by Lucy Langton
“Always a saint, dear sister,” Gregory said as he came into the other room with her. Maria settled down at the pianoforte and began looking through the sheet music.
“I don’t know what you speak of, brother,” Maria replied with a coy smile as she settled on a piece and began playing the tune. Her brother simply bent down and placed a kiss on top of her head before settling down in a chair to listen to her play. For the rest of the morning, the two enjoyed the mutual pleasure of music without needing to speak a single word.
Chapter 31
“Are you nervous, my son?” Lord Lucas asked as he came into James’ bedchamber to review his attire for the evening. Lord Lucas thought his son looked handsome in his tailored clothes. The tailcoat fit him perfectly, and as his servant finished fastening his cravat, he looked like a true gentleman.
“I’m more nervous about wearing all of these layers,” James said with a chuckle. “It will take some time to get used to.” James stood in front of a full-length mirror observing himself. If it wasn’t for his tanned skin, he would blend in with the other gentlemen attending the dinner party. Under his tailcoat he wore a vest, with a muslin shirt underneath. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to dance with such constrictive clothing. At least his trousers weren’t too tight, though his boots came up higher than he preferred. But he had to remind himself that he wasn’t dressing to work aboard a ship. He was dressed tonight to impress those in society, and most importantly, Maria’s family.
“All in good time, my son. I will say that you look rather handsome and will no doubt make an impression tonight,” Lord Lucas declared as he gestured towards the open door. “It won’t be long before the guests will be arriving, and we should head downstairs to great them. I’m sure everyone is eager to meet you since I didn’t have a son a month ago.” Lord Lucas chuckled as he led James from the room.
James had learned quickly that his father had a wonderful sense of humor, and though he was a duke, he was rather relaxed towards him. On occasion James had met a few of his father’s associates, and everyone seemed to act as though on pins and needles around them. James hoped that this dinner party would be a more relaxed affair, considering he was about to see Maria once again.
James tried to keep his breathing mellow as he descended the staircase with his father. The house they had moved into was rather lavish with countless rooms. James had never imagined a house could be so large and often thought of it has hollow, because very few people lived inside it, although James had enjoyed seeing the countryside and the wide open spaces that surrounded the estate. He’d been tempted to travel off the estate grounds in search of Maria but had controlled his urges. He understood now that it would be improper since he hadn’t been introduced to her parents yet.
Now he simply had to wait until Maria appeared with her family. He looked forward to seeing her again and gaining the opportunity to ask her to marry him now that he was more eligible for her. But a part of him also hoped that he didn’t scare her. She was bound to be overwhelmed and he prayed that this night would go smoothly.
~*~
“My goodness, Maria. You are the image of an angel,” Lady Willcox exclaimed as Maria came down the stairs to the foyer to prepare to leave with her family to the dinner party. This outing had been the only thing Lady Willcox had spoken of since her father had received the invitation, and her mother had even purchased her another new gown for the occasion. Maria had done her best to please her parents, but still continued to wish that this evening would pass by quickly.
“Thank you, Mother. I owe all my thanks to you,” Maria said as she smoothed down her gown. It was a deep green, silk dress that reminded her of an emerald. And though she loathed thinking of anything resembling an emerald, she wasn’t going to upset her mother by sharing those details of her past with her. Instead, Maria had commented how beautifully it matched her eyes and highlighted her hair. Lace trimmed the bottom of the gown, adding an extra touch of finery that Lady Willcox had insisted upon, even though they were only attending a dinner party. Her lady in waiting had pinned Maria’s hair up in an expert design, allowing ringlets of hair to fall around her face, framing it in a halo of gold.
“Certainly, my dear. How I do love to see you so. I might even reckon that you’ll be the talk of the party, even more so than the Duke’s son,” Lady Willcox said with a fit of giggles. Maria couldn’t help but laugh with her at the excited way she talked. She was at least content to see her mother so well.
“Well then, shall we be off?” Lord Willcox suggested before his wife became even more ridiculous. He was happy for his family, and for the excited way his wife was acting for this event since he’d seen her so unwell for such a lengthy part of the year. But he also hoped that his wife would be able to contain herself for the duration of the party.
Gregory led his sister from the house behind their parents. He leaned close to her and whispered, “If Mother continues on like this, I’m sitting next to Miss Julia at dinner.” Maria did her best to contain her laughter as she hid her mouth behind her hand.
“You are trouble, Gregory,” Maria said as he helped her up into the waiting carriage.
“Always, dear sister,” he replied as he stepped into the carriage behind her.
