by Pearl Wolf
Waverley was alarmed by the uncharacteristic anger in his grandmother’s voice. “Calm yourself, dear. It won’t do for you to be upset over this, Grandmother.”
“So that charlatan thinks he can turn my grandson’s suit for his daughter’s hand down, does he? Not if I have anything to do with the matter!”
Mevagissy: Bodmin Castle
Olivia lifted her head, distracted for a moment by a familiar, yet unexpected sound. “I hear a carriage coming.”
Helena put down her book and went to the window of the first-floor drawing room, idly wondering who would be coming to visit them this late in the afternoon.
As the sound grew louder, Olivia joined her at the window. The sisters exchanged puzzled glances, their eyes trained on the long driveway. “Sounds like a whole army,” Olivia said drily. “Are we under attack, do you think?”
“I see two carriages, Livy.”
“There’s a third coming round the bend.”
“I count four in all, Livy.”
They looked at one another as the truth dawned on them. “Can’t be anyone else, can it?”
“Mother!” the sisters shouted in unison and raced out the door.
The cacophonous noise of a large family greeting one another after a prolonged absence was like an orchestra tuning its instruments before a concert. Most welcome, but discordant. With a silent nod from the butler, several footmen hurried down the steps to open all carriage doors and assist their inhabitants to descend the steps, others to help in the unloading and transfer of baggage to their proper chambers.
Lord Edward, the last to disembark, reached in for the baby and handed him to his sister. “Take your brat and good riddance, Livy. I have the headache because this popinjay did not shut his mouth for a moment.” Before he relinquished his nephew to his sister he whirled him around, to the infant’s delighted shouts of laughter.
As for Helena, she dissolved into tears at the sight of her mother and wrapped her arms around her. “You can’t know how glad I am to see you, Mother.”
“I too, dearest. We must make some time to talk privately.”
“I’ll come to your chamber after you’ve had a chance to rest, dearest.”
She turned to her sister Georgiana and held her at arm’s length to admire her. “I feel like an old crone next to you, Georgie. How is it you grow more beautiful by the day?”
“Georgie primps at her mirror all day long. That’s how,” said Jane pettishly.
“Have you been spying on your sister again, brat? Try eating less and exercising more and you’re bound to grow even prettier than Georgie,” Helena said.
Mary looked upon the scene with delight, but her shyness prevented her from joining in the merriment. She was forced to leave London without her tutor, Maestro Bartoli, for he was occupied with his own examinations at the London Philharmonic Society. But he had provided her with enough instruction to keep her at the pianoforte practicing for hours. She couldn’t wait to begin.
“Lord Waverley is no longer an irresponsible rake, Mother,” Helena said once they were alone. “I’ll tell you how good a man he is. When the marquis and I first arrived at Waverley Castle, it was in a terrible state. He’s worked very hard to correct the damage done by his traitorous cousins, the Traskers. They’re the ones who helped the Earl of Glynhaven try to abduct me. If it weren’t for the fact that the marquis sent for Livy and Sebastian, I would be wedded to the earl, an unwilling slave of the cruelest master in creation.”
Her mother hugged her. “We must thank God as well, my dear. When shall I meet this paragon of yours?”
“I don’t know where he is at the moment. I do know that I won’t give the marquis up, Mother. If I did, it would destroy both our lives.”
The duchess smiled. “You’re as stubborn as your father, my child. Come to think of it, with the exception of gentle Mary, all his children seem to have inherited this unfortunate trait. If only he recognized it. No matter. At any rate, it’s not yet time to worry, my pet. Be assured you have my support.” The duchess rang for her abigail. “Allow me to dress for dinner. Afterward, you must tell me all about my godmother.”
Chapter 28
Wednesday, the Twentieth of May, 1818
Waverley Castle
Waverley barked a laugh with a twinge of bitterness when his grandmother finished speaking. “Short of holding a pistol to his head, I don’t quite know what to do with what you’ve just told me about the duke’s past.” He had dismissed the footmen after dinner and they were alone.
The dowager reached for a sweetmeat. “Do? There’s only one thing you can do, my foolish child. For one, stop acting like a schoolboy mooning over the loss of his first love—especially since you’ve already had the pleasure of such an experience—and begin behaving like you ought. Remember that you are the Fourth Marquis of Waverley. In short, stop your pouting and start acting like a man.”
“I’ll do anything you say, Grandmother, but I won’t hurt Helena by ruining her reputation. I love her with my very soul and I know she loves me. You see that, don’t you? But I’m in despair and my mind is empty of solutions. You must advise me, Grandmother. I’m counting on you.” Something in her countenance raised his spirits. “You have a scheme in mind, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. That gives me hope.”
The dowager leaned forward and patted his hand. “Are you prepared to follow my advice?” When he nodded, she continued. “You will leave for Bodmin Castle tomorrow morning. If I’m not mistaken, that scoundrel is on his way there already.”
“Why? What reason would he have to go to Bodmin?”
“Tony Fairchild cannot face life without his wife at his side. It isn’t in his nature, especially after…never mind. They’ve had a row over this business. Depend upon it. The duke will crawl after her with his tail between his legs, so to speak.”
