The Duchess

by Bertrice Small

  Captain Grant entered the cabin. “We’ll weigh anchor immediately, my lords, and set a course for England. It may be a bit choppy returning. The wind has begun to come ’round from the north, but ’Tis no bad storm.” He bowed to them, and was gone.

  Bobby brought chicken, bread, and cheese for them to eat. The two children were put to bed in two of the narrow bunks. The clothing was returned, not quite dry, but serviceable. The countess retired to one of the bunks along with Eunice and Caroline, who were both exhausted from their exciting day. The men sat together in a corner talking in low tones while Céline and Honor chattered, the French maid delighted to find the English maid spoke her tongue so well. Now she felt less afraid of their future.

  Allegra sat quietly, old Thérèse next to her. “The man, Reynaud,” she began. “Did he harm the comtesse, Thérèse? Should she be seen by a physician when we reach England?”

  “Oui, he hurt her,” the old woman said. “Though I didn’t ask, and she did not say, I know he violated her. He always coveted his brother’s wife, the cowardly cochon. But I will take care of her, madame. As long as my mistress has Céline and me by her side she needs no one else.”

  “I understand,” Allegra said. “We will not breach her privacy, Thérèse.”

  “You are brave, you Englishwomen. You could have been caught,” Thérèse remarked. “If you had come two days ago I do not believe you would have been so successful, but perhaps you would have. That Honneur has courage. She is resourceful. She is your servant?”

  “Since my childhood,” Allegra replied. “She was born upon my father’s estate.”

  Thérèse nodded. “Tradition is a good thing, madame. These revolutionaries would destroy our way of life. That was not what Monsieur le Comte wanted from the revolution. He wanted justice and equality, but he did not want to see tradition pulled down the way it has been. They did not have to kill the king and his family, poor souls.” She crossed herself with a sigh.

  “Change can sometimes be cruel,” Allegra agreed.

  “Ahh,” Thérèse said, “you have suffered from this revolution too. Madame la comtesse told me.” She patted Allegra’s hand in a kindly fashion. “Yet despite it all you risked your life for ours. You are obviously very much like your brother, Madame la Duchesse.”

  Allegra’s hand went to her mouth to stifle her cry. How she had raged to all who would listen when her brother had given up his life for love. Yet she had been willing today to risk her life for the friendship she had for Lord and Lady Bellingham. Jamie, she thought, I learned more from you than I realized. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she said nothing, and Thérèse, understanding, closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair to sleep.

  It took them two full days with the winds to reach England once again, but finally they sailed into Brighton and disembarked from Seagull. Ensconced in The King’s Arms they dispatched messages to London to Lord and Lady Bellingham, and to Charles Trent. Then they settled down to a hot meal and a warm bed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Comtesse d’Aumont awoke to a knocking upon her bedchamber door. Céline struggled up, bleary-eyed from the trundle where she had been sleeping. She hurried across the cold floor, and slowly opened the chamber door. She was immediately pushed aside by a fashionably dressed older lady who entered the room and burst into tears.

  “Ohh, Anne-Marie, it is really you,” the lady cried. “Thank God you are safe! Where are the children? The duke sent a message up to London last night, and nothing would do but that your uncle and I set out before the dawn this very morning to see for ourselves that you were safe.” She bent, and hugged the startled young Frenchwoman, who also began to cry.

  “Tante! Tante!” she sobbed. “How can I thank you? What can I say that you will understand how your intervention has saved us all from a horrible fate?” She clung to Lady Bellingham, weeping.

  “Maman! Maman!” Marie-Claire and Jean-Robert ran into their mother’s room. “Is everything all right?” the elder of the two asked.

  Lady Bellingham straightened herself up, and addressed the two children. “Mes enfants, I am your grand-tante, Lady Clarice Bellingham. Welcome to England, my darlings. Welcome!”

  Immediately Marie-Claire curtsied, and young Jean-Robert made a most elegant bow. “Merci, grand-tante,” the young girl said.

