The Grace of a Duke (27 page)

“Mrs. Gates,” Joshua called after her. The housekeeper paused at the door, giving him a curtsy. “How is it you know Frank O’Laughlin?” he wondered, his brow furrowing. When would she have had the occasion to meet Frank? Let alone know his establishment included a brothel on the third floor?

Blushing, the older woman clasped her hands in front of her and lowered her head. “I play faro whenever I’m in London, Your Grace,” she answered. Then she bobbed a curtsy and left the two men staring after her in disbelief.

“I suppose you’ll want to take a wedding trip,” Joshua stated once the housekeeper had left the room, not having realized he should probably consider one for himself.

“I have had quite enough of travel to suit me for a bit, and I daresay, Jane probably feels the same way,” the estate manager answered. Although he had paid several men to do the packing, loading and unloading of Jane’s belongings, he and a footman had moved his trunk of clothes and toiletries from the main house. Having spent most of the day on the road, and despite the comfort of the duke’s coach, he felt as if every bone in his body had been jostled out of place. He was tired, and he could only imagine how Jane was feeling.
No wonder she fell asleep after tea.

Garrett sat silent for several moments, the first chance he’d had since leaving for London to do so. He was moving into a dowager house, he was about to be leg shackled, and perhaps become a father, and he wasn’t feeling the least bit ... regretful. In fact, he found himself rather happy just then. “I believe I will take my leave of you now,” he stated as he moved to get up from the overstuffed couch in which he had planted himself an hour ago.

Joshua regarded him for a moment, surprise evident in the part of his face not covered by the mask. “And go where?” he wondered, rising to his feet and groaning from the stiffness in his left side.

Smiling, Garrett said, “To collect Jane and take her to the dowager house.”

“Already?” Joshua’s astonishment was growing. “Tonight?”

“Mm. If my choice is to spend time with you or with Jane, I find myself choosing Jane,” he said, his tone not the least bit apologetic. “And, if I were you, I’d see to spending some time with Lady Charlotte.” And with that, he left the room, walked the hall toward the west wing and disappeared.

Joshua stared after his friend.
He really is in love, damn him.
And after a moment, he added,
Damn me!

The duke set off to find Charlotte. With Garrett spending the night at the dowager house, he and Charlotte would have the east wing to themselves.

Chapter 28

The Merits of an Apartment

The following morning, Jane and Garrett were in the study with Charlotte poring over the architectural plans for the west wing. They’d had a late breakfast, the three of them, and spent the morning discussing the rooms that should be created in the newly constructed wing. The duke had left word with Gates that he was taking a ride around the property and wouldn’t be returning until later that afternoon.

Surprised at the news, Charlotte wondered when Joshua had decided on taking the ride. They had spent the night in her bedchamber, much as they had the nights before, speaking softly whilst they held each other. But the duke had seemed pensive, a bit preoccupied perhaps, she thought. Never once had they kissed, nor had he made a move to take her maidenhead. Charlotte wondered if Joshua was being honorable or if he still had reservations about making her his duchess.
The ride will do him good,
she decided, wishing she could be with him.

She forced herself to concentrate on the floor plan spread out before her. “Perhaps these rooms at the end of the hall should be configured into an apartment,” Charlotte suggested, pointing out the space at the end of the west wing hall. “I’m not sure how many bedchambers there were in the original house ...”

“And neither am I,” Garrett interjected, studying the floor plan. Although the west wing had been reconstructed to have the same footprint as before, none of the interior spaces, except for a parlor at the front of the house, had been framed out yet. Any rooms that were to be created from the space could be configured as they saw fit, otherwise, the carpenters would simply start framing a series of room on either side of a central hall as the plans currently showed. “Although I know the duke and duchess had their rooms down there, as did their daughter.”

Charlotte stole a glance at Garrett, noting how his hand had found Jane’s. Their fingers were intertwined, his large and broad while hers were long and slender.

She wondered if Joshua would ever hold her hand like that. “If you’ll allow it, Jane and I can work out the best configuration for the apartment. We’ll want it to be as comfortable as possible, and we’ll be sure to give you a nursery and sitting room, and we’ll need a school room along the corridor ...”

“What?” Garrett interrupted, straightening to his full six-foot, two-inch height. Stunned at the tone of his voice, Jane straightened as well as she regarded the future duchess with widened eyes.

Charlotte looked startled as she glanced between the two of them. “Well, your apartment should have everything you need to live comfortably here at Wisborough Oaks,” she explained, wondering why the two looked so stricken.

“Our apartment?” Garrett repeated in disbelief. “We have no need for ...”

“The dower house is quite comfortable,” Jane spoke quietly, daring a glance in Garrett’s direction.

Charlotte’s eyebrows furrowed as she regarded the couple. “But, you’ll need a nursery soon, and the dower house is far too small. Although, I suppose you could add onto the dower house, should you want to remain out there,” she added, a tooth catching her lower lip as she thought of that possibility.

One of Jane’s hands went to her belly, resting against it protectively. Garrett noticed the move, remembered her having done it several times over the past few days. “Perhaps it would be worth it to configure the apartment for the future,” Garrett commented suddenly. “Say, for use in six months or so, and concentrate on other rooms now.” He pulled out another large sheet of parchment.  

