Amanda shook her head.
“An acquaintance,” Joseph answered for her. His jaw was tight, but he seemed to be making an attempt to relax. Amanda felt warmed by his possessiveness of her.
“Who was that man?” Lady Heather asked, taking Amanda’s hand and looking up at her. “I don’t like him.”
The group turned to continue up the staircase and Amanda shushed the little girl. “Now, don’t be rude. Lord Pemperose doesn’t mean to be rude, I’m sure of it. Some people are just a little awkward, that’s all.”
“I don’t like the look of him either,” Kelly piped in.
Amanda shot him a sharp look. “Don’t encourage her, Kelly,” she said.
“To be frank, I don’t care for his manner toward you, either,” Joseph said.
Amanda sighed, giving up. “Oh, all right then, if we are going for a consensus. I don’t particularly fancy him myself. But let’s just enjoy our afternoon and not tear down people we hardly know.”
Chapter 30
The rain clouds rolled in like an ill omen, casting the city of London in a dull light that highlighted the grime and the soot that suddenly seemed to cover everything. Amanda gazed out the parlor window at the street below, watching people huddle quickly to and from their carriages, with shawls tucked tightly around them or hats pulled down low over furrowed brows.
Inside the Dowager Marchioness’ estate, all was warm and cozy. A fire crackled productively in a large fireplace. Kelly and his mother each squinted at a chessboard, taking one move each per every five minutes, it seemed. Heather had a pile of papers and a bundle of drawing pencils and, seated as she was on the floor, she looked as though she would never get bored.
Amanda chanced a quick glance at Joseph. Her future husband. He was bent over a writing table, his pen scratching over the paper he wrote on. It was a letter, she knew, back home. He was telling the staff there to prepare for a new mistress, as he was getting married.
Amanda’s heart flipped pleasantly with excitement.
They had yet to tell a soul else. They agreed that broaching the subject with Heather must be done in a gentle way. To say nothing of the tact that would be required to inform the Dowager Marchioness of their betrothal.
Amanda exhaled slowly and turned her eyes back to the road outside. The Dowager Marchioness would be angry. She would feel betrayed. After all that she had done for her, Amanda felt beholden to the lady. And yet, Joseph was a Marquess himself. The Dowager Marchioness had wanted Amanda to marry well, to rise above her station in life. And hadn’t she done that?
So, she would not be the Dowager Marchioness’ daughter-in-law. Was that such a tragedy?
It isn’t as though by marrying Joseph, I am saying that I shall never again visit her or be as close to her as I am now. Surely, she will understand that.
When she looked back over her shoulder once more, she saw that Joseph was watching her. His gaze was soft. Warm. Amanda smiled. She wished that the whole world knew of their love so that no one would be surprised if she crossed the room and kissed him.
It appeared that he was thinking the same thing.
It was a quiet day. The inclement weather prevented the usual stream of callers that the Dowager Marchioness tended to receive. Amanda thought that were it not for the joy that bubbled up inside of her at every glance from her future husband, she might have found the day to be dull. Or tedious.
With time, the ennui caught up to the small girl, and Heather yawned theatrically and stretched her arms over her head.
“What an awfully dull day. I’ve drawn every fruit I can think of,” the diminutive lady said.
“If you like, Young Lady, you may go down to the kitchens and help the cook. As a child, I always loved helping to stir and roll out dough.” The Dowager Marchioness hardly looked up from her chess game. She and her son looked to be neck and neck. The silent intensity of their game made the room somewhat tense.
“Can I, Father?” Heather asked.
Joseph looked up. “Yes, of course, darling.”
Amanda watched the girl go, but then had a thought.
“If your cook is anything like My Lord’s, she is likely to be spoiled with sweets down there alone. I had better go with her and keep her from spoiling her dinner.”
The Dowager Marchioness waved her along without looking up. She moved her rook and then smirked at her son.
Amanda smiled, glancing at Joseph before slipping out of the room.
The London estate had a kitchen as spacious and well-appointed as any manor, Amanda found. When she arrived at the cozy room, Heather was already stationed over a large pot, gently stirring a hearty stew.
“My, that smells marvelous,” Amanda said by way of greeting.
The cook, a stout woman with a kind face and thick arms, appeared somewhat vexed by the appearance of Amanda as well as the little Lady Heather.
Amanda wished there was a polite way to inform the cook that she herself was not a lady of rank. She was merely a commoner, an orphan, dressed up in nice clothing.
“Do you want to help, too?” Heather called over her shoulder. “I’ve got to keep it from sticking to the sides.”
“I am just here to keep an eye on you. It’s not quite fair to expect childcare from someone who already has their hands full.” She gave the cook a warm smile. “Is there anything I can do?”
The cook stammered. “Well, there’s dough to be kneaded. But perhaps that’s too strenuous? I can find something easier.”
