Three Graces (6 page)

‘Then you’re still going to take me on?’

Carys couldn’t help but smile even though her head was spinning. ‘Of course I am! But don’t go presenting me with any more surprises.’

‘Okay,’ he said, his face flushing with relief. ‘But there are two more surprises.’

‘What?’ Carys said, envisioning mad wives in the attic.

‘Mother and father.’

Nothing could have prepared Carys for the Duke and Duchess of Cuthland. Before entering the dining room, Richard took her through to an ante-room filled with dark, oppressive tapestries.

‘So,’ a gruff voice greeted her. ‘This is Miss Miller, is it?

Carys stepped forward.

‘This is Carys, father, mother. Carys, please meet my father and mother.’

Carys held her hand out to shake the duke’s. He wasn’t as tall as she had expected but he was solidly built and had the kind of expression which made one feel instantly ill at ease.

He shook her hand, crushing her fingers into a slim sausage. ‘Carys. Welcome to Amberley,’ he said, doing his best to avoid eye-contact.

‘Pleased to meet you, your grace,’ she said quietly.

‘How do you do, Miss Miller?’ the duchess said, stepping forward. She was slightly taller than her husband and stood with the grace of a ballerina, her slender frame and elegant clothing making her look as if she’d stepped out of the pages of a glossy magazine. She had raven-dark hair which was thick and lustrous and swept up into a perfect chignon. Carys also couldn’t help noticing the most exquisite amethyst broach she was wearing - its jewels winking darkly at her.

‘Very pleased to meet you,’ Carys said with a smile. ‘Your grace,’ she added quickly. Oh, dear. Had she lost brownie points even before sitting down to lunch?

‘And you,’ her grace said simply, quietly and with very little emotion as she shook Carys’s hand.

‘Great,’ Richard said, clapping his hands together as if thrilled that the formalities were over. ‘Shall we go in to lunch?’

The duke and duchess led the way into the private dining room which was a simple room by the standards of Amberley. It looked warm and inviting with its enormous raspberry-coloured rug and red and gold flocked wallpaper and, as everywhere else in the house - just as Richard had told her - there were a number of portraits gazing down at the room, as though the Bretton ancestors didn’t like to miss a trick so made sure the whole house was covered between them.

The duke pulled out a chair for his wife and Richard mirrored his actions by pulling one out for Carys.

‘Well,’ Richard said awkwardly, as he sat down. ‘This is nice, isn’t it?’

The duchess gave a tight smile and the duke mumbled something that Carys didn’t quite hear.

‘Are the girls not coming?’ Carys asked Richard quietly.

‘No. They’re eating with Nanny.’

‘Oh,’ Carys said, wondering if that was the norm. Not that she particularly fancied having the cool eyes of Cecily upon her whilst she ate her lunch but she instinctively felt that the sooner she made an effort to get to know Richard’s daughters, the better.

She let her eyes glance around the room with its fine portraits and beautiful lamps and vases. And this was the least grand dining room at Amberley.

‘It’s a beautiful room,’ she enthused.

The duke grunted a response and the duchess merely glanced to the side as if to look at it for the first time. Perhaps they had stopped seeing the great beauty of their surroundings after having lived there for so long. Yet Richard seemed so in love with the place - showing it off to her as if he’d just stumbled across it himself and was desperate to share his new discovery.

‘I love all the portraits,’ she continued enthusiastically. ‘Who’s he?’ she asked, pointing to a gentleman above the fireplace. ‘He’s very handsome.’

The duke coughed and shifted in his seat and Carys noticed that the duchess was blushing. Oh, dear. Had she put her foot in it again?

She turned to Richard for help and saw that he was smirking.

‘He’s James, Marquess of Amberley. He became the seventh duke.’

‘It’s such a lovely portrait,’ she said, looking at the pale, pensive face, the dark expressive eyes, and the proud way he held his head. ‘Shouldn’t it be in one of the public rooms?’

The duke’s eyebrows rose in horror.

Richard cleared his throat. ‘Bit of a naughty boy, the seventh duke. Had three mistresses that we know about - probably had a few more tucked away behind his wife’s back, and disgraced himself by getting into a fight in the House of Lords over somebody else’s wife.’

‘Terrible business,’ the duke said, jowls wobbling in consternation. ‘Reprehensible fellow.’

