Chapter Thirteen #2
“Firstly, we are not lords and ladies. Secondly, my parents shared a bedroom until Mama’s consumption separated them. My siblings and I often wondered if it was the separation from Papa that hastened Mama’s death, rather than the illness itself.”
With a heavy sigh, Jansen bowed his head. “I am sorry, my love, but we cannot share a room. If I ever hurt you while fighting my demons on that battlefield, I would never forgive myself.”
“I understand that, but what I cannot understand is your feeling such shame. The war did this to you, Jansen. It scarred your mind just as surely as it scarred your shoulder. You said yourself that your shoulder sometimes pains you. Well, it appears your memories do the same. I can accept separate rooms if that is what we must do. What I cannot accept is your berating yourself and thinking yourself less, because I now know why.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a desperation that almost made her weep.
She clung to him, pouring reassurance and love into him as fully as she could.
When he lifted his head and stared down at her, his eyes were wet, but since no manly man ever shed tears, she pretended not to notice.
“We are getting a special license,” he said with such vehemence it made her smile.
“Yes, my love. As soon as you can. And then we will marry.”
“Yes, and then we will marry.”
*
Each time Jansen so much as twitched, the four foxhounds and one ungainly, short-legged dog of questionable ancestry showed their teeth and growled.
“Oh dear,” Joy said. “Have you never gotten on well with dogs?”
“I like all animals, and they usually like me.”
“Well, these don’t appear to like you. Not even Gastric.” Joy clicked her fingers. “Gastric. It is I. What on earth has come over you?”
The long-eared, overly fed Gastric wrinkled his muzzle, bared his teeth even more, and growled again, only a bit softer this time, as though apologizing for his behavior.
“Gastric!” Joy huffed. “Shame on you. You used to sleep in my bed whenever Gracie wasn’t home.”
“It is the twins,” a lovely blonde woman said as she swept into the parlor. “All of them have been that way since little Remy and Gwynnie came along.”
“Gracie!” Joy rose from the settee, but sat back down because the line of furry protectors advanced on her. “Will you call off your army, please? They appear to have forgotten me.”
Grace split the air with a sharp whistle, then pointed at the dogs. “Enough. You know Joy and will soon know this gentleman who is with her. These are friends and are to be treated as such. Stand down, my babies. Remus Jamison and Gwyneth Jennette are safe thanks to you all.”
The dogs wagged their tails so vigorously that their behinds wiggled back and forth.
Grace snapped her fingers and pointed at the hallway. “Off with you now. Hie to the kitchens before Nanny needs you upstairs for the babies.”
The herd of canines galloped out of the room.
“Now then.” Grace crossed the parlor and curtsied to Jansen. “I am the keeper of this madness. The Duchess of Wolfebourne, but of course, you may call me Grace—not Her Grace. Just Grace, because that happens to be my name, as I am sure Joy already told you.”
“Sir Jansen Winterstone, your future brother-in-law, as soon as I can get a special license.” Jansen liked Grace. She was down to earth, like the rest of the Abaroughs. All the sisters approved of him, which negated the fact that the brother did not. A sense of completeness filled him.
Laughing, Grace and Joy embraced. “Congratulations, sister! A real love match, yes?”
“Most definitely.” Joy returned to Jansen’s side and squeezed his arm. The way she looked at him made him swallow hard. He was the luckiest man alive.
“I am so glad you came,” Grace said, but then she frowned. “But where is your maid? Flora. Your chaperone? I do not recall Mrs. Perridone mentioning their arrival and the need for accommodations.”
“With your permission, I need to borrow a horse to go in search of Flora and Jasper. The other coach bearing gifts and some trunks you requested did not make it through the storm to the way station where we spent last night.” Jansen braced himself for the duchess’s outrage about Joy’s compromising situation.
If only she knew just how perfectly compromising that situation had been. At least until his demons had appeared.
He realized Joy held her breath, waiting for her sister’s reaction as well.
Grace arched her brows, looking entirely too thoughtful. “I see.”
And she did. Jansen could see it in her eyes.
“Well then,” she said, “a special license is most definitely in order.” She cleared her throat.
“And of course you may borrow a mount. I shall ring for Mathias to take you to the stable to see Mr. George about choosing a horse. If you wish, you may ride mine. Pegasus is very fleet of foot. In this mud, he would be an asset, and he adapts to new riders quite readily.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” He chose to use her title because her demeanor had turned stilted since her learning of last night’s compromising situation.
Until it changed back to her earlier relaxed friendliness, he would rely on good manners to keep her at bay.
He noticed she didn’t correct him as she went to the bellpull and gave it a hard yank.
When a small, wiry, older man arrived, Jansen kissed Joy’s hand, patted it, and rose to his feet, expecting that to be Mathias, the footman.
“Feebson, please have Mathias escort Sir Jansen to the stable and request Pegasus be saddled for a ride.”
Feebson bowed. “Yes, Your Grace.” He turned to Jansen and waited.
“I shall return as soon as possible,” Jansen told Joy.
She squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”
“Yes. Do,” Grace said in a sharp tone that clearly implied she was worried more about what would happen to her sister if anything happened to him.
“I will return. Never fear.”
*
“Joy, please tell me I did not hear your intended correctly. Please. All night at a way station? Without benefit of a chaperone? Please tell me it was the larger one that has two rooms. Pray, do not tell me it was the Moselys’.”
Joy didn’t answer. There was no need. She felt sure Grace could see the change in her.
Her sister groaned. “Oh, Joy.”
