A Game of Chess With the Marquess

by Patricia Haverton

  Was that all it took? Was nothing more than that required to form a connection with somebody?

  No. Because Adrian and Lady Katherine shared all those things too. There was more to it, more to the way he felt about Lenora, than simply their ability to get along and find things to talk about.

  She’s educated, he thought. Surely that’s part of it. I’ve never known a maid to be so well educated before. It helps her speak to me as if we were equals. We may not be equals socially, but perhaps we are equals intellectually.

  He thought that just might be true, strange as it seemed. And moreover, he thought she might be cleverer than Lady Katherine, who always seemed to have such trouble keeping up in conversation with Adrian.

  That’s the kind of thing I must never say to Lenora, he thought. She would die of shame.

  And yet he thought his suspicion was true. Perhaps that was the real problem, the reason he couldn’t seem to develop the feelings he ought to have for Lady Katherine. She simply wasn’t that bright.

  Nor was she kind. That was a fact he couldn’t ignore. She was charming enough to Adrian, but that was likely because she was intent on winning his hand. He had noticed, though, the way she spoke about others. Her servants, in particular, bore the brunt of her wrath.

  She was rude to them, outright rude. She addressed them as if she were angry that they hadn’t already anticipated her needs and desires and carried them out.

  And she was even ruder about them, when speaking behind their backs. She talked about her servants as if they were mere furnishings of her home, objects rather than people. Adrian knew, of course, that plenty of people treated their servants this way. But he had never understood it.

  And then there was the way she talked about Lenora. It wasn’t just disdain. It was pure loathing. Spite and meanness. She truly seemed as if she wished Lenora ill.

  Adrian really couldn’t understand that. How could anyone dislike Lenora?

  She was such a hard worker, for one thing. Even when she had allowed herself to indulge in conversation with Adrian, she had never stopped working. They talked as she cleaned rooms around him, dusting furniture or carrying away dishes from meals. Lady Katherine couldn’t possibly dislike Lenora because she didn’t work at an adequate pace.

  And Lenora was sweet and kind. Even though Lady Katherine exhibited a clear dislike for her, Lenora never stooped to return her Lady’s dislike. Of course, it was possible that she was merely protecting her position. Adrian was certain that was a factor. But it wasn’t the only factor. He had never seen a cloud pass across her face when Lady Katherine had entered a room.

  So what could Lady Katherine’s disregard for Lenora be about? Was it because Lenora was smart?

  That could be, Adrian thought. For someone as vain as Lady Katherine, perhaps it was hard to accept that a servant could keep up with her, even outstrip her, intellectually.

  Which gave rise to another question—how had Lenora come to be so well educated in the first place? It was clear in the way she spoke that she was well read, that she had studied.

  His Grace saw fit to educate me, she had said. It had been the Duke’s decision. But surely the Duke hadn’t taken the time and expense to educate all of his servants. Why Lenora?

  He must favor her, Adrian realized. Perhaps he saw some potential in her. Perhaps he thought she could rise above her station in life. And maybe that’s why Lady Katherine resents her so.

  * * *

  Adrian kept to himself as much as he could, but every day required him to spend some time with Lady Katherine and her mother. He wished he could find the words to tell them that this courtship was going nowhere, that he had no desire to wed Lady Katherine.

  You ought to just say it, he told himself every morning as he dressed and readied himself for breakfast. As soon as you sit down at the table, tell them you regret having wasted their time, but you need to return to Galdhor Manor. Tell them it’s over.

  But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Every time he thought about it, he thought about what his mother would say when he returned home. How disappointed she would be. He thought about how hard she would push him to find another match after things didn’t work out with Lady Katherine.

  He would have to face it eventually. He knew that. But he kept putting it off all the same.

  And then there was the matter of Lenora.

  If he told Lady Katherine the truth, that there was no future for them, that there would be no marriage, he would have to return home that very day. And that would mean he would never see Lenora again.

  It would mean no more running into her in the library or the garden. No more glimpses of her lovely face as she went about her chores. No more hearing the delicate peal of her laughter when he told a joke, and no more of her insightful thoughts on what it was to be a servant.

  He wasn’t ready for their friendship to end. Not just yet.

  He knew it was wrong to allow Lady Katherine to believe he had an interest in her when the truth was that he was simply enjoying her chambermaid’s company far more than he ought to. He knew he was bordering on deceit. But he couldn’t walk away.

  He began to linger in the places he knew Lenora would appear. He haunted the stairwells in the morning and the evening, waiting for her. He tarried in the dining room after meals so that he could talk to her while she cleaned up. He followed her from room to room as she tidied, pretending to have business or to be exploring the manor.

  “Are you avoiding me?” Lady Katherine pouted one day as they took their tea together in the parlor.