“Grandmother!” he said as if shocked. But there was laughter in his eyes.
She grinned. “You are about to meet my godchild. When you do meet her, you will understand. Tonight I shall write a letter to my goddaughter and tomorrow you shall deliver it to her in person. It will be all the ammunition that you’ll need to shoot that rogue in the neck, believe me.”
Waverley could not contain his elation, for she had lightened his heart of the burden of sadness he’d carried with him all the way home from London. “I’m so blessed to have you on my side, dearest. Not only as a grandmother, but as the very best of friends.”
She made as if to rise, and he rose to help her. “Thank you, Desmond.” She raised a finger and said, “One more thing before I retire to write my letter to Ellen. The wedding must be performed right here in your ancestral castle. Insist upon it when you enter the lion’s den. I know that scoundrel will try to bully you, for he cannot help himself, but you must stand firm in order to earn his respect. If you don’t stand up to that tyrant now, you will come to regret it later. He’ll ride roughshod over you if you let him. He may be a duke, but you are a marquis, and don’t you forget it. There. I’ve given you enough ammunition in your arsenal to challenge him with.”
“Will you not come with me, dearest?”
She patted his arm and smiled. “No. You must fight this battle on your own, my dear. Be brave, be firm, be proud and all will be well, I promise you.”
Mevagissy: Bodmin Castle
Helena’s spirits rose with the unexpected arrival of the Marquis of Waverley. She had confessed to her mother only the night before her fear that she might be in danger of losing him. He might return to the life he’d lived in Paris. She’d seen firsthand the attention paid him by courtesans only too eager to lavish their brand of love on him.
She had been sitting in the gazebo in the garden when he’d startled her. He touched her shoulder and murmured in her ear, “Hello, my love.”
Helena’s despair turned to joy. She rose and threw her arms around him. “You’ve come! How glad I am you’re here, my handsome cavalier. Don’t leave me again no matter wh
at.”
His kiss was one of reassuring tenderness, but he stopped before it turned to passion. “Did you really believe I would give up so easily? Is that what you think of my resolve, foolish woman? I can’t, you know. You’ve crawled under my skin. I forget to breathe when you are not at my side.”
“Father isn’t here, darling, but he’s expected. What can you say to him you haven’t already said?”
“Is this your marquis?” Jane asked, interrupting them.
Desmond let go of Helena and turned to examine a full-bodied young girl with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “And who might you be, pretty lady?”
“I’m Jane, Helena’s sister. Never mind me, though. No one else in this family ever does.”
“They don’t? How foolish of them, for never have I seen a more ravishing beauty.” He turned to Helena and protested, “How dare you hide this mysterious beauty from me.”
Helena checked her laugh at Jane’s blush. “Jane’s my baby sister. She manages to pop up when you least expect her.”
“I’m not snooping. I’ve been sent,” Jane objected in an injured tone. “I came to remind you it’s time to change for dinner.” She turned as if to leave, but Waverley caught her arm.
He kissed her hand and bowed to her. “I am the Marquis of Waverley, come to court your sister Helena. But she might not have me. If she spurns me, I’ll offer for you. Will you have me instead, Lady Jane?”
“Silly!” She giggled and ran away.
Waverley quickly changed into evening clothes, for he had arranged an audience with her grace. She agreed to receive him in her private study fifteen minutes before the rest of the family was to meet for cocktails in the drawing room.
He knocked on the door of her sitting room and entered. “Thank you for agreeing to see me, your grace,” murmured Waverley when she rose from her chair and came toward him. He took the hand she offered and put his lips to it.
“We meet at last, my lord. I’ve so looked forward to it,” she said with her customary poise.
“I’ve a letter for you from my grandmother, your grace.” He reached into his vest pocket and withdrew it.
“From my godmother? How kind of her to write. Will you excuse me while I read it?” She sat at her desk and broke the seal. It took her only a few moments to read the dowager’s brief note. She turned to Waverley and waved him to a chair.
“Please sit, sir. Let me tell you that your grandmother and I are in full agreement concerning this match. She wants for her grandson precisely what I want for my daughter Helena, and that is a lifetime of happiness. Don’t even think about disappointing us, young man.”
“I pledge my life on it, your grace,” he said with more cheerfulness than he felt.
“Good! Then it remains for you to follow your grandmother’s advice and petition the duke once more.”
“Will he change his mind, do you think, your grace?”
“We’ll have to wait and see, son. Won’t we?”
Two days of boisterous family sport passed, no one more delighted at the antics of the Fairchild clan than the marquis, who grew up an only child. He rode with Edward in the morning, played card games with Jane in the afternoon, dandled little Tony on his knee and listened raptly to Mary as she played flawlessly in the evening.
On the third afternoon of Waverley’s arrival, two more guests on horseback joined them. “Sir Brooks and Mr. Denville have arrived, your grace,” announced the butler.
“Show them in at once, Buxton,” she said to the Bodmin butler.
