by Fimch, Fanny
The two men shared a look and the Duke of Lox nodded at the housekeeper. “Show us the way.”
They followed the older woman down the hallway. She stopped in front of one of the double doors and grasped the door handles in both hands. She turned them and spread the doors open before stepping to the side.
The two men went into the room.
“The Dukes of Lox and Rabney, your grace,” Gertrude said, not looking in the room. She reached in for both the doors and pulled them closed behind the men, stepping back out into the hallway.
The Duke of Lox looked around the room. The bed was huge and placed directly in front of them. The old duke was stretched out on it, propped up on a great many pillows. He was looking pale, thin, and frail.
“Your grace.” The Duke of Lox went directly to stand next to the bed. “How are you feeling this evening?”
The Duke of Corning smiled at him. “You are the Duke of Lox?”
“I am.” The Duke of Lox smiled at him.
“And you are the Duke of Rabney?” The Duke of Corning turned his eyes to the other man in the room.
“Yes, your grace.”
“Come, stand next to me so I can get a better look at you.”
The Duke of Rabney went to stand behind the Duke of Lox so the old man would not have to turn his head from side to side. They both bowed to him.
“As you may know, and can probably tell from my appearance, I have not much longer to draw breath.” He lifted his hand when it looked like the younger men were about to protest. “I know it is true. There is no need to worry yourselves about my mood. I am waiting to meet my maker as I have much to thank Him for.”
The Duke of Lox pulled in a deep breath. His first thought was that Emma would be devastated by the loss of her father.
“I am under the impression that you, Duke of Rabney, plan to marry my niece, Camilla Fielding.”
The Duke of Lox took a step back, looking over his shoulder at the Duke of Rabney, who stepped forward. “Yes, that is true, sir.”
“Tell me, are you interested in Cooksey Castle?”
The Duke of Lox knew what the old man was questioning. He was sure his friend would have all the right answers for the Duke of Corning.
“I am very interested in Cooksey Castle, sir, but only in that it is a magnificent structure of architectural genius. It is an amazing home and I do expect the Duke and Duchess of Cooksey will live comfortably there for the rest of their lives.”
“When they are gone, it will pass on to you until Nathan comes of age.”
The Duke of Rabney nodded, his face flushing slightly. “I am aware of this, my lord. But it is not my reason for marrying Lady Fielding. I am in love with her, sir, and I do believe I will make an excellent husband to her.”
“You will make her happy?”
The Duke of Rabney nodded. “Yes, my lord, I will do everything in my power to make sure she is happy all through her life.”
“You will not mistreat her in any way?”
“Oh no, sir. No. I will treat her with the best of care. She will be loved the rest of her life.”
The Duke of Corning scanned him with an approving look. “I am happy that my niece has found a pleasant young man to love and be loved by. I will tell my sister as much, if I can. I do not believe I will need to, as she has already given her approval.”
He turned his eyes to the Duke of Lox, who stepped forward, seeing that he now had the old man’s attention. “Your grace,” the Duke of Corning said, lifting one hand to the younger man. The Duke of Lox bowed to him again.
“It pains me to see you in such a condition, my lord,” the Duke of Lox said. “I have come to know your daughter well and she speaks highly of you. She is a loyal daughter.”
“Yes, she is. She is lovely. Her mother was also lovely. She is much like her mother. If she remains happy and you are content with her, she will be as wonderful to you as my first wife was to me. I lost her mother when Emma was a young girl and it has always saddened me that she would never see the man her daughter would marry. I did not want to pass up on that opportunity. I do not feel I have long left and I must speak to you about my daughter before it is too late.”
“I do understand, sir,” the Duke of Lox replied. He wanted to sit. He thought this might take some time and his feet were beginning to ache from the dancing.
“She is under the impression you are betrothed. Is this true?”
The Duke of Lox blinked several times. “It is not true, my lord. When did she mention this? Did she speak of anyone specifically?”
“There is a Lady Christian in question?”
The Duke of Lox shook his head, feeling dismayed. So, the presence of Lady Christian had, in fact, made Emma uncomfortable. He recalled her behavior when Lady Christian was around and understood immediately why she had acted the way she had. “Lady Christian has been… prominent in my life only because of her relation to Christian… the Duke of Rabney.” The Duke of Lox held up his hand in his friend’s direction. The Duke of Rabney nodded.
“This is the truth, my lord,” the Duke of Rabney said.
“Have you spoken to her about this?”
“Not about Lady Christian,” the Duke of Lox replied. “We have, however, spoken of other obstacles and I do believe she… your daughter… knows that my intentions are not to marry Lady Christian. She is afraid, I believe, that an arrangement will be made for her to marry Lord Archibald Van D’Obson. Are you aware of this, sir?”
The Duke of Corning frowned. “While I was resting these last few days, Emma sat with me. She talked to me, even when she thought I was sleeping.” He smiled gently. “Most of the time I was asleep. But I woke several times and listened to her words. She mentioned Lord Archibald and that she does not want to marry him. She fears the duchess will commit her to the man after I am gone. She wept. Several times.”
