“Sedgwick!” A voice familiar to them both pierced the air. “Stop at once! I want to join you!” Lady Bellingham’s small carriage drew up next to theirs, and its occupant, with help, transferred herself from it to the duke’s landau, giving her coachmen instructions to follow behind.
“Good afternoon, Aunt,” Quinton Hunter said. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
“Good afternoon, Lady Bellingham,” Allegra said. Aunt?
“Your fiancé’s mama and I were first cousins,” Lady Bellingham explained. “Now, when is the wedding to be, my dears?”
“Madame, we have not yet had time to consider a date,” Allegra said.
“Why not?” demanded Lady Bellingham.
“This is the first time we have been alone together, Aunt, since last night’s festivities and announcement,” the duke spoke up.
“Well, you had best proclaim a date within the week, or else the gossips will be saying that one of you has cried off. I shall not have the match of the decade ruined by idle gossip!” Lady Bellingham said.
“It will be sometime in the autumn,” Allegra responded.“I plan to spend the summer at Hunter’s Lair overseeing the renovations needed. Papa is sending an architect down next week.”
“You are not being married before the season ends? You are not being married in London?” Lady Bellingham was shocked.
“There isn’t enough time,” Allegra explained.
“No,” the older woman said thoughtfully. “I suppose there really isn’t, for your wedding must be a glorious and most fashionable event, my dears. Still, Allegra, you cannot marry the Duke of Sedgwick in a country church. You must come back to London for your wedding. The king and the queen will expect to attend, as will Prinny. Please remember Quinton’s bloodline, Allegra. You shall be wed on October fifth at St. George’s in Hanover Square,” she decided for them. “I shall speak to the rector myself this very day.” Lady Bellingham smiled. “There, now it is all settled.” She waved at her coachman, and said, “Sedgwick, tell your man to pull over. I am disembarking now into my own vehicle.”
“October is a beautiful month,” Allegra said slowly when Lady Bellingham had left them alone again. “Our little church at Morgan Court is especially lovely then.” She sighed. “But your aunt is right, my lord. Your family is of great importance. We should be married in London.”
He was touched by her care of him, and found himself saying, “If you truly wish to be married in your own country church, Allegra, then that is where we will wed.”
“No, it shall be as Lady Bellingham has decreed, my lord. I will not have it said that Lord Morgan’s daughter had no care for her husband’s family reputation. We shall marry with pomp, and only the crème de la crème among the ten thousand shall be invited. Papa’s secretary,Charles Trent, will decide along with my aunt. Those who are not included will prefer to be out of town that day.” She chuckled. “It shall, however, be the last time we are seen in London for quite some while. We have a duty to perform. Our nursery must be filled as promptly as is possible.”
“My dear,” the duke said with a smile, “you astound me with your practical nature and sensible ways. As you know I do not believe in love, Allegra, but I do think I am going to like you very much.”
“And as long as you allow me my own way, my lord, I shall like you in return,” she replied pertly, a small smile touching her lips.
Quinton Hunter burst out laughing. He did not understand why such good fortune suddenly smiled upon him, but it certainly had. His bride-to-be was a delight despite her less than noble background. He had dreaded coming to London, certain he would not succeed; certain that if he did he would be saddled with some simpering and brainless girl who would be frightened of him and bore him to tears within six months. Allegra was a refreshing surprise. Oh, she was going to have to learn to not say aloud everything that she was thinking; and her habit of involving herself in business ventures would, of course, have to cease. But she had definite possibilities, and with the proper training would make an excellent Duchess of Sedgwick. Her hand on his sleeve brought him back to reality. His gaze followed her direction, and he bowed from the waist to Prinny and Mr. Brummell as they passed by.
“Thank you,” he said to her.
“Just because we are not going to live in London doesn’t mean we should give up our social contacts, my lord,” Allegra told him. “My papa says you never know when you will need a favor, or can do one to your own advantage.”
“Your papa is very wise,” the duke answered her.
