Chapter 1 #2
“You girls certainly made it here quickly. I should have known your mother would have jumped at such an opportunity.” The scent of Penelope’s mother’s perfume engulfed Abigail as she allowed her aunt to embrace her properly.
The baroness, although outwardly welcoming, betrayed her discomfort in her pinched lips and disapproving appraisal of Abigail’s dress.
Abigail smoothed her skirts, which had certainly wrinkled over the course of the journey. She didn’t wish to embarrass her aunt any more than their arrival obviously did.
And then the Earl and Countess of Ravensdale stepped forward as the baroness presented her. Although considerably older than herself and Penelope, they were a handsome couple indeed.
“Welcome to Raven’s Park. I’m so delighted the two of you could join us.
” The countess’s words made it sound as though they’d been invited along with all of their other guests.
If Lady Ravensdale was put out by their arrival, she certainly did not show it.
Even the earl, who ought to be haughty and aloof, acknowledged their arrival with a pleasant nod.
Abigail wanted to believe such a welcome to be genuine but could not ignore her feelings of doubt. Even the servants appeared to be turned out better than she. Such elegance all around her!
“My daughter, Natalie,” the countess declared, “will show you ladies to your chamber.” She ushered them inside to where the young beauty awaited them. “And I’m so sorry the only available accommodations are on the upper floor.” The countess winced.
The servant’s quarters. Abigail plastered on a smile, wanting to apologize for their arrival for the hundredth time already. Deep breath. Smile.
With a faraway look in her eyes, Lady Natalie stood off to the side while her mother said all the right things.
Abigail envied her poise, her calm. Seeing her now, Abigail understood how the girl had been bold enough to jilt a duke. Although beautiful, the girl exuded goodness. Dressed in the latest fashions, Lady Natalie did not act with any disdain toward her mother’s uninvited guests.
Painfully aware of the circumstances surrounding their arrival, however, Abigail could not help but feel contrite for their presence.
“I hope our arrival is not an inconvenience, my lady, even though Aunt Emily said your mother had assured her it was not. My mother was quite out of sorts with herself for her inability to chaperone us adequately. We both assured her it was not necessary, but confined to her suite, she expressed that we would be subject to all manner of indiscretions. She does have an extensive imagination.”
Lady Natalie and Penelope had a prior acquaintance, and so there was no ice, so to speak, to break there.
And, of course, her cousin would not bend to normal pleasantries.
“A bunch of tripe, Abigail. Aunt Edna saw the opportunity to expose us to some bachelors yet again and came up with the most transparent of excuses.”
Lady Natalie did not seem offended, but she did look a bit confused. She turned toward Penelope questioningly. “But there are no bachelors here, really.” And then she caught on. “My brothers?”
At this point, Abigail spoke up so as to smooth over yet another of Penelope’s bouts of brutal honesty. “You have no need to worry, my lady. There is no danger to your siblings—as I am sure you can gather on your own.” She added the last with a gesture at herself in her wrinkled traveling dress.
Lady Natalie did not look at her apparel, however.
She stared directly into Abigail’s eyes as though she could read more about her there.
And then, as though having made her decision, she nodded brusquely.
“Nonetheless, I am glad of your company.” She continued leading them up the stairs.
“As much as I enjoy my mother’s friends, it will be a pleasure to have the companionship of ladies closer to my age.
Mother has planned a garden party for this afternoon, inviting everyone who lives within a day’s drive, mind you, but not one of them below the age of forty.
I think the boys will have set up some games.
If not, we’ll find some other entertainment.
” Lady Natalie grimaced. “But you shall have a few hours to rest before the festivities begin.”
They reached the landing and followed her down the long corridor. Upon opening the door to their chamber, Lady Natalie then took her leave, as though she had other things to tend to. Abigail wondered what the daughter of an earl needed to tend to.
The room consisted of two small beds, two desks, and two dressers.
