Chapter 11
Stretching as she stood, Della greeted the morning with a smile and went to the window, throwing open the curtains. It was cloudy, but at least it was not raining; still nice enough to get out of London and away from city life.
With a purposeful stride, she walked over to her wardrobe and sifted through her dresses. Unless one was in a fussy ballgown or other finicky contraption, getting help to dress seemed rather unnecessary. She took pleasure in dressing herself whenever she could, which often annoyed her lady’s maid, Abigail.
Della decided on her cream-colored walking dress with a green spencer and her most durable walking shoes. The clock on the mantel chimed the hour as she finished slipping the last button through its loop.
Checking over everything in the floor-length mirror, Della started making her way to the dining room and was halfway down the stairs when the smell of chocolate greeted her. Even if nothing else went well today, she would at least start the day off with something sweet.
The spread Mrs. Walmsley had prepared was wonderful: coddled eggs, bacon, toast with plenty of butter and jam, and a pot of chocolate. She quietly sipped her chocolate, contemplating how the day’s events would go, when she heard a knock at the door.
“I am here to see Miss Rowntree, if you would be so good as to announce me?”
“Of course, my lady. If you would follow me. I believe Miss Rowntree is in the dining room.” Their footsteps echoing as they made their way into the room.
“Lady Derrington to see you, Miss.”
“Thank you, Croxton.”
Maggie walked through the door so sedately, Della found it hard to contain her amusement and almost let out a burst of laughter as she watched Croxton’s eyes widen in confusion.
“Of course, Miss.” Croxton bowed and turned to leave while simultaneously shaking his head, as though he was trying to understand what had just happened.
Maggie plopped into the chair next to Della. “That…” she paused for dramatic effect, “was excruciating! But so very worth it to see the look on his face.”
“I do not know which is worse. A vexed Croxton or a confused Croxton. When you finish toying with his head, Maggie, he will not know which way is up and which way is down.”
They both burst into laughter at that thought as Maggie helped herself to a sip of Della’s chocolate.
They pulled up to the ruins of an old forgotten church about an hour outside of London. A large oak tree provided an abundance of shade, making the area below its branches ideal for a picnic. Blankets were carefully laid out and hampers, filled with all sorts of food for the occasion, were arranged in front of them.
Then gentlemen allowed the ladies to choose their seats before seating themselves. Royce sat next to Miss Putnam, and Aden next to Maggie. Della looked up at the remaining gentleman and smiled at Lord Haddock, scooting herself closer to Maggie as he seated himself next to her.
The Duchess sat with Mrs. Cora as they watched Samuel, Victoria, and Cornelia play a game of tag. When asked where Grayson and Desmond were, the Duchess had simply scoffed and mumbled something about sons who should spend more time with their family and less time on cards and drink.
They all talked animatedly as they chose different items from the wonderful assortment Mrs. Ivers had put together for their outing. Everything looked delicious, and Della did not know which to choose first. Finally, she decided on the cold roasted beef on a slice of toast with mustard.
When the main course had been consumed, the footmen tidied up and laid out the sweets. Della could not contain her excitement when she spotted the petite duchess’ amongst the selection and noticed Royce staring at her. She pointed at the pastry and smiled at him.
“Miss Rowntree,” Lord Haddock said, offering Della a lemon tart. “If I recall correctly, these are your favorite.” He looked at her with a dark glint in his eye.
“How kind of you to remember.” Della smiled, even though she could not remember ever telling him about her fondness for lemon tarts. “Oh, before I forget, Lord Haddock. You left your book in the park the other day. It is waiting in the carriage for you.”
“Very considerate of you, Miss Rowntree. I thank you,” he said, staring at the lemon tart in Della’s hand.
Not wanting to be rude, Della took a bite. The bright, tangy flavor of lemon burst forth, covering her tongue in a tart sweetness. A delighted moan threatened to escape, but she remained silent, looking anywhere but at Lord Haddock.
Della noticed Royce staring agitatedly at the man beside her, before her gaze shifted and she saw Miss Putnam looking directly looking at her.
“Shall we explore the ruins?” Miss Putnam asked, breaking eye contact with Della, to look at Royce.
“What a wonderful idea!” Maggie agreed, turning to the Duchess to ask if she would join them.
The Duchess declined, stating that she was close enough to keep an eye on things, but wanted to remain with the younger set.
They all stood and made their way into the ruins of what Della was sure had been a beautiful church. It backed up to a dense copse of trees with lots of overgrown thicket surrounding the outside.
Large wood beams lay on the dirt floor, the ceiling having long since fallen, but the outside walls and bell tower remained. Along the inside wall, a staircase curved upwards toward the bell tower overlooking the open fields.
