Page 14 of Finding Hope
“There will be plenty of time to see who suits. She needs to see exactly what she would be getting. I feel like she only knows part of me—the part of which is not a future duke.”
“That may be true,” Carew agreed.
Gilford knocked lightly again and entered. “Her Grace has just arrived, my lord, and wishes to speak with you. Are you home?” he enquired.
His friends quickly exited the room. “Cowards!” he called after them. He looked back at Gilford.
Max thought about escaping—bless Gilford for giving him the option—but the rest of the guests could arrive at any time, and his mother would need to understand her place before they did so. “Go ahead and show her in, Gilford. It will be for the best to deal with this now.”
“Very good, my lord.”
Max could tell his mother was in a fury before she reached him, if the sound of her pumps clicking across the marbled floor was any indication.
He stood and, moving in front of his desk, leaned back against it in a relaxed pose.
The moment she was beyond the threshold, she stopped and narrowed her gaze at him. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Welcome home, your Grace.”
“Do not play coy with me!” she fumed.
“Would you care to be more specific?”
“You know perfectly well to what I refer.”
“When last we spoke, you scolded me for not attending your house party, so Father and I have decided to host another one. Except this time, we have invited our friends instead of a bunch of schoolroom chits. Why did you not tell me Father was ill?”
“Since when do you care for sniffles and coughs?”
“Since he is dying.”
Her head whipped around at that. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me correctly. Go and see for yourself, but understand me now. There will be no upsetting him nor any of my guests. I intend for this to be a happy occasion. Is that understood?”
“How dare you speak to your mother in that fashion?” She raised her chin and widened her eyes in affront.
“Believe me, I wish it was not necessary. Had you not issued an ultimatum laced with falsehoods, it would not be necessary. I will choose my own bride, in my own way, and in my own time.”
“I suppose I will be forced to endure that Whitford trollop in my own home.”
Max was upon her before she took another breath. “That is enough! I will not tolerate another slur against her or her sisters. You may leave now if you are unable to be civil. The Dower House has already been prepared, but you will be forcibly removed from the estate should I hear one more word against her.”
She spun about and left the room without another word. Max slumped into a chair, hating that it felt like war against his own flesh and blood. Why did it have to be this way?
CHAPTER 4
Hope had never seen anything more magnificent. She had been too young when her parents died to remember India and then she had been brought up in Bath. Bath was beautiful in its own right, with its golden stone and Georgian façades, but seeing it every day made it lose some of its allure.
Davenmere was another species altogether. Her sisters and the Dowager had driven through the countryside for hours, and then suddenly there it was, nestled in the side a hill as if suspended above its surroundings.
It was a large, three-sided manse in the Baroque style, built with limestone native to Derbyshire. A lake stood before the house, bearing a fountain shooting upwards of twenty feet in the air, while one of the peaks of the district and thick woods provided the remainder of the setting.
They could see it long before they entered the gates, and even then, they drove through the woods and across a river over a beautiful stone bridge before they finally reached the house. A harmonious blend of carefully designed gardens, idyllic countryside, and the untamed beauty of the peaks all contributed to the grandeur.
Her sisters were exclaiming about the palace—for there really was no other way to describe it—but Hope kept silent. There was too much to take in for her to speak about it. And she had thought herself a good match for Rotham? What a little fool she’d been!
When the carriage rolled up before the house, there were grooms and footmen, and a whole host of servants in their smart, matching blue and gold livery, waiting for them.
