Chapter 2
It didn’t take long for David to eat his breakfast, although it was a bit longer before he could get dressed without any help. He had dressed himself many times before, but things were tougher this morning for some reason. Was he gaining weight, or had his arms got shorter?
Or maybe it was because he had a restless sleep, so his body was stiff and sore. It felt harder than normal to dress, and his muscles strained.
Maybe he should have asked George to wait for him or to come back in a short time. But that was gone now. David could handle this.
Besides, if he got something wrong with his clothes, it would give his sisters a giggle.
They needed it after all this time. The two of them were sad and morose after their father died, and Henrietta had been struggling with the extra emotions that had welled up knowing that she had lost her parents in such horrible ways.
Gwen had never met her mother, so the pain hadn’t hit her as hard, but the confusion at what was going on and how lost she looked broke David’s heart.
They were just children. It was horrible to know that they had no parents now. And now David had to look after them.
How could he do that? David was close to his sisters and loved them dearly, but he had no idea how to raise them. He was their brother, not a parent. He had no idea how to look after them as a father would.
This was going to be easier said than done.
Finally, David had dressed in a way that looked respectable and presentable. Taking a look in the mirror, he was sure that nothing was in the wrong place, and he didn’t look like he had rolled out of the gutter that morning. Henrietta and Gwen wouldn’t notice the difference.
Heading downstairs, David paused as he passed one of the portraits lining the staircase.
It was a beautiful painting of a lovely-looking woman close to his age with russet-red hair and a smile that always seemed to have a hint of mischief.
Even with it being a painting, her eyes seemed to sparkle. David didn’t think that could happen.
His father had said that the artist had managed to put life into the portrait, and David agreed. His mother, the former Duchess of Bayntree, could make anything come to life. He felt a pang of regret that he would never see that again.
If only he could bring his parents back. He would rather have them back than the title and look after his young sisters.
“Your Grace?”
David turned away from his mother’s smile and saw the butler standing at the foot of the stairs. He descended, trying not to look back at the only memory of his mother left.
“What is it, O’Leary?”
“Ladies Henrietta and Gwendolyn will be arriving soon, and their rooms have been made up for them.” O’Leary gestured up the stairs. “Mrs O’Leary is currently making sure the nursery is tidy enough.”
David smiled.
“They are ten and fifteen now, O’Leary. I think they’re a bit older than they should be for a nursery.”
“Then you can call it a playroom. My wife says everyone needs a place to go and have fun, especially as children.”
David wasn’t going to argue about that. He looked up the stairs himself.
“I must say, it feels strange calling Miss Jarvis Mrs O’Leary. I never expected you two to get married.”
The white-haired gentleman gave him a proud smile.
“Let’s just say I know a good woman when I see one.”
“That and you were too stubborn to admit it,” David replied. “I think everyone noticed how the two of you were when we lived here. I heard some of the servants saying that you were head-over-heels, and yet you wouldn’t do anything about it.”
“Well, I am a little slower on the uptake.”
David could see that. Even he had noticed the attraction between their thirty-year-old spinster housekeeper and the fifty-year-old butler.
It had been pretty clear, but nobody thought it would actually happen.
It had taken ten years of working together before the butler and housekeeper did anything about it.
Now they were in charge of the Hertfordshire house together, and things looked incredible. David loved how well things had been handled. His father, who had never set foot on the property again, would have been proud.
“Anyway, we’ve got everything under control, Your Grace,” O’Leary said, dusting down his coat. “I’ll let you know when your sisters arrive. There’s no need to hover around waiting for them.”
“Who said I was going to be hovering around waiting for them?”
The butler gave him a pointed look, and David felt like he was ten years old again, getting caught sneaking biscuits out of the kitchen in the middle of the night. O’Leary was getting on in years, but he was sharper than ever.
Sighing, David turned away.
“I’ll be in the study, then. And MrsLazenby has got everything ready?”
