Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Three new gentlemen are wishing to call on you,” the Duke of Carlisle said the next afternoon.
Marie stood up as her father in this new life approached her in the drawing room. Three new gentlemen? Just how many did she have wishing to call on her before? She knew about Lord Gilbert, but had there been others?
His Grace gave her an excited smile. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.”
“You are?” Marie asked in surprise.
“Yes. Lord Monheim is one of those gentlemen, and I don’t need to tell you how beneficial a marriage to him would be.”
The sudden burst of pleasure she’d experienced over making His Grace happy vanished. He wasn’t proud of her. He was proud to be the father of a lady who managed to catch Lord Monheim’s attention.
He placed his hands behind his back and, with a twinkle in his eye, added, “Lord Monheim has already requested two dances with you at Mr. Robinson’s ball this evening.
I have your card almost filled up. Lord Noel and Mr. Anderson expressed an interest in securing a dance with you as well.
You have inherited my ability to charm others.
Your mother didn’t have that gift, but with her family connections, she didn’t need it. ”
Marie frowned as he went over to the decanter and poured himself a drink. She hesitated but asked, “Didn’t you love Mother? At all?”
He shrugged. “What does love have to do with anything?”
“Well, you married her.”
“Yes, and it was an amiable arrangement.” He drank his brandy.
Marie thought over the word amiable. Did that imply love? But how could it when they lived apart and only saw each other at social events?
“You already know how I felt about your mother and how she felt about me,” her father continued. “We did all right. We had you. It’s not your fault she was unable to have more children, and I certainly can’t claim the ones my three mistresses had.”
Marie felt the color drain from her face.
This gentleman who was her father in this life had been with mistresses?
And he’d had children with them? Had he ever told her who those children were?
No one claiming to be related to her had shown up.
Did she dare ask? Or was this something she must not discuss?
Though His Grace seemed so casual about this, she wasn’t comfortable with the subject.
This was the very thing she feared in not having a love match.
She was terrified she’d marry someone who would want more than what she could offer, so he, too, would run off to find a mistress or two, or even three.
Why would Tove make this kind of gentleman her father? Why wouldn’t Tove want to give her the same father that she’d had before? That gentleman had been faithful to her mother.
“All of the gentlemen on your dance card this evening have something to commend them,” her father began, “but if you are wondering who will be the best option, it’s Lord Monheim. He has the most social influence and the most money.”
So Diane had explained to her the previous evening.
Her father set the empty glass down and turned to her. “Are you ready to go to the market? I’ve already had the coachman bring the carriage up front.”
Marie nodded and joined him. The ride to the market was spent with him rambling on about the different bachelors in London and which proved the most promising. He was offering the list, she supposed, in case things did not work out with Lord Monheim.
With the way he talked, one would assume she could have any available bachelor.
She wondered if that was really true. If so, then it should make picking the right gentleman easy.
And yet, she wasn’t sure how she would know who the right gentleman was.
It wasn’t like Tove could tell her. All Diane would do was push her to someone like her father wanted.
As they passed one of the shops, her father knocked on the roof of the carriage to signal that the coachman should stop.
“I believe I see the Duke of Lundt. If I remember right, he has a son of marrying age.” He glanced her way.
“Word is that His Grace has just inherited a significant amount of money, and this has caught the attention of quite a few notable people. His son will be worth meeting.”
Marie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I thought I already had a sufficient number of bachelors to choose from.”
“You do.” He gave her a wink. “But you can never have too many options.”
The carriage came to a stop.
She had to force down the anxiety rising up within her.
A part of her wanted to hightail it right back home.
A day of shopping sounded fun. She did enjoy getting something new.
But she didn’t expect to have to engage with a stranger socially while doing so.
Why couldn’t Tove have given her the desire for this kind of thing when she was providing her with this new life?
The footman opened the door.
Her father got out first then held his arm out to her. “Hurry on, my dear. We want to make sure we have a chance to meet him before he leaves the shop.”
Marie took a deep breath then joined him.
Her father called out to a few people on his way to the shop, and those people seemed to admire him.
That admiration didn’t come out in anything they said.
It just shone on their faces when they greeted him.
One of the ladies even seemed to give him a lingering look.
Marie couldn’t help but wonder if that lady was one of his mistresses.
Just the thought made bile rise up in her throat.
She hoped her father hadn’t done anything with her.
She’d hate to think the child with that lady was her half-sister.
Before Marie could give the matter too much thought, she was in the shop with her father.
They were in a shop for decorative items like paintings, figurines, and carved wooden boxes.
It was a marvelous shop. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed it before.
Had this shop existed in her other life, or was this something Tove had created?
The shop wasn’t that big, but there were several people browsing the items. It took her a moment to see that Edward was one of them. She stopped following her father. Curious, she dodged around a stranger to see what had captured Edward’s attention.
He was holding a carved wooden ten-inch sculpture of a tree. The branches were mostly bare except for randomly carved leaves that seemed to pop out at the viewer. She had to inspect it closer to see a couple of apples dangling from the edges of the branches.
He jerked and turned to face her.
“I’m sorry,” she hurried to say, face warm. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just looking at the details in that tree.”
He offered a smile. “It’s all right. I noticed this because of that game we were playing at Mr. Anderson’s dinner party.”
“I don’t recall there being a tree involved in the tale.”
“No, there wasn’t, but Miss McCord mentioned Shifty Jack.
I thought I had read a story about him a year ago, so I sorted through the books in my library, and sure enough, I found one about him.
