The Orphan and the Duke Read online

  “Get that awful animal out of here.” Miss Van Eizenga pointed at Archimedes. Basil wasn’t sure if her shaking finger was due to rage or fright; either way, he had no intention of making the cat leave.

  “I’m sorry. That’s Saffron and Jonquil’s pet. He’s harmless.”

  “He is not. He’s like a wild tiger or something.”

  “Oh no. Tigers are much larger and more dangerous.”

  “I don’t agree. This animal is wild. He must go.”

  “I’m afraid not. I cannot disappoint my sisters by being unkind to their pet.”

  “Then I must take my leave, sir.” Vonda turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

  Once she was gone, Basil picked up Archimedes and cuddled him. “You were wonderful. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  His sisters found him thus.

  Saffron was the first to find her voice. “Well, if ever, Basil. What are you doing with Archimedes?”

  “It looks as if he was almost ready to kiss him on the head,” Jonquil said.

  “I don’t think I’d go that far, Jonquil. I was merely thanking your cat for coming to my aid.”

  “See, I told you he would be good to have around. Archimedes is much more than a mere mouser.” Saffron hugged Basil around the waist, making Basil happier than he’d been in a very long time.

  Too soon, she let him go and stepped back. “What did Miss Van Eizenga want?”

  “You know what she wants, Saffron. She wants Basil to offer for her now that Roger is gone.” Jonquil sat on the chair near the fireplace.

  Basil let Archimedes down and took the seat opposite her. “What do you know about that?”

  “Don’t be silly, Basil. Anyone can see she’s transferred her affections to you since you’re now the heir,” Jonquil said.

  “That makes me sound undesirable, doesn’t it?” He glanced over to his other sister who sat on the floor with the cat tangled in her skirts. She was rubbing Archimedes’ head.

  “You’re not, you know. Even when you were the younger son, ladies still swooned over you.” Saffron smiled up at him.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. Passable looking, but surely not swoon-worthy.”

  “Ah, there you are wrong, dear brother. Nearly all the ladies of our acquaintance think you more than tolerable.” Jonquil stood and poked the log on the fire almost as if she didn’t want to make eye contact with Basil during the particular topic of conversation.

  It was a difficult subject for him since he assumed the ladies who had made overtures were only interested in the title he now carried. He wasn’t sure if the same thing was hard for Jonquil. She was his more emotionally fragile sister and always had been, so he didn’t want her upset.

  “Let’s change the subject here. You two are making me blush like a maiden with all these compliments.”

  “Since we’re talking about men and swooning, when will Jonquil and I be allowed to respond to some of the invitations we’ve been receiving?”

  “I’m taking care of all that. Remember Miss Amelia Mandeville? I’ve gotten a reply from her today. She is going to be able to come.” As his sisters glanced at one another, with big smiles, Basil held his hand up to stop them from speaking. “Wait before you get too excited. There’s one small condition.”

  “What?” Jonquil’s voice quavered.

  “It’s not too bad. No need to fret.” Basil wanted to ease whatever fears Jonquil had but didn’t know if he could since the condition was a harsh one. The few minutes he had spent in the same room with Amelia’s cousin was enough for a lifetime. They would now be subjected to her on almost a daily basis.

  “Then tell us,” Saffron said.

  “Remember that other young lady in the dressmaker’s shop? The one who asked you to identify yourself?”

  “Of course we do. It wasn’t that long ago.” Saffron picked up Archimedes from his spot on her skirt and stood.

  “It seems Miss Amelia Mandeville only has permission to attend to the two of you if her duties to her cousin, Miss Susan Mandeville, aren’t interfered with. This means she will be accompanied by this cousin of hers when she’s on duty with you.”

  “Oh, no.” Jonquil turned around from facing the fireplace. “She was vile, Basil. Vile.”

  He rose from his chair and stepped over to her. “I know, my dear, but it can’t be helped. We can’t blame her uncle for being concerned. Miss Mandeville did tell me she has obligations to her family that come first. She didn’t think she would be allowed to assist at all. This is a compromise.”

  “I don’t like it,” Jonquil said.

  “I’m not sure I like it either, and there’s actually worse news.” Basil hated to tell them the next part, but he figured he may as well as long as he was already delivering bad news.

  “What could be worse?” Saffron asked.

  “Since you have to be presented to the queen by someone who has already been presented and you are the daughters of a duke, you must be sponsored by someone of equal rank—”

  “No. No. Please say you didn’t, Basil.” Jonquil put her hands over her ears as if to block out the sound of his voice when he answered her.

  “Well, I ever, Basil. You didn’t, did you?” Saffron had a horrified look on her face.

  “I haven’t yet, but I am going to have to. Can’t you see? There’s no other choice.”

  “Give us a little time to try to think of someone besides her. Please?” Saffron begged as tears pooled in her eyes.

  Jonquil sat down in the chair she’d vacated and appeared as if she were ready to burst into tears.

  “Listen to me. I will not let your aunt hurt you. Any time she is here, I will be as well. I won’t leave you alone with her.”

