“The horror!” exclaimed Kate, but Arthur continued to look grim.
“Joke about it all you like right now, my dear, but I’m telling you this: keep on this path and we’ll all be forced to take matters into our own hands – and then where will you find yourself?”
“Extremely diverted,” replied Kate with a grin.
Arthur muttered something far too rude for feminine ears and stormed out of the parlour followed by Kate’s peals of laughter.
Seven
Kate, her arm tucked into Alex’s, gave a contented sigh as they examined some of the exhibits in the British Museum on Great Russell Street. She had been surprised when he asked her to accompany him on the trip. He admitted it was one he had greatly looked forward to, and Kate found herself to be extremely pleased to discover that he was enjoying her company as they wandered around, looking at the eclectic mix of artefacts on display.
Alex, by virtue of both his rank and standing with the college of Antiquarians, was able to dispense with the tour guide so that they could instead wander around at a leisurely pace, stopping to admire whatever they wanted for as long as they desired.
“Bored witless already?” he said with a jovial grin. “It must have been a sad disappointment to discover that you are married to such a dull dog. Study of the ancient world must be of little interest to you.”
Kate ruthlessly suppressed the flash of irritation that would usually have caused her to say something cutting and instead chose to favour him with her most winning smile.
“Not at all! In fact, I was only discussing with Mr Rumble a few weeks ago how a Roman building can be dated from the style of coins found at a site, not to mention the style of columns.”
He blinked in surprise, before giving out a crack of laughter. “Well, that serves me right for assuming that a Lady would pay no heed to the antiquaries.”
“Yes, for there are a great number of us if you must know,” said Kate, only lying a little about her place amongst that set. In truth, she found the subject interesting but of no particular pleasure. Not like shooting, or horse-riding, or driving carriages.
“You seemed greatly interested in the Rosetta Stone,” he mentioned as they approached that notable artefact. “I confess I was surprised, for even though it provides a hope that we can decipher hieroglyphs, many still believe they will continue to elude us.”
“I think Mr Rumble is more interested in them than I am myself,” she admitted, staring at the rough grey stone. “Unless the Ancient Egyptians strayed onto the grounds of Darlington Park, I have little interest in them, truth be told. The Romans, however! Or the Celts before and the Saxons after! Especially their chariots and their ability as archers. Now that interests me.”
He seemed amused by this response. “Not interested in the history of the world, Kate? Your hunger for knowledge is limited only by the confines of Darlington?”
That flash of irritation returned and proved more difficult to bury this time.
“I would rather my knowledge went deep than wide,” she responded. “I have so many other duties, other burdens, other interests, that I cannot possibly have the whole history of the world added to my shoulders. If Darlington was in Egypt, then yes, I would be happy to devote my time to her mysteries. But as it is not I would rather devote my time to learning the mysteries of my home. Have you never wondered who built the banks and ditches of Holbrook Hill, for example? Or wondered whether the rocks at the edge of marshland were put there by human hand?”
Alex cocked his head to one side as he regarded her. “No, no I don’t think I have.”
She shook her head in response. “Mr Rumble noted that the earth embankment that marks the border between our land resembles the edge of a playing card, complete with a rounded corner. He has hypothesised that there could once have been a Roman Fort in the area, and the coins and bits of pottery found by local boys certainly lend credence to his belief.”
“Good Lord, does he really believe that?” asked Alex, becoming increasingly animated. “Imagine if he was correct! We would have to thoroughly research the records at Darlington, however, for surely there must have been some mention in the family archives – but so much has been lost, or deemed unimportant!”
“Home is often regarded that way,” she replied. “I suppose because it is always there, one forgets to value it the way it ought to be valued.”
Alex paused, turning so his gaze squarely met hers. “Every moment I spend with you, Kate, is one where you reinforce that belief in me.”
She blushed and looked away. “I did not mean you, Lexborough.”
“Will you ever call me by my given name?” he asked softly, and she looked back up at him. “I wish very much that you would.”
“You never gave me leave to,” she murmured. “You were Hartland before you left, but I trained myself in the years after your father’s death to think of you only as the Duke of Lexborough.”
“I would like if you start to think of me as your husband,” he replied. The look in his eyes made her stomach do backflips, and for a moment she believed that he was going to kiss her again, even though they were in public.
She was very sure she would have let him, too, only Alex seemed to realise their location first, and turned away, his cheeks surprisingly red, to once again contemplate the Rosetta stone.
“It would be prudent, I think, for you to discuss the Roman connection with Mr Rumble,” Kate said to break the silence between them. “He would no doubt enjoy that, as I think you would as well.”
Alex glanced at her. “You like the Squire’s son, then?”
“Very much so,” she replied with perfect truth. “The entire Rumble family are excellent people, from the Squire and his wife down to their youngest daughter.”
“Helena seems to think you are against the idea of her marriage to their eldest son.”
Kate sighed. “I’m sorry to say that your sister is prone to dramatics.”
The side of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “Yes, I had noticed that after I forbid her from keeping the three misbegotten puppies she purchased last week. The racket was… interesting.”
