The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (50 page)

The Bartlett
townhouse
buzzed with the excitement of
Christmas preparations. Pine boughs covered the stair rails and
mantles and brought a fresh scent to the air. Every surface shone.
In the midst of it all, the duchess directed the preparations from
her chair until little William Phillip Peartree indicated his
hunger. Amelia immediately picked up the future duke and took him
to the nursery, leaving Robert and Jeanne in charge of completing
the decorations.

Jeanne kept herself busy wrapping gifts for
the children. The duke and duchess had begun the tradition of
giving them books each Christmas as a way of encouraging them to
read during the time when the school didn’t meet. This year, each
child would receive a book written by the duchess — or rather, by
J. P. Worthington, her pen name. She’d written a children’s story
using vocabulary she knew they could read and understand and then
her husband had drawn the illustrations. The author had signed the
books, including a personal note for each child.

Across the room, Robert directed the footmen
engaged in rearranging the furniture in the large sitting room.
After a traditional Christmas meal, the children would gather there
for singing and gifts. The chairs had been pushed back so the
children could sit on the floor. Robert had removed his jacket and
actually assisted with the moving of the chairs and sofas, giving
the silhouette of a man accustomed to hard physical labor.

Two things occurred to Jeanne as she
watched. One, Robert, despite his seemingly haughty demeanor,
wasn’t afraid of hard work. Instead of simply telling the footmen
what needed to be done and watching as they did it, he pitched in.
Perhaps he wasn’t as uppity as she’d thought.

Second, the man was strong. Lifting and
moving furniture proved no hardship for him. She tried to imagine
what those muscles looked like under his linen shirt and
immediately shut the thought away.

Once, long ago, she’d seen
her father without his shirt as he worked in the fields near their
home. It had been a hot summer day, and Jeanne had accompanied her
mother to take lunch to Michael and the other workers. She
remembered seeing her father, stripped to the waist as he guided
the plow behind the oxen. Sweat had beaded his face and chest, and
his broad shoulders had glistened in the sunlight.
Maman
had paused, and
Jeanne had looked up to ask why they’d stopped.

The expression on her mother’s face had been
one she’d never forget. The hardship of being a farmer’s wife, the
loneliness of being a foreigner in a strange land, the sorrow of
being disowned by her father — they’d all faded away, replaced by a
soft smile, and Jeanne had caught a glimpse of the beautiful young
noblewoman her mother must have been. Her expression reflected
love, as well as appreciation for the virile figure of her
husband.

It was the same sort of figure Mr. Townley
presented right now.

“
Miss Brown?” Sarah
asked.

Jeanne blinked, bringing herself back to the
present. “Yes?”

“
Are you ill? Do you need
some help?”

“
Oh, no. I’m almost
finished—” Looking down at her hands, she realized she’d tied a
knot around one of her fingers. She cast a sheepish grin at the
girl. “I just seem to be a bit clumsy today.”

“
It’s probably from
watching all these men moving the furniture. I know I could spend
the day staring at them,” another maid teased.

Jeanne straightened and turned away. “I’m
sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The maid’s grin disappeared. “Sorry, Miss
Brown. Shall I put the rest of these gifts next to the duchess’
chair?”

Jeanne started to apologize but thought
better of it. Better to be seen as a cold, unfeeling woman than to
admit an interest in one of the strong, good-looking men in the
household. Especially Rob— er, Mr. Townley.

“
Yes, that would be fine,
Laura. Thank you.”

The girl took the wrapped packages and set
them neatly in a large basket next to the padded chair where the
duchess planned to read aloud to the children. “Will there be
anything else?”

“
Er, no. I believe we’re
ready. The duchess would like to look things over before the
children come tomorrow night, but we’ve finished with everything
she’s asked us to do.”

The maid nodded. Apparently Laura hadn’t
been offended by Jeanne’s harsh tone. “I’m off to bed, then. Good
night, Miss Brown.”

