Lenora felt like a princess.
“Well,” Jimmy said, “You look lovely, My Lady.” He executed a neat bow.
“Thank you, Jimmy,” she said quietly. She tried to communicate, with that simple phrase, how very much he had done that she wished to thank him for. Thank you for always being my friend. Thank you for trying to ensure I stayed fed. Thank you for making me feel safe and like I was never alone, at a time in my life when it felt like everyone else around me was an enemy.
He smiled. “Anything for you, My Lady. I’d better get out there. Guests are arriving, and His Grace will want me at the door.”
“Of course,” Lenora agreed.
Jimmy turned and left the room.
Lenora sighed, wishing she could take a moment to sit down. Today was so overwhelming. In fact, the past couple of weeks had been a whirlwind.
The day after she had accepted the Marquess’ proposal, she had been moved into the rooms in the main house that had once belonged to the Duchess. Lady Katherine had had a screaming fit. “Those rooms should be mine!” she had cried. “They belonged to my mother!”
The Duchess herself had been sent from the manor in disgrace. A carriage had taken her away that very afternoon. At first, she had put up a fight, arguing that she would take Lady Katherine with her and that the Duke would be parted from his daughter. But the Duke had pointed out that taking Lady Katherine away would disgrace her as well.
“I wish her to stay here, at the manor,” the Duke had said. “I will make her a match, and she will live a comfortable life. But if you insist on taking her back to your ancestral home, the truth will come out. Her crimes will be revealed. She will never wed.”
“How dare you,” the Duchess had spat. “I am your wife!”
“Remove her from my sight,” the Duke had said. John and Roy, who had returned to the manor the previous night, had been only too happy to comply.
Preparing for the wedding had been an ordeal. Lenora had had no idea how to even begin to make the many decisions she was faced with. Lady Katherine could have helped, she was sure, and not for the first time she wished she had a relationship with her sister.
She was asked to choose flowers, and selected lilies because she liked the shape of them. She was asked to contribute to a list of guests, but the only friends she had were members of the staff, and they would have to work during the wedding.
When it came time to choose her dress, her father summoned the finest tailors in town. But Lenora had no idea what she was doing. She was asked to design the gown of her dreams, but every dress she had ever owned had been stitched by her own hand of rough fabric in her attic bedroom. Finally, the tailors threw up their hands and agreed that they would design the gown themselves.
Lenora was relieved.
Perhaps Lady Katherine was right about me, she thought now as she regarded her reflection. Perhaps I don’t know what it takes to survive as a member of the ton.
Today’s event would be her very first party as a titled lady. It was a terrifying prospect. Most young ladies spent their entire lives attending balls and functions, practicing the skills they would need in later life.
Lenora’s first ball would be her own wedding.
She drew a breath and exhaled slowly. It would be all right. Her father was there. Adrian was there. They had both made it clear that they loved and admired her for nothing more than the person she was. That was all that mattered.
Another knock came at the door, and Lenora turned to greet the new arrival. She knew before she opened the door who it would be this time, and she was right. “Father.”
“Daughter.” He took both her hands in his. “You look absolutely lovely. Lord Galdhor is a fortunate man.”
“I feel strange.”
“Strange? Why?”
“I’ve never owned a dress like this before.”
“It suits you,” he said. “You will own many dresses like this in your life, going forward, and attend many fine functions. And I feel sure everyone will be impressed with you.”
“What if I make a fool of myself, Father? What if I embarrass you?”
“Nothing you do could possibly embarrass me, Lenora.” He drew her close and kissed her forehead gently. “I am so proud of you today.”
“And if I trip over my train?”
“Then you’ll get back up,” he said, smiling. “But I’ll be beside you, Lenora, and when I am not there, Lord Galdhor will be. Neither of us will let you fall. I can promise you that much.”
She nodded slowly.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “Your Lord awaits.”
“Yes, Father,” Lenora said, allowing him to take her arm and lead her toward the door. “I’m ready.”
* * *
The wedding seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Afterward, Lenora felt as though she had half-dreamed it. She was aware of her father walking her to the front of the church, and of Adrian waiting for her there. The moment her father placed her hand in Adrian’s felt extremely significant.
Lenora clung to her Lord’s arm as the vows were read. Adrian slipped an ornately-crafted gold ring onto her finger as he vowed to love her forever more. Lenora looked down at her hand, hardly able to believe she owned such a fine thing, much less that it was a symbol of the Marquess’ love for her.
When the ceremony was over and the vows had been said, the guests returned to Brackhill Manor for the celebratory ball. Lenora knew the affair would likely last all night.
