His Michaelmas Mistress (15 page)

Julia looked around. “I shall have to tell you more later on this afternoon, once the other guests leave. Right now, it seems as if I have the duty of introducing the Duke to everyone, as Freddie shan’t show hide nor hair of himself now that his mates are back.” She smiled as all of the women finally gathered around, and looked out of the corner of her eye at her two cousins, “This should be fun. Ladies, let me introduce you to His Grace, The Duke of Bowdon and Lydney. He has been kind enough to grant us with his presence today.”

She looked at the book of Shakespearean Sonnets they were going to talk about.

“Ah,” the Duke said, “The Sonnets of Shakespeare…I think I might enjoy this meeting,” he said, winking cheekily at the women who let out titters. They were all charmed by the Duke. Everyone save for her, Rose and Iris.

She wanted to know why Freddie couldn’t come out here with his mates in tow. Instead, he left her to do everything. He couldn’t seek to hide away from them forever. Chewing on her lip, she started pouring the brandy, and handing it out to the women while their talk went to the Sonnets.

If Freddie sought to stay away from them during the entire meeting, she would be sore at him!

*****

Freddie stood with his mates, admiring all of the portraits in the Ladies Long Gallery, whilst telling Tiny and Lucky about everything that had happened while they were away.

“I’m still stunned. I can’t believe that this old bastard is a son of a duke—not just a son, but his legitimate heir,” Tiny exclaimed. “It blows me over it, does. To think you were the same man I used get into all sorts of hellish scrapes with, and one of these days, I’m going to have to call you, Your Grace. Well, don’t be getting any airs about you, Freddie, you’ll always be little old Mouse to me.”

“Little?” Lewis scoffed. “That’s something Mouse will never have to worry about being.”

“I’m just saying we’ve seen each other at our best—and at our worst. I’ve got a few dirty tales to tell about you, should I ever think you’ve ever gotten too big for your britches,” Tiny warned.

“Freddie, staying in here with us, isn’t going to rub Julia the right way. She will be furious with you,” Micah said.

“She won’t be. Once I charm her a bit.”

“Oh, mate, charming ain’t going to soothe that beast. Womenfolk are mighty hard to soothe once they are vexed. Now, me, I’ll stay in here. I don’t know how to act around a duke, let alone the duke who is your natural father,” Tiny said.

“That’s my problem, too,” Freddie admitted. “I don’t even know how to act around him, and he looks so much like me, I can’t keep denying it. I’m a simple man, and every time I look at him, I think…this can’t be happening…it will all vanish into thin air. And sometimes, I think the same thing when I look at Julia. The one thing I never have to worry about is her being sore at me. She gets irked with me, but she never stays angry at me for long.”

“Freddie, if you want to marry her, you have to learn that sometimes, we men have to compromise with our women in order to keep them happy,” Lewis said.

“I wouldn’t say that with Iris within earshot, mate,” Micah said. “That’s a really good way to put yourself in hot water,” he chuckled.

“Why not? He is right. We men do have to humour the ladies. I know that Julia has a frightful temper, and she can be moody,” Freddie mused. 

“Uh, oh,” Tiny said, while Lucky started laughing. “I think you just put the last nail in your coffin, mate.” He stared past Freddie, and made Freddie groan.

“She’s behind me, isn’t she?” Freddie asked.

“You bet she is. And boy, does she look irked. She’s going to read you the riot act, Mouse,” Tiny said.

“I can be moody, can I?” Julia asked, coming up to stand beside him. Ruby had been with her, and now stood next to Lucky. They looked disapprovingly at him.

Damnation.

He was in trouble!

Freddie felt cornered. Now, more than ever he felt like a mouse, a mouse that had been trapped.

“I think…I think you should give up now. Don’t try to fight it, you shall only dig yourself a deeper hole,” Lewis said, out of the corner of his mouth.

“Make a quick retreat, Mouse. There’s no fighting the fairer sex. They are an enemy a man never wants, and can’t win against,” Tiny advised. “Cause everything you do and say might come back to bite you in the arse. They never forget. I repeat, they never forget. This is one of the reasons why I will never get leg-shackled.”

“Well, you are moody, Julia,” Freddie said stubbornly, making Julia’s eyes widen even more, and Tiny made a weird gurgling noise.

“You’re dead, mate,” he muttered. “It was nice knowing you.”

