She’d let him slip it onto her finger, next to her wedding ring, and she’d seen then that he drew great joy from giving her gifts. She hoped he wasn’t overspending, but she could hardly deny him this pleasure. Perhaps in the future she could gently encourage him to bring her small things that would still have great meaning.
He stepped up behind her and encircled her with his arms. He bent to kiss her temple.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you,” Millie murmured.
“Nervous?”
“Yes. Our first party.”
“The first of many. I hope you enjoy yourself.”
“I shall try. Oh—” She turned and eyed him uneasily. “What shall I say if Mrs. Stone inquires about her brother again?”
“You can refer her to me if you like. Just tell her again that you last saw him on the train, and he was fine then. I’ll speak to Randolph before they go home and tell him a little more. I don’t know whether they will want to do anything for Walmore or not, but I shall happily leave the matter to them now.”
“Yes,” Millie said. “I’m glad you got him out of custody though. I couldn’t have borne it if we’d had to see his sister and know he was in jail or in mortal danger from those thugs.”
David had paid a small fine for Peregrin in New York and assured the police that he was who he said he was. Then, at Millie’s pleading, he had paid the young man’s debt but impressed upon him that he must never ask David for help again.
“Well, we couldn’t very well leave him in the situation he’d gotten into, but I shall tell Randolph I am done with it. Walmore will never receive another penny from me. What he makes of his future is up to him.”
“I agree,” Millie said. “And thank you.”
David shrugged. “Well, I’ve learned more about the affair that sent him into exile, and I think it will be cleared up soon. He’ll probably be back in England before another year is up. But I know you couldn’t sleep if you knew he was still in danger when we sailed, and I do want you to sleep well—especially now.”
She smiled and nestled into his arms for a kiss.
A few minutes later, they walked down the staircase together. She could still hardly believe her husband owned all of this—the elegant mansion and its expansive grounds, with tenant farms, a mill, and a large stable that David had already begun to stock with fine horses.
In just two months, he had put the estate to rights. The steward that had served his brother Richard had kept things going on a modest scale, but David had great plans for the spring. He was positive he could make the estate more than self-sustaining, and his employees and tenants had caught his optimism and flung themselves into the work.
Meanwhile, he told Millie, they would get used to living here and relax during the winter. Millie knew he was letting her get her feet wet slowly. The social connections she had met already had let her know that they hoped the Stones would take an active part in “the season” in London next spring. That, it seemed, involved lots of parties and entertaining, but it would not be a problem. Her husband also owned a townhouse in London’s most fashionable quarter.
Among the first guests to enter the large drawing room off the front hall were Randolph and Merrileigh Stone. Millie inhaled deeply and pasted on a smile. She had met the couple once before this visit, a week after she and David had landed in England. Randolph was all right, rather bluff and hearty, and Millie suspected he wasn’t overly intellectual. Merrileigh, on the other hand, seemed much more clever than her husband, but also a bit sly. She didn’t quite look down her nose at the new countess, but Millie got the impression she would love to do so, if only David weren’t quite so watchful.
“What a lovely gown, milady,” she said as she grasped Millie’s hand.
“Thank you. Yours is quite charming.” Millie swept a glance over Merrileigh’s gray-and-mulberry dress. She thought the colors made the wearer look older, but of course she said nothing of that. “I trust your quarters are comfortable?”
“Yes, very nice,” Merrileigh said, “though I confess Randolph had hoped for the rooms overlooking the rear gardens.”
David, standing beside Millie, jumped in. “I’m sorry, but I’ve put the Duke of Marlborough in those rooms.”
Randolph, who stood before David looking very slick and over-groomed, with his hair styled a bit too foppishly and his cravat arranged in an extravagant waterfall, raised his hand in protest.
“Our rooms are fine, Cousin. Very comfortable, I assure you. I merely made a passing reference to the time we stayed in the other suite several years ago. But I’m sure every accommodation in this house is lovely. I especially like the painting over the mantel in my current chamber.”
“Ah yes, the Battle of Trafalgar.” David nodded. “Well, Lady Stoneford and I hope you enjoy this visit as much as you did that other, though we shall all be put in mind of Richard and Elizabeth, I’m sure, and wish they were still with us.”
“Of course,” Randolph murmured.
Merrileigh opened her mouth as if to speak again, but her husband steered her aside to make way for other guests. Richly dressed people were now pouring in, and the butler dutifully announced them all, but within ten minutes, Millie’s head swam with names and faces. The women she tried to organize in her mind by what they wore, but soon her brain was overtaxed by the variety and sheer volume of details she’d tried to store, and she gave up.
She stuck close to David during the hour before dinner. It seemed everyone in the world—or at least in England—wanted to meet her. Most were very kind and felicitated the bride and groom with seeming sincerity. Women ogled David shamelessly, and Millie wondered how many had mourned the dashing young man when he left their circle twenty years ago.
“My dear, all the men are agog at you,” he whispered in her ear midway through the hour.
“Are they?” She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “I’m afraid I’ve been watching the women.”
“Studying their fashions? Some are rather extreme, are they not?”
“Actually, I was watching them study you.”
