The Dark Earl (40 page)
Her eyes sparkled. “I shall do it with the flourish of a countess!”
“That’s better,” he approved. “Now pour in the eggs and brown the omelettes on both sides.” He handed her a wooden spatula and stepped back.
Thomas brought two plates, and she successfully lifted the delicious-smelling omelette from the pan and divided it. “I’m so clever.”
“Absolutely brilliant.” He pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table and they both sat down to eat. When he had devoured the last mouthful, he declared, “Not bad for an amateur. What shall we make for dessert?”
“I enjoyed the pears we had the other night.”
“That’s good, since they are in season now. I’ll teach you to make pears flambé.”
“French dessert sounds sinful.”
“Then it should be right up your alley. Back to the pantry and find some preserved berries. I’ll get the brandy.”
Harry came back with a jar of preserved black cherries. “These look good.”
“First you have to core the pears.” He handed her a paring knife. “You needn’t peel them if you enjoy the skin.” He unscrewed the metal cap on the jar and removed the plug of preservative wax. “Spoon some cherries and juice into the pan, add sugar, and heat it to a simmer. When it bubbles, pop in the pear halves, and pour on some brandy. I’ll whip some cream.”
Harry followed his instructions. Then Thomas lit a taper from the stove and handed it to her. “I won’t deprive you of the fun part. Set the brandy alight and jump back.”
Her eyes were bright as the flame she wielded. “Keep that bucket of sand handy!” She set the pan aflame and hopped back. When the blue flame stopped burning, she divided the concoction into two dessert bowls and anointed them with a dollop of cream.
This time Thomas sat down at the table and pulled her into his lap. “This is the way dessert à deux must be eaten.” Laughing like children, they fed each other and licked their lips between kisses.
The next day, Thomas took his wife before him on his black hunter. Shugborough estate was on the edge of Cannock Chase, an area of outstanding natural beauty. He spoke softly with his lips close to her ear. “We’ll go easy at first. This is the largest swath of heathland in all the Midland counties and it teems with wildlife. This place has it all—woodland, grassland, and wetland habitat.”
Harry was enthralled at the abundance of small animals that made their home in the different sections of the chase. They entered a coppice of oak and birch trees.
“Cannock Forest is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Some of these trees are five hundred years old. Richard the First granted the chase to the bishop of Lichfield.”
“What a pity you don’t still own it. Oh, look, a herd of deer! But they are white.”
“They are fallow deer, first brought here and released by the Normans. But there are also herds of red deer, and muntjac that bark like dogs.”
Harry slid her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thomas Anson, I love you! I know of no other man who would not hunt these creatures.”
“Think of it as our own private wildlife preserve.”
When they emerged into the grassland, they startled a covey of game birds.
“What are they?
“Gray nightjars. See their black bills and white-tipped tail feathers? Now that we’ve disturbed them, we can ride hell for leather. Are you ready?”
Harry nodded eagerly. “Ready when you are, my lord.”
When they arrived back at the hall in the late afternoon, they learned that yet another delivery had been made. A huge wooden crate with bits of straw falling from it awaited them in the kitchens.
Mrs. Stearn handed Harry a letter addressed to Harriet Anson, Countess of Lichfield.
When Thomas glanced at it, he recognized his mother’s handwriting. “Read it.”
Harry obeyed his declaration, and gasped with delight. “Oh, Thomas, your mother has made us a wedding gift of her prized Chinese porcelain collection. She says its rightful place is Shugborough.”
He opened the crate, and they both carefully lifted out the exquisite pieces and set them on a long kitchen table.
“After dinner, will you help me wash them so we can put them on display in the dining room?”
He enfolded her in his arms and kissed her. “I never heard of a countess who washed her own porcelain. It thrills me that you treasure this collection, Harry.”
Hours later, when they retired, she stood at the bedchamber window. An autumn wind had come up suddenly and was blowing the leaves from the trees. “I’m sorry that our fortnight is up, and our honeymoon must end.”
He came up behind her and nuzzled the nape of her neck. “Our honeymoon will never end.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t be sad, Harry.”
“Oh, I’m not sad, darling. This was one of the most glorious days of my life.”
His arms tightened and he murmured suggestively, “And it isn’t over yet.”
She sighed with happiness. “Our time at Shugborough has been absolute perfection.”
Chapter Twenty-one
T
he door at 15 St. James’s Square swung open, and Thomas carried Harry over the threshold and set her down in the elegant reception hall.
he door at 15 St. James’s Square swung open, and Thomas carried Harry over the threshold and set her down in the elegant reception hall.
“This is Norton, who proved indispensable to my mother and me during the last difficult year. As reward,” Thomas declared, “I’ve promoted him to butler.”
“I am delighted to meet you, Norton.”
“This is Mrs. Simpson, our housekeeper and cook.”
Harry smiled and held out her hand. “I met you before when I came to dinner.”
“Please call me Clara, Lady Lichfield.”
“I will call you Clara, if you will call me Lady Harry.”
Thomas lifted a bag from the doorstep. “You can meet the rest of the staff later. I know you want to go upstairs and change your traveling clothes.”
“Lady Lichfield . . . I mean the Dowager Lady Lichfield left a letter for you.” Clara handed it to Harry. “She took her lady’s maid with her on her travels.”
“That’s all right. I can manage without a maid.”
As they ascended the staircase, Thomas explained, “The layout is much the same as Hampden House, though we don’t have a ballroom.
The kitchen and servants’ quarters are on the main floor, the drawing room, dining room, library, etcetera are on the second floor, and the bedchambers and bathroom are up on the third.”
