The next morning, Kit donned buckskins and riding boots and went to the stables to saddle Renegade. He purposely rode over to the Grange to show Nick that he was giving his hunter exercise.
Nick, surprised to see his twin up and about so early, greeted him warmly. “Kit, I brought this mare back from France. She’s no Thoroughbred, but she has great stamina and perhaps decent bloodlines. Would you let Renegade cover her?”
“I have no objection, but he might; she’s rather ugly.”
“A marriage of convenience,” Nick said, laughing.
Kit looked at his twin sharply, suspecting a jibe about his own marriage plans. Then he too laughed. “Feel free to come and get him anytime. Well, I’d better be off; I need the exercise as much as Renegade.”
Nick waved him off. He made a point of riding over here to show me he’s following my suggestion. I wonder what he’s up to?
Kit was satisfied that his twin suspected nothing so far. He knew he was lucky that Nick had a soft spot for him that always gave him the advantage. Kit galloped across the field, then along the banks of the River Crane. When he skirted the Harding property, he was surprised to see Rupert tooling his carriage down the long, yew-lined driveway. Kit waved and called out to him, and Rupert reined in his horses. “I had no idea you were back.”
“Brought the family yesterday; now I’m off to London again to get Dottie and Alex.”
“That’s marvelous news! I don’t suppose it’s necessary between the two of us but, strictly speaking, custom demands that I ask your permission before I pay my addresses to your sister, Alexandra.”
“And, by God, not before time! Hart Cavendish has monopolized so much of her time lately, I feared she’d end up a duchess!”
Kit threw back his head and laughed. “Rupert, you are such a loyal friend. No other man in England would prefer that his sister marry me rather than the Duke of Devonshire.”
“There’s something I should tell you. A few weeks ago, Alex found our mother. She’s in extremely poor health, and Dottie and my sister are bringing her to Longford. Nobody knows about it, but I didn’t want you to be caught off guard when you visit them.”
Though the thought of Margaret Sheffield living at Longford was repugnant to him, he was glad Rupert had warned him. “Thank you for confiding in me.”
“Well, since you are planning to be part of the family, I didn’t see how I could do otherwise,” Rupert said ingenuously.
Dottie dosed Margaret with laudanum for the carriage ride to Longford. She also asked Sara to come for the summer. Though Neville Staines would be paying her wages, Dottie knew he would have no objection. When they arrived, Rupert carried a sleeping Margaret up to his old bedchamber. Then he dutifully helped carry in their luggage while Alex went to stable Zephyr.
“Oh, before I forget, Christopher’s back at Hatton. This morning I told him I was bringing you from London, so don’t be surprised if he rides over to welcome you home.”
“Death and damnation! We’re not ready for him!” Dottie cried.
“But he’s coming as a suitor! Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about wanting Alex to become Lady Hatton?”
“Of course not, you corkbrain, but to receive a lord, we must have a decent reception room. Well, take off your jacket and roll up your sleeves; you have a deal of furniture to move.”
“Dear God, every time I come near you, you put me to work. Do I resemble a mule, Dottie?
“A mule’s the same as a jackass, isn’t it? By the way, we need a cook. Sara and I will nurse Margaret, but we must have a cook.”
“I’ll take care of it, if you ever release me from hard labor.”
“Oh, I trust you’ll go hunting soon. A cook will need something to cook, after all.”
It took the best part of two hours, but when Alex, Dottie, and Rupert stood back to survey their efforts, they declared the reception room fit to entertain a queen. “If we had a decent queen,” Dottie added. “No one need know Longford has two empty wings.”
“Speaking of wings, you’ve been an angel, Rupert.” Alex helped him into his coat and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, love.”
No sooner did Alex go upstairs to take a bath and wash the dust from her hair, than Christopher Hatton arrived.
“Lord Hatton, do come in.” Dottie led him into the luxuriously furnished reception room and waved a hand. “As you can see, we are all at sixes and sevens, having only just arrived.”
“I wanted to ride over and welcome you home, Lady Longford.”