He smiled and squeezed her gently about the waist. “I’m sure they’re curious about my American bride. Let me assure you that so far you’ve been the perfect hostess.”
She relaxed a little. It wasn’t so hard when you had a score of servants keeping things flowing smoothly. At dinner, she sat between two gentlemen who seemed determined to monopolize her attention. She swiveled back and forth between them, answering their questions about life in America and how she had met David, without giving too much detail.
“We first met in the Oregon Territory,” she told the duke. “But we were only in proximity for a few days then. I believe Stoneford was doing some mining business at the time. After I left the area, I didn’t see him again for more than a year. We were reunited on a stagecoach journey.”
That was the most she gave out about their early dealings. She and David had discussed it, and both saw the wisdom of not revealing more than the bare minimum.
Later, when the ladies had retired to what was known as the music room—which was graced by a spinet—one of them invited her to a house party in Yorkshire the last week of February.
“We’ll have prodigious fun,” she predicted. “And I hear you like to ride. Stoneford told my husband that he’s bought you a hunter.”
“Well yes,” Millie said, racking her brain for the lady’s name and coming up empty. “I thank you very much, but I probably shan’t be doing much riding by then.”
“Oh?”
Every eye turned upon her, and Millie felt her face go scarlet.
“Don’t tell me you’re increasing, my dear,” Merrileigh said in a tone that could be construed as either horrified or merely an exaggerated surprise.
“Well…” Had she made a terrible social blunder? “I’ve only just seen the physician yesterday, but he thinks it likely.”
The Duchess of Marlborough smiled and reached to squeeze her
hand. “That’s marvelous news, my dear. I wish you the best. It’s high time there was a child in this house again.”
After that the ice was broken. All of the women congratulated Millie and doled out advice. One assured her that motherhood was the most noble of callings, and another decreed that David would be the dotingest father ever. Merrileigh was the only one who said nothing. She sat on a brocade-covered wing chair in a corner with a dour expression on her lips—but that might be attributed to the coffee she sipped.
When at last the gentlemen joined them, all were laughing and grinning at David. Millie knew at once that he had also broken the news of the impending heir to his friends. He made his way to her side and joined her on the velvet settee.
Leaning close, she whispered, “I see the news is out.”
“Yes. I hope you don’t mind awfully. They’re too polite to mention it now, but be sure all their wives will know before midnight.”
“Oh, they know,” Millie said. “I do hope I didn’t cause a scandal. I didn’t mean to announce it, but it just came out.”
“Don’t fret, my love.” He raised her hand to his lips.
One of the men laughed—the Earl of something, Millie thought. Glastonbury? Hartford? How could she possibly keep all of their names and titles straight?
“Well, now, Stoneford, I’m impressed with what you’ve done here in such a short time,” the gentleman said. “I hope you and your lady will have a long and happy life here.”
“Thank you,” David said. “We hope so, too.” He squeezed Millie’s hand, and she echoed the sentiment in her heart.
Discussion Questions
1. Millie has ambivalent feelings toward her half brother, Sam. Do you think she is wise to leave him and strike out on her own?
2. Why is it so important to Millie to explain her actions to David?
3. Why doesn’t David want to talk to Millie?
4. David is considered a gentleman by nearly everyone, but Millie has to earn the right to be thought of as a lady. Why, and is this fair? Who finds it hardest to think of her as a lady?
5. If you were David, what would you have done to help Mrs. Caudle when her husband died? What would you have done to help Millie? Did David do enough? Too much? What limits do you make on charitable giving?
6. Peregrin has several weaknesses that lead him into trouble. His sister is a much stronger character—and yet her heart is no purer. Why do you think Merrileigh gets into less trouble than Peregrin?
7. After the accident, Millie concentrates her efforts on protecting David and seeing that he gets care. Do you think she acts selfishly? Should she have helped the other stagecoach passengers?
8. Halfway through the book, Mille takes care of David, but later on—once they begin their train journey—the roles are reversed, and David protects Millie. Has Millie sacrificed her independence by allowing this?
9. Given the conventions of the day and the perception of “propriety” in the 1850s, do you find Millie bold, conservative, or simply practical?
10. Describe David, Millie, Merrileigh, and Peregrin using only one definitive word for each character.
11. Millie’s confidence slips near the end of the story, as she prepares to enter David’s world. What things do each of them do to overcome this?
12. David slips back into the privileged class quite easily after his stint on the frontier, but Millie finds it harder to deal with menial workers and servants. Compare their relationships with porters, waiters, and maids to your own attitude toward people who serve you. Are you ever embarrassed to let a worker serve you?
13. Millie’s spiritual transformation takes her on a perilous road, and her faith is tested often. One of the first rough spots she encounters is her separation from her brother. How would you handle the death of a loved one who was committing a crime?
About the Author
SUSAN PAGE DAVIS is the author of more than forty novels, in the romance, mystery, suspense, and historical romance genres. A Maine native, she now lives in western Kentucky with her husband, Jim, a retired news editor. They are the parents of six, and the grandparents of nine fantastic kids. She is a past winner of the Carol Award, the Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction, and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Susan was named Favorite Author of the Year in the 18th Annual Heartsong Awards. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com
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