The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection

by Patricia Kiyono

  “Hmm? Oh, yes. I’d forgotten about that. I would so much rather stay here. The doctor says my daughter should arrive any day now.”

  “It could be a son.”

  “Yes, of course. But I just have a feeling it’s a girl. Won’t it be lovely, having a tiny version of the duchess running around?”

  “Undoubtedly so. Will there be anything else?”

  “Er, no. I’ll be in my study until my transport arrives.”

  “Very good, Your Grace.”

  ~~~~

  Robert found one of the footmen and sent him out to rent a carriage for the duke. Then he went upstairs to put his master’s dressing room in order. He found comfort in the routine of his duties. Cleaning the duke’s brushes, putting away his bedclothes, assuring the maids had cleaned the room properly; those were things he could control. When he’d appointed himself the duke’s unofficial bodyguard, following and protecting him from dangers, even facing ruffians in the street — that hadn’t fazed Robert.

  But a dozen street urchins in the house scared him witless. Why was it he could face a dangerous adult, but had trouble dealing with children?

  Because those children have nothing to lose. They’re fighting for their lives, because they need what I have more than I do.

  The children in the church school had never given him any reason to fear them. They’d behaved themselves, other than the way they gobbled their treats. They sat quietly in their seats, listened to instruction, and did as they were told. Even the parents who stayed to listen — and presumably learned along with their children — had treated him with nothing but respect. So why did he need a glass or two of port before going to the lessons just to fortify himself?

  He knew the answer, but refused to dwell on it. What had happened was in the past, and it did no good to dwell on it.

  “Mr. Townley?”

  I seem to be caught woolgathering at every turn. I’d better stop if I’m to keep my position.

  The chambermaid waited at the doorway. Sarah, he thought her name was. “May I begin cleaning the room?” she asked.

  “Oh. Yes, of course.” He moved aside. “Er, you’ve worked for the duke for quite some time, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. Almost five years, whenever the duke is in town.” The young girl spoke with pride then gasped as a thought occurred to her. “Oh, Mr. Townley, I’m not being let go, am I?”

  “Let — oh no, no. What I mean to say—”

  “I’ll work twice as long, twice as hard. Please don’t send me away. I need this job. My mother is getting frail, and she can’t work. And my little brothers and sisters—”

  He put out a hand. “Stop. Your job is not in question here. I’m concerned because the duke and duchess have invited some — guests, and I’m not sure we can trust them not to leave with some valuable items.”

  “Why would His Grace invite thieves to come here?”

  “They’re not thieves. Well, at least I hope not. But I don’t know what they might do.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The children at the church school.”

  “Oh, the children from Cheapside? They’re going to have their Christmas party here? That’s wonderful! My little sister and brother will be thrilled to know the party won’t be cancelled. They’d assumed since the duchess wouldn’t be able to come—” She broke off and put her hands on her hips. “Are you saying that my siblings and their friends are thieves?”

  “Well, perhaps not thieves, but they won’t know how to behave in polite company. I’m afraid if they get the run of the place we’ll have broken china and ruined furniture and who knows what else.”

  Sarah chewed on her lip. “Well, Mr. Townley, if they don’t know how to behave, pr’aps you ought to teach them.”

  “Teach them how to behave?”

  “Show ’em what’s expected. I didn’t know anything about how to act when I first came here. But Miss Brown, she taught me. She showed me how to curtsey right when the duke and duchess walk by and how to answer them when they speak to me. And down in the servant’s dining room, she showed me how to use a fork and knife. That’s somethin’ my parents never knew, so they didn’t teach me. It’s not that they were bad parents. It’s just something they didn’t ever need to know. So if you let the children know what to expect and how they should act when it happens, you won’t be disappointed in how they behave.”

  Suddenly Sarah’s eyes opened wide and she clamped her mouth shut and set about straightening the bed linens.

  Robert could have taken the girl to task for speaking to an upper servant in such a forward manner, but her words resonated with common sense. And Robert was nothing if not sensible.