  “But the night of the presentation, she would be with us in the hallway as we await our turn to be announced. You can’t be there. And you can’t stop her then.” Saffron paced the small area in front of her sister’s chair.

  “We will manage somehow. I haven’t figured it out yet, but we will.”

  “Don’t write to her. We don’t need another daughter of a duke to sponsor us. Can’t you ask one of our father’s friend’s wives? What about any of your old Eton boys? Are they married? Do they have wives who could sponsor us? Anyone would be better than Aunt Catherine.” Saffron stopped in front of Basil and pointed at Jonquil. “Do you see her? Can you really be considering this when you see that face?”

  Basil studied his younger sister’s countenance. Her face was pale, and she didn’t seem to be focused on anything.

  Frightened by Jonquil’s appearance, Basil did the only thing he could do.

  “All right. I’ll give you one week to try to find someone suitable, and I’ll contact some of father’s old friends, as well as Roger’s and mine from Eton. I can’t make any promises that I’ll acquiesce to any of your suggestions, but I’m willing to consider them.”

  Saffron hugged him, but Jonquil remained still.

  Chapter 6

  Amelia dressed with care for what she hoped was a permanent change in her life. The pale blue gown she chose was her newest one. It didn’t matter to Amelia that it was another one Jane had cast aside when she gained weight. She checked her reticule to be sure her prized possession was intact on its ribbon, placed her handkerchief inside, and left her quarters.

  From the top of the stairs, Amelia could see Susan, dressed in her own best frock which put Amelia’s to shame, pacing in the area near the front door. Amelia would have laughed at the scene in front of her if she hadn’t had so many years of practice not showing her emotions lest she be punished for them.

  The butler was moving back and forth almost in unison with Susan. It was as if he couldn’t decide whether to open the door for her or not. Amelia was sure he’d already been ch
astised by her cousin for being in her way.

  The butler wasn’t a bad person; in fact, he’d always been kind to Amelia, and she felt sorry for him. Susan didn’t give much respect to the staff, and if Amelia knew her cousin, the poor man had been given no quarter that morning.

  When Susan turned to walk the other direction, she espied Amelia at the top of the stairs. “Hurry and come down! The carriage is waiting.”

  Amelia took a deep breath and walked down to the foyer.

  “I haven’t broken my fast, and I need to have something to eat before we set out. We’re much too early to leave now,” Amelia said.

  “We should be on time or early the first day. Don’t you want to make a good impression?” Susan’s face darkened like a storm-filled sky over the moors. “Wait, you want to arrive late, don’t you? It’s a way for the duke to have a reason not to use your help. You don’t want him to be around us because you know it’s only a matter of time before he falls in love with me.”

  “I promise you, that is the furthest thing from my mind. I actually want to help those two young ladies.” Amelia made her way down the corridor to the breakfast room, followed closely by her cousin.

  “I don’t know why. They were rude to me.”

  Deciding she wouldn’t remind Susan about her own behavior toward the duke and his sisters, Amelia served herself from the buffet. She tried to eat her meal while Susan tapped her fingers on the tabletop as if to rush her along.

  Taking perverse joy in eating slowly, Amelia finished her breakfast at a relaxed pace. She was nervous and wanted to arrive when the duke expected her, but irritating Susan in a calculated way was strangely satisfying.

  Just when she figured Susan would lose her temper and perhaps strike her again, Amelia wiped her mouth and took a last swallow of her drink. She pushed her plate back. “Ready to go now.”

  “It’s about time. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were eating slowly to make me mad, but I know you’re well aware of how that would be received. That makes me sure you weren’t being purposely offensive.” Susan led the way down the hall and back to the foyer where the butler stood as if he were afraid to leave his post.

  Amelia glanced around. Where are Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Henry? It’s not like them to leave Susan and me on our own. She wasn’t sure if their absence was a good thing or not. On the one hand, they weren’t there to urge Susan on in her bursts of anger. But not knowing where they were made Amelia wonder if they’d gone to the duke’s house to be sure he was going to comply with their terms.

  Not wanting to inquire as to their whereabouts, Amelia stayed silent as they were handed into the carriage.

  The trip across town passed faster than Amelia wished. Susan kept up a one-sided conversation with herself while Amelia fretted about how things would go.

  When they arrived in front of the duke’s massive townhouse, Amelia couldn’t help but examine the area near the square to be sure her aunt and uncle weren’t lurking in the bushes or behind a tree. She let out a little bark of laughter when she realized what she was doing. Surely the senior Mandevilles are too civilized for such behavior.

  “Don’t laugh. I’m so nervous.” Susan put her hand out and squeezed Amelia’s.

  Stunned, Amelia couldn’t respond. What is this all about? Susan had never touched her except to inflict pain.

  Before she could explore her cousin’s actions further, the two Staunton sisters came out the front door and down the walkway. Both were blond, but the one with the lighter hair was in the lead and nearly bounced down the path. The other one had a more sedate pace and was carrying something. They were followed by a footman.

  Stopping at the carriage, the girls stepped aside as the footman opened the door and handed Susan down first and then Amelia.

