Chapter Eight
Con thought about how he was going to charm his way into a house party which he had not been invited to as Benchley finished tying his cravat.
“There you go, my lord. You are ready to shine at the house party now.”
“If I am even admitted to it,” he voiced aloud.
The valet frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“I told you when we were in town that we were headed to a house party, Benchley. That much is true. What I left out was the fact that I am not on the guest list and did not receive an invitation.”
He watched the reaction appear on his valet’s face, beginning with puzzled and changing to concern. “Then why have you decided to show up at it, my lord?”
“That is a very good question. I will only say that there is someone who is a guest that I must see. Someone I must apologize to. I wronged her—and wish to set things right between us.”
Benchley brightened. “So, it is a lady you seek.” He paused, studying his employer.
“You seem to be a good man, my lord. Serving you has been an easy transition for me. Although we do not know one another well yet, your father always spoke highly of you. That is the reason I stayed on. Because the previous Lord Marley thought so much of you. If it is meant for this young lady to accept your apology, then I am confident it will happen.”
“You have bolstered my spirits, Benchley. For that, I commend you. Now, if you will finish up the packing, we will either be staying at Lord and Lady Pebble’s party, or else we shall soon be returning to Marleyfield.
Please bring my trunk downstairs when you have finished. I must go and see John now.”
He found his coachman at a table downstairs, breakfast before him. John shot to his feet at his employer’s appearance.
“The horses are being readied now, my lord.”
“Sit, John. Finish your breakfast.”
Con joined him at the table, sitting opposite the driver. “If I am to stay at this house party, I will arrange for you to remain at the inn here. Once you have dropped me off—and if I do stay—you can return the horses to the changing station and then have some time to yourself for the next week.”
Confusion filled the coachman’s face. “You might choose not to stay at the party?”
“I will give you a sign, one way or another. For now, I will make arrangements for you to stay at the inn as well as pay for your meals.”
He went in search of the innkeeper and told the man of the possibility of his driver staying for the next week.
Con went ahead and paid for that time, telling the innkeeper to keep the money whether or not his coachman returned.
The innkeeper thanked him for his generosity, and Con went outside, seeing his carriage was waiting for him.
He needed to arrive early at Pebblestone today in order to plead his case with Lord and Lady Pebble.
He did not wish to arrive in the midst of other guests, only to be turned away.
Not only would it be most embarrassing, he also did not wish to be the topic of the gossips who would spread the story—and embellish it, of course.
Benchley arrived with his trunk, and it was loaded onto the vehicle.
John told Con that he had already inquired about and received instructions to Pebblestone, which was a short, quarter-hour drive from Weymouth.
He climbed into his carriage, composing himself.
He and Val were known for their charm, and he would be in need of it today if he were to talk himself into this house party.
After several minutes, the vehicle turned up a lane, and Con realized he looked at things differently since he had become the Earl of Marley.
Before, he would not have carefully observed the grounds of an estate.
Now, he itched to talk to Pebblestone’s steward.
Learn what crops they grew and how many tenants worked the land.
Ask about how the recent harvest had turned out.
Val had told Con that he was much the same since he had become the Duke of Millbrooke.
Con supposed it was all a part of maturing, taking on different responsibilities that came with their titles.
His carriage turned in front of a rather large house, and he saw Lord and Lady Pebble hurry outside to greet him. They would have been ready for when their guests were scheduled to arrive, but he was a couple of hours early and had most likely caught them unaware.
Climbing from the carriage, he gave the pair his most genial smile, knowing it was one which won over others.
“Lord Dyer?” Lady Pebble asked, obvious confusion in her voice.
“Lady Pebble, Lord Pebble.” He bowed to them. “And it is Lord Marley these days. I assumed my earldom a few months ago.”
“What . . . are you doing here, Marley?” asked the viscount, clearly confounded.
“I am hoping that the two of you will let me complete a favor which a friend requested of me. You see, I was at White’s with Lord Clay when he received urgent news which required his presence elsewhere.
He was in a quandary, knowing he had an obligation to attend this house party, but he was needed at his country estate.
