Chapter 11

Early the next morning, Jude found sanctuary in his library. The ancient ceiling must have been part of the original medieval manor house, and he loved looking up at the intricate wooden beams. He needed a quiet place to think, and he expected Farley, his estate manager, to arrive soon with a pile of documents to sign.

He had missed Lady Audrey at dinner the previous evening. He'd been looking forward to showing her Clairville Hall, but at Nurse's insistence, she was confined to bed. He wanted to climb the narrow stairs by the nursery and check how she was, but that was inappropriate now they were at Clairville.

He missed those days of candlelit reading to Lady Audrey. How strange that the storyline included a young lady who almost died of a fever. It had ended happily enough, and he had sent for the latest book by this new author. Apparently, it was a tale of love, in a household of five sisters, and he smiled, thinking of his own sisters.

A love match between a feisty heroine and an austere, proud gentleman of wealth, no less than ten thousand a year in fact. He hoped for an opportunity to read to Lady Audrey again.

He reached down to tickle Tess' ears. "We're home. Let's get out of this confusion and go down to the lake. You can swim if you want." Jude told her.

The spaniel always waited patiently till given the signal, then she would race down to the lake. "Come on then, Mama won't miss me. She is too busy with preparations for the arrival of her guests, and she seems very keen on this Lady Caroline."

A walk through the bluebell woods and along the lakeside trail revived his spirits. He stopped for a moment on hearing a cuckoo somewhere in the trees. He loved the spring days here on the estate. When his father was alive, his mother had always hosted a spring party, and he remembered she had written to him telling him she was reviving that transition this year.

Hearing a splash, he knew Tess had jumped in the lake. He watched the dog swim gracefully, head above the water, searching for a stick, which had probably sunk to the bottom of the lake. Jude threw another stick, laughing as Tess chased it further into the middle of the lake. The sun was warm, and it had been a long