by Ayles, Abby
Duke Cartwrigh shook his head. “You are no bother, my dear. Thank you for your consideration.”
The girls looked at each other. Annabelle wondered if her friend was thinking the same thing she was. There were three eligible suitors in the house at that moment.
Was her father setting up this meeting for her, Julia and possibly Joanna?
They turned and went to the door. Before they reached it, Mary, who was dusting nearby, took quick steps to get in front of them and opened it for them.
Annabelle smiled at the young woman as she passed.
The girls went directly to the table. As she passed the tall mahogany shelves on her left, Annabelle reached out and grabbed the backgammon board, which sat by itself in the corner where she always left it.
One any given day, there was a good chance she and Julia could be seen sitting at this table, playing a game of backgammon.
It was one of Julia’s favorites. Not to mention, she was a terribly good strategist, causing her to win most of the games they played. Annabelle did not mind. She enjoyed seeing her friend happy.
The older men went to stand at the bar, where Duke Cartwright proceeded to make a small glass of brandy, offering a drink to his guests.
The reverend declined. Duke Colbourn also took a small glass of brandy from his host. Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard looked longingly at the bottles lining the wall but both shook their heads, not offering an explanation of their refusal.
“This is Lord Gilbert and his brother Lord Leonard Balfour,” the Reverend said, his eyes directed toward Duke Colbourn. They are my apprentices.”
“Leonard is his apprentice.”
Even from across the room, Annabelle could hear the indignation in Lord Gilbert’s voice.
Her eyes darted in his direction, instinctually wanting to catch the reaction of the other men and see the look on Lord Gilbert’s face. He’d noticed the reaction his words got and immediately looked ashamed.
“I mean, I am here in support of my brother’s decision,” he said quickly. “And to see if it is also the life I would like to lead.”
Duke Cartwright and Duke Colbourn eyed the young man for a moment. Lord Leonard chuckled without humor.
“It seems my brother was not forthcoming about his dislike for change.”
Lord Gilbert looked at Lord Leonard, gratefully. “This is true.” He turned his eyes to the other men.
“I am not fond of change. Not at all.”
He gave them a weak smile.
Annabelle looked over the table at Julia, whose ears were as in tune with the men’s conversation as hers was. She could tell by the look on the pretty girl’s face.
Her eyes were on the pieces of the game in front of her but her shoulders were lifted and she was tense from concentrating.
“Julia!” Annabelle hissed to get her friend’s attention. Julia looked up with her eyes but did not move her head. Her hands were frozen on two game pieces.
“If you do not move soon, your muscles will freeze and you will be a statue. A pretty statue but a statue nonetheless!”
Julia’s face broke into a smile and she relaxed her shoulders. “I was just listening to…” she moved her eyes to the corners, bobbing her head in the direction of the men at the same time.
“I was, too. We should not eavesdrop.”
“His Grace told us we could come in,” Julia leaned forward, whispering.
“And besides, they are not discussing robbing the Queen’s bank, are they?”
Both girls giggled, covering their lips with their hands. They started the game and soon, Julia was winning as usual.
“I do not know why I continue to play this game with you, Julia,” Annabelle tried to sound whiny but failed. Julia laughed.
“Because you love me.”
“When you are right, you are right,” Annabelle grinned at her.
“Oh dear, it looks like you are losing quite badly, Miss Cartwright.” Duke Colbourn’s voice made them both look up and realize he was standing at the table, his hands folded behind his back, an amused look on his face.
Chapter 7
Annabelle’s heart flipped in her chest. It beat rapidly for a moment before she got the adrenaline rush under control. She smiled at him.
“Julia is a master at this game, your Grace. I rarely beat her. If I do, it is probably because she is tired and needs to be in bed.”
“Apparently today is not that day.” Duke Colbourn lifted one hand and saluted Julia.
“My hat is off to you, dear Lady. You are very good at this game. I shall remember to decline any offers to play you may send my way.”
“And I shall remember not to send any offers your way, having previously been told they would be declined.” Julia sounded amused, grinning at the man.
Annabelle denied the streak of jealousy that split through her. She kept the smile on her face and watched the exchange between the two.
It should not have made her jealous and she chided herself gently for it. Julia would never flirt with the Duke knowing how she felt about him. The girl was not even looking at him anymore, she was staring down at her cards and the Duke was looking at Annabelle.
She looked down at the board to see Julia had taken one of her pieces. She was laughing. “Oh dear,” Annabelle said. “I was distracted.”
“You may have been distracted, my dear, but I still got the piece,” Julia replied. She looked at the Duke. “If you would like to pull a chair to the table, my Lord, you seem to be a good luck charm for me.”
Duke Colbourn laughed. “I have no prior commitments. However, decency keeps me from sitting at the table with you, as three is not as good of a match-up as four. In addition, this is a two-player game. To reiterate, it would not be the decent thing to do.”
“Would you like to play a game with us, your Grace? Perhaps a different one?”
Duke Colbourn smiled at her. “Playing a different game is a better idea.”
“How about a walk in the garden?” The voice behind Duke Colbourn was not as familiar.