  If the children know what to expect and have learned how to act, you won’t be disappointed in how they behave.

  Perhaps tonight’s school session should be about proper deportment.

  Since Phillip was at Parliament, Robert had the rest of the afternoon to himself. He packed a light bag and left the house through the servants’ door and made his way to Bond Street. He needed to think, and exercise always helped him clear his head. A round or two in Gentleman John Jackson’s Saloon would be the perfect way to accomplish that.

  The smell of sweat and tobacco assaulted him as he made his way up the stairs to the training floor. At the top of the stairs he paused to drink in the welcoming atmosphere. It had been far too long since his last visit.

  “Robert. Where’ve ye been, old boy? Bet you’re gettin’ soft.” Ralph Wilcox, one of the saloon’s trainers, slapped Robert on the shoulder. “Get yourself ready, and I’ll go a round with ye.”

  Robert grinned at his old friend. Ralph had been his trainer since the first day his father had taken him to Jackson’s. Geoffrey Townley loved his son, but he hadn’t been the nurturing sort. His wife’s death had left him with a young boy and no idea how to raise him. All he knew was his duty to the Ninth Duke of Bartlett. Fortunately, the duchess had taken a shine to Robert and encouraged him to stay in the mansion as a companion for her son Phillip, who was about the same age. An extra cot was set up in the valet’s room, and Phillip was raised with the duke’s children. Still, the elder Townley had been careful to see his son understood the difference in their stations. “No matter what young Phillip says or does, he is still your better,” he’d told his son. “He’ll be the one with all the privileges, and it is your job to see that he gets them.”

  One afternoon, Phillip and Robert had gone exploring through London. They’d taken a wrong turn and ended up in an unsavory section of the city. Robert would never forget his fear when a band of ruffians had accosted them, taking all their money and leaving them battered and bruised. Geoffrey had taken one look at his son, marched him over to Gentleman Jackson’s, and arranged for boxing lessons. Ralph had been there that day, and over the years had become more of a mentor, encouraging him, praising him when he succeeded, and offering words of guidance, not just in boxing, but in life. When Phillip had gone off to Eton, Robert had spent most of his off-hours there, learning and getting stronger.

  Robert made quick work of shedding his shirt and flexed his arm and leg muscles. He bounced on the balls of his feet to warm up.

  “Yer getting’ soft, old man,” Ralph teased.

  “Old? I’ll show you who’s old.” Robert laughed.

  Chapter Five

  Jeanne walked slightly behind Robert, ahead of the footman and maid who’d been dispatched to accompany them to St. Paul’s Church for the evening’s lesson. Apparently the two young people behind her got along quite well, for every now and then, Nancy would giggle at something Giles had said to her. Silly girl. Didn’t she know that young men would say anything to get a girl’s attention and affection? She’d be willing to wager a month’s salary that within a fortnight, Giles’ attention would be directed elsewhere.

  Well, it wasn’t her place to worry about it. Her job, at the moment, was to go and make sure Mr. Pompousness didn’t scare off the children. They w
ere to deliver the invitations from the duke and duchess for the Christmas party. If he acted like a monster, no one would come, and the duchess would be devastated. She’d worked so hard to earn their trust. “If they don’t trust you, they won’t learn,” she’d told Jeanne. She also knew they learned better if they weren’t hungry, and that’s why each lesson ended with a treat. Many times she’d have the cook make extra of whatever was on the dinner menu and send that along too.

  Tonight was one of those nights. Giles carried containers of food, and Nancy carried some of the extra school supplies. Jeanne carried a basket of the treats they would distribute at the end of the lesson.

  She and Robert had agreed to focus on one lesson in table etiquette each time. Tonight, they would work on the correct way to eat soup. They arrived early and set up a table and benches behind the usual chairs. Their students were full of questions, but Jeanne promised the answers would come soon. At the hour, Robert stood in front of them.

