CHAPTER SEVEN

C HAPTER S EVEN

M iss Ognon appeared a bit nervous about dinner this evening. Perhaps Charlie could put her more at ease. “If your carriage is at the inn, may I accompany you? Mine is there as well.”

“Thank you, Stanwood.” Lady Prue’s lips rose as she inclined her head. “That is kind of you.”

He fell in alongside them. “I wanted to tell you that we really don’t dress for dinner. It is the country, after all.”

Miss Ognon stared at him. “What exactly do you mean when you say you do not dress?”

He supposed that term meant different things to different people. “We gentlemen will be in the type of trousers we would wear during the day, and my sisters wear afternoon gowns instead of more formal evening gowns.”

He was glad to see she seemed to relax a little. Her carriage was brought out, and he placed himself to be able to help her into it. He held out his hand. Initially, she hesitated before she gingerly placed her fingers in his. Immediately he was struck by the strong urge not to let her go. Reluctantly, he assisted her into the vehicle. “I shall see you soon.”

“Yes.” Miss Ognon stared at him for a few moments before picking up the ribbons and expertly tooling the pair out of the inn’s yard.

Charlie was certain her eyes had widened and her breathing had increased when he’d held her. He reviewed their short conversation. She seemed struck but approving by the agreement he had arranged between the Scullys and the Hammersmiths. He got the idea that marrying a man who gambled wasn’t her only concern. With any luck at all, this evening he’d have an opportunity to find out more. In fact, dinner was intended to introduce Miss Ognon to all the eccentricities of his family. As Mary had said, there was no point doling it out a little at a time. They were extremely progressive, and she might as well learn that at the outset. Then again, with a household of women, Miss Ognon seemed to be progressive as well.

He arrived home with just enough time to wash before going down to dinner. When he arrived his seven-year-old nephews, Gideon, Viscount Vivers, and Hugh, Earl of Stoneleigh, were already there with glasses of lemonade in their small hands.

“Are you nervous, Uncle Charlie?” Hugh asked.

Charlie was, but what had prompted that remark? “Perhaps a little. What makes you ask?”

“We heard Papa tell Mama that he would have been nervous if he’d had any idea what he was getting into with the family.”

“I imagine he might have been.” Charlie wished he hadn’t been at school when Kenilworth and Charlotte had met. Although he’d heard all about it, it wasn’t the same as being there. “But wouldn’t that mean Miss Ognon should be more nervous than I would be? She is the one meeting the family.”

Hugh squinted as he regarded Charlie. “Hmm. You might be right. I will be careful to be extra nice to her.”

Gideon rolled his eyes.

“Extra nice to whom?” Kenilworth sounded suspicious. As well he might, considering the scraps his son got into.

Hugh turned his wide innocent blue eyes to his father. “To Miss Ognon. We don’t want her to be nervous.”

“I see. It shouldn’t be too bad. She’s already met the older members of the family.” Kenilworth went to the sideboard and poured a glass of sherry.

He held up the decanter and looked at Charlie. “Yes, please.” Kenilworth glanced at Hugh. “What does ‘extra nice’ entail?”

“Being solicitous,” the little boy said promptly, as if he had just learned the word. “And I’ll make sure Apollo sits and gives her his paw when I introduce him.”

“I was not aware the dogs were invited,” Kenilworth muttered in an undertone.

They had not discussed keeping them out. “They do usually come down after the little ones are in bed.”

Kenilworth pulled a face. “Still, all seven of them?”

“It will be all right, Uncle Con. Zeus and Posy are adults now,” Gideon said. “And Minerva is too.”

Charlotte and Theo strolled into the drawing room and Kenilworth poured them glasses of sherry.

Theo took her glass. “What are you discussing?”

“Bringing the dogs down after dinner.” Charlie took a sip. Was his brother-in-law correct? Would it be too much?

“After they greet everyone they will go to sleep,” Theo opined. “That’s what they always do.”

“Unless they want attention, but we will be playing cards,” Charlotte said. “I think the dogs will be fine if they do not join us this evening.”