Her blue eyes blazed with fire. She crossed her arms over her chest, and marched right up to him.

“I think…” she sighed. “I…mayhap, I can be moody. My mother can be…and if I have inherited that trait, God help me. Fine, I will relent, and give you that boon. But mark my words, Freddie, this will be the only time I decide not to fight you on that one. However, you are not going to get off without suffering a little. You will march out there and put on a smile, and you will lift yourself out of that bloody bad mood you are in, and be nice to your father! If you don’t, I’ll give you a row you soon won’t forget!”

“Do it, Mouse,” Tiny urged.

“She is giving you an out…take it!” Lewis said, while Micah nodded his head.

“Aye,” Lucky said. “Get your arse moving, and go and make nice, with your dear sweet Papa.”

“Lucky, don’t push your bloody luck,” Freddie muttered.

Lucky laughed, and his laughter echoed throughout the Ladies Long Gallery, causing them all to join in.

Freddie had Julia’s love, and that was all that would ever matter. Even if he had to act the part of the dutiful son with his father. He would be a good little soldier, and he’d win that battle, and pray that his father never regretted claiming him as his child.

Freddie had, with a little prodding, finally come round. Before they had set off for London, they both seemed to be in good spirits, and Freddie wasn’t quite as hostile with the Duke. He hadn’t changed his view of the man enough to call him Father or Papa, but Julia prayed that one day, he would soften enough to do so.

Still, men like Freddie were set in their ways, and usually dug their heels in at any sort of change. And, as this change was a significant one, she knew it would take time, and as far as she was concerned, they had all of the time in the world.

Freddie and she had resolved to marry as soon as he returned with the license, and as soon as her vicar was available to marry them. If all went well, he should be back today or tomorrow. Now, she passed the intervening time, rebuilding her dreams, and enjoying her last few days as a maiden.

Today, she had decided to go racing against the three men she usually raced with. Mr. James Newson, Mr. John Wilson, and Lord Cedric Wisdom. She drove to their normal meeting spot with Ruby and a Tiger riding with them, as she had decided that she didn’t want them to get stranded without any help being with them.

Ruby had become a good chum of hers, and had showed that though she could be reserved, she had strength of character when it counted most.

Julia had always courted scandal by going racing like this. For that reason, they had always been careful to bring chaperones with them. James’s chaperone today was his mother, who liked to watch them race. She said it gave her a thrill, and made her feel young again.

Lord Cedric still haven’t arrived.

“He’s late again,” John said. “He’s never been able to be bang up to the mark, has he?”

“He isn’t expected to be, as a marquess’s son,” James snorted.

They all laughed.

“Now, now everyone. Do be fair to him,” Julia said. “He has a longer drive, and he might have been held up. We all know that his father looks very poorly on our races.”

“Oh, aye. He doesn’t want his heir apparent to die in a crash,” James said ruefully.

“What shall we wager today, Lady Julia? We might as well make arrangements, and then tell Lord Cedric how it is when he finally shows up.”

She laughed. “How about thirty pounds? We shall all throw it into the pot, and the victor shall win it all.”

“Now, see here, Lady Julia, you don’t need the money, and that is bleeding very freely,” James said. “Very freely indeed.”

“None of us want for money. You, James, are a skinflint.”

“All I am saying is, why not simply play for the glory, and the fun of it all?” James grumbled.

“Oh, James. Loosen up a little. I shall provide you with the thirty pounds, if you’ve drank your weekly allowance away,” his mother said. “Your father would have been here too if he had been able to get away from his own Mama. He likes to watch these little events just as much as I do. But I confess, the thing I like the most is watching Lady Julia give you three lads a good thrashing.”

“Thank you, Lady Corbett,” she said. “As soon as Cedric arrives, we shall start. I plan in having a rollicking good time, everyone, as I shan’t return, once I marry Freddie.”

“Oh, why not? You have a devilish amount of fun with us, and we with you,” James said.

“I know, and therein lies the problem. I shall have to devote all of my time to Freddie, and honestly, this kind of devil may care attitude shall have to be cast aside once I marry.”

“I suppose all good things must come to an end,” Lady Corbett said. “Of course, you shan’t want to act with such abandon once you marry…that doesn’t mean we all can’t meet in another setting, as I shall miss seeing you, Julia.”

“And I as well, Lady Corbett.”

