12. Chapter 12 #2
Thankfully, the dressing gong was now a regular part of life at Pickering Castle, and I anticipated the cooperation of my brothers-in-law as Ames and I walked toward the drawing room before supper.
Ames was not excited about our guests, and his mood had been sour since their arrival, but he had come to supper, knowing he’d agreed to the house party and he needed to play the part of host.
We found all four Welby brothers dressed in their evening clothes, waiting for us, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot or adjusting their cuffs and lapels.
None of our guests had yet arrived, giving me a moment to share my plans with them after Ames shut the drawing room door.
“I want to go over the seating arrangement with you,” I told them. “Brant, I have placed you between Sarah and her mother, Mrs. Danby. You’ll offer to escort Mrs. Danby into the dining room when Stephens announces that supper is ready.”
Brant did not look excited or even interested in the prospect. He was participating, but not enthusiastically. Somewhat like Ames.
“Collins,” I said to him, “I’ve sat you between Ruth and her mother, Mrs. Harrington. Please escort Mrs. Harrington into supper.”
Collins grinned.
“Davis.” I offered him a gentle smile, suspecting that he and the sweet Alice would get along well. “I’ve placed you between Alice and her aunt, Mrs. Talmadge. You’ll want to escort Mrs. Talmadge in.”
His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, as I’d suspected they would. He and Alice had spent the entire afternoon not noticing anyone else in the castle.
“And, Everett—”
“I will be between Miss Martha Townsend,” he said with a sigh, “and her dowdy sister.” He frowned. “I’d like to sit next to Miss Harrington, if you please. She seems much more fun.”
Collins frowned. “I get Miss Harrington.”
“What if she wants to sit with me?” Everett lifted his chin in a challenge.
The last thing I needed was a fight over our guests. “I’ll be changing the seating arrangements for each meal,” I assured them. “We have a month with our guests. That’s plenty of time for everyone to get to know everyone else.”
Everett scowled at Collins, who only smiled.
Soon, the others joined us and the noise in the drawing room reached a remarkable level. As the young women and their chaperones visited and gossiped and made general comments about the beautiful castle and their comfortable accommodations, the Welby brothers stared wide-eyed and silent.
Ruth was talking to Martha about a hat she’d seen in a London millinery shop and described it in detail, while Mrs. Harrington and Mrs. Talmadge sat on a sofa, listening to Mrs. Danby share her success with using Fellows’ Compound Syrup of Hypophosphites for her indigestion.
“It has the smallest dose of strychnine,” Mrs. Danby said discreetly, “so you must be careful not to take too much, but it has done wonders for me.”
When Stephens appeared at the door to announce that supper was ready, the Welby brothers looked relieved. Each jumped to their feet to approach the women they’d been instructed to escort.
It was customary for Ames to escort the highest-ranking woman into supper, and I would go with the highest-ranking man, but since that wasn’t feasible for our house party, he simply offered me his arm.
A shiver of delight tingled up my spine as I took his arm and allowed him to lead me into the dining room.
Our week together had been more than I hoped for, but I still didn’t know all I wanted to about my husband.
I prayed the house party would be a big success and that it would be the start of a new era for Pickering Castle.
More than anything, I still wanted my husband to be proud of me, perhaps more now than ever.
The table had been set with new china and crystal purchased from London.
It had arrived just yesterday and was a far cry from what we’d had before.
A beautiful, low-lying floral centerpiece with tapered candles glimmered against the white tablecloth, and overhead, from the coffered ceiling, the chandelier shined bright.
The Welby brothers looked a little surprised as we entered the room, as if they didn’t recognize it, but they soon found their place cards and helped the women take their seats.
“Lord Brant,” Mrs. Harrington said from across the table, once everyone was settled, “I don’t know if you recall meeting Ruth in London at the duke and duchess’s wedding, but you left quite an impression on her.
She was overjoyed when she received your invitation to join your family here at Pickering Castle. ”
Brant was in the process of laying his cloth napkin on his lap—something we’d practiced several times—when he paused. “I didn’t send the invitations.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Harrington giggled. “You do know what I meant.”
“My Sarah was just as honored,” Mrs. Danby said, not to be outdone. “She’s mentioned you several times since the duke and duchess’s wedding. Haven’t you, Sarah?”
All eyes turned to Sarah, who blushed but had the wherewithal to respond. “Of course. All the Welby brothers made an impression on London society. It’s not every day that one of our very own gets whisked away to a haunted castle by five brawny men.”
Brant smiled uncomfortably. “The castle is not haunted.”
“She’s quite right,” Mrs. Harrington added quickly, ignoring Brant’s comment. “But my Ruth was especially impressed by Lord Brant, weren’t you, Ruth?”
Everyone turned to Ruth next, whose cheeks flamed red.
She reached for her napkin, which was folded on her plate, and knocked several pieces of silverware onto the floor.
“Oh, my,” she said, starting to reach for them—but a footman beat her to it.
“Mother,” she said, looking from Brant to Ames to me and back to Brant again.
“I believe you’re making Lord Brant uncomfortable. ”
“Oh?” Mrs. Harrington blinked, as if she was surprised. “I do beg your pardon, Lord Brant. I did not intend to make you uncomfortable.”
“Then what was your intention?” Mrs. Danby asked, her words dripping with accusation. “You not only made Lord Brant uncomfortable, your poor daughter is beside herself with distress.”
“Ladies.” I needed to change the course of conversation as the footmen appeared with platters of steaming food.
Ames looked irritated and impatient. He would never put them in their place, but his dark looks and foul mood would speak for him.
“I thought we could discuss our house party plans. Would you like to know what I have on the agenda?”
Ruth and Sarah looked relieved as Mrs. Harrington and Mrs. Danby glared at each other.
