Chapter Six #3
After she retreated, Mr. Rochester said, “I hope you will reach out to Lady Elinor. She is bright and a bit lonely.”
“I enjoyed our time together. I will write a note to her and see if she would like to meet in Kidsgrove. We could have tea here.” She smiled at him. “And soon, the day will come when we can go and peruse all the many books in your bookshop afterward.”
“As soon as I return with a bevy of books, you are welcome to do so. It will be quite a task, organizing them.”
“Would you like my help?” she asked. “I am very methodical. I would be happy to assist you in any way possible.”
“That would mean a great deal to me, my lady.”
“Please, call me Justina. I am not one to stand on ceremony.”
He smiled, causing her heart to skip a beat. “Then I am to be David.”
“Claude sounds French to me, but David does not,” she remarked. “Did your father name you?”
“Actually, Maman chose both our names. She always called me Dah-veed, pronouncing it the way the French would.”
“Why does everything sound so much better in French?” she asked.
“You speak it?”
“My governess, Miss Snow, made certain I learned how to speak and write in French.” She paused and then added, “Miss Snow is now my cousin Val’s duchess,” wondering how he would react.
“A governess . . . who is a duchess?” he asked, looking puzzled.
“I come from a most unusual family, David.” She liked the way his name sounded as she spoke it. Part of her wanted to pronounce it the French way, as his mother had. That would probably bring back too many memories for him, though.
“Tell me more about your family.”
“My father was a cousin to my aunt Charlotte and my uncle Charles, who were siblings. The three of them had a fascination with ancient history. They agreed to name any future children they had after Roman and Byzantine emperors and empresses.”
Understanding lit his eyes. “Ah, so that is where Justina comes from. It is a beautiful name.”
“Thank you. My sister is Verina. Our brother Lucius died with Papa in a carriage accident many years ago. Tray, who was called Hadrian up until that point, became the new Earl of Traywick. He had never fancied his name, and he asked Mama if he could go by Tray. She agreed, and he has been Tray to us ever since.”
“What of your numerous cousins you speak of? What are their names?” he asked, and she could tell he was truly interested and not merely making conversation.
“My Worthington cousins come from Uncle Charles and Aunt Alice. Val is the oldest, originally Valentinian. He is the Duke of Millbrooke and Eden’s—my Miss Snow’s—husband. Ariadne is next. She is wed to Julian, Marquess of Aldridge. The twins, Lia and Tia, were originally Cornelia and Thermantia.”
He chuckled. “Thermantia is a mouthful. I can see why some of your cousins go by a more diminutive form of their given names.”
“Lia, as I mentioned, lives next to us and is Viscountess Cressley. Tia is wed to Hugo, the Earl of Merriman. Then there are my Alington cousins. Constantine—or Con—is the Earl of Marley and wed Rowena two years ago. He is the oldest. His sister Lucilla goes by Lucy, and she wed the Marquess of Huntsberry. The youngest Alington, Livia Drusilla, is simply Dru to us. She is Lady Martindale. There are ten cousins in all, coming from three families.”
“You sound as if you are close to all of them.”
“I am. And their spouses and children. You see, Ariadne was the first of the cousins to wed. She made a decision which has affected our entire family. She asked each cousin, once they had children, to bring them to town for the Season. While the Season is in full swing, some events are attended by the cousins and their spouses, but we see one another every day, meeting at various homes. We have picnics and stroll in Hyde Park. Have tea and dinners together. Attend the theater. We are quite the merry group, and all the children play a large part in what we do.”
A wistful look entered his eyes. “I am envious of you, Justina. I only have the one brother, and as I mentioned, we are estranged. Even if we were not, I would not wish to be in Claude’s company.
He is arrogant and selfish. I would rather be on my own than be a part of his family.
During my years in the military, my brother may have wed.
He might have children, which means I could have nieces and nephews. But I will never see any of them.”
“I am sad for you, David. Family means everything to me. It hurts my heart to know you have none.”
“I went to school with Henry. Lord Marbury. Oftentimes, I came home with him for holidays. His Grace has always treated me with kindness and given me more attention than I deserved. Elinor has been like a little sister to me, following Henry and me about. I think my chosen family is better than the one brother I have left.”
“You will add to your chosen family when you take a wife someday, David. You can make your family anything you wish it to be, even including your own traditions.”
Something tugged at Justina’s heart as she said these words.
And what surprised her most was that she wished David Rochester might consider making her a part of his family.