Too Hot For A Rake

by Pearl Wolf

  “Yes, I recall thinking her a great beauty. I saw her many times at Almack’s and the usual entertainments during the Season, but I was presented to her only once when I was a mere lad. I liked her, you know.”

  “All the more reason to grant her grandson his request.”

  When they reached the breakfast room, the boisterous din that greeted them was music to the duke’s ears, for he sorely missed his family. Even better was the warm welcome he received from his children.

  “Go to him,” Waverley urged Helena.

  She rose at once and pecked her father on the cheek. “Morning, Father. I’m glad you’ve come.”

  This unexpected welcome stunned the duke. He clasped her to him for a moment, swallowed the lump in his throat and demanded, “Where’s my grandson?”

  “Send for the baby,” Olivia said with a smile.

  Sebastian grinned at his wife. “Already done, love. Nurse is on her way with Tony.”

  “Good morning, your grace,” the marquis said affably as he rose to offer his hand. “Delighted to see you again.”

  All eyes turned to the duke. The Fairchild children took family secrets in their stride. Naturally, they knew everything.

  Aware he was being watched for signs of his well-known temper, the duke confounded his children by saying pleasantly, “How are you, Waverley? Welcome to Bodmin Castle. Will you join me after breakfast, sir?”

  “My pleasure, your grace.” The table fell into uncomfortable silence at this exchange, but the duke was saved from further discomfort by the entrance of his beloved grandson.

  “Dada!” gurgled the infant with outstretched arms.

  The duke’s eyes lit up. “He knows my name!” He took the infant from his nurse and nuzzled him, whereupon the seven-month-old’s unintelligible conversation replaced the awkward silence.

  Waverley took the opportunity to add, “Would you rather we postpone our talk until this afternoon, your grace? I think your grandson takes priority.”

  “Good of you, Waverley. Join me in the library this afternoon at two.” His outward calm did not betray his inner dread of the meeting with the marquis. The duke feared it might not be a pleasant encounter.

  That afternoon, like birds falling eerily silent before a hurricane, the servants were hushed. Two under maids polished the library table and dusted the chairs. Footmen carried wood in and lit a roaring fire in the enormous fireplace, for the library was habitually cold due to the doors leading to the terrace. These caused a constant draft despite the duke’s best efforts to cure this affliction.

  Opposite the fireplace, a wall of books rose the full height of the room, accessible by a ladder that ran smoothly on a track above the balcony. The sturdy ladder had been a favorite glider for the Fairchild children when they were still in the schoolroom, though not a one of them showed interest in reading the books.

  “Don’t lose your temper, dear brother,” warned the vicar. “No matter how much you believe the marquis is trying to provoke you.”

  “Provoke me? He wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”

  Charles laughed. “Try for some common sense, duke. You’ve as much as insulted his title by refusing his suit for your daughter’s hand. That’s enough of a reason for his anger.”

  “I haven’t changed my position, you know.”

  The vicar threw up his hands. “The more fool you, then. You are swimming against the tide. Can’t you see that Waverley and Helena adore one another? I strongly suspect that you’ll not win this battle.”

  “Remains to be seen,” he muttered.

  “You have my sympathy, but not my respect.” His brother rose to leave.

  “Where are you going?” the duke asked in alarm. “I begged you to come with me to lend your support.”

  “I cannot support you when I do not agree with you. I’ve already told you that. You are on your own in this ordeal, brother duke. I’m off to change into riding clothes. Edward has challenged me to a race across the moors.”

  “Traitor,” he grumbled, stared into the fire and brooded about the difficult task ahead of him, but he did not have long to wait before a knock on the door brought the marquis.

  “Welcome,” he said with false heartiness.

  Waverley paused to admire the room, well known to readers of English guidebooks. The Bodmin library was described as one of the greatest collections in all of England. “An impressive collection, your grace.”

