CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

C HAPTER T WENTY -F IVE

A nother two nights passed without the men who were damaging Oriana’s property coming again. Charlie was thankful that his former military servants were able to stop the tenants and other servants from becoming discouraged with waiting. They taught them more animal calls and assigned each area keeping watch their own call. And a budding romance seemed to be growing between Green One and one of his grooms. He’d be interested to see how that developed.

Oriana’s tenants and servants weren’t the only ones on edge. She was as well. Although, to be honest with himself, Charlie hadn’t helped by keeping both of them awake a great deal of the night. He couldn’t resist making love to her. Fortunately the use of the back lanes allowed them to spend a great deal of time at Stanwood Place without the whole countryside knowing about it.

One point of progress was that Jamison finally arrived with the special license. He strode into Charlie’s study. “I have it, my lord.”

He took the packet. “What kept you?”

“A series of mishaps. We were between posting inns where our teams are kept when the leader went lame. That caused us to spend a night on the road. When we arrived in Town it was too late to purchase the license. Then, the next day, when I arrived at the Bishop of Canterbury’s office in Town, the clerk was ill and the person standing in for him had very little idea of what to do. I was told to come back the next day. We left as soon as I got back to Stanwood House, but by then it was afternoon.”

“Your saga resembles what is happening here. The wedding is still scheduled to be held within the week, but I feel as if I’m walking slowly underwater. Thank God you’ve returned.”

Jamison peered closely at Charlie. “You look like you haven’t had much sleep.”

“Not as much as I would like. We’re keeping watch at Miss Ognon’s estate to see if those villains appear again. Everyone is a little irritable. I hope something happens soon.” This type of open-ended project was hard to keep going.

Jamison lowered himself into a chair in front of Charlie’s desk. “Has there been anything else from Pettigrew?”

“A letter arrived asking for a meeting. I sent it back, telling him that unless I saw a valid contract, I would not discuss anything with him.” He opened the packet and pulled out the document. “She and I must decide who is going to perform the ceremony. I believe she wants Mr. Taunton. I hope that our rector doesn’t take the decision badly.”

Oriana knocked on the door and walked in. “Oh, I should have waited. I did not know you had company.”

Charlie and Jamison had risen when she entered the study. “My love, may I introduce Robert Jamison, my secretary, to you?”

She held out her hand. “I have heard about you and am glad to finally be meeting you. I trust you were successful in your mission.”

“I was, miss.” He looked at Charlie. “If you don’t mind, my lord, I’d like to wash up.”

“Not at all. Miss Ognon and I have some things to discuss.” Oriana took the seat Jamison had abandoned. “I forgot. How did the breeding go?”

“Well, we think. I’ll know for certain in another week or so. Miss Ognon, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He bowed before leaving.

Charlie slid the license across the table to her. “We must decide who is going to conduct the ceremony and where we will have it.”

She stared at the document for a few seconds, then at him. “If you do not mind, I would like Mr. Taunton to marry us.”

“I thought you might.” He gave her a smile he knew looked tired. “What if we have the service here in our chapel? That is where the Earls of Stanwood traditionally wed.”

Her smile became much brighter. “I think we have a plan.”

“Very true. That’s two. We still need a third to deal with Pettigrew.” That problem might be weighing on Charlie more than he’d realized.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and he noticed fine lines around her mouth and eyes that hadn’t been there before. They both needed an uninterrupted night’s sleep. “Let us catch the criminals and speak with Mr. Taunton, then we can apply ourselves to a definite scheme to defeat Pettigrew.”

“I agree. When do you want to go to the Liliford vicarage?”

She bit into her plump bottom lip. “I think it might be better if we meet him either at Rose Hill or here. Shall I send a message around asking when he is available?”

“If you would. I suppose it wouldn’t be a good idea to be seen visiting with him together at the moment.”

“Unfortunately.” Her tone was tired and dry. She took a piece of pressed paper from a stack on his desk and pulled over the pen and standish, then wrote the short missive. “Can you have one of your grooms take it over?”

“I have a better idea.” He sat up straighter, finally feeling as if he was awake. “I’ll have one of my footmen take it. It will give everyone something to speculate about.”

She narrowed her eyes in a skeptical look. “I never knew you were a mischief-maker.”

“Only sometimes.” He took the note, sanded it, folded it, and placed his seal on it. “That is how I came to meet you. Joining that game was a bit of mischief.”

“I suppose it was.” Oriana tilted her head. “I am massively glad that you did it.”

He went around his desk to where she was sitting, drew her up, and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “I am as well. I was doubting I would ever find a lady to love and marry.” He took her hand. “Would you like to go take a nap?”

