To Marry a Duke (3 page)

‘I’ve turned into a veritable tulip, have I not, Sam? Small
wonder my Demelza doesn’t recognize me. Ten years has seen changes in us both.
I left a little girl; she has returned from her seminary a young woman.’

Sam busied himself stacking the dirty crockery on the trays.
‘Does Miss Demelza know she’s to be married?’

‘No, of course not.
Why should she?
Surely it’s every debutante’s dream to marry a duke? She’ll be delighted. What
girl would not be? I wouldn’t have selected young Witherton if he had not been
personable. I’m not completely heartless, Sam.’

St Osyth’s Priory

The splash of water being poured into a bowl woke Allegra.
‘What time is it, Jenny?’

‘A little after ten o’ clock, my lady.’

‘Kindly send Abbot in to me.’ She closed her eyes again
until she heard the dressing-room door softly open. ‘Abbot, please put out a
riding habit. I shall go out for an hour or two. It will clear my head.’

‘Are you still wearing black, my lady? Or shall I put out
the green or the blue?’ ‘Anything,
itdoes
not matter.
Is the duke down yet, do you know?’

Her
abigail
sniffed. ‘I don’t believe he returned last night, my lady.’

‘I suppose Captain Pledger went with him?’

‘Yes, my lady.’

Allegra knew if this was the case
her brother would have got quite disgustingly inebriated and gambled away even
more money that he did not have. She gasped as an appalling thought struck her.
The man who owned her home had been obliged to pay Richard’s gambling debts for
the past nine months. How dreadful!
Quite bad enough throwing
away one’s own money but to do the same with another’s that did not bear
thinking about.

She threw back the richly embroidered comforter and jumped
out of bed. She swayed and steadied herself against the bedpost. Ignoring the
proffered hand she straightened and stepped away. She sluiced her face with the
tepid water in the bowl and it helped, a little, to banish her dizziness.

Abbot and Jenny deftly dressed her in a plain, dove grey
morning gown. The close fitting three quarter sleeves and scooped neckline
emphasized her thinness and lack of womanly curves. This was not a frock she
would have selected for herself but that morning she was too preoccupied to
notice her apparel.

As she descended the stairs she recalled requesting Abbot
fetch
a riding habit. She paused, frowning down at the grey
silk. Had she changed her mind? She wished her head was clearer. Although she
craved the oblivion the syrup gave her she hated the way it clouded her
intellect, making it difficult to think.

She hesitated, debating whether she should go back and
change. Did she really wish to ride? She shook her head the gesture almost
causing her to fall. No, it would be foolish to ride out as she was. It would
be best to wait until the afternoon. She usually felt fully restored by then.
She continued down trying to remember what it was she wished to discuss with
Richard, but it eluded her. Perhaps after she had eaten it would come back.

Yardley, waiting in the vast, cold entrance hall, bowed and
silently held out a salver upon which was a letter sealed with a blob of red
wax. Allegra took it, not recognizing the bold black scrawl on the front.
Surprised the missive was addressed to her, not her brother she took it
straight to the window to open. There were no flowery greetings, no commonplace
remarks.

It stated simply;

Lady Allegra Humphry

I shall be arriving at
noon today. I shall require two apartments prepared.

Respectfully yours,

Jago Tremayne
Esq.

Her eyes blurred and she blinked furiously, such weakness
should never be revealed in front of one’s staff.

‘Have Wright attend me immediately. I shall be in the
small-drawing room.’ The butler turned to go but she called him back. ‘Yardley,
has Lord Witherton returned?’

‘Yes, my lady, he is in the breakfast parlour with the
captain.’

The thought of food nauseated her, but if she wished to
speak to her brother she would have to join him. She sincerely hoped his head
was clearer than hers. It seemed that they were not to be allowed even the promised
two weeks grace to put their shattered lives in order. For in less than two
hours the new owner of their beloved home was coming to take up residence.

Chapter
Three

Richard dropped.
his
fork ‘Good God! Gideon, are you beef witted?’