“She’s in the process of doing it, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
David walked away and headed into his father’s study. His study now, he reminded himself. It was all his now, and David had to remember that. Just because he knew it as his father’s property, he was not here anymore. David owned everything now. He was in charge.
And he didn’t like it.
David was aware that he would become the duke eventually, but it was something he didn’t want to think about. Nobody retired a title and passed it down to the heir. That was unheard of. To inherit the title meant losing a parent he loved.
David would rather have his father back than become a duke.
Wandering across the spacious room, he went to the window and looked out across the garden.
The gardeners had done a good job with what they had, and he had been shocked the day before by the huge splash of colour all over the place.
It just spread out over everything. David wouldn’t be surprised if their estate could be seen from the next county.
As he looked across, he caught sight of the small manor house on the hill. It wasn’t that far off, but the size it was to him now made it look farther away. The Fairfax estate. Sir Geoffrey had been a prominent landowner when David was younger, and things had been prosperous for him.
But from what David had heard, Sir Geoffrey and his wife had both fallen ill suddenly, and they had needed to sell almost all their land, so they didn’t end up going destitute. Their staff had gone down drastically, and Sir Geoffrey and Lady Gabrielle were getting sicker faster than normal.
David felt sympathy towards them. They were lovely people who had always prided themselves on working hard. Being rich meant nothing if you didn’t work for it yourself, Sir Geoffrey had always said. Now they were almost infirm, which was a shock.
He wondered how Caroline was getting on. She loved her parents dearly, and David saw how much she did for her parents. Even when they had gone out to spend time together as children, Caroline was always doing something for her family.
She was probably married with children by now. Caroline had been a pretty girl, so it wouldn’t have been too hard for her to find a husband. They were probably living in the house with her parents or close by to help out; Caroline would never abandon them.
Would he encounter her while he was living here now?
David hoped that he would; he remembered his time with Caroline fondly.
They had spent so much time together, along with Eleanor, who was a bit younger than them but just as fun.
Along with his childhood friend Joseph, the four would cause havoc with their adventures.
Things were a bit more refined as they grew up, but their friendship had been strong.
Then David’s mother had died, and he had moved away with his family. He didn’t get a chance to say farewell. Joseph had kept in touch, mostly because his family home was close by in Buckinghamshire, but Eleanor and Caroline … David had let that slide.
Of course, he knew it was no excuse, but he didn’t end up writing to the two girls to see how they were.
David didn’t think he would be back in Hertfordshire and didn’t see them in London for their Seasons.
He thought they had just moved on with their lives.
After all, being friends with two young women when he was a duke now was probably not a good idea.
Even so, he did want to see them and find out how they were getting on. Did they still live with their parents? Or would he be able to find out where they were? Just to see how life was being to them. Hopefully, it was good. They both deserved it, after all.
I deserved a good life. But with my father gone, I’m not so sure.
“Your Grace?”
David turned and did a double-take. A little girl about ten years old with red-russet hair tumbling about her shoulders and wearing a yellow dress was standing in the doorway, giving him a big grin. David stared.
“Gwen?”
Gwen giggled and hurried across the room, David managing to brace himself before his youngest sister launched herself at him.
He caught her as she jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms and legs around him in a big hug.
David was surprised that he didn’t end up falling over; Gwen Hudson had the ability to knock anyone over despite her small size.
“What are you doing here?”
“What?” Gwen laughed and pulled back, prodding him in the shoulder. “You knew we were coming! Why so surprised?”
“I thought you would be here later, and O’Leary didn’t tell me you were here.”
“That’s because we told him we wanted to surprise you.”
David looked around and saw the tall, willowy girl with dark hair leaning on the doorknob, watching him with a smile. He chuckled.
“Well, you certainly did that.”
“Although I’m the one who’s surprised that you didn’t hear the carriage coming up the driveway.”
“I am on the other side of the house, Henrietta,” David reminded her. Kissing Gwen’s cheek, he put his sister down with a grimace. “God, you need to stop doing that, Gwen. You’re getting really heavy.”
“I’m not heavy!” Gwen protested. “That’s rude!”