Page 29 of Destined to be a Duchess
“I am certain Lady Eliana and Lady Marianne will become fast friends,” Anthony intervened, hoping the platitude would comfort her. He stepped forward, and Warren released her hand. “Where is Lady Eliana?”
“At present, I believe she’s outside with the few ladies who arrived this morning. I encouraged Eliana to invite some friends of her own so she wouldn’t feel too left out while we men took to the hunting grounds.” Warren tilted his head at Marianne. “There will be plenty for you to do as well, Lady Marianne. My daughter has designed an itinerary to keep you all satisfied and busy.”
And to keep us apart,Anthony thought sadly.Patrick and I will be lucky to spend even an hour with Marianne while we are here. Perhaps there is some way I can etch out some time just for the two—or three—of us to make sure that she is not overwhelmed.
“Your daughter sounds like an industrious and considerate young woman,” Marianne said politely, surprising Anthony. “I am just as excited to meet her. I have heard nothing but good things about Lady Eliana.”
Was her accent different? And had that been a lie? Anthony wondered whether that had been his mother’s doing, instructing her to act differently and be less honest to protect their hosts’ feelings. Well, Anthony liked Marianne just the way she was. Theguests at the hunting party deserved to meet the realMarianne, too.
“I met your father, you know,” Warren said to Marianne. “It was long ago before any of you were born. That makes me sound ancient, doesn’t it? You have his eyes and his courage. One must be courageous to undertake an endeavour of such magnitude. I think Nicholas would have been extremely proud to see you reclaiming your lost heritage.”
“You are kind to say so, My Lord.” Marianne side-eyed Anthony. She wasn’t convinced by Warren’s friendly display just yet. “Where shall we all begin?”
“So eager to get started. I rather like her.” Warren laughed. “The footman will deliver your effects to your rooms. Lady Marianne, you will be sleeping in the western wing of the house on the second floor. You, gentlemen, will find your rooms in the eastern wing on the third floor. A servant will be waiting to direct you on the first landing.”
He stepped back and motioned towards the stairs with an elegant wrist roll.
“Let me say again how delighted I am to have you,” Warren finished, bowing as Marianne walked up the stairs with Patrick to guide her.
Anthony lingered a moment in the entrance hall, watching her leave. She looked back at him only once, and it pleased Anthony to no end. She chatted with Patrick until they disappeared out of sight, leaving Anthony to catch up with his father’s old friend properly.
“I hardly knew what to expect when Her Grace wrote that the bastard daughter of Nicholas Chambers would be arriving with you.”
So, the gloves were off now that Marianne was out of earshot. Anthony reeled back in surprise, hoping against hope that Warren was only joking.
“I hope you haven’t found the task too far beneath you, showing that poor rabbit around the warren at your mother's insistence,” the marquess continued, ignoring Anthony’s horrified stare. “I imagine you have much better things to do than play minder to an overgrown child. I’ll see that she is thoroughly distracted while you are here, don’t worry. A woman of her calibre should be easy enough to entertain.”
“A woman of her calibre?” Anthony was outraged, blood boiling in his veins. He kept his composure, sensing that more guests were approaching the doors. “What exactly do you mean?”
Warren looked surprised by his questions. The man had always been like an uncle to Anthony—an uncle with infalliblejudgement. Only the most incensing or improper topics had been off limits. For the most part, they had always seen eye-to-eye …
Was this the way Warren and his father had spoken together in private? Or had they spoken like this openly, and Anthony had been too naïve, too uneducated to realize the extent of their prejudice? Either way, Anthony would not put up with Warren’s slander of Marianne when he hadn’t even tried to get to know her.
“I’ve found Lady Marianne to be an exceptional young woman,” he got in before Warren could argue his defence. “It’s been no trouble at all to host her at the manor, and my mother would agree.”
Anthony chewed the inside of his mouth, refraining from saying more, even when Warren scoffed in surprise. “For the record, Lady Marianne is no bastard. Her parents were married. Everything about her is legitimate, and a process is currently underway to prove that.”
“Ah, yes … That song-and-dance with the Chambers’ elopement.” Warren stared up the stairs, his lips pursed. “How could your mother have agreed to this? I love Catherine like a sister, but she forced my hand sending her new protégée along with you. What was I supposed to say? I hardly wanted to add to her anguish by refusing to host the ingenue.”
“Marianne will cause you no grief,” Anthony repeated, gritting his teeth at Warren’s continued attack on Marianne. “This is where she belongs, and she has our full endorsement. I am sorry if you feel you were backed into a corner regarding her presence here. But that is as far as I will extend my apologies to you. Should you prefer to see her gone, then I will have to leave with her.”
Warren glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice. “You’re quite serious about this, aren’t you? What the devil happened on the Continent to make you so soft?” He sighed—the sound of defeat.
“Very well, Anthony. For now, I will give both you and her the benefit of the doubt. But I do not like the idea of her socializing with Eliana. My daughter’s curiosity is insatiable. She will want to befriend the newcomer just so she can vaunt being the first to do so.”
“Perhaps your daughter is more open-minded than you give her credit,” Anthony muttered. More open-minded than Warren, certainly. “And you know I am not in the habit of taking Eliana’s side.”
For as long as Anthony had known Eliana, they had mixed like oil and water. He wasn’t sure what it was about Warren’s only daughter that he found so intolerable. On the surface, she was beautiful, accomplished, intelligent, and worldly. And yet, themoment Anthony was left alone with her, every conversation ended in disagreement.
As he grew older, Anthony began to wonder whether Eliana intentionally treated him so poorly. Their fathers had spoken about a marriage between them on and off since their children were born. Eliana might have wanted to sabotage their plans by making Anthony despise her.
Alternatively,Anthony thought, she thinks that our quarrelling is evidence of my passion for her. Any attention is good attention, so far as Eliana is concerned.
He kept his thoughts to himself. The boat had sailed on a potential engagement between Anthony and Eliana anyway. She had spent two Seasons in London, and from what Warren had said back in Florence, she was only growing more popular with each year that passed. If she wanted to tie Anthony down, she would have made her intentions known by now.
“I’m not convinced,” Warren murmured, startling Anthony out of his thoughts. “Like always, I don’t think Eliana knows what is good for her.”
“I doubt many of us do,” Anthony replied, wondering, not for the first time, whether it had been a mistake to come in the first place.