Charlotte noted Garrett’s move and wondered if Jane had said anything to him. She watched as Garrett spread out another floor plan, his hand having to release Jane’s in order to do so. As soon as the parchment was flat, though, he recaptured her hand in his.

“The ballroom and a dining room took up nearly the entire first floor, according to Mrs. Gates,” he offered, pointing out the wide open area of the floor plan. “She seems to think it should be the same, but with a terrace of flagstones off the ballroom and some gardens.”

“A place for assignations, do you suppose?” Jane whispered with a cocked eyebrow, her wicked grin quickly hidden.

Garrett grinned back. “I think Mrs. Gates thought it would offer overheated guests a place to cool off, but I like your idea better,” this last part coming out as a whisper against her ear.

Charlotte pretended not to notice as she regarded the first floor plan. “That all sounds lovely,” she said, wondering when she would be able to host her first ball. “Perhaps we should add a card room and cloak room, too?” she suggested, thinking that the current house had no such amenities.

One of Garrett’s eyebrows cocked in amusement. “You will get no argument from me on that suggestion, Lady Charlotte,” he agreed.

“Nor from me,” Jane said with a shake of her head, her amusement evident.

“Very well. I think, Mr. McElliott, that I have taken entirely too much of your time. Thank you,” Charlotte said as she took the floor plans and rolled them up into a tube.

Garrett nodded and felt his hand being pulled. His fingers were still intertwined with Jane’s. He reluctantly let go, raising her hand to his lips before he did so. “I will see you later,” he said with a smile, kissing the back of her hand.

Jane colored up a bit before she stepped back and left the room with Charlotte.

The future duchess linked arms with Jane. “Come. I’ll show you the parlor. It looks so much different by the light of day than it looked last night,” she promised. The tour with Jane the night before made her realize that, even though the older woman might have at one time been used to life in an estate house, due to her mother being a baron’s daughter, Jane was not accustomed to a house with a lot of luxuries. But it seemed to Charlotte that Jane wanted to be mistress of her own home, to make the decisions of how the household was to be run, to choose her own furnishings and decor. If that was truly the case, then Charlotte was prepared to allow Jane to do just that when it came time to complete the west wing rooms.

Charlotte watched as Jane entered the parlor, saw her expression turn to appreciation and watched as a smile appeared. “This is so lovely,” Jane said as a hand went to her middle and rested there as she took a turn about the room, making sure she stayed out of the way of the carpenters who still worked on the moldings. The room had been painted, and the floors would be ready for polishing in a day or so. Then a large Aubusson carpet and the furnishings could be brought in and placed.

She’s glowing – like Lady Bostwick,
Charlotte thought suddenly, recognizing the look of a woman with child. A stab of ...
something
shot through Charlotte then, a deep sense of wanting, of a need she could not describe. “Thank you,” Charlotte replied, allowing a wan smile.
Do I dare ask?
she wondered, wanting desperately to know if Jane was indeed carrying a child.
Is that why Garrett is marrying her?

Charlotte pulled herself from her reverie to find Jane staring at her. The taller woman took a breath and let it out before hurrying out to the hall. “What is it?” Charlotte asked as she followed Jane down the hall.

“Is it ... I mean ... Is it that
obvious?
” Jane whispered as she paused and allowed Charlotte to catch up.

Placing a hand on Jane’s arm, Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “Is what so obvious?”

Jane caught her lower lip with a tooth and took another breath. “I have told no one,” she whispered hoarsely, looking as if she was about to cry.

Charlotte took her arm and led her to end the of hall and into one of the rooms with no workmen. “Jane, you look as if ...”

“I am with child,” she stated suddenly, letting her breath out and then shaking herself a bit. “I did not know for sure, but, it’s been two months since ...” She allowed the sentence to trail off before a tear escaped the corner of her eye.

“Congratulations!” Charlotte exclaimed, taking Jane’s hands in hers. When she didn’t see joy in Jane’s face, though, she lowered her own eyes. “Or not?” she ventured carefully. “Garrett is not ..?” She moved to a long crate and indicated they should sit down. Jane did so, shaking her head.

“He does not know. I’ve only ever been with him, you must know. It
is
his child,” she said vehemently, wondering if Charlotte had thought she had bedded someone else and then used the pregnancy to trap Garrett into marriage. She worked in a gaming hell, after all, with two prostitutes occupying the top floor and plying their trade whilst she dealt faro on the first floor. “But I have no idea how he will react when I tell him.”

Charlotte regarded Jane for a moment, remembering the day before, during tea, when Garrett couldn’t seem to keep his hands from touching Jane. The way he looked at her, as if he worshiped her. The way his finger would caress her sleeve or the skirt of her gown as she sat near him. The way his hand rested on hers.
He loves her,
she remembered thinking.

“He
knows
,” Charlotte stated suddenly. “Forgive me, but I am so ... jealous of you. You have a man who loves you so dearly, and he has already made love to you and given you a child!”