Duke Colbourn turned and they saw Lord Gilbert standing behind him, having left Duke Cartwright, his brother, and the Reverend by the fireplace on the other side of the room.
“I am a bit tired from walking around the city all day,” Duke Colbourn confessed. Annabelle scanned his face. He did not look tired. She suspected he did not want to take a walk with the young man. Her eyes slid to Lord Gilbert’s face, who looked up at Duke Colbourn with no look of intimidation. He smiled.
“Perhaps another time then. Shall I join you for a match-up of four in a game of Cribbage?”
It looked like they would not be able to keep Lord Gilbert from joining their group. Annabelle felt guilty for not wanting to add the young man and gestured to the chair to her left.
“Please join us, Lord Gilbert, your Grace. I will get the Cribbage box.”
She left them to decide what type of Cribbage game to play and went back to the shelf, searching for the box.
When she found it, she turned and almost ran into Julia, who was bringing the backgammon board to the shelf.
“Here’s the box.” Her voice betrayed her disappointment. “We did not even get through one game.”
“You would have won anyway, dear,” Annabelle laughed. “That was not in question.”
Julia shook her head, replacing the game where Annabelle had taken it from.
“It was not the winning that I was looking forward to. It was the playing.”
“I am glad you like the game so much, Julia. I am sorry the men decided to join us.”
“Oh, it will be all right.” Julia gave her a smile. “I am just being a child. Maybe I am tired.”
They both laughed at her reference to Duke Cardinal’s earlier words.
“I do hope that Mr. Balfour does not think I am to be matched up with him simply because you are with the Duke,” Julia said offhandedly as they walked back to the table. Annabelle gave her a strange look.
; “Am I matched up with his lordship?” If so, she was happy about it. But it was not the idea she was having. “I was thinking the same thing about myself.”
Julia shook her head. They were about to reach the table. She gave Annabelle a side-glance with a smile that looked like she was holding back a laugh.
“Oh, Annabelle…” she giggled and went to her seat.
As they played, they kept up small talk that made the four of them very comfortable with one another. Lord Gilbert did not seem as bad as they had thought he would be, from his earlier attitude.
He laughed with them, telling them stories about adventures he and his brother had together. In contrast, Julia would tell a female version of adventure, involving her and Annabelle and even her sister, Joanna.
“Where is this Miss Joanna?” Lord Gilbert asked at one point, looking around the parlor as if the girl would just appear at his beckoning. Julia instinctively looked around to but then laughed.
“I am not sure where she is at this moment. I suspect she will be in shortly, though.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“It is nearing time for the mid-day meal. She does not like to miss meals here. The cook is quite good.”
“You just mentioned the cook at your house is getting better,” Annabelle said. “Do you think she will stay there for the meal?”
Julia raised her eyebrows. “I had forgotten. I guess that is a possibility. I never know what Joanna is going to do. I am her sister but I am not her keeper.”
“Tell me,” Lord Gilbert asked, smiling. “Is she as pretty as you are?”
Annabelle looked at Julia through wide, shocked eyes. Duke Colbourn stared at Lord Gilbert.
Julia blushed and averted her eyes. “I… I do not know. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Lord Gilbert turned to Duke Colbourn. “Have you seen this lady they speak of?”
“I have,” Duke Colbourn replied, in a guarded voice. “All three of these young ladies are a pleasure to look upon.”
The girls smiled. “Thank you, your Grace,” Annabelle said, bowing her head to him and closing her eyes briefly.
“You are most welcome. I see your friend, Miss Rickman, is just as good at Cribbage as she is at backgammon.”
“This is beginner’s luck,” Julia said. “ Annabelle and I rarely play Cribbage. It is a lovely game, though. We shall have to play more often.”
Annabelle nodded, agreeing with her friend. “Will your friend Mr. Covington be joining us soon?”
Duke Colbourn glanced at her. “I must assume he will be here within the next few days. I expected him sooner. It is good that your father is willing to let me stay until he arrives.”
“Does that mean you will be leaving after he assesses the paintings?” Julia asked.
Duke Colbourn looked at her, too, his eyes soft. “I cannot stay in the Norrend forever, Miss Rickman. I have a home to return to.”
“And where is that home?” Lord Gilbert asked.
“It is just south of London in a small city called Bainbridge. We have many interesting characters there. I must say, if you want to see the nature of people, going to London is where you will find the best women to study.”
“Oh my,” Julia covered her mouth with one hand, sharing a look with Annabelle
Duke Colbourn looked guilty. “Not in a derogatory way, my Lady. It is an affectionate term I use for anything innocent that does not realize it is or looks like a fool. I do not hold judgment against these odd people. I feel for them. In my heart.”
Annabelle nodded. “I understand what you mean, my Lord. I have often felt that way.”
“What way do you mean?” Julia still had not caught on to their conversation. Annabelle had no trouble following the duke’s line of reasoning.
“When I see someone who is not in a good place in their life. They may do things that to me seem odd and out of place. But to them, they are doing what they can to survive the only way they know how. And to me that makes them innocent, even if they commit unlawful acts or must resort to begging. A man’s pride cannot handle such a thing, in my opinion. Once his pride is taken away, what is left for him to build upon?”
