Chapter 21
When their guests had left, Argyle took off his coat and lay on the sofa, spent.
His face was white, and he closed his eyes for several minutes, while Marguerite helped the others clear up, thanking them for their efforts.
She told Flossie and Curtis that they would not be needing them any longer that night.
‘My husband will assist me with my clothes, Flossie, don’t worry.
’ Flossie smiled, and Curtis picked up Argyle’s coat and went out with her, saying, ‘I will take this to be pressed, Your Grace.’
Marguerite went to sit by Argyle and drew his head onto her lap. They were alone, and all was quiet. She loosened his cravat and removed it, saying, ‘You will be more comfortable like this. And did you notice I referred to you as my husband just now, without even thinking?’
He said, ‘A wife. I have acquired a wife—I can hardly believe it, after all those years managing to escape such a fate. What did you do to me, you witch?’
‘No, what did you do to me? Mon Dieu, what have I done? I just remembered I did not want to be a wife.’ Her voice was anguished.
He laughed. ‘Too late now. You will have to bear with me, for better or worse.’
‘You started it. Could you not have waited for a few months before making your ridiculous proposal? I had just arrived in London. I wanted to…sow some wild oats.’
Argyle forbore to mention what sowing wild oats actually meant, saying drily, ‘I am certain that I am incapable of preventing you from sowing anything you like. I can only hope that the sowing will involve me.’
Marguerite laughed, ruffling his hair. ‘Of course it will, mon amour. We have been thunderstruck by love.’
‘We have. I’m sorry you have to spend your wedding night and your honeymoon in a lowly inn, sweetheart.’
‘On the contrary, I think it is most romantic. It is an adventure. We can perhaps have a wedding tour later, can we not?’
‘Yes. I will take you to Paris, and buy you perfume and extravagant hats, and you can visit all your old friends. But not yet, I’m afraid.’
‘I would like you to meet all my old friends, but I am in no rush.’ There was a pause, then she said, ‘It was amusing hearing Alice call you Thomas. She found it difficult, I think, and avoided it as much as possible.’
‘I must have been in a very mellow mood, to ask her to do so. Nobody has ever called me Thomas, except for my mother. And now you—and it was damned difficult getting you to do it.’
‘But then why—oh, Thomas, I wish you had told me this when you first asked me. Then I would have understood you had some regard for me.’
‘I did not know it myself, then. I asked you on an impulse.’
Marguerite sighed, then bent and kissed his nose. She said, ‘Tell me about your house in London, I am curious to see it. I assume we will go there, once you can travel.’
‘No, I think it is best if we go to my estate in Hampshire first. I would like us to extend our honeymoon and have more quiet time to ourselves. I can get my secretary to visit me there with any outstanding business—I don’t think I am up to facing London society yet, and we will have to postpone your mother’s plans for a ‘magnificent ball.’ The mere idea exhausts me, and it would all make me exceedingly bad-tempered. ’
Marguerite felt a momentary twinge of guilt—her mother’s ball delayed again.
But she knew Argyle was right. She smoothed his forehead.
‘And thus insufferable—which will annoy me, and I shall have to quarrel with you. No, you are right, let us go to the country, where I can have you to myself. And I can start learning about the estate, can I not? If you have not changed your mind, that is.’
‘I do not go back on my promises.’
‘That is good.’ She paused. ‘It feels so strange that I have acquired a whole new life, in so sudden a manner—like sailing off into the unknown.’
‘I hope it is not making you anxious, my heart.’
She teased him. ‘It is even more strange that you should be worried about my state of mind! I will be fine, never fear—but I must know what to expect. Ma foi, I have belatedly realised I do not know much about you at all. In fact, I have been remarkably indifferent to your worldly trappings. Do you own a family seat?’
‘I did, but I sold it upon my father’s death. It went a long way towards improving my finances.’
‘So you did not think you had a duty to keep it in the family forever—that was brave.’
‘People gossiped and disapproved but, believe me, I did not care. It was enormous, with more than a hundred rooms, and would have needed a fortune to upkeep. A fortune I did not have. And I had no wish to live in it. It was too big for the largest family, and I am in no mood for large house parties, as you well know.’
