The Duke's Challenge (13 page)

‘I have
absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. And please don’t laugh at
me,
I don’t enjoy being a figure of fun.’

He flicked her
affectionately on the cheek. ‘Then, my dear, don’t behave like a ninny hammer.’
He straightened. ‘So, that is settled. By the way, the gig will be ready
tomorrow so you can go to Ipswich to buy your bride clothes.’

She threw her
hands up in exasperation. ‘Very well, I surrender. You are right, I have
nowhere else to go, but I promise, Jack, if a viable alternative presents
itself I shall go, and you cannot stop me. I’m marrying you out of necessity
not because I take any pleasure in the action.’

He bowed. ‘That
is all I ask, all I expect. We can be friends, partners and lovers, which will
be more than enough for me.’ He turned to go.

‘Jack, what
happened in the village yesterday? Did you uncover anything interesting?’

‘No; I’m
certain no one living there was responsible for the attacks. If the threat came
from that direction then it must have been an outsider, a seditious malcontent
from elsewhere.’

‘I’m glad to hear
it. I’m sure once the cottages are repaired and they have food on the table, no
one in Thurston will be unhappy with their lot.’

‘I must go,
Charlotte; I have men to organize. Not all the villagers are involved with the
repair of the
cottages,
some are here to start
clearing the park.’

She smiled,
this was the man she found so irresistible. ‘Are we out of danger? Can we relax
our guard?’

‘I think that’s
possibly premature, my love. However, whilst there are so many men about the
place, it should be safe to walk anywhere within the grounds.’

Charlotte was
uncertain how she felt for without the slightest difficulty, he had
outmanoeuvred her. He was so alluring when he was being playful. She sighed,
gathering up the book she’d come down to collect. Beth and Harry would be
wondering where she was, she’d promised to join them at nine o’clock, and now
the time was almost fifteen minutes to ten.

Lessons were
resuming today, thus the need for books. She had noticed a large illustrated
book on the flora and fauna of East Anglia. This would interest the children
and they could look out for the plants and animals they read about when they
took their daily walks.

A parlour maid
disturbed them just before noon. ‘Excuse me, miss, but Mr Meltham
says
as the legal gentlemen are here and are wishing to
speak to you.’

Puzzled by this
message Charlotte asked, ‘Is Lord Thurston not available?’

‘No, miss, he’s
nowhere to be found, he’s out in the park somewhere.’

‘Very well, I
shall be down directly.’ She got up. ‘You can finish your handwriting, Beth,
and you, your drawing, Harry. When that is done, Annie can bring you down for
luncheon. I shall join you in the parlour when I have finished my meeting.’

On her way down
Charlotte wondered why the lawyers should wish to speak to
her.
Jack’s ridiculous challenge had been abandoned and, as far as she knew, never
mentioned to Mr Blower or his associate.

The two
gentlemen were waiting in the library. They bowed deeply at her entrance. The
older man, obviously Mr Blower, addressed her. ‘Thank you for coming down so
promptly, Miss Carstairs, and I apologize for disturbing you.’

‘How can I be
of assistance, sir?’

‘We have the
funds Lord Thurston requested and the papers to release the remainder when he
requires it.’ He cleared his throat. ‘But it is on another matter that we wish
to speak to you. We wish to know your decision regarding the house in Ipswich.’

‘I’m sorry,
sir, I have no knowledge of a house in Ipswich. I am afraid you will have to
wait until Lord Thurston returns, for your answer.’

‘This is
somewhat delicate, Miss Carstairs. Do I have your permission to speak of this?’

She was tempted
to refuse, but curiosity overcame her distaste. ‘Very well, what is it that you
wish to tell me?’

‘We have
acquired a fine house in the best part of town and it is available for you and
the children, and your staff of course, to move into straightaway. Your
residence unchaperoned at Thurston Hall is causing speculation and gossip.’

‘A house you
say? Somewhere I can live on my own with the children? Not only am I under age
but I have no funds with which to run such an establishment, as I am sure you
are aware.’

Mr Blower
smiled. ‘There was an annuity left for your mother, in Lord Thurston’s will and
that will be more than enough for your needs. And a suitable companion will be
easy to find, there are dozens of impecunious gentlewomen looking for exactly
this sort of position.’

Charlotte stood
up, terminating interview. ‘Please leave details of the house and the annuity.
I shall decide whether I am going to move after I have discussed the matter
with Lord Thurston.’ There was something about these men, their oily smiles and
shifty eyes that she didn’t trust. ‘Lord Thurston and I are
betrothed,
we plan to marry in three weeks, so such an upheaval hardly seems worthwhile at
this point in time.’

