Chapter 21 #2
“No, my lady. She has returned to her country house.” The butler bowed. “I’ll get one of the maids to bring you up some refreshments, and I’ll make sure your personal maid is given all the assistance she requires in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Allegra untied the strings of her bonnet. “I do apologize for my sudden arrival. I hope I haven’t thrown the kitchen into disarray.”
“This is a duke’s household, my lady,” the butler said. “We are capable of dealing with anything.”
Allegra drank some tea and then took a nap. When Anne finally awakened her, it was late in the afternoon.
“My lady, dinner will be served at seven, because that’s when the duke ordered it. Do you wish me to get you something to eat now?”
“Yes, please, just something simple.” Allegra sat up and yawned.
“I’ve laid a dress out for you to wear for dinner, my lady. It’s one that’s had the seams let out.”
Allegra placed a hand on her gently rounded stomach. “Good. At least I’ll be able to eat without bursting out of my stays.”
She sipped the tea and ate the bread, butter, and cheese Anne brought her, and attempted to quell her rising nerves.
What if Max didn’t return with his father and had already settled back into his old life?
How would she feel if he came back drunk with some woman in his arms?
Perhaps it served her right for sending him away.
“I’ll just do your hair, my lady,” Anne said. “Won’t it be a nice surprise for the marquis to see you here?”
“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Allegra said.
“Well, he does dote on you, my lady, so I reckon he’ll be pleased as punch.” Anne braided two sections of Allegra’s hair, twisted them twice, and pinned them to the sides of her head in loops. “I’d better make you look like a marchioness now that you’re in London and on display.”
Five minutes before seven, Allegra made her way down to the drawing room with a growing sense of dread. She plastered a smile on her face and went through the doors, only to discover that she was the only person present.
The butler approached her. “His grace is on his way, my lady. He said to please proceed without him.” The clock struck seven, and he gestured to the double doors leading to the dining room. “If you would like to come through, my lady?”
Allegra ate the first course of a clear beef soup with the butler, two footmen, and one of the maids standing stiffly to attention behind her.
She’d never realized how loud soup could be when you were the only one slurping it.
She was offered a selection of dishes for the second course and was just making her choices when the duke came in and stopped short.
“Allegra.”
She smiled at him. “Good evening, your grace. I do apologize for arriving without giving you any warning, but Max assured me I would be welcome anyway.”
Max had said no such thing, but she knew he’d never disagree with her.
“You are most welcome.” The duke inclined his head and sat down at the head of the table. To his credit, he didn’t seem discomposed by her arrival at all. “Max didn’t mention that you intended to join him.”
“That’s because I wanted it to be a surprise,” Allegra said brightly.
The duke looked at her for quite a long moment and then signaled to the butler to fill his wineglass.
Allegra concentrated on her plate as the duke effortlessly navigated the soup and started on the second course.
He inquired about her parents and about the renovations on the house but made no mention of his absent heir.
“Are you expecting Max to dine with us?” Allegra eventually blurted out.
“I believe he went to his club with his brother,” the duke said. “If you need to see him immediately, I can send a message and tell him to return.”
“There’s no need, your grace. I’m sure he’ll come back at some point.”
The duke put down his wineglass. “You seem a little tense, my dear. Are you quite certain that everything is all right?”
“Everything is fine, your grace.” Allegra tried to sound convincing. “I suppose I’m just looking forward to seeing him.”
“Despite everything, I do believe this has been a good match for Max.” The duke’s long fingers curved around his wineglass. “He seems more mature, more settled, and some of that has to do with you.”
“I think it’s all him, actually,” Allegra said slowly. “He was tired of doing nothing of consequence and was looking for the opportunity to be taken seriously.”
The duke regarded her closely. “Despite such a short acquaintance, you seem to understand him remarkably well, my dear.” He paused. “I don’t believe we heard the full story of what occurred in Suffolk when you and my son were thrust together.”
“I believe you heard the important bits, your grace,” Allegra said, trying not to betray her sudden alarm. “Max was wonderful.”
“Did I mention that I sent a private investigator to follow your supposed trail?” The duke smiled. “He came back with some very interesting information indeed.”