Supper was served. It was a five-course meal that seemed to last forever, and although the foods were the finest Lenora had ever eaten, after the second course was cleared away, she felt she couldn’t take another bite.
As she ate, lords and ladies stopped by to greet her and to congratulate her on her marriage. Lenora thanked them all graciously, pleased with her ability to do so.
Lady Katherine didn’t think me capable, she thought, feeling quite satisfied. But she was wrong. What must she be thinking right now?
She couldn’t be certain. To her surprise, Lady Katherine had attended the wedding, but Lenora suspected she had only done so under orders from her father. She had been sitting at the far end of the table all evening and glowering at Adrian and Lenora, ignoring everyone who came up and tried to say hello to her.
When the final course was at last cleared away, Adrian got to his feet and extended a hand to Lenora. “Would you do me the honor of a dance, My Lady?”
Lenora took her husband’s hand and allowed him to draw her to her feet and lead her into the ballroom. Around the table, she was aware of other guests rising as well, following them in.
Adrian pulled her carefully into his embrace. Lenora looked up at him. “I don’t know how to dance,” she said. “I never had the opportunity to learn.”
“Not to worry,” he said with a smile. “Just move your feet. I’ll steer us. It’s the man’s job to make sure you land where you need to.”
“Is it?”
“It is indeed.”
The orchestra struck up a lively number, and suddenly they were moving. Lenora felt as if she was flying. Adrian maneuvered her expertly across the dance floor. Around her, the guests applauded as they turned.
“You’re very good at this,” she managed.
“I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Adrian said. “Don’t worry. It gets easier. With every ball, it will be a little more natural to you.”
“I hope so.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
She hesitated.
He noticed. “You are having a nice time, aren’t you?” he asked, concerned.
“It’s just that…” what could she say? How do I explain this in a way that someone like him will be able to understand? “It’s just that this wedding was planned with Lady Katherine in mind.”
“Are you worried about what she might be thinking?”
“No, no,” Lenora said. “Nothing like that. I can live with her ire, let me assure you. I’ve had plenty
of practice at that.”
“I daresay you have,” Adrian agreed. “But then what’s the problem?”
“It’s just a bit overwhelming,” she admitted. “Lady Katherine would have loved to be the center of attention all day like this, and I’m sure my father thought I would enjoy it too. But it’s strange for me. It feels uncomfortable.”
He nodded slowly. “I can understand that.”
“You can?”
“Certainly.”
“But you…you’re a Marquess. You’ve been noble all your life,” she pointed out. “You were raised to attend functions like these. Shouldn’t it be natural to you?”
He laughed. “You’re forgetting how we met.”
“At Lady Katherine’s ball.”
“Yes. Specifically, in the foyer, when I was coming back in from wandering the gardens by myself.”
“You went out into the gardens on your own on the night of Lady Katherine’s ball? Why?” Lenora asked. “Why didn’t you ask her to accompany you?”
Adrian shrugged. “Lady Katherine doesn’t seem like she has a very keen interest in botany,” he said. “Or in anything, really, if it isn’t a sign of her own personal status and beauty.”
“That’s not very kind,” Lenora laughed.
“Well, it’s the truth,” Adrian said. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I would,” Lenora admitted. I can say these things now, she thought. I can say the things I really think without fear of retribution. Lady Katherine can do nothing to me. In a matter of hours, I will be out of her house forever.
It was incredibly freeing.
It wasn’t that Lenora wanted to speak ill of Lady Katherine. But knowing that she had the option made the choice not to take it feel much better than it ever had in the past.
“So you went out to the garden,” she pressed, eager to hear more about her new husband, eager to get to know the subtleties of his character.
“I went outside, partly because I wanted to see the flowers grown at Brackhill Manor—which are lovely, by the way,” he said. “But also, because I wanted a break from the party.”
“Did you really?” Lenora was charmed. It was a silly thing to find charming, perhaps, but the thought that Adrian had felt the same thing she was feeling now made her feel very close to him.
And perhaps it means I’m not failing as a lady, she thought. If Adrian, who has been a member of the ton all his life, can grow weary of parties and wish to retreat, then how wrong can it be for me to feel the same way?
The orchestra finished its song and struck up another, and several more couples made their way onto the dance floor. Adrian bowed low over Lenora’s hand. “My Lady,” he said, “might I escort you into the gardens for a nighttime stroll?”
Lenora’s heart fluttered. “I would enjoy that, My Lord.”