Kate frowned at him. “You retired to your club at the first sign of hysterics.”
“I knew Helena was in capable hands,” he replied. “Mother must be used to such outbursts.”
“It is a pity that she is,” replied Kate. “We’ve let Helena get sadly out of hand over the years, but she was never this bad before. London has not brought out the best in her.”
“Would not marriage calm her?” asked Alex. “Or at the very least take her off mother’s hands?”
“Contrary to popular opinion, the answer to a woman’s woes is rarely marriage,” bit out Kate, before she gasped in horror at her words.
Alex raised his eyebrows for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Good God, am I married to a reformist?”
She raised her chin just a little. “I suspect that the continued success of Darlington Park has clearly demonstrated that a woman can perform equally well as a man in the worlds of business and management.”
His smile was a touch condescending, but he inclined his head in agreement nonetheless. For a moment her heart soared, but his words ruined her joy in the following instant.
“Very true, my mother has demonstrated great capability – aye, and humility! – when it has come to keeping the estates in excellent condition. She must have been a great comfort to you over the years, and a great teacher.”
“Yes,” said Kate, agreeing with the former, but mentally dismissing the latter.
“But I do not think a desire to see Helena campaigning for something so extreme as universal suffrage would have you opposed to her marriage,” said Alex, returning to his original point.
Kate sighed. “I do not oppose the marriage – and I have not the least authority to do so, at any rate! Mr Rumble is a good, earnest young man who will make an excellent Squire and scholar one day. However, he is yet to finish his studies
at Oxford and has not his own establishment as he intends to remain at the Manor with his family as he learns the ropes from his father. Somehow, I do not think adding a volatile young wife to his parent’s household, particularly when they still have children in the house, is the best of ideas.”
“Eminently practical,” he said with a nod. “Helena, naturally, does not agree, but feels strongly that any objections I make to the marriage are based solely on your input.”
She looked at him, curious to learn his reasons. “What are your objections?”
“Simply that she is too young,” replied Alex with a shrug.
“She is older than I was,” said Kate, deliberately keeping her eyes on the rosetta stone.
Alex did not respond straight away.
“If your father had not been dying, we would have delayed the wedding until you were 18 at the youngest,” he replied, his voice gentle. “You were a child, Kate. A beautiful, wilful, enigmatic child – but too young for me to feel that marriage and all it entailed was something that should be thrust upon your shoulders. I… I was wrong to run away from the responsibility of taking care of you, but believe me when I say I thought it would be for the best. My mother and father… I knew they would be good to you, protect you. I don’t regret that I gave you the space you needed to grow into a remarkable young woman, but I regret that I took as long as I did to return. Will you ever forgive me for abandoning you?”
“Your reasons were valid,” she whispered, fighting to keep the tears from her eyes, “even if I did not understand at the time.”
He squeezed her arm. “At least we are in agreement that Helena should have time to become a remarkable young woman before she settles down into marriage.”
She choked on her laughter. “Never say it like that to her, I beg of you!”
He grinned. “I intended to credit the phrase to you, but I don’t think I can stand the hysterics, either. No, I have every intention of allowing her to marry Jonathan Rumble if the Squire is not opposed to the match – but not for another year at least.”
“Let me know when you intend to inform her of your decision,” said Kate. “I suspect I shall have pressing mattering to attend to. In Scotland. For a month.”
“Coward,” he laughed, flicking her chin with his fingers. Their eyes met, and there was such tenderness in his gaze that Kate wondered if she was dreaming.
If only he knew the truth, she thought, and she looked away.
“It’s natural that Helena should have such a stubborn nature,” said Alex as they began to stroll amongst the exhibits once again. “Father was bad enough, but Mother certainly has a will or iron when it comes to things being done her way.”
“Your mother?” repeated Kate, trying to picture Sarah having a will of iron about anything. “In what way?”
“I may be wrong, but I think the servants have become so used to taking their orders from her that they will follow her directives over mine. Nothing terrible, but I suppose it should be nipped in the bud.”
“The household is the domain of the Duchess,” said Kate carefully.
Alex patted her on the hand. “Of course it is, and I hope you are paying as much attention to learning the ropes as you are to Mr Rumble’s beliefs about the Romans living on our lands! However, there are some measures of economy that we could do with implementing. Do we really need two under-butlers, for example?”
“One has to remain at Darlington Park while we are in town, and Jones has grown so old in service to the family that we needed Davies to help him with his duties.”
“Then we should pension Jones off,” said Alex with an indifferent shrug.
Kate shook her head. “You cannot do that! It would kill him, the poor dear.”
Alex looked amused. “How dramatic! I’m sure that being able to live out the rest of his days in comfort would be a terrible thing for a man to endure!”
Kate shook her head. “You don’t understand. Jones lost his family in the same epidemic that claimed your father. He only has his son left, but he’s in the army so never home. Jones has dedicated himself to the family and to being as useful to us as he can be. We are all aware that he is not as fast as he was, or as competent as he once was, but that is precisely why we hired Davies. It allows Jones to mentor someone in our ways, while still being useful.”