In desperation, Lord Clay asked if I might be willing to take his place. ”
Con smiled again, reeling in the viscountess.
“I know from my own mother, who is a superb hostess, that numbers matter a great deal when hosting an event, especially one so intimate as a house party. A hostess always aims for the numbers to be balanced. Might you be willing to allow me to replace Lord Clay on your guest list? Of course, if this is not agreeable to you, my lady, I can return to town at once. Perhaps some other gentleman in the neighborhood could then be a last-minute replacement.”
Lord Pebble looked perplexed by Con’s suggestion, but he saw the gleam in Lady Pebble’s eyes.
She would know he was a most eligible bachelor.
The fact that he now held his father’s title made him an even more appealing guest for her house party.
It was a well-known fact that ladies who held house parties like to brag on the number of betrothals which resulted.
The viscountess would think Con would be seeking a bride now that he was an earl.
At least that is what he was counting on.
“That was most gracious of you to agree to help your friend,” she said. “And me.”
“Well, Mama did raise me to step in and help others when I can. I would hate to see you stranded with unbalanced numbers.”
“I am delighted to entertain you at our house party, Lord Marley.”
Her husband picked up on his wife’s cue and said, “Yes, my lord. We are grateful you are here.”
“My housekeeper will show you to the guest bedchamber Lord Clay was to have.” She paused. “In fact, I think you should be given an even better one, my lord.”
He beamed at her. “My eternal thinks to you, Lady Pebble. Mama has always spoken highly of you, and I see now why she has done so in the past.”
Actually, his mother had never once brought up Lady Pebble’s name, but the viscountess did not need to know that.
As his hostess had a brief conversation with her housekeeper, he turned and nodded to his servants. Immediately, Benchley had Con’s trunk taken from the carriage, and John tipped his hat to Con and drove away.
The housekeeper showed him to a large, airy bedchamber, asking if he wished for hot water to be sent to freshen up or help in unpacking.
“No hot water is necessary, but thank you. I will simply allow my valet to unpack for me.”
“You may join Lord Pebble in the library whenever you are ready, my lord,” the housekeeper told him as she left.
Benchley, who had opened the trunk, began removing clothing from it and said, “You did well, my lord. No hostess wants an uneven number of guests. You are an answer Lady Pebble had not even known to ask for.”
He excused himself and headed to the library, where Lord Pebble awaited him.
“I seem to recall reading about your father’s passing in the death notices,” the viscount said. “May I offer my condolences? He was a most amiable gentleman.”
“He very much was so, my lord. Thank you. I miss Papa every day. Not many men have the closeness he and I shared.”
They talked of a few banal things. Con wanted to be on his best behavior and not have them regret allowing him to stay in Lord Clay’s stead. Then he decided to see what Lord Pebble might have to say about the other guests.
“Since Lord Clay had to rush off, I am woefully unprepared as to who the other guests might be. Could you share some of their names with me, my lord? I am wondering if I might be acquainted with any of them.”
The viscount chuckled. “The guest list was the domain of my wife. I do know my cousin’s daughter, Miss Lawson, will be arriving shortly.
She is a very quiet girl. Barely speaks when she is spoken to.
She was due to make her come-out this spring and simply fell apart at the thought of doing so, begging my cousin to allow her to delay it.
Lady Pebble and I thought if she could meet a few members of Polite Society in a smaller group, she might meet with more success. ”
“It is good you are helping a family member,” he praised.
“To me, family is everything. And a girl does not always have to make her come-out to be part of a successful match. While my sister Lucy wed Lord Huntsberry after her come-out, my other sister Dru did not debut into Polite Society. While visiting Lucy, Dru met one of Huntsberry’s neighbors, and they fell in love. She is now the Countess of Martindale.”
“It would be wonderful if Miss Lawson could do the same at this house party,” Lord Pebble said.
“Not only do I wish my cousin’s daughter to find a match amongst the guests here, but I have hopes that Miss Stanhope, a close neighbor, might also do the same.
You see, we have no children of our own, and Rowena has been the closest thing we have to a daughter. ”
Rowena. So that was Miss Stanhope’s Christian name.