The two of them slipped through the dining room, so as not to be seen, and made their way out the front door of Brackhill Manor and into the garden. The sky was clear, and from overhead, the stars seemed to wink down at them.
“Do you think our absence will be noticed?” Lenora asked as Adrian led her into the rosebushes.
“Perhaps it will,” he said. “But one thing you will learn about being a member of the noble class, My Lady, is that people question you much less frequently. No one will challenge you. No one will confront you and say that you shouldn’t have left the party. At worst, they might whisper about it behind your back.”
Lenora laughed. “If that’s the worst they can do then I’ve nothing to worry about.”
“You see?” Adrian said. “You’re well fit to be a member of the ton. The ability to stand up to gossip is an important skill that many nobles don’t have.”
“Is gossip so prevalent?”
“It’s one of the only civilized ways people have of doing each other harm,” Adrian said. “Though, personally, I don’t find it altogether civilized.”
Lenora nodded. “I agree.”
“Do you enjoy astronomy?” he asked her.
She could see the hope in his eyes and wanted to please him. “I know very little about it,” she confessed. “But I do think the stars are lovely. And I’m always happy to learn.”
“I have a telescope,” he said, “back at Galdhor Manor. Some nights I like to use it to look up at the stars. Would you join me, once we have moved back home, in stargazing?”
“It would be a pleasure, My Lord,” she said, and meant it.
He smiled. “I always imagined that when I took a wife, she would have an interest in the stars,” he said. “I had no idea where I would find such a rare woman. But it was something I dreamed of nonetheless.”
“You found me,” she pointed out.
“I found you in the most unlikely of places,” he agreed. “And in the most unusual way possible. I would say, Lady Lenora, that the two of us are very lucky to have found our way to each other. Would you agree with that?”
“I would, My Lord,” she said. Lucky indeed. If anything had happened differently, we wouldn’t be here tonight.
It was a frightening thought. How close they had come to missing each other!
If Adrian hadn’t tired of Lady Katherine’s ball and gone outside.
If Lenora hadn’t overcome her initial reticence and consented to talk to him when he had shown an interest in her.
If Adrian hadn’t played along with Lady Katherine’s desire to marry him for as long as he had.
If Lady Katherine hadn’t attempted to throw Lenora out of Brackhill Manor, prompting Adrian to publicly confess his affection and thus inspiring the Duke to claim Lenora as his own after all these years.
If any one of those things hadn’t happened, Lenora thought, we wouldn’t have found each other. We wouldn’t have discovered the love that exists between us, and we wouldn’t have said our vows tonight.
Perhaps love was always like that. Perhaps it was always miraculous, inspired by a thousand tiny turns and twists of fate, so that when you looked back over the sequence of events that had led you to your happy ending, it seemed impossible that you had ever found each other at all.
Now, standing in the garden with Adrian arm through hers, Lenora found it possible to forget, for the first time in a long time, that she was a noble lady.
Nor did she feel like a chambermaid, wildly out of place and embarrassed.
She was simply Lenora.
Lenora, who loved horses and flowers and looking at the stars.
Lenora, who loved and admired her father and wanted to show him the kindness and loyalty that a dutiful daughter should.
Lenora, who valued everyone she met, regardless of their station in life. Regardless of whether they were nobility or a servant. Everyone is worthwhile, she thought. Everyone has something to say that is worth hearing, from my best friend working in the stables to my Lord Husband, the Marquess of Galdhor.
“What are you thinking about?” Adrian asked, looking down at her, a smile spreading across his face. “You looked pensive.”
“I was just thinking about how much I love you,” she said.
“Were you?”
“You saw me when nobody else did,” Lenora said. “I was hidden away under the guise of a chambermaid. I might have gone my whole life without being noticed or recognized. But you saw me. You recognized me.”
“I didn’t know you were the Duke’s daughter,” he said. “If I had known that, we might have reached this point much more quickly.”
Lenora shook her head. “That isn’t what I mean,” she said. “I know you didn’t know who my father was.”
“Then what are you talking about?” he asked.
“I mean that you recognized me as a person,” Lenora said. “All my life, I’ve tried to see the value in everyone I met. I knew there was worth in both nobles and servants. A person’s station in life said nothing about their character. My father’s placement of me with his household servants was enough to teach me that lesson.”
“That makes sense,�
� Adrian agreed.
“But you were the first person I ever met who didn’t see me as just a chambermaid,” Lenora went on. “Even the friends I made on the staff—they liked me in part because I was one of them. The Duke loves me because I am his child, and because I remind him of his late wife. My mother.”
A Game 0f Chess With The Marquess (Historical Regency Romance) Page 27