Chapter Six
Arthur glanced up at the windows of the manor house where every window had candles glowing, greeting guests.
The front was well lit as well, with lamps lining the side of the drive leading to the house.
He stepped from his carriage and walked to the front door where he was greeted by the butler.
He handed his hat and greatcoat to a waiting footman and proceeded to a reception line where his sister and brother-in-law were standing.
He took Roxanne’s hand and bent over and kissed her cheek. “The house looks wonderful,” he said.
“And you’re late,” she replied with a wink.
“I beg to differ. I told you I would attend the reception and dinner tonight. And I am.”
“We’re about to go into dinner.”
“Excellent.”
Graham gave him a knowing grin as he shook his hand. “A word of advice before you go in there. Lady Daphne is here.”
Arthur cocked a brow. “Wonderful. I’ll try to avoid her at all costs.”
He moved into the drawing room, accepting a glass of champagne from a waiting footman.
There was an eclectic group of people invited; most he knew.
He’d also been warned by Graham that a few of the ladies brought their marriageable daughters when they heard Arthur would be there.
He cringed at the thought as he noticed two older aristocratic women with their daughters by their side, smiling and whispering among themselves while throwing meaningful glances his way.
To avoid being mobbed so early in the evening, he walked over to a small group of men with their wives.
He knew all of them, two of the men from university and the other two from other social situations.
He approached the group and was introduced to everyone by Baron Heathcliff, a friend from university.
It was while he was standing amongst the group that a figure in pale gold silk walked by, accompanied by a young man Arthur wasn’t sure he knew.
The man looked fairly familiar, sporting a dark brown beard, longish hair that hung at his collar.
As he began to speak, he realized who it was.
Lady Daphne. They locked eyes for a moment as she and her friend continued walking past. She arched a pale brow as she smirked ever so slightly.
While returning his attention back to his colleagues, Roxanne pulled him away to remind him as he was the senior ranking peer, he would be seated at the head of the table with her and Graham.
He acknowledged his sister’s reminder, recalling that as Lady Daphne’s father was a viscount, she would be seated farther down the table.
Such was the pecking order of the ton. An exception could be made if he chose her as a dining partner.
It was done all the time, but instead, Arthur decided he’d rather look at her from afar tonight.
See how she interacted among the guests.
A few minutes later, after getting everyone ready and aware of who they’d be seated with, Arthur led the group into the large dining room where a long mahogany table was decorated with candles and flowers which were cleverly arranged so guests could see each other across the table.
It would give him perfect sight of Lady Daphne wherever she was seated.
Dinner was amazing. Better than the test version he and Graham had sampled.
He was interrupted by the dowager countess Cornwall who raised her voice enough to make sure he heard her.
Arthur inhaled deeply. The countess was known for her long-winded conversations.
She spoke with great authority about anything she wished to discuss with her fellow diners.
“Your Grace, the opening of Parliament is fast approaching, a little later than usual, but that’s neither here nor there. You’ve yet to take your seat since your father died. Are you planning to this year, and if not, why not resign so the seat may be occupied by someone who is truly interested?”
He thought a moment, more to keep her in suspense than anything else. The countess would make a damn fine journalist. She didn’t hold back. “I will be attending this year and giving my full attention to the matters at hand.”
Seeing her reaction, Arthur wondered if she had any comments, good or bad, regarding his decision.
“Wonderful news! I have no doubt you will make an excellent MP. You’re so knowledgeable about so many things. Parliament needs more like you.”
“Thank you, madam.”
“Your father would be proud of you,” she said.
He nodded and said nothing, looking to his sister for help. He knew the ladies would be departing the dining room so the men could partake in their customary port and cigars. But that was several courses off that he’d have to endure before he could relax.
It wasn’t long before the countess’s niece was introduced to him.
Lady Winifred was her name, and she didn’t have a lot to say because her aunt dominated most of what was being said.
She was raven-haired with eyes that matched.
She wore a sage-green gown which Arthur thought was far from the right color for her.
With her dark hair, he thought she needed something brighter, not dour like the green.
He couldn’t form an opinion of her with her aunt present.
He’d have to wait for another opportunity.
Gazing down the table, he noted Lady Daphne engaged with a couple seated across from her, along with the gentleman to her right.
That didn’t stop her from looking at what was going on in his direction.
When she caught him watching her, she flashed a smile and went back to the conversation as though that hadn’t just happened.
Once the ladies left, it was business and politics as usual.
Arthur enjoyed a glass of port and listened to the varying opinions.
He really wasn’t interested in joining in.
At functions such as these, conversations became almost redundant.
It would be like that for the remainder of the house party.
He would hear the same things more than once, so why join in so early in the party when it would come up again and again.
For once he was glad he lived close by and could pick and choose what he attended.
Things wouldn’t be disrupted at the estate.
This was an important time of year. Harvests would begin.
Apples and other fruit were being picked or about to be.
A last crop of hay was ready, which was not for the faint of heart.
It took a lot of back-breaking work by a crew of many men.
He made a point of spending some time out in the fields helping them out.
He never wanted to appear as too good to be involved in what his peers might call menial tasks.
In Arthur’s mind, everyone on the estate benefited when they all worked together.
It was one thing his father had instilled in him.
Finally, they rejoined the ladies, and he had no more than accepted a brandy snifter from a footman than one of the other ladies whose daughter had accompanied her parents approached him. She wasn’t subtle about what she wanted by any means.
“Your Grace, I understand you’re on the marriage mart now. Is it true you’re looking for your duchess?” Lady Margaret, Viscountess Everly, trilled.
Luckily, he hadn’t taken a swallow of brandy, or he would have spewed it across the room. He saw his sister standing among a gaggle of women, trying to hide her amusement.
“I’ve always been on the look-out for a woman to fill the role of my wife and duchess. I wouldn’t call it being on the marriage mart. I believe when the right woman comes along, I’ll instinctively know it.”
Lady Daphne, who had been standing nearby speaking with a couple he didn’t recognize, turned in his direction discreetly and rolled her eyes.
The audacity she possessed! She tried to conceal her amusement by unfurling her fan and hiding behind it.
He chose to ignore her. There would be plenty of time for conversation.
Tonight was the first of many and the opportunity would come to put her in her place without her even knowing he’d done it.
Arthur headed over to his sister. It was time to go, but before he made it that far, Graham and a young squire who’d purchased a small parcel of land with a house he was in the middle of redoing the outside from years of neglect cornered him.
From what he knew of Peter Jenkins, the man’s family was quite successful in the railroad business, and he’d moved to Kent because his sister’s health was precarious, and the London air was more than she could tolerate.
His father thought the doctors were full of nonsense and ignored their warnings for years.
Jenkins took matters into his own hands by moving his sister to the country.
“Your Grace, have you met our new neighbor, Mr. Peter Jenkins? He purchased the old Oldham property,” Graham said, beckoning him over.
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure. I wasn’t aware anyone was living there.
I rode by one day and from what I could see, the roof was being redone.
” He extended his hand to Jenkins, a tall, gangly young man with ginger-red hair.
His dress was of a successful businessman.
He may not be of aristocratic upbringing, but it was obvious by his looks he’d been well brought up.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace,” Jenkins replied. The two shook hands and Graham guided the conversation.
“Jenkins is interested in finding a gentle mount for his sister. I don’t have anything right now, but I mentioned you might.”
Arthur swirled his brandy before he took a swallow. “How good a rider is your sister? I wouldn’t want to put her on something she might not be able to handle if the situation were to arise.”