Page 6 of A Lady's Christmas
“I agree.” Her heart pounds so hard it’s a small miracle that she got the words out. “Having a duke on my resume will bode well for my future at Everton.”
The joy fades from his gaze.
Jane claps her hands. “That’s settled then. I’ll draw up a contract. I do have one question, Your Grace.”
“Of course.” Theo turns all his attention to Lady Jane.
Gwen wants to pinch herself for wanting him to look at her again.
“Why didn’t your uncle bring Miss Carter out into society for a season or two? I’m sure she might have made a very fine match if she’d had the opportunity.” Jane sips the last of her tea and places it on the tray.
Neck red, Theo’s chest rises and falls. “I’m not sure what the answer to that is, my lady. He must have had his reasons, or perhaps his view of Miss Carter was that of a little girl, and he never considered that she would want another life.”
“Hmm. Perhaps. I assume you are aware that Miss Carter is a grown woman, and you will remain a gentleman at all times?” Jane’s voice is full of warning.
“Of course,” he says then looks at Gwen with the fire back in those beautiful blue eyes.
* * *
The estate in Derbyshire is large, with twenty bedrooms, two ballrooms, an extensive library, a dining room, and four parlors. Theo traveled there ahead of the ladies to make sure all was in order. It shouldn’t matter, since if anything is amiss, Gwen will set it to rights, but oddly, he wants to impress her.
Ridiculous, he admonishes himself. She needs to know that she can stay if she wants, and if that means affording her a small salary, that’s what he’ll do. He promised his uncle he’d always look after her. However, the current situation was not what Alden Dandridge had in mind.
In yellow livery, the footmen rushed around him, clearing away furniture coverings while maids cleaned floors and started fires in hearths. It’s a very organized kind of chaos that has very little need of Noble’s attention. Still, the man watches as he passes through each room, verifying that everything is done perfectly.
“Your grace, you needn’t worry.” The housekeep stops her own pass through the front parlor. “I’ll see that the house is ready.”
“They shall be here in a few hours. I don’t wish them to find the place rolling in dust and chilled without fires in the hearths.” Whatever has gotten into him, it’s completely new and not at all dignified.
Mrs. Hampton has been the housekeeper at Crestworth House since he was a boy. She gave him sweets when he was punished and cooled his fever when he was ill. Patient as ever, she sighs. “Lamb has the footmen all in order. You have no valet, so one of them will help you while you’re here, though you’re a duke now and really should hire someone permanently. I have the other staff working as you can see. It will all be done before the ladies arrive from London. You have my word. Cook has a fine supper in the works with some of Miss Carter’s favorites.”
He relaxes his stiff shoulders and sighs. “Of course, you will make this all fine, just as you always have, Mrs. Hampton. Forgive me. I can’t imagine why I’m worried. It’s not as if Miss Carter is a stranger.”
“Certainly not.” The years have added a few pounds to Mrs. Hampton and a few wrinkles as well, but her eyes are the same sharp brown as they ever were. Taking his arm, she leads him toward the back garden. “Do you remember when little Gwen first came to live with your uncle?”
“I was ten.” He pats her hand, remembering all the times she was kind to him.
“Yes, and a fine strapping boy you were. Gwen was just five years old and had lost her parents. She was terrified, but you took her hand and showed her the lovely bedroom your uncle had redecorated for her. I imagine the weeks it took to sort out the legal guardianship had been the worst for our little Gwen. Stuck in an orphanage with no idea of why all of that sorrow had been heaped on her.”
“She was so small. She’s not much bigger now.” He laughs, as does Mrs. Hampton.
When they reach the center of the garden with its tall trees and surrounding hedges, they sit and Mrs. Hampton says, “She’s petite, but a fine young lady. I wonder why his grace never found her a husband?”
“You’re the second person to ask me that this week.”
Raising her eyebrows, Mrs. Hampton stands. “Perhaps you should give the answer some thought. In the meantime, stay out of the house for an hour and let us get our work done.”
Having been handled, he chuckles and does as he’s told. Why hadn’t Uncle found Gwen a husband? She’s certainly pretty enough and more than bright enough to have attracted a great many men of good standing. In fact, she’s more beautiful every time he sees her. She manages the house in London, this estate, and the smaller holdings as well, and she’d been doing it since she was a girl.
“I should have come home more and helped her,” he says to the empty garden. Regret wouldn’t do any good now. He’d find a way to make it right. She’s only three and twenty, he could still find her a husband if that’s what she wants. Don’t all women want to get married and have children?
His stomach burns with the idea of all the stupid sods who will try to woo her. Fortune hunters will come out of the woodwork when they find out he’ll give her a nice dowry.
Why was it so important to her to leave him and the life she knew?
ChapterFour
Crestworth House sits on a fine piece of property with a reflecting pool to show off the beautiful place. “Look, Mrs. Chervil. It’s a fine place, is it not?”