“Pretty manners indeed to welcome a dowager home.” You’re too handsome for your own damned good. My granddaughter must marry you if we’re to save Longford Manor, but don’t think you can stroll in here and take Alexandra for granted.
Kit bowed gallantly. “Is Alex about?”
Dottie raised her eyebrows, then lifted her lorgnette to examine him. “Alexandra isn’t receiving this afternoon. If you’d care to leave your calling card, I’ll apprise her of your visit, m’lord.”
Kit was taken aback. He had no calling cards with him. Such formality must stem from her wealth. He thought it had all been arranged between his father and Dottie Longford but it suddenly dawned on him that she would have to approve him before she gave her permission for him to court Alexandra. “My lady, would it be permissible for me to call again tomorrow?”
“Ah, by all means, dear boy. Y’know, in my day, when a gentleman called, he didn’t come empty-handed. A gift wasn’t necessary, just a token of game or a brace of birds. Do you hunt, Lord Hatton?”
“Indeed I do, Lady Longford. Until tomorrow, then?” The old bitch intends to put me through my paces, begod!
The next morning, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The roses were in full bloom in the Longford garden, and Dottie declared that Margaret would benefit from the warm sunshine. Alex helped her mother downstairs and took her out to the lawn where she and Sara had carried a wicker chaise longue and pillows. Alex sat down on the grass beside her to keep her company.
“We need to talk,” Margaret whispered.
“But talking makes you cough—”
“It doesn’t matter.” Margaret drew in a labored breath. “I made terrible choices and ruined my life. I broke Mother’s heart, and worse, my selfishness hurt my children.” She began to cough and covered her mouth with a heavy linen handkerchief.
“That’s all in the past; there is no need to castigate yourself and catalogue your sins.”
“There is every need … I don’t want you to make the mistakes I made.” She pressed the linen to her mouth and breathed slowly. “I refused to marry the man Dottie chose for me. I ran off to London and behaved shamelessly. Duty meant nothing to me. In open defiance I married a commoner, who made my life hell. He went through all my money, and my parents had to pay off his debts.” Margaret became racked with a coughing spell.
“Please don’t talk anymore. I know what happened next.”
She took some slow breaths. “All right, but I beg you be guided by Dottie. The way of duty is the way of happiness, Alexandra.”
“I have already given my grandmother my solemn promise.”
Margaret smiled, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Mrs. Dinwiddie, the elderly housekeeper, came out to the garden. “Ye have a gentleman caller, Alexandra; I’ll stay with Margaret.”
Alex went in through the kitchen door and saw the table held an abundance of game. When she entered the reception room, she found Kit and Dottie laughing at a shared joke.
“Here’s Christopher come to call. The dear boy brought enough game for a week.”
“Hello, Kit. Dottie no doubt gave you a broad hint.”
“Oh, it was more than a hint. I set him a task, a noble quest, and he fulfilled it. He has completely won me over.”
“Good morning, Alex. I came to see if you’d care to go riding?”
She swallowed the excuse that rose to her lips and smiled at him instead. “I’d love to. I�
�ll just run up and change.”
As she put on a riding dress, Sara brought her boots. “Lord Hatton is so handsome, he makes my knees go wobbly.”
Alex immediately thought of Nick, then she dutifully pushed his image out of her mind and went to join Christopher.
In the stables, Kit saddled Zephyr over her protests. “Alex, it gives me pleasure to do things for you.” He gave her a sideways glance. “You’d better get used to it.”
When he lifted her into the saddle, she looked down into his face, so darkly handsome. I’d better get used to everything you do. As she watched him mount, she realized how unfair she was being to him. I must not be resentful toward Kit; I must not think of marriage to him a death warrant. She had always had an affection for him; she must give him a chance to win her heart. “I’ll race you to the woods!” she challenged.
Alex was amazed when she reached the trees before him. Nick would never have allowed her to win. Her heart softened toward Kit for being gallant. Laughing together, they walked their horses through the leafy glade, and when they reached the river, he lifted her from her saddle. As the horses drank, he invited her to sit on a fallen log so they could talk.
