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Instead, she bit the inside of her lip and took hold of the Captain's elbow, which he offered to escort her personally to a bunk below deck where she could rest before departure. Deciding it was best to play exhausted rather than risk the captain asking too many questions, she gave a large yawn. It wasn't exactly a false yawn.
She was horrendously tired after having been up early the previous morning to finish her chores. She had been up just over twenty-four hours, and although she was indeed tired, she was also certain that she wouldn't be able to sleep until the ship was well and truly on its way to England.
Until then, there was still the chance that she might be caught, that the Comte would figure out the boarding pass was gone along with her and come to collect her.
Please, God, don't let that happen!she prayed as she settled down onto the finest feather mattress she had ever had the opportunity to lie on. Having spent so many years changing the sheets on similar mattresses, it was odd to finally experience how it felt to lie on one. The rocking of the ship and the comfort of the mattress beneath her were oddly all it took for her to close her eyes for just a moment.
Maybe the next time I open my eyes, I will be in England,she thought hopefully even though she knew it was next to impossible. All she could hope for was that the ship would be well on its way by the time she opened her eyes again. That is if she did, in fact, manage to get some sleep.
Chapter 5
Over the last few days, life as a duke had been growing on Anthony. Not only was he ecstatic to see the happiness on his sisters’ faces, but he was also pleased by Keddleston Abbey itself with its fine surroundings. The lawns, gardens, and forest surrounding the manor house were a place where Anthony could lose himself for a while, where he could pretend that he was merely a man, not a duke bogged down by debt and an obligation to his family.
On one such walk, he heard Mrs Cartwright's hurried footsteps racing down the rose garden’s shingle path towards him. Having expected to find her husband come to tell him that he had a visitor or some other such nonsense, Anthony turned with great surprise to find her racing at full speed with what appeared to be a letter in hand, waving it above her head as she breathlessly called, "Your Grace! My Lord!"
Upon closer inspection, when the housekeeper reached him, Anthony saw that what she held was, in fact, a telegram. The moment he saw it, Anthony felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. For him, telegrams had rarely held good news.
The only ones he could ever remember receiving were those he had received during his time in Spain to tell him of his parents' deaths and other such news.
"Calm yourself, Mrs Cartwright," Anthony insisted, amazed at how quickly the housekeeper had run. Like her husband, she was getting on in years, and her hair that was once black was steadily turning silver. She half bent over, hands on her knees, and panted as she waved for the duke to look at the telegram rather than concerning himself with her.
"I believe it might be of utmost importance, Your Grace," she blurted between gasping breaths. Clearly, Ada Cartwright was no stranger to bad news on telegrams either.
"Have you read it?" Anthony asked. Mrs Cartwright instantly looked offended before quickly shaking her head and trying to catch her breath. Her own state only helped make Anthony feel more anxious, and he quickly opened up the telegram to read the message inside.
"Oh, lord!" Anthony cursed the moment he read the message. "It is a telegram from Captain Cook. Lady St Clair is to be travelling to London, alone and earlier than expected!"
Without thinking, Anthony began to hurry back towards the house. The sound of displaced shingle on the path behind him suggested that Mrs Cartwright was following, and soon he could hear her panting for breath once more.
Anthony was surprised at his own speed but even more surprised at the reaction inside him at the thought that Lady St Clair would be arriving early. Though he had been opposed to the entire idea from the beginning, the thought of her arriving in London without his family there to greet her made him feel sick.
Anthony had always tried to be a true gentleman, though he did not suffer foolishness, and the idea that the lady might find herself alone in London was abhorrent to him, even if he did dislike the entire reason for her being there in the first place.
No, that cannot happen,Anthony vowed to himself as he hurried into the manor to find himself face to face with Mr Cartwright.I will not allow it to happen.
“Cartwright, we must make haste to bring forth our plans to leave for London,” Anthony explained, skirting around the butler who looked quite befuddled. The man clearly hadn’t been expecting his master to storm in and begin giving orders, and he quickly shoved the key he had been using to wind the grandfather clock into his pocket.
“Yes, Your Grace, I am at your disposal,” he replied. Anthony just had time to see him glance with a concerned expression at his wife before turning to them with the telegram still in hand.
“Mr Cartwright, Lady St Clair is to be arriving in London early though I have so much left to do here I am not sure how I can possibly manage to get there in time to meet her,” Anthony explained, though truly he felt as though he was merely thinking aloud. The butler and his wife nodded in agreement, taking in all he was saying anyway. “I must ensure that the abbey is left in good standing while I am away.”
“My Lord, if I might offer some counsel?” Mrs Cartwright spoke up, seeming to have finally managed to catch her breath.
Anthony was surprised at the woman’s words, though he was quickly becoming used to how outspoken the housekeeper was.
The butler, set in his ways, was clearly surprised at his wife’s speaking up, though she glared as if challenging him to try and stop her before she turned her attention back to Anthony and suggested,
“Perhaps I ought to go ahead to the London house and have everything prepared for the arrival of Lady St Clair? I would have done so next week anyway in preparation for your own smooth transition into the house. I would be happy to meet the young lady at the docks myself.”
Anthony opened his mouth instinctively to protest. So used to solving all his own problems, he wasn’t prepared for the help of an entire household of servants, and yet here, Mrs Cartwright was offering her services to him as though he had always been her master.
As if she saw his reluctance, Mrs Cartwright continued, “Your Grace, it would be my honour to do so. It is my job, after all, to ensure the smooth running of your household.”
“Though my wife speaks out of turn,” Mr Cartwright put in with a stern look at his wife before he turned to Anthony, “she is right. She has always gone ahead with a few maids and footmen to ensure that all is well at the London house before the duke’s arrival.”
Feeling as though a weight had suddenly lifted off his shoulders, Anthony began to nod in agreement with Mrs Cartwright’s plan. His skin crawled the moment he heard footsteps hurrying down the staircase behind him.
“What is that I hear?” It was Emily, his youngest sister, the one who was always most excitable, and it appeared that she had been eavesdropping from the top of the stairs. “We are to travel to London early to meet Lady St Clair? Oh, how wonderful! I shall tell Elizabeth immediately, and we shall pack with post-haste.”
