Chapter Seventeen
Greyson and Cooke stayed another full day after the meeting with the mine owners to be certain all was well.
They visited several pubs and eavesdropped on conversations among the locals and miners.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just the usual complaining, with nothing about any planned gatherings or rebellions.
Feeling confident they could return to London, they left at dawn the next morning.
After two and a half days of travel, a road-weary Greyson returned to Danbury Hall eight days after he had left.
He almost went straight to Club Knight, but decided a note to Knight with a quick summary of what they had found would suffice until tomorrow.
Right now, he needed a bath, a good meal, and sleep, in that order.
He left an equally road-weary Thorne by the roadside, then ascended the stairs and entered through the door as Henderson opened it. “Welcome home, my lord.”
“Thank you, Henderson. Please have someone take care of Thorne. He needs extra feed and a thorough brushing.”
“Yes, my lord. Will there be anything else?”
“Have a footman bring my saddlebags to my chambers.” He dumped the bags at Henderson’s feet, too tired to lug them up the stairs. “I need a bath.”
His butler made a face. Obviously, he agreed. “Coming right up, my lord.”
Stinking and not fit for company, family or not, he sneaked up to his chambers, hoping not to run into any of his family members until he’d cleaned up.
Dalton greeted him when he entered his chambers. “Welcome home, my lord.”
“Thank you, Dalton. It’s good to be home.”
“Your bath should be ready soon. In the meantime, let’s get you out of those clothes,” Dalton said, wrinkling his nose.
“Yes.”
While he was undressing, four footmen entered carrying a large metal tub which they placed in front of the hearth.
They promptly left and returned carrying buckets of hot water which they dumped into the tub.
After they left, Greyson sank into the hot water and sighed.
“You may leave, Dalton. Come back in half an hour.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He didn’t move for a good ten minutes as the heat of the water soothed his road-worn body, one muscle at a time.
He sat up and washed his body and hair, dunking his head several times to rinse the soap.
It wasn’t until the water cooled that he finally stepped out of the tub and dried off, throwing on a blue banyan Dalton had laid out on a wooden chair.
He raised his arms and stretched from side to side, reveling in the feeling of being human again.
He may be all of twenty-eight, but riding horseback for two and a half straight days, then doing it again several days later, was brutal on one’s body.
When Dalton returned, he dressed in casual clothes and went down the stairs into the drawing room, where he could hear voices from the hall. Before he could speak, his cousin, Charity, said, “Greyson, you have returned!”
“Brother,” Anastasia and Aurora said together. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you. It’s good to be home.” He sat beside Charity on one of the two settees; the twins were seated together on the other one.
“How did you get to Danbury Estate and back so quickly?” Charity asked.
He hadn’t expected to be questioned about his timing. Nobody ever had before. Leave it to Charity, his ever-inquisitive cousin. “Two days’ ride back and forth. Four days seeing to things. Our estate manager does a great job overseeing everything. I even visited all the tenant farmers.”
“Did you perhaps,” Anastasia fluttered her lashes, “hurry home because you missed Lady Rutherford?”
Aurora jumped up. “Warren proposed.”
He stood and hugged her. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.” He looked over Aurora’s head at his other sister. “For both of you. Does this mean a double wedding is in the near future?”
Aurora sat back down. “Yes, as soon as the banns are posted. You never requested that they be posted at St. George’s Hanover Square, so we have to wait another week. Although Anastasia’s were read.”
“Forgive me. It wasn’t that I forgot—I left before Warren proposed. What if he hadn’t, and the banns were read on Sunday? Another sennight gives you two more time to prepare.”
He couldn’t make out Anastasia’s mumbling, but he could guess what she thought about that. Needing a change of subject, he asked, “Charity, can you stay for a visit, or do you have to return home?”
“Oh, no. I can stay for a few more days. Colbourn is away doing whatever it is he does.”
“Good. Let’s invite Lady Rutherford, Hunter, and Warren for a celebratory dinner tomorrow night. Charity, can you take care of the menu with the cook?”
“Yes. It will be my pleasure.”
“Sisters, will you send invitations to your intendeds? I will invite Letitia.”
“We will do it right now,” Aurora said. “Come, Anastasia.”
The twins hurried from the room, leaving Greyson with Charity.
He should have thought his plan through more carefully.
It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy spending time with her, it was just that his cousin was the most intuitive person he’d ever met, and she no doubt picked up on his emotions, both about his recent assignment and about Letitia.
“So,” Charity said, her voice smooth and deceiving, “tell me about Lady Rutherford. I didn’t get a chance to meet her at the Barstow picnic; she left before I had the opportunity. Although I must say, she seems lovely and is quite beautiful.”
“She is. Lovely and beautiful, that is.”
“I remember Lord Rutherford. By all appearances, he was an affable and loyal gentleman. That is, until you learned he would leave his sickly young wife at home and escort his fake cousin, whom everyone knew was his mistress and the mother of his bastards, to social events in her place.”