“
Good night.” Jeanne
watched the young girl leave. Laura had come to work in the house
shortly after the duke and duchess had arrived in London. She was a
good worker, but didn’t intend to stay. She was more than happy to
sign on as temporary help because she had plans to marry a young
man in the spring. Jeanne supposed the girl was able to stay
cheerful because she knew her job would be done eventually and she
could put the long hours of drudgery behind her.

What would it be like to not have a daily
routine like she had? To have a family of her own to care for and
love? She loved the Peartrees, but they were her employers. A part
of her envied them their happiness.

What would it be like to have a family of my
own, a home where I could decide what to put where, and a husband
who will give me children?

Taking one last glance around the room, she
noticed a candle out of place above the mantle. Pushing one of the
library ladders over to the correct wall, she mounted the bottom
step.

“
Miss Brown, please allow
me.” Robert appeared behind her, and his nearness sent a warm glow
through her.

“
Oh, I’m not going very
high. I just want to straighten that candle up there.”

“
Then I shall hold the
ladder steady for you.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but thought
better of it and nodded. If not held still, the wheels on the
bottom of the ladder could cause it to move. Robert put his foot on
the bottom step and held on to the side rails, using his weight to
hold the ladder still. She made quick work of straightening the
errant candle and came back down.

Stepping backward off the bottom step, her
back made contact with Robert’s chest, and she realized he still
held on to the ladder. She basked in the circle of his powerful
arms. “Er, thank you.”

“
It was my pleasure. If the
ladder had moved while you were perched on it and you were hurt, I
would be devastated.” His warm breath tickled her neck, and a
delicious shiver ran through her. The sensation burned in her
memory long after they parted ways and she retired for the
night.

Blast the man!

The next morning,
Robert listened with half an ear as Utley
announced the day’s activities. He’d taken a chance, holding on to
the ladder even after Jeanne descended from the last step, but she
hadn’t resisted, hadn’t complained. Remembering the blow she’d
delivered when he’d proposed, he supposed he was lucky she hadn’t
objected to his nearness. Perhaps there was hope for a courtship
with the enticing Miss Brown.

A messenger entered, interrupting Utley’s
monologue. The butler took the message and read it then looked
up.

“
Miss Brown, the message is
for you,” he intoned. As usual, his expression revealed nothing
about what he’d read, and he waited for Jeanne to stand up and take
the sheet of fine vellum from him. She took it back to her seat and
waited until Utley finished his morning announcements and the rest
of the servants had risen to begin their duties before she opened
it. Robert held back, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Jeanne had never spoken of any family. Who could be contacting
her?

His concerns multiplied when she paled and
brought her hand to her mouth. Utley had also stayed behind, and he
put a fatherly hand on her shoulder and spoke to her softly. She
nodded and rushed up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Robert entered the
duke’s room in response to his summons.

“
Yes, Your
Grace?”

“
I’m going to need my
overcoat today.”

“
Yes, Your
Grace.”

“
I’ve been pressed into
service to accompany Miss Brown to the offices of Steward and
Benchley at half past ten.”

The mention of Jeanne’s name pulled Robert
out of his doldrums. Why would she need to see a solicitor? “Er,
yes, Your Grace.”

Phillip turned a questioning eye toward him.
“Do you know anything about this?”

“
No, Your
Grace.”

“
She hasn’t discussed her
summons with you?”

“
No, Your Grace.”
Is she in trouble?

“
Your expression tells me
you know something.”

Though the duke had lost his hearing, he
missed very little. “I noticed Miss Brown received a message this
morning. She seemed… distressed.”

“
Apparently she shared her
communication with my wife. And since she is dear to Amelia, I have
been delegated to escort her and perhaps advise her if need
be.”

“
I… see.”

“
You’re coming along,
aren’t you?”

“
Coming along, Your
Grace?”

“
I think perhaps I will
need your assistance understanding the details the solicitor might
impart. After all, my hearing is… compromised, and I want to be
sure I understand completely whatever he says.”