“Alex, when I asked Rupert if I could pay my addresses to you, he was delighted. I also believe I’ve smoothed the waters with your grandmother—no easy task. Now, I need to hear it from you.”
Her eyes danced with mischief. “You’re asking to court me?”
“No, I’m asking to marry you!”
The mischief left her eyes. “Oh, Christopher, surely the courting comes first?”
“Damn it, Alex, there’s been an understanding since we were children that we would marry. Rupert wants it, Dottie wants it, and my father wanted it. Do you deny it?”
“No, but it has to be what you and I want, Kit.”
“You’re saying you don’t want me, is that it?” he demanded.
“No, no, I didn’t say that.” Alex covered his hand with hers, mortified that he had sensed her rejection. Oh, Kit, why don’t you just take me in your persuasive arms, as you did in London?
“For God’s sake, Alex, don’t play games with me. I want this settled. If I don’t get your promise, I’m afraid I’ll lose you.”
“Kit, I need a little time before I can give you my promise.”
“Of course; time we’ll spend together. I’ll take you for a drive in my phaeton tomorrow. And I want to have a dinner party; just a family affair to let them all get used to the idea that you’re going to be Lady Hatton. You don’t have to set a date yet.”
I cannot go for a drive tomorrow; I have to perform at Charlie’s tomorrow night! “You may take me out in your phaeton on Monday, and dinner another night next week, perhaps—if you insist.”
“I do insist. Tuesday night. Alexandra, you’ll never know how happy you’ve made me!”
Alex saw how quickly his moods changed and told herself she should not be surprised; Christopher had always been this way. He was sensitive and took offense easily. She would have to guard against hurting him.
On the ride back to Hatton Hall, after he’d returned Alex to Longford Manor, Kit gave vent to his temper. Not only did I have to cater to a madwoman today, I had to grovel at the feet of her high-and-mighty granddaughter, who thinks she’s too bloody good for me! Marriage was anathema to Kit. He feared it, because he had always thought of it as the ultimate trap. But he knew his back was against the wall, and he had no other way out. The thing that deeply galled him above all else was the knowledge that this marriage was what his father had always planned for him. Henry Hatton was finally getting what he wanted!
Kit went straight to the library and picked up the decanter. He needed a drink. Badly. Yet he knew that if he poured one, he would keep at it until the whiskey was gone. His hand trembled as he set the decanter back down. He heard someone enter the library and spun around guiltily.
“Your mail, sir.” Mr. Burke handed him two envelopes.
When Kit saw that one was from Barclays Bank and the other from John Eaton, a wave of nausea washed over him. He knew he could not face reading them and threw them negligently on the desk. “Mr. Burke, you are just the man I need. I want you to plan a dinner for Tuesday evening. It will be a select affair … just a few guests: Alex and Lady Longford, Rupert and his viscountess, the Hardings, Olivia’s brother, Harry, and Neville Staines. I want it to be formal, elegant, something special. It’s an engagement party, Burke. Alexandra has consented to become Lady Hatton.”
“Congratulations, sir. The lady will be a most welcome addition here at Hatton. Is Nicholas to be invited?”
“Good God, no. He doesn’t want anyone to know that he is back. He intends to keep to himself at the Grange.” Kit knew that within minutes Burke would inform the staff about the engagement. Perhaps the news would spread to the servants at Longford Manor and Harding House. The more who knew about the engagement the better. That way, Alex would find it difficult to refuse him. At the dinner he would present her with one of the rings that had belonged to his mother. That would make it official in everyone’s eyes.
Kit looked longingly at the whiskey, then he cursed all the people who had brought him to this sorry pass. He snatched a hunting rifle from the library gun case. He knew that if he didn’t hunt something down and kill it, he would explode.
The moment the gas lamps dimmed, the applause exploded. Alex quickly gathered her clothes from the screen and headed for the stairs. Tonight her posing vignette had included taking a bath in a delicately painted porcelain bathtub that contained imaginary water. She wished with all her heart that she didn’t have to perform at Champagne Charlie’s anymore. All you have to do is marry Christopher Hatton, an inner voice said. You’ve already promised Dottie that you would!
