As they began the first course, they all became more acquainted with Sarah. She spoke somewhat of her background as well as the plans for the wedding. It would be taking place in just a few months’ time. She invited them all to her parents' home so that the families could meet. Thaddeus simply nodded impassively, not showing any signs whatsoever of his feelings. Grace seemed smitten with Sarah as well.
Thaddeus noticed that Evie spoke very little. He thought perhaps she was being respectful of the family. He found his eyes occasionally seeking her out, seated between Grace and Phoebe. By the conclusion of dinner Thaddeus understood why Sarah reminded Cornelius of Abigail. She certainly appeared to be kind, well-bred, and of good humor. He believed she should make a good wife.
Following dinner, they moved back into the salon for coffee and dessert. Grace and Sarah chatted away like old friends. Evie was drawn into conversation with Phoebe and Martin, while Thaddeus looked on. He could not name his feelings at the moment. Only that he felt Abigail's absence very strongly at that time. He knew that if she were alive that she would be sitting among them holding court. Thaddeus felt removed from them all.
It seemed that Evie became aware of this. Thaddeus looked up and Evie was holding out a piece of cake for him. He took it and said, “Thank you.”
“It seemed as if you might need it.”
“I'm sorry. I do not mean to disturb you.”
“Oh no! I did not mean that. I only noticed your silence.”
Thaddeus nodded gratefully. The two held eye contact for a moment before Evie went to return to her seat. Thaddeus was not sure what had passed between them, but it had certainly been something. As if nothing had happened, Evie simply fell back into conversation. He thought for a moment that he had imagined the moment they shared, but he was sure he had not. He made an attempt to join into the conversation.
It did not take long for Sarah to extend an open invitation to their future home to Martin, Phoebe, and Evie. Phoebe responded, “That would be our pleasure. We would love to have you all to our home for dinner as well.”
Sarah responded, “I would be delighted.”
Cornelius added, “Yes and of course Grace shall come to stay once we have settled. Perhaps maybe even on a more permanent basis.”
Thaddeus responded, “Oh, that won't be necessary. She is quite well-fixed here. Naturally, she will visit.”
Thaddeus thought that he detected some wordless exchange between Grace and Evie. It was over as soon as he had seen it, but he knew it was there. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Before he could think on it too much, Martin and Phoebe mentioned taking their leave. Before doing so, the ladies went away for a walk about the grounds in the late spring twilight.
The men moved on to the study for a nightcap. Once they were all fixed Martin said to Cornelius, “Soon it seems that you shall join the more mature club of manhood. You will do so more gracefully than your brother, I am sure. His wedding day was quite the ordeal.”
Cornelius questioned, “How so? I do not remember this.”
“You were still a bit young. Before the dapper, solemn elder Wellington turned up at the altar, the young and wild Thaddeus tried to run for freedom. It was all I could to convince him that his life was not over.”
“Brother, is this true?”
Thaddeus nodded thoughtfully, saying, “Oh yes.”
Cornelius questioned, “But you loved Abigail so.”
“Yes, but love was hardly the question. How was I to know that Father had not had the same fond feelings on his and Mother's day of marriage? I wondered if perhaps marriage was doomed to be a miserable affair regardless. I found that my joy might be behind me.”
“What changed your mind?”
Thaddeus looked to Martin who interceded, “Well, I convinced him that your parents had never liked each other and furthermore that his reputation had become such that no lady of any fair repute would dare be near him. His only chance at any form of affair would be to settle upon one lady in particular. Who better than Abigail?”
“That did it?”
Thaddeus answered, “That did it.”
Martin walked over to Cornelius saying, “I'm not so concerned for you. You're a far steadier chap than your brother. Perhaps you might influence him to be more sensible.”
Cornelius chuckled to himself, saying, “Oh, I have faith in my brother. Just give him time.”
“Perhaps you have been away for too long. Your brother was being held up by Abigail and your father. With neither I fear that he shall remain a scoundrel yet.”
“Thaddeus here is a man in the proper order. Soon enough he will realize the necessity of a wife and find himself another fair one. I'd be willing to bet on it.”
“I will take that bet. I shall surely collect upon it.”
The two shook hands, laughing. Thaddeus said nothing. He was not sure which side of the bet he would take up himself. As of now, he felt fairly sure that Martin was correct. He could hardly stand to think of himself taking a wife. Yet he could acknowledge their usefulness. Also, he would like to produce an heir to continue the family legacy. It seemed inevitable that he would once again wed. The reality of which brought him no joy.
Once the men had finished their drinks they went back out to find the women. They made their way inside in the falling darkness. Thaddeus offered for Martin and Phoebe to stay, however, they insisted that they must go on. As Phoebe said her farewells, Martin and Thaddeus got a moment alone. Martin said to Thaddeus, “You see now, your brother shall be fine. He may be twice the man of either of us.”