  “Children, for the next several lessons, we are taking a departure from our usual instruction. You see, you have all received a very special holiday invitation, and Miss Brown and I know you will want to be on your very best behavior.”

  The children responded with murmurs of excitement.

  One girl stood. “Mr. Townley, are we to have a Christmas party even though Miss Pa— I mean, the duchess isn’t here?”

  “That is correct, Polly. The duchess has decided, since she is unable to come here, that she would like all of you to attend a Christmas party at her home.”

  His statement was met with gasps of disbelief from the adults watching as well as the children.

  “Truly? We’re going to see the duke and duchess — at their home?”

  “Will we need to wear new clothes?”

  “Should we bring presents?”

  “How will we get there?”

  “Can Mummy come too?”

  Robert put up a hand, and gradually the questions stopped. “Miss Brown and I will attempt to answer all your questions, but for now, we want to show you what will happen and what you will be expected to do. We will teach you to act the way little lords and ladies act.”

  Amid the excited murmurs, Robert went on. “The first thing you will do upon entering the duke’s home is that you will follow the butler to the drawing room. You will wait your turn to greet the duke and duchess. When you reach them, the young men will bow, and the young ladies will curtsey. Like this.” He demonstrated a formal bow. “Perhaps Miss Brown could demonstrate a curtsey.”

  Jeanne obliged, to the children’s delight.

  “May we try?” one child asked.

  “Yes, we should practice,” Jeanne replied. “Mr. Townley, why don’t I take the girls to the open area in the back. We’ll need more room, as there are more of us.”

  “Excellent suggestion, Miss Brown,” he agreed.

  Robert seems more cordial tonight. I wonder if someone took him to task on how to treat the children.

  She took the girls to the back and demonstrated again. She gathered her skirt in her hands, pulled outward, and placing one foot behind the other, bent her knees. “Keep your face down and don’t say anything until you are spoken to.” The girls all imitated her with varying degrees of success. Jeanne caught a little girl just before she toppled over. “Maggie, don’t put your leg so far back. You don’t want to tip over when you bend your knees. Mary, keep your head down. It’s not polite to look the duke and duchess in the eye when you’re curtseying.”

  While Jeanne worked with the girls, she could hear Robert instructing the boys. He reminded them that even though they were already familiar with the couple as instructors, they would be expected to behave differently while guests in their home. “When they are here, they are your teachers. But in their home, they are nobility, and you must learn how to conduct yourself in their world.”

  And there it was. Our world and their world. Her wealthy French grandfather, Louis Gaudet, had the same mindset and had been livid when his daughter Marie had run off and married Michael Brown. The man was not only a commoner, but an English commoner. Monsieur Gaudet had made it very clear what he thought of his son-in-law and had never accepted the grandchildren from that union. Finally, Michael, Marie, and the children had moved to England, closer to Michael’s family, and Grandpère had disowned his daughter entirely.

  Jeanne shook off her memories. Nothing would be gained by wishing for what could never be. Noticing that the boys had finished, she told the girls, “We’ll practice again next time. Let’s go back to our seats and see what else Mr. Townley has planned.”

  Once the girls were back in their seats, Robert announced, “After all the dinner guests have arrived, the butler will announce the serving of the meal. Lords and ladies enter the dining room in order of their rank — that is, dukes and duchesses first, then marquesses, then earls, and so on. Why don’t we practice getting in line by your ages? The eldest first, the youngest at the back.”

  This suggestion met with a little confusion. Several children had no idea how old they were.

  “Mum says I was born in the winter,” one girl offered.

  “And I’m older than my brother,” a taller boy said.

  “All right then, why don’t we simply line them up by height?” Jeanne suggested.

  Robert nodded his agreement, and they arranged the children with the tallest at the head of the line. Then he led the line over to the benches and had them sit in the order they entered. He and Giles distributed the napkins, explaining that they should sit back while someone would place them in the children’s laps.

