15

Emmie was distracted as she dressed for dinner. Thankfully Lottie, reveling in her new position as lady’s maid, made up for this. “Ooh, aren’t they lovely!” Lottie gasped when Emmie retrieved the diamond hairpins she had worn for her wedding and passed them to Lottie to dress her hair.

“Yes, they were a bride-gift from his lordship,” she said a little self-consciously.

Lottie’s eyes were very wide. “Fancy! And did you have a very grand ceremony, milady?” Lottie had brought fresh flowers along to dress Emmie’s hair for dinner and she was placing them now very artfully in her hair arrangement.

“Oh yes,” Emmie answered absently, drawing on her evening gloves. She supposed she ought to wear them even though they were dining at home. She thought of the state dining room and realized embellishment was needed of her orange silk evening gown, which was about a decade out of style.

Noticing Lottie’s expectant look in the mirror, she realized her maid was hoping for more details about the wedding. “It was at St. Matthew in the Avon in Bath,” she added. “A very old church, twelfth century I believe, but it has recently undergone restoration and looks very smart.”

“And did you have much family there, milady?” It crossed Emmie’s mind that Lottie was fishing for information to take back to the servants’ hall. But after all, why should she not? Her new position should ensure she had some exclusive tidbits about her mistresses to impart.

“Not on my side. I am an orphan, but Jeremy’s stepaunt was in attendance,” she recalled, though she could not bring her name to mind. “And Lord Atherton was groomsman. I understand he comes often to Vance.”

“Oh yes, milady. He has been a frequent visitor over the years.”

“And afterward, the wedding breakfast was held at the civic hall. It was quite a banquet. His lordship had invited, well, some society people from the time when we were first acquainted,” she said in perfect truth. “A thoughtful attention I had not expected,” she continued with an attempt at breeziness she was not entirely sure she pulled off. “Some of them I had not seen for years.”

Lottie nodded, her eyes shining. “Would that be from when you were a debutante, milady?” she asked. Seeing Emmie’s startled look, she added, “You mentioned that this morning, milady.”

“Oh, of course I did. Yes, from that time,” she agreed quietly. “That was when I first met Lord Faris. Only, he had not acceded to his title in those days and was just an honorable.” She hoped this was enough information for Lottie to dazzle the other servants with, for she could not bring herself to embellish further.

Lottie beamed. “Your hair is dressed, milady. Shall I fetch your jewel case?” Emmie had just opened her mouth to decline the offer when she recalled it was no longer empty. Lottie was just clasping the string of lustrous pearls about her neck when a discreet knock was heard on her bedroom door.

Inexplicably, her heart leaped into her throat. “Come in!” she called, turning in her seat toward the connecting door, which she had already unlocked that evening. It did not move. Instead, it was the door into the corridor which swung open, and Pinky’s head peered around it.

“I trust I do not intrude, Emmie dear,” she said, her astonished gaze darting about the luxurious bedroom.

“Of course not, Pinky dear, come in. Lottie, this is my dearest friend in all the world, Miss Hannah Pinson. Pinky, this is my new lady’s maid, Lottie.”

“Oh, how prettily you have done her hair!” Pinky exclaimed, instantly winning favor with Lottie. “I am sure it is just as beautifully done as it was on your wedding day, Emmie!”

“Have you passed a pleasant day?” Emmie enquired, noticing that her friend was already dressed in her best bombazine gown for dinner.

“Oh yes,” Pinky answered at once, coming into the room with her skirts rustling. “Oh, Emmie, the cottage is going to be wonderful, quite wonderful. Only fancy, there are two good-sized bedrooms, besides a little box room, a front parlor, and the garden ,” she said rapturously. “It is true that at the moment it is quite unkempt, but I mean to change all that and tend it most assiduously. And you will never guess what it is called!” she concluded, holding her breath.

Emmie considered this, remembering Gladys’s words from earlier. “Elm Tree Cottage?” she hazarded.

“ Plumtree Cottage!” Pinky declared triumphantly. “Is that not providential? Is that not a sign?” At Emmie’s blank look, she added, “Do you not recall my saying that a cottage is not complete without larkspurs and a plum tree?”