The rest of the family drifted in and took glasses of sherry or wine. From the drive, Charlie heard the sound of a carriage. “They are here.”

His sisters and brothers-in-law gathered their children and stood waiting to greet their guests. The door opened and his butler bowed. “Lady Prudence Atherton and Miss Ognon.”

Charlie strode forward and bowed. “We are very glad you have arrived.” He turned and indicated his family. “You have already met most of my sisters and brothers-in-law.” Mary came forward. “I do not know if you met my youngest sister, Lady Mary Carpenter.”

She curtseyed and held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ognon. Allow me to introduce you to my older nieces and nephews.”

Oriana exchanged a quick glance with her aunt, whose lips were twitching. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well.” Lady Mary linked her arm with Oriana’s and strolled to each family grouping. Someone had given this some thought. “We decided using first names would be easier.” She stood in front of Lord and Lady Worthington. “This is Gideon and Elizabeth.” Next, she moved to the Duke and Duchess of Rothwell. “This is Alexandria.” The little girl curtseyed. Two children stood before Lord and Lady Kenilworth. “Constance and Hugh are twins.”

Hugh took a step forward and swept a bow. “It is my great pleasure to greet you, Miss Ognon. Please tell me if there is anything I can do to make you feel more at home.”

Around the room all the parents seemed to be on the verge of bursting into laughter.

Constance dipped a curtsey, then glanced at her twin. “He is being extra nice.”

Oriana’s lips twitched as she struggled to maintain her own countenance. “Does that mean no frogs?”

The little boy’s face brightened. “Oh, do you like frogs? I will be happy to get some for you.”

She hated to dash his hopes and tried to soften the blow of a refusal. “Thank you for the offer. Perhaps some other time.”

“She’s a right one,” he said in a loud whisper as she accepted a glass of sherry from Lord Stanwood.

“Am I correct in thinking that he is the one who always finds trouble?”

He grinned. “Hugh has that reputation. Worthington says he takes after his father.”

Oriana gave a soft laugh. “They seem very well-behaved.”

“They are good children and have formed strong bonds. My sisters and brothers and I dined with our parents when we were little. I think it is helpful in learning manners at an early age.”

She had never thought of it in that way. But being given permission to join the adults must make the children want to mimic them. “It seems as if it is working.”

“The only ones missing are my sisters Alice and Eleanor, who are twins, Sir Henry and Lady Stern’s daughter, Dotty, and her husband, Merton, who is a cousin of Worthington’s. They have a little girl.”

“I believe Lady Stern said they will be here soon for a visit.”

Stanwood nodded. “That is my understanding as well. Their eldest son, who married another of my sisters, and my sister are going to travel over too.”

Oriana took a sip of sherry. “You have a large family.” She glanced around. “What did you do with your two friends?”

“They decided to dine at the inn. They’ll join us after dinner.”

She finished her glass of excellent sherry as dinner was announced.

Stanwood held out his arm. “Shall we?”

At first she was surprised; then she remembered that she was the only guest. All the other couples went into the dining room together. Oriana looked for her aunt and found her being escorted by the duke. Gideon escorted the duchess. The rest of the children lined up by twos in an orderly fashion and waited for the adults. Stanwood seated her on his right and her aunt on his left. Charlotte Kenilworth, who was acting as his hostess, sat at the foot of the table, with her husband and son to her right and left.

The soup course was a rich broth of chicken served with crusty bread. The talk around the table centered on ways to improve their respective estates and the lots of their dependents. The ladies contributed as much or more to the conversation than the gentlemen. She was surprised that the budding courtship of Miss Scully and Mr. Will Hammersmith was mentioned, and with approval.

Stanwood leaned toward Oriana. “How is your village school doing? I have asked but not received a satisfactory answer.”

Her jaw almost dropped. Either she had been out of Polite Society too long and missed the change in attitudes toward children of the less advantaged or he was very different from other gentlemen. “The children of the shopkeepers attend, but I have never seen the children of any of the tenants or small farmers in the area at the school.”

His expression became thoughtful. “We pay our tenants to send their children to school and provide a wagon to take them in the morning. I wonder if the other landowners would do the same if approached properly.”