Olivia turned in surprise when the door opened. “Sebastian!” she shouted and ran to him. “Hugh? What brings you here, my friend?”
“Just a visit. Your husband begged me to accompany him.”
Sebastian wasted no time in picking up his son and covering his face with kisses.
“Dada,” said the child.
“He knows me!”
The women laughed, aware that this was the only intelligible word the child spoke, whatever the occasion.
Livy said, “Tony certainly does know his father, my love. He gets smarter by the day.”
“And larger. What are you feeding him, wife?”
With the exception of Georgiana, who was occupied with her brother and Lord Waverley in a game of billiards, the women were in the drawing room, for it was raining. Jane sat on the floor playing with her nephew Tony, Mary played the pianoforte softly while Olivia and Helena sorted out the silk colors for their mother’s needlework.
“Brooks,” greeted Waverley when he, Georgiana and Edward entered the room.
Sebastian shook his hand. “Come and meet my good friend, Hugh Denville.” He turned to him. “This is the Marquis of Waverley, Hugh. He was responsible for the capture of the smugglers.”
“My compliments…” Before Denville could finish, a pair of delicate hands covered his eyes and he grinned. “If I’m forced to guess, these must be the hands of my dear friend Lady Georgiana.”
“How did you know, you odious wretch? You haven’t seen me in years.” She let go and turned him around to face her. “Well? What have you to say to that, Denville?”
“You exaggerate. It’s only been one year, milady. My, how you’ve grown.”
“Like what you see?” She turned seductively, shocking her mother.
“Georgiana! Behave yourself!”
Georgie’s laugh pierced Denville’s heart.
“Denville doesn’t mind my banter. He’s practically family, Mother.”
“Your daughter’s full of mischief, isn’t she, your grace? I give you my word, I’ll not take advantage of her antics.” Yet in spite of his promise, her astonishing beauty turned his knees to jelly.
“You won’t have to, my friend, for I’ve met the man of my dreams and I plan to marry him. Care for a game of billiards, Denville? Come along, then.” The saucy minx turned and looked over her shoulder. “I dare you!”
The duchess frowned at Georgiana’s shocking flirtation but said nothing. Her daughter’s latest paramour, Viscount Willard Ardmore, had the reputation of being as wild as her daughter. She dearly hoped the attraction would not last and that Georgie would move on to someone more suitable. Someone like Hugh Denville, perhaps. He had about him a sober quality. She wondered if he was strong enough to keep her mischievous daughter out of the rakehell pranks she was so fond of pursuing.
The duchess could never get her fill of the joy she felt in her children’s boisterous presence, though she suspected that her spouse stubbornly refused to understand a mother’s love for her children. How unfortunate for him that he could not share in her joy. All at once the duchess felt alone in spite of a roomful of her children. She wondered how she would manage to survive the rest of her life at the side of such a stubborn mule.
Her grace’s worry was to be put to the test the next morning, with the arrival of the duke and his brother Charles.
Chapter 29
Saturday, the Twenty-third of May, 1818
The duke knocked and entered his wife’s chamber. She turned to him as if surprised. “Good morning, your grace.” Her tone was welcoming, but only for the sake of her abigail’s loose tongue. The duchess dismissed the woman with a nod. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve missed you, Ellen.”
“Why have you come, Tony?”
“Unfinished business, my dear. On the advice of Charles, I wish to settle it. He’s come with me.”
She gave a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Are you such a coward you need your brother along for moral support?”
“You might say that. If it’s any solace to you, he doesn’t agree with me either, Ellen.”
“Remind me to commend him for his good sense, then.”
She was not making it easy for him. The duke yearned to loosen his neck cloth but he let it pass. “I understand that the Marquis of Waverley is staying here. How is this?”
“Have you forgotten that his grandmother is my godmother? He’s brought me a let
ter from her.” She added with continued defiance, “The marquis is a guest in my home. What’s more, my children have made him feel as one of the family.”
The duke winced at being left out of the picture. “Our home, Ellen. Our children. Need I remind you that I have their best interests at heart?”
“Tell that to Helena why don’t you,” she snapped.
He hadn’t sunk this low in his wife’s esteem in years. “I didn’t mean…”
“It no longer matters to me what you mean. I was about to send for you, in fact. Lord Waverley is anxious to meet with you. He’ll welcome your arrival, even if I won’t.”
The duke proceeded to sink even lower in the quagmire he’d created for himself. “Must I grant him yet another audience?”
“You may do whatever you please, your grace. However, he is a guest in my home and I expect you to treat him as such.”
“Your anger wounds me, Ellen. Can you not find it in your heart to forgive me?”
She gave this some thought. “You will have to settle for civility, your grace. The children need not know that their parents are at such odds. Let us join them for breakfast.”
He offered his arm, half expecting another rebuff, but she took it. “My godmother was a much-sought-after beauty in her day,” she remarked amiably, more for the sake of the servants in the hall. It was well known that servants were the eyes and the ears of a large household and did not hesitate to spread the family gossip. “Did you know that my uncle offered for her? She might have been my aunt, but she chose to marry the Marquis of Waverley instead.”