“Sickly?” Had he heard Charity correctly?
Letitia wasn’t sickly. “I had no idea he used such an excuse. Letitia never came right out and said Rutherford had a mistress, but I knew he lied and hid things from her. Not to mention the fact that I heard all the rumors. That does explain why she came right out and asked if I had a mistress.”
Charity gasped, then giggled. “I already love her.”
“As do I,” he thought, unable to believe he’d just told his cousin he loved Letitia.
He did, but he’d yet to tell Letitia. How strange it seemed to have confided in his cousin that he loved Letitia before he’d even told her.
“You will love her even more when you actually get to spend time with her tomorrow night.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“If that’s settled, I’m going to spend the rest of the day and the night sleeping. It was a grueling trip.”
Charity hmphed, “One day I will get to the bottom of your disappearances.”
“I wish you good luck.” As he left the room, he schooled himself for saying what sounded like a dare.
Never dare Charity. She’d make it her mission to find the answers.
He hurried up the stairs, briefly checked on his parents, who were both resting.
He spoke briefly with their nurse, then entered his chambers, stripped off his clothes, dove beneath the covers, and fell asleep with visions of Letitia dancing in his arms.
*
After spending the past two days in bed, Letitia woke on the third day much improved. Jane entered the room, her eyes widening when she found her standing at the window, looking out at the partly cloudy sky.
“My lady,” Jane exclaimed, “it’s so good to see you up and feeling well.”
Turning around, Letitia smiled. “I do feel better, and I’m famished.”
“That’s more good news. I’ll be right back.” She left the room, leaving the door open, and came back in with her breakfast tray. “I left it out in the hall in case you weren’t hungry.”
“Thank you. Put it near the chaise longue.”
“Oh, my lady, I almost forgot.” She set the tray down and handed her a note. “This just arrived for you.”
One glance at the wax seal sent her heart skipping. Greyson. It was from Greyson. Did that mean . . . ? She broke the seal and unfolded the missive.
My Dearest Letitia,
I have returned from Danbury Estate and would like to invite you to dinner tomorrow night at eight. A celebration is in order for both of my sisters’ engagements. Unless I hear otherwise, my carriage will pick you up at a quarter to eight.
Greyson
Now she felt even better, knowing that Greyson had returned to London. Oh dear, what to wear? “Jane, I’m attending a small dinner party at Danbury Hall tomorrow night. What shall I wear? I also need two engagement gifts. We need to go to Bond Street.”
“Yes, my lady. But first, you must eat to have the strength to shop. Then we must dress and fix your hair.”
“Yes, of course.”
Two hours later, the Rutherford carriage pulled up in front of Madam Serena’s.
Her footman opened the door and assisted her and Jane in alighting.
Letitia insisted that Jane come along to help her pick out engagement gifts for her friends.
But first, she hoped her modiste had a new creation she could impress Greyson with tomorrow night.
The bells on the door rang as they entered the shop. At this early hour, there were hardly any people inside, which was to her advantage.
Madam Serena stepped through the curtain separating the front of the shop from the fitting and stock room. “Good morning to you, Lady Rutherford,” she said cheerily. “May I help you find something?”
“Actually, I’m attending a dinner party tomorrow night and was hoping you might have an evening dress.”
“Ah, you know me too well. I always have a few beautiful things prepared for just such an emergency.” She swung the curtain back. “Come with me. Your maid can wait out here.”
“I won’t be long, Jane.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Before Letitia had a chance to glance around the fitting room, Madam Serena brought over a forest-green silk dress trimmed with gold lace and ribbon that looked stunning. Letitia could imagine how it would look on her.
“I just finished this last night. It may need a few minor alterations, but I can have it delivered in plenty of time for tomorrow night. That is, if you like it?”
“Like it? I love it.”
“Then let’s get you undressed and into my latest creation.”
“It is perfect,” Letitia said as she turned from side to side, admiring the dress. At first glance, one might think it was a simple silk creation with a wide square neckline, and short sleeves. But when the light hit the dress, the gold thread woven into the green silk made it sparkle and shine.
As it turned out, it only needed a little tuck here and there and a hem. Not only did she take the stunning dress, but she also bought the matching cloak. She joined Jane in the storefront. “I found the perfect evening dress.”
“Wonderful, my lady. Shall we look for those engagement gifts?”
“Yes. I have the perfect shop in mind. I’ve never been there, but I hear it has a wide variety of goods.” Her carriage was parked right outside the dress shop. “Soho Bazaar,” she told the driver.
Two hours later, they arrived back at Rutherford Manor.
Letitia was too excited about the gifts she had bought to have them delivered, so she took them home in the carriage.
She purchased a lovely mother-of-pearl sewing box with needles and thread for Aurora, whom she knew loved all sorts of threadwork.
For Anastasia, she bought a mahogany lap desk and wildflower stationery.
For Hunter and Warren, she picked out heavy crystal brandy decanters with four matching glasses.
Now all she had to do was stay busy until tomorrow night, which she managed to do.