It broke the Duke of Lox’s heart to hear that Emma had been crying. He lowered his head, dropping his eyes to the floor. The Duke of Corning kept his eyes on the young man’s face.
“I see how this affects you, my lord.” His voice was raspy. He took a breath and coughed a few times, his body bouncing on the pillows. The Duke of Lox leaned forward.
“Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” he asked anxiously.
The Duke of Corning ceased coughing and took a few breaths before answering. “There is nothing anyone can do for me now. But there is something I can do for you.”
The Duke of Lox felt a chill run through him. He stared at the man, waiting for him to continue. He could only hope he would hear the words he wanted to hear.
“I know that you wish to court and marry my daughter. I do not know what has kept the two of you apart before now but I give you my blessing and my permission. You are the better man for her. I know of Lord Archibald, as does my sister. If you need to know more, you should speak to my sister and her husband. Just know this, Duke of Lox, you have my daughter’s heart. Be gentle with it.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
As soon as the group entered Corning Manor, Emma and Camilla went up the stairs to Emma’s room. Neither noticed when Katherine hovered in the foyer, watching where the rest of the group dispersed to.
The door closed behind them and Emma went straight to her bed, sitting on the edge and wrapping one hand around the canopy pole. Camilla gave her a look, tilting her head and lowering herself down to sit at Emma’s dressing table.
“You look strange, Emma. Are you feeling all right?”
Emma’s body tingled with excitement. Her father was finally talking to the Duke of Lox. He would save her from the clutches of Lord Archibald.
“I feel fine. I am nervous.”
“You should not be nervous. Your father will approve of the Duke of Lox, just as my father has approved of the Duke of Rabney. You have nothing to worry about.”
Emma shook her head. “I know. I cannot help it. There is always a chance that my step-mother will not honor my father’s wish
es, especially if she has already made an arrangement with Lord Archibald.”
Camilla moved from the dressing table chair to the side of the bed to sit next to Emma. She took her cousin’s hands in hers and held them against her chest. “You must not worry, Emma! The duchess cannot go against your father’s wishes. He will tell the Duke of Lox that he has your approval and I would just… why I would just dare the duchess to stand up to the duke after your father is gone. I would just dare her! Why, she would not have the nerve! He would sweep you away to a castle far away and keep you there for himself.”
Emma shook her head again. “Camilla, you know that is not what I want. I want to stay here. That sounds more like something Lord Archibald would do. Isolating me from everyone the way the duchess has done for the past three days. It was agony, Camilla! Pure agony! I cannot bear to be away from you, away from my loved ones. I do not care if I ever see Corning Manor again. When my father is gone, there will be nothing left to bring me here.”
“Except Katherine.”
“Katherine will be on her way to marriage soon enough. She has someone in mind and I am sure the duchess will approve.”
“Oh, how exciting for her! Who is it?”
“I do not know exactly. I only know that she has her eye on someone. I am sure she would not choose unwisely.”
“And you feel the duchess will approve?”
Emma nodded. “Of course she will approve. Katherine is her daughter. I am not. She just wants me to marry Lord Archibald out of spite.”
Camilla’s face looked doubtful. “Oh, Emma. I think there is more to it than that. I am not sure what, but it does seem to me that the duchess has changed since Lord Archibald came calling.”
“I have been dancing with him for several years during the season. Why is it only now that he has become a problem?”
“Perhaps he felt that he was not getting close enough to you on his own and enlisted the duchess’s help in the matter.”
“But why would she be so willing to go along with it? At the beginning of the season, I was told I needed to find a husband. She did not mention Lord Archibald then. Why did she wait until halfway through the season to force me into this? Now I must count on my ailing father in his last days to save my happiness. Why, it just does not make sense.”
Camilla shook her head. “I do not know the answer to that question but I can tell you that I believe there is more to this than we know. We do not know what the duchess does with her time. She may have met with Lord Archibald or, worse yet, Lady Bonneville. They may be making arrangements without your knowledge.”
“Would Lady Bonneville do such a thing? She does not even know me.”
“That may be why she would go along with it. She may think this is your idea. I am sure Lord Archibald would not snicker at the dowry your parents are offering.”
“The Duke of Lox is much more qualified to care for us and Corning Manor than Lord Archibald. He has traveled the world, learned from the best, and he has a good heart. A good soul. I can tell.”
Camilla grinned wide. “I see you have given up your quest to convince yourself he is no good for you. Do you still think he will treat you like a servant?”
Emma laughed softly through her nose, pursing her lips. “I have seen the way he treats servants, Camilla. He can treat me with such kindness as much as he likes.”
Camilla giggled. “I am so glad you have come to that conclusion. He really does seem to be a quality suiter. You will marry him then?”
“I will if he will have me.”
“I think we have no doubt that he will have you.” Camilla leaned over and began to untie her boots. Prompted by this, Emma did the same thing. “I was thinking, however, how funny it was that Lady Christian did not come back with us. Surely she rode with the Duke of Rabney. He is her cousin and she is staying at Brisbourne. It would only make sense for her to ride with us.”
