CONFUSED SERVANTS
Meanwhile, at Norwick House
Even before Danielle stepped into Norwick House, the front door held open by Belvedere, tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes. By the time the butler had her redingote in his arms, they had begun to drip down her cheeks, and she sniffled. She fished for a hanky in her pockets, finally lifting a square of embroidered linen to her cheeks.
“My lady?” Belvedere asked in alarm. He moved back to the door and looked out, as if he thought to discover who had Lady Danielle so upset. “Whatever is wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” she replied as she pulled the pin from her hat and handed it to the servant. “Well, not nothing. Just a poorly done marriage proposal.” She hurried through the hall and up the stairs, sniffling as she went.
Belvedere blinked and then rolled his eyes. He was about to return to the butler’s pantry when he heard a commotion out front and returned to the door. Opening it, he gave a start at seeing Lady Dahlia dismounting Norwick House’s newest addition to its equine collection. The Thoroughbred was snorting, its breathing labored.
Riding one of the mares, the head groom, Mr. Winston, was still several yards from the house, although his mount was doing her best to catch up to the Thoroughbred.
Dahlia stomped into the house, belatedly gathering the hem of her mud-splattered riding habit into the crook of an arm before she sailed past the butler and up the stairs.
Sensing the Thoroughbred might bolt—the stable boy hadn’t yet appeared—Belvedere hurried out the door and stepped up to the horse. He grabbed the reins, glancing about nervously until the stable boy came running from the back of the house.
“Whatever has happened?” he asked when the groom halted the mare and dismounted.
Mr. Winston rolled his eyes and took the reins from the butler. “A misunderstanding is all. Some young buck thought her ladyship was in need of saving,” he said before he huffed. “He showed some damn good riding skills, though. Managed to get an Irish walker to run as fast as Vindication here and then pulled her ladyship onto his mount.”
Belvedere’s eyes rounded. “Was she hurt?”
The groom shook his head. “Not a mark on her, other than her pride,” he murmured. He seemed to consider something a moment before he added, “I think the young man proposed marriage to her.”
Glancing back into the house, just to ensure Lady Dahlia hadn’t returned to the front door, Belvedere furrowed a bushy gray brow. “And why would her pride have suffered if she gained a marriage proposal out of it?” Remembering what Lady Danielle had said upon her arrival, he wondered what it was about today that had young men proposing marriage to the Fitzwilliam twins.
Chuckling, the groom said, “Well, she was having the ride of her life on Vindication here, only to have it interrupted,” he explained.
“And the young man? Who was he?”
At this point, Mr. Winston inhaled to respond but seemed at a loss for words. “He looked like Lord Breckenridge, or it could his brother, Andrew,” he finally said. “But I’m quite sure they are both away at university.”
“Hmph. They might have returned to London for Easter,” the butler reasoned. When he noticed that Winston seemed even more perplexed, Belvedere added, “What is it?”
Winston shook his head. “You’ll think him mad, but... well, after he got up from kneeling on the road, the young man got on his horse and rode off like he was going to leave the park. Then all of a sudden like, he halts and dismounts under the arch. Stands there like he’s talking to someone, but there’s no one else in sight. And just as we’re close enough to hail him, he remounts and rides off.”
Belvedere furrowed both of his brows. “What do you suppose he was doing?”
Winston shrugged. “Rehearsing, mayhap? For when he tries again with her ladyship,” he suggested. “It’s just... I really think Lady Dahlia had changed her mind, seein’ as how she was looking all moon-eyed at him. Seemed like she was going to speak with him, so when she was about to call out to him, he looks back, sees we’re close, and then he rides off at full tilt, like he’s being chased by the devil himself.”
Rolling his eyes, Belvedere countered with, “Well, wouldn’t you, if some lady refused your proposal?”
Taken aback, the groom seemed to give this some thought before he said, “Well, I don’t rightly know, seeing as how I would never propose marriage unless I knew the young lady was going to say yes.”
Belvedere grimaced and huffed. About to return to the house, he paused and said, “Well, at least Lady Dahlia wasn’t crying like her sister was when she arrived a few minutes ago.”
The groom shook his head. “What happened to her?”
“A poorly done marriage proposal,” Belvedere replied, deciding he would know more before dinner. The twins would no doubt be sharing their news with their mother at tea time, and he intended to be near the parlor when they did so.
