Leona nodded and waved her forward. “Come in, do. But what do you mean byothers?"she asked with mock trepidation.
Lady Lucy sat on the bench at the end of the bed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counterpane, her chin in one hand. “Everyone wants to capture your attention, to say they know Leona Leonard, heroinepar excellence.”
“Piffle. If that is to be everyone’s attitude, I shall return to Crawfords Dean post haste.”
“No, you won’t. Nigel won’t let you. He is determined that you shall accept our hospitality and our thanks.”
Leona bristled, though with another portion of her mind she noted that Lady Lucy made no mention of safety. Knowing Deveraux’s archaic attitudes, it was an easy wager he’d not thought to tell her either! The man was a monster! She set the hot chocolate down on the tray at her side and placed her hands on her hips. “Deveraux has no right to dictate to me, regardless of how he rules here! He shall have his ears boxed if he tries to order me about.”
Lucy giggled. “Nigel does not suffer interference well.”
“Well, then it is past time he learned! How did he get to be so autocratic? He acts as ifhewere the Earl of Nevin.”
A stricken look twisted tender Lucy’s features. She sat up. “Oh, no. Please don’t say that. Whatever you do, please don’t say that to Nigel.”
Leona tipped her head, giving Lucy an odd look. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
Lucy sucked in her upper lip, the tip of her pink tongue peeking out as she paused in thought. “All his life,” she began slowly, “the people on the estate and in the village have treated Nigel like he was the heir. It is no wonder. Physically, he is more lively and athletic than Brandon. His is more the commanding presence. When Nigel strides into a room, you know he’s there!”
“That is certainly true.”
Lucy paused as she thought of her eldest brother. “Brandon is reed slender and-and more the recluse, given to a world of books and quiet contemplation. It’s like—well, it’s like Nigel is the wild, raging thunderstorm and Brandon the gentle, nurturing shower.” She blushed. “That’s a rather fanciful analogy I suppose, but I want you to understand how different they are. For all their differences, Nigel adores Brandon. He would most likely cut off his right hand before he’d do anything to hurt Brandon! But you see, when Father died, and Brandon became earl, there were problems. Not between the two of them!There were problems withotherpeople and their reactions to them. People inadvertently began addressing Nigel as if he were the new earl! They came to him with their problems and their questions. At first, he didn’t realize what was happening, that he was undermining his brother’s authority. Then one day, he gave an order that conflicted with Brandon’s. The tenant involved chose to follow Nigel’s direction over Brandon’s.”
“Egad! What happened?”
“Nothing as devastating as one might imagine. Brandon took it lightly, finding humor in it. But then again, that is Brandon’s way. Nigel, on the other hand, was furious. He came close to throttling poor Jem Webster, the tenant involved. He made him shout one hundred times:Brandon Deveraux is Earl of Nevin. His word is law.”
“Gracious, that is one way of making sure the notion stuck, and, I’ll wager, for more people than poor Mr. Webster!”
“True. But Nigel was not content with that. He felt it would be best for Brandon if he left Castle Marin so no one else could be tempted to the same unfortunate circumstances. Nigel knows his personality is far stronger than Brandon’s. For Brandon’s sake, he could not be around to overshadow him, so he used his inheritance money to buy a lieutenant’s commission and sailed to Portugal to join Wellington’s army. He said it was his duty to remove himself from the local situation for the sanity and strength of all involved. Then, too, the army agreed with him. He did well and earned promotion after promotion. We all thought he would make a career of it.”
“But he’s back now and, it appears, ruling Castle Marin as if it were his.”
“What you don’t understand is that he doesn’t want to be here. Especially now that Boney has escaped. He positivelychafesat being away from his regiment. You see, the only reason he is here is because Brandon is sick.”
“It’s consumption, isn’t it?” Leona asked gently.
Lucy nodded. “Brandon wanted to go to Switzerland for treatment. He asked Nigel to come home—for him. Reluctantly, Nigel agreed.”
“Then it is far worse. The earl is not even dead, and Nigel is anticipating that event by taking over his responsibilities.”
"Only because Brandon asked him to.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand the distinction you’re trying to make.”
“Nigel is not Prince John trying to steal the crown from his brother, King Richard. Though like John, he rules in the king’s stead.”
“And ruling comes naturally to him.”
“Yes, it does. He sees it as his duty.”
Leona smiled as she leaned back against the pillows. She took a sip of chocolate. “Our situations are much alike. Perhaps that is why we chafe one against the other. My brother, the heir to Lion’s Gate, is out of the country. I am ruling the estate in his absence, for it is my duty to the family to do so. But for some reason I as yet cannot fathom, your brother would deny that I have a duty, or even know the word’s meaning!”
Lucy shook her head, then smiled ruefully. “I don’t suppose there is an accounting for it, but as you said the other night, men are not as rational and logical as we women.”
They laughed together at that. Then Leona declared it was time she was up. She tossed aside her covers and got up, put on her dressing gown, and crossed to the vanity to do her morning ritual of one hundred brush strokes to her hair. Lucy trailed behind her. She knelt backward on a fiddle-back gilt chair with her chin resting on the top, her hands gripping the sides.
“I should send my dresser, Sarah Jewitt, to you. She is a wonder with hair, and yours has a natural wave that I’ll wager she can coax into some of those beautiful new styles . . . I wasquite fortunate to get Jewitt, you know. Dressers are a cut above abigails, and they rarely communicate with other household servants. Only the cream of the abigails ever makes dresser. It is quite a distinction. And they know everything there is to know about fashion and style. They can tell in a trice if a color or style would suit one.”