‘But the public
adore
that kind of story. You should definitely have his portrait in a prominent place. It would be of no end of interest to visitors. And get some postcards printed too. I’d buy one.’

The duchess gave a little smile.

‘Wouldn’t you?’

The duchess blinked at Carys’s direct question.

‘I mean, it would be a fine memento. You know - interesting.’

‘What line of work are you in?’ the duchess asked.

Carys wondered if it was to change the subject quickly or to find out if she was in marketing and really did know what she was talking about.

‘I’m a PA at Gyland and Green.’

‘Good company,’ the duke announced.

‘And do you enjoy your work?’

‘Yes,’ Carys said, wondering if the duchess was laying some kind of trap. ‘They’re good people.’

‘And won’t you miss it?’

Carys frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘When you marry Richard, won’t you miss your job?’

‘I don’t understand-’

‘Mother,’ Richard cut in. ‘Can’t we talk about something else? I’m sure Carys doesn’t want to talk about work.’

‘It’s all right, Richard. I don’t mind.’

The duchess gave Richard a look that seemed to say,
mother knows best, dear
.

‘Do you mean,’ Carys began, turning to her future mother-in-law, ‘that I should give up my job once I’m married?’

The duchess seemed surprised that she should be asked such a question. ‘Why, of course. I think you’ll find that Amberley Court is very much a full time job in itself.’

‘Mother-’

‘And then there’s Cecily and Evelyn, and-’

‘MOTHER!’

Carys and the duchess both turned to face Richard.

‘It’s all right, Richard. She won’t put me off, you know.’

‘My dear,’ the duchess said, but there was no warmth in her use of the phrase, ‘that wasn’t my intention at all. I was merely making you aware of the enormity of the position you’re taking on. If only somebody has warned me about it, I might have been better prepared.’

The duke raised his eyebrows at his wife’s assertion.

‘I’m sure Carys will be absolutely fine - whatever decision she makes.’

It was then that lunch was served and conversation turned to less provocative subjects. Carys, for the most part, sat listening and nodding politely, observing her future in-laws and wondering how on earth they’d managed to produce a son like Richard.

‘This has been the most surprising day of my life,’ Carys said as she and Richard took a pathway which led out of Amberley Court’s main garden and straight up a hill.

‘I’m sorry if things have been rather overwhelming.’

Carys’s eyebrows rose a full inch. ‘
Rather
,’ she repeated, beginning to realise that he was the master of understatement. ‘I feel as if I’ve landed on a different planet.’

‘Planet Amberley,’ he said calmly. ‘Now you see what I have to put up with all the time.’

She gave a little smile as they began climbing the hill.

‘And now you see why I’m desperate for someone to share it with.’

‘Desperate?’ Carys said, stopping at his choice of word.

‘That came out wrong,’ he said. ‘I sometimes feel desperate. It can be pretty lonely here. But I wouldn’t take just anyone on, you know.’ He took a step closer towards her and took her hands in his. ‘Amberley might feel a little empty every now and then but it would be very foolish of me to grab the nearest girl and lock her away there for my entertainment.’ He paused. ‘It’s been a long time since I felt this way about anyone and, more than anything, I want it to work.’

Carys looked up at him. His dark eyes looked full of hope.

‘I want it to work too,’ she said, tightening her fingers around his. For a moment, they just gazed at one another, their hands, their eyes, seeming to speak for them.

‘I won’t pretend I’m not terrified of your parents,’ Carys said at last. ‘And I won’t pretend that taking on the role of mother doesn’t scare me witless, but I’m willing to give it a go - for you.’

The smile he gave her filled her body with a wave of pure happiness and, suddenly, they were kissing.

The sun had found its way out of a cloudy morning and was pouring its blessing upon the perfect summer garden and making Amberley Court glow in golden hues, but Richard and Carys saw none of it. They didn’t see the early summer roses or the swans upon the lake. They didn’t notice the brilliant green of the freshly mown lawns. Nor did they see two little faces peering out of a bedroom window at the top of the house. Both were staring straight up the hill towards the kissing couple but only one of them was smiling.

‘WOW!’ Louise screamed when she saw Carys’s ring for the first time - a perfect oval sapphire whose depths seemed to speak of the sea. It was surrounded by five large diamonds which gave it the appearance of a flower.