“Maybe so. It doesn't seem to matter anymore. It has all been decided. Now all that is to be done is to go on with it.”
“Please do promise to be this enthusiastic with the Wynns. I'm sure they will be thrilled.”
“It is times like this I do wish my parents were still here. Well, maybe Abigail. She'd know how to handle this things.”
“You're spoiled. Used to Abigail doing the heavy lifting on these matters. Either you will find a new wife to take it up, or simply accept your duties. You are Duke, after all.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“Anytime. I trust you will be seeking my counsel should you find the need.”
Thaddeus did not answer. He simply walked over to bid Phoebe farewell. He had always been fond of her. He could not think of a more perfect wife for Martin. She was amiable, yet firm with him when he needed. He thought there might be one for every man. He had his already.
Martin and Phoebe took their leave and the others began to retire to their quarters. Cornelius and Sarah would be leaving the following afternoon and Cornelius asked Thaddeus if he would indulge them of a more thorough tour about the grounds. Thaddeus had agreed.
So for a rare occasion, Thaddeus retired to the master bedroom early. After a full night's rest, they all rejoined in the dining room for breakfast. After eating, they walked out onto the grounds where Thaddeus directed the tour. He gave the history of the home, which had been in the family for quite some time. Their grandfather had it built, the brainchild of his father before him, who had died before bringing it to fruition. It had been the home in which his father was raised and as the eldest he had taken it over once his father was deceased. Their mother had taken a hand in redecorating to suit her tastes.
They went through the garden over to the stables and then over to the lake. They moved about the edge of the trees and back through the path leading to the front door. At the conclusion, Sarah remarked, “What a beautiful estate. It must have been a great deal of fun growing up here.”
Cornelius replied, “Indeed it was. I remember as if it were only yesterday that I pushed Grace on the swing set.”
Grace giggled playfully as if she were swinging her feet in the air as he spoke. Thaddeus could recall seeing them play, being too old himself to engage. Abigail had spoken once of what it would be like for their children to grow up in the home. He shook off the thought before it could bring him so
rrow. They moved back inside, out of the unseasonably warm day. It seemed as if summer was beginning to make its approach.
Cornelius and Sarah prepared to take their leave. Their belongings were brought out to the coach. As they moved back to the entryway Grace embraced Cornelius lovingly. She said, “Oh how I've missed you. I hadn't realized just how much.”
Cornelius replied, “I have missed you too. We shall be seeing each other soon. I will write to you in the coming days.”
Evie bid them farewell as well. Then Cornelius and Sarah approached Thaddeus at the door. Thaddeus said, “Please do send word of when your family shall be expecting us. Safe travels.” Cornelius gripped his hand saying, “Yes, brother, I shall be in touch.”
Sarah stepped forward saying, “Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I am so glad to have met you and greatly anticipate seeing you again.”
Thaddeus bowed and took her hand. They all walked out front to see Cornelius and Sarah out. Cornelius led Sarah down to the coach. With a final wave of goodbye, they entered and were off. The three remaining watched them head up the drive before re-entering the house. Grace and Evie went off to some conversation or adventure of their own. Thaddeus went off to receive his correspondence. Having now met with Sarah, he sent out a proper letter to her family, as was often to be done. This correspondence should regularly take place amongst the parents, but Thaddeus was all Cornelius had.
With no more guests in the home, Thaddeus could resume his regular routine of business followed by hushed trysts with less discerning ladies. With Cornelius' impending nuptials in mind, Thaddeus was more determined than ever to embrace his freedom. While he had not sought to be free of Abigail, he was. His younger brother may not have taken his advice to enjoy his status, but he would.
He thought again of the exchange between Martin and Cornelius. Their bet now hung over him like an omen. He felt as if a countdown were now ticking in his mind. Someday, not so distantly, he would again be wed. Until then, it seemed he had little choice, but to enjoy whatever pleasures that he could. Once it was over there would be no turning back. It would be likely that for the remainder of his days he would be bond to another. He felt the dread already.
Wellington manor had returned to normalcy for the time being. The Duke was maintaining his duties, as his father would have had him to do. Later, he would engage in what his father would have thought shameful. As a youth, it had been his one goal not to become his father. It would seem for the time being, even whilst taking on some of his duties, he remained faithful to that goal.
Chapter 10
It had been quite an evening and Evie felt more than ever that she might understand The Duke. He could seem to be such a harsh man, but he had a great deal of responsibility. He had after all loss both parents and was as the eldest responsible for the futures of his younger siblings. He seemed to be doing a good job of ensuring that they were well-tended.
