Elizabeth Mansfield (29 page)

There was silence as he took his seat. Then a lone voice somewhere in the rear shouted, "Hear, hear!" and, as if the cheer had broken through a dam of resistance, an enormous wave of applause swept the room. Although a number of derisive hoots were mixed with the approbation, Jane sighed with relief and pride. Considering the unpopularity of his views, that swell of applause was very satisfying.

"Thank you, Lord Kettering," said the Chancellor, "for that enlightening and, I might add, very brave speech. And, since whatever follows is bound to be an anticlimax, I declare that we stand adjourned."

In the gallery the Corinthians cheered in pride, while the gamblers who'd expected Luke to fail paid off their debts. Jane, Lady Martha, and Taffy embraced each other in joyful triumph before hurrying down the stairs to the foyer to find their hero. They discovered him standing helplessly in the middle of the room, completely surrounded by House members eager to shake his hand. "Good speech," Lord Gavin was saying, "even if it won't change many votes."

"Damn if I don't change mine," the Earl of Hanley declared, clapping Luke on the back.

It was several minutes before Luke was able to make his way over to where his wife stood waiting with his mother and Taffy. His eyes went immediately to Jane's face. Her answering glance—sparkling with love and exultation—told him at once all he needed to know. "Let's get out to the carriage," he whispered and tried to usher them toward the doorway. But just then the Lord Chancellor approached him. "I must compliment you, Lord Kettering," he said. "It's not often that a speaker in the Lords supports himself so well with statistics. You gave an excellent speech, with a superb conclusion."

"I don't deserve the compliment, my lord," Luke responded, taking Jane's hand and bringing her forward. "Whatever statistical information I used was supplied to me by my wife."

The Chancellor's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Indeed?"

"It's quite true," Luke assured him, lifting his wife's hand to his lips. With his eyes smiling into hers, he added softly, "but, more important, she inspired the concluding remark as well."

"Made you
superior to your previous self,
is that what you mean?" the Chancellor asked as he raised his pince-nez to his nose and peered at Jane with an admiring smile. "I've heard that this husband of yours was a ne'er-do-well before you took him in hand, ma'am. You are to be commended on the improvement."

"He was always the man you see now," Jane said with a gleaming glance at her husband. "He just didn't bother to show it."

The Chancellor laughed. "Well, well, Kettering, then I compliment you on your marital choice. Your wife has beauty, brains, and modesty, too. You seem to be fortunate in many ways."

"Yes, my lord," Luke said, putting an affectionate arm about his wife and leading her off, "more fortunate than , I can ever deserve."

They managed to find their carriage at last. Lady Martha climbed into it, and Jane was about to follow when Colonel Foster came up to them. "I say, Kettering," the Colonel asked loudly, "why ain't we seeing you at the club these days? Don't tell me marriage has changed you so much that you don't enjoy a good game of cards anymore?"

Jane laughed up into her husband's face.
"Has
marriage changed you so much, my dear?"

"I believe, my love, that I promised it would not," he said, grinning back at her. Then he turned to the Colonel. "Very well, Foster, since I apparently have my wife's permission, let's have a game at the club tomorrow evening. Shall we say about nine?"

Colonel Foster's eyes narrowed as he watched Luke climb into the carriage. "Needs his wife's permission, does he?" he asked Taffy with a disdainful smirk. "He's changed all right. Perhaps I'll be able to beat him at last."

"Beat Luke at cards?" Taffy retorted with a snort before jumping up into the carriage. "I doubt he's changed as much as all that."

The End