“I am glad for I feared I might have overstepped by interfering.” They reached the table, and Caleb helped her into her chair, which was placed directly next to his own. The meal commenced with a light fish soup followed by roast veal and vegetables, orange slices, and gravy. Conversation ensued, flowing easily around the table as topics ranging from Society news to more private family matters were discussed with friendly ease.
They were just commencing dessert when a loud succession of thumps sounded from the direction of the foyer. “Wait!” Murdoch’s voice was more strained than usual and sounded thoroughly startled. “Allow me…I will just…They have guests!”
“No matter,” another much louder and firmer voice said.
And then the dining room door swung open, and a man who looked much like Caleb and Griffin walked in. His hair was longer than theirs and swept back in a queue, his brow weightier, and his jaw somehow squarer. His dress coat was cut from midnight blue wool and trimmed with gold braiding on the collar, cuffs, and hem. The buttons were gold too, gleaming like newly minted guineas. White breeches hugged his legs, but rather than the stockings and shoes Caleb would have expected, he wore boots polished to a gleaming shine.
“Devlin!” Their mother was the first to speak. She pushed back from the table and attempted to rise, but her gown caught on one of the chair legs and held her in place.
Rising swiftly, Caleb helped her away from the table so she could go and greet her son, whose eyes swept the length of the table with marked curiosity. “My apologies for disturbing your meal. I believed my mother might be anxious to see me.”
“And so I am.” The duchess embraced him and pressed her cheek to his chest while Devlin’s arms closed around her.
“It is good to see you too,” Devlin said. He held her a few seconds more before letting her go. Stepping further into the room, he looked at Caleb and Griffin in turn. “I set sail for England as soon as the news of Papa and George reached me, but I was off the coast of India, so it took time to get here.” Crossing to where Caleb stood, he met his gaze steadily. “It is good to see you again, brother.” He turned to Griffin and quirked his lips. “You too, you scoundrel.”
Clasping Devlin’s hand, Caleb held it firmly while the time wedged between them gradually vanished. “It is good to see you as well,” he said. “There is much for us to discuss. But first, allow me to introduce you to some friends of ours.”
Devlin bowed to all the women in turn and went to shake Mr. Clemens’s hand.
“Would you like some supper to be brought in for you?” the duchess asked.
“No, thank you,” Devlin said. “I believe I’ll remove myself to a bedchamber. I’ll ask Murdoch to have a tray sent up.”
“Are you certain?” the duchess asked. She looked very disappointed.
“Yes,” he assured her. “I have just stepped off my ship after a month-long voyage. A bath is in order before I sit down to dine, and some rest would not be bad either. I shall see you in the morning.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Caleb said and excused himself before following Devlin into the hallway. “I gather from your attire that you are the captain of your own ship now?”
Devlin nodded. “Worked my way up the ranks these past ten years.” He paused by the stairs. “It is strange to think of you as a duke. Never expected it, if you know what I mean.”
Caleb nodded. “It doesn’t really suit me, which is why I’m planning a different sort of life for myself.”
“Oh?”
“I prefer manual labor, and I think I’ve found a woman who’ll accept that about me – a woman who has no interest in a traditional duke and who won’t be disappointed by the simple life I am hoping to lead.”
Devlin’s eyebrows rose. “Was she in there?” He jutted his chin in the direction of the dining room.
“Miss Clemens is her name,” Caleb said. “She’s the blonde woman sitting opposite Mama.”
A low whistle suggested Devlin’s approval. “You’ll have to tell me more about her tomorrow.”
“And you will have to tell me what you’ve been up to since I last saw you. I’m sure you’ve had all manner of adventure. But in the meantime, I think I’ll request a bath for you.” Caleb made a show of scrunching his nose. “In spite of your fine attire, you reek of seaweed and fish.”
Devlin laughed and started up the stairs. “There’s no better smell,” he told Caleb over his shoulder, “but I’ll bow to your sensibilities since I am a guest beneath your roof.”
18
By the timeSaturday evening arrived and it was time to leave for Huntingham House where Sarah now lived, Mary had decided to stop hoping for a speedy engagement because it clearly wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t sure what Caleb was waiting for, but apparently he had all the time in the world to make her his wife and build them a cottage. He was not in a hurry, that much was clear.
Also, there was his brother Devlin’s return which had, as was to be expected, preoccupied much of his time in the days that followed the dinner he’d hosted at Camberly House. When she had seen him, it had been brief and had invariably ended with him rushing off.
“Do you think Camberly's brothers might be in attendance this evening?” Cassandra casually asked as they rode toward Huntingham House.
Squeezed between her friends on the bench opposite her parents, Mary hoped for a speedy arrival. The voluminous gowns they were wearing weren't helping their comfort.
“I imagine Lord Griffin will be,” Mary said. “I do hope you are right,” Emily murmured, so quietly Mary was sure no one else could hear.
