The Decadent Duke (5 page)

John entered the house and hoped to get his youngest upstairs before Elizabeth saw him.

"Is Johnny wet?'' Her voice rose hysterically. "He'll come down with pneumonia! I told you he shouldn't go outside.''

"He will be fine,'' John reassured her. "Please don't upset yourself.''

"You never listen to me. I have these dark premonitions come over me, and I know something dreadful will happen to Johnny.''

"Yes, I know all about your dark thoughts, Elizabeth. I'll take him upstairs and get him into some dry clothes.''

John Russell's wife suffered from acute melancholia, which had become more pronounced with the birth of her third child. For almost nine years she'd been deeply depressed and low in spirits. Her husband had tried everything to dispel her gloom and her fearful anxiety, yet nothing rid her mind of its dark shadows.

John took his son into his bedchamber, and a maidservant came forward to help. He waved her away, closed the door, and removed the boy's wet clothes. He took dry garments from the bureau and handed them to his son so that he could dress himself. "You won't get pneumonia, John. Your mother can't help her fears.''

"I wish she could be happy,'' he said wistfully.

"Yes, but you mustn't let her fears stop
you
from being happy.''

Johnny looked up from buttoning his shirt. "Wading in the river made me happy,'' he murmured.

A bark of laughter escaped from John. "I'm glad—but don't go in the water again unless I'm with you.''

His two older sons pushed open the door and came into the room. They had already changed into dry clothes. Francis said, "We came in the back way and crept upstairs so she wouldn't see us and become upset.''

Anger rose up in John that his sons had to creep about quietly, and it took him a minute to control it.
I should have left her at home in Devon.

Their sons attended prestigious Westminster School and when they finished for the summer, John brought Elizabeth to London to be with the boys and to also see a physician. They had gone to his family's ancestral town house in Russell Square, but Elizabeth had become agitated with the London noise and fearful of the traffic. On the doctor's advice, John had leased a house in the more rural outskirts of the city, in the hope that the bucolic setting would calm her nerves.

The doctor had told him privately that his wife looked consumptive and would benefit from fresh air and country walks. Though John was highly skeptical about consumption, he knew that languishing on a couch in a darkened chamber would only foster his wife's ill health. Elizabeth had given up riding years ago, and now she even refused to walk outdoors.
She enjoys being an invalid, sunk in sepulchral gloom. I should have left her in Devonshire.

"There's a cricket match on Saturday. Would you like to go?''

"Yes, please!'' William was on the junior team at Westminster.

"Just the four of us?'' Francis asked, eagerly.

"Yes, just us men. Your mother doesn't care for sports.''

 
Charlotte welcomed the drooping buttercup and daisy bouquet Mary had picked for her. "Thank you for the flowers, darling. They're lovely. I can see the pair of you had a fabulous time.''

"How did you know?'' Mary asked, wide-eyed.

"Children are happiest when they are dirty or wet.'' She eyed Georgina. "Even grown children. Since the pair of you are dirty
and
wet, a fabulous time was had by both!''

"We saw a bad man,'' Mary declared. "A bad
old man
who told us to go home. Georgy told him to go to the devil.''

"Really?'' Charlotte's lips twitched with amusement. "What happened to Lady Georgina's fatal charm that renders men weak?''

Georgina declared, "He was totally impervious to it. The surly sod addressed me as
little girl
! I wanted to kick his shins.''

Charlotte laughed. "What stopped you?''

"The thought of breaking my toe,'' Georgina replied ruefully.
The man was definitely dangerous! The dark, dominant brute looked quite capable of giving me a thrashing.

 
In the early afternoon, Georgina strolled out behind the stables to where her brother-in-law had set up permanent wickets so that he could practice.

She was wearing a crisp blue linen dress and had brushed her dark curls back and tied them with a ribbon. With a warm smile, she greeted her brother-in-law, who was pitching the ball to his friend George Finch. "Charles, cricket isn't your hobby. It is your obsession,'' she teased.

"Mea culpa,'' he said with a grin. "Winchilsea and I have a match on Saturday.'' Since Lennox was the member of parliament for Sussex, he played for the Sussex team.

The earl completely missed the ball because his attention was focused on the vision in blue. Young Charlie Lennox ran to retrieve the ball and return it to his father.

Winchilsea asked, "Would you like to come and watch the match?''

"George, I would enjoy it above all things.''

"Jolly good! How about that lesson I promised you? Come over here, and I'll show you how to hold the bat.''

Georgina knew exactly how to hold a cricket bat, but she wasn't about to spoil the earl's pleasure. She winked at Lennox standing on the mound and joined Winchilsea.

He handed her the bat and placed his arms around her. "There's a special knack to it, you know. Above all else, you must keep your eye on the ball.''

"I feel most honored that you are willing to share your secrets with me, George.'' She held him in thrall with flattery.

Lennox watched the interaction between his friend and his young sister-in-law and thought perhaps he had been wrong yesterday. Georgina just might be ripe for plucking.