“It is strange,” Emma said, sitting up straight again and watching her cousin as she took off her boots. “And neither of the dukes knew they were coming back here until the last minute. Oh, Camilla! Do you suppose the Duke of Lox made another arrangement for her previously? I saw her looking at us as we danced tonight and she did not look displeased. It made me wonder for a few moments but then I forgot about her. What do you suppose happened to her?”
Camilla grinned. “Perhaps she had Lord Archibald escort her home.”
Emma had to laugh at the notion. “I can only dream of such a thing!”
“I am not really worried about Lady Christian, though,” Camilla said as she pulled off first one boot and then the other. She flexed her toes in her stockings and glanced at her cousin. “Look, my stockings have no mud on them.”
Both young women burst out laughing. Emma pulled off her boots and smiled. “None on mine either.”
“Do you think we should stay up and wait for the men to be finished talking to your father?”
Emma thought about it for a moment. It was already very late. She was very tired from the dance. She lifted one foot and rubbed it with her hands. “I do not think it would be wise. We will see them again very soon. Tomorrow, in fact, I am quite sure. My father is surely giving his blessing to the Duke of Lox and the duchess will not be able to change that.”
“We can only hope she does not try.”
“I agree.” Emma stood up, grimacing from the ache in her feet. “I should have sat down more often during the ball tonight. It was an eventful night, was it not?”
“It was.” Camilla stood up too, moving to the dresser. She pulled out two nightgowns and night caps. “It is so fortunate that we are the same size, Emma. I do not have to have my own clothes here. I can just borrow yours.”
“As long as you leave me with some, you can borrow all you want.” Emma’s smile was teasing.
“You do the same when you come to Cooksey Castle.” Camilla chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh Emma, I do not know if I will even be able to sleep. I am surprised you can! You have finally overcome your desire to avoid believing in the Duke of Lox’s honest intentions and affections. I suppose we can say it was a good thing that your step-mother has been trying to pair you with Lord Archibald. You may never have given the Duke of Lox a chance otherwise.”
Emma sighed. “I should not have behaved the way I have. I have been so suspicious. It seems I only hear the negative when he speaks. That is something I will work on.”
“He is a good man. My Rabney always speaks so highly of him.”
Emma turned to look at her cousin. “Have the two of you discussed me?”
Camilla raised her eyebrows. “Of course we have discussed you. Rabney wondered why you would not give the Duke of Lox a chance. I suppose the Duke of Lox has been speaking about you to him. In highly favorable ways, as well. That is what Rabney has said. The Duke of Lox has never spoken ill of you. I do believe he was intrigued by you from the beginning.” She grinned. “Your behavior toward him may have been what intrigued him. He is used to being fawned over like a god. When you did not show him that kind of attention, he wondered why. That is just my thoughts. I do not speak for him. But it is a good possibility.”
Emma thought about it for a moment. “It may be the truth, Camilla, but I cannot continue to treat him that way.”
Camilla shook her head. “No, you do not want to do that. Now that you have established you are interested in him, you should not treat him with disdain any longer.”
It made Emma’s heart hurt to think that she had ever treated the Duke of Lox with disdain, even though she knew she had. “I am ashamed of the way I acted.”
“No, do not be ashamed. Keep in mind that he never lost interest and is speaking to your father about you right now. We both know that must be what they are talking about.”
Emma nodded.
“He is yours now, Emma,” Camilla grinned. “You must get used to it.”
They laughed softly as they finished dressing for bed. Both were exhausted. Camilla gave Emma a long
hug and left the room with a smile.
Emma pulled back the covers to her bed and slid in between them, enjoying the feel of the cool sheets against her bare toes. She wondered if the dukes were still talking to her father. She closed her eyes and pictured her wedding to the Duke of Lox in her mind. What would it be like? How would she dress? Who would attend?
She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
* * *
Emma woke to the sound of movement in her room. She turned over in bed but saw nothing in the darkness.
“Is someone there?” she tried to focus but her drapes were pulled closed and the moon provided no light. She could only see the shadows of still objects in her room. She looked around for a moment before turning back to lay her head down on the pillow. Her eyes were open. She was wide awake.
Another sound behind her reached her ears but before she could turn, a hand covered her mouth with a cloth. She tried to scream but the cloth stunk of a chemical that made it hard for her to breathe. She struggled, kicking her legs for a moment when the weight of someone’s body came down hard on her, trapping her arms.
She moved her head from side to side to try to get away from the cloth over her mouth and nose. She felt fog cover her brain and fell unconscious.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Emma woke with a headache. She lifted one hand and pressed it against her forehead, moaning. The bed she was in felt foreign and alerted her that she was not in Corning Manor any longer. She was not in her bedroom.
Fear split through her. She was afraid to open her eyes. There might be someone in the room. What had been done to her? Where was she?
She took note of each of her limbs. Her wrists and ankles were free of binds and she was resting in a comfortable bed. It just was not her bed. The only part of her that hurt was her head. Otherwise, she was unharmed.
She opened her eyelids just enough to peek through her lashes. She was facing a window with the drapes pulled open halfway. Her mind whirled with terror. She wanted to turn over and look around the room but what if someone was there waiting for her to awaken? What would they do to her when they found out she was awake?