The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (46 page)

Except that she was so lovely. And she
stirred something in him he didn’t quite understand. Shaking off
his thoughts, he made his way toward the duke’s rooms to see that
his master was made ready for today’s session at Parliament.

“
Townley.”

Robert blinked and quickly pushed thoughts
of the intriguing Miss Brown aside. His employer, the Duke of
Bartlett, stood in the doorway of his study.

“
Yes, Your
Grace?”

“
Is something wrong? You
look… troubled.”

“
Oh, not at all, Your
Grace. I… couldn’t remember where I’d put… my gloves. No matter,
I’ll find another pair. Is there something I can do for you?” He
straightened and faced the duke, careful to enunciate each word.
His master had lost most of his hearing in a hunting accident but
had learned to read lips.

“
Er, yes. My wife shared
with me her plan to have the children’s Christmas party here, and I
support the idea completely. If you would, please deliver our
invitations when you instruct the children tonight.”

“
Yes, Your
Grace.”

“
The duchess misses those
little ones so. I have to admit, I do, too.” He frowned. “There was
one little boy who didn’t attend often, but when he did, he was
quite clever. Andrew, I think his name was. Has he been
there?”

“
Yes, Andrew was in
attendance last night.”

“
Good. He comes from a — a
rather rough home situation, I gather. Often came with
bruises.”

“
I noticed that. I assumed
he was a clumsy child.”

“
I’m afraid not. From what
I hear, his father is rather — forceful with his
discipline.”

“
That’s not a bad thing, if
the lad deserved it.”

“
Perhaps not. But he’s such
a well-behaved fellow during instruction, I often wonder… Anyway,
I’ve delivered my reminder, so I’ve done my duty.”

“
Yes, Your Grace. You are
due at Parliament in one hour. Shall I summon a hackney for
you?”

“
Hmm? Oh, yes. I’d
forgotten about that. I would so much rather stay here. The doctor
says my daughter should arrive any day now.”

“
It could be a
son.”

“
Yes, of course. But I just
have a feeling it’s a girl. Won’t it be lovely, having a tiny
version of the duchess running around?”

“
Undoubtedly so. Will there
be anything else?”

“
Er, no. I’ll be in my
study until my transport arrives.”

