Page 44 of His Duchess in Disguise
Mrs. Chambers stared at Emma. “Where did you learn to wash dishes, Miss Smith? I mean, Miss Hoskins? She does them a right turn, Your Grace. You could see your face in the silver.”
“Father kept dismissing the staff. Finally, it was just me, Mrs. Able, and Mr. Jones, the stableman. Since I like eating and I like clean dishes, I helped Mrs. Able. She wasn’t used to doing all the household chores herself, after all.”
“How did you ever manage to run a townhouse with just two staff?” Mrs. Noddicott demanded.
“We closed off all of the rooms except the kitchen, the schoolroom, and Father’s chambers. He was away most of the time and never had meals at home, so we did well enough. Mr. Jones had hardly any stable hand duties since Father always took the team and carriage with him.” Emma felt tears starting to prickle at the corners of her eyes. “I do hope they are all right. Mrs. Able said that when I left the house, she would go to her married sister, but I don’t know if Mr. Jones had any arrangements.”
“I’ll send an agent to check on them,” the Duke said. “Rest assured, their loyalty will be rewarded. But we have more immediate matters to care for. We need to keep you safe until an official wedding can be performed. Hamilton, how should we best go about this?”
“Well, said Hamilton slowly, “I would suggest you apply for a special license, but that would require her guardian’s consent.”
“I’m nineteen,” Emma protested. “I don’t need my father’s consent to marry.”
“To gain a special license, you would, Miss Hoskins. Here, in Wiltshire, the banns would need to be read, and that would take a minimum of 16 days if the Parson agrees to allow that it be done quickly.
“Sixteen days is time that I do not have.” The Duke said thoughtfully. “Or else we shall have plenty of time, for I will slay Percy for the insult he had offered the widow of a dear friend and the harm he has caused to you, Miss Hoskins, to say nothing of presenting me with three aces when I held one in my hand and knew full well one had been discarded.”
“Oh, no, Your Grace. Must you meet with him? If you slay him, you will be charged with murder and forced to flee. Promise me, please, please that you will not do so.”
“Would it matter to you, Emma? We have scarcely more than met.”
“If we were complete strangers, Your Grace, it would matter to me. I beg of you, do not let my father and the Earl of Cleweme bring about your demise or disgrace. My life is already a sad tangle. I do not think I could bear adding another problem to it.”
“Then there is no hope for it. We must travel to Gretna Green, for you are certainly of an age to wed in Scotland.”
Mrs. Noddicott looked horrified.
Mrs. Chambers blinked once or twice, then said, “How romantic!”
Mr. Hamilton said, “Is that a practical solution, Your Grace? And will you meet with your barrister before your departure? He is remaining overnight.”
“I shall,” Leo replied, ignoring the first question. “He can help me make it all legal so that Emma will be provided for should I fall to Percy’s sword.”
“Is this not rather sudden, Your Grace?” asked Mrs. Noddicott, again.
“Life is sudden, Mrs. Noddicott. But it makes you appreciate fine things. Can you say that she is not a gem? You should have seen her take on a man three times her size just to defend a horse.”
Mrs. Noddicott looked at Emma judiciously. “Well,” she said slowly, “Your father would be outraged, but I believe your mother would have liked her, especially if she saw her mooning over the hall carvings as if they were the dearest things in the world. Most maids hate them because cleaning them requires a particular hand.”
The Duke grinned suddenly, his whole face lighting up with boyish mischief. “My thinking exactly. And of the two, Mother’s opinion meant a great deal more to me.”
“It’s just like a traveler’s tale,” Mrs. Chambers dabbed at her eyes. “The kitchen maid turns out to be a princess.”
“Not a princess,” Emma said. “Just a Baron’s daughter and not a very important one at that.”
“Can you be ready to travel by noon tomorrow?” the Duke asked.
Emma looked up at him, a smile spreading across her face. “Your Grace, I can be ready to travel in five minutes. Can I take Rags with me? He gets upset if I am gone from him for very long.”
“Of course,” the Duke said, magnanimously. “Bring a dozen hounds, if you like. We won’t be traveling stealthily. Mrs. Noddicott, I need for you to find a maid for my bride-to-be. Locate a sturdy country maid, not one of your wishy-washy scaredy-cat girls.”
Mrs. Noddicott looked a little startled but bowed her head in acquiescence. “Of course, Your Grace. I shall see if one of the girls from the village is looking for a position. There is almost always one or two who would rather take up service than wed. Perhaps Mary Higginsby would be interested in the position.”
Emma looked up at the Duke, her eyes shining like sapphires. “Thank you, Your Grace. I look forward to adventuring with you.”
He raised her fingers to his lips and brushed them lightly across the back of her hand. “And I with you. Now, go make yourself ready. Mrs. Noddicott, I believe she arrived with a very modest amount of baggage. My mother’s clothes are still hanging in her rooms. See if you can find some gowns that will not be too matronly to expand Miss Hoskins’s wardrobe.”
In less time than she could have thought possible, Emma found herself whisked into a guest room. Rags and her meager belongings, including the tack for Beauty and the saddlebags, were brought up as well. Mrs. Noddicott herself acted as her maid for the evening, helping Emma complete the toilet that Matthew Blank had interrupted.