“I say we split off into pairs to explore,” Miss Putnam suggested. “His Grace and I will take the lower level. Lady Derrington and Lord Aynesworth can take the outside grounds, and Miss Rowntree and Lord Haddock can take the bell tower. I hear the view up there is breathtaking.”
“Shall we?” Lord Haddock motioned for Della to go up the stairs ahead of him.
Agreeing to meetup shortly to switch areas, they all went their separate ways. As Della slowly climbed the stairs, she saw Royce and Miss Putnam walk by the dilapidated altar and out of sight.
Making her way to the top, Della could not help but be in awe of the circular stone room. Dust motes danced across the beams of light, shining down the ivy that grew up the walls, across the bare beams, and down over an old brass bell that still hung from the rafters.
Running her fingers over the stone’s smooth surface, she looked to her right at the three lookouts that framed the land in small, picturesque scenes. Each one looking like a carefully curated piece of art hanging in a museum. And to her left, she saw the stone archway of a corridor leading to another section of the abandoned church.
“Beautiful,” Della whispered.
“It is,” Lord Haddock agreed, coming up behind her.
Della hurriedly walked to a lookout point and marveled at the vast expanse of rolling fields stretching as far as the eye could see. The rise and fall of hills reminded her of gentle waves on the ocean. But Lord Haddock did not seem to care about the view.
The way he nervously moved around the room, restlessly pacing back and forth, made him look like a caged animal plotting its escape. And the corridor across the room seemed to hold particular interest for him, though for no reason she could understand.
“Have you seen a ghost?” Della asked, breaking the silence.
“A ghost?” Lord Haddock repeated.
“Yes, you keep looking down the corridor, and I thought perhaps you might have seen a ghost or something.”
“No, no ghosts. I am simply taking it all in,” he coolly replied.
“Um, p-perhaps, we should find the others.” Della turned to the stairs as Lord haddock reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
“They can wait. There is something I must ask you.”
“Oh?” was all Della could say as a sense of unease slithered down her spine.
“I had hoped to have the opportunity to talk with you during our dance at the Bellamy’s ball, but once I saw the duke carrying you out, I knew I had missed my chance. It was fortuitous that the Duchess invited me today.” He cleared his throat as he got down on one knee and took Della’s hand in his. “Miss Rowntree…”
“My Lord?” Della slipped her fingers out of his chilly hands and took a step back.
“Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Lord Haddock’s forced smile, which conveyed anything but eagerness to enter into an engagement, rendered Della speechless.
She had only danced with him a handful of times, and the conversations with the gentleman were just as sparse. How could he even think of asking her to marry him? They did not even know each other—nothing beyond mere acquaintances.
“Did I hear you correctly, my lord?”
“Indeed, you did, Miss Rowntree.”
“But you do not even know me,” Della said, taking another step back.
“I do realize this, yes, but given time, I believe we could make a go of it.” He stood; his black pants now smudged with dirt.
“Make a go of it?” Della repeated. “My lord, I am flattered, but I am afraid we do not know each other well enough to make a go of it. Therefore, I am sorry, but I am afraid I must decline your offer.”
“My dear Miss Rowntree, you would be wise to accept my offer. There may not be many proposals left for you to turn down,” he said in an ominous warning. “So, I will ask you again. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Again, I must decline, my lord. Now, if you will excuse me…” Della turned and was about to make her way down the steps when he appeared in front of her.
“If I cannot convince you with my words, perhaps I can convince you with this.”
In a surprising and forceful gesture, Lord Haddock grabbed onto Della and pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers. As he attempted to kiss her, Della desperately tried to push him away, but he was too strong
“My Lord! My lord, please stop!” Della shouted, shoving as hard as she could against his chest as he tried pressing more kisses on her. She did everything she could think of to stop the onslaught of his so-called convincing…except for one thing.
“Lord Haddock?” Della said in a softer tone as she moved her hands up to his shoulders to distract him.
“Yes?” he responded, pulling his head back to look at her.
“How is this for an answer?” Della kneed him hard between the legs, and he slumped to the floor, howling in pain as Royce came running up the stairs.
“Della!” Royce propped himself up against the stone wall, gasping for air. “I heard yelling and…” He looked down to see Lord Haddock cupping his manhood and whimpering.
“I will not ask where you learned that.”
“Maggie,” Della simply stated.
Royce rolled his eyes heavenward. “I probably have one of my brothers to thank for that, but the more important thing right now is that you are okay. Now you—” Royce said, pulling Lord Haddock to his feet—”need to leave. Della?”
“I will be along shortly. I just need a moment to regain my composure.”
Royce nodded and headed down the stairs with the still whimpering lord.
