Chapter 22
Nathanial
“What really happened?” Julianna demanded to know as soon as his wife had disappeared into the house with her maid and Miss Milford.
Nathanial shot her a look. Even though his wife was out of earshot, neither Daniel, the coachman, nor the footman the Blackstones had sent with him was. Neither was Emma nor Fiona.
Though Emma was peering at him as suspiciously as Julianna. Only Fiona was unaffected, thoroughly enjoying the activity of unloading the various boxes and trunks.
“I got married,” he replied blandly.
Pursing her lips, Julianna narrowed her eyes at him in a manner that was very reminiscent of their mother. That she was wearing one of their mother’s old dresses only increased the resemblance.
“Without us,” she said accusingly. “And nothing but a note saying that it was happening and that you would be returning from the Blackstones to here rather than going on to London.”
“There was no need to be in London once I had a bride.” Though he would need to send for his things at some point. Or, more likely, Drake would send them on once he returned to the capital. He’d been kind enough to let Nathanial stay with him and not mention it to the rest of their friends.
They all knew that Nathanial was up the River Tick, but he hadn’t wanted all of them to know exactly how bad it was.
Matthew would have hounded him about borrowing money.
Christian and Gregory likely would not have been much better.
He’d avoided asking Sebastian and Zachary because their households had contained nosy females—neither of the dowager duchesses was among those he would trust with the information about how far the Herefords had fallen.
Drake had been both understanding and discreet, and he had let Nathanial keep his pride. He’d made Nathanial feel like a guest in his home rather than the charity case he truly was, and Nathanial would be forever grateful for that.
“She’s very pretty,” Fiona piped up from beside him, causing Nathanial to give Julianna another look. At ten years old, Fiona had not learned discretion yet, and often repeated things she heard but did not understand.
“She is.”
“And rich?” Emma whispered with a glance at the men who were beginning to carry the trunks inside, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt.
One of them stood by the heads of the carriage horses, far enough away that he probably could not hear.
The guilt that Nathanial felt over leaving his sisters here at the dilapidated hall rose up inside Nathanial once more.
They’d been stuck here, waiting to hear what their fates would be, waiting on him, and not knowing what was going on.
“Very,” he replied softly. Straightening away from the trunk he’d been about to lift, he turned and faced his sisters.
Despite his feelings about how he had attained his new wife, he was glad that he could now reassure his sisters that they were safe.
They would be taken care of. Their financial worries were over.
Looking across their three faces—Julianna and Emma’s expressions consumed with anxious worry and a touch of hope, Fiona’s full of pure trust—he cleared his throat.
“My new wife had a substantial dowry—no I’m not going to tell you how much—but enough that I am going to pay off the remainder of the debts, pay the Milfords, hire new staff, and Julianna will have her debut next year.”
Fiona cheered as Julianna’s shoulders sagged in relief, and Emma stepped up beside her, putting her arm around Julianna and bolstering her.
It was then that Nathanial realized how much pressure Julianna must have been feeling, wondering if Nathanial would be able to restore the family’s fortunes or if it would be up to her.
Seeing his sisters’ joy was almost enough to make him think he should forgive his new wife and her father their duplicity.
Almost.
He could have gone deeper into what his plans for the money—the investments, the improvements to the estate that would yield future benefits—but he did not want to bore them.
Besides, it would be more satisfying to put things into motion and see their reactions as their lives all changed.
They did not need to know the details, only that he had done what he needed to in order to provide for them.
Which included marrying a woman who had trapped him.
The war between gratitude and anger had grown even stronger as he watched his sisters’ reactions. The fact that he had to feel grateful at all fueled a simmering resentment.
“Does that mean I can keep my pets?” Fiona asked.
“No,” chorused three voices all at once.
Fiona pouted, but everyone else was in agreement. Nathanial could only imagine how overrun the house would become if they gave Fiona permission.
“But we will start having more animals on the grounds, and I will make a special place in the stables for you to keep any of the injured ones you find,” Nathanial conceded.
Fiona beamed while Julianna and Emma rolled their eyes. Neither of them was truly upset; they all agreed that Fiona was overindulged, yet none of them was willing to stop.