“
Very good, Your
Grace.”

~~~~

Robert found one
of the footmen and sent him out to rent a carriage
for the duke. Then he went upstairs to put his master’s dressing
room in order. He found comfort in the routine of his duties.
Cleaning the duke’s brushes, putting away his bedclothes, assuring
the maids had cleaned the room properly; those were things he could
control. When he’d appointed himself the duke’s unofficial
bodyguard, following and protecting him from dangers, even facing
ruffians in the street — that hadn’t fazed Robert.

But a dozen street urchins in the house
scared him witless. Why was it he could face a dangerous adult, but
had trouble dealing with children?

Because those children
have nothing to lose.
They’re fighting for
their lives, because they need what I have more than I
do.

The children in the church school had never
given him any reason to fear them. They’d behaved themselves, other
than the way they gobbled their treats. They sat quietly in their
seats, listened to instruction, and did as they were told. Even the
parents who stayed to listen — and presumably learned along with
their children — had treated him with nothing but respect. So why
did he need a glass or two of port before going to the lessons just
to fortify himself?

He knew the answer, but refused to dwell on
it. What had happened was in the past, and it did no good to dwell
on it.

“
Mr. Townley?”

I seem to be caught woolgathering at every
turn. I’d better stop if I’m to keep my position.

The chambermaid waited at the doorway.
Sarah, he thought her name was. “May I begin cleaning the room?”
she asked.

“
Oh. Yes, of course.” He
moved aside. “Er, you’ve worked for the duke for quite some time,
haven’t you?”

“
Yes, sir. Almost five
years, whenever the duke is in town.” The young girl spoke with
pride then gasped as a thought occurred to her. “Oh, Mr. Townley,
I’m not being let go, am I?”

“
Let — oh no, no. What I
mean to say—”

“
I’ll work twice as long,
twice as hard. Please don’t send me away. I need this job. My
mother is getting frail, and she can’t work. And my little brothers
and sisters—”

He put out a hand. “Stop. Your job is not in
question here. I’m concerned because the duke and duchess have
invited some — guests, and I’m not sure we can trust them not to
leave with some valuable items.”

“
Why would His Grace invite
thieves to come here?”

“
They’re not thieves. Well,
at least I hope not. But I don’t know what they might
do.”

“
Who are they?”

“
The children at the church
school.”

“
Oh, the children from
Cheapside? They’re going to have their Christmas party here? That’s
wonderful! My little sister and brother will be thrilled to know
the party won’t be cancelled. They’d assumed since the duchess
wouldn’t be able to come—” She broke off and put her hands on her
hips. “Are you saying that my siblings and their friends are
thieves?”

“
Well, perhaps not thieves,
but they won’t know how to behave in polite company. I’m afraid if
they get the run of the place we’ll have broken china and ruined
furniture and who knows what else.”

Sarah chewed on her lip. “Well, Mr. Townley,
if they don’t know how to behave, pr’aps you ought to teach
them.”

“
Teach them how to
behave?”

“
Show ’em what’s expected.
I didn’t know anything about how to act when I first came here. But
Miss Brown, she taught me. She showed me how to curtsey right when
the duke and duchess walk by and how to answer them when they speak
to me. And down in the servant’s dining room, she showed me how to
use a fork and knife. That’s somethin’ my parents never knew, so
they didn’t teach me. It’s not that they were bad parents. It’s
just something they didn’t ever need to know. So if you let the
children know what to expect and how they should act when it
happens, you won’t be disappointed in how they behave.”

Suddenly Sarah’s eyes opened wide and she
clamped her mouth shut and set about straightening the bed
linens.

Robert could have taken the girl to task for
speaking to an upper servant in such a forward manner, but her
words resonated with common sense. And Robert was nothing if not
sensible.

If the children know what to expect and have
learned how to act, you won’t be disappointed in how they
behave.

Perhaps tonight’s school session should be
about proper deportment.

Since Phillip was at Parliament, Robert had
the rest of the afternoon to himself. He packed a light bag and
left the house through the servants’ door and made his way to Bond
Street. He needed to think, and exercise always helped him clear
his head. A round or two in Gentleman John Jackson’s Saloon would
be the perfect way to accomplish that.

The smell of sweat and tobacco assaulted him
as he made his way up the stairs to the training floor. At the top
of the stairs he paused to drink in the welcoming atmosphere. It
had been far too long since his last visit.

“
Robert. Where’ve ye been,
old boy? Bet you’re gettin’ soft.” Ralph Wilcox, one of the
saloon’s trainers, slapped Robert on the shoulder. “Get yourself
ready, and I’ll go a round with ye.”

Robert grinned at his old
friend. Ralph had been his trainer since the first day his father
had taken him to Jackson’s. Geoffrey Townley loved his son, but he
hadn’t been the nurturing sort. His wife’s death had left him with
a young boy and no idea how to raise him. All he knew was his duty
to the Ninth Duke of Bartlett. Fortunately, the duchess had taken a
shine to Robert and encouraged him to stay in the mansion as a
companion for her son Phillip, who was about the same age. An extra
cot was set up in the valet’s room, and Phillip was raised with the
duke’s children. Still, the elder Townley had been careful to see
his son understood the difference in their stations.
“No matter what young Phillip says or does, he is
still your better,”
he’d told his
son.
“He’ll be the one with all the
privileges, and it is your job to see that he gets
them.”

One afternoon, Phillip and Robert had gone
exploring through London. They’d taken a wrong turn and ended up in
an unsavory section of the city. Robert would never forget his fear
when a band of ruffians had accosted them, taking all their money
and leaving them battered and bruised. Geoffrey had taken one look
at his son, marched him over to Gentleman Jackson’s, and arranged
for boxing lessons. Ralph had been there that day, and over the
years had become more of a mentor, encouraging him, praising him
when he succeeded, and offering words of guidance, not just in
boxing, but in life. When Phillip had gone off to Eton, Robert had
spent most of his off-hours there, learning and getting
stronger.

Robert made quick work of shedding his shirt
and flexed his arm and leg muscles. He bounced on the balls of his
feet to warm up.

“
Yer getting’ soft, old
man,” Ralph teased.

“
Old? I’ll show you who’s
old.” Robert laughed.

Jeanne walked
slightly
behind Robert, ahead of the
footman and maid who’d been dispatched to accompany them to St.
Paul’s Church for the evening’s lesson. Apparently the two young
people behind her got along quite well, for every now and then,
Nancy would giggle at something Giles had said to her. Silly girl.
Didn’t she know that young men would say anything to get a girl’s
attention and affection? She’d be willing to wager a month’s salary
that within a fortnight, Giles’ attention would be directed
elsewhere.

Well, it wasn’t her place
to worry about it. Her job, at the moment, was to go and make sure
Mr. Pompousness didn’t scare off the children. They were to deliver
the invitations from the duke and duchess for the Christmas party.
If he acted like a monster, no one would come, and the duchess
would be devastated. She’d worked so hard to earn their
trust.
“If they don’t trust you, they
won’t learn,”
she’d told Jeanne. She also
knew they learned better if they weren’t hungry, and that’s why
each lesson ended with a treat. Many times she’d have the cook make
extra of whatever was on the dinner menu and send that along
too.

Tonight was one of those nights. Giles
carried containers of food, and Nancy carried some of the extra
school supplies. Jeanne carried a basket of the treats they would
distribute at the end of the lesson.

She and Robert had agreed to focus on one
lesson in table etiquette each time. Tonight, they would work on
the correct way to eat soup. They arrived early and set up a table
and benches behind the usual chairs. Their students were full of
questions, but Jeanne promised the answers would come soon. At the
hour, Robert stood in front of them.

“
Children, for the next
several lessons, we are taking a departure from our usual
instruction. You see, you have all received a very special holiday
invitation, and Miss Brown and I know you will want to be on your
very best behavior.”

The children responded with murmurs of
excitement.

One girl stood. “Mr. Townley, are we to have
a Christmas party even though Miss Pa— I mean, the duchess isn’t
here?”

“
That is correct, Polly.
The duchess has decided, since she is unable to come here, that she
would like all of you to attend a Christmas party at her
home.”

His statement was met with gasps of
disbelief from the adults watching as well as the children.

“
Truly? We’re going to see
the duke and duchess — at their home?”

“
Will we need to wear new
clothes?”

“
Should we bring
presents?”

“
How will we get
there?”

“
Can Mummy come
too?”

Robert put up a hand, and gradually the
questions stopped. “Miss Brown and I will attempt to answer all
your questions, but for now, we want to show you what will happen
and what you will be expected to do. We will teach you to act the
way little lords and ladies act.”

Amid the excited murmurs, Robert went on.
“The first thing you will do upon entering the duke’s home is that
you will follow the butler to the drawing room. You will wait your
turn to greet the duke and duchess. When you reach them, the young
men will bow, and the young ladies will curtsey. Like this.” He
demonstrated a formal bow. “Perhaps Miss Brown could demonstrate a
curtsey.”

Jeanne obliged, to the children’s
delight.

“
May we try?” one child
asked.

“
Yes, we should practice,”
Jeanne replied. “Mr. Townley, why don’t I take the girls to the
open area in the back. We’ll need more room, as there are more of
us.”