 
Elizabeth Russell, as always, withdrew early to her own bedchamber, and John dined with his sons. After dinner, the two older boys played a quiet game of chess. At bedtime, John read to his youngest son, and then in his own chamber, he did paperwork that dealt with the needs of his constituents.

His grandfather had instilled in him that wealth and privilege brought great responsibility to those less fortunate. John thoroughly enjoyed representing the people of Tavistock, and worked tirelessly in the House of Commons to better the lives of his working-class constituents. If the government turned down his proposals, he paid for improvements out of his own money.

That had always been a bone of contention with Elizabeth. She was adamantly against any of their wealth being
squandered
, as she called it, on the
lower
classes. As a result, John had learned to keep his own counsel and to never discuss politics with her.

John finished his paperwork and went to bed. About an hour after he fell asleep, his recurring dream began.
He was astride his hunter, riding through a sun-drenched meadow filled with wildflowers. Their heady scent, combined with the exhilarating feeling of freedom he experienced, was intoxicating.

 
John awoke with the usual sense of acute loss. He knew he had had the recurring dream again because the details were so vivid. The only thing he could never recall was the face of his joyful companion. And though he did not often allow himself the indulgence of introspection, he realized he could never remember what she looked like, because she was a mythical creature—there was no face, no woman. His dream was a manifestation of a suppressed longing for more laughter, joy, and freedom in his life.

 
On Friday evening at Marylebone Manor, Thomas Lord was a guest at dinner. The match on Saturday was being played at nearby Lord's Cricket Ground, which Lennox and Winchilsea had backed financially when it opened. Once again the subject of cricket monopolized the men's conversation.

By the time dessert was served, Charlotte had had enough. "Lady Georgina and I will take our dessert in the sitting room,'' she told the footman. "Really, gentlemen, I believe the conversation in the nursery would be more stimulating.''

The gentlemen stood and offered their sincere apologies as the sisters left the dining room. Georgina tucked her legs underneath her on a sofa and picked up a scrapbook of newspaper clippings. She briefly scanned the articles about Charles Lennox, Earl of March. They hailed him as a renowned cricket player, both as a wicket keeper and a right-hand bat. She flipped over the pages and found something much more to her liking.

"Oh, here is an article from the
Times
about the grand ball at the Pantheon given to celebrate the king's recovery from his devastating malady. You and Mother were patrons of the event. I was pea green with envy because I was too young to attend. It sounds like it was a most opulent affair:
More than two thousand guests danced the night away, drank champagne, and sang 'God Save the King.' The Duchess of Gordon and her daughter, the Countess of Lennox, decreed that all the guests should wear white and gold. The ball was opened by Jane, Duchess of Gordon, on the arm of Prime Minister Pitt to the sound of loud applause
.''

"It was a mad crush, and unbelievably expensive. Ostensibly, the ball was to celebrate King George's return to sanity, but in reality it was to mark the political victory of William Pitt.''

"Yes, the Prince of Wales and his friend Charles James Fox thought they could secure control of the administration when the king became incapacitated. But the brilliant Mr. Pitt introduced the Regency Bill in parliament to limit the prince's power. The arguments in the House, both pro and con, delayed any action being taken, and before it was passed to the House of Lords for a decision, King George suddenly regained his sanity.''

"You have quite a grasp of politics for a young lady of fashion,'' Charlotte said with admiration.

"How could I not? Mother's liaison with Henry Dundas, the prime minister's home secretary, gives me a front-row seat about what's going on in the government. I have to admit that I am fascinated by politics.''

" 'Tis said that power is an aphrodisiac ... Mother's long-standing intimate friendship with the Scot statesman proves it.''

"Louisa and I regularly went up in the House of Commons gallery to listen to the speeches. Disguised as males, of course, to add to our enjoyment. I shall have to find another partner in crime to aid and abet me.''

"Surely Huntly will accommodate you, and with our brother as escort, you needn't disguise yourself.''

"I suppose that will be the great advantage to my coming out. I will no longer be excluded from moving about in fashionable circles. I shall also be able to attend balls and entertainments thrown by the
haut ton
's leading hostesses.'' Georgina wrinkled her nose. "Unfortunately, being thrust onto the marriage market will be the great
disadvantage.
''

"When I came out, Mother set her sights on her dear friend and ally, William Pitt, believe it or not. She was so determined to make a match between us that she began to take me with her to visit him at his house in Wimbledon. Though William paid respectful attention to me, it never progressed to the amorous stage, and I believe it finally dawned on Mother that the prime minister was a confirmed bachelor.''

"Oh, that's priceless. I'm so glad you didn't allow her to choose your husband for you, Charlotte. I too intend to decide whom I shall marry.''

"Don't delude yourself, Georgina,'' her sister said dryly.

"I wish...'' Georgina's voice trailed away.

"What do you wish, my dear?''

"I wish Mother and Father weren't estranged. Do you suppose they were ever in love?''

"I don't know. They had a strong physical attraction at one time. They were certainly in lust—I don't know about love.''