“The staff is working very hard, Miss Allegra,” Mr. Crofts said to her as he came to stand by her side. “It will all look quite fine when ’Tis done.”
“It does look lovely, doesn’t it, Crofts,” Allegra said. “Please thank the staff. They have worked very hard. Those who serve at the table tomorrow will receive a silver shilling each so they may celebrate on their next day off. Do not tell them though until afterward.”
“Very good, miss,” the old butler said with a small smile. The duke was very fortunate in his choice of a wife. They were all very fortunate, he thought to himself.
Allegra returned to the salon. Lady Bellingham, Caroline, and Eunice had returned from the ballroom where the gifts were displayed. They were most admiring of the generosity offered to the duke and Allegra. They could, however, speak of nothing else but the two elephants with their ivory tusks and bejeweled coverings.
“I am going to build a glass conservatory off this salon,” Allegra said. “It will be filled with plants, and I believe I can hide the elephants among the foliage. That way I do not insult Papa’s nabob. I suppose he thought it was a wonderful gift, but gracious!”
Her companions laughed, and then Sirena said, “I believe the four of us are going to be very good friends. Allegra has said she will hold the duke’s annual hunting parties, and so we shall see one another often.”
“Do you hunt?” Lady Caroline asked.
“I do not,” Allegra said. “I have already told Quinton that I will entertain and feed his parties, but I shall not careen about the countryside with my leg slung over apommel. When I ride I wear breeches. Besides, I like deer and foxes.”
“Thank heavens,” Lady Caroline said. “Now I shall have the perfect excuse. I thought I was the only one who hated hunting.”
“I don’t like it either,” Lady Eunice admitted with a delicate shudder.
“Nor I,” said Sirena.
“My dearest.” Lady Morgan had come up to put an arm about her stepdaughter’s waist. “You are being married at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I think it is time for you to retire.”
“But should I leave my guests, Aunt Mama?” Allegra wondered.
“They will understand,and, my dearest, we must talk,” Lady Morgan said seriously.
Sirena caught Allegra’s eye, and she struggled not to laugh. Her friends were endeavoring not to giggle, their pretty mouths twitching. Newly married, they had all had to endurethe talkon the night before their weddings. They bid their hostess good night, and watched as she was escorted from the drawing room by her stepmother.
Honor was waiting for her mistress with a hot tub already drawn, but Lady Morgan put up a restraining hand and dismissed the servant for a few moments while she spoke with Allegra.
“My dear,” she began, “there are certain duties a wife must perform for her husband. I find them most pleasant, although some women claim not to find them so. Just remember that if it is done with kindness, and possibly love, all will be well.”
“Aunt Mama,” Allegra said quietly, “let me relieve you of what must surely be an embarrassing moment. I have spoken with my three friends to ascertain the nature ofmy wifelyduties. They have kindly been most forthcoming, and enlightened me. You need go no further, I assure you. I understand what is expected of me, and the notion is not at all unpleasant. Indeed, I am very curious to experience thesedutiesmyself,” Allegra concluded, her look mischievous.
Lady Morgan gave a gusty sigh of relief. “Bless you, Allegra, for being a sensible girl. I do not care how close a mother and her daughter are, it is a delicate and often awkward moment between them. No girl wants to consider her mother possesses such knowledge, and no mother wants to imagine her child under such circumstances.” She laughed, and Allegra laughed with her. “I hardly gave poor Sirena any instructions at all, and would have felt most guilty did I not know how much she and Octavian loved each other. She kept looking at me with those wonderful big blue eyes of hers, and frankly I was most discomfited. I kept seeing her as that adorable little girl with the lovely long curls who played with you at Morgan Court.”
Allegra walked over to the sideboard in her salon, and lifting the crystal stopper from a decanter poured two small glasses of sherry. Turning, she handed one of the glasses to her stepmother. “I salute you, madame. You are the best mother any girl could have had even if you are my aunt.” She raised her little goblet and drank.
“Ohh, my dear,” Lady Morgan said, “and I salute you. My foolish sister lost a wonderful child in you, but I gained another daughter to love and to cherish.” She raised her goblet and drank.
Their glasses emptied, the two hugged each other, and then Lady Morgan kissed Allegra on both cheeks. “Good night, my darling girl. Sleep well. I shall see you in the morning.” Then she turned, and hurried from theroom, but not before Allegra had seen the tears of happiness welling up in her blue eyes.
Thank heavens that was over and done with, Allegra thought to herself. Heaven only knows what Aunt Mama would have told her if she had not weaseled the information out of Sirena. And she had taken any blame from Sirena’s shoulders by claiming that all three of her friends had spoken with her on the subject. “Honor,” she called as she began to loosen her gown. “She is gone.”
Honor hurried from the dressing room. “You could have asked meanything, miss,” she told her mistress.
“Anything?”Allegra raised a dark eyebrow.
“Girls in my position grow up faster, miss,” the servant replied.
“Honor, you haven’t!” Allegra wasn’t certain she should be shocked by such a revelation.
“No, I most certainly haven’t,” Honor quickly answered. “I wouldn’t be fit to work in a decent household if I was that kind of loose baggage. I just said we grow up faster when we’re servants. We see things. We hear things. We talk among one another, and are far easier among ourselves than the gentry are. We are not bound up by all your manners and rules of polite society, Miss Allegra.”
“Oh.”
Honor took her mistress’s lovely silk gown, and laid it aside. “Now let’s get you bathed for you’ll not have time in the morning,” she said, and then she pinned Allegra’s dark curls atop her head.