She laughed. ‘It was lucky you were in the mood for a particular one, at least.’
‘I was not. I only came to see you. It was not lucky, it was planned.’
‘Well, it was lucky for me, then. But who did you sell it to?’
‘A nabob, newly returned from India and wishing to take up his place in society and in Parliament. He did not want a lot of land to go with it, which suited me well. I trust you will not regret not being mistress of a great house.’
‘Thomas! You know I would have hated it. Rattling around empty rooms and having to employ dozens of staff. I feel sure we are better off without it.’
‘As it is, I have kept two houses, the Hampshire mansion and the house in London. It will more than suffice.’
‘Of course. Pray tell me, what are they like?’
He described them briefly, and she said, ‘They sound large—and a little gloomy.’
‘Indeed—but you will have to judge for yourself. I am afraid I took little notice of my surroundings when I lived alone, so I’m counting on you to ameliorate things.’
‘I will enjoy that. As long as your servants are not set against any change.’
‘I am certain they will be overjoyed, after having put up with my moods all those years.’
‘How many do you employ?’
‘Er…I’m not quite sure.’
‘Oh, yes, I keep forgetting you are a Dook—so, plenty of footmen, I assume, and housemaids. And kitchenmaids, and gardeners…Do you even know all their names?’
‘I have two excellent butlers, one in town and one in the country, who deal with all that.’ Seeing Marguerite was about to say something, he hurried on, ‘And two even more excellent chefs, who I trust, will satisfy your exacting standards regarding French food. And yes, I do know their names.’
‘Well, at least that is something.’ She was still mocking him.
He changed the subject. ‘Moreover, it is a good thing Curtis and your maid seem to get along, since they will have to live in the same house. Can you imagine if they had a feud going on? We would have to fight about which one we should get rid of.’
Marguerite scowled at him. ‘I hope you are joking. If you start being odious again I will be obliged to…to…’
‘To pretend you do not know me, like you used to do? Too late, you are shackled to me now. Perhaps you can try hitting me—but I would not advise it.’
Marguerite grinned. ‘What I will do to punish you, is to wear a lot of clothes in bed. With innumerable buttons. Cependant, I was going to say, I think Curtis and Flossie do more than get along. I told you I suspected it before.’
‘What fustian. You are just in a romantic mood, my darling.’ He took her hand and kissed the palm. ‘Which I mean to take full advantage of. Come, no more idling—there is work to be done.’ He rose and pulled her up.
‘What work?’ She took one look at his face and burst out laughing.
He narrowed his eyes at her. ‘It is our wedding night, have you forgotten?’
‘I thought you were exhausted—you were white as a sheet a minute ago.’
‘I find I am quite recovered—and you can do most of the work.’ He drew her up the stairs, undoing the buttons at the back of her dress as they climbed.
‘Stop! We are at an inn—there are people around.’ Voices and laughter rose faintly from the taproom.
He said, ‘I really do not care.’ He pulled her into his bedchamber and kicked the door shut. He finished unbuttoning her. ‘Why do women’s clothes have so many annoying buttons? And don’t tell me you are wearing stays?’
‘Wedding dress.’ She was unlacing them, and he took off his waistcoat and shirt.
She stood in her shift, and he took her in his arms and looked gravely at her.
‘Have I told you I love you, my duchess?’
‘Je t’aime aussi, mon chéri.’
He took the flowers and pins from her hair and, tangling his hands in her tresses, pulled her face to his. He kissed her mouth and then led her to the bed.
Afterwards, as she lay with her head on his shoulder, she said: ‘La petite mort. I know why it is called that now. I thought for a moment I would die of bliss.’
Argyle was amused. ‘Where did you hear that? I thought proper young ladies did not discuss such things.’
Marguerite laughed. ‘You would be surprised, nay, shocked, by what girls talk about. We are always in search of information, since our mothers tell us nothing.’
‘But where do you get it from? I really am curious.’
‘Books, if we are allowed to browse the library…Our maids…And brothers, for those who have them. If one is very lucky, perhaps a young married aunt, or godmother…’
‘Well, I suppose it is a good thing. I never thought about it before.’
‘You would not, would you? You are a man. But think how cruel, to be married not knowing what to expect at all.’
