“First, there’s no room for us here with all of you, and my wife can’t be subject to that many people in the house, anyway. She’s delicate, you understand. We’ve checked into an inn until I can send the other girls back to Wayebury. She wants to get settled back into her home as soon as possible. Of course, you and Gwen will be able to stay and finish your Season—and hopefully she will make a match. If she doesn’t, I should be able to find someone to offer for her.”
Over my dead body,Louisa thought, but remained silently seething.
“I’ll go to the Court of Chancery tomorrow and apply to have my guardianship of you and the girls reinstated.”
Louisa’s heart started pumping faster. “Can you do that after tossing us aside?”
“Of course, so long as the duke doesn’t fight it. And, I mean, why would he? You don’t think he wants to take care of half a dozen girls one day longer than he has to, do you?”
“Five, Uncle,” she ground out. “There are five of us, and being that we are your brother’s children, you should know that.”
“Don’t get huffy with me, young lady.” He rolled his shoulders and pulled on the tail of his coat. “The details of this really don’t concern you. Don’t give it another thought. I’ll take care of everything tomorrow. Now I should go. I won’t bother Ramona today. I’ll wait and speak to her tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” she said, knowing exactly what she was going to do.
Louisa followed her uncle into the house. She found Mrs. Woolwythe and asked her to see that the footman had their carriage brought to the front of the house. She then went up to the schoolroom and asked Miss Kindred to help Bonnie, Sybil, and Lillian get their bonnets and coats for an outing and to meet her belowstairs. She found Gwen and told her the same.
She went into her bedroom, and from her wardrobe she grabbed her coin purse and put it inside her reticule. The girls and Saint met her at the front door.
“Where are we going?” Gwen asked.
“I don’t care where we’re going,” Sybil said. “I’m just glad we’re getting to go somewhere.”
Louisa smiled. “Girls, we are going to the duke’s house.”
“Yippee!” Sybil and Bonnie squealed.
“But no screaming,” Louisa said good-naturedly. “You must talk softly at all times. And Sybil, why don’t you get your button collection to look at or something to keep your hands busy, so you won’t be tempted to touch anything.”
“All right,” she said, and started running up the stairs.
“Can I take my doll?” Bonnie asked. “I don’t want to touch anything and get in trouble either.”
“Of course, but hurry.” Louisa looked at Gwen and Lillian. “If you want to take anything with you, now is the time to go get it.”
“If we can take Saint,” Lillian said, “I’ll get his leash.”
Louisa thought about that and then said, “Yes, let’s take him.” The duke needed to know exactly what he was in for.
A few minutes later, they were all standing outside the duke’s door, staring at the rather stern-looking Mr. Tidmore, who gave them the once-over as he said, “Have you brought the dog back?”
“No,” Bonnie said, loud enough for every neighbor on the street to hear, and Saint barked several times, too. “He’s ours.”
“Bonnie, remember what I said about talking softly,” Louisa said, and then looked back at the butler. “May we see the duke?”
“I’m afraid he’s not in, miss.”
Louisa moistened her lips and said, “May we wait inside for him?”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, miss. I have no idea what time he will be returning. It could be rather late, and he may not want visitors.”
“I won’t touch anything this time, if you let us stay,” Sybil said. “I learned my lesson about that.”
“I didn’t have a lesson to learn,” Bonnie said, “but I won’t touch anything, either.”
Mr. Tidmore stared blankly at the girls but said nothing.
“Girls,” Louisa said. “I’ll handle this. Mr. Tidmore, the duke is our guardian, and it’s most urgent I speak to him when he returns. We will either wait for him in the warmth of the drawing room or we will wait for him in the chill on the front steps.”