“You do make a good point, Miss Cartwright,” Duke Colbourn said. “I was unaware women thought about such things.”
Annabelle and Julia both laughed. “Why would we not think about such things? We are designed to nurture and care for men and children. It is our duty to think about them and see what we might do to make life easier for them.”
“I have never heard a woman say such a thing,” Lord Gilbert said. “And I am surrounded by women.”
The other three looked at him questioningly. He blushed to the roots of his dark hair.
“I did not mean I am surrounded by… what I meant to say was that my brother and I were raised in a home where my mother had her three sisters living with us. We have two sisters of our own and my grandmother also lived with us. We have been surrounded by women throughout our lives. You are the first one to express the need or the desire to care for a man’s desires and needs.”
“I believe we all feel that way,” Annabelle replied. “It is just more difficult for some women to express than others.”
“Most women,” Lord Gilbert grumbled under his breath, looking down at the pieces in front of him. “Women are more likely to win at Cribbage games they own, as well.”
His three companions looked at him questioningly.
“I beg your pardon?” Duke Colbourn asked in a low voice.
Lord Gilbert looked at him with a grin. “It is nothing, your grace.”
“It sounded as though you were implying Miss Cartwright might be winning because the game belongs to her. Is that not what I heard?”
Lord Gilbert laughed. “It was a joke, your Grace. Please forgive me.”
The Duke stared at him through hard eyes for a few moments. His eyes moved to Annabelle, who was looking down at her pieces with a red face. It made him angry that Lord Gilbert had tried to shame her.
They played quietly for a few minutes before Annabelle looked up at Duke Colbourn and said, “Are you concerned about the portraits my father is offering you, your grace?”
Duke Colbourn shook his head, taking his turn before answering. “I am not sure if I am concerned or not. It is a difficult thing to say.”
She looked at him with a blank stare. “I do not understand. Please explain what you mean.”
Duke Colbourn continued to look down at the Cribbage board as he thought about his answer. Then he looked at her, placing both hands on the arm rest of the chair he was sitting in and leaning forward slightly.
“I am not the expert Mr. Covington is, my Lady. That is why I called him in. It seems to me a few of the paintings might not be… the genuine article, shall we say?”
Annabelle was shocked. She stared at him in stunned silence, her eyes sliding to Julia, who was equally surprised.
“What? That is not possible.”
Duke Colbourn lifted one hand and lowered his head.
“Now, I am not saying they are not the real thing. I am not the expert here. I have been looking at a lot of paintings for the last four or five years and I have learned a lot. But I am not an expert. Mr. Covington will tell us all we need to know.”
“My father would not try to sell you paintings that were not genuine, my Lord,” Annabelle was feeling a bit testy and it came through in her voice.
Duke Colbourn shook his head.
“Please do not misunderstand me. I have been trained to look for certain things that could indicate that a painting is not real. I am not the expert. Please, believe that I have the best of intentions.”
Chapter 8
That evening, Duke Colbourn joined Duke Cartwright, the Reverend and the two young men on the porch for a smoke before they retired back to the chapel.
Duke Colbourn and Duke Cartwright compared their pipes, noting they both were made of similarly hard word and had a flattened pea
rl affect added to the same parts for each of use.
“Your daughters are fine women, your Grace,” Lord Leonard said graciously. Duke Cartwright smiled at him after lighting the pipe.
“Thank you, Mr. Balfour. Only Annabelle and Cecilia are my daughters. The other two are merely friends of the family.”
“Oh?” Lord Leonard said. “How kind of you to take them in.”
Duke Colbourn listened to Duke Cartwright describing the women and their general habits.
He spoke kindly of them but when it came to his own daughter, he would not hesitate to boast of her skills and her general character.
He gave Lord Leonard a short list of the pleasant characteristics of his daughter and her friends before moving the conversation in a more general area, such as politics.
Duke Colbourn, not wanting to be in a political conundrum, stared out over the land surrounding the mansion, paying no attention to the remarks being made around him.
He’d found that avoiding political conversation with those he was doing business with was always best.
There was a broad spectrum of belief in all of Europe and worldwide. There was no reason to open up political discord without the certainty that everyone would agree.
Chances were, there would be a dissenter and arguments would arise out of debates.
He watched as a young boy led two horses down the road that ran parallel to the house at the bottom of the hill.
He was too far away for his age to be discerned but from the looks of it, he was quite young.
Duke Colbourn remembered leading horses into the stable, brushing them, cleaning them for inspection by his father.
He was a kind man who held the respect of many. His funeral, alongside his wife, who had died with him, was attended by authority figures from all over England.
When Duke Colbourn was a mere boy, his father had taught him to respect everyone and everything around him, large or small, animal or human.
Every creature that lived deserved respect in the eyes of the elder Duke Colbourn. And he had passed the trait down to his son.
His thoughts strayed to Annabelle. In his mind, he could hear her strong laughter, he could see her pretty smile.