The Devil wanted to take Jack to hell. Jack agreed but wanted an apple for the journey since he was bound to get hungry.
While the Devil was getting him an apple, Jack trapped him in the tree by carving four crucifixes into its bark.
In order for the Devil to be released, he had to promise Jack to let him live.
” Edward gestured to the tree. “I saw this and thought of that story.”
“Until last evening, I wasn’t even aware of Shifty Jack.” And that surprised her, considering how much of Grimm’s fairy tales her real father used to read to her.
“I think he’s most commonly known as Stingy Jack because he’s so miserly, but I like Shifty Jack better. It gives him a more ethereal quality.”
“I suppose Shifty does seem to fit a more ghostly type of story.” Since Marie was still curious, she asked, “How would you have continued the story if we hadn’t ended up playing cards?”
He thought for a moment then shrugged. “I probably would have the children turn back to their true bodies so they could be small enough to run off and hide from Shifty Jack. His mansion would be dilapidated, given the spooky season. That would give the children plenty of places to hide. I like to think they found a way back to London, safe and sound. I don’t like the thought of anything bad happening to children.
Now, if they were adults, then things could go in a much different direction. ”
She smiled. “I like the ending being a good one for children. The thought of them hiding, and perhaps outwitting Jack in other ways, could have made for a good tale.”
“Indeed. It’s a shame we had to stop telling the story.
I can’t remember the results of the card games, but I remember the story.
That’s what makes stories so much fun. They stay with you long after they’re done.
Like the whole thing with the turnip and Shifty Jack.
From what I read, he wanders around at night with a glowing ember inside a turnip. ”
“So that’s why people carve things into a turnip!”
“In a way, yes, but the real reason the tradition started was to ward off all kinds of apparitions. The Church uses the season to celebrate the lives of the saints who’ve come before us.
It’s why we have All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in November.
The flame inside a vegetable is supposed to represent the saint.
The tale with Jack just gives it a spooky tale. ”
“Lady Marie,” a voice spoke up from across the room, “I want to introduce you to someone.”
Marie turned from Edward and saw the Duke of Carlisle staring at her expectantly. What a shame. She was enjoying this conversation with Edward. She had no idea he knew so much, and judging by the tree he was holding and the stories he read, he had a remarkable imagination.
She offered Edward an apologetic smile for the interruption. “I’d better get back to my father.”
He gave her a nod of understanding, wished her a good day, and turned his attention back to the object he was holding.
She reluctantly went to her father.
Before she could speak, he gestured to the gentleman who was next to him. “My dear, this is the Duke of Lundt. Your Grace, this is my daughter, Lady Marie.”
The Duke of Lundt’s eyes traveled the length of her in a way that made her uneasy. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Marie.”
She forced herself to offer a polite greeting.
“His son will be at Mr. Robinson’s ball this evening,” her father said. “I have secured you a dance with him.”
She was relieved to know that the dance wasn’t going to be with the duke himself. Some of the tension departed from her shoulders.
“His Grace was just recounting the recent trip he and his son took to Greece,” her father continued. “I was thinking perhaps it might be good for you to learn something about the country.” Her father chuckled. “We have been to other countries, of course, but I’m afraid Greece was not one of them.”
Marie shifted from one foot to the other. If her father was expecting her to share one of these experiences with the Duke of Lundt, she couldn’t do it. Tove hadn’t given her any memories about those trips.
“Oh, you must see Greece,” the Duke of Lundt insisted. “You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”
Her father gave an enthusiastic nod. “I don’t doubt the truth in that statement.
My daughter and I are overdue for another trip.
Perhaps we might even take the gentleman she marries along.
” He winked. “She’s having trouble narrowing down who she’ll marry.
She has so many suitors, but I tell her it’s better to have too many than none at all.
And it certainly never hurts to add another gentleman to the list, should one come along. ”
Marie’s face flushed, and she avoided eye contact with His Grace. She could still feel the weight of his gaze on her. She forced back a shiver.
“A lady as lovely as your daughter will obviously have her pick,” the Duke of Lundt agreed. “She’d be wise to choose carefully.”
As the two went back to the topic of Greece, Marie glanced over at Edward. He was paying the owner for the wooden tree. She still couldn’t believe he didn’t remember her. When Tove gave her a new life, she had been surprisingly thorough.
Edward walked out of the shop without even looking in her direction. That disappointed her. It suggested he had no interest in her. Not even a little bit. Did that mean he hadn’t been interested in her before—in her other life?
Her father cupped her elbow with his hand. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace. We look forward to meeting your son this evening.”
Since it was the polite thing to do, Marie gave the gentleman a smile before she and her father left the shop.
“Did you hear that?” her father whispered as they returned to the carriage. “His son is going fox hunting with Lord Rattledge and Lord Lyon. They aren’t as influential as the Cadwaladers, but they’re close enough to be of significance.”
She sat next to him, feeling overwhelmed. She hoped he didn’t expect her to remember that because she hadn’t ever heard of those two gentlemen before. For all she knew, they hadn’t existed in her other life. She was certain there had been no Duke of Carlisle, either.
Her father patted her hand with unbridled enthusiasm. “Should this evening go well, I will be the only father to boast that my daughter has the most suitors.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if her real father had been disappointed that she hadn’t been able to secure even one suitor in her Season. It was a shame she hadn’t been able to make him proud of her. The carriage moved forward, and she wiped a tear from her eye.