Her brows inched up. “If I need to nap it is because of you, and the answer is no. The decorator is arriving sometime today and I must be ready. I came here to ask you if you have an opinion as to the color of the morning room.”

“Hmm. I rather like the colors in the Worthington House morning room. Rich butter with cream curtains covered in large colorful flowers.”

“That sounds like a nice combination.” She placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. “I will see you later.”

“Where are we dining?” He was losing track of which house they were to be at when.

“Here. The servants are meeting this afternoon. After that we will all return to Rose Hill to take up our watch again.”

“By the way, have you noticed anything happening between Green One and Hardwin, one of my grooms?”

“She does blush a great deal around him. It would be a good match. Let us take care of ourselves first though, shall we?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Charlie went back behind his desk. “Is one of my grooms leading them here on the back lanes?”

“That is the plan.” Oriana wiggled her fingers and left. She patted Apollo, who decided to join Charlie.

“Are you tired, boy?” The Dane was still a puppy and tended to get into things such as anything he could reach on the desk. He had another six months before he was full-grown. Charlie moved the standish to the middle of the desk. Apollo lay down in a ray of sun streaming through the windows. One day perhaps he’d be like Worthington’s Dane, Zeus, and spend much of his time in the study. “Have a good nap. At least someone is getting sleep.”

Mrs. Rollins, the decorator, and her husband, the architect, arrived just before luncheon. Oriana invited the couple to join them. Consequently the conversation revolved around what needed to be changed.

“I have brought books I have put together with fabric samples,” Mrs. Rollins said. “I hope you can find something in those. If not, we will continue to look.”

Oriana seemed surprised. “What an excellent and innovative idea. That will make things much easier.”

Mr. Rollins glanced fondly at his wife. “I suppose I will be superfluous to this conversation.”

Charlie was about to agree when a thought came to him. “Perhaps not. I have an idea for a folly I might like to have built.”

The other man looked interested. “If you know where you want to put it, we can look at the site.”

“Excellent.” It was then that he noticed that neither Charlotte nor Kenilworth nor the children were present. He really must be suffering from lack of sleep. “Where is Charlotte and her family?”

“They went on a picnic near the lake,” Oriana said. “She wanted to keep the children out of the way while I was with Mrs. Rollins.”

Theo put down her napkin. “Mary and I are going to Stern Manor.”

Just as he was about to ask why, he remembered that Madeline was there. “Will we see you at dinner?”

Theo shrugged. “I do not know.”

“Very well.”

Oriana and Mrs. Rollins left shortly after his sisters, leaving him and Mr. Rollins to discuss the folly. “I want a comfortable place where my wife and I can be alone after the children start coming.”

“After having met most of your relatives, I understand your desire. Do you have an idea of the style you’d like?”

Charlie told him about the cottage on Oriana’s property. “I want something like that but a little different. There is a Grecian temple at one end of our lake. I’d like to place the cottage at the other end.”

“Are you able to see the far end from the temple?”

“No. There’s an island between them. There is a stream that feeds the lake. I’d like a bridge built to the other side where the folly will be.” He rose. “Come with me and I’ll show you what I mean.”

* * *

Oriana asked a footman to bring Mrs. Rollins’s books into the morning room and they began to go over fabrics. After that they went to each room and selected the covering and hanging materials. By the time they were finished it was time for dinner.

Oriana led the decorator to her chambers. “I am so glad you could make the trip to the country.”

“It was my pleasure. We have worked on so many of his lordship’s family’s houses in Town, we were curious to see one of the country estates. Where and when shall we meet you?”

“In the family drawing room. Because of the children we do not dress formally for dinner. In about thirty minutes.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Mrs. Rollins smiled. “We will see you in a little while.”

Oriana went to her and Charlie’s apartments in the other wing and found her dresser there. “How do you like the house and staff?”

Kerby finished setting soap, a washing cloth, and a towel on the stand in the dressing room. “The house is marvelous. I always wondered what it looked like inside. The staff are all very nice and professional. They are more of a family like we are at Rose Hill. I think I will like it a great deal.”

“How is everyone else getting on?” Oriana did not know how much contact they would actually have, but it was important to her that they got along well.

“They were very interested in our all-female staff.” Kerby’s lips lifted. “I think one or two of the maids would like to be footwomen.”

“How is Figgs getting on with Royston?”

“He was surprised at first, but when they began talking he saw that she was just the same as him.”

“I wonder if we could train some of the daughters of the Stanwood tenants.”