“Oh yes, of course,” Emmie hastened to assure her as Lottie clasped her diamond bracelet about her gloved wrist. She stood up. “Thank you, Lottie.” She turned to Pinky. “Shall we?”

Pinky kept up her excited chatter about the cottage as they descended the stairs together. “The current furniture such as it is, is not , well, not in good condition but I am sure that I can make do, and bit by bit I can—”

“Well, the furniture from Winkworth Street will be here any day now,” Emmie reminded her. “You must have whatever you want from that for your cottage.”

Pinky halted on her step, turning toward her. “Oh, Emmie!” she gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks. “You must not think—I could not possibly—!”

“Nonsense, Pinky dear,” Emmie said firmly. “I am sure you noticed how stuffed to the gills this place is with priceless treasures. Jeremy has already called in goodness only knows how many decorators and designers. I have nowhere to put our old furniture! Certainly, you must have it. I’ll brook no argument on the matter.”

She tugged on her friend’s arm, dragging her down to the next step. “Now, by my reckoning, that means you have bedroom furniture enough for your two bedrooms and—”

Pinky turned to her and caught her in a spontaneous embrace. “You are far, far too good to me!” she said fiercely.

“Now, Pinky, don’t you dare cry!”

By the time they reached the hallway, both of them were a little misty-eyed. Jeremy was in full evening dress and looking very elegant as he lounged in the huge hall, awaiting them. His smile as he crossed the floor to greet them gave her the oddest sensation of butterflies in her stomach.

He was just kissing her hand and asking Pinky about her day when the knocker sounded loudly at the main entrance. He straightened up with a look of surprise.

“Did you invite anyone, Papa?” Teddy asked as he descended the last few steps in a blue velvet suit with a decorated collar.

“No,” Jeremy frowned. “Only—” He broke off as Garraway ceremoniously opened the door to reveal two visitors stood on the threshold. Three, if you included the baby the woman held in her arms. “Well, I’ll be damned!” Jeremy said loudly, in obvious astonishment.

The man coming through the door laughed, a rather harsh sound. He looked an intimidating sort, tall and broad and with a brash air which his red silk waistcoat and black suit somehow enhanced. “Well, it’s good to know I needn’t mind my tongue too much among such company,” he said dryly as they advanced into the hall.

“Come in, you’re very welcome!” Jeremy said, recovering fast. “I’m glad you came.” He shot an oddly agonized look at Emmie which she could not account for. “This is my sister, Mina, that I told you of,” he said in a low urgent voice. “And her husband, William Nye. He—”

“Uncle Nye!” Teddy yelled, flying across the marble floor. The man caught him up in his arms and swung him around once before setting him back down again. “Mind your manners, you ruffian,” he scolded, ruffling his hair. “Now greet your aunt in a civilized fashion.”

His wife, by contrast, was good-looking in a rather understated manner. She was tall and wore her brown hair in a demure roll at her nape and wore very little decoration save for a mother-of-pearl hair comb and a cameo brooch depicting the profile of an old woman with a determined chin. She bent down and offered her cheek to Teddy, who obligingly kissed it.

“I am glad to see you looking well,” she said calmly to Teddy. Then sent a challenging look toward Jeremy, which seemed to spur him into action. Offering Emmie his arm, they advanced to greet the newcomers.

“This is Baby James, Mama!” Teddy cried. “Come and see.”

Was it Emmie’s imagination, or had the lady paused at hearing him address her as Mama? She felt a sudden misgiving. Perhaps Jeremy’s sister had been close with his former wife. Garraway was helping her to remove her cape and bonnet as Nye took the baby from her with a practiced move. Emmie noticed he wore no hat atop his black hair.

Suddenly, his likeness struck her, and she drew in a swift, sharp breath. She could not help the glance she darted toward the portrait of Jeremy’s father. If nothing else, she had to check the fourth viscount had not stepped down out of the canvas to join them. But no, he was still there, gazing coldly out of his gold frame.