  “Merci, grand-tante,” Jean-Robert echoed his sister.

  “Lady Bellingham.” Allegra entered the bedchamber.

  “Allegra, my dear gel, what are you doing here?” the older woman said, surprised to see the Duchess of Sedgwick.

  “Aunt, it was the duchess, her friends, her maid, Honor, and their husbands who rescued us. They came to the house dressed as those horrible creatures who always sit below the guillotine, knitting. Honor was wonderful. She boldly faced down the head of St. Jean Baptiste’s Committee for Public Safety, suggesting that if he did not cooperate he would face a dire fate.”

  “We can speak of this over breakfast,” Allegra said. “Come, dear Lady Bellingham, and sit down to eat with us.”

  Lady Bellingham had gone white with her niece’s brief explanation. “You, Honor, and who else?” she gasped. “Not Eunice and Caroline?”

  “Good morning, Aunt.” Lady Walworth popped around the door.

  “Ohh,” Lady Bellingham cried, and sat down heavily upon the bed. “I cannot believe what I am being told. You might have all been killed!”

  “But we weren’t,” Allegra said airily. “In the end it was all quite simple.” She took the good woman by her arm, and drew her up. “Come, and join us. We have a private dining room, and if we do not come now, the gentlemen will have eaten everything.” She laughed.

  They repaired to the dining room where Lord Bellingham was being regaled by the duke and his friends regarding their adventures of the last few days. The old gentleman was most impressed, and quite delighted by their success. When his niece, in her dressing gown, entered the room, he greeted her with great affection, welcoming her and her little family to England.

  “You must stay with us, of course,” he told her.

  “Only for a short time,” the comtesse said softly. “We cannot impose upon you. I have jewelry, and a cache of gold coins I brought out with me. I must find my own home so I may look after myself, the children, and my two servants who have come with us. Without Thérèse and Céline, my children and I would not have survived.”

  “We will speak on it after you are well rested, m’dear,” Lord Bellingham said in kindly tones, and he patted her shoulder lovingly.

  “Frederick! What have you to say to these foolish gels?” Lady Bellingham demanded.

  Lord Bellingham turned, gallantly saluting Allegra, Caroline, and Eunice. “My dears,” he told them, “I stand in awe of the three of you. What courage. What clever planning. Allegra, I understand it was your maid, Honor, who carried the day.”

  “It was, my lord,” Allegra admitted.

  “Frederick! They could have all been killed!” Lady Bellingham said.

  “But they weren’t. Now, wife, I am hungry, for you rousted me from my bed at an early hour to make the trip down here to Brighton. I can wait no longer for a beefsteak, and some of those delicious-looking eggs.”

  Everyone laughed, including the comtesse who had not understood her uncle’s words, but his tone was very telling.

  They departed for London at noon, and arrived back in town shortly after dark. Reaching Morgan House on Berkley Square they discovered Lord Morgan awaiting them. Marker took their outdoor garments.

  “I am relieved to see you both,” Lord Morgan said as they went into the small family salon where a warm fire was burning. A young footman hurried in with the tea tray and set it down.

  “Tea, Papa?” Allegra asked her parent. “I must admit to being surprised to see you up in town today.”

  “How was Brighton?” Lord Morgan said. “Or perhaps I should say France.”

  “I asked Charles not to tell you,” Allegra said, calml
y handing a cup of tea to her husband, and then another to her father.

  “He had no choice, Allegra. I arrived in London yesterday. Had I come today he might have been able to keep your folly from me, but when you did not return by late last night he had no choice but to tell me. Only Quinton’s message saved me undue worry.” He turned to his son-in-law. “And you, sir? Could you not prevent your wife from playing this dangerous game?”

  “Sir,” the duke returned, “when you were her guardian, could you prevent her from her headstrong ways?”

  Lord Morgan sighed. “I had hoped her fondness for you would have made her change. I see now that it has not.”