  The duke motioned him to a seat opposite his own. “I wish I could take credit for my library, but that is far from the truth. My ancestors built this library in the sixteenth century. My only contribution to it is the employment of a dedicated curator who looks after the volumes, catalogs them and arranges for scholars to use the collection for their research.”

  “Have you read any of your books?” The twinkle in Waverley’s eyes gave the mischief away and the duke laughed as Waverley had intended. “That’s better, your grace. A laugh or two puts us on easier terms. Shall we get on with it?”

  Georgiana was engaged in watching a friendly match between Sebastian and Denville in the billiard room. She awaited the outcome with eagerness, for she had challenged the winner. As she had hoped, it turned out to be Denville. She chalked up her cue, broke the rack and began to hit the balls into the pockets she named.

  “You have an excellent eye, Miss Georgiana. Where did you learn to play so well?”

  “The Fairchild women are famous for succeeding in all their endeavors. Everything we do, we do well. Father insists upon it, in fact.”

  “I shudder to think what he might do should one of his children disappoint him.”

  She laughed. “Disappoint him? Unthinkable, sir. In our family, one never fails. Olivia didn’t fail at your training academy, did she?”

  “Far from it. She’s a legend, you know. Your sister set such a high standard, the women who follow must work harder than the men to meet her record.”

  Georgiana’s eyes flirted as she said, “You’d be surprised at the power we Fairchild women hold in our lovely little hands, Denville. I’d advise you to avoid our clutches.”

  In the drawing room, Mary, Olivia, Helena and the duchess kept busy. The only one without a useful occupation was Jane, who managed to irritate her mother and her sisters with incessant complaints of boredom.

  “Come turn the pages for me,” advised gentle Mary.

  “Why should I? You know all the music by heart.”

  “Find an interesting book to read,” suggested the duchess.

  “There are no interesting books in this house!”

  In lieu of the enormous library collection, Helena and Livy exchanged amused glances, but refrained from laughing, for that room was already in use, as everyone knew.

  “What time is it, poppet?” asked Livy.

  “It’s five minutes later than the last time you asked me,” Jane said with the annoyance of a bored child.

  Helena said, “Why don’t you see whether Georgiana and the men have finished their game of billiards?”

  “They threw me out the last time you asked me to see if they were done. Besides, Georgie threatened to beat me with a cue stick if I showed my face again.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Jane! Can’t you find anything useful to occupy you?”

  Her mother’s rebuke brought tears to the child’s eyes. Olivia put her silks down, rushed to Jane and wiped her tears away. “There, there, poppet. Don’t cry. It’s not your fault. We’re all a bit on edge.”

  “Everyone thinks I’m too young to know what’s going on, but I know what’s bothering all of you all the same! Lord Waverley wants to marry Helena and Father won’t permit it. And…and Lord Waverley’s trying to talk some sense into Father, so there! I’m not so stupid as you all seem to think,” she added, her nine-year-old jaw jutting out over her double chin.

  “Have you been eavesdropping again, Jane?”

  “I didn’t have to eavesdrop, Mother. Even the lowliest servant knows what’s going on in t
his family. Am I no better?” Jane’s tears turned to bitter sobs.

  Consumed with guilt, the duchess put her needlework down and held out her arms. “Come here, my child.” She rocked the sobbing girl in her arms as if she were an infant.

  Stretched to the limits of her patience as well, Helena burst out, “You’re not the only unhappy one, Jane. If Father and the marquis don’t conclude soon, I shall go mad. What could possibly be taking them so long?”

  Helena’s words had a strange effect on Olivia. “Jane?”

  “Wha…what?” The child blew her nose in the cloth her mother held out for her.

  “I’ve thought of an occupation that only you know how to do well. It may also do a great deal to help us ease our minds.”

  All eyes turned to Olivia. Even Mary stopped playing in order to listen.

  “Can you peek into the library without being seen?”

  “Livy!” said her mother, aghast at the thought of encouraging Jane to eavesdrop.

