by Stacy Reid
It was time to have the room gutted and reorganized for his new duchess.
His heart jolted. Despite the fact he did not enjoy his too visceral reaction to her, he had to make strides to welcome Adel more thoroughly into his life. It was not as if he could damn well ignore her for the duration of their marriage, where if life was indeed favorable to them, they would have a union of at least another forty years or more.
He chuckled ruefully. Never had he imagined in as little as a few days of meeting her, he would be thinking of the future. Life had been so bleak for such a long time, and he had been content to reside in the mire of grief. The needs of his children had ripped him from that endless cycle, and now it seemed his new wife was awakening another part of his soul.
He wasn’t sure if he should be alarmed…or simply embrace the curious fascination unfurling in his heart.
…
Adel stirred, kicking off the coverlet that had tangled between her legs. The memory of the night rushed through her, and she winced. How would she face the duke? She groaned, despising the flutter working its way in her heart. She had so many questions and doubts; it was a miracle she had succumbed to sleep so quickly after he’d departed. How would she even go about facing his wall of reserve? She’d not expected this at all. Not that she’d had many expectations when she came to think of it. Being a duchess had never been in her realm of aspirations.
There was a soft knock on the door.
“Yes?” she asked a bit too hopefully.
The door opened and a servant bustled in, bobbing a quick curtsy. If Adel’s memory served her correctly, this was Prudence.
“Good morning, Your Grace. Will you be wanting a bath and a breakfast tray?”
A quick glance at the clock on the mantel revealed that it was midmorning. Drat! She had never slept so late unless she had attended a ball the night before. It was tempting to hide in her room, and from Edmond, but she must learn to be in the presence of the wretched man. Last night had been a revelation.
“A bath would be wonderful, Prudence, but I will be going downstairs.”
The maid’s head bobbed as she disappeared into the adjoining bath chamber and the sound of running water echoed. Adel was pleased to note that Rosette Park had the most modern of plumbing, and no one was required to lug buckets of water up the winding stairs.
An hour later, dressed in a dark blue day gown with long sleeves, her hair caught in an elegant chignon, she was decidedly pleased with her appearance. There was another knock on the door and before she could respond, in came Edmond. She surged to her feet, moving away from the vanity to face him. His gaze caressed over her, and she felt the touch of his eyes on every dip and swell of her body like it was a physical touch. A blush heated her skin, and she tried her best to suppress how flustered she felt. Was he not aware of Prudence in the room to be staring at Adel with such shivering need?
Then he looked up, all traces of admiration dampened.
She strove not to appear disconcerted. “Yes, Your Grace?”
He arched a brow at her decidedly cool tone. “Have we reverted to being formal?”
Adel allowed a smile to touch her lips. “Not at all…Edmond.”
He flicked an autocratic glance at the maid and she hurried from the room with her eyes carefully cast down.
“I made a hash of things last night, and I’ve come to apologize.”
She blinked in slow surprise. “Thank you.”
“I’ve ordered the duchess’s chambers to be aired and cleaned for you to take residence.”
“I… Thank you, Edmond.” She did not need to understand why he had been so angry earlier to appreciate what he was now doing. He had locked up those chambers for years. She wished she could glean what had prompted him to act. Did this mean he wanted more than a vague attachment?
“I give you leave to decorate them as you please, as the rooms are yours. I only ask you to give away every single piece of furniture.”
Seeing his black scowl forming, she hurriedly thanked him, lest he thought she did not appreciate the effort he was making. “Certainly.”
“A monthly allowance of three hundred guineas has also been set aside for you as pin money. If you need it to be increased, you should inform me. My mother is eagerly awaiting your presence in the drawing room. She has some notion of refitting your wardrobe to be on standards of that of a duchess of the realm. A few modistes have already been summoned. Please send all dressmaker’s bills and those for decorating the house to me. ”
At her silence, the scowl that had been in retreat, came back full force. “Does that meet with your approval?”
“You are being very generous. I am at a loss as to what I will do with three hundred guineas monthly.”
“It is a minuscule amount, Adeline.”
Oh. She fought the blush. Her allowance from Papa had been a sovereign here and there, and Lady Margaret had thought he was overly generous.
Without much thought to her actions, she strolled over to Edmond, tipped and pressed a soft kiss to his cheeks. “I thank you for being considerate.”
He froze. “It is truly nothing,” he said gruffly.
She stepped back. “I assure you it is something. Not many lords would be so accommodating or kind.”
He arched an eyebrow skeptically. Without speaking he withdrew and with a shallow bow exited her chambers. The anxiety she had felt last night shifted, and soft hope stirred in her breast. It mattered not that he had not addressed consummating their vows. Surely, his approachable charm now must mean he was willing to try and make their unorthodox marriage work.
Chapter Fourteen
The meeting with Lady Harriet had gone splendidly, so much so that Adel was still in a daze. She had braced herself to be met with cold hauteur, because of her nonexistent connections and dowry, but the dowager duchess had been charming and welcoming.