Jane’s eyes widened in surprise, her face coloring up so quickly at Charlotte’s comments that she had to put her free hand up to her cheek. “I would not have expected such a sentiment from a woman about to become a duchess,” Jane whispered, wiping the back of her hand over her tear-filled cheek.

Sighing, Charlotte smiled. “I sound positively wanton, I suppose,” she claimed then, her face turning bright pink. “I cannot help it. I hear it is how it’s done in the northern countries. The men will not marry their betrothed until they have borne them a child, or until they are at least increasing. And despite being betrothed since I was three, I have always harbored a hope that I would marry someone I loved. Someone that loved me in return.”

Jane shook her head. “Aren’t you?” she asked in a quiet voice, her brow furrowing. “I was under the impression from Garrett that you ...”

“Oh, I do love the duke,” Charlotte admitted with a nod. “I do not know yet if His Grace will ever love me, though.”

A sob shook Jane just then, and she nodded to Charlotte. “If he does not, then he is a fool,” she said, changing her hand so that it held Charlotte’s.

“Aren’t they all?” Charlotte asked rhetorically, a wan smile appearing. They sat in silence for several moments. “Now, we should figure out the best way for you to break the news to Mr. McElliott.”

Jane nodded, her smile fading.

“Or, you could simply tell me now,” a male voice said from the doorway.

Charlotte and Jane gasped in unison, turning to see Garret leaning against the unfinished door jamb, a large bouquet of red roses held in one hand. So startled was she by his appearance and the red roses, Charlotte had to remind herself to close her mouth. She nudged Jane with her elbow. Jane gave her a quick glance and then took a deep breath.

Garrett’s expression changed, his good humor suddenly becoming serious as he entered the room and stared first at Jane, then at Charlotte and then back at Jane. “Is everything alright?” he asked, a bit of panic in his voice. “Have you ... changed your mind?” he wondered in a voice that nearly cracked while the hand with the red roses dropped to his side.

Jane stood quickly, too quickly, for her vision grayed a bit and she had to sit back down or risk fainting. Garrett was at her side in a moment, though, using his free arm to pull Jane against his body while he gave Charlotte a questioning look. Charlotte stood up, thinking she could help with Jane should the woman faint after all.

“No, of course I haven’t changed my mind,” Jane said, a bubble of nervous laughter erupting against his chest.

“And the baby?”

Both women stared up at Garrett in surprise.

“You ... you
know?
” Jane whispered, her mouth forming an ‘o’ that Garrett wanted to capture in a kiss that very moment.

“I ... Well, yes,” he finally said with a nod, wondering why Jane looked so stricken while Charlotte displayed a brilliant smile. “It was hard not to notice. You ... glow, like a tall candle with a flame in the middle. And you look as if you may have eaten one too many cakes at tea,” he teased before he pressed his lips against her forehead in a quick kiss. He kissed her hair before resting the side of his face on the top of her head. “I am so lucky,” he whispered so that only Jane could hear.

Charlotte continued to grin as she sat back down on the crate. “I knew you knew,” she said proudly eyeing the bouquet of roses with another stab of jealousy. She stayed seated for a moment and then sighed. “I will take my leave of you and see you two at dinner,” she added as she left the room.

A sense of melancholy settled over her as she made her way back to the new parlor, thinking she would check on the carpenters’ progress. Gates was making his way from the stairs, though, and waved at her.

“Lady Charlotte, Dr. Regan has called on you,” he said as he held out the doctor’s calling card. Charlotte took the pasteboard from the butler, wondering why the physician had come. “I put him in the parlor downstairs.”

“Thank you, Gates,” Charlotte said as she made her way down the steps. The doctor was settled into a wingback chair, his black leather case on the carpet next to his feet. “Dr. Regan. What a pleasant surprise,” she said as she hurried into the shabby room.

The doctor stood quickly upon her arrival and gave a slight bow. “Lady Charlotte. I came to see to your stitches and to wish you happy,” Dr. Regan said with a smile.

Charlotte smiled, wondering how the doctor already knew of the wedding plans. “Thank you, Dr. Regan,” Charlotte said as she curtsied. “Is it already time to have them removed?” she asked in surprise.

“Let us have a look. Is there somewhere we can go where a maid might attend to your buttons?”

Charlotte smiled as she recalled the afternoon he’d put in the stitches. “I will ring for Parma,” she said as she led the doctor to her bedchamber.

Once inside, Parma recognized the doctor and smiled before nodding in his direction. He returned the nod and moved into the bathing room, setting his bag on the vanity. “Since I have not heard from you this week, I take it you’re healing satisfactorily?” he wondered as Charlotte moved to take a seat at the vanity. Parma followed, and at Charlotte’s wave of a hand, she began undoing the row of jet buttons down the back of Charlotte’s gown.

“I do hope so. It itches something fierce, but there’s been no blood on the bandages when Parma changes them in the mornings,” she replied, pulling her shoulders a bit forward once Parma had the sleeves down her arm and the back of the gown open. “Thank you, Parma,” she said as she regarded the maid in the mirror. Since the doctor had seen her in far less than she was wearing now, she wasn’t nearly as nervous as she’d been when he first put in the stitches, but Parma was obviously was. She apparently intended to chaperone the doctor’s visit.