It was a shame that such a beautiful day had to be overshadowed by the vile behavior of that beastly man. Softly, she hummed to herself while taking one last look through the lookout at the top of the stairs before going down to meet everyone when she felt a firm shove against her back.
Despite her best efforts to regain her balance, Della stumbled forward, her arms flailing as she desperately tried to grab onto something to prevent her fall, but her hands only grazed the smooth surface of the stone.
But somehow, even with her legs entangled in her dress, she managed to twist herself around so she could at least see where she was going. She spotted Royce and Lord Haddock still descending and silently prayed they would reach the bottom before she crashed into them.
Just as Royce was making his way down the stairs, a sharp gasp broke the silence, startling him. He looked up, and a surge of panic overcame him as he saw Della struggling to regain her footing. Despite her best efforts, her foot slipped, causing her to pitch forward.
Without hesitation, Royce shoved Lord Haddock down the remaining steps, confident that a fall from such a short distance would not cause too much harm. However, given the man’s actions today, it was not even half of what he deserved.
As Royce raced upward, he noticed Della had managed to turn herself around on the stairs and was now facing forward. She reached out for him, and he quickly grabbed onto her, pulling her close as they tumbled the rest of the way down. The impact of her body against his had hurt like hell, but he was determined to protect her from any more harm.
“What happened?” Royce asked after regaining some of the feeling in his backside that the fall had rendered temporarily numb.
“I am not sure,” Della replied, her voice filled with uncertainty, as she pushed herself up to sit. “One minute, I was about to follow you and Lord Haddock, and the next, it felt as though someone pushed me from behind.”
“Pushed?” Royce stood and bounded up the stairs two at a time, not caring how his body protested. He searched everywhere, but there were few places for someone to hide besides the corridor.
He turned in a slow circle, looking for some sign there had been another person here, when his eyes landed on a rope hanging over the edge of one lookout. His eyes scanned the fields, searching for any hint of an uninvited guest, but found only the peaceful stillness of the countryside.
Damn! Whomever it was must have headed toward the trees. Slapping his hands against the stone, he let out a frustrated growl.
Making his way back down, he saw Maggie and Aden helping Della, looking a little worse for wear, to stand up. Miss Putnam appeared indifferent to the situation, standing off to the side with her arms crossed. Lord Haddock, on the other hand, was still lying in the spot where he had landed.
“Aden, please take Lord Haddock back to the carriage and send him on his way. I will explain later.”
Aden saluted, and grabbed Lord Haddock by the arm, practically dragging the disgraced lord to his carriage.
“Are you well enough to walk?” Royce asked Della.
“I am, Your Grace. No carrying required.”
Royce almost laughed out loud, but decided it was not the time to do so as he held his arm out to Miss Putnam and guided her out of the ruins.
“Must you always be going to Miss Rowntree’s rescue?” Miss Putnam whispered harshly to him once Maggie and Della were far enough away not to hear. “Her ankle, the hackney, and now this?”
“It is not as if she did any of those things on purpose,” Royce stated.
“Hmmph. I feel like she is just doing these things to get attention.”
Royce pulled Miss Putnam to a stop as they reached the carriage.
“So, you are saying she endured Lord Haddock’s advances and falling down the stairs solely for attention?”
“I am saying it is a possibility. No one witnessed what happened with Lord Haddock—it is her word against his. Perhaps she gets herself into these situations, so you will notice her,“ Miss Putnam said, her agitation showing.
“Do not be ridiculous,” Royce scoffed.
“Ridiculous? Do you not find it odd that these things always seem to happen when you two are near one another? I see the way she smiles at you, the way you look at her when you think no one is watching. Perhaps you might be better off asking for her hand in marriage. Though a woman of her…caliber, would never fulfill the role of your duchess as well as I could.” She straightened her spine, challenging Royce to respond. “I will see myself home, Your Grace.”
Royce waited for Miss Putnam to climb into her carriage, then slammed the door behind her. Although they had not been acquainted for a long time, he could not deny that he was getting to glimpse an entirely different side of Miss Putnam.
And the more familiar he became with her, the harder it was for him to ignore the fact that maybe her true colors were beginning to show. If that was the case, perhaps he should step back and rethink what a marriage to Miss Putnam would look like.
His family meant more to him than anything else in this world, and to marry a woman who seemed so inclined to tear someone else down did not seem the type of person he wanted anywhere near his family.
Royce stormed off, seething with anger at the woman in the carriage behind him, and consumed with worry for the woman in the carriage in front of him. He reached into his pocket to check if the item he had gotten from the footman before they left was still there, and he smiled.
Although the day’s events had taken a sour turn, there was still a chance for something sweet to make it seem a little better.