“Do you like him? Oh, I hope you will like each other,” Allegra said, suddenly very much the young girl again. “I love Papa more than anyone else upon this earth, my lord.”
“Your papa and I get on very well, and will continue to do so, I promise you, Allegra. Now, did we not agree earlier that you would address me by my Christian name?”
“Yes, Quinton, we did,” she responded, “but you are so impressive a gentleman that I sometimes forget I now have that privilege. Ohh, look! Here comes that dreadful Lord Mountiner, and his daughter. Shall we snub them?” Her violet eyes were dancing wickedly, but then she amended, “Or am I being too awful and not a proper duchess?”
He laughed. “You are very fierce, my dear, but I am of a mind to indulge you in this particular piece of naughtiness as I dislike the family heartily. They own the London house that once belonged to my family and have left our coat of arms over the door rather than remove it, which they should have. It seems to please them to be able to brag they possess Sedgwick House.”
The landau’s horses trotted past the large and rather ornate coach belonging to Lord Mountiner as the duke and Allegra deliberately turned their heads away from the coach’s occupants. The two vehicles passed so closely that Lord Mountiner’s outrage could be heard even as his daughter said in her high-pitched and nasal voice, “Oh, Papa, they are snubbing us! How embarrassing! Take me home!”
“That was quite successful,” Allegra said when they had left the other carriage in their wake. “Let that be a lesson to all who were unkind to both of us this season.”
The rest of their promenade proved uneventful. The landau drove beneath the trees while they bowed and waved to their friends as they passed by. Some were in carriages. Others were riding fine horseflesh. All in all Allegra considered it a most successful outing when they returned to Berkley Square, and the landau drew up before her father’s house. A footman hurried to help her out of the vehicle.
“Will you come in and have tea?” she asked the duke.
“Not today, my dear,” he told her. “Will I see you tonight?”
“There is no event planned,” she said. “I think I shall take the opportunity to go to bed early.”
“Will you dream of me?” he teased her.
“I rarely, if ever, dream,” Allegra responded, but then she added, “but if I did dream, Quinton, I am certain it would be of you.”
He laughed. “Well done, my dear Allegra,” he responded. Then he kissed her hand. “I shall call upon you tomorrow.”
“Come for luncheon,” she replied.
He bowed, and then the landau was gone off down the street and out of the square, the matched bays with the blond tails trotting quite smartly.
Entering the house she found Sirena and Ocky in the garden salon. “Lady Bellingham has set our wedding date for October fifth,” she announced to them. “If you are with child by then, Sirena, you must not show it for I will have no one else but you attending me. Imagine the gossip if I postponed my wedding until you were able to attend me.”
“Ohh, Allegra, you mustn’t do such a thing,” Sirena said, sounding genuinely distressed. “It would be too shocking to even consider.”
Allegra laughed. “Then be certain you can accommodate me, cousin,” she said with a wicked wink at Viscount Pickford.
“We are going to be neighbors,” Sirena said happily. “Ocky’s home,”—she blushed—“his papa’s home, I mean, is in Herefor
d, near Hunter’s Lair. It is called Rose Hall. Isn’t that a lovely name, Rose Hall?”
“Have you decided where to go for your wedding trip?” Allegra inquired curiously.
“We are going to the sea,” the viscount said. “I have cousins with a cottage in Devon. They will be in Kent then at their home, and so they have given us the cottage for as long as we want it. It comes fully staffed. Have you and Quinton discussed your trip, Miss Morgan?”
“We didn’t even get around to discussing the wedding date.” Allegra chuckled. “Lady Bellingham descended upon us like a storm, and decided it all for us. Perhaps tomorrow when Quinton comes to luncheon we will consider it.” Then she patted the viscount upon the arm. “You are marrying my favorite cousin, Ocky. I do think it would be permissible for you to call me by my Christian name.” Then with a smile at them, she departed the garden salon, hurrying upstairs.
Honor brought her mistress her supper upon a tray. Allegra wanted nothing more than to recover from the excitement of the last few days. Her father joined her after he and her aunt had dined with Sirena and Ocky.