Captain Pledger’s eyes darkened and his fists clenched under
the table cloth.
‘Why not, Richard?
My pedigree’s
impeccable and that’s of more importance to your sister than whether I am purse
pinched, surely?’

‘Well, I wish you luck, but don’t be surprised if you
receive a scaly reception.’ The rattle of crockery alerted Gideon to the fact
that they were no longer private.

‘Is Lady Allegra down yet?’

The young footman bowed. ‘I’ll go and
enquire,
your grace.’ He returned with the news that she was with the housekeeper.

‘I’ve a damnable headache, Gideon. I had far too much brandy
last night and far too little sleep. I’ll stretch out in the study for an hour
so; maybe I’ll feel more the thing later.’

Gideon watched his friend stroll, yawning and rubbing his
eyes, from the breakfast parlour. Everything seemed so easy for him, even the
possibility of penury and eviction slipped over him leaving him unscathed.
Witherton appeared to believe a solution to this problem would be presented to
him on a silver platter. It always had, so why should it be any different now?

He scowled at the injustices of life. He had deliberately
befriended Richard when he had first arrived at school. It had been a lucrative
move, over the years his
friend
had
supplied him with funds that had been more than enough to allow him to live
above the modest income of a
servingcaptain
in the
Royal Horse Artillery.

Now his finances would be in ruins. This month’s gambling
debts and mess bill were already double his expected income. His lips curled in
a thin smile. If he could persuade Lady Allegra to marry him, he would get his
hands on the Witherton jewels. He had seen her wearing a sapphire and diamond
parterre at her come-out ball several years ago worth a king’s ransom.

The sale of those jewels alone would set him up nicely, but
first he had to convince the lady his offer was the solution to her problems.
He pushed his chair back and surveyed his reflection fragmented in the window
panes. He had dressed with care. His navy regimental jacket was spotless, the
gold braid that ran from shoulder to waist shining brightly. His blue trousers,
with their bright red seam, were carefully pressed and they hung, as they
should, over his black polished boots. He had only to arrange his pelisse, with
its black fur lining, over his left shoulder and he would be ready. What woman
would be able to resist him in his finest regimentals?

Before pulling on his gloves he smoothed back his hair and
straightened his stock. The black-and-white plumes on his shako danced as he
snatched it from the table and tucked it under his arm. He paused— should he
return to his apartment for his sword? No, that would be doing it too brown.

He emerged into the passageway, his boots loud on the
polished boards. As he hesitated a footman hurried up to him eager to help.

‘Is Lady Allegra free?’ he asked.

‘Yes, sir, Mrs Wright has returned to her duties.’

Gideon nodded curtly and, back ramrod stiff, marched along
the endless chilly corridors to halt outside the small drawing-room door
waiting for the footman to slide in front of him and open it.

*

Allegra had not enjoyed her brief meeting with the
housekeeper. To be obliged to tell one’s staff that from this afternoon they
would be answerable to another and should no longer apply to her for their
instructions,
was not a pleasant task but it had had to be
done. Richard, as always, would let inertia be his master.

She shuddered at the image of a veritable mushroom and his
family occupying St Osyth’s Priory. Hundreds of years of Witherton blood had
graced these halls - how could she bear to think of what was coming next? Her
ancestors would be spinning in their graves with rage.

She looked round as a footman appeared at the door.
‘The Honourable Gideon Pledger, Captain of the Royal Horse
Artillery, to see you, my lady.’

She was struck dumb at the sight of such unexpected
magnificence so early in the day. Then she guessed his intentions. He had been
recalled to duty and had come to make his adieus. A trifle overdressed perhaps,
but the thought of his coming departure softened her normal hauteur.

Emboldened by what he took to be her approval the captain
flung his shako on a convenient settle and dropped dramatically to one knee
grabbing her hands as he did so. She froze with horror and attempted to extract
them from his grip, to stop him before he made a complete cake of himself.

‘Captain Pledger, please stand up. You have quite mistaken
the matter. This will not do.’

