Page 11 of Once Upon a Winter's Tale
She turned and walked to the nearest window, which opened to the back of the manor house, wherehewas. “The duke arrived moments after I fired the gun and dead and injured dogs lay everywhere. Nero had just beaten the lead dog, and…”
“Oh, my girl. I asked you not to draw attention to yourself. Now I will worry about what he thinks about the people occupying his property. My friend said she thought he planned to continue the arrangement, but her letter did not assure me of that.” Her mother’s voice was strained.
“I had to save my dog and my animals, Mama,” Brianna said, feeling a lump in her throat. She hated to disappoint her mother. “I told him only what you wished. He seemed to accept our being here, and he invited us to eat with him at dinner. He almost insisted.” It would not hurt to add that, she decided.
“I must decline,” her mother said. “I received a letter yesterday from someone I once cared deeply about. It was a hard letter to read, and I cannot clear my mind. I would not be good company. You take Jane. She will be happy to chaperone. The staff will keep her company. I will be fine with Augustus and the staff. Cook has already assured me she would send my dinner over.”
“But Mama! You must attend. The duke could take it as a slight. And besides, he is so handsome, I stare. If you are there, I would feel pressure to stare down at my plate instead of at him,” Brianna teased. “Besides, won’t Augustus be at the manor house?”
Mama laughed. “Yes, I suppose he may. He mentioned he was trying out a footman as an underbutler, so he can cover effectively.” She swatted Brianna lightly and laughed. “You can be silly. You are good for me, daughter. I am not happy about the events of the day, but I should be grateful. I have my daughter.”
“Roy is washing Nero for me and checking for any bites. I could not tell—he was covered with blood. But I am praying he is scratched, at most,” Brianna said nervously.
“If you are going to dinner, you will need to get a bath and get changed, my dear. You are quite a mess, and it smells like you’ve been working in a stable,” her mother said with a smile. “Jane is readying the tub for you.”
“There’s one more thing, Mama. The duke asked if I would accompany him to the village tomorrow. He has decided he needs a few days here and asked me to show him around. May I go?” Brianna bit her lower lip. This was something that had never come up before, and she did not know how her mother would react, but she wanted to go.
Just as her mother started to answer, there was a knock on the front door, and they heard Augustus answer it.
“Hi, Augustus, would you tell Miss Brianna that I bathed Nero, and he had a few scratches, but they looked scabbed over? I do not know how he managed it, but there were no bites and no new wounds. He was dirty and covered with blood, probably from the dogs that were injured when the gun fired. I would tell her myself, but I’m very dirty, especially after bathing that one.”
“Very good, Roy. I will see she gets the message,” Augustus said before closing the door.
Relief flooded Brianna when she heard about Nero. She had found him as a puppy, wandering in the field, cut up by briars and starving. She had fallen head over heels when she saw him and adored the dog.
“I think he escaped any possibility of the disease, Mama!” she said, giving her mother a big hug. “I’m so relieved!”
“Oh, Bree! I’m sure this is wonderful news, but I worry so much about you. You are all I have!” her mother said, sitting up. “I realize he is a loyal animal, and I should hug him and be glad all ended well, not disparage the incident. But I worry so!”
“Mama, I assure you, I am being careful. The pack of dogs was dangerous and hungry. They would have hurt the fawn and the kittens. Nero kept them at bay.”
“Yes. And there was the small matter of the gun you shot. You have never held a gun before. Those are huge. My papa had one. They scatter shot everywhere.”
“I’m sorry, Mama. It’s all that was available, and I had to do something.”
Her mother’s face softened. “Yes. I apologize. Of course you are careful.” She gave a moan and a sigh. “It must be this terrible megrim making me feel out of sorts. And as for your other question, if Jane accompanies you, you may go tomorrow to town. You are not yet seventeen,” she said, sitting up and slipping her feet into her slippers. “Now, I must rest. This day has already tested my endurance.” She sent a tired smile in Brianna’s direction before leaving the room.
What just happened?One minute, things seemed to go well, and her mother’s mood was fine. In the next, gloom had slipped over her as soon as she mentioned the duke and his offer to take Brianna to the village. It made no sense.
Concerned, Brianna watched her mother leave the room.
Chapter Five
Albert fought thetemptation to have a small plate of meat and cheese before the evening meal. He knew it wouldn’t sate his hunger, and so he would wait for dinner. Instead, he kicked his feet up on his desk, folded his hands across his stomach, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes. He wanted to think about the afternoon and Miss Brianna Thomas. She was unlike anyone he had met before.
I hope she comes to dinner. Otherwise, I will have to create a reason to spend time with her tomorrow.
She intrigued him. There had been no refusal to his invitation, and he hoped that was a good omen.
Hadn’t his mother mentioned needing to speak with him before he left? Albert realized she never had. He knew if it was important, she would have made time. Even so, he pondered what it had been about. When he traveled, he often thought back over things he had rushed through.
One thing that fascinated him was the rotunda-shaped study, and he focused on it from behind his closed lids.
Had his father done work at this desk when he visited? The room was comfortable and inviting and would have suited his father’s aunt, or his father. Except for a fireplace with a painting above it, a ceiling-to-floor window covered the area behind his desk. Bookcases lined the other walls from floor to ceiling. White woodwork framed a rich Aubusson carpet, with its subtle muted tones of burgundy and green, and covered most of the dark wood floor. Opulent burgundy curtains covered the windows, almost matching the leather chairs in front of his desk. The room was airy and cozy.
A knock at the door brought Albert to a sitting-up position behind the desk. “Enter.”
“Your Grace.” Wilson, his valet, stood in the doorway. “You asked me to keep you on the schedule for dinner.”
