Initially, when the Duke had given him things, Jimmy would simply hoard them, whether needed or not. It had never occurred to him to pass such items onto others. The desperate desire to simply survive meant that any care for one’s fellow man could be abandoned at the drop of a hat for something as little as a loaf of bread.
Gradually though, over the years, Jimmy had come to respect his mentor. But more than that, he worshipped him. The Duke could be harsh, but he was always scrupulously fair. He believed that an accident of birth did not make one better and indeed that the wealthy had an obligation to those who had nothing. The villagers in Blackmore did not starve. His grace made sure that even the meanest of them had a roof over their head and food in their belly. And he could always be appealed to for help. If the Duke believed a claim valid, he never withheld his assistance.
Did that stretch to allowing a servant to lend out his carriage to a woman who looked as though she didn’t have sixpence to rub together? Jimmy believed so.
But that didn’t make the journey any easier or go any faster. After attempting on the first day to make polite conversation (it didn’t hurt to get the practice in), Jimmy had subsided to uneasy silence for the following two. He didn’t know Lizzy Fletcher. Oh he knewofher. Her husband had served with the Duke, and most people thought him too ripe and ready by half. When he disappeared, there wasn’t many who missed him. Since then, Lizzy had kept herself to herself, so her asking to come with him to London was a bit of a turn up. He wondered why. As far as he knew, she’d not left Blackmore since the day she arrived.
Still, it was none of his affair. He’d drop her off at Whitechapeland be on his way.
∞∞∞
Chastity sat in her bedchamber and brooded. Whatever Nicholas, her father and the Earl were talking about, it seemed to be taking an inordinately long time. It shouldn’t be taking this long surely. But mayhap he was having second thoughts. When they’d spoken in the early hours, he’d been desperate. Except, now he had the Duke of Blackmore’s backing, he no longer needed her to help him clear his name. But then she reasoned, he might no longer have her brother-in-law’s support if he declined to make an honest woman of her.
Unfortunately, there was no certainty of that. Her situation was entirely of her own making and in truth, Stanhope owed her nothing. The Duke would see it so, she knew.
Round and round her thoughts went, until she felt like screaming. The knock, when it finally came, almost had her jumping out of her skin. ‘His grace requests your presence in his study, Miss Chastity,’ Bailey intoned from outside the door. Her heart gave a dull thud.
‘Tell his grace I’ll be with him shortly,’ she answered breathlessly. Then smoothing down her skirts, she looked into the mirror. She was deathly pale. Almost a ghost in the late afternoon light. Pinching her cheeks and biting her lips to give them some colour, she took a deep breath and headed to her fate.
Her nerves threatened to get the better of her as she stood outside the door, but the sudden arrival of Grace helped to calm her. ‘It seems we’ve been summoned,’ her sister declared drily. ‘Chin up, darling. Things are looking decidedly better than they did this morning.’ Chastity nodded her head and managed a slight smile. Grace touched her shoulder lightly, then, without knocking, pushed open the door and swept into the room, trilling, ‘You called, your grace?’ She then proceeded to give a deep, mocking curtsy.
Nicholas regarded his wife’s exaggerated entrance with amused exasperation. ‘Please take a seat, ladies,’ was all he said. To Chastity, who’d followed meekly on behind her sister, he gave a reassuring smile.
As they entered, the Earl prepared to stand, until the Duke stopped him. ‘As you may well have observed with my wife’s theatrical entrance, we do not stand on ceremony in this family. Naturally, it may have something to do with my wife’s lowly birth.’ Christian’s eyes widened at the implied insult, but to his surprise, the Duchess didn’t appear at all affronted. ‘Lawks, ain’t you the cocksure gent,’ she grinned as she took her seat.
The Reverend snorted and shook his head. ‘Are you certain you wish to join this family,’ he sighed. ‘All dicked in the nob. Every last one of ‘em.’
‘Then mayhap my daughter and I will fit in better than I’d expected,’ was Christian’s only wry comment. As the room fell silent, his eyes sought out Chastity. During the banter, she’d been staring mutely down at her skirts, but at the sudden hush, she looked up, her own eyes locking on the Earl’s.
Despite the earlier, lighthearted banter, when he finally spoke directly to her, Stanhope’s words were formal, even stilted. A far cry from the arrogant rake with whom she’d made such a cake of herself little more than a week ago. ‘I have spoken with his grace and your father, Miss Shackleford, and it’s been agreed that a union between us should suffice to keep the gossipmongers at bay. All that remains is for you to accept my offer of marriage.’
Chastity stared at the Earl’s unsmiling face. As a proposal, she thought perhaps she’d give him credit for actually opening his mouth, but she supposed she should be simply grateful he was prepared to get her out of the suds. She found herself nodding. Then, clearing her throat, she added an almost inaudible, ‘Thank you.’
‘I will put an announcement in the Morning Post,’ the Duke interjected briskly. ‘It should silence the gossips before they get a chance to cause any real damage.’
‘Perhaps you would like to bring your daughter to dinner tomorrow evening?’ Grace added, having recovered her poise. ‘It would be an opportunity for her to get to know us a little.’
‘Not sure that’s a good thing before the deuced ceremony’s over with,’ Reverend Shackleford hmphed. While relieved at the thought of getting Chastity leg shackled, it had to be said he was feeling particularly miffed at the thought he would likely now be excluded from any snooping.
The Earl nodded his head. ‘That would be delightful, thank you.’
‘I will arrange to have dinner early so the children can attend. Would five o’clock suit you, Lord Cottesmore?’
‘Christian, please, if we are not to stand on ceremony. And yes, five will be perfect.’ Climbing to his feet, he looked over at the Duke who correctly interpreted his anxious expression.
‘I’ll have Malcolm begin making enquiries as to Witherspoon’s whereabouts immediately,’ Nicholas assured him. ‘In the meantime, do you have the stomach to brave White’s with me this evening? Four of my brothers-in-law will be there to offer their support.’
The Earl laughed ruefully. ‘I’m not sure which will be worse, facing the gossips or being examined for flaws by the rest of the family.’
‘Oh you have no worries about the men,’ Grace commented. ‘Total sweethearts, all of them. It’s their wives you’ll have to impress.’ She looked over and smiled at Chastity who was quietly watching the exchange.
Chastity dutifully smiled back. It was all very jolly. Old animosities had been put aside, and they were all happily agreeing on the next steps. And not once had anyone thought to consult her. The Earl had hardly looked her way since his proposal as though her approval of the proceedings was a forgone conclusion. She supposed at the end of the day it didn’t matter what she thought. By tying her garter in public, she’d become merely a problem to be solved. And solve it they had. Clearly to everyone’s satisfaction.
As the Earl made his farewells, lifting her fingers to press a perfunctory kiss on her knuckle, Chastity wanted nothing more than to land him a prime facer.
Her foolishness had got her into this mess, but if he thought her simply the price he had to pay in return for the Duke of Blackmore’s support, he was going to find himself very quickly corrected.
She might have lost her belief in romance, but she’d be damned if she’d be any man’s afterthought.
