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The gentleman leading them halted in the path. He said something to them that caused them to stop singing again. He bent down, pointing to something. The girls circled around him to have a look.
Bethan roused himself and stuck his muzzle under Joshua’s free hand. Joshua absently scratched the dog’s head while Butler inched forward to have a look.
“Ah,” Butler said. “Lord Iddesleigh has established a girl’s school in the old gamekeeper’s cottage.”
“Aschool?” Joshua repeated. “Agirl’sschool?”
“Yes, Your Grace. I understand that Iddesleigh has a daughter or two.”
He hadfive. For God’s sake, at some point, a man had to accept the fact that he’d not produce a son and leave off his wife.
“He and his wife have established a proper school for them and other young girls in the area and brought in a proper headmaster.”
“In a gamekeeper’s cottage?”
“I believe it is only a temporary location, Your Grace.”
Below them, one of the girls suddenly grabbed the dark locks of another one and yanked. That girl shrieked and grabbed the frock of her aggressor. The two began to tussle like drunks at a pub.
“Will you be having tea?” Butler asked, seemingly oblivious to the melee unfolding below.
Joshua watched the gentleman clad in black step in between the girls to separate them. The two girls, whose hair ribbons were hanging at the tips of their hair or had been trampled in the dirt, simultaneously made their case to the gentleman. It was clear to Joshua that the taller one was the aggressor. He wondered if he ought to shout down to the gentleman.
He raked his fingers through his hair then turned from the window to look at the clock on the mantle. It was half past three.Half past three.God help him, he ought to feel some shame for rising from his bed at this hour. But he didn’t. Not a lick. In fact, he walked back to his bed with the letter in hand and fell onto his back beside Merlin, who immediately shifted around so that he might drape his head over Joshua’s torso. “No tea, Butler. Thank you.” He broke the seal of the envelope and unfolded it.
It was another invitation to dine. No less enthusiastically given than those that had preceded it, with an insistence that the writer would not accept no as an answer. Joshua handed the invitation to Butler. “No,” he said.
He didn’t have the time or patience for society. He had enough to think about, and now, to do, what with this girl’s school suddenly underfoot. He would have to think strategically, of course. As the Duke of Marley, he could hardly be perceived to be against education for girls. But neither could he be the duke who had to suffer them.
Not after what he’d been through.
Not after what he’ddone.
No, he’d have to make his feelings known in a more subtle way.
CHAPTER THREE
April, 1858
England
To Her Majesty the Queen, Justine,
Darling sister, I pray this letter finds you in good health and spirits, as I sincerely hope that at least one of us is well. I have much to tell you, and I must begin by declaring Devonshire to have been a dreadful mistake. While I blame you entirely for sending me here, I’m not angry with you. Really, I’m far more disappointed in myself for having allowed you to convince me that this was any sort of solution. Could we not have guessed that Iddesleigh House would prove to be just as boring as Rohalan Palace, but even worse, as it is miles and miles from any proper society? It is not “close” to London at all, but a day away on the fastest horses. It is so deep into the countryside that I’ve had only a few callers in my first days here, and they were all quite old.
I miss you terribly! I’ve no one to talk to, really. Lordonna, as you know, is very quiet and keeps her opinions to herself. That leaves me with Lila. But she is presently in London, rounding up the gentlemen she might possibly persuade to traipse all the way here to attend the ball Lord and Lady Iddesleigh seem very much determined to host in my honor. I am quite pleased by the prospect of a ball. But I am not pleased if the ball is to be attended by only those in their dotage. Who will I dance with?
I imagined Iddesleigh to be a grand English country house, and I blame Lila for it, as she described a large country home. She does tend to paint everything in the rosiest of terms. And indeed, the countryside we passed through on the way here was quite beautiful, with rolling hills bathed in shades of golds and pinks in a setting sun. We passed a few large houses, built in the Georgian manner. Do you remember our tutor, Monsieur Klopec, and his love of architecture? I paid him more heed than I thought, for I recognized the style at once.
I had every reason to believe Iddesleigh would be just as grand as the houses we passed. I pictured massive gardens, and a ballroom that required no less than four chandeliers to light. A county home befitting a visit from a royal princess, if not from Queen Victoria herself. I was filled with eagerness, until near the end of the long procession to reach Iddesleigh, when I had an omen that things would not be as I’d imagined. You will not believe me when I write this, but the Grim Reaper very nearly collected me, not five miles from Iddesleigh! He appeared from nowhere, a rider racing recklessly past the coaches. He was clothed in black and on a prodigious black horse. He rode so close on a narrow spit of road that I feared he would crash into the coach and kill us all. But at the last possible moment, he maneuvered the horse to avoid a collision and thundered past, disappearing down the road. The coach driver shouted terrible things after him, but the rider paid him no mind.
Goodness, but my heart had climbed to my throat in the few seconds it had all taken place, and I could scarcely breathe. I looked at Lordonna, who looked just as frightened as me. I said, who do you suppose that was? She said perhaps it had been Lord Iddesleigh. I didn’t think so—what I recall of him was that he was rather amicable and not inclined to rush anywhere.
The rider came and went so quickly and was so dark and menacing that I was instantly reminded of the Grim Reaper. He looked just like the one Hortensia described. Do you remember Hortensia? She was our nursemaid for only a few weeks. I once heard Mama say she’d had bread that lasted longer. But Hortensia was there long enough to impart some wisdom:Beware the Grim Reaperwas one.The devil is always watching and sees you nowwas another.
Anyway, a few miles after our encounter with the Reaper, we came upon the Iddesleigh house, which surprised me greatly, and not in a favorable way. It is unimpressive in everything but size. Significant parts of it are scaffolded, which, I suppose, indicates various stages of repair, or perhaps even worse—dismantlement. Half the house appears to be the remnants of a medieval castle, and the other half looks to have been added through the years in a confusing mixture of architectural styles that would distress Monsieur Klopec terribly. The grounds are very plain, with only a manicured lawn and bowling green. But no maze, no flower gardens. Not even a fountain or statue to add interest!
My rooms are well enough, I suppose. I’ve a bedroom, sitting room, dressing room and bath, as well as an adjoining room for Lordonna. The accommodations are perfectly fine, although not as fine as my rooms at Rohalan Palace. The very first night, a terrible rainstorm had caused the roof to leak, dripping water onto the chaise, and in the days that followed, I was forced to endure a horde of workmen pounding away overhead to repair the roof.