“Kneading dough sounds perfect,” Amanda said.
The perturbed cook soon had a sizeable lump of dough on the table in front of Amanda, and Amanda set to work. The yeasty scent of the dough, coupled with its smooth texture underneath her hands, soothed her and reminded her of home.
But Ethelred Manor is my home now. I must write to my parents. I must promise them that I will see them again, even after my marriage.
She was beginning to ease the cook’s discomfort by telling her about her life in Dublin when Joseph appeared in the doorway. Then all her work to ease the cook was for naught as she hastily dropped into a clumsy curtsy.
Amanda remembered how imposing Joseph could seem to those who didn’t know him.
“Father! Can you smell the soup? When we eat it tonight, it will taste even better knowing that I helped make it, isn’t that right?”
Joseph agreed, then crossed to Amanda.
“May I have a moment? There’s something we should discuss.”
Amanda stopped kneading the dough, flour covering her hands as she froze for a moment in apprehension.
“Why, of course. Just let me wash my hands.”
She did so and then joined Joseph in the corridor outside the kitchen. He took her elbow and drew her further away, well out of earshot.
“I think we should tell Kelly,” he said.
Amanda’s mood lightened. She had feared that something had gone awry.
“I’ve been thinking, and it may be awkward when we inform the Dowager Marchioness of our betrothal. Of all people, Kelly would be the one who knows best how to deal with his mother.”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, that is a good point. It would be good to have him on our side, so to speak. And he will be able to tell his mother that he never intended to marry me. She won’t believe it unless she hears it from him.”
Joseph lowered his voice even further. “Do you expect that she will be very unhappy?”
Amanda shrugged. “She will be disappointed. But I hope that her fondness for me will win out in the end.”
Joseph nodded his head, thoughtfully. “Let’s do it tonight.”
“Tonight?” Amanda said, her whisper rising in pitch.
He laughed softly. “I see by your alarm that you disagree. We will at least tell Kelly tonight and see what he thinks.”
“All right,” Amanda said with a relieved sigh.
* * *
Their time came later that evening. They were, again, gathered in the parlor. Only now
it was dark, the furniture in the room threw long, flickering shadows from the fire across the carpeted floor. Heather had long since been put to bed and the Dowager Marchioness was snoring in an armchair.
Joseph glanced at the clock. Although Kelly had assured him that he had no intentions on Amanda himself, Joseph still felt rather nervous about telling him. In a sense, Joseph felt almost guilty about the engagement. As though he didn’t deserve Amanda.
Amanda and Kelly were playing cards together, laughing and carrying on. The sight comforted him somewhat. Their bond did seem like that of siblings, the way they needled and teased each other.
“It looks like Mother has fallen asleep,” Kelly said, laughing.
“I’ve never met anyone so apt to fall asleep sitting up as the Dowager Marchioness,” Amanda added, fanning out her hand of cards on the table with a grin.
When Kelly counted up her score, he groaned and tossed his own cards down in defeat.
“My mind’s about worn out from playing chess all day. Otherwise, there’s no way that you would be able to best me so easily.”
Amanda raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “If that’s what you have to tell yourself to feel better…”
“Amanda…” Joseph said, catching her eye.
“Right. Now? Shall I or do you want to?” she asked.
Kelly glanced from Amanda to himself, looking suspicious. “What?”
“Amanda and I need to tell you something. A secret, for now.” Joseph began, scooting his chair closer to their card table.
“You’re engaged.”
Amanda’s jaw dropped. “So much for breaking the news. How did you know? Is it obvious? Do you think the Dowager Marchioness knows?” This last she said in a low whisper, glancing toward the snoring Lady.
“What else could you have wanted to tell me that you didn’t want Mother to know? It’s only obvious to me because I know of your courtship. And no, I don’t think she can tell. She’s got her heart still set on you and me, Amanda. She’s blind to anything else.”
Joseph saw Amanda breathe a sigh of relief. “I have been worrying all day that she knew somehow. I don’t expect her to be congratulatory, so it is important to me that she hears it from me directly.”
Kelly pressed his lips together. “So, when are you planning to do that, exactly?”
“I want to do it as soon as possible,” Joseph piped in. “I can’t bear secrecy.”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, I agree. I feel so guilty sitting here acting normal, knowing that I am keeping this secret from her. But we wanted to tell you first, Kelly. We thought that perhaps you could help us to let her know as gently as possible.”
Joseph looked across at his future wife. Her skin looked golden in the flickering firelight. Her eyes shone with earnestness and she leaned forward slightly as she whispered, unconsciously displaying the tops of her breasts in the gauzy gown she wore.
