to the side. Her eyes caught movement just on the other side of the hill fountain and she saw the Balfour brothers approaching.
Her eyes moved to Lady Annabelle, who was staring over her shoulder with a look that told her it was Duke Colbourn she was looking at. She saw the look on her friend’s face and felt a bit of excitement slide through her. Lady Annabelle was finally in love. It made Lady Julia giddy just thinking about it.
The duke was a handsome man, a true gentleman, and wealthy enough that Lady Annabelle would not have to worry about her future. He was the kind of man who gave of his wealth to children in another country who needed it more than he did.
Lady Julia sighed. “The Balfour brothers are heading this way, Lady Annabelle.”
Lady Annabelle’s eyes slid to her friend’s face. “Duke Colbourn is coming from the entrance. He looks worried.”
“Do you think he’s concerned that the brothers are wandering around out here when we are so vulnerable?”
“To say so would suggest Duke Colbourn does not favor the Balfour brothers. Why should he not favor them?”
Lady Julia shook her head. “I am sure you have noticed that he does not look kindly at them. We spent a good amount of time with Lord Gilbert yesterday. He was, for the most part, amiable and considerate. But the duke did not change his initial opinion. It is written on his face.”
Lady Annabelle thought Lady Julia, being a keen observer, had probably noticed something like that, even if she herself did not. She kept her eyes on Lady Julia’s face while the other girl looked over Lady Annabelle’s shoulder at the approaching brothers.
The Balfour brothers reached the girls first and both bowed from the waist. “We were expecting to see lovely flowers out here this afternoon,” Lord Gilbert said. “But we have been blessed with lovely women, as well. I trust you are enjoying your picnic lunch?”
“We are, thank you kindly,” Lady Julia answered. The men came around so they were facing the front of the blanket, looking at both of the women.
They had their hands clasped behind their backs and smiles were plastered on their faces. No matter how hard she tried, Lady Annabelle could not get rid of the feeling that they were not as amicable as they were attempting to portray.
“I would ask you to join us,” Lady Annabelle said. “But we did not bring enough for more than the two of us.”
“Any more would have been much too heavy,” Lady Julia added with a giggle.
“You should have a maid bring it out to you.”
Lady Julia looked at Lady Annabelle with her eyebrows raised. “I have never thought of it. I suppose we could do that if we wanted to.”
Lady Annabelle turned her head to look at Lord Leonard, who was closer to her. Lord Gilbert was standing so that the sun was in his eyes. He was squinting at her. Lord Leonard’s position gave him some shade from the tree behind the girls. “My lord, in the past we have not needed to pack more than just enough for the two of us.”
She was trying to get him to speak. She knew she was not the only one who had noticed Lord Leonard was a man of few words. Those he did speak were to the point. She had never met a man so quiet before. She was not sure what to make of it. Could she trust him? Should she trust him?
There was one thing she knew. If he found out anything secretive about her, he would not tell anyone.
The Duke of Cardinal was hurrying, seeing that the girls were now talking to the Balfour brothers. She pressed her lips together to keep from giggling. They would ask her what she thought was funny and she would be forced to lie to keep from humiliating herself.
The duke was not giving the two lords a friendly look. In fact, he looked somewhat disgusted.
She wondered if he suspected they were no good, the way she did? She was unable to forget the Cribbage game, where Lord Gilbert had questioned her honesty.
“Greetings, friends,” the duke said as he got closer. He lifted a hand to them. Lady Julia turned around to smile at him. Lady Annabelle raised her hand. She wanted to offer the last half of her sandwich to him just to make him stay but she had already told the brothers there was not enough for them. In reality, there was not enough for them.
She and Lady Julia really did not pack enough for anyone but themselves. It was their routine and they never broke from it.
Lady Annabelle surmised that things were changing as the girls grew older. They would eventually have husbands and children; perhaps they would even move away from each other. She would treasure the time she had with her friend as much as possible before that time came.
“Duke Colbourn, Your Grace. It is a lovely day, is it not?” Lady Annabelle said, lifting the volume of her voice. “Is everything all right? You appear worried.”
The duke sat down on the blanket, to the surprise of everyone around them. He stretched his legs out in front of him and looked at the women with a smile. “It is a lovely day, as a matter of fact. And I am going to relax for a little bit. Do you mind?”
Lady Annabelle wanted nothing more than for the duke to relax, sitting right next to her on the blanket. Technically, he was seated next to them both because he was stretched out the way he was. He left no room for the two brothers if they chose to sit as well.
The Balfour brothers did not seem bothered.
�
�You are welcome to relax anywhere you like, my lord,” Lady Annabelle said.
“Your Grace, you are here to purchase and look at Duke Cartwright’s paintings, am I correct?” Lord Gilbert asked.
“You are, my lord,” the Duke of Cardinal responded with surprise in his voice. “Are you interested in art?”
“I have some schooling on the matter, yes.” This came as a surprise to the rest of them. The women watched him as he spoke. “I am curious. I overheard you say that your colleague was coming to assess them. Are you under the impression they are not worth what is being asked?”
The Duke of Cardinal looked uncomfortable. He did not want to discuss business matters with the reverend’s apprentice. It was not his business to know the Duke of Cardinal’s assessment of the paintings. “I had arranged for Mr. Covington to visit prior to seeing the paintings. I always appreciate his input. He is the most knowledgeable artist I know.”