As she rode in the hackney cab back to Berkeley Square, her inner voice was still talking to her. Once you’ve married him, you’ll have to confess that Dottie’s wealth is a myth. That shouldn’t matter, she reassured herself. His father left Kit everything; he certainly isn’t marrying me for money.
As Alex lay abed, she schemed about taking the thousand pounds Dottie had set aside for her dowry and paying it toward the loan. That would postpone for some time Dottie’s financial difficulties. Rupert had no money worries these days; perhaps he too would contribute.
Alex had told her grandmother that she was earning money at the newspaper and the sojourn to London was necessary, but she worried about how much longer she would be able to pull the wool over Dottie’s eyes. There seemed to be no answers to her dilemma, and Tuesday there was the dinner party at Hatton Hall to face. That would bring yet another question to which she had no answer.
The ride home to Longford, early the next morning, lifted Alexandra’s spirits considerably. The English countryside was so lovely, and she acknowledged how lucky she was to live there. As the weather warmed, London left much to be desired, even in the better areas. The Thames stank, and the vast slums teemed with people who would never experience anything beyond hardship, poverty, and misery.
She lived a life of privilege, thanks to her beloved grandmother. She had beautiful clothes, her own saddle horse, and servants, and she lived in a country manor. Her suitor was not only wealthy and titled, he was one of the handsomest men breathing. Best of all, she had known him since childhood. He had been extremely gallant when he had proposed on Friday, allowing her time before she made her decision. If she agreed to marry him, she would move from Longford Manor to Hatton Hall, the most magnificent estate in the entire county. Her mother’s words danced before her on the morning breeze. The way of duty is the way of happiness.
At Hatton Hall on Tuesday, preparations for the dinner had been underway all afternoon. Mr. Burke had planned the special menu. The smoked trout came from their own river, the spring lamb from their home farm, and the fruit from Hatton’s own orchards. Even the flowers that decorated the table came from the hall’s conservatory.
Christopher Hatton spent the afternoon ha
nd-painting place cards with intricate Celtic symbols that matched the elegant invitations he had sent out three days before. He brought them down to the dining room and surveyed Mr. Burke’s handiwork with approval. Tall, scented wax tapers graced the long refectory table and the mantelpiece. Crystal water goblets, wineglasses, and monogrammed Georgian silver gleamed against the heavy damask linen tablecloth.
“I have the champagne cooling, but would you select the dinner wines, sir?”
“I am no connoisseur of wine. You had better come down to the cellar and give me your guidance, Mr. Burke.”
The two men descended the stone steps that led from the kitchen to the cellars and made their way into the older foundation where the wine cellar was housed. As Kit brushed away cobwebs, he realized that no one had been down here since his father’s death.
“For the fish course, I suggest the white Burgundy; these bottles were from a vintage crop of Chardonnay grapes. With the main course, I’d serve this Languedoc earthy-red Bordeaux.”
“I bow to your expertise, Mr. Burke.” Kit moved down the wooden racks. “Hello, what’s this? Judas, I believe it’s brandy!” He plucked two bottles from their shelf. “Harding enjoys brandy.” Kit walked down to the end of the row to see what else he could spot. He glanced up at the heavy door in the ancient wall, and he recoiled at the sharp memories it evoked. Behind the door was an underground tunnel that led to the stables. He and Nick had discovered it when they were about six. They hadn’t dared venture inside more than three or four feet because it was pitch-black. But their father had caught them playing there and had locked them in as punishment.
Kit remembered the paralyzing fear even now. He had clung to Nick and cried like a baby. When he heard the scurrying of rats in the blackness, he had trembled uncontrollably then wet himself. Nick wanted them to go down the tunnel and find their way out, but Kit clung to the door and wouldn’t let go. When his twin left him, and he knew he was alone, he felt bereft. Panic set in, and he clawed at the door until his fingertips were bleeding. His imagination created demons from hell, who sucked the breath from his lungs to keep him from screaming. Then his twin returned with a lantern from the stables and saved his sanity.