“Do you mean to tell me that you and Wolfe never—”
“Not before we married!” Grace slowly shook her head. “We wanted to, but…did not. Are you saying that you and Jansen did?”
Again, Joy remained silent.
“He must ride for that special license straight away,” Grace said. “As soon as he returns with Jasper and Flora, he must ride for it.”
“It was just the one night. Surely I cannot be with child already.” Joy covered her stomach with both hands, more excited than not about the possibility of a little Winterstone already safely planted within her.
“As fruitful as the rest of us have been, I would think you would have more concern.” Grace pointed toward the hallway.
“Remy and Gwynnie were born within ten months of my wedding, remember? Rorie came along in Blessing’s first year, and Quill was born before Fortuity and Matthew’s first anniversary.
Abarough women waste no time when it comes to childbearing. Just look at Mama!”
“Well, scolding me about it will not undo anything either. We have been engaged. I simply refused to set a date until he met all of you.”
“I had better be the last so you can marry immediately.”
Joy almost smiled. At least she had found a way for Grace to be glad rather than upset that she was the last. “As soon as he returns with Jasper and Flora, we shall send him on his way for the special license. As persistent as he has been, I am sure he’ll be happy to do as you ask.”
“Good.” Grace pulled in a deep breath and let it out. “He does seem amiable enough. As long as you are happy and remain that way, I shall not have to set the dogs on him. By the way, they did not really take to him, you know. I read that as a poor sign.”
“He has a cat. No dogs.” Joy couldn’t imagine any other reason. “A black cat named Nimbus who steals anything he can carry.”
“That is probably the reason. Also, I am sure they sensed his unease about this trip’s circumstances.” Grace yanked on the bellpull again. “I believe brandy to be in order.”
“Excellent idea.” Joy reseated herself, then noticed Grace’s deeper scowl. “What now?”
“Seri wrote to me about your blackmailer. Any word on that front?”
Joy allowed herself a heavy sigh. “The Bow Street Runner on the case says the letters came from one of two places. He feels sure of it.”
“And?”
“The blackmailer resides either at Broadmere House or Winterstone Townhouse.” Joy swallowed hard. The smoked kippers she’d had for breakfast had suddenly decided to flutter their tails and try to swim back out. They too found that news reprehensible.
Grace stared at her, blinking slowly in disbelief. “Either our house or Sir Jansen’s. Our house is impossible. Did you tell him that?”
Joy nodded. “Jansen told him either house was impossible, but the man insisted. Mr. Rathbun is interviewing everyone at Winterstone Townhouse as we speak. Every servant. Everyone. That is why Jansen’s sister, Aurelia, didn’t accompany us here.”
“And if no satisfaction is found there?”
“He will interview everyone at Broadmere—including Chance. Oh, Gracie…what am I to do?”
Grace slowly shook her head. “You know what you are going to have to do.”
“I know.” Another heavy sigh left Joy. “I know I have to be the one to tell him. Heaven only knows what would happen if the Bow Street Runner enlightened him about the Reader’s Dare Club.
My only saving grace is that by then, I shall be married, and Chance will be too enthralled about an increase in his monthly allowance to really give a care. ”
“Chance cares about rumors and perceptions as much or more than he cares about money. You know that.”
“I know. I fear I am in for the tongue lashing of the century.”
Feebson appeared at the parlor door. “Your Grace?”
“Brandy, Feebson. And then a full tea, please,” Grace said.
“Right away, Your Grace.”
As the butler disappeared, Joy decided to change the subject. At present, she simply couldn’t deal with the matter of the blackmailer. “Where is Wolfe? And Connor and Sissy?”
“London. Seeing the modiste, the tailor, and interviewing a possible new tutor. Connor cannot seem to help himself when it comes to tormenting his teachers, no matter the subject. I honestly believe it’s because he is jealous of Sissy’s brilliance.
The child reads something once, and remembers it word for word.
” Grace smiled proudly. “She is amazing.”
“I hate that we missed them.”
“They will hate it too.” Grace pulled a face. “If Connor would attend to his studies as avidly as he does the card games you taught him, he would be as brilliant as his sister.” She rolled her shoulders. “I owe the little fiend a crown.”
“Well done, Connor!”
“Yes, well…he is banned from gaming until he improves his mathematics and Latin.”
“His mathematics should be good if his gaming is successful.”
“Oh, he can add and subtract money with no problem when he is figuring his winnings or losses,” Grace said. “Numerical columns are what impede him.”
Feebson returned with the brandy, served them, and bowed his way back out without a word.
“I cannot believe Wolfe left you alone with the babies.” Joy sipped the brandy and smiled. Elderberry again. A prosperous sign indeed.
“He didn’t wish to, but he needed some time with his brother and sister.
I urged him to go because I think the poor dears are feeling a bit overshadowed by the babies.
Connor adores them, and so does Sissy, but I’ve caught a few longing glances at Wolfe when they didn’t think anyone was looking.
They needed some quality time with their older brother.
” Grace sipped her brandy, then set it aside.
“By the way, there will be no more patty fingers until you and your knight are married. Understood? I’ll not have Mama looking down from heaven and shaking her finger at me.
While you are here, you will have a chaperone. Please?”
“That seems rather like closing the barn door after the horse has already escaped. Does it not?”
“Joy.” Grace glared at her, reminding her of their mother.
“Fine.” Joy finished her brandy and poured another. “Once he gets the special license, shall we marry here so you can lord it over the others?”
“Absolutely,” Grace said. “I would have it no other way.”