Although the furnishings were somewhat austere, the view from the window made up for them in spades.
It overlooked the entire front of the park, which included the lake and part of the wilderness walks.
Abigail sighed. Perhaps one day she would live in a home such as this, as a companion or governess.
But she did not wish to think about that now. Turning to Penelope, she smiled enthusiastically. A garden party would be lovely! Despite feeling gauche and somewhat frumpy, Abigail was determined to enjoy herself. Planned or not, she would have a pleasant summer with her cousin.
Alex Cross, the Duke of Monfort, had not expected to attend any house parties this summer.
In fact, he never attended house parties.
As a rule, he’d normally consider them to be a complete waste of time, filled with insipid conversation and banal entertainments.
He’d only accepted the invitation when the Earl of Ravensdale promised a tour of his estate, which boasted one of the most modern irrigation and canal systems in Great Britain.
Impulsively, the duke had made an exception.
And the inspection of the canals, which was completed the previous day, had been enlightening.
He was inclined to consider some of the innovations for his own estates—there were nine, to be exact.
The Monfort ducal seat, Brooke’s Abbey, had been modernized most recently.
It would not require any renovations. Looking out the window of the Ravensdales’ elaborate library, Alex contemplated when he could express his regrets and abandon the party earlier than planned.
For it was becoming apparent that the Earl of Ravensdale had other motives behind his invitation.
In a thoroughly undignified manner, the earl had pushed his daughter into the duke’s presence at every opportunity.
He’d obviously not abandoned his ambitions for her to become a duchess.
And while Alex considered her a pretty little thing, he was not inclined to take another wife any time soon.
He had done so once, with tragic consequences, and would delay the inevitable for as long as he possibly could.
He would eventually need to beget another heir.
The son his now-deceased wife had produced for him had been killed in a freak accident at the tender age of three.
And although any reasonable person could surmise it was unlikely to happen again, Alex was reluctant to put it to the test.
He snapped his attention back to the present in time to glance out the window at the sounds of an approaching carriage, rather ancient by the inordinate amount of clattering it made.
Late guests, Alex thought in an abstract manner, not the least bit curious as to whom they might be. He would leave tomorrow.
But he was not committed to it. Contrarily, the thought of returning to any of his properties was not as satisfying as it ought to be.
While in London this past spring, he had made the decision to release the mistress he had kept for nearly two years.
He’d been forced to do this because as the latest season had progressed, the beautiful Mrs. Elise Gormley had increasingly become somewhat possessive and, even more worrisome, emotionally attached.
The widow’s disturbing and passionate displays had not only irritated and embarrassed Alex, but they’d led to a premature end to what ought to have been a long and satisfying physical relationship.
Whereas in the beginning, their time together had been filled with giving and receiving sensual pleasures, tears and reprimands took over during the latter stages.
A man did not engage a mistress so she could treat him like a recalcitrant husband.
And although Elise had been an exceptional beauty and had known how to please him in bed, Alex had not been willing to allow their arrangement to evolve from that of mistress and client to anything else.
In releasing her, he gifted her with a rather expensive set of ruby earbobs, bracelet, and necklace, and informed her of his decision in no uncertain terms.
He was right to end it, he’d decided, when she’d protested with sobbing and pleas, which quickly evolved into various curses and a pair of her slippers being flung at his head.
Not inclined to avail himself of whores, he’d also been unwilling to complicate his life with any of the more willing ladies of his own ilk.
He’d remained celibate since that occasion, nearly six months ago.
Even so, Lady Natalie, the earl’s daughter, tempted him not in the least. She was very young and a lady of quality.
Not at all the type of situation he wished to contemplate.
What he ought to do was return to London and seek out a new mistress.
Perhaps he would do just that in the fall, during the Little Season. He would curtail his urges for now.
His attention was caught again, outside, as he realized the new guests were not elderly at all. In fact, the women appeared younger than he had assumed—although not young enough to appeal.