  “Oh, Papa,” Allegra wheedled him, “do not fuss. We have been, and gone. The Bellinghams are delighted that we were able to rescue Anne-Marie and her children. We even brought two of the countess’s servants with us. The old cook, Thérèse, killed the head of the Committee for Public Safety so we might escape. And remember when you thought it amusing that Honor learned to speak French? Well, Papa, it was Honor who was our greatest heroine. She pretended to be our leader, and knew just how to speak to this dreadful man. She had him quite intimidated, Papa. I don’t know what we would have done without her.”

  Lord Morgan sighed. “It is over now, thank goodness, but Allegra, I hope that you and Quinton will never do such a foolish thing again.”

  “No, Papa, we are going home to Hunter’s Lair in a few days,” Allegra told her father. “We have had enough excitement, and enough of London now to last a lifetime.”

  “I want you to stop down at Morgan Court before you go home,” he told her. “Your stepmother has not been well at all, and wishes to see you both.”

  “Papa! What is the matter?” Allegra looked truly worried.

  “Nothing dire, daughter, but Olympia wants to see you. That is why I came up to London. I shall return tomorrow. Then you and Quinton will follow in a few days’ time when you have made all your good-byes.”

  “Aunt Mama has not been well for several months,” Allegra told her husband later that evening as they cuddled together in their bed. “I wonder what the matter can be. She and Papa love each other very much. I should not like to see him hurt. You don’t think she is going to die, Quinton, do you?” Her violet eyes were troubled.

  “Your father said it was nothing dire. I believe we should take him at his word, my darling,” the duke replied. “Now, I seem to recall that before we left for France, you made me a rather earnest speech about our need for heirs.” His look was mischievous. “I believe we should now begin attempting to remedy our lack, Duchess, eh?”

  To his surprise she pushed him away. “Forgive me, Quinton, but I am too worried about Aunt Mama to involve myself wholeheartedly in passion. Do not be angry with me, please.” She kissed him lightly.

  He was admittedly surprised, but he actually understood. “I love you, Allegra, and nothing can change that,” he told her.

  “You are so good to me, my darling,” she responded.

  They set off for Morgan Court two days later. It was a journey of several days from London, and then their own home was another few days farther. The inns in which they stayed were comfortable, but Allegra found herself more worried about her stepmother as each mile passed. Olympia had virtually raised her, and Allegra loved her. She had been so happy to marry Lord Morgan, and he had certainly been happy to have a wife after all his years of enforced bachelorhood. What could have gone wrong?

  They reached Morgan Court at teatime. A footman hurried from the house to open the coach door. He lowered the steps of the vehicle, and helped the Duchess of Sedgwick dismount her carriage. Her dark green velvet cloak with its beaver-trimmed hood clutched about her, Allegra went straight into the house, flinging her cloak to a footman, her husband following behind. Her father came forth to greet her.

  “My dear child. Come, Olympia is waiting for you both,” he said, and led them into a small salon where his wife awaited their visitors.

  Lady Morgan arose from her settee, and came forward, her hands outstretched in greeting. “Allegra. Quinton,” she said, greeting them.

  Allegra gave a little shriek of surprise. “Aunt Mama! What has happened to you?” she cried, quite distressed. Her stepmother’s body was swollen and misshapen. “What is this terrible and abnormal growth that has taken ahold of your body? Do not tell me, I pray you, that you are going to die. I could not bear it!”

  Olympia Morgan laughed softly. “Thank you, my darling, for loving me, but no, I do not expect to die. Sit down, Allegra. Your father and I have news to share with you. We would have told you sooner, but we could not believe it ourselves, and for several months ignored the signs. I am expecting a child, Allegra. Come May, you and Sirena will have a new baby brother, or sister. Both your father and I assumed we were past such things as infants, but it would appear that we are not. I have not told Sirena yet for her time is too near, and I would not shock her as I have obviously shocked you,” Lady Morgan concluded.

  Allegra’s gaze went from her stepmother to her father. They were having a baby. Together. They were old. Old! Yet they were having a baby. She had been wed over five months, and she was not with child, and she was young. Quinton was young. Her father and Aunt Mama were old, but there her stepmother sat, fat and burgeoning with new life. She did not know if she could tolerate it. It was simply too awful!