  “Now, Katherine,” her mother admonished. “Don’t put demands on Lord Galdhor’s time. He wants to enjoy our manor, I’m sure, and we must allow him the freedom to explore.” Her eyes slid to Adrian. “Isn’t that right, Lord Galdhor?”

  “Quite right, Your Grace,” Adrian agreed, almost choking on his tea. There was something a little too knowing in the Duchess’ eyes. He had the feeling she knew all too well that he had been keeping his distance from her daughter.

  But she doesn’t know why, he thought. If she did, she would say so. She would accuse me of imposing on their hospitality when I had no intention of wedding Lady Katherine. No, she doesn’t know about that.

  But she definitely knows something isn’t right.

  He would have to devote some time to Lady Katherine in order to allay their suspicions. “Perhaps you would be interested in joining me on a ride through your beautiful grounds?” he suggested. “I would very much enjoy the opportunity to take a horse out.”

  “The two of you could pack a picnic lunch as well,” the Duchess suggested. “Henderson could accompany you.”

  “That would be just fine,” Adrian said. He turned to Lady Katherine. “What say you? Will you join me on a ride?”

  “Certainly,” she simpered, “when shall we go?”

  “Tomorrow,” he suggested. “We’ll depart in the morning and you can show me your favorite places on the grounds. Would that serve?”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” the Duchess put in.

  “Thank you, Your Grace.” Adrian knew that hers was the opinion that really mattered. Lady Katherine would surely follow whatever her mother suggested.

  Sure enough, Lady Katherine nodded. “Very well,” she said, “and I will wear my green riding dress. I’m sure you’ll like it, Lord Galdhor.”

  “I’m sure I will.” Inwardly, though, he groaned. Again, she talks of fancy dresses. He would have vastly preferred to spend their ride talking about the land and about the nature of the horses. He should have known that Lady Katherine wouldn’t want to discuss such things, would only want to talk about her own finery.

  It would be different if I went out riding with Lenora.

  No. He had to turn his mind from such things. He would never go out riding with Lenora. She might be smart and kind and lovely, but at the end of the day she was still just a chambermaid.

  And when I eventually leave here, I will have to leave her
behind.

  He sighed. Perhaps it would be better to leave quickly, to give his regrets to Lady Katherine and her mother right now and to return to Galdhor Manor. Perhaps it would be best to get his distance from Lenora before he became too attached. They could never be in each other’s lives for long. He knew that. Why did he persist in tormenting himself?

  Tell them. Tell them there’s no point in your remaining here any longer. Tell them it’s time for you to take your leave.

  But just as this thought came to him, the parlor door opened, and Lenora came in bearing a platter of biscuits.

  God, she was lovely. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. It wasn’t just her physical beauty, either, although that was captivating. There was something about the way she moved. Every gesture looked like a part of a dance.

  “Thank you,” he said as Lenora placed the tray on the table.

  She flushed and turned away, disappearing out the door through which she had entered. She had become more comfortable talking to him over the past few days, but she still avoided any conversation with him in the presence of Lady Katherine or the Duchess.

  The Duchess followed Lenora with her eyes as she retreated from the room. “There’s no point in wasting your manners on that one, Lord Galdhor,” she said. “Nothing but a piece of trash, she is.”

  The coldness of that statement shocked Adrian, but he did his best to conceal his surprise. “Who is she?” he asked. “Who were her parents?”

  “Her mother was a nobody,” Lady Katherine spoke up. “She’s fortunate that my family took her in and gave her work, because she would be on the street otherwise. I’m sure nobody else would give a position on their staff to a girl such as her.”

  “She seems respectable enough to me,” Adrian said. “For a servant, that is.”

  “You are generous in your assessment,” the Duchess scoffed. “She’s a little fool, nothing more.”

  Adrian knew that was inaccurate. Whatever else Lenora might have been, she was not a fool. Was the Duchess so blind to the truth about her own maid, or was she trying to paint Lenora in an unflattering light on purpose? “I see, Your Grace,” he said.

  Lady Katherine poured some tea carefully into everyone’s cups. “Do try a biscuit, Lord Galdhor,” she urged. “Our cook makes the best biscuits in town.”

  Adrian took one of the biscuits and bit into it. It was flaky and buttery and absolutely delicious. Their ability to assess things is fine, he thought to himself. Lady Katherine has excellent taste when it comes to food and finery. Perhaps it was only people’s characters that she was unable to judge with accuracy.

  But that felt untrue. Their dislike for Lenora was not a failure to understand what was wonderful about her, he thought. It was deliberate. And their unflattering comments about her were more than just idle gossip. They were trying to sway Adrian’s opinion.

  In that moment, he knew he mustn’t let them see that he disagreed. They couldn’t know that he found Lenora charming and likable. If they knew, he was sure, they would become angry. And if that happened, Adrian wouldn’t be the one they would vent their ire on.