“That is an interesting idea.” She ate the last of her soup. “I would be happy to help you speak with them.” She chewed a small piece of bread as the next course was being served. “The only ones we are not actually on terms with are Lord and Lady Pettigrew.”

“Pettigrew?” Stanwood’s dark blond brows rose. “I haven’t heard that name in years. I think he and my father had some sort of falling out.” He signaled to his eldest sister. “Grace, do you remember the Pettigrews?”

“Good Lord, Charlie.” Her brows rose as well. “What made you think of them?”

“Miss Ognon and I were discussing growing the Liliford village school and I mentioned meeting with some of the landowners.”

“I doubt you will gain any cooperation from them.” Lord Worthington’s tone could not have been much drier or more disapproving.

“Papa and he had an argument before the accident,” Grace said. “Papa told Pettigrew that his way of thinking would be the downfall of England.”

“Accident?” Oriana kept her voice low.

“Yes.” Stanwood nodded tightly. “My father fell from his horse somehow and was gravely injured. He died a few months later.”

She had known they were orphaned but not how. “And your mother?”

“Was with child. She lost the babe and her own life.” He raised his chin toward Lady Worthington. “She recruited our maternal grandfather and managed to be named a joint guardian for all of us.” He grinned. “Then she married Worthington, and we combined his four sisters with our seven brothers and sisters.”

No wonder they were so close. Her family was small and scattered. What would it be like to be in a family like this one?

Chicken was served with removes of salad, new peas, and pureed potatoes.

He cut a piece of chicken. “I was at school when they met, but the number of letters I received increased from once a week to several a day. Then his sisters started to write to me, introducing themselves and taking part in the conversations.” He popped the chicken into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I had more letters than I knew what to do with. It was impossible to answer them all individually. I ended up writing group letters in response. Finally I was able to meet them all.”

Oriana broke into a peal of laughter and quickly covered her mouth with her serviette.

Everyone glanced at her, and Stanwood said, “Matt and Grace’s courtship.”

Nods and chuckles went around the table.

“It’s a shame Phillip and Walter are not here,” Lady Mary said. “Phillip is on a walking tour and Walter is with the Foreign Office in Spain.”

“Walter writes frequently,” Theo added. “But we do not even know how to send a letter to Phillip.”

“I envy you your family.” How had Oriana let that slip out. Her face heated in embarrassment.

“I am very fortunate.” Stanwood gave her a gentle smile, and her heart started to beat faster. And why was he suddenly Stanwood and not Lord Stanwood? She really should keep a distance, even in her mind.

The conversation turned to the new prison act, which mandated reforms to the prison system. The most important of which, in her opinion, was housing men and women separately, and providing for female jailors.

Lady Worthington’s lips tightened. “The prison act is all very well; however, how are they going to enforce it?”

The Duke of Rothwell nodded. “The act must be amended to add an enforcement measure.”

Charlotte set her wineglass on the table. “It will be easier to amend now that we have it. That was a feat in itself.”

The others murmured their agreement. Oriana had known about the act but had not read the text. “Why is enforcement difficult?”

“There is no requirement for inspectors to ensure the law is followed,” Theo said. “Another part of the act calls for the wardens to be paid by the government and not leech money from the prisoners.”

Stanwood— Lord Stanwood , Oriana chastised herself—glanced at her. “As you will understand, without inspectors the wardens will still attempt to intimidate the prisoners to pay them.”

“Yes indeed. Will you bring it up in the next session?”

“One of us will. We generally meet with a group of other like-minded peers and MPs to discuss the best way to introduce a measure. That doesn’t always ensure a bill is passed, but it does help.”

“That is an excellent idea.” She had been so aware of him before and during dinner. She could feel him around her. If only he didn’t gamble, and if only she did not have to protect her property, she might be able to consider him as a husband.

The table was cleared and the last course was served. Small tarts, fruit, and cheese adorned the table. Naturally, the two boys clamored over the tarts.

“You need to leave some for us,” little Elizabeth Vivers said as she snatched a lemon tartlet.

The other girls made sure to claim their favorites as well.