Jeremy’s fingers briefly clasped hers in a warning squeeze, and she knew he must have noticed her stealing a look. Plastering a smile to her face, Emmie braced herself as the various introductions were made. Neither Mrs. nor Mr. Nye appeared shocked when she was introduced as Jeremy’s wife, though they both subjected her to rather hard stares and she was informed that he answered to “just Nye, forget the mister.”

Instantly, Emmie wished she was not currently flaunting every piece of jewelry she owned. It was a funny thing, but she had left her bedroom, anxious that her finery drew attention away from her faded silk gown. Now she wished for the opposite effect. Mina’s understated gown of lavender silk and her cool politeness made Emmie feel ostentatious and showy.

Jeremy’s sister was so different to him! She tried to remember what Mrs. Cheviot had told her earlier that day. Mrs. Nye had been raised somewhere other than Cornwall and had been the result of his mother’s second marriage. That meant they had different fathers, of course, which made sense considering who Mr. Nye’s father must blatantly have been.

No, she should not presume, she told herself as the first course was served, a cream of asparagus soup. He could perhaps be a cousin or some such thing. Then she remembered Mrs. Cheviot saying Mina’s husband was an innkeeper. That seemed to suggest that the connection to the Vance family was not such a close one. Emmie’s head reeled as she tried to puzzle it out. She hardly knew what to think.

A steady trickle of conversation was held throughout as Mina asked after Teddy’s health and where they had stayed in Bath, and which spots they had visited. Jeremy’s sister was very familiar with the town, having lived there for a good many years since childhood.

Jeremy drew Emmie into the conversation by explaining she, too, had lived in Bath and she and Pinky happily shared their favorite spots, mostly tea shops and bakeries. Mina spoke encouragingly of the Natural History Museum and the Botanical Gardens and some mutual ground was found in that they all admired the Royal Victoria Park.

Only one section of the huge dining table was in use, so at least they were sat close enough that none of them needed to shout. Then again, Emmie could see that Pinky was suffering acutely, sat as she was opposite Mr. Nye, who possessed that type of alarming masculinity that her friend shrank from the most.

It was curious, for though he spoke the least, he managed somehow to make his presence felt through a series of grimaces, snorts, or eloquent shrugs. Funnily enough, Emmie did not think that Mr. Nye was terribly at ease either. The next course was the fish course, filet de soles and lobster rissoles. Nye did not bother with the fish knife and fork though he tucked in heartily to the baked salmon in a hollandaise sauce.

He frequently tugged at his collar and shrugged his big shoulders as though he found his coat constricting. After the main course was served, a braised beef with roasted vegetables, he finally asked his wife if he could remove “the damned thing” and no sooner had she assented than he shrugged it off, dragged off his necktie, popped open the top collar of his shirt, and started rolling up his sleeves.

“I did not mean for you to make yourself that comfortable, Nye,” his wife commented ruefully. He turned toward her and winked, slinging his arm over the back of his chair.

Jeremy laughed. “You must not scold him, Mina. If he can be made comfortable, perhaps he will grace us with his presence here again. Who knows?” Nye looked skeptical but made no reply.

“May I take my collar off, Mama?” Teddy asked, turning at once to Emmie.

“Your collar is not tight, Teddy,” she pointed out. “Why should you wish to remove it?”

He frowned. “I am too old to wear lace collars now I am nine.”

“Oh, but it’s such a pretty collar, dear!” Pinky could not forbear objecting. “With such intricate lacework.”

“That’s why,” Teddy glowered, glancing at his uncle for support. Nye affected not to notice. “Cousin James can have all my lace collars,” Teddy said with sudden inspiration. “I daresay they are suitable for a baby.”

“They would be far too big for him,” Emmie said, glancing over at Baby James, who, in the absence of any nursery staff, was being passed between the two footmen. Currently Colfax had a firm hold of him and was rocking him with an easy grace, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Aunt Mina could alter them for him,” Teddy said irrepressibly. “She has a big sewing box, I’ve seen it.”