Kelly nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, well. We can do it tomorrow. After lunch, I think. Yes, that would be the best time. She’s in a good mood then. And, if the weather has cleared up, her callers will be done with their rounds by then. Unless, of course, she has some friend whom she is expecting who will take up her whole afternoon.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Amanda said, deflating slightly.
“It’s all right.” Kelly grinned. “I can get rid of any stragglers.
Although Amanda seemed greatly relieved by having this plan in order, Joseph noticed that Kelly looked worried. While he was smiling and offering his congratulations, there remained a sense of apprehension around his eyes.
“I’m very happy for both of you,” he said, brightening as he grasped Amanda’s hand and squeezed it. “Regardless of how Mother reacts tomorrow, I know that she will come around to the idea when she sees, as I do, how happy you are and will be together.”
“It means so much to hear you say that,” Amanda said. “I’ve always wanted a brother, and I feel now that I have one. Your blessing means the world to me, Kelly. The world.”
Kelly crinkled his nose at the sentimental moment, blushing lightly as he smiled. Then he slapped Joseph heartily on the back. “I knew you’d make short work of her, Joe. And you’d better treat her like a queen, else you shall be hearing from her brother.” As he said this, he jabbed his thumb into his chest.
Amanda was grinning, and Joseph couldn’t hide his own excitement and elation as it rose up in him. Telling Kelly about the engagement made it feel that much more real.
The Dowager Marchioness stirred lightly in the armchair, her snoring pattern stammering. The three of them froze, watching her. But she did not wake up.
Chapter 31
The drawing room the following morning was a much different atmosphere. The Dowager Marchioness and her guest seemed to be the only people unaware of the simmering tension that filled the air. Even young Heather, who was seated on a chair with a large book of fairy tales open across her knees, was restless.
Amanda shifted in her seat. The embroidery on her lap had a mistake in it that she had made ten minutes ago and was only now noticing. She gazed at it, irritation making her upper back ache.
It was rainy again, though it seemed that the native Londoners could only be daunted by damp weather for one day at a time. Several callers had braved the dripping skies to visit the Dowager Marchioness.
At the moment, a barrister by the name of Lloyd was seated on the settee across from the Dowager Marchioness. He was a massive man, not merely fat but also with such a tall frame that he looked like he simply existed on a larger scale than the rest of the room. His voice boomed, and he laughed impolitely at his own jokes. The Dowager Marchioness tittered.
“May I go to the kitchens?” Heather asked.
Amanda glanced at Joseph, who nodded silently as he pretended to listen to the loquacious Mr. Lloyd.
“Yes, dear. Go right ahead. No more than two sweets, mind you. No matter what the cook says.”
Heather agreed, but the gleam in her eye suggested that she would handily forget that request as soon as she reached the fragrant oasis of the kitchen.
Amanda sat up straighter and heard a vertebra in her upper back crack. She tried to relax her shoulders.
It’s fine. She will be surprised at first, but it will be all right. She won’t be angry. She won’t hate me. Besides, Kelly is here to smooth things over.
She glanced across at Kelly and found that he was looking at her as well. Silently, he appeared to signal that they would tell her when Mr. Lloyd left. She nodded minutely and turned her attention back to her needlework as well as she could.
The barrister made the passing of the next several minutes as painful as possible by repeatedly saying his goodbyes only to remain seated and drinking more tea. Amanda stabbed the fabric in its frame, ignoring the mistake in her work, and trying to calm her nerves. She wished that Joseph could give her some word or action of reassurance, but he was trapped in the cyclical small talk. His shoulders were stiff.
Is your heart racing as much as mine is?
At last, Mr. Lloyd made good on his farewells and heaved himself up from the settee. The Dowager Marchioness saw him to the door, and for a brief moment, only Amanda herself, Joseph, and Kelly were in the room. They all made eye contact, and Amanda took a deep breath in.
“Don’t worry,” Kelly said, just as his mother returned to the room.
“That gentleman certainly does arrive here thirsty, doesn’t he?” She went to the teapot and removed its lid, swirling around the few drops of tea that were left in it. “I’ll just send for more of this,”
She was about to turn toward the bells on the wall that summoned the servants when Kelly stood up.
“Hold on a moment, Mother.”
“There’s something I must tell you,” Amanda entreated, placing her needlework aside.
The Dowager Marchioness looked around at the others. “What’s this? You all look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”
Amanda smiled gentl
y. “Please sit down, My Lady.”
The Dowager Marchioness looked apprehensive as she sat back down, glancing at her son and Joseph in turn.
“I know that you have other plans for me, My Lady,” Amanda began, curling her fingers into fists nervously. The look of concern on the old lady’s face only made her feel more guilty for the coming disappointment. “But I…I know that you will understand me and respect my decision and know that it changes nothing about how I care for you.”
“What is it, girl? This suspense is unbearable.”
Seducing The Perfectly Enchanting Marquess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 21