“Oh.” Allegra held his gaze, wondering what on earth he’d discovered and fearing the worst. “Did you receive that information before or after you agreed to the marriage?”
“Before.”
“And you let it go ahead?”
The duke shrugged. “As I said, I realized that you were very well matched, and the fact that Max had gone to extraordinary lengths to protect you and your reputation sparked my interest.”
Allegra leaned forward. “Did you hear about the inn where we were almost murdered?”
“Murdered?” The duke’s eyebrows shot up. “My investigator found an inn where Max’s second horse had been stabled and brought the beast back.”
“Did he stay the night?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“Good. Because if he had, you might never have seen him again.” Allegra sighed.
“I told Max that he should write to the authorities about those people, but it seems he never did. I do hope they don’t make a habit out of murdering random travelers in their sleep, but I fear they will continue to do so if not stopped. ”
“Tell me exactly what happened,” the duke commanded.
“I shouldn’t have mentioned anything, but I thought you knew all.” Allegra grimaced. “Max is going to kill me.”
Max entered the house and paused in the hall.
He could hear voices in the dining room, one of them female, and wondered whom his father was entertaining all by himself.
George’s notion of a good night out had quickly degenerated into a drunken gambling fest, of which Max wanted no part.
He could no longer imagine why he’d got up to such idiotic things and was bored enough to tell George he was going home and to ignore the jeers from his ridiculous friends.
His stomach grumbled, and he headed toward the open door of the dining room.
If there was still food available, he would sit down, make himself pleasant to whomever his father was entertaining, and then head straight to bed.
The woman laughed. Max stopped in the doorway and stared disbelievingly at his wife, who appeared to be having a wonderful time with his father.
“Max,” his father said. “Do come and join us. I’ve just been hearing about your adventures with the murderous innkeepers.”
Allegra sighed. “I’m so sorry, Max. I thought he knew.” She turned to the duke. “Your private investigator did a pretty poor job if he didn’t suspect something was wrong at that place.”
“He was more interested in retrieving that valuable horse,” the duke said. “It was one of the things I asked him to do.”
“Still, it’s a good thing that he didn’t stay the night, because, as I said, you might never have seen him again.”
Max sat down and stared at his wife and his father in something of a daze.
Allegra smiled brightly at him. “Your father hired a private investigator to trace our steps through Suffolk. He located your second horse and brought him back to London.”
Max took a sip of wine. “I did wonder how that horse ended up coming to Somerset with the rest of my stable, but with everything going on, I forgot to mention it.”
“I assumed the duke knew about the innkeepers’ murdering ways, but he was unaware of our peril,” Allegra continued, as if nothing was untoward. “I was just telling him how we had to escape through our window and flee into the night.”
“It was something of an adventure,” Max said. “I’m glad that you woke up and heard them plotting our demise.”
“And I’m glad that you helped me climb down the ivy and found me a safe hiding spot while you attempted to retrieve the horses.” Allegra smiled at him.
“Good lord,” the duke said faintly. “I had no idea.”
“What else did your private investigator find out?” Allegra asked the duke, as if they were old friends.
“That your journey was somewhat more convoluted than you claimed,” the duke said.
“I didn’t see the necessity of worrying you, sir,” Max said. “Things were bad enough as they were.”
Max helped himself to several dishes and concentrated on eating while the duke and his wife moved on to discussing the current theatrical offerings in London.
He still had the sense that he was living in something of a dream, but as it included Allegra, he didn’t particularly want to wake up.
She’d come to London—presumably to see him—which gave him the opportunity to have a discussion about his true feelings and how their marriage might go forward.
As someone who had never acknowledged having “feelings” before in his life, he wasn’t quite sure how to proceed, but he’d find a way.
The duke excused himself after dinner, leaving Max and Allegra at the table. Max looked over at his wife and raised his eyebrows. “Well?”
“Well, what?” She raised her chin.
“Might I ask why you are here?”
She met his gaze. “I came for you.”
Something inside him relaxed. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from me for long. I truly am irresistible.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand. “Shall we go upstairs? We can speak more privately there.”
She came with him, her hand resting in his. After she went past him into their suite, he locked the door behind her. She swung around to look at him.