“I see my mother has recruited you to her side,” laughed Alex, giving her arm a squeeze.
It took every last bit of her strength not to scream at him that Sarah made none of the household decisions, that it was Kate and Kate alone who’d sought to find a way to keep Jones usefully employed, and that if only he’d open his eyes he’d see that every decision she’d made had been the correct one.
Not to mention some of his well-intentioned but wrong-headed orders to Hopkins about how to improve the Estate. He was so keen to put every new innovation his acquaintances told him about into action, or bring about something he’d seen work in Italy, but had no understanding of the people who worked for him, or the land they toiled upon.
She sighed. Perhaps, after he had actually seen the Estates, he would understand. Until then, she and Hopkins had to delay or rescind every order he made, and hope he forgave them when he finally discovered their subterfuge.
Kate took a breath, fully intending to come clean and confess that it was she who had appointed Davies to the position of under-butler when a familiar, jovial voice hailed them from across the room.
“Duchess! How do you manage to radiate such perfect loveliness with every movement?” called out Lord Pocklington as he approached them, his new wife on his arm. “And you, Lord Lexborough, must feel like the luckiest dog on God’s green Earth, but you are not, my friend – that honour goes to me!”
“Hush, Adolphus, the Duchess is young enough to be my daughter,” said Lady Pocklington, but she preened a little under the excessive praise as she gazed adoringly up into the eyes of her husband.
“Impossible!” declared Pocklington. “You have not aged a moment since I first set eyes on you during your come-out. I see that the Duchess has a similar gift for defying the ravages of time, and I wonder at it.”
Kate laughed at his audacity and held out her hand to the older man. “Dearest Pock, you always know just how to make a lady feel special.”
“That he does,” said Lady Pocklington with a smile of her own. “How do you do, your Grace? Is everything well?”
Kate was surprised at the look of motherly concern in the eyes of the baroness. “Perfectly, thank you for asking.”
Lady Pocklington did not appear convinced. “Are you sure? Bella said the two of you were not on the best of terms at the moment, which seems such a terrible thing now that you are sisters-in-law and seemed so very close.”
Kate winced as she glanced at Alex through the corner of her eye. “We had a difference of opinion over the shooting competition, that’s all.”
Lord Pocklington nodded his head. “Rivalry between the masters, eh? Well naturally my money is on Bella, but then she is family. No doubt his Grace and Lord Arthur will be backing you!”
“My wife decided not to participate in the spectacle of a public shooting match,” said Alex in an icy tone. “We did not think it befitting of her rank.”
Lord Pocklington’s eyes narrowed for just a moment, and Kate made a mental note to explain to Alex in the future that the jovial Baron was, in fact, a considerable force to be reckoned with.
“Odd that her own brother thinks the exact opposite, and in fact has encouraged his wife to continue with the event, even without his sister,” replied Lord Pocklington. “He understands, I think, that a happy wife is tantamount to a happy life.”
“Adolphus, it is not for us to interfere,” murmured Lady Pocklington, but the look she threw at Kate implied heavily that she wished to have words about the shooting match in the not-too-distant future.
“It is entirely my wife’s own decision, isn’t it, my dear?” said Alex, looking so convinced that this was
the truth that Kate half-wished for the ground to open up and swallow her.
“I am the one who told Bella I wouldn’t be participating,” she said. Lord and Lady Pocklington shared a speaking look, while Alex stood just a little bit straighter at her words.
“See? We are in perfect agreement on the subject.”
Lord Pocklington muttered something under his breath that sounded distinctly like “puppy”, but Kate couldn’t be sure.
Out loud, his comment was entirely different. “Still interested in buying my land, your Grace?”
Alex stiffened. “It depends, Lord Pocklington. I am not happy with the renegotiated terms.”
Pocklington smiled. Kate wondered why she had never before noticed how much Pocklington could look like an old pirate king when he pulled that particular expression.
“Yes, third parties can have an interesting impact on business dealings. In this case, I think they may well stand. A happy life, and all that my boy. You’ll do well to remember that.” He turned to smile at his wife. “Now, my dear, shall we continue? I’m sure we can find something to amuse us here now that we’ve lost that bore of a guide! Your Grace, Duchess.”
He nodded his head in their direction as he said their titles, although his eyes lingered on Kate for a long moment before he led his wife away from, leaving her once again in the sole company of her husband.
“Is there a problem with the Northumberland property acquisition?” she asked, not sure whether to be happy or sad about this development.
Alex forced a smile for her benefit. “Yes and no; just some silly but well-intentioned covenants that in reality would do more harm than good.”
Kate frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
He patted her hand in that infuriating way he had developed – that she had allowed him to develop. “It’s nothing to worry your head over, my dear. Besides, I have no wish to ruin our lovely afternoon together worrying over something that is of no real consequence.”
The Rebel Wife: Book Four in the Regency Romps Series Page 9