The lawyers
exchanged glances and she began to feel uncomfortable closeted alone with them.
‘If you will excuse me, sirs, I have matters to attend to elsewhere.’ She
nodded and hurried from the library.

In the corridor
she paused, trying to sort out the conflicting emotions. Jack should have told
her about the house, given her the option of moving. Why had he not done so? If
he was as reluctant to marry her as he had professed, then being offered an
honourable alternative should have seemed like a godsend.

Did she not
have a right to decide for herself? The more she considered it the angrier she
became. She forgot her disquiet about the lawyers, the possible reasons why he
might have decided to marry her and not send her away, and allowed her
righteous indignation at his highhanded behaviour to sweep her along.

When his
lordship returned from his gallivanting around the countryside she would
confront him with his perfidy and tell him their marriage was cancelled. She
had her alternative accommodation and the fund to support
herself
;
she had been given exactly what she wanted.

For some reason
being offered this opportunity didn’t fill her with the excitement she had
anticipated. In fact, if she was honest, her heart had sunk to her boots at the
thought of her imminent departure from Thurston Hall.

Chapter Thirteen

Jack returned
from his duties on the estate leaving barely enough time to don his black
jacket and attend poor Jenkins’s funeral. All the male servants attended and a
few folk from the village, but it was a quiet affair. The young man had no
family locally and no one had ever asked him where he hailed from so no family
members were present.

Thurston Church
had been hastily cleaned for the occasion so the pallbearers, Jethro, two
grooms and a footman, had no difficulty carrying the plain wooden casket down
the aisle. The vicar completed the service at the graveside in the churchyard
and when it was over Jack gave Meltham a handful of coins and told him take the
mourners to the village inn for a drink. Then he followed the reverend
gentleman back inside the tiny Norman church to hear the bans of his marriage
read out for the first time.

‘Thank you, Mr
Peterson; I apologize for the state of the building but it has not been used
for over a year. I promise it will be pristine on my wedding day in three
weeks’ time.’

‘I am looking
forward to performing that ceremony, your grace. It is far too long since a
Thurston married in this little church.’

A brisk wind
rustled the beech trees showering Jack with crimson leaves. He smiled; was
this another
nudge from the Almighty? To his astonishment at
that precise moment the black clouds parted and the sun shone down bathing him
in bright light. He stared, awestruck, and the hairs on his arms stood up. He
bowed to the beam of light, not sure if he was witnessing a miracle or a series
of incredible coincidences. Whatever it was, it was remarkable, and convinced
him that the time had come for him to mend his ways. He must stop swearing and
shouting when he was annoyed and cease to issue orders to Charlotte as though
she was a private under his command.

He grinned - it
would be hard. He had spent all his adult life in the service of the Crown.
There had been no necessity for drawing-room manners in the army. Of course, he
had attended numerous balls and soirees, card parties and routs, but always in his
regimentals, hiding behind his persona as a major. Who the real Jack was he had
no idea, but he was sure he wasn’t the irascible foulmouthed man his self-pity
had allowed him to become.

Mr Peterson
handed him the key to the church. ‘You will require this, your grace, if you
wish your staff to get in to clean and arrange the flowers before the big day.’

‘But Sunday’s service and the second reading?’

‘I shall call
in for the key, your grace, never fear. I have been considering your suggestion
that I should take care of both parishes until you can appoint a new
incumbent.’

‘And your decision?’

‘I should be
delighted to help. I can hold a morning service at thirty minutes past eleven
o’clock each Sunday. Unfortunately time does not allow me to return to do evensong.
However, I shall be available to perform baptisms, funerals, and of course,
marriages as requested.’

‘That is
excellent news and a great relief. Miss Carstairs will be delighted she can
walk to church.’ Seeing the kindly old gentleman’s enquiring look he quickly
added, ‘and I shall accompany her, of course.’

He strode off
to the Hall, a short walk along an overgrown, bramble infested path.

Jack’s brief conversation with his lawyers had also been satisfactory. He
was looking forward to handing Charlotte a bag of coins to spend in Ipswich the
next day. It would be dinnertime soon and tonight, for the first time, he had
asked for it to be served formally. He knew the only room available was the
breakfast parlour, not very grand for a celebration meal, but this chamber was
better than nothing.