“Then, that’s that. We shall all have to still meet on the days you all used to race. Once a month, should do it,” Lady Corbett said.

“Indeed, it should. We shall take turns hosting. I don’t think Freddie could possibly disagree with that,” Julia said.

“And when do you expect Lord Knightwick to return from London?” Lady Corbett asked.

“In a few days, I should think.”

“And now, someday, we’ll have to call you, Your Grace,” James grumbled. “I shan’t like that one bit.”

Julia laughed. “Oh, but you will do it, won’t you, dear boy?”

He nodded his head. “Aye. I shall.”

Lord Cedric Wisdom raced toward them in his handsome curricle. He joined the rest of them, and sighed. “I had a devil of a time getting away from Father. I had to tell him that I was off to pay a call on Avondale. I think he suspected, once he saw me driving away on this old thing, but he didn’t follow me. If he had, I’m not sure how I would have swung it. He says if I want to have fun, why can’t I play Cricket?”

“Oh, Cedric. He worries about you. You are his only child.”

“And you are a female, and yet you willingly put yourself in peril whenever you decide to race with us,” Cedric pointed out. “Oh, I say, who is the lovely little lass sitting with you? Introduce us, Julia.”

“This is Miss Ruby Massey. She is cousin to my Aunt Alice. Ruby’s mother was a Somersby.”

“Truly? Well, how do you do, Miss Ruby,” he said, gallantly flourishing off his hat, and giving her a dramatic nod of his head. “Do you have any beaus?”

Cedric was a rake.

He loved women with a passion, he was a terrible flirt, and he had no need of money, as their family fortune was a sizeable one, and his father, doddering old soul that he was, had no vices to mention.

Ruby looked scared to death. She hadn’t replied, and Cedric looked a little befogged by it. Women didn’t usually keep him waiting.

“Little shy, is she?” he asked, as if Ruby had left.

“Mayhap, she sees a rake, and doesn’t want to become his next conquest,” James said. John nodded his head vigorously.

“You are rather overbearing sometimes,” John said.

“Me? Overbearing. Balderdash. I’m not, am I, Julia?” he asked.

“You do come on rather strong sometimes, but I wouldn’t call you overbearing, Cedric.”

“Oh, that is a relief,” he said. “I feared for a moment there that I was becoming like my dear Papa. I don’t think I could take that,” he chuckled nervously. “Shall you be at the Lovetts, Michaelmas Ball, Miss Massey?”

Julia nudged Ruby in the side. “Come on, Ruby, speak up.”

Ruby nodded her head, and hesitantly said, “Yes, I will be at the Ball.”

“Probably attempting to hide in the refreshment room,” Julia said.

Ruby looked away.

“I’d like to dance with you at the Ball, Miss Massey. I think we would get along quite well,” Cedric said.

Not to be outdone, James and John cleared their throats. “I’d also like to take a turn or two with you, Ruby,” James said.

“As would I,” John said.

“See Ruby? Stick with me, and I shall have you married off by the spring.”

Ruby sighed. “Thank you, Julia.”

“I think you should get down now, dear, and go and sit with John’s sister, and James’s mother. You and John’s sister, Joan, should get along splendidly. You both might not be able to say a thing, but you will look pretty watching us race.”

The Tiger helped Ruby alight, and then, as they all prepared for the race, Julia looked over at John, James and Cedric, and smiled, committing this moment to her memory. This was the last time she’d be here with the friends she’d had since childhood. John’s Tiger was set to wave the flag, which would commence the race.

He waved the flag, and they were off! She laughed, as she let the others think they were beating her. Once she’d decided that they’d gained enough of a false sense of confidence, she showed them exactly what her horses could do.

She passed the marker that James’s Tiger had made, and laughed as they all joined her. She’d won the race, which really wasn’t a surprise to the others. She won most of their races.

“Of course,” Cedric said. “We were gallant, and let you win.”

James laughed. “Oh, aye, we were holding back,” he grinned.

“Your curricle is the envy of the County. ‘Course the fact that you weigh lighter than us, helps too,” John said, grinning like a little boy. “You will be sorely missed, Julia.”

“I will miss you lot, as well.” Laughing, they all drove back to where their chaperones waited for them.