  The lighter-haired one held out her hand first. “I’m Lady Saffron, and this is Lady Jonquil. I wasn’t sure if you remembered our first names.”

  “I’m Miss Susan Mandeville.” Susan smiled at the sisters. That made Amelia nervous. Susan smiling usually means Susan planning something unkind. But maybe she is actually going to try to be nice. Amelia decided to stop worrying and trust that things would work out. She considered the opportunity a gift of some sort from above. There is no reason to think God would have given me this opportunity only to snatch it away.

  “I remembered your names, but thank you for reminding me which of you is which. It was hard to recall on such short acquaintance.” Amelia smiled.

  “Come inside, Miss Mandeville,” Saffron said.

  “Please, call me Amelia. Since both my cousin and I are Miss Mandeville, it’s easier to call me Amelia.”

  Susan muttered something under her breath about the Miss Mandeville comment and illegitimacy, and Amelia prayed she was the only one who heard it. Susan was already showing how things were going to be, and Amelia’s heart sank with dread. She didn’t want the Stauntons to look down on her, but if Susan was determined to denigrate her, there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

  Determined to make the best of things while she could, Amelia nodded to the bundle in Jonquil’s arms. “Is that your pet?”

  “Yes, this is Archimedes.” Lady Jonquil’s blush was pretty, and Amelia liked the girl instantly.

  “What a great name for a cat.” Amelia reached out and patted the kitty on the head.

  “Seems a little odd to me,” Susan said.

  “Let’s go inside. I think my brother wanted to talk to you before we do anything.” Lady Saffron led the way to the house.

  Glad that both girls ignored Susan’s comment about their pet, Amelia allowed herself to hope they would be able to cope with her cousin’s bad manners.

  Once inside the house, Lady Saffron turned to her sister. “Please show Miss Susan Mandeville into the parlor while I escort Amelia to Basil’s study.”

  Lady Jonquil’s eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrows. It was as if she were terrified of the prospect of being alone with Susan. Amelia couldn’t blame her since she herself was afraid of her cousin.

  “I’ll be right back. I promise.” Lady Saffron reached out and touched the cat, still in Lady Jonquil’s arms.

  That touch, as well as the promise, seemed to settle Lady Jonquil, and she turned off into a room on the right side of the hallway. “Come along, Miss Mandeville. I will send for some refreshment.”

  Susan followed Lady Jonquil, but Amelia heard her say, “But I wanted to see the duke.”

  Pushing her cousin out of her mind, Amelia continued to follow Lady Saffron farther down the corridor to another door on the right.

  Lady Saffron raised her hand to knock.

  Amelia’s stomach clenched. This moment could change my life forever. She hoped the duke was a reasonable man since he was going to have to abide her odious cousin, if he were to retain her services.

  The sound of a deep voice saying, “Come,” was both exciting as well as foreboding. What have I really gotten myself into by agreeing to this task?

  When the door opened, Basil looked up from his ledgers. What he saw almost took his breath away. Why didn’t I remember how lovely she was? Those tantalizing freckles are noticeable even from across the room.

  Closing the book he’d been writing in, Basil stood and took Amelia by the elbow and led her to one of the leather chairs facing the desk.

  “Come in and have a seat, Miss Mandeville. We have some business to discuss.” He turned to Saffron. “Thank you for your assistance. Please let Swinton know we need some refreshment. That will be all for now.”

  Basil was bewildered by the panicked look on his sister’s face as he dismissed her. Upon closing the door behind her, he shook his head. What could she be concerned about?

  He returned to his chair and made eye contact with his new employee. I didn’t re
alize her eyes were quite so blue.

  Amelia cleared her throat and looked down at her lap, making Basil realize he’d been caught staring at her.

  Maybe she doesn’t like to look directly at people in order to make herself less noticeable, to make sure she doesn’t upset any of her family members.

  Shuffling some papers, he said, “Sorry. I wanted to go over a few things with you about expectations.”

  “Of course, Your Grace. I know you want some guidance about the gowns and the presentation, but I am sure you have other things you would like for me to assist your sisters with.”

  “I am most concerned with their deportment. They’ve been raised with governesses and do understand the basics of how to behave in society. I’m afraid they have grown a bit wild since our mother died, however. I blame myself since I’ve been adjusting to my new role. Being the disciplinarian of two young ladies wasn’t something I was raised to do, nor does it seem I have any skill at it.”

  “They seem like lovely young ladies. It appears that your mother and the governesses did a good job instilling manners in them. Neither of them have been anything other than kind to me.”

  “I’m glad to hear it since it appears from the little I observed at your uncle’s home that you’ve missed out on a lot of kindness.”

  The shock on Amelia’s countenance let him know he’d overstepped the bounds of propriety. I have no right to say such intimate things to her.

  Hurrying to make things right, he said, “I’m so sorry. I should never have said that. Please forgive me.”

  “It is forgiven, but please do not mention it again. I’ve actually been lucky enough to be given a roof over my head and food in my belly for a good many years. I must be grateful to them for that. To do otherwise would make me seem unappreciative.”