“Are you all right, my child?” Lord Morgan asked his daughter.
“Just tired, Papa,” she responded with a small yawn.
“Are you happy?” he said.
Allegra thought a moment, then answered, “I am not unhappy, Papa. The duke is a pleasant and most agreeable fellow. I am very anxious to see Hunter’s Lair.” She yawned again.
“It is not as large as Morgan Court, my dear, but its lineage is most impressive. And, of course, it has more lands than the court,” her father answered. “I am going to leave my home to your second son, Allegra. I hope you will approve.”
“I am not yet wed, Papa,” she replied, “and you already have me producing two sons. What of my daughters?”
“The daughters of a duke with Quinton Hunter’s bloodline, and the dowries you will be able to give them, will have no difficulties in finding mates. It is the sons who come after the first son who need to find a place in this world. Therefore your second son shall have Morgan Court when I die one day. If there are other boys, we shall manage to provide for them, I promise you, my child.”
“What if you remarry, Papa? Would you dispossess your widow?”
“Allegra …,” he began, and then stopped.
“You love my aunt, Papa.” She took his hand in hers. “She has been widowed for several years now. There is nothing to prevent you from asking her to be your wife. Both Sirena and I fully approve, Papa,” Allegra said quietly.
“Do you?” he replied, his look suddenly amused.
“We do, Papa,” Allegra told him seriously, releasing the hand.
“And do you think your aunt would accept an offer of marriage from me? We have been good friends for many years. Perhaps that is all she is willing to give of herself. I should dislike to spoil the friendship I have with Olympia.”
“You will never know, Papa, unless you ask her,” Allegra told him wisely. “I am virtually gone from Morgan Court. Do you really think my aunt would prefer the little dower house at Rowley to being the undisputed mistress of Morgan Court? Sirena and I have often spoken on it. We want you happy together.”
“But what if she says no to me, my child?” he worried.
“Is no such a terrible word, Papa?” Allegra replied.
“As I recall you seemed to think so when you were a little girl,” her father teased her. He arose from her bedside where he had been sitting. “Get your rest now, Allegra. Sirena’s wedding is but nine days away, and then we shall return home.”
“You will ask Aunt Olympia before we leave London?” she queried him.
“I will think on it, Allegra,” and bending, he gave her a kiss upon her forehead. Then he left the room.
His daughter’s words had made a strong impression upon Septimius Morgan. While he was delighted with his daughter’s engagement, and her bright future, the thought of spending the rest of his life alone had been a bleak one. Was Allegra right? Would Olympia accept an offer of marriage from him? Entering his library he found the object of his thoughts sitting by the fire. She looked up and smiled.
“I hope you do not mind my being here, Septimius. Sirena and her beloved are billing and cooing in the salon. I very much felt like a fifth wheel, I fear.”
“Shall I pour you a sherry?” he asked her, and when she nodded he filled two glasses upon the tray and brought her one. Then he sat in the tapestried backed chair opposite her. “We shall both soon be alone, Olympia,” he remarked tentatively. “Morgan Court is such a large place for just one man, and the dower house at Rowley is much too small.”
“Yes, it is,” she replied.
“I should not like to spoil our friendship, Olympia, but perhaps we might take a suggestion that Allegra assures me both she and Sirena approve. Perhaps we should marry.”
“To whom?” Lady Abbott asked him, but her heart was fluttering.
“To each other, my dearest Olympia,” he said, laughing. Then he slipped from his chair, and knelt beside her. “Will you marry me, Olympia? Will you make me the happiest of men so we may spend our twilight years together? I realize that becoming Lady Morgan is a bit of a step-down from Dowager Marchioness of Rowley, but I hope you will consider it.” He looked hopefully up at her.
Her hand had gone to her mouth to stifle her cry at his proposal. Her plump and pretty features were rosy with both her surprise, and her pleasure. Finally, her hand dropped away, and she said, “I could only marry a man who loved me, Septimius.”