‘Yes, you are right—still, it was a revelation to me to find out you were not as ignorant as I have heard some debutantes can be.’
‘Was it? Don’t forget I was raised in France—perhaps people there are more open about these things.’
‘But still, I was amazed that you trusted me—didn’t you fear that you could be with child? Or were you ignorant about that side of things?’
‘I did not think about it—I was in love with you by then, and you wanted to marry me, after all. Perhaps subconsciously I wanted to be forced to make a decision. Or else I was just bird-witted!’
‘You certainly were. Someone else might have ruined you.’
She raised herself on one elbow and looked in his eyes. ‘There could never have been someone else. Only you.’
‘Oh—Marguerite.’ His voice was rough.
She kissed him and then she said, ‘Enfin, I will admit that when I thought about that night later, I realised I must have been mad. What if someone had tried to come in, and found me there with you?’
‘Then there would have been a scandal, and you would have been obliged to marry me, which is what I wanted in the first place. But nobody would have come. Servants know to disappear after lights out at house parties—because there are always plenty of people creeping around the corridors.’
‘You mean they…visit people in other rooms?’ She sounded so shocked, he had to laugh.
‘Did you think you were the only libertine there?’
‘I am not a libertine!’
‘Yes, I know. You only came down to get a book. You have told me before.’ He kissed her before she could reply.
Later he rose from the bed and went to the door. Marguerite asked, ‘What are you doing?’
‘Locking the door. I have no wish to be woken at dawn by your maid with a cup of chocolate, in case you need sustenance.’
‘At least she will have no reason to scold me, this time!’
They laughed at the memory, and he said, ‘I can still hardly believe I have got my wish to have you naked in my bed forever after. Let me make love to you.’
‘Again? I am quite spent.’
‘Do you not want to?’ He sat on the bed and put his hand on her leg. ‘Liar.’
‘You are so annoying.’ She rolled her eyes at him.
‘But always right.’ He pushed her back on the bed.
* * *
Marguerite was not wrong in her suspicions. After dinner some days later, Curtis and Flossie came into the parlour together. Curtis, at his most wooden, said, ‘Your Graces, there is something we would like to talk to you about.’
‘I hope you have not decided to resign,’ Argyle said, half-jokingly.
But Marguerite had noticed Flossie was blushing. She said, ‘I suspect congratulations are in order.’
Curtis said, ‘Of course we are not resigning, Your Grace. We have decided to get married.’
Marguerite embraced Flossie. ‘Oh, Flossie, I wish you both the greatest happiness.’
Argyle shook his valet’s hand. ‘Well done, Curtis, you have got yourself a real gem.’
Curtis permitted himself a genuine smile. ‘Thank you, Your Grace, I know it.’
There was a short, slightly awkward silence, and then Argyle said, ‘Without presuming to interfere in your plans, I have a suggestion to make. You should go off now to get married and have a short honeymoon to rest and sort out your affairs before you return to your duties. Her Grace and I are very comfortable here—we are informal, and Mr and Mrs Mowatt can provide for our needs.’
Flossie beamed, and Marguerite said, ‘It is a very good plan. Then Flossie can help me settle into my new home when she gets back.’
Curtis said to his master, ‘It is very kind of you, Your Grace. As long as you are sure you can get on without me.’
Argyle laughed. ‘I almost hesitate to say yes, in case you should be offended, Curtis. But here I spend my days in shirtsleeves—I am sure I can manage that.’
Curtis said darkly, ‘At least I can rest easy knowing you will not be using your boots. I would not like anyone else to get their hands on them—some thumb marks can never be erased.’
Argyle laughed and said, ‘Go and enjoy your honeymoon, Curtis. You deserve it.’
Curtis and Flossie, bowing and smiling, went out, and Marguerite turned to her husband. ‘I do not recognise you, mon coeur. Are you feeling quite well?’
‘You seem to have put me on a righteous path. Be careful, I shall be doing good works next, and my aunt would certainly not approve of that.’ He had a wicked glint in his eyes; then he remembered something.
‘Oh, no! I have just had a thought which terrifies me—I hope you do not mean us to be reforming the slums?’
‘We shall see about that. But you said, us! I will reform you yet, Your Grace.’
THE END