Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I cannot tell you how gratified we are to see you looking so well.” Lily, the Duchess of St. Albans, murmured softly against Georgiana’s ear as the two friends hugged in the courtyard of the inn.
Having recognized who owned the two newly arrived carriages, Georgiana had excused herself to the two gentlemen before hurrying outside. She was hoping that two of her closest friends had accompanied their dukes. She knew that St. Albans was reluctant to ever be parted from Lily.
The happiness Georgiana felt as both Lily and Chloe stepped down from the respective St. Albans and Hellsmere carriages had brought the sting of tears to her eyes.
Lily now gave her a reproving look. “We have been so worried about you since we received your letters and learned you had come to Norfolk and were not staying with Julia and Amanda, as you had previously told us was your intention.”
“We feared the worst after we both received a letter from you, and my father and Lucien also had one from Moreland, both of you requesting answers to so many questions,” Chloe chimed in.
“But first, my husband had to explain his part in acquiring employment for you as secretary to the Duke of Moreland,” Lily put in with a reproving glance at St. Albans.
“I am so sorry for not telling you the truth,” Georgiana apologized. “I feared you would both object if you knew of my real intention.”
“Well, of course we would have objected,” Lily stated. “It was very arbitrary of St. Albans to go behind our backs and do such a thing.”
Georgiana grimaced. “He did not share those circumstances with you at my request.”
“Then you were both guilty of the deception,” Chloe stated. “But it is one I will forgive you if your duke is very handsome,” she added mischievously.
Georgiana gave a choked laugh. Chloe had always been incorrigible, and her recent marriage to the Duke of Hellsmere appeared to have deepened that freedom of speech rather than curbed it. Probably because Hellsmere was as besotted with Chloe as St. Albans was with Lily.
As besotted as Georgiana hoped Julian would one day be with her. “See for yourself,” she encouraged softly upon hearing Julian being greeted by his two friends.
Chloe turned to look at the three gentlemen. “Oh my, yes,” she admired.
Georgiana chuckled. “When Ju— Moreland and I,” she corrected, though not quickly enough from the knowing looks Chloe and Lily were now giving her, “wrote those letters to all of you,” she continued determinedly, “I do not believe either of us expected any of you to actually travel into Norfolk.”
Lily smiled. “My husband and Hellsmere were both hellbent on coming here to talk to Moreland in person, after they had explained to us they had not seen him for such a long time.”
Georgiana’s brow creased. “Did they tell you why they hadn’t?”
“Well, of course,” Lily dismissed. “Gabriel keeps nothing from me.”
“Except that he had sent our dear friend to stay with a duke whom many in Society believe killed his wife,” Chloe pointed out bluntly.
“A crime Gabriel believes him to be innocent of,” Lily reminded, as if they had had this conversation several times before.
“Because he is,” Georgiana stated without hesitation.
“You do not have to convince us, darling,” Lily assured warmly. “You would not have fallen in love with him if you believed otherwise.”
“I have not—” Georgiana broke off the protest when Lily gave her arm a reassuring pat. “Yes, I do love him,” she admitted huskily. “I also believe him innocent of any wrongdoing in his wife’s disappearance.”
“As do Gabriel and Hellsmere,” Lily reassured. “But we both used our so-called annoyance at St. Albans’s subterfuge as a way of persuading our husbands to bring us to Norfolk with them.”
Georgiana glanced over to where the three dukes were deep in a conversation too quiet for her to hear. Julian’s expression, in particular, was very hard to read. “I sincerely hope that you have arrived with good news.”
“We have lots of news,” Lily said slowly. “It will be for the two of you to decide whether you think it is good or bad.”
Georgiana’s heart began to pound as she inwardly prayed, Please let it be good news. “Are you all coming inside for luncheon…?”
“We had a very late breakfast two hours ago at the inn,” Lily revealed.
“I believe, having suffered through the inconvenience of all of us staying at that inn overnight, Gabriel now expects your duke to invite us all to stay at Moreland Park, where he might take a bath and sleep on a comfortable bed,” she added dryly.
“It has been a very trying journey,” Chloe agreed.
“Not least because my father seems to forget I am now a married woman, and that it is perfectly natural for me to travel in the same coach and sleep in the same bedchamber as my husband. Lucien finds Papa’s growly behavior amusing,” she added affectionately.
Georgiana turned to look at the Duke of Hellsmere, easily noting the humorous upturn of his chiseled lips as he gazed upon St. Albans’s impatient and irritated visage.
Lily chuckled. “Your marriage is very new, and Gabriel is still trying to acclimatize himself to the fact he is no longer the most important man in his daughter’s affections.”
“That really is no excuse for his taciturn moods,” Chloe stated without mercy. “Not when we are displeased with him for sending Georgiana to work here in the first place.”
Lily smiled at Georgiana. “Having now seen your duke, I understand why, once you arrived here, you were so determined to stay and learn the truth about his marriage.”
Georgiana really wished Julian was her duke. She wished that more than anything.
But having Lily and Chloe here, whom she might talk to and confide in, filled her with a warmth of gratitude toward these two kindhearted ladies.
* * *
Even as Julian greeted St. Albans and Hellsmere, he surreptitiously enjoyed watching Georgiana’s interaction with two of her closest friends. She somehow seemed younger in the company of ladies of her own age. Less tense as she smiled often.