“This is going to be such a splendid evening,” Lady Willcox said eagerly as the carriage took off from the house. Maria endured the chatting of her mother the entire ride to the Duke’s estate. She kept her focus to the scenery passing by the open window, forcing her mind not to wander or think about what plagued her most. Though she felt the need to, she didn’t place her hand over her stomach in fear of revealing her secret. Maria was fighting hard to keep her focus on the event before her, instead of the event that would take place in a few months when her child would be born.
“Ah, what a lovely looking home,” Lady Willcox exclaimed as the carriage took the lane up to the house. Maria leaned forward and looked more clearly out the window, surprised by the vastness of it. It was elegant in design, with Roman columns framing the front of the house. Large steps led up to the front door where Maria could see several families walking up. It appeared that this dinner party would be a rather large affair.
As their carriage came to a stop in the courtyard, the door was opened by a footman dressed in fancy attire. Maria did her best to suppress a giggle at the absurdity as her father and brother stepped down from the carriage, followed by her mother and herself. She allowed Gregory to lead her to the front door as she leaned close to him.
“I’ve never seen a servant dressed so,” she whispered, causing Gregory to laugh quietly.
“This duke must be of means if he can afford to dress his servants up for just a dinner party. I feel like we are attending a ball more than just dinner,” Gregory whispered back as they came to stand in the reception line, waiting their turn to great the Duke and his son.
“Perhaps the Duke is one of those types of men who like to flaunt their wealth,” Maria reasoned as they stood in line. “With only one son and no wife, I’d say he has quite a fortune to spend idly.”
“You must be right,” Gregory said as they entered the house, and couldn’t help but look up at the tall ceilings many chandeliers that lit the foyer. Several portraits of landscapes lined walls that had all been papered with elegant designs. The floor was a beautiful dark wood that had been polished recently for the occasion. Maria stepped lightly in her slippers, not wanting to slip on the polished wood. Maria could at least say that the home was rather beautiful, with tones that were neither too masculine nor feminine. Even if the Duke had a grand wealth, he at least had good tastes for being single.
Maria’s attention was pulled from viewing the house as they neared the front of the reception line. She looked towards her father as she heard her name being introduced. Her mother moved aside so Maria could curtsey to the Duke, an older man with a kind smile. After the introduction, she finally met the Duke’s eyes and was surprised to see something familiar in his fac
e.
“Miss Maria. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Might I have the pleasure of introducing you to my son, Lord James Lucas the Second, who I thought I had lost at sea almost thirty years ago,” the Duke introduced, gesturing to his son.
As Maria’s eyes fell on the Duke’s son, her heart immediately jumped in her chest as all air seemed to be sucked out of her lungs. She fought to remain still and withhold her reaction but knew she would be discovered as her eyes roamed over James, her mind having a difficult time trying to rationalize how her love was now dressed in fine English clothing and being introduced as the Duke’s son.
“Maria, you’re staring,” Gregory whispered into her ear, causing Maria to snap back to reality – that she was holding up the reception line and gawking at the Duke’s son.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lucas,” Maria said with a curtsey. James bowed in return, a wide grin on his face. He took Maria’s hand then and kissed the air above it, her skin burning as she prayed that he’d kiss her hand with his tender lips that she remembered all too well.
“The pleasure is mine, Miss Maria. Might I have the pleasure of leading you to dinner once we assemble?” James asked, his eyes bright with happiness as he continued to hold her hand.
“Yes, Lord Lucas, you may,” Maria replied, a smile coming to her face as her mind raced, trying to figure how this was all coming to be.
“I’ll see you in the drawing room then,” James said, finally dropping her hand as Gregory led her down the hallway. Lord and Lady Willcox regarded their daughter with much curiosity, never having seen their daughter react this way around a gentleman. They were also surprised by the Duke’s words as he introduced his son, that the young man had been lost to him for years.
Maria didn’t speak a word until her family was seated in the drawing room, a bit further from the others in the room. It was a grand room with many chairs and settees, allowing all who had been invited to sit comfortably. As Gregory handed her a cup of punch, Maria quickly drained the contents.
“That was rather unladylike,” Lady Willcox scolded, looking quickly around the room to see if any of the other guests had just witnessed what her daughter had done. “What has come over you, child?”
“Forgive me, Mother. I will do better to control myself,” Maria said as her eyes turned to her father. “I’ve met the Duke’s son before, but he wasn’t Lord Lucas then. He was simply James, another man aboard the pirate ship.” Lord Willcox looked shocked as he regarded his daughter. He feared there was some sort of trickery about but remained calm as he listened to his daughter.
Maria told her family the story James had told her of his past. She left the detail of him being a pirate out of her tale, and said that James was just a slave, forced to work upon the pirates’ ship. It was a very close story to the truth, but she didn’t understand how James had been discovered by his father after all these years.