He stood, and taking her hands in his drew her up so they were facing each other. “But I do love you, Olympia. I believe I always have, though I dared not voice such sentiments while you were yet married to another. You are everything that your sister was not. Kind and wise and gentle. If you do not want to remarry, I will understand. I only beg you not to allow it to spoil our friendship.”
Olympia Abbott stood on her toes, and kissed Lord Morgan’s lips softly. “Of course I will marry you, Septimius,” she said. “I never had any intention of allowing some other woman to snap you up now that Allegra is going to be leaving you.”
“We will wed before Allegra’s marriage,” he said firmly.
“When?” she asked him, rather delighted at his eagerness.
“The day after Sirena and young Pickford are wed,” he said with a chuckle. “That way both our girls will be able to attend us. Then Sirena and Ocky will depart on their wedding trip. You will come home with Allegra and me. We’ll go to Rowley to get your possessions after Allegra is settled at Hunter’s Lair. Then, you and I shall have the entire summer to ourselves. Next winter I shall take you to Italy.” He gave her a hearty kiss. “Italy is very romantic, Olympia.”
Lady Abbott actually blushed. “Ohh, Septimius,” she said softly. “I should very much like to see Italy.”
“We’ll spend the winter in a villa outside of Naples,” he promised her, “and then in the spring we shall go to Rome and to Venice.”
“I have never been outside of England,” she told him, and then her face darkened. “But, Septimius, what if we should meet my sister and her husband? Perhaps we should not go to Italy.”
“Mayhap, my dear, we should seek out Pandora and her count,” Lord Morgan said.
“Ohh, no!” she cried. “Pandora behaved dreadfully running away and leaving you to deal with the scandal; but I know my sister. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, or that she is happily remarried. She would be furious to learn you took another wife, and that your second wife was her sister!”
“She will know eventually,” he said. “Besides, I do not care what Pandora thinks if you do not care, my dearest. I want you to have a wedding trip. France is certainly no place for decent people to go today.”
“Well,” Lady Abbott considered, “I should like to see
Italy.”
“Then it is settled,” he responded, and gave her another kiss.
They were unable to keep th
eir secret from their daughters, however. One look at Lady Abbott the next morning set the two young women shrieking with glee. They danced about the older woman until she finally ordered them to behave.
“He has asked you, hasn’t he?” Allegra said. “Ohh, I am so glad! Sirena and I have wanted it forever!”
“Now we are truly sisters!” Sirena said laughing, and hugging her mother.
“When is the wedding?” Allegra demanded.
“I want to be there,” Sirena remarked.
“It must remain a secret from everyone else,” Lady Abbott pleaded. “I want you to have your day, Sirena.”
“Ohh, Mama, I shall have it no matter,” the young girl said. “Now, when is the wedding? Oh, do tell us, Mama!”
“We shall wed quietly the day after your wedding, Sirena,” her mother responded. “And I mean it. No one else is to know until the day you and Ocky marry. Especially your brother and his wife. Charlotte will, of course, be delighted to be rid of both of us, but I don’t want her going about London gossiping. Do you both understand me, girls? This is a secret.”
“Yes, Mama. But may I tell Ocky?” Sirena asked.
“Yes, Aunt,” Allegra said.
“You may tell your husbands-to-be,” Lady Abbott said, “but you must caution them to silence.”
“We will!” the two girls chorused.
Sirena’s wedding day drew near. She and Viscount Pickford were to marry at St. George’s in Hanover Square, the most fashionable church in London. It would not be a large wedding for Sirena did not want a large wedding. Mostly it would be family and several family servants. They would be married at ten o’clock in the morning, for fashionable marriages were celebrated between the hours of eight o’clock in the morning and twelve noon. A wedding breakfast with a bride’s cake would be served at Lord Morgan’s home after the ceremony. Then Sirena and Ocky would spend the night at Pickford House, several squares over from Berkley Square; the viscount’s seasonal guests having removed themselves from the residence earlier.
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