“It’s an idea.” Kerby tilted her head slightly first to the right, then to the left. “I meant to tell you that most of the women liked the divided skirts that you had made for the Greens. They’re so wide that you can’t even see that they’re different. What gave you the idea?”

Oriana was prepared for the question she knew she was going to get from someone. “I was telling the dressmaker in Stanwood town the type of tasks the girls were performing for their positions. She said it was a shame that they could not wear breeches. Then I asked her what if the skirts were as wide as a gown but divided like trousers.” Oriana smiled to herself, thinking how she and the dressmaker wondered if people would consider the skirts scandalous. “The only problem they pose is when going to the toilet. So, we came up with a button system that mimics a gentleman’s falls. We will see how they stand up to time and wear.”

“That’s good thinking, miss.” Kerby went back to inspecting the dressing room. Yet something seemed to be on her mind. “Where’s your bedchamber?”

Heat rose in Oriana’s cheeks and neck. “Lord Stanwood and I will share a bedroom.”

Her dresser stopped and looked at her. “Miss, you haven’t had your courses. Usually you would have just started in the last day or so.”

Was she late? She had never had a reason to keep track of them before. There were only a few more days until she was wed. “There could be any number of reasons that I have not yet started.”

“There’s one reason I can think of.” Obviously her maid wanted an answer. “Could you be breeding? His lordship is a big, strapping man, and you spend a lot of time alone together.”

Her hand went to her stomach. She had known it could happen. But she really did not think it would be so soon for her. Mama had been married several months before she fell pregnant with Oriana’s brother. She remembered her mother saying she was afraid she would never have a child. “I suppose I could be with child.” That felt strange to say. Oriana tried to turn her thoughts inward. To see if she would know if she was or not, but nothing happened. “I simply do not know.”

Kerby pressed her lips together and nodded. “We’ll know soon enough if you are.”

Would Charlie know if Oriana did not tell him? He probably would. She was the one who was kept completely innocent about mating, not he. “I really have had too much to do to give it a thought.”

“I’ve been told that if a woman is having a difficult time, she might not have her courses,” her maid said doubtfully.

Kerby did not know the half of it. “Perhaps that is the reason. Thank you, though, for bringing it to my attention.” Oriana had to change the subject. “How will the dressing room work for you? Have you seen the bathing chamber?”

Obviously willing to change the topic, Kerby said, “The bathing chamber is beautiful, and to think that water can be run up here. Think of all the work it will save.”

“I will leave it to you, shall I? It is going to be another long night.”

“Good luck. I hope you catch those blackguards soon.”

“As do I, Kerby. As do I.” Oriana escaped before the conversation could turn back to her possible pregnancy. “I will see you in the morning.” If she was with child, how could she not know? Would she not feel differently?

She made her way down the stairs to the family drawing room. Charlotte and her family were there, as well as the Rollinses. Charlie handed her a glass of wine. “What kept you?”

Oriana took a sip. She did not dare have more than one glass if she was going to stay awake this evening. “My maid was inspecting the dressing room.”

“My valet said that everyone was getting along well.” He sipped his wine. “What is this I heard about a divided skirt?”

Charlotte glanced over. “A divided skirt?”

“Yes.” That was one accomplishment she would discuss. “I went to the fabric store in Stanwood town and the dressmaker was there. We started talking . . .” She told them about her conversation with the dressmaker and their decision to try a new design. “It makes sense, considering they are always doing things men do.”

“I think it might work for women in all sorts of circumstances,” Charlotte said.

“I agree,” Mrs. Rollins concurred. “I would love to see it.”

“I can have one of my grooms show you the skirt.” Oriana hoped whichever Green came up that she would not be embarrassed.

Charlie stuck his head out into the corridor, to speak to a footman, probably. “One of your grooms will be here directly. I’m interested in seeing it as well.”

Green Two knocked on the door and entered with one of the footmen. “You wanted to see me, miss?”

“Yes.” Oriana gave her groom an encouraging look. “I hope I am not embarrassing you, but the ladies would like to see your new skirt.”

“Not a’tall, miss. Me and my sister have been showing the skirt to all the women.” She walked forward and showed them how a piece came down that hid the split in the skirt. “It’s much easier to ride in this.”

Charlie beamed at her. “Excellent thinking, my love.”

Charlotte nodded her appreciation. “I might have something like that made for myself.”

Royston announced dinner and Green Two left. The rest of them went into dinner.

Charlie sat her next to him as he usually did and whispered, “Is there something wrong?”

Even if she knew she was breeding, she would not tell him now. “Nothing. I am simply tired.”

“We’ll try to get some sleep tonight.”

She was not going to really sleep at all until they were married. Especially now.