Page 5 of Taming a Beastly Duke
“Darling,” Augusta said, beaming brightly at him. “Before I forget, I want to tell you that my good friend Helena and her niece, Miss Adelaide Barrett, will be coming to stay with us for a little while. They will be arriving a bit later today. They wish to leave London for a time, and I believe that having some company to entertain will do you some good.”
Marcus’s grip could have broken the teacup. He looked at his grandmother with fierce incredulity.
“You would invite strangers here, with me in my current condition?” he growled. “Does your meddling know no bounds, Grandmother?”
His grandmother, utterly unfazed by his temper, merely shrugged.
“I do not meddle, Marcus,” she said. “I simply want what is best for you.”
Marcus snorted.
“You do not meddle, and yet I now reside here, instead of my country seat,” he said. “And now, you expect me to play host to strangers. I am uncertain what you would call meddling, if not that.”
Augusta chuckled in a manner that, were it anyone else, would have caused Marcus to clear the breakfast table with a single swing of his hand. But she had stepped in as his maternal figure after his mother died giving birth to Edith, and she had supported him endlessly as he grew into his role after his father, and her son, died. If there was anyone for whom his patience was nearlylimitless, it was Augusta. She was testing that patience right then. But he would do nothing more than grumble and mutter. And Augusta Lockhart knew it.
“You will hardly know they are here, apart from mealtimes,” she said. “They will be my company, unless you should choose to spend time with them.”
Marcus grunted. His delicate sense of sanctuary would be invaded by having to entertain two strange women, which set his teeth on edge. He needed to find some way to convince his grandmother not to bring anyone to their home. At least, not until he was well enough to arrange a long business trip in another country. He looked at Thomas, hoping he could silently convey his plea to help Augusta understand that her plan was a terrible idea.
“Perhaps she is right, Marcus,” Thomas said with a shrug that lacked a full apology. “Having some company to entertain and new people to talk to might be good for your spirits and, thereby, your health.”
Marcus gave his friend a glare that would shrivel lesser men in an instant. But Thomas, having been his friend for far too long to be intimidated by the beastly facade, merely raised an eyebrow at him with a little smirk.
“That will be enough from you, Thomas,” he growled.
Edith cleared her throat, causing Marcus’s gaze to switch to her.
“It might be good for all of us, for our family name, to welcome a couple of guests,” she said softly, with a tentative smile.
Marcus’s jaw and fingers clenched, and a snarling response formed just behind his lips. But as his throat rumbled, his sister flinched, and the hurt in her eyes stung his heart. He forced his temper down, willing his fingers to loosen around the cup and his heavy breathing to slow. Edith, unlike their grandmother and his friend, was a little frightened by Marcus’s outbursts. He adored his sister, just as he had Charlotte, and to see such pain and fear in her eyes of his own doing worsened the guilt he had felt since Charlotte’s death.
“Then it is settled,” Augusta announced proudly, smiling at their small group. She began listing the activities and social events she had in mind to host to entertain their guests. Marcus had a great deal more to say in protest of hosting any guests. Yet even as each word increased his tension infinitely at the realization that his peaceful existence was to be shattered, he knew he had already lost the debate. This Lady Helena and Miss Barrett, who were almost certainly scandalized ladies from the ton, would soon be invading his home like the unwanted pests of which he had his wine cellar rid every spring. And there was no way any part of this invasion would be pleasant for him.
***
Adelaide stared in chilled awe as she and her aunt arrived at the Lochville Estate. Rain pelted the carriage windows, but even the sunniest of days could not have alleviated the forbidding grandeur of the beautiful but melancholic estate. The long, winding driveway which waited behind rusted iron gates waslined on either side by gnarled trees which, through neglect and weather damage, were dying and basically devoid of leaves, despite the summer season. Yet despite the lack of foliage, the limbs were twisted in such clusters that they managed to block out most of the sunlight along the drive.
The grass was meticulously maintained, but that was the only proof that anyone had cared for the front of the grounds in years. Overgrown hedges and thorny bushes dotted the neat grass, and ruins of stone statues littered the spaces between the wild growths. It was clear that the place once held a strict but elegant splendor. Now, however, it looked practically abandoned. Adelaide swallowed the urge to question her aunt on the certainty of the occupation within the structure which lay ahead of them.
The mansion itself was constructed of gray stone with tall, narrow windows dotting its walls. Ivy hung on and around each one, resembling bars one might see in a prisoner’s cell. The stones were darkened by weathering, chipped in places and was as neglected as the grounds, adding to the neglected appearance of the somber, oppressive feel of the estate. Adelaide shivered. Was the owner of such a worn mansion just as unsightly and cold?
“Darling, are you all right?” Helena asked softly. Adelaide blinked, grateful to look away from the harsh mansion that was to be her home until the gossip surrounding her settled in London.
Adelaide sighed, shrugging.
“I suppose,” she said. “Although it is disheartening to know that Mother and Father would send me away after that horrid incident, I understand the necessity of such an act. But they would not even listen to me when I tried to explain. That weighs on my heart.”
Helena nodded with an understanding expression.
“I know, sweet niece,” she said. “I cannot speak for them, but I heard you, and I believe you.” She smiled with a loving wink, for which her niece was grateful as the carriage prepared to stop. “And I am not such a bad companion, am I?”
Adelaide giggled, shaking her head.
“You are the perfect companion, Aunt Helena,” she said. “And being a spinster will not be so horrible. I shall retain my freedom, and I believe that we shall enjoy each other’s company very much.”
Helena beamed at her niece, patting her hand gently.
“There’s my girl,” she said. “Now, come. I am eager to introduce you to the Lockhart family.” Adelaide nodded, waiting for a footman to help her aunt and her from the carriage.