Mina pressed her lips together and Emmie threw a glance of appeal at Jeremy. “When you are eleven and sent off to school, you can relinquish your lace collars,” Jeremy said firmly. “And not until then.”

Teddy thrust out his bottom lip but fortunately, dessert appeared at this point to sweeten his mood. Today it was a selection of cream layered cakes and a chocolate mousse, all of which met with his approval.

Pinky tentatively asked Mrs. Nye if, while in Bath, she had a subscription to the lending library. Much to their surprise, she had not. “My father, being a schoolmaster, did not approve of novels,” she admitted awkwardly. “In fact, he quite forbade them at the school, fearing they would cause moral degradation among his female pupils.”

Emmie felt herself turn red and poor Pinky looked quite mortified. Jeremy spoke up at this point to tell Mina that she did not know what she was missing out on. He told her of their plans to dedicate an area of the library to a collection of novels and told her that she must feel free to browse them and borrow one when it had been set up.

“I don’t know about that,” Nye rumbled. “I like to be the one who degrades my wife’s morals.” Now it was Mina’s turn to redden. Emmie noticed she flashed a look at her husband that seemed to promise retribution later. Not that he seemed perturbed. If anything, the brief smile playing about his lips would seem to indicate he looked forward to it.

After dinner, Emmie, Pinky, and Mina withdrew to the white and gold drawing room with Teddy and Baby James while Nye and Jeremy remained to smoke cigars and drink port. At least, Emmie supposed Jeremy would eschew the port and limit himself to an after-dinner smoke if past habits were to be relied upon.

Pinky visibly relaxed as they moved away from the menfolk. Emmie could tell that last remark about degraded morals had completely overset her. Higgins passed the baby to his mother and then left to fetch them a tray of drinks.

Teddy took Pinky by the hand and led her at once to the large stone foot to regale her with its dubious history. She and Mina sat side by side on one of the white sofas.

“I hope you did not think I share my father’s views on novels,” Mina said apologetically. “I did not mean to imply judgment earlier, merely to explain why I have never indulged. I always used to seek out the more thrilling reads myself in the periodicals we subscribed to. I daresay I should enjoy a novel very much.”

Feeling relieved at this olive branch, Emmie smiled at her. “Then I hope you will borrow one from us when they arrive, though it is possible you do not have much time to yourself at present, with young James.” They both looked at the baby. “He is a very bonny child, how old is he?”

“He will be a year old in August,” Mina said fondly, turning the child in her lap.

“Teddy is very proud to have a cousin, he told us of him on our journey here from Bath.”

Mina looked interested. “Did you live in Bath long, Lady Faris?”

“I wish you would call me Emmie. I lived there some eight years all told.”

“As you will have gathered, I am from Bath myself. My father used to run a school there, The Hill School for young ladies. I used to teach there myself as a matter of fact.” When Emmie nodded but showed no knowledge of that establishment, she looked a little disappointed. “I assume you were educated in London.”

“Yes, though I did not attend school. I had a governess at home.”

“Did I hear Jeremy say that Miss Pinson was your governess before she was your companion?” Mina asked.

“That is so,” Emmie agreed.

“I understand she is taking over my nephew’s lessons until he goes away to school.” Mina hesitated. “I am glad Jeremy is thinking of his schooling again. Teddy has been without structure for too long. His previous tutor did not suit.” She paused. “A pity, but there it is. And then there was his illness… His education has consequently suffered.”

“He is improving by the day,” Emmie said, glancing over to see her stepson disappearing out of the door with Pinky in tow.

“He certainly looks a good deal better,” Mina agreed.

Higgins sailed in carrying in a tray of coffee. He placed it on a low gold table in front of Emmie. “Thank you, Higgins.”

“Now where do you suppose that boy has dragged Miss Pinson off to?” Mina asked with a smile. “As far as his nursery?”

Emmie echoed her smile. “My own suspicion is that he has taken her to the library to show her an illustration of the Colossus of Rhodes. He wanted to show it to me earlier, but his father prevented him.”

Mina gave her a curious look. “You are on excellent terms with my nephew I see,” she said. “I am glad. I notice he calls you Mama already.”