Robert couldn’t keep the grin from his face,
though he knew it wasn’t very dignified. Phillip must have deduced
he’d developed feelings for Jeanne. How had he known? “Yes, Your
Grace. I shall be ready to accompany you and Miss Brown.”

~~~~

Later that morning,
Robert sat back in his seat, his mind whirling
with all he’d learned from Mr. Steward. Jeanne’s wealthy
grandfather had escaped to Switzerland just after Michael Brown and
his family had emigrated to England, and just before the
revolutionaries had ravaged the country, executing members of the
upper class and destroying their property. He’d managed to bring
much of his considerable wealth with him and had continued to make
money in his newly adopted land.

Apparently, as Louis Gaudet faced his
mortality, he’d come to regret some of the choices he’d made. He’d
tried to reach out to his daughter and discovered that she and her
husband had died, but his investigators had difficulty locating
Jeanne and her brother. The old man had died rich, but unhappy.
He’d bequeathed all his earthly riches to his grandchildren, with a
generous amount awarded to the persons who found them. Since Pierre
Brown had not been located, the entire inheritance would go to
Jeanne.

The new heiress sat between Robert and the
duke, wearing an expression that told him she’d been as stunned as
he.

Another thought occurred to him and left him
with a sour taste in his mouth. She could purchase any home she
wanted. All he could hope to provide for her was a small cottage in
the village near the Bartlett Estate. How could he possibly ask her
to marry him now? She was far above him.

But as devastated as he felt, he needed to
put up a good front. His father had taught him to exude nothing but
polite interest. He tightened his lips, hoping his expression
wouldn’t betray his feelings.

“
It appears you will no
longer need to keep your position as the duchess’ maid,” the duke
observed.

Mr. Steward laughed. “Miss Brown will need
to conduct interviews to hire her own lady’s maid.”

To everyone’s surprise, Jeanne’s shock
turned to horror. “My own lady’s maid? Oh, no! No, I couldn’t. I
just… couldn’t.” She dissolved into tears.

Tears? The woman had just received a
fortune! What on earth could she be crying about? A glance at the
solicitor told him the elderly gentleman was equally at a loss.
Having spent his entire life with men, he had no idea how to
comfort a crying woman.

Robert reached in his pocket for a
handkerchief. “Er, could I offer you… this?” He held the cloth out
to her gingerly, as if offering a morsel of food to a wild
animal.

Sniffling, she accepted the cloth and wiped
the tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Townley. I’ll wash it and
return it to you.” She blew her nose then, and Robert held back a
request for her to keep the handkerchief.

“
Well, now,” sputtered Mr.
Steward. “If you wish to take the money to your own banking
establishment, we can arrange for you to have the money delivered
there. At the moment, it is safe in the Lombard Odier Bank in
Switzerland.”

“
Oh, please don’t have it
delivered,” Jeanne cried. “Leave the money where it is. I need to
think about… all this.”

Mr. Steward nodded. “A wise choice, Miss
Brown. Now that we’ve located you for the family, you will be able
to collect your inheritance when you know what you want to do with
it.”

Jeanne rose. “Thank you, sir. If there’s
nothing else…”

The solicitor rose and offered his hand.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Brown. I think you’re wise to take time
to consider your choices before making decisions. Receiving an
inheritance of this size is a grave responsibility.”

In a daze, Robert followed Jeanne and the
duke as they left the solicitor’s rooms. His Jeanne was an heiress.
Well, she wasn’t his Jeanne, though his mind insisted on thinking
of her that way. He’d gotten rather used to the thought of them
being together. They’d formed a comfortable partnership, working
for the duke and duchess, and instructing the students at the
school in the chapel. She no longer looked at him with distaste as
she had earlier. It was as if they’d had an understanding, and he’d
begun to envision the two of them raising a family in a little
cottage in the village near the Bartlett estate.