Adel’s anxiety had fled, as the local dressmaker from the village arrived and they spent almost two hours admiring materials and patterns. She had not balked at the multitude of gowns that were ordered—morning dresses, day and traveling dresses, several ball gowns, corsets, petticoats, and assorted unmentionables. She knew full well how unpolished she was, having spent most of her life in Somerset. With the little she had brought to her marriage, she wanted to appear to be a duchess Wolverton would be proud of, a mother their daughters and future children, if he ever unbent, would want to emulate.
She would be expected to throw lavish balls, dinner parties, house parties, and support a number of charities. From what she gleaned of the duke’s politics he was a liberal, and with the call for reform in many sections of society, she would be expected to host political parties. Adel had already made a note to order subscriptions to the magazines his articles had appeared in, namely the Cobbett’s Political Register, The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Transactions of the Royal Geographic Society.
The dowager duchess had apologized for overwhelming her, and Adel stated firmly that she welcomed her direction within reason. Lady Harriet initially seemed shocked at Adel’s forwardness, then the dowager duchess beamed in approval.
Relief filled her at the warm reception of Edmond’s family so far, now if only the duke himself would follow suit. Adel made her way to the schoolroom, after knocking briefly she twisted the knob and opened the door. All heads swung her way, and Adel smiled. The room was large and cheery with the walls decorated with bright strange animals such as Indian elephants and tigers. There was a desk and several chairs, a large bookcase, a globe on a stand, blackboard, cupboard, and a rocking horse in one corner.
“Hello,” she said softly.
The tutor frowned. “May I be of assistance, Your Grace?”
A desperate flutter wormed its way through her heart. She now had children and from the look on their faces they were uncertain of her. She had hoped their time together yesterday would have dispelled some of their anxiety. Adel was suddenly grateful for the atrocious way Lady Margaret had treat
ed her. Otherwise Adel might not have known when to push and when to retreat. “I thought I would bid Lady Sarah and Rosa good afternoon.”
The tutor scowled. He was a short rotund man who seemed like the serious sorts. “Very well, Your Grace,” he muttered, clearly wishing she were elsewhere.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” she said, walking farther into the room.
They rose from their desks and dipped into elegant curtsies. She was charmed.
“I thought we could have luncheon together today, if it is to your liking.”
They peered at each other considerably and seemed to communicate before facing her.
“We would be obliged, Lady Adeline,” Rosa said with a tentative smile.
Adel gave them approving smiles. “I will be taking a tour of the house with Mrs. Fields. I shall arrange it so I am in the smaller drawing room within the hour. Does that meet your approval, Lady Sarah and Rosa?”
“Yes!” they said together.
With a nod to the tutor, she exited, and then exhaled a sigh of relief. That had gone much better than she had hoped.
In short order, she met Mrs. Fields below stairs, and her tour of Rosette Park began. With two wings and over one hundred rooms, the hour spent with her housekeeper passed in an exhausted blur.
Adel had to cut the tour short, and hurried to the drawing room to meet with Sarah and Rosa. Walking through the immense foyer she spied a footman, removing a painting that looked a lot like her husband’s daughters, only the lady painted had been older, and very beautiful.
“What are you doing?”
The footman paused. “I was ordered to remove the portrait, Your Grace, and mount it in the gallery.”
Emotions tightened her throat. She still remembered the day she had entered her home and realized her mother’s smiling picture had been removed, to be replaced by a cold and beautiful hauteur. Her mother had been placed in a lesser room, and it was Lady Margaret whose portrait would grace the fireplace in the entrance hall. Oh, how Adel resented her father and his new wife their happiness.
There was a sharp gasp behind Adel, and she did not need to turn to know it was one of the girls. There were several rustles and she deduced both girls were someplace behind her in the hall. “Yes, please take down the painting—”
An inarticulate cry slipped from one of the girls.
“And have the frame thoroughly cleaned and then remount it. I am sure whoever gave the order for it to be removed, meant just that.”
The footman’s eyes flicked behind her, and then back to her face. Adel was startled at the depth of relief that filled his eyes. But he still hesitated. “And where will your portrait hang, Your Grace?”
Her portrait? He must have spied the confusion on her face.
“I was told the painter Mr. Thomas Lawrence will be visiting later in the week to capture your likeness, Your Grace.”
Oh. Even she had heard of Mr. Lawrence, from what Adel could recall he had painted the Queen and even the Prince Regent. And he was coming to paint her? You are now a duchess, she reminded herself sternly. Affixing a smile to her face, she spoke, “Then we will make room for them to hang side by side.”
He nodded sharply and walked away with the painting. She composed herself and then faced the girls. “My goodness, you girls certainly did your sums in a quick fashion. I have not yet taken my morning stroll, would you care to join me?”
“Stroll?” Rosa asked with a frown.
Adel nodded. “I feel a need for fresh air and exercise before I start my day. I normally took very long walks back home in Somerset. Today is glorious, and we must take advantage.”
Both girls smiled back cautiously.
“We have history lessons in a few minutes. We must return to the schoolroom,” Rosa said, yearning on her face.
“Well…I am sure Mr. Davenport would not mind if I took over this lesson.”
Their faces brightened and right away she knew she made the right decision.