“That was at his own initiative, I assure you,” Emmie explained hurriedly. “I am sure he will tell you all about it, but it was actually Teddy that picked me out for his new mama in the first place.” She used the surprised silence that greeted these words to pour out three cups of coffee. “Cream?” she asked. “Sugar?”

Fortunately at this point, Teddy and Miss Pinson reappeared. Teddy was carrying a large leather-bound tome which he brought straight over to Emmie. As she had expected, it was open at the page showing the Colossus standing astride the harbor at Rhodes.

“What an impressive sight it must have been,” she said. “Truly a wonder. Only see how the ships sailed between his legs!” She pointed to the picture. “Imagine being in that boat and looking up at the statue towering above you.”

Teddy nodded. “It’s a lucky thing he was wearing a loincloth,” he said, dumbfounding all three ladies. Emmie felt her cheeks turn hot, while Mina went off in a coughing fit. As for Pinky, she was quite frozen in horror. “It says here,” Teddy continued, quite oblivious to their reaction, “that an earthquake caused the Colossus to snap off at the knees, whereupon it fell into the sea. Don’t you think that’s rather too bad?”

“I wonder why they did not rebuild it,” Emmie said loudly, hoping to distract him while poor Pinky recovered. Her friend was still standing aghast, a hand pressed to her slight bosom. Emmie hoped she was not having palpitations.

“I’ll find out,” Teddy said, seizing Miss Pinson’s wrist. They retreated to the opposite sofa but not before Pinky grabbed her coffee to fortify herself with. She was still looking sadly shaken.

Emmie turned back to Mina, who was watching her. “You are good with him,” she said, “but he is already far too much for your friend to deal with. I fear she is not up to the task of handling my nephew.”

Despite the fact her words echoed Emmie’s own fears, she had to make an effort not to bristle. “Hannah is not used to dealing with boys, that is all,” she said defensively. “And it is only an interim measure after all.”

Mina made no comment, and Emmie looked across to where Pinky and Teddy were now sat poring over the open book together. “He is such a sweet, imaginative child,” she said.

“He is that. He is also a rare handful,” Mina said, lifting her coffee cup. Before taking a sip, she plunked it back down again into her saucer. “Did Teddy really pick you out for my brother’s bride?” she asked forthrightly.

“Yes, he did,” Emmie replied and took a sip of hot coffee. “I think, you know, that it must have been that same imagination of his at work, and that same sweetness.” At Mina’s querying look, she said, “He heard from a third party, you see, of my unsuccessful London season ten years ago.”

She took a deep breath. “Your brother was the only gentleman to sign my dance card without inducement,” she shared, deciding to skate over the rest of it. “And Lily, the third party I mean, did not hesitate to paint me in a somewhat pathetic light. Instead of seeing me as a comical figure, the story engaged Teddy’s sympathies and thirst for justice. He felt for my plight, and he wanted to see the balance redressed.”

“Justice?” Mina repeated quietly. A glimmer of comprehension showed in her eyes which quite disconcerted Emmie. Botheration! She had not meant to betray Jeremy’s role. She gripped her cup tightly. “My, er, finances had sadly dwindled since my London days. I was living in Bath pretty much in genteel poverty,” she admitted, her throat closing over the words.

“Found it!” Teddy announced excitedly. “It says here, the citizens of Rhodes were afraid they had angered the god Helios, and that was why the Colossus fell. They did not dare to raise it again, in case they further caused his displeasure.”

“What does the god Helios have to do with it?” Emmie asked, happy for a change of subject.

“That was who the Colossus was supposed to be, Mama,” Teddy answered. “The sun god, Helios.”

“Oh, I had not realized,” Emmie murmured, feeling foolish and probably giving an even worse impression of Pinky’s skills as an educator. “I thought the Colossus was quite a separate figure in his own right.”

“Oh dear,” said Pinky. “I always find these pagan gods so very confusing! I was quite under the impression that the god associated with the sun was Apollo.”

Fortunately, at this point Baby James started to cry, and the subject was dropped altogether.