On top of that, he was still dealing with the aftermath of losing his wife. It would be a lot for anyone and Evie did not believe that he should be judged if he chose to handle in such a way that others might find inappropriate. Amongst his family, she felt like she saw his true self; tough, but reliable for those that needed him.
Grace had been happy with the visit, for the most part. They had both taken heed of The Duke’s response to Lord Cornelius’ suggestion that Grace come to live with him. When they were alone Grace commented, “You saw how quickly he dismissed the idea. I was not expecting that.”
Evie replied, “Well, he was simply saying that it would not be necessary. He is not wrong about you being well here.”
“Yes, but I would have thought he would understand why I would want to live with Cornelius. He knows how close we have always been.”
“I do not believe that your brother thought about it in those terms. He was simply assuring Lord Cornelius that you are well taken care of. Perhaps he thought he only offered because Abigail is no longer here.”
“Yes, perhaps. It seems that should I decide to move there will be a conversation to be had.”
Evie nodded and said, “Yes, but you do have time. Remember that whoever you stay with, it will not be for very long. No matter what they with both always be your brothers.”
“Yes, I know.”
“What was your impression of Sarah?”
“She seemed to be quite lovely. She reminded me a lot of Abigail. At least from what I saw, I think she should be a fair wife for Cornelius.”
“Yes, I quite liked her.”
“I think Thaddeus did too.”
“How can you tell?”
Grace shrugged and said, “I know my brother. Many think him being so quiet was a sign of disapproval. Had he really disapproved, he would have questioned her much more.”
Evie contemplated this. She also contemplated the moment that had passed between her and the Duke. It had lasted barely a second, but while looking in each other’s eyes she felt something that she knew he must have felt to. Up until that point, she had known nothing of the like in his presence. She acknowledged his good looks, but she felt mostly gratitude and nervousness around him.
Yet, what had passed between them the night before was much more than that. She was not sure what to make of it. Throughout the rest of the evening, she had caught him looking in her direction, but she couldn’t be clear what it was he was thinking. She thought of the women it was supposed that he was carrying on some kind of affair with. Could it be that his lust was now geared in her direction?
She certainly hoped not. She should not like to find herself in a position to face his advances. She was a lady and had never participated in any such behaviors with any man. At most she had shared a stolen, delicate kiss, but even that had only been a time or two; once as a young girl and the second time with the man she had thought to be her future husband.
Evie had never been particularly vain. She had been called pretty many times by many people and therefore supposed that it must be so, however, she knew that it was not fitting for someone in her position to be so forward as to assume the attraction of men, particularly those who were of greater rank than she. She had heard many stories about girls who had been put in such positions and it was always a horror. She wanted no parts of it.
As far as she could recall, His Grace had never been so forward with her. The two had barely touched in all of the time they had spent in each other’s presence. They were not prone to much conversation either. Grace had told her many times that Evie reminded her of Abigail. Lord Martin and Lady Phoebe had also said as much. She supposed it was possible that she may also bring about some remembrance to Thaddeus that caused him to look upon her the way he had.
For her part, she could not quite identify her own feelings. As she had anticipated, she had found Lord Cornelius quite beguiling and wished that she had been able to meet him while he was still available. He did strongly favor his elder brother, but there still something very boy-like about him. He was mature, yet sweet. She had even found Martin to be an attractive man, well-suited for his lovely wife, Phoebe. But for Thaddeus, her feelings seemed clouded.
He was, after all, her employer. It was difficult to separate him from her need of the position. She thought that perhaps it had only been a trick of the eye that the two of them shared something. She had at the time been somewhat vulnerable. Seeing how Grace got along with Sarah frightened her. She did not want to be selfish, but if Grace were to go that would put her back in the deep of her troubles. She would like to hope that she would have found a worthy suitor in that time, but at that point there were no prospects to suggest that it would be so.
As the day began to bear on, she was forced to turn her worries elsewhere. The next dinner party she was set to attend would likely not be so pleasant. In hours, she would be at her aunt’s doorstep, not sure what the reception would be. She helped Grace to ready herself for a visit to her dear friend’s home. Evie retreated to her room to try to find an appropriate gown for the occ
asion.
Time went by far too quickly. Soon, Grace had gone and Evie was the next to depart. Lucy would be coming to retrieve her before they made the trip to the Talbot place, where their Aunt Deborah lived. Evie dawdled about the entryway, dreading the time for departure. As she waited, Thaddeus passed by on his way out.
He seemed startled to find Evie there. She had been so consumed with her thoughts that she too was frazzled by Thaddeus’ presence. He said, “Hello.”
She replied, “Hello.”
“Were you waiting for the coachman to take you somewhere?”
“Oh no. My sister will be by shortly to retrieve me.”
“I see. Well, I wanted to thank you for being so gracious to my brother and his fiancée.”
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