Chapter Twelve
Two weeks later, Rafe escorted a nervous Juliana up the steps of the Duke of Fenniston’s imposing London townhouse in Jermyn Street.
‘I thought Thornthwaite House was large,’ she mumbled. ‘This is a great hulk.’
‘It should be. Hart is a duke, I’m only an earl,’ Rafe said, giving her an amused look. ‘Surely you’ve entered some grand edifices when in London.’
‘Not really. On my only sojourn, I wasn’t “out”, you’ll remember.
The few members of Society I encountered I met at home, in the townhouse Father rented for the Season, my family not being sufficiently wealthy—or important—enough to own a house in town.
It was comfortable, but certainly not imposing.
I never returned to London, since, as you know, after Ian and I agreed to marry, it wasn’t thought necessary to present me officially.
Not doing so saved my family a great deal of blunt, which Carlisle was already spending freely and saved Mama palpitations from wondering how my odd behaviour might embarrass her in front of Society.
Anyway, I was perfectly agreeable to remaining at Edgerton. ’
Rafe frowned, as if about to comment that he saw that as yet another slight visited upon her by her family.
But before he could say anything, the door opened and the butler bowed them in.
The interior was just as opulent and ornate as one would suspect from the exterior: marble floors, elaborate plaster decoration on the walls, an elegant crystal chandelier swaying above her head.
As they turned over her cloak and Rafe’s hat and cane, a tall, regal woman emerged from the room off the entryway. ‘Thank you, Tompkins, I’ll take over now.’
‘As you wish, Your Grace. Shall I have tea sent in?’
‘Yes, and notify the Duke his guests have arrived.’
Juliana looked up in some trepidation. Her hostess, nearly as tall as Rafe, towered over her by almost a head.
Though the rest of her appearance was not alarming.
Unlike the ostentatious surroundings, the lady was simply dressed, her lustrous dark hair arranged in an uncomplicated style, her gown, though fashionable and of obviously expensive material, plain, unadorned by lace or embroidery, and she wore a single strand of pearls.
While Juliana was inspecting her, the Duchess turned to her husband. ‘Lieutenant Tynesley! How good it is to see you! Hart has been impatiently awaiting your visit. Though I should properly call you Lord Thornthwaite now.’
She turned startlingly blue eyes on Juliana and held out her hand with a smile.
‘You must be Lady Thornthwaite. I’m so pleased to meet you!
Not knowing when you might arrive, Hart is finishing up some estate business in the library, but he will be down directly.
We are both delighted to welcome you to London.
Do come in,’ she urged, waving them into the parlour from which she had emerged and seeing them seated on the sofa before the hearth.
‘Have you settled in yet?’
‘Not quite,’ Rafe answered when it became obvious Juliana was not going to. ‘We only arrived night before last. Yesterday we were buried in a flurry of unpacking.’
‘You’re to be introduced in the Lords shortly, I expect.’
‘Yes. I’m dreading the elaborate ceremony almost as much as Hart tells me he did his presentation. The Black Rod, the King of Arms, sponsors fore and aft in full regalia, bowing to this and that! Though I suppose I must get used to calling Hart “Fenniston”.’
‘As I must get used to calling you “Thornthwaite”,’ a deep voice said from the threshold.
Rafe jumped up and strode over to embrace the tall, dark-haired man who’d just entered. As they backed to arms’ length, looking each other over, the Duke laughed. ‘Quite a change in circumstance from our days on campaign, isn’t it?’ he said, gesturing to the ornate room around them.
‘Are you accustomed to it yet?’
The Duke made a wry grimace. ‘Not really. Though my charming wife has done all she can to make it easier. Now, you must introduce me to your charming wife.’
Waving Juliana to keep her seat, the Duke walked over to kiss his wife on the cheek. Juliana couldn’t help noticing the warmth in his eyes as he looked at the Duchess…and the corresponding joy in hers as she leaned up into his kiss.
They are in love, she thought with a pang, trying not to feel envious.
‘Darling,’ Rafe said, interrupting her melancholy, ‘May I present my dear friend, the Duke of Fenniston? My wife, Lady Thornthwaite.’
As the Duke turned to her, despite his gesture meant to set her at ease, Juliana rose and made him a deep curtsey. ‘A pleasure to meet you, Duke.’
He gave a deprecating wave of the hand. ‘Please, don’t call me that.
I have to tolerate it from outsiders, but not from the wife of my best friend.
If you can’t bring yourself to call me “Lieutenant,” at least call me only “Fenniston.”’ He made a face.