They stopped on the second floor so Harry could view the rooms. “Oh, lovely, there is a cozy breakfast room that lets in the morning sun.”
“And this chamber is a private sitting room. It’s less formal than the drawing room.”
Thomas led the way to the third floor and opened his bedchamber door.
She stepped inside and gazed about. “Because there is no ballroom, the bedchambers are spacious. You have marvelous taste, Thomas.”
He set down the bag and cupped her face. “In women as well as furnishings. I want you to feel free to change anything you like. Not just in here, but in the whole place. It is your house now.”
“I won’t change anything in here. I like it just the way it is.” The curtains and bed hangings were royal blue velvet. The wardrobe and tall bureaus were polished red mahogany. The deep-piled Turkish carpet was patterned in vivid red, gold, and blue. “We even have a fireplace to keep us warm on winter nights.”
“I’ll keep you warm on winter nights.”
“I shall hold you to that promise, you wicked devil.”
“There’s a small dressing room through that door that will accommodate your substantial wardrobe. It has an adjoining door that leads to the bathroom.”
“How convenient. This is such a lovely big house for just the two of us. I’m used to sharing with a horde of brothers and sisters. I shall enjoy our privacy.” Harry opened the letter from her husband’s mother. “She’s gone to visit your sisters before she travels to Wales. She apologizes for taking her maid, but thinks it best I choose my own. She wishes us every happiness.” She handed the letter to Thomas.
“She’s very generous and selfless. The house is now mine, though the furnishings are hers. But she prefers to leave it intact for our convenience.”
“I’m amazed she took nothing with her except her maid. I shall pay a visit on Mother tomorrow and steal away one of her servants.”
“I should take my seat in the Lords tomorrow. I’ll have a lot of catching up to do.”
“If you have no objection, I shall attend the women’s rights meeting at Langham Place on Friday. Since I’m now a married woman, I can go in the evening.”
He hid his amusement. “I have no objection, but even if I did, I warrant you would do exactly as you wished.”
“After only a fortnight of marriage, you know me so well.”
“I’ve
known
you since we met at the opening of the Crystal Palace in June.”
known
you since we met at the opening of the Crystal Palace in June.”
“Not in the
biblical
sense,” she teased.
biblical
sense,” she teased.
“Think of all the months I wasted.”
His words thrilled her, and she sighed happily. “I can’t believe it’s October. The winter social Season is upon us, and Christmas will be here before we know it.”
“Harry, there will be times you’ll have to attend social functions without me. I am not a member of the idle rich. I have to earn my money.”
“That’s the price I have to pay for marrying a ruthless businessman.” She laughed. “We’ll be kept so busy until the year ends; then suddenly it will be spring and we can return to our beloved Shugborough.” She turned her back so that he could unfasten her traveling dress. “Do you suppose I have time to take a bath before dinner?”
“There might be time if you allow me to help.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she purred. Then her eyes sparkled with mischief. “You can start by running my water.”
He swung her up into his arms and bit her ear. “You need your arse tanned.”
“Harry, darling, you look so happy.” Her mother embraced her. “I don’t need to ask if you enjoyed being at Shugborough. You’ve coveted the place since you were a child.”
“Being there was a dream come true. When Riley arrived with the books and paintings, Thomas and I had the time of our lives restoring them to their rightful places. It was extremely generous of you and Father.”
Beatrix, with their sister Jane in tow, arrived in the drawing room. “Oh, Harry, it is so good to see you. D’Arcy and I just returned to London. Congratulations on your marriage! Did you thoroughly enjoy your honeymoon?”
“It was wonderful. Thomas managed to restore almost all of Shugborough’s classic statues. Now if we could just learn who owns the pair of black marble centaurs so we could get them back, it would be perfect.”
“What on earth are centaurs?” Trixy asked.
“Mythical creatures that are half man and half horse.”
“They sound hideous to me. My honeymoon at Lambton Castle was divine. We hosted the annual pheasant shoot, and in return we received so many invitations we couldn’t keep up with them. Then D’Arcy got the official news that he had been appointed lord lieutenant of Durham. We threw a huge party to celebrate, and I was the belle of the ball. I absolutely adore being the Countess of Durham!”
“The role suits you well, Trixy. Congratulations on your husband’s appointment. Being the wife of the lord lieutenant carries a great deal of prestige and responsibility. Why don’t you come with me to Langham Place Friday night to the women’s rights meeting?” Harry invited. “I’m going to join the Married Women’s Property Committee, and I think you should join too.”
“Why would I want to do that?” Trixy asked.
“We want to get a law passed that married women can own property. You may be a wealthy countess and live in a castle, but you cannot own a stick or a stone in your own right. Even if your husband were generous enough to give you property, it would have to be held in trust for you. For the sake of any daughters you may have, you should help us get the law changed.” Harry added an incentive. “As the Countess of Durham and the lord lieutenant’s wife, your name will carry a great deal of weight and have a profound influence.”
“I’ll think on it. If I have no social obligations on Friday evening, I may join you.”
Harry hid her satisfaction, but she saw the knowing look on her mother’s face.
Not much escapes the shrewd Duchess of Abercorn.
Not much escapes the shrewd Duchess of Abercorn.
“I must dash,” Trixy declared. “I have an appointment to be fitted for some new gowns this afternoon. The winter Season is upon us, and I intend to be a lady of fashion. It’s so much fun having a great deal of money to spend.”
When Beatrix left, the duchess glanced at Harry with speculation. “I warrant the first thing you’ll do is manipulate her into donating an obscene amount of money to the Widows and Orphans Fund of Durham.”
“Persuade her, perhaps.” Harry’s eyes sparkled. “Never
manipulate
.”
manipulate
.”
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