*****

Freddie was at Deville House with his father. They sat with Valentine and Marietta Deville, the Duke and Duchess of Alton, and their eldest son, Clarence Deville, the Earl of Evesham, and their youngest child, Lord Cyril Deville. Most of the ton repaired to the Country during this time of the year, but clearly, the Devilles didn’t always hold to that practice.

Clarence’s mouth hadn’t shut since Freddie had introduced the Duke as his father, and Valentine Deville also looked a little nonplussed.

“Does Colonel Elliot know?” Clarence asked at last, breaking the uneasy silence that had stretched between them.

“I have sent him a missive, aye,” Freddie said.

“He is going to lay an egg, if he sees the striking resemblance between you two,” Clarence gushed. “And I thought I looked like my father. The two of you…well, you could be twins!”

“Clarence, hush,” Marietta said. “And, so you and dear Julia shall finally be wed when you return to Castleton?”

“Aye. I shan’t let her get away this time,” Freddie vowed.

“I am surprised you let her get away the first time. She’s a dear girl,” Clarence interjected. “I wish I could see it, and if anyone decided to make a cake of themselves, I could stop them.”

“If you’re not in jest, I don’t see why you couldn’t consider yourself invited. You could travel back with us. Unless of course, you have other commitments here in Town. I know that Julia would love to see you all, and I know that Mr. Lovett and Mrs. Lovett would like to see you, too.”

“Oh, aye, Aunt Alice and Uncle Edward are great fun,” Clarence said. “We call them aunt and uncle because they are older than us, and it’s a sign of respect, right, Pop?”

“Aye,” Valentine said. “We used to be quite close, but we’ve drifted apart the last few years. Edward and Alice have kept to the Country for the most part, and well, we love Town life…but we might just make the trip as well, what do you think, dear?” he asked, turning his attention to Marietta.

“Oh, I think that would be divine. We did receive an invitation to their Michaelmas Ball, I was going to send my regrets, now that I reflect upon it, I think you are right, Valentine. I think we should make the trip, and see them again. I have missed them all so much.”

“Jolly good,” Freddie said. “I’m certain Julia wouldn’t mind having you all at the wedding, small affair though it will most likely be. Lord Spaulding and Lord Prescott are here in Town as well. They are off finding other entertainment, unfortunately.” Freddie didn’t want to tell them they were off pursuing this rowdy entertainment somewhere on King’s Street at an upper class establishment that was a brothel that catered to the men of the ton. He hadn’t been tempted by that sort of thing since he’d met Julia, and he hoped that Tiny and Lucky would meet a woman someday that would make them forget about the pleasure of a whore’s company as well. “I decided to pay a call upon you all at the last minute, so I’m quite certain they will be disappointed to know they missed visiting with you all. So, Clarence, mate, are you free to come?”

“I don’t have anything here for me. Not right now, anyway. And I was planning on leaving Town for the Country shortly.”

“Aye, Lady Ann Hardwicke is visiting an aunt in Oxfordshire,” Cyril said. “No one else interests him quite so much, eh, Clarence? He writes poetry about her. He writes about her lovely eyes, and her lovely neck and her lovely bos…”

“Cyril, I am going to wring your neck,” Clarence said.

Cyril laughed. “You will have to catch me first, Brother.”

“Boys,” Valentine said sternly. “While Lord Knightwick might be like an old mate to you, his father is a guest, and a stranger in our midst, and he shall be under the impression that we English have no manners.”

“I had two younger brothers. I think young boys act the same way in Scotland, as they do here,” the Duke said. “I can only imagine what a rowdy young lad Freddie must have been.”

“Oh, he was probably worse than us,” Clarence said bluntly.

“I was,” Freddie admitted. “Far worse.”

“See, Pop? We are veritable angels, compared to Freddie,” Cyril said, smiling angelically.

“Anyone is an angel compared to me. I am a bloody bastard,” Freddie said, giving Clarence a conspiratorial wink.

“Freddie, I accept your invitation. I think traveling back with you to Wiltshire, will be quite diverting, and it will be good to see the other Angels of Death again. I would like to see my cousins again as well. Some of them have probably really blossomed since we saw them last. Looks as if your mates are doing their best to marry all of the Lovett women. We could always send Rufus down there. I am all out of sisters…but I’m not out of cousins, he could try to set his cap on one of them, and maybe this time around, he’d get lucky.”

“Clarence,” Marietta chastised. “That is quite enough. Rufus will find a suitable wife eventually.”