‘I’d still rather be “Edmenton”, but there you have it. ’
‘I see you’re not much more reconciled to the title than you were when you first learned it had landed upon you,’ Rafe said.
The Duke shrugged. ‘There was no choice but to accept it, and duty is duty, so I’m doing my best. Thank Heaven, I have Claire to help make it tolerable.’
‘Any chance that among ourselves, we might be just “Hart”, “Claire”, “Juliana” and “Rafe”?’ her husband asked. ‘I’m not as resistant to catching a title as you were, but I still think of my father whenever someone says “Thornthwaite.”’
The Duchess gave him a conspiratorial glance.
‘I don’t see why not, when it’s just us.
Hart still chokes over the “Duke” title and when someone calls “Duchess”, I look around to discover who they are greeting.
’ She turned to Juliana. ‘Being addressed by title is quite an uncomfortable leap for a girl who grew up simple “Miss Turnville” and spent several years as a lowly lieutenant’s wife, following the drum through the mud and heat of Portugal. ’
‘Say, now, we lieutenants were not “lowly,”’ her husband objected.
‘Valiant, the backbone of the army, but not numbered among the lofty, except for those on Wellington’s personal staff,’ the Duchess amended.
‘That’s better,’ the Duke allowed. ‘And yes, let it be “Hart” and “Claire”, “Rafe and Juliana.” If your lady will permit.’
‘I must, before my husband argues for even greater informality and gifts you my childhood nickname,’ Juliana said wryly. ‘Mouse,’ she added at their inquiring looks.
‘Mouse?’ Claire echoed. ‘Either he was a great jester as a youth, or you’ve changed markedly! “Juliana” is much more fitting.’
‘That’s settled, then,’ Duke said.
‘You must stay and dine with us tonight,’ the Duchess—Claire—said. ‘Especially since your own establishment is not sorted out yet.’
‘It certainly isn’t,’ Hart said. ‘To my knowledge, Ian never opened up the townhouse after he inherited and the neglect shows. Nor have we a proper cook—a long story I won’t bore you with now.
Our current cook, Jane, still very much a beginner, was awed almost to tears by the set-up at Thornthwaite House on Upper Brook Street, which apparently my mother modernized before her death.
In addition to which, we’d need an army to clean the whole place properly.
’ He sighed. ‘It might have been easier to rent rooms, but I didn’t want to spend the blunt to do that now—but you don’t need to hear about that, either.
We’d love to stay for dinner, wouldn’t we, Juliana? ’
‘That would be very kind,’ she said, halfway between comforted by the obvious friendliness of Hart’s former army mate and his wife and a lingering anxiety about dining with a duke and duchess.
‘Before we go any farther, you must have the latest news about the army. Have you heard from Charles?’
‘You know Napoleon abdicated in April?’ At Rafe’s nod, he continued, ‘The former emperor arrived in Elba last month. Our army units are just now returning. Charles was slightly wounded at the final battle of Toulouse but should be coming back to England soon. Last I heard from him, he was going to rejoin his unit at Calais; Horse Guards tells me they are to set sail for England in July.’
‘Praise the Lord! Then it’s over at last?’
‘One hopes so. The luminaries are going to gather this fall in Vienna to carve up the spoils.’ He laughed.
‘It will be quite an act of diplomacy to keep all the players happy. Russia and Austria want back the lands Napoleon conquered, with Italy returning to the Hapsburg fold. And nobody’s worried about poor little Poland, who was promised its independence by Napoleon. ’
‘Now, I know you two old soldiers want to talk about the army and exchange war stories. Why don’t you repair to the library and find some brandy while we ladies chat over tea. If that’s agreeable to you, Juliana?’
Juliana felt a little dismayed at losing the reinforcement of Rafe’s presence, but she had been anticipating talking with this former lieutenant’s wife about following the drum—the main reason she had been cautiously looking forward to meeting the Duchess when she was not eager to meet anyone else in London.
She was still hungry to learn anything and everything about Rafe, anything and everything that could help her bind them close enough that he would continue to want her daily company.
Surely, this lady who had experienced life with the army could broaden her knowledge about this significant period of his life.
Besides, the Duchess had thus far been nothing but kind and welcoming, as understanding and non-judgemental as Rafe had promised she would be.
Though sitting beside this elegant, accomplished woman, she felt all too much like the ‘Mouse’ Rafe used to call her.
Even as little as she followed fashion, it was obvious that her braided coiffure looked like a schoolgirl’s and her gown was out of style as well as rather worn.