The message he
had left instructed her to be dressed appropriately ready to dine with him at
six o’clock. This gave him an hour to organize a bath and change of clothes. He
smiled; he had no evening dress so it would have to be his dress regimentals.
He hadn’t worn his uniform since he had attended the ball the night before
Waterloo. He remembered some officers had stayed so long they had been obliged
to fight in their best. He was glad he had not been one of them.

*

Beth clapped
her hands. ‘Lottie, I’ve never seen you look so beautiful. Is that the gown you
made from the ball dress mama had for her come out?’

Charlotte
nodded. ‘It is, Beth. Because the skirt was worn over hoops there was ample
material in that alone. All I had to purchase was the green sarcenet to make
the over skirt.’

‘Mama said
green wasn’t suitable for young ladies only married ladies.’

‘I’m sure Mama
would have approved, Beth, after all I’m almost a married lady, am I not?’ She
smoothed out her silk evening gloves and examined the stain on the tip of one
finger closely. This was so small she was sure certain Jack wouldn’t notice.

Harry had been
watching the men from the village clean their scythes before they departed for
the day. Satisfied they had finished he scrambled down from his position in the
window seat and came over to admire his sister.

‘How do you eat
with gloves on, Lottie? Won’t the food go all over them?’

Charlotte
smiled and held up her hands for him to examine. ‘See, Harry, they have no
fingers, the material ends at the knuckles.’

‘And why do you
have a bit hanging out of your skirt at the back, Lottie, none of your other
gowns have one?’

‘It is a
demi-train,
Harry, all evening gowns
have one, don’t they, Lottie?’ Beth informed him smugly.

‘What’s that?
Why’s it a train? He had never seen a formal gown before and knelt down to
examine the skirt.

‘Are your hands
clean, Master Harry?’ Mary enquired anxiously.

‘Course they
are, I washed them this morning.’

Beth reacted
first. ‘Harry, don’t touch Lottie’s gown, you will spoil it.’ Her shouted
warning was accompanied by a violent push, sending him sprawling. Annie bustled
in and removed both children, scolding them gently for misbehaving.

Charlotte felt
much better. The fracas had released her tension wonderfully. She was sorry she
hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to Jack about the house in Ipswich, tell
him she was determined to move there, but in the excitement of wearing this
gown for the first time, she had forgotten to be cross.

Meltham in his
habitual black, and two footmen, smart in freshly pressed green and gold
livery, waited to greet her. She smiled, such formality and to dine in the
breakfast parlour!

The butler
bowed. ‘His grace is in the drawing-room, Miss Carstairs, if you would care to
follow me.’

It seemed it
required the two footmen and Meltham to escort her across the width of the
entrance hall. Trying not to laugh she followed them as instructed. Outside
what had been Jack’s domain, the butler halted. The footmen ceremoniously
opened the double doors.

‘Miss Carstairs, your grace,’ Meltham announced grandly.

Scarcely
suppressing her giggles she entered. What a change! The room was restored to
something resembling a drawing-room. The disgusting armchairs had vanished to
be replaced
by two
chaise-longue
,
a love seat and several spindly legged gilt chairs, more suited to a ballroom
than a drawing-room
.

Then all desire
to laugh evaporated. She spotted Jack, standing by the mantelshelf watching
her, his face alight with appreciation. She hardly recognized him; he looked
magnificent in scarlet jacket, skin-tight calfskin breeches and top boots with
flamboyant tassels. His hair was swept forward almost covering his scar.

He bowed deeply
and she curtsied low. On offering her hand to him he gripped it, carrying it to
his mouth. His lips burnt across her folded fingers and her heart somersaulted.
Her closely fitting bodice felt constricting.

He gazed into
her eyes and she could not resist. Her feet carried
her the
three steps needed to reach his arms. His hold was gentle and his lips when
they found
hers,
were tender. She felt bereft when he
lifted his head.

‘I hadn’t
intended to do this, sweetheart. I was going to be the perfect gentleman tonight,
treat you with the utmost respect.’ He smiled his lopsided smile and shrugged.
‘But you are so utterly
ravisante
, I
could not help myself. Forgive me please?’

At that moment
she knew she would forgive him anything. Maybe marrying without his love would
not be so bad. ‘Of course I forgive you. I came to you, not the other way
round.’ She smiled, her eyes glittering. ‘And tonight, dressed as you are, I
find you quite irresistible.’

He gestured
around the room. ‘What you think? A vast improvement, isn’t it?’

‘It is indeed.
Where are your quarters now?’

