Page 13 of Her Summer Duke

Chapter Six

The letter to Lady Margaret was not written as soon as Adam had intended. For when he returned to his Inn after walking on the promenade, he found a letter waiting for him. A letter which had turned his world upside down.

It was from his mother, and it bore news of the worst kind. There had been a carriage accident, and not only was his father dead, but his brother, George, was sorely injured and like not to survive. His mother begged that Adam not put to sea, if the letter found him still ashore. She gave the date for his father’s funeral, and he was shocked to see that it was the very day on which the letter had reached him. She begged that he consider returning to Milbrook Park, for he was now heir to the title.

And, in what must have been a most difficult passage for his mother to write, she forgave him for his actions in taking up trade, and asked that he consider coming home permanently, and taking up his role in society.

Shaken, he ordered brandy.

He would have to change everything, which would take some days to arrange. The ship would still sail, but likely a week or more late, and the owners of the cargo would simply have to cope.

He would need to hand over to his First Mate, making the man Captain until a new Captain could be employed, and he would need to contact his partners in the shipping business, and inform them of the situation. And until all of that was done, he could not even begin to consider leaving Brighton. He penned a letter to his mother, expressing his shock, and informed her that he would set things in motion to return to Milbrook Park, but that he could not promise an exact date. Then he went out and bought some clothing suitable for mourning.

Late that evening, he sat, with more brandy, and thought about Lady Margaret. It was now even more imperative that he tell her the truth of his identity, and the truth of his love. For now, his status amongst society had changed – indeed, might change even further, should the worst happen, and George not survive his injuries. And that change would make him well able to provide Lady Margaret with the life she deserved, the conditions which she was accustomed to, and better.

He did not allow himself to explore his grief for his father, lost without them ever having spoken words of reconciliation – that could come later – for now, the practicalities had to rule his days. And the first and most critical thing that he needed to do, was write that letter to Lady Margaret.

An hour later, after much agonising over words, it was written, and sent on its way. Now all that Adam needed to do was sustain his hope that she might forgive his deception, that she might have meant those whispered words of love.

~~~~~

The evening after the picnic, Margaret sat down to pen a letter to the Duke of Saltonbury, to tell him of her decision to cry off from the promise that had bound them for the past eight years. The pen was poised in her hand for some time before she put it to paper.

Dear Saltonbury,

I have begun this letter so many times that it is in sheer embarrassment that I now force myself to complete it. You were so right to tell me that, were we truly meant to be together, we should be consumed by passion and indifferent to doubt and argument by now.

After all, dear Hugh, we have known each other over eight years, since you plucked me from the Avon, and my father secured the promise from you, which we have lived with, as fact, ever since.

Believe me, I shall never forget that I owe you, forever, a debt of gratitude for saving me from the perils of the Avon. Yet I find that, as I have grown from child to woman, I have come to see you differently. And I must wonder just how you now see that promise which you gave so easily, many years ago.

Do you regret it? Or do you love, truly, the woman that child has become?

Then, you were my hero, and I could not imagine anything better than marrying you once I was grown. But now… now I see that you are a man – a good man, but simply a man, and I find that my heart does not beat faster in your presence. I love you, but I am not, any longer, in love with you. I feel badly about our conversation at dinner the other day, for I know that my words perhaps hurt you – yet I cannot regret them, for they held truth. Since then, I have thought most carefully, and I have come to a decision.

I wish to cry off from our promise, no matter that doing so may taint my reputation. I would free you to seek a woman who can truly love you and who you can truly, passionately love, as I would wish to seek a man who I can love passionately, and who will love me that way in return.

Marriage for love may not be common, but it is what I desire.

Let us forgive each other for past hurts, and go forward into our separate lives.

Yours ever and truly,

Lady Margaret Caulfield.

Carefully, she folded and sealed the missive, knowing that she held the key to her future in her hand. Then she rang for a footman, to take the letter to His Grace of Saltonbury immediately, even though the hour was late. Saltonbury Park was not far away, and it should not take long for the missive to reach the Duke.

The footman was instructed to wait for His Grace’s reply, and he set off immediately. Margaret felt a shiver of fear slide through her, yet she was also happy - she had hesitated long enough, now it was time to take control of her life.

She went to the window and drew back the lace curtain to afford herself a better view of the moonlit landscape. She could see only shadows in the gardens, but the moon was more than a half, which gave enough light for her to view the land spread out before her. Somewhere out there the River Avon stretched, where this problem had started in the first place. Had she not fallen into the water, and therefore needed to be saved, her father would not have decided to thank Saltonbury by promising him his only daughter.

She chose not to call Lucy to help her prepare for bed. She would wait, hoping that the Duke did respond immediately. She curled into a chair by the window, idly watching clouds drift across the moon as she waited. Her thoughts returned, again and again, to Ensign Chester, to the feel of his lips on hers, to the way that he had made her feel.

Saltonbury had never raised the slightest hint of those sensations in her. She was sure that she was doing the right thing – wasn’t she? Yet Saltonbury had always been good to her, and to marry a Duke would ensure that she had a secure life of wealth and privilege. What could an Ensign offer in comparison?

The turmoil in her mind would not quiet, and she rose and paced the room. Eventually, when she felt that she had waited many hours she heard the tapping at her chamber door. Involuntarily, she shivered.

“Who is it?”