He ignored her, in his arrogance believing they were but
maidenly protestations only to be expected in such circumstances.

‘My dearest, Lady Allegra.
I have
always held you in the highest esteem but had until now considered you above my
touch. I am offering you the protection of my name, my heart, and everything
that I own. Would you do me the inestimable honour of becoming my wife? Please,
make me the happiest of men.’

Allegra stared down, revolted by this unnecessary and
embarrassing display. What was the wretched man thinking of? She had made her
dislike of him quite plain these past months.

‘Release me, sir,
this
instant! How
dare you presume to touch me and refer to me in such familiar terms?’ His
gloves opened and she snatched back her crushed fingers and backed away
rapidly, putting the width of the room between them before she ventured to
speak again. ‘Get up from the floor. You are making an exhibition of
yourself.’
 
She watched, as the man, his
face a mask of hate, sprung to his feet.

‘You think you are too good for me? You have always held too
high an opinion of yourself. I offered out of pity, nothing else. What normal
man would wish to be shackled to a cold, skinny beanpole like you?’

Shocked by his venom she was unable to answer, to offer him
even a crumb of comfort to save his pride. Instead she spoke without thought.
‘I would sooner marry in the stable than ally myself to a man such as you. You
are a parasite. My brother has an open nature and he has never understood your
friendship was purely mercenary. But, like a rat in a sinking ship, you will
desert him now.’ She lifted her head. ‘Your immediate departure is the one ray
of sunshine in all this misery. I do not wish to see you here again, Captain
Pledger. Do I make myself clear?’

For a moment his right shoulder bunched as if he was
thinking of striking her, but he picked up his hat and bowed formally, his
temper under control, the epitome of politeness.

‘I shall bid you good day, my lady.’
 
She nodded and raised her head. His eyes
bored into hers. ‘You will live to regret this; you will discover that even the
mighty can fall and they have the furthest to go.’

The door slammed behind him rattling the glassware in a tall
walnut cabinet. Allegra remained staring at the door for almost a minute, her
feet refusing to obey her command. Her knees were weak and she had to sit down
before she collapsed.

Somehow she groped her way to the padded settle. Her hands
were shaking too much to reach out for the bell. She had never liked Pledger,
but only now when it was too late did she realize he was not the weak man she
had always thought him.

Slowly she regained control and reached for the bell.
Richard had still to be told that the new owners, the unspeakable encroachers,
the Tremaynes, would arrive in less than one and a half hours. Richard would
not be pleased to be summoned to her side.

‘What is it,
Allegra,
can a man not
have a bit of shut-eye in peace, anymore?’

Allegra hesitated. Should she tell him about Pledger or
Tremayne first? ‘Captain Pledger has left, Richard.’

‘I’m not surprised. Gave him his
conge
did you? I told him not to approach you, but he would do it.’

‘Well, you could have warned me and thus avoided an
uncomfortable ten minutes for both of us.’

‘Is that all, my dear? If so,
I’ll toddle along and—’

‘No, Richard it is not all. Tremayne and his family are
arriving here in one hour and thirty minutes.’

‘The
devil take
it!
Whatever for?’

‘To take up residence, you nincompoop, why
else?’

He shook his head and groaned. ‘I’ve not sorted out my belongings,
nor arranged our lodgings— how can we be expected to leave at such short
notice?’

‘We do not have to leave. We have two weeks remember? But
the man owns the property; he is entitled to live here. Why should he wait
until we have gone? The place is large enough to lose an army in for heaven’s
sake.’

‘Where have you put them?’

‘In the west
wing.
He has asked for two apartments to be prepared so he must be
bringing his family with him. Do you know if he is married?’

‘I’ve no idea.’ He sighed loudly and scratched his
poorly
shaven jaw. ‘I suppose I’d better change into my
finest. Thunder and turf - do the staff know?’

‘Yes, Richard. I informed White earlier and I have asked her
to speak to Yardley, he will do the rest.’

‘This is a bad day, my dear. But we shall come about, never
fear.’