  “We shall, my lord, have to discuss the terms of Allegra’s marriage portion,” Lord Morgan said to the duke, “and renegotiate it under the circumstances, as I will now have another heir to consider.”

  “Of course,” Quinton Hunter agreed. “I perfectly understand, sir.”

  Allegra stood up. “I want to go home,” she said, and walked from the salon without so much as a farewell to her father and stepmother.

  “It is late, the horses are tired,” the duke called after her.

  “We will take fresh horses from the stables,” Allegra said in a stony voice. “I want to go home!”

  “There,” Lady Morgan said to her husband. “Did I not tell you we should have told her sooner, Septimius? Now Allegra is upset, and heaven only knows how Sirena will respond when we finally speak to her.”

  “I will fetch her back,” the duke told them. “She has gone out without her cloak.”

  “No,” Lady Morgan said. “I know Allegra better than you, sir, and believe me, this has come as a terrible shock to her. Take her home, and let her digest all of our news. Until she can come to terms with herself she will be unhappy. And, Septimius, there will be no renegotiations regarding Allegra’s status until after our child is born. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, m’dear,” Lord Morgan said. Then he turned to his son-in-law. “Go along, Quinton. We will talk again eventually.”

  The duke found his wife huddled in their coach shivering. He wrapped her fur-lined cape around her, having retrieved it from a footman. “Where are we going?” he asked, his voice laced with humor.

  She glared up at him. “How can you jest, sir, in light of this revolting development? There is an inn about two hours away on the road home. It is respectable enough though not grand.” Then clutching her cloak about her she turned away from him, and remained silent for the next few hours until they had reached their destination.

  Although they had never stayed at the Ducks and Drake, the innkeeper recognized them at once. Bowing, he ushered them into his establishment, apologizing that it was small, and he could but offer them his largest bedroom.

  “We are grateful you are able to accommodate us at all,” the duke told him graciously. “We will want supper. Do you have a private room where we may dine, sir?”

  “Indeed, my lord, I do,” the innkeeper assured him, bowing again. “And I have smaller rooms for your servants, too.”

  “Excellent,” the duke said heartily. “Now if you will show us to our private room, we are ready for our supper. It has been a long day, and it is still quite chilly even if it is spring.”

  “I hav
e some rather good sherry, Your Grace,” the innkeeper said. “Shall I bring it?”

  The duke nodded with a smile, and then escorted his wife to the little dining room the innkeeper offered them.

  Allegra managed to hold her peace as the innkeeper and a maidservant bustled about them, taking her outdoor garment, bringing the sherry, pouring it into small glasses. However, when the door closed behind those offering them service, she burst out, “I cannot believe it! How could they do such a thing? It is so embarrassing that two people their age should have an infant. I realized what they were doing behind those closed doors before we were married, but I never expected that their excesses should lead to a baby!”

  “Why not?” her husband asked.

  “Why not?” Her voice was close to a shriek. “My father is over fifty. And Aunt Mama is over forty. That is why not. People that age do not have babies, Quinton. My stepmother’s last baby was my cousin, Sirena. Heaven only knows what poor Sirena will think when she learns about this. Her own baby’s aunt, or uncle, will be younger than her own child. It is obscene!”

  “I think it rather romantic,” the duke told his wife.

  “How you have changed,” she said scornfully. “There was a time when you were a practical man, Quinton. Now you consider it romantic that your aged father-in-law and his wife are about to be new parents when we are not. My father does not need an heir. He has one.”

  “So, that is what troubles you, Allegra,” her husband said quietly. “You will have to share your father’s wealth with a new sibling.”

  “Did you not match the bluest blood in England with the richest girl in England, sir? I shall no longer be the richest girl in England, Quinton. If my father has another son, we shall be poorer by a considerable amount. You had best pray Aunt Mama whelps another girl. At least then we shall retain half of what we have.”