  Lenora would.

  If he allowed Lady Katherine or the Duchess to see that he found Lenora good company, she would likely be punished for it. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

  So he leaned into the change of subject. “The biscuits are wonderful,” he agreed, taking another one. “You have wonderful staff here at Brackhill Manor, Your Grace.”

  “Thank you, Lord Galdhor,” the Duchess said with a gratified smile. “We are very careful when taking on servants. Having the best people serving you is part of what makes a house a home, don’t you agree?”

  “Quite,” Adrian said, even though he didn’t. If you’re good to your servants, they’ll be good to you. That’s all there is to it.

  “We ought to get rid of Lenora,” Lady Katherine said with a little laugh. “She’s certainly the black sheep of our staff.”

  The Duchess inclined her head. “Perhaps I’ll speak to your father about it again when he returns home,” she said. “For now, though, my dear, put her out of your mind."

  Adrian’s stomach clenched. Would they really dismiss Lenora?

  And if they do, will it be my fault?

  Chapter 9

  Adrian rose early the next day, determined to put all the effort he could muster into the ride he had planned with Lady Katherine. If nothing else, he knew, he had to do it for Lenora’s sake. He had to distract Lady Katherine and the Duchess from any concerns they might have held that he felt any sympathy or regard for their most despised servant.

  Henderson was waiting for him in the foyer. “Good morning, Lord Galdhor,” he said with a slight bow. “I’ve been asked to escort you down to the stables.”

  “Am I not to walk down with Lady Katherine, then?”

  “She will meet you there,” Henderson said. “She’s in the kitchen, collecting the picnic for your outing. As I understand it, she wished to make a few modifications to the basket the cook put together.”

  “Of course.” She’s probably rejecting all the cook’s hard work and insisting on a completely new meal, he thought, and immediately chastised himself. That was a very uncharitable thought, even if it was likely to be true. He was supposed to be behaving kindly toward Lady Katherine today, and he was already deviating from his intention.

  “Very well,” he said, returning his attention to Henderson. “I’m ready to go.”

  “Yes, My Lord.” Henderson led the way across the foyer and through the double doors that led out into the grounds. Adrian walked alongside him, wondering how much the old butler might be able to tell him about the family and why they disliked Lenora as much as they did.

  He had likely been here for a long time. He was easily the oldest of the household staff, and the most senior in rank to boot. Adrian supposed he had probably served at Brackhill Manor since His Grace was young.

  He had most likely been here longer than Lenora had.

  Which means that whatever happened to make Lady Katherine dislike her so, Henderson was here for it. Henderson would be able to tell me what it is.

  He almost asked the question. But he restrained himself. Putting this question to Henderson would only link him with Lenora in Henderson’s eyes. He liked the old butler, but he wasn’t sure the man was trustworthy. What if he repeated Adrian’s question to the Duchess.

  That could get Lenora into trouble.

  So much that Adrian might do held the potential to cause trouble for Lenora.

  And she’s known this all along, he thought. I only realized yesterday what grief I might be causing her with my constant attention, but she must have known from the very first. And yet she’s allowed herself to talk to me, to open up to me.

  She must be uncommonly brave, in addition to all her other fine qualities.

  If only Lady Katherine was a little bit more like Lenora. Then I might have been able to take her as my wife.

  He pushed the thought from his mind. There was every possibility that Lady Katherine was already on her way to the stables, that she would be meeting him there momentarily. He must be prepared to give her his full attention. He couldn’t let her see his mind wandering to Lenora.

  I have to protect Lenora.

  He stepped into the stable, welcoming the smell of horse and hay, intending to lose himself in a study of Lord Brackhill’s horses and a discussion with the stable hand of which one might be the best mount for his day out, but a familiar laugh echoing from one of the stalls shocked him out of his thoughts.

  It was her.

  Lenora.

  “You’re looking skinnier than ever,” said another voice, one Adrian recognized as belonging to the stable hand. Jimmy. He sounded much more buoyant than he had when Adrian had seen him last. What had gotten his spirits so high?

  “Don’t you scold,” Lenora said. “I eat when I can, and you know it.”

  “And I know they feed you less than they feed the horses.
”

  “As well they should!” she said, laughing. “The horses must weigh eight times what I do, Jimmy Bates! How much do you want me to eat?”

  “I want you to eat enough that you don’t go to bed hungry,” he said.

  “No, Jimmy, please don’t—you’ve got to stop doing things like this.”

  “They give me enough,” he said. “They don’t give you enough. I don’t pretend to know why, but the Duchess has it in for you, Lenora. She enjoys seeing you suffer. She’s giving you less food than you need, and she’s doing it on purpose.”