She was the only one who did not remember their earlier life, before their father had completely drained the estate’s coffers.
It also meant she had never experienced life as anything other than a struggle, her elders worrying over money, wearing her sisters’ hand-me-downs, and an increasingly dwindling staff.
No wonder she had chosen to make friends with the animals rather than the people, with as many as had been let go or moved away after not receiving their pay over the years.
She was also the only one who truly missed their father because she had not realized his lies for what they were.
So, they did what they could to give her life joy. Thankfully, she was a naturally happy child, especially with her ‘pets’.
“Will there be horses?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
“There will,” he assured her solemnly. “Horses and dogs. We can also restore the goat herd.”
Fiona threw her hands in the air and spun in happy circles that made her twin plaits fly out around her like a miniature cyclone. “Goats!”
“Can we really?” Julianna asked, her eyes wide with shock and burgeoning hope. Emma was surprised as well, but Julianna was older and had a better understanding of what such things cost.
“We can.” Nathanial found it easier to smile now, relaxing slightly.
It was good to remember that there was a silver lining to this entire situation. He’d achieved the goal of providing for his family. He’d always known that he would need to marry in order to do so; he’d accepted that.
It was just the manner in which it happened.
Giving himself a little shake, Nathanial pushed away the lingering resentment. For now.
The men were returning from having delivered the trunks inside.
Between them, they’d handled all the duchess’ things except one medium-sized trunk that Nathanial could assist Daniel with.
Drawing out the pouch of coins Mr. Little had given him before they left, to assist with any immediate expenses, Nathanial gave each of the gentlemen a show of his gratitude.
It felt incredible to be able to do so without worrying that he was robbing his own people of what they needed.
Daniel’s eyes lit up when he realized what Nathanial was doing, sheer relief and appreciation showing on his face.
“Here, let me help,” Nathanial said, stepping forward as Daniel bent to lift the trunk.
“I have it, Your Grace. I’m feeling strong as an ox right now.” Daniel twisted as he hefted the trunk, smiling broadly. Apparently, the appearance of money was lifting all of their spirits to an untold degree.
Fiona skipped ahead of Daniel, Emma following quickly behind her to ensure she did not get into trouble. Julianna hung back, her hazel eyes filled with suspicion.
“What really happened?” she asked again, giving him a look promising retribution if he was not honest with her.
“You are not as happy as you should be, considering the bounty you’ve described.
Is she a shrew? And why were we not invited to the wedding?
Are you ashamed of her? Is her family in business?
Not that it would matter to me if they were…
” Her voice trailed off, as if questioning whether it mattered to him.
“Her father is the third son of the Marquess of Stilton,” Nathanial said. “Though he is estranged from his family. Which is a large part of why she was looking to marry a duke. The Marquess did not approve of her father’s marriage and has cut them from the will.”
“She’s a title hunter.” Julianna looked at him curiously, raising one brow. “You are no hypocrite.”
After all, he had been a fortune hunter.
Nathanial took a deep breath.
“She and her father arranged a scene at the house party by which I was forced to offer for her hand. Having done that, I decided to marry her with all due haste to hopefully stem some of the gossip and not further tarnish the family’s reputation.”
Julianna’s eyes widened in understanding, then immediate indignation.
“Well, that is just indecent!”
Temper flared in her eyes, and Nathanial reached out to grab her hand before she could go storming into the house and up to his new wife’s room to take her to task.
“It’s done,” he said firmly. “Her father’s wealth is spectacular, and her dowry shows it.
We have enough money to pay off the remaining debts, restore the estate, invest in what we need to thrive going forward, and send you off in style next year with plenty left over for Emma and Fiona to have respectable dowries. ”
“Really?” His sister’s jaw dropped open. Her gaze slid to the house. “She’s worth all that?”
“Her marriage to a duke is.” He smiled thinly. “At least, to her and her father.”
Staring at the house for a long moment, obviously thinking, Julianna frowned. “What about her mother?”
“From what I could tell, her mother was not part of the plot.”