“Come along.”
Her heart squeezed when they scampered to hold one of her hands each. As she near the door, their staid butler Mr. Jenkins held it open.
“Please inform Mrs. Fields we would like a picnic basket prepared quickly and delivered to us on the lawn,” Adel said to him.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
They exited and soon they were walking across the lawn, inhaling the cold crisp air into their lungs.
“We are never outside this early.”
“Surely not.” It was already past two in the afternoon. Adel would have taken her walk much earlier if she’d not overslept and then conferred with the dowager duchess.
“After breaking our fast, we will go to the school room,” Rosa said. “We come outside after all our lessons, but we do not take long walks.”
“Well we shall certainly fix that, won’t we?”
Sarah’s eyes rounded, and she nodded eagerly. It felt natural as they strolled along the vast expanse of the estate to simply chatter and laugh, as if she had been in their lives for weeks instead of a couple of days.
They came upon a pond with several stone benches and they sat.
“Our mamma is in heaven,” Sarah suddenly whispered.
Adel smiled gently. “So is mine.”
They gasped.
“Do you think they are friends?”
“Most certainly.”
Sarah’s faced scrunched. “Grandma said heaven is not real, but Mamma is certainly at peace,” she parroted.
Two footmen arrived with blankets and a basket. They laid them nearby and set out the food, before melting away. Adel and the girls wasted no time tumbling onto the blankets.
“I do not think we can stay with you for luncheon…Mr. Davenport expects us back before three.”
Adel winked. “I am sure Mr. Davenport will understand if I take today to learn my new daughters.”
Sarah and Rosa fairly glowed, and it finally sank in how starved they had been for attention. How was this possible with the dowager duchess still living at Rosette Park?
After biting into an apple, Adel spoke, “Not everyone believes there is a heaven, but I am certain of it.”
“Have you been there?” Rosa asked, munching on grapes.
“No, but just because I have not, does not mean it is nonexistent. I choose to believe my mamma is there…happy, laughing as we speak and making friends with your mamma.”
Relief filled Sarah’s expression and she nodded.
“What was your mamma like?” Rosa asked almost shyly. “My mamma loved to sing and play the pianoforte.”
Adel stretched her legs out, and propped her weight on her elbows. “Those are such wonderful skills. My mother was very unconventional and when she sung, our dogs barked in protest.”
The girls giggled and Adel grinned. “And Mamma sang every morning, with the most atrocious accent.”
“Was she French?” Rosalie whispered.
Adel winked. “American.”
The girls’ eyes widened and they glanced at her consideringly.
“Mrs. Galloway told us the Americans are savages.”
Adel frowned. “And pray tell who is Mrs. Galloway?”
“Our governess. Father fired her when she smacked Sarah,” Rosa said.
“We put frogs in her bed…and she smacked us,” Sarah said giggling.
Adel was happy to see they were not scarred from the experience. “And why would you girls do such a ghastly thing?”
“We did not like her,” they said together.
“She was very mean,” Sarah said, her lower lip trembling.
“Come here, my darling,” Adel said, then “oomped” at the force Sarah flung herself into her lap.
“Today is not a day for bad memories. We are going to eat, have some lessons, and have fun.”
Rosa shifted closer to Adel’s side, but did not hug her.
“Now the first lesson…let me tell you of the red Indians and…dare I say it? They are called savages by some.
”
They gasped and Adel settled into what would be a glorious afternoon.
Chapter Fifteen
Edmond strode toward the wide pond at the eastern side of Rosette Park, Maximus at his heels as usual. The night wrapped around Edmond in a cool caress, a welcome respite from the sweltering heat earlier. Dinner had passed in a blur, with minimal conversation between him and Adeline.
Amusement wafted through him. She had spent a good portion of it glaring at him, and it was not that he willingly ignored her, he was just too tempted to partake in all she had to offer. Her smiles, her wit and conversations, and the kisses she was hell bent on tempting him toward.
Vexing woman.
He’d been content to allow her and his mother to lead the evening, but had excused himself from joining them in the parlor for reading. That had been over an hour ago. He’d spent the time visiting his girls in their bedchamber and had read to them before kissing them goodnight.
Maximus’s heavy body bounced him, and Edmond ran his hand through his thick coat. After a few minutes he reached the cypress tree overlooking the pond and sat on the stone bench, Maximus sprawling at his feet.
There was a rustle of sound and he twisted and spied his duchess walking down the grassy knoll from the opposite direction. He frowned, not sure if he hadn’t somehow conjured her. What was she about? Edmond observed in fascination as she ran down the embankment and halted at the water’s edge. She tipped her head to the night sky, and a smile curved her lips.
His skin prickled in response to her presence. He fleetingly wondered if he were to bed her and get the deed over with, would he be so aware of her. She started to strip. He slammed his eyes shut and opened once more and his duchess was still removing the pale high waist yellow gown she had worn to dinner. It pooled at her feet in a whispering sigh. A few seconds later she stood in her white chemise, the gentle blowing breeze conforming the material to her body. Rounded hips and buttock, high pointed breasts, and well-curved thighs were revealed in stark silhouette.