He hardly dared to try to guess what they were talking about when both those other young ladies had glanced in his direction before continuing their whispered conversation with Georgiana.
“St. Albans’s duchess and my wife are admiring how handsome you are,” Hellsmere observed dryly.
“I somehow doubt Lily is doing anything of the sort,” St. Albans snapped.
“That is because you are a jealous and possessive husband, and I am a relaxed gentleman secure in my beloved Chloe’s affections,” Hellsmere taunted.
St. Albans scowled. “I am totally secure in Lily’s affection. It is the intentions of other gentlemen I do not trust.”
“You may be assured I have no intention of flirting with or in any other way overstepping boundaries with either of your wives,” Julian quickly assured him.
“That is because you are in love with Lady Stapleton,” Hellsmere observed with a glance in Georgiana’s direction. “And she is in love with you.”
Julian frowned. “I do not think—”
“Falling in love is not about thinking, man,” St. Albans dismissed scathingly. “It is chaos and mayhem, with a dash of insanity. Or, in my case, a lot of insanity,” he allowed ruefully after receiving a knowing glance from Hellsmere.
“I will agree with you regarding the chaos and mayhem involved,” Hellsmere allowed grudgingly.
“But I believe all our ladies to be worth any upheaval that has occurred in our previously ordered existence,” he added with an appreciative glance at the three beautiful women chatting so excitedly together.
Julian had no doubt as to Georgiana’s worth. Just as he knew the other two gentlemen felt the same way about their duchesses.
“They are all exceptional women.” St. Albans nodded. “Including your Georgiana.” He gave Julian an approving glance. “I liked her from the first, which is why I arranged for her to come here to work for you.”
“Matchmaking, St. Albans?” Hellsmere mocked.
“Georgiana is an exemplary young lady who deserves an equally exemplary gentleman to love and cherish her. You are an exemplary gentleman,” St. Albans informed Julian with his usual arrogance.
“I am a married gentleman,” Julian reminded.
“Are you?” Hellsmere taunted.
Julian gave him a sharp glance. “What do you mean?”
“I believe we should wait to discuss this any further until we are within the privacy of your home,” St. Albans stated with a pointed glance at the grooms and ostlers milling about the stable yard.
Julian bit back his impatience, knowing the other man was quite correct in desiring that privacy. “Of course.”
“If you have finished eating luncheon, can we all be on our way to Moreland Park?” St. Albans prompted briskly. “Because I, for one, would like to soak in a hot bath, and then make love to my wife in a comfortable bed for the rest of the afternoon!”
Hellsmere smirked. “I might consider doing the same with my own wife.”
St. Albans’s gaze narrowed in warning. “I wish I had never given my permission for you to marry my daughter.”
Hellsmere’s chuckle was unconcerned. “Chloe would not have allowed you to do otherwise.”
“Probably not,” St. Albans allowed with a sigh.
“And think how much in love I must be with Chloe to suffer having you as my father-in-law,” Hellsmere taunted.
“I believe the same might be said for my having you as a son-in-law,” St. Albans drawled.
Until now, listening to the teasing in this back-and-forth conversation—because he knew that St. Albans and Hellsmere respected and liked, even loved each other—Julian had not realized that, by avoiding returning to London these past two years, how much he had missed the company of two of his closest friends.
For the first time in a very long time, he was starting to see a glimmer of hope for his future.
A future he wished to share with Georgiana.
A Georgiana who had now excused herself from her friends and was in earnest conversation with Robert Eames. No doubt reiterating her intention of visiting Meggie tomorrow.
* * *
“Mr. Eames, before we part, I should like to ask you a question.” Georgiana chewed on her bottom lip. “A question that concerns Meggie.”
“Yes?” he acknowledged warily.
She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “It is nothing…negative. I only wondered… You said earlier that Meggie refers to me as the ‘kind, dark-haired lady’?”
“Yes.” He still sounded cautious.
“I believe she met the Duchess of Moreland? Once, at least.” After which, Georgiana knew, the duchess had requested that Meggie not be allowed on the beach again when she herself was walking there.
“Yes.” Eames sounded even more reserved.
Georgiana gave his arm a comforting squeeze. “I simply wondered if Meggie had her own unique description of the duchess too.”
She had no idea why she thought this was relevant when so many other people had already expressed their dislike of Annabel Sotherby. She only knew that she believed Meggie’s opinion, as it was usually expressed with childlike candor, would be more bluntly accurate than any other.
“Ah.” The estate manager’s brow cleared. “She refers to the duchess as ‘the mean, bad lady who went away,’” he confided with a wince and a guilty look in Julian’s direction.
As Georgiana had thought, Meggie’s opinion of Annabel Sotherby was indeed much more candid than any she had previously heard.
Georgiana nodded. “Please give Meggie my kind regards and tell her I will visit her tomorrow. If you are still agreeable to that arrangement, of course?”
“I am,” Eames confirmed.
“Good.” Georgiana stepped back with a smile. “Until tomorrow, then,” she added warmly before turning away to rejoin her friends.
Friends who had traveled all the way from London to bring them whatever news they had garnered from their investigations.
Georgiana continued to inwardly pray that it was good news.
Although, she wondered what exactly would be good news…