‘Miss Murrell suggested I put my faith in the Lord, are you
of the same mind, Richard?’

He grinned. ‘Fate, faith, call it what you will, something
always comes up. Shall we go up? I’m certain you don’t wish to meet the new
owners dressed in that gown.’

‘Indeed I do not. I do not know, quite, how it is I am
wearing such a monstrosity but I intend to find out.’

Word had spread around the staff
long before Allegra reached her apartments. Her dresser and maid were waiting for
her. ‘Abbot, I have come to change this hideous frock. And by the way, why am I
wearing it, I thought I had asked for my riding habit?’

Abbot curtsied. ‘You weren’t well enough to ride, and this
was the first gown I could lay my hands on. I apologize, my lady, if I
overstepped myself.’

Allegra smiled. ‘No, you were quite right, but please
dispose of this object. I am sure a member

of
the
deserving poor would appreciate it more than I.’

‘I’ve put out a selection of gowns, my lady; I thought you
might like to choose the
ensemble
yourself.’

An array of colour greeted her arrival in her bedchamber. No
lavenders or greys and definitely no black. She was about to protest but for
once, thought for a moment.

‘Yes, Abbot, you are right. I shall wear colour. Are these
the gowns we ordered last month?’

‘They are, my lady. I remember that you particularly admired
this amber silk.’

‘Yes. I will wear that one. And I think I will wear a
corset. Do not look so astounded, it is
de
rigueur
, surely?’

‘But, your ladyship, pardon me for saying so, you’ve no need
for such a restraint.’

‘I know, but at least it will push what little bosom I have
upwards and give me a more feminine outline.’

Her dresser and maid exchanged looks but did as they were
bid. The gown was a trifle loose but the high waist concealed this discrepancy
well. Abbot fastened the clasp of the double row of

amber
beads
and stepped back.

‘There, your ladyship, you look like a princess.’

Allegra frowned. ‘I think the gold ribbons threaded through
my hair are a mistake, but it is too late to remove them.’

‘Oh no, Lady Allegra, they add the finishing touch. Your
chignon is the same, none of the ringlets or trailing bits you so dislike.’

‘It will do, thank you, Abbot. Did you take the message to
Miss Murrell earlier, Jenny?’

‘Yes, my lady. Miss Murrell said as she would check the
apartments before she comes to you in your parlour. I believe I heard a tap on
the door, I reckon that will be Miss Murrell now.’

Allegra heard her companion chatting to Jenny and swept from
the bedchamber to join her.

‘Lady Allegra! How lovely you look, my dear. I had quite
forgotten how beautiful you are. Black is not a flattering
colour
especially for someone as fair as you.’

‘Thank you, Miss Murrell. And your gown is perfect. Dark
green is such a practical colour, is it not?’

Abbot appeared and draped a gossamer thin, gold cashmere
wrap around her shoulders.

‘The blue corridor is cold and you could be waiting there a
while, you don’t wish to catch a chill, my lady.’

‘No, thank you, Abbot.
Come, Miss
Murrell, shall we go down? The Tremaynes are due to arrive at any minute.’

Allegra held her shawl close, knowing short sleeves, however
attractive, were not a good choice for April. Although the building they
resided in was mainly modern, having been constructed by their grandfather, the
edifice was so vast it was impossible to keep it at a pleasant temperature.

Richard was resplendent in bottle
green superfine and cream
inexpressibles
, his pale
gold waistcoat a perfect foil for her gown. He scanned her appearance and
nodded presumably pleased she had on something attractive.

‘Come and stand by the fire, Allegra, Yardley has
instructions to assemble the staff as soon as the carriage turns into the
park.’

‘Has their baggage arrived?’

‘Yes, about an hour ago. They should be content in the west
wing; at least they’ll be
warmerover
there.’

‘Have they brought many staff?’

‘A couple of maids and a valet came in the carriage, they
are unpacking. I have had Yardley clear out Gideon’s apartment. Half his
belongings were left behind. I have had them parcelled up and shall take them
up to Town when I go next.’