‘I’ve moved
upstairs, there are one or two chambers habitable. I thought to have made it
the room where the ceiling collapsed but I’ve found another.’ He led her over
to the
chaise-longue
and waited for
her to be seated. ‘May I offer you a glass of champagne? Meltham has unearthed
a dozen bottles that were hidden in the cellar.’

‘I’ve never
tasted champagne,’ she answered shyly. She was finding him rather overwhelming
this evening.

‘I did not ask
you, my love, if you have tasted champagne; I wish to know if you wish to share
a glass with me now?’

She recovered
her equilibrium, being cross with him was so much easier. ‘Do not bandy words
with me, Lord Thurston. Of course I would like a glass.’ As she watched the
butler deftly remove the cork and pour the golden frothing liquid into tall
crystal glasses, she finally recalled why she had wished to speak with Jack
earlier in the day.

‘Mr Blower
tells me there is a house in Ipswich waiting for me and the children and a
legacy from my grandfather to pay for its upkeep.’

He sat up. ‘The
house I knew off but the legacy is news to me. I wonder why this wasn’t
mentioned earlier.’

‘And why didn’t you inform me of its existence, give me the option to
remove myself there?’

He chuckled.
‘I’m sure you know the answer to that, my love. As I had already made up my
mind to marry you there was no necessity to mention the house. But I am puzzled
by the sudden appearance of a legacy.’

She recalled
the unease she had felt in the company of the lawyers. ‘I don’t like those
men,
They have a shifty manner I cannot trust.’

Meltham
interrupted the conversation to serve the drinks on a silver salver. She took a
few exploratory sips and placed the glass aside. ‘I find I don’t like this, it
has too many bubbles and a rather dry taste.’

Jack followed
her example and put the glass down. ‘I have always thought this drink
overrated. You can have a glass of claret with the meal; perhaps that will be
more to your liking?’

‘I’ve had both
red and white wine on many occasions; these were often the only safe drink
available.’

‘I had
forgot
you accompanied your father on his campaigns. But to
return to the lawyers, do you know if they knew of your whereabouts prior to
your arrival here?’

‘Oh yes, Lord
Thurston would have had it. I wrote to him when Papa died, to ask for his help.
Of course, I didn’t know he was already dead and that’s why I received no
reply.’ She frowned. ‘But it’s odd the letter was returned opened but
unanswered.’

‘Decidedly odd.
It had to be Blower who returned it. Why
didn’t he inform you of your legacy then?’

‘I wish he had,
it would have made such a difference to our lives. I wouldn’t have needed to
come here; I could have remained in the house in Romford.’

His expression
became serious. ‘Then I am glad they were derelict in their duties; your
arrival here has changed my life.’

She flushed
with pleasure. This was almost a declaration of devotion, maybe he felt more
for her than he was prepared to own. ‘Another thing, have you wondered where
all the silver plate and decent furniture and paintings have gone? Mama didn’t
speak often about her life here, but I do know the Hall was a grand place and
that she experienced every possible luxury in her youth.’

Jack called
across to the butler standing unobtrusively by the sideboard. ‘Meltham, how
long have you been here?’

‘Thirty years,
my lord; I started as an under footman.’

‘Then you can
answer a question for us. What has happened to the silver, furniture, in fact
anything of value?’

‘The lawyers
took it when the old duke died, your grace. Mr Blower said it would be at risk
in a house with no master.’

‘And the
furniture and paintings, did they go into storage as well?’

‘Yes, miss. The
only thing that remained was the cutlery. I am surprised they have not returned
the rest as you have been in residence, my lord, for more than a year now.’

‘Thank you,
Meltham, you have been a great help.’ Jack waited for the man to retire to his
corner at the far side the room before continuing. ‘There is something
havey-cavey about this, Charlotte. I shall accompany you to Ipswich tomorrow
and speak to the lawyers.’

‘Could you not
ask to see the will? See the accounts and the extent of the debts incurred by
the loss of the fleet?’

‘Excellent suggestion, my dear.
I have been remiss in all
this. Had I not been so lost in self-pity this past year, I would have
investigated the matter and discovered the truth for myself.’

A footman came
in and spoke to the butler, who promptly moved forward. ‘Your grace, Miss
Carstairs, dinner is served.’

Charlotte
detected a certain tension in Jack, a suppressed excitement. He held out his
arm and she placed it on his, his forearm solid beneath her fingers. She smiled
up. ‘What is it? What are you hiding from me?’