  “Don’t worry, Mother. Jane won’t be able to hear a word. The terrace doors are much too thick.” She turned to her little sister and added, “Come back and describe to us what you see. Are they talking? Are they angry? Are they sitting? Are they…”

  Jane’s eyes glowed with eagerness. “I know. You want me to be a spy just like you.”

  “Exactly so, but you must be sure to remain out of sight. If Father catches you, he will be very angry with the lot of us.”

  “Be right back,” she said and flew out of the room with surprising agility.

  Chapter 30

  Later…

  With Jane out of the way, the duchess and her daughters resumed their tasks, but not for long. Jane returned not ten minutes later.

  “What have you to report, poppet?” asked Olivia.

  “I could not hear a word, and I couldn’t see Father’s face, but I saw Father waving his arms. He looked very angry to me.”

  Mary stopped playing. The duchess put her needlework down. Curiosity took the place of her usual calm and she asked, “What was the marquis doing, Jane?”

  “I could see him better because he was facing the terrace. He was listening to Father, but he didn’t say anything.”

  Helena voiced her worst fear. “Did the marquis appear to be angry, Jane?”

  “That was the odd thing. He didn’t seem at all angry. He tilted his head like this.” The child illustrated. “If Father were angry with me, I would have been terrified. But the marquis had this little smile on his face even though his lips weren’t moving.”

  “Clever man,” murmured Olivia.

  Helena, who had the greatest interest in the outcome, said, “Good work, Jane. Go back again and tell us what’s happening now. Do you mind?”

  Her young sister beamed, her sense of self-importance elevated in her family’s eyes. She ran to the door, turned and said, “Be right back.”

  “What’s wrong with Jane,” asked Georgiana upon entering the drawing room. “Where’s the brat going in such a hurry? She nearly knocked me down.”

  Olivia accepted a kiss on the cheek from her husband. “We’ve sent Jane on an important errand. Who won the billiards match?”

  “Your sister did,” answered Denville with a grin. He put one hand on Georgiana’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen a more skilled player. I don’t know how she does it, but your daughter put me to shame, your grace.”

  The duchess grinned at this. “The last time they played billiards, she beat her father. Ever since then, he manages to find a host of excuses to avoid a rematch.”

  Amid much laughter, the door opened to admit Jane. “Oh. You’re all here.” Unsure, she turned to Olivia, her eyes pleading for direction.

  “It’s all right, Jane. Everyone knows what you’re about. Tell us what you saw.”

  “Well, I could see only the back of Father’s head. He nodded from time to time, so I don’t think he was doing the talking. Father was seated with his legs crossed, but his arms weren’t waving like they were before.”

  “What was my…the marquis doing, Jane?”

  “He looked sort of…like my governess when she’s teaching me. He was explaining something to Father, but he wasn’t waving his hands in the air. He didn’t seem at all angry to me.”

  Hugh Denville raised Jane’s hand to his lips. “Well done, Jane. I’ll hold a place for you at the spy academy when you come of age.”

  “Thank you, sir, but I don’t want to be a spy when I grow up.”

  “I agree, poppet. One spy in the family is quite enough,” said Olivia. “Though you do seem to have a talent for it, my love. Go back again.”

  “Make this the last time, Jane,” said the duchess, torn between encouraging her daughter to spy, an odious occupation, and her desire to know what was happening in the library.

  Helena lost her self-control and said with asperity, “I’ve had quite enough of awaiting the outcome of this. I cannot allow my fate to be decided by my obstinate father.” She stormed out of the room, but when she entered the library, her mouth fell open at an astonishing sight. Poor Jane was entangled in an overturned potted palm on the terrace. Waverley looked on in amusement while her father helped Jane extricate herself from the mess of broken stems and fronds.

  On the verge of tears Jane said, “I tripped, Helena.”

  “Indeed you did, dearest. Are you all right?”

  “Was it you who put her up to spying on us?”

  Helena’s face flushed in indignation. “How dare you make such an accusation, Father! I would never stoop to such a low trick.”

  “Livy said I could,” the child said helpfully.

