Page 68 of A Duke Makes a Deal
“I’m afraid so, at least, to a baron’s home. I hope you do not have any expectations of me, Violet. I’ve never been accused of having pristine social capability.”
“You’ll be brilliant,” Silas said, leaning towards her.
The smile he gave her made her want to squirm. Instead, she pursed her lips and tried very hard not to appear pleased. She needed to talk about something else.
“Will all the Trembleys be in attendance?”
“I believe Fredrick and Alfred will be accompanying their mother. Derek has a previous engagement,” Silas said. “Supposedly the baron was close with their uncle. I believe he may even be a cousin of Lady Trembley.”
“Oh, is he?”
“I think so,” Silas said, his brow furrowing for an instant. “I can’t remember how I know that exactly.”
The rest of the carriage ride was filled with happy chatter until they reached their final destination. The baron’s home was set far back behind two very flat fields of wheat that appeared as if they were just about ready to be harvested. The golden sea of wheat, swaying gently against a blue sky made Clara smile. She had missed this part of England.
The house was a large Tudor-style brick manor. It was nearly three hundred years old and the dark, nearly black planks of lumber stood out against the red brick, making it a very visually interesting and beautiful building. Clara tried not to gawk at it as she was helped out of the carriage by Silas.
“Welcome to Kingston House, your graces,” an elderly gentleman said, coming forward with a slight head nod.
The man was quite tall and rather frail looking. Clara wondered if she had ever seen a man so thin, noting that his clothes seemed to hang off his body. His kind blue eyes gazed at her with a sense of warmth. She smiled at him, but a part of her was still resistant to the idea that this man would be a good match for Holly.
“Thank you,” Clara said with a curtsy.
“Miss Smyth has told me so much about you, your grace. She arrived little more than an hour ago. I’m so pleased that you could attend our humble hunt,” he said with a nod, before turning to Silas. “And I heard you are an acquaintance of my nephew, your grace. Gavin is my brother’s only son and the heir to this barony.”
“Gavin rarely mentions that he’s set to inherit a title,” Silas said.
A shadow passed over the elder man’s face. Clara was curious what seemed to bother the baron, but she kept her face blank.
“Yes, well, Gavin is rather preoccupied with his own gallivanting, isn’t he?” He smiled, but Clara felt like he was speaking as if he were guessing at his nephew’s activities. But the baron extended his arm behind him and changed the subject. “I’m sure your journey was long and you wish to settle in. Shall we?”
Clara pushed her speculations out of her mind as she took Silas’s hand and was escorted into the house. After a brief tour of their rooms, the baron left Clara and Violet with Silas so that they might recover from their journey. Once they were put to rights, Clara sought out her sister-in-law and they headed down to the parlor where several guests were conversing.
Clara noticed the Trembley brothers right away and they each gave her a welcoming smile. Surprisingly, Fredrick was wearing a sling around his arm. Clara took a moment to wonderwhat had happened, but she was distracted when a familiar face peered into her view.
“Holly!” she exclaimed. She was wearing a peach colored gown, her curled hair adorned in pearl pins. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“And I you,” she said, turning to face Clara’s sister-in-law. She curtsied. “How do you do, Lady Violet?”
“Very well, thank you,” Violet said, her gaze falling back to Fredrick. “Miss Smyth, do you know what happened to Mr. Trembley’s arm?”
“Well, yes, actually,” Holly said, peering over her shoulder before returning her attention to Clara and Violet. “Supposedly, Mr. Trembley was racing his horse with several friends in London last week and fell from his horse when a carriage had turned a corner, spooking his steed. Thankfully he only dislocated his shoulder, but his mother has been incensed. He escorted her here to the baron’s home for the hunting party as a way to make amends.”
“Oh my,” Clara said. “Thank goodness he is all right.”
“I hear it’s quite painful.”
There were several other couples, fine ladies and seemingly unimpressed gentlemen who leaned in to whisper to one another as Clara and Violet came into the room. Clara tried to give the impression that she was equally as bored as everyone else, but her heart was pounding viciously. She was quite uncomfortable.
“Oh,” Violet said softly, reaching for Clara’s wrist as she turned towards her. “He is here.”
“Who?”
“David Lutz,” she whispered. “Oh heavens, I didn’t expect to see him until dinner.”
Clara glanced around Violet and saw a young man, possibly only twenty-five or twenty-six, with flaxen hair and an easy smileon his face as he stood in the doorway. He was handsome, Clara supposed, in the way all youthful girls thought a singular sort of man was handsome. He had a charming sort of face and dark, playful eyes that seemed hellbent on seeking out mischief. She could certainly see why Violet was so attracted to him.
Leaning towards Violet, she whispered, “I think he’s searching for you.”