“You’ve gone to so much trouble for us,” Alice said with a gentle voice. “Everything is perfect, Lily.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” I assured her.
“We have several things planned, though there will be time for leisure, as well. The library here at Pickering Castle is second to none, and there is a beautiful music room, with several instruments at your disposal. We also plan to take you to explore the cliffside and the nearby village of Ravenscar.” I sat back as one of the footmen filled my bowl with onion soup.
“There will be a festival later this week in the village. His Grace’s aunt, Lady Torrington, has been working with the local villagers to pull it together very quickly for our house party. ”
“How kind,” Mrs. Talmadge said, just as kind as her niece.
“There will be riding, lawn games, and more,” I continued. “And at the end of your stay, we will host a ball in your honor.”
There were excited exclamations from each of the guests, except Beth Townsend and Mrs. Talmadge, who only nodded to be polite.
“We hope you’ll feel at home here,” Davis said to Alice and her aunt. “If there is anything you need or desire, please let me know.”
“How kind,” Alice said. “I would love to see the library. Reading is one of my favorite past times.”
Davis’s face lit with pleasure. “I would be happy to escort you there personally and give you recommendations.”
I smiled to myself, remembering the first night I’d sat in this dining room with the Welby brothers and how far we’d come in such a short time.
Ames was quiet as he sat at the head of the table. Inviting eight women into his home had been a sacrifice for him, and though he’d agreed, I knew this month wouldn’t be easy for him.
The rest of the meal went off without incident, since the women had no trouble keeping the conversation flowing.
And when we withdrew into the Cedar drawing room after supper, we coaxed Sarah into singing for us, which she did with admirable grace and poise.
Each of the Welby brothers listened with wide-eyed admiration and I wondered how often they’d heard singing since their parents passed away.
After, we played cards for several hours before retiring for the evening.
First, the mothers and Mrs. Talmadge excused themselves and then Beth Townsend went upstairs to bed.
Ames was the next to leave, surprising me that he’d stayed so long, followed by Brant.
None of the young women seemed disappointed that Brant left.
On the contrary, both Sarah and Ruth appeared to be taken with Collins, whose outgoing, humorous personality was very attractive.
Everett sulked, probably overlooked because of his young age, though he could be charming when he wasn’t so moody.
Davis seemed oblivious to everything but Alice as they sat on a sofa looking over a stack of books they’d brought into the parlor from the library.
I tried to stay awake with them but could hardly keep my eyes open. I’d been up before sunrise, working on last-minute arrangements, and was exhausted.
“I’m afraid I will need to wish you all a good night.” I smiled at them, giving my brothers-in-law a warning look. “Perhaps you should think about finding your own beds soon.”
They each wished me a good night but made no move to retire themselves.
Hiding another yawn, I left the drawing room and walked slowly toward the stairs. Our guests would be in the opposite wing of the castle, so I didn’t anticipate running into anyone, which was why I was surprised to hear a soft noise near the library.
Someone was in a secret passageway, I was certain. Their voices were muted, but still discernable.
Frowning, I leaned against a wooden panel, hoping to learn their identity—and was startled when it shifted beneath me, creaking open.
Candlelight danced across the surprised faces of two people who hadn’t anticipated my arrival.
Brant and Molly.
The three of us stared at each other for a moment. Molly’s eyes were wide with fear, but Brant’s were defiant.
“What are you doing?” I asked them—though it was a silly question, because it was obvious they were having a clandestine meeting.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.” Molly dipped her face and then pushed past me to rush down the hall toward the stairs, leaving me alone with Brant.
His brown eyes were filled with remorse as he watched her leave.
“I thought Ames and I made it clear that you two are not supposed to see each other.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.
“Ames can’t keep me from Molly. I’m a grown man.”
My shoulders fell. “You know as well as I do that this would never work. You might be a grown man, but you are also an aristocrat and heir to an earldom. Ames is only acting on behalf of your parents—”
“Do not speak their names,” Brant said, an edge to his voice that I’d never heard before. “They lost their right to have anything to do with my life the night Father died.”
I pressed my lips together. The Welby brothers rarely spoke about their parents, so I didn’t, either. It was the first time I’d said anything about them to Brant.
He held up the candlestick and the light shimmered in his gaze. “I love Molly. I’ve tried not to, but she’s all I can think about. I’ve never met a more thoughtful, intelligent, or selfless person in my life. She makes me think and feel and hope for things I never thought possible.”
“Oh, Brant.”
“It was hard for her to see all those women here,” he continued. “I wanted to reassure her that I have no intention of courting any of them.”
“As much as I wish I could give you my blessing, I cannot. She is a servant in this household, and you are her master. People will talk and assume you gave her no choice.”
“That’s not true.” He looked horrified. "I have put no pressure on Molly.”
“I believe you, but that is just one of the many reasons this relationship will not work. Ames needs to know—”
“Please!” Brant took a step toward me. “Don’t tell him.”
“What can possibly come from these midnight rendezvous?” I asked him. “It would be best to go your separate ways now.” My heart broke at what I had to say next. “Perhaps it’s time to talk about Molly leaving Pickering Castle.”
“Please don’t make her leave. I can’t be the reason she loses her job.”
“Then you have to promise me that you will stop meeting like this.” I studied him, uncertain if I should continue.
“I’ve heard you in the walls before. And if I’ve heard you, then Ames can easily hear you, too.
It’s only a matter of time before he learns the truth and then I will have no other choice but to let Molly go. ”
Brant took a deep breath. He was a man in love, but he wasn’t a fool. “I will do my best to keep my distance. You have my word.”
“Go to bed, Brant,” I told him, sadness in my voice. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”
His jaw tightened but he didn’t respond as he slipped out of the secret passage and closed the door.