  The duke said gently, “I won’t scold you, if you promise not to eavesdrop again. Find someone to help you bathe and change.” The duke waited for the child to scurry away before he shut the terrace door.

  “Helena, his lordship and I…” he began.

  “Have you decided my fate, then? How kind, Father. How very kind. With all due respect, I beg to differ. No matter what you have to say to it, I am determined to marry Lord Waverley. I am well aware of the fact that his reputation is less than sterling, but that is my own affair. If I don’t care one whit, why should…anyone?”

  “I see, but—”

  Her eyes blazed. “Rake or no, this man was prepared to die to save me from ruin! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “Noble of him, but I’m trying to—”

  “I might have died when that horrid Harry Trasker locked me in the old cellar. Indeed, I might not be here if the Earl of Glynhaven had had his way. I’d be in France suffering the humiliation of being wed to the worst scoundrel in the world. Lord Waverley risked life and limb to save me.”

  “So you’ve said, Helena. However—”

  “If you think to throw up in my face once again the fact that the man I love is a rake, you may save your breath, because I know all about his past and I don’t care! I love him and I’ll never give him up.”

  Exasperated, her father put his hand up and thundered, “Be silent, daughter! Yes, he is a rake. He’s known all over Paris as—”

  “Le roué Anglais!” She folded her arms in defiance. “What difference can it make to you if it makes none to me?”

  Provoked beyond endurance, the duke was roused to anger. “And if you find he hasn’t reformed his ways after you marry, what will you do then, daughter?”

  “He wouldn’t be the first man to do such a thing, would he? Are you not the perfect example of such a case?”

  The duke turned beet red. “Don’t force me to change my mind, Helena, a thing I can bloody well do even though I’ve given my word to his lordship!”

  “And besides, not only did he save me from the clutches of that blackguard Glynhaven, you owe the marquis thanks for saving us all from scandal by arranging for the transport of the earl to France to face sentencing there.” She hesitated. “He saved his worst enemy from losing his bloody life for all our sakes! Wouldn’t that have made a pretty picture
? How your opponents in Parliament would have gloated! What’s more, you have no idea of the good he does at Waverley Park. His people there worship him!”

  She turned to Waverley. “Isn’t that right, my darling? Tell my father that there isn’t a tenant farmer under your wing who would not vouch for you. They respect you for what you’ve become, not what you once were and furthermore—”

  Thunderstruck, she stopped and stared at her father. “What did you just say?”

  Her tirade at an end, the duke let out a sigh of relief. “I said you have my consent to marry Waverley, you stubborn puss.”

  “Oh, Father! Why didn’t you say so?” She ran into his embrace, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

  The duke barked a laugh. “I have been trying to tell you, but you were too busy raking me over the coals to listen. When did you turn into such a hothead, my dear? I give you leave to marry your rake, your…er…reformed rake, that is.” He rang for a servant.

  “Ask her grace to join us,” he said to the footman who answered his ring.

  Helena wrapped her arms around Waverley’s neck. “You’ve wrought a miracle today, my love.”

  “If you must know, his lordship held a gun to my head, so to speak.” Though harsh, the duke’s words were tinged with humor.

  “Did he indeed?” Her grace said, overhearing his remark as she entered the library. “My compliments, your lordship, for…er…persuading his grace to bend to your will when even I could not. How did you do it, sir?”

  Waverley’s lively eyes spoke volumes. “It wasn’t difficult, your grace, once he heard me out.”

  “What does the duke mean about holding a gun to his head, Lord Waverley?”

  “I merely delivered grandmother’s message.”

  Helena beamed. “Wish me happy, Mother. Father has consented to my marriage to Waverley.”

  “Oh, good! You’ve come to your senses at last.” The duchess squeezed her husband’s hand reassuringly. She turned to Waverley and added, “Now I can reveal the contents of your grandmother’s letter. The dowager has asked me to help her repair your damaged reputation, sir. It would be best to begin after your wedding takes place, I think.”