“I’m sure there is more to this story that the Duke will have to explain in time. But Lord Lucas seems very fond of you, my dear,” Lady Willcox said as she observed her daughter. She hadn’t seen Maria smile this much since her debut into society as she attended her first ball.
“I’ll admit, Mother, that I’m very fond of him as well. He showed me much kindness while I was being held captive. He even saved my life,” Maria said as she then told her family of the frightful tale of falling overboard and not being able to save herself.
“My God, I must thank this man,” Lord Willcox said as his eyes scanned the room, seeing if the Duke and his son had come into the drawing room at last.
“In time, my dear,” Lady Willcox said as she rested a hand on her husband’s. “I have a feeling that we need to wait and see how this night goes. There are many families in attendance tonight and I fear drawing attention to Maria and Lord Lucas. They’ve both suffered so.”
Lord Willcox relaxed upon hearing his wife’s words of wisdom. He nodded his head. “You’re quite correct, my dear. Let us see how the night goes,” Lord Willcox reasoned.
The room fell into soft whispers as the Duke and James entered the room. They moved slowly around the room, speaking idly with all. Maria watched the two of them closely, not caring if anyone spotted her staring. She could tell that the Duke enjoyed speaking of his son, often turning to him as he spoke. James simply smiled kindly, nodding his head now and again as if to confirm what his father was saying. Maria thought that the two of them looked well together and she was truly happy for James. She was also beside herself with emotion as it finally dawned on Maria that James was both alive, and in the same room as her.
After watching her sister follow the younger Lord Lucas with her eyes, Gregory leaned towards her and whispered, “You’re more than just fond of the man.” Maria pulled her eyes from James as she regarded her brother. He smiled kindly at her as she simply nodded her head. “He’s the reason why you’ve been so withdrawn.”
Maria didn’t know what to say and took a moment to collect her thoughts. “There was no point to admitting my feelings for a man such as James. He was captured with the rest of the pirates and was soon to hang for simply following orders. How could I allow myself to feel any more for a man that should have been dead by now?” Maria whispered, watching Gregory closely, trying to determine what he would think of her now.
“You could have at least told me,” Gregory replied. “Perhaps I could have shared the burden with you.”
Maria patted his hand as she sighed. “What use would it have been now?” Maria said, a smile crossing her lips. “He’s turned out to be the son of a duke.” They both laughed softly but were soon interrupted as the Duke and James came near.
“Lord and Lady Willcox, I do hope you’re enjoying yourselves this evening,” the Duke said as he came and sat down next to Lord Willcox, surprising the man. James settled into a seat near Maria, their eyes locking for a moment before they turned their gazes back towards the Duke.
“Indeed, my lord,” Lord Willcox replied with a tip of his head.
“Yes, what a lovely house you’ve been able to occupy in the neighbourhood. I have faint memories of it from when I was a child, when a different lord did own it,” Lady Willcox described as she looked around the room. “And so many wonderful families have attended that I’m sure to enjoy myself.”
“Wonderful. I’m pleased to hear so, Lady Willcox. My dear wife did pass away shortly after we were married and James was born. I’ve been without a female touch in my life for so long that I was worried about the decor of the house, that it would be fitting for such an occasion,” the Duke explained, casting his eyes about.
“Fear not, my lord, the house has been designed wonderfully. No one would be able to say anything unpleasant about any aspect of the house,” Lady Willcox reassured, pleased to be of service to the Duke.
“Thank you for your kindness, Lady Willcox. I will be sure to call upon you if ever I need assistance with remodeling. It is good to know my neighbours since we plan to stay in the country for a good period of time,” the Duke explained, his eyes wandering to his son, and then to Maria. She smiled kindly as she looked at James out of the corner of her eyes, pleasantly surprised to see him looking at her. It reminded Maria of the time she’d watched him while she was supposed to be keeping watch over the ship late at night. The thought brought warmth to her core as she forced herself to look away.
“Maria has taken the liberty of explaining your previous encounter aboard the pirate ship. Forgive me, Lord Lucas, for bringing up that terrible past. We always make sure not to mention it around Maria, but I feel compelled to thank you for saving my daughter when she had fallen overboard,” Lord Willcox spoke up, addressing James directly. Maria smiled kindly at her father, especially when she noticed tears in his eyes. James and Maria exchanged a look before he turned his gaze to Lord Willcox.
“It was my honor, sir, to ensure her safety and health while at sea. She might have been only a captive, but I felt compelled to watch over her,” Ja
mes said honestly. He wanted desperately to reach out and take Maria’s hand into his but knew that now wasn’t the time for that.
“We are immensely thankful, Lord Lucas, that she had someone watching over her during that terrible ordeal,” Lady Willcox added, trying to keep her emotions under control. She always felt tearful anytime she was reminded of her daughter’s plight this past summer.