  “The first course to be served is the soup. There are some very important things to remember. First, you do not begin eating before the duke. When he picks up his spoon, that is your signal for you to do the same. Understand?”

  The children nodded solemnly.

  “Second, you do not pick up your bowl. Use the spoon next to your bowl. Scoop a little bit of soup and drink it from there, but do not make noise. The quieter you are when eating, the better.”

  “But I don’t want to use my spoon to eat my soup,” one of the boys complained. “Why can’t I just pick up the bowl and drink it like I do at home?”

  As Jeanne expected, Robert’s quick intake of breath told her he was taken aback. “Young man,” Robert began.

  She raised her hand, intending to soften Robert’s reprimand, but before either of them could utter another word, a roar erupted from the side of the room where the parents watched the lesson. A large man gunned his way toward them, and Jeanne bit her lip, fearing for the valet’s life. But the man stepped around Robert and grabbed the boy by the collar, lifting him out of his seat.

  “You do what the man says, ya little bugger! Ye’ve got a chance ta eat fancy food at the home of a real duke and duchess, and all they’re asking of ya is ta eat nice and proper. Don’t you realize what a glorious honor that is? People like us, we don’t get invitations like that. We don’t visit ’ouses like theirs unless we’re gonna clean the chimney or fix the roof. Mr. Townley and Miss Brown here, they’re teachin’ ya some fancy manners. If you learn this, maybe some day you can work in one of them big ’ouses like they do, and you won’t have ta eat cold mush and always wonder where yer next meal is comin’ from. You won’t have ta worry about whether or not the family is gonna freeze to death cuz ya didn’t have money for firewood. Ye’ve got a chance to move up, son, and if you don’t do what they say, I’ll show you what really hard work is. And then you’ll be beggin’ ta use your spoon the way they say. Ya understand me?”

  The boy nodded, and his father set him back on the bench. Straightening, the man nodded at Robert. “Beggin’ yer pardon ’bout the interruption. My Johnny’s gonna try a lot harder now. Right, son?” He waited for his son’s nod then touched his cap and returned to the side of the room.

  Robert, clearly rattled, cleared his throat. “Er, let’s get started. Mr. Newsome, Miss Stark, please serve the soup so the childr
en can practice.”

  After each child got a bowl of the savory soup, Robert went over to the boy who’d complained about using the spoon. Jeanne wondered what he intended to do. Would he berate the child? She watched as the tall man bent and took the boy’s hand in his, placing the spoon in it and guiding it to his mouth. He repeated the motion, gently encouraging, until the boy demonstrated the ability to do it correctly.

  Jeanne couldn’t believe her eyes. Had the man frightened some sense into Robert? Was he afraid that if he mistreated Johnny, his father would retaliate? She worked with some of the others, guiding their little hands as they used the utensils, reminding them to say please and thank you and swallowing everything in their mouths before putting in the next spoonful. That, by far, was the most difficult. She understood why they felt tempted to eat as quickly as possible — she’d been hungry herself and when food was available, she’d eaten it quickly. “When you are at the duke’s table, there will be plenty of food,” she reminded them. “You won’t have to eat quickly because when the food on the table is gone, more will be brought out.”

  The room went silent, and ten pairs of eyes stared in amazement. “Truly, Miss Brown? They’ll bring more food if we eat it all?”

  “Yes,” she promised.

  “But,” Robert added, “if the duke puts his spoon down, you must do so also.”

  Jeanne nearly groaned. If the children felt they needed to rush through their dinner, they might have more trouble. She’d have to reassure them there would be time to eat their fill. Robert might be learning, but he had a long way to go.

  Chapter Six

  For the next several sessions, the children continued lessons on table manners. Each night Jeanne and Robert focused on a different part of the meal. They taught the students how to hold the utensils while they cut their food and how to lift pieces of meat and vegetables with their forks. They practiced eating smaller bites and chewing with their mouths closed. Since they’d changed the routine to serve the food at the beginning of the session, Jeanne took the last part of the instruction time to teach a few Christmas songs.