She held Carys’s hand up to the light for inspection. ‘That’s some jewel.’

‘I know,’ Carys said, almost feeling guilty for having the audacity to actually wear it.

‘I thought you’d end up with some terrible hand-me-down or something. You know - one of those perfectly tiny Victorian rings which are so cute but don’t really cut the mustard.’

‘Me too.’

Louise sighed. ‘Either it’s true love or true lunacy.’

‘Louise! How can you say that?’

‘Because you love your job and your home and now, suddenly, you’re giving both up.’

‘But I’m getting married. I can’t expect my life to stay the same. Anyway, I’ve been told there’s a full-time job for me to walk into there. It’s all rather exciting and I’m ready for a change and I really love Amberley. The thought of working there-’

‘But it’s monstrous!’

‘It’s beautiful and, anyway, I can hardly expect Richard to move into my house, can I? There’s hardly any room for one person.’

Louise shook her head. ‘This is all so strange. I feel like I’m losing you.’

‘You’re not losing me, silly.’

‘The office won’t be the same without you.’

Carys nodded, wondering if she’d be the same without the office. It had been a daunting decision to leave her job but Richard assured her that she’d have one to walk right into at Amberley. But that was an unknown quantity. What if she didn’t like it? What if she couldn’t do it?

‘I’m going to miss you lot too. But I’ll be sure to visit,’ Carys said. ‘And you must visit me. I’m going to get lonely in that big old house all day.’

‘Rubbish,’ Louise said, leaning back and wiping her tear-stained cheek. ‘You’ll be so busy, you won’t have time to think about your old life or friends at all.’

‘That’s not true,’ Carys protested.

But, as the wedding approached, she began to wonder if Louise was right. That was the trouble with weddings: they were so time consuming. Or, rather, family were. There were just so many Brettons to meet.

‘Where shall I begin?’ Richard said. ‘It’s going to be chaos. Everybody’s in a different part of the globe at the moment. Phoebe’s in France; Jamie’s backpacking in Eastern Europe and Serena’s in China.’

‘What’s she doing there?’

‘God knows,’ Richard said. ‘Serena stuff, no doubt.’

Carys frowned, wondering what that entailed.

‘You’ll find out what I mean when you meet her.’

And Carys did. She tried very hard not to gawp at her first sighting of Serena Bretton but it wasn’t easy. She had short hair cut pixie-style which glowed a dark purple and sported a tiny diamond stud in her nose. Her face was as pale as a Romantic poet’s and her eyes were as large and dark as sloes. In fact, she was the spitting image of Francesca when she’d been young - apart from the choice of hair colour and the positioning of her diamond.

She was wearing a slouchy jumper big enough to camp out in and a tiny skirt which just peeped out from under it. Big biker boots completed the look.

‘Carys, meet Serena, my littlest sister. Serena, this is Carys.’

‘Hello,’ Carys said warmly.

‘Hi,’ Serena said, stepping forward to shake her hand. She had tiny, child-like hands which were decorated with enormous silver rings. Carys couldn’t help thinking how unlike a
Serena
she seemed. You imagined someone tall and elegant with a perfect chestnut bob and twin set, not this half-waif, half biker chick.

Richard’s younger brother, Jamie, was the next sibling whom Carys met. At twenty-four, he was slightly thinner than his brother, had the same dark hair and dark eyes that seemed to be the Bretton family trait but he didn’t have that polish which Richard seemed to have. Richard was terribly old-fashioned in his dress: favouring the country tweed and wax look. In fact, Richard’s clothes added a good ten-years to him but Carys didn’t mind. She liked that look. It was somehow comforting. But there was no mistaking that Jamie was still a man in his early twenties: he wore the latest jeans and a T-shirt with some scary-looking band emblazoned across it.

Richard had told Carys that Serena and Jamie were as thick as thieves. Growing up, he’d said, it had been him and Phoebe, and Jamie and Serena who’d bonded, rather than the usual boy-girl split.

Carys couldn’t wait to meet Phoebe. She’d heard so much about her from Richard. But, despite being the sibling in a country closest to England, Phoebe was the last to arrive home. Carys saw her taxi pull up at the front door and noticed the smile that suddenly sprang onto Richard’s face.

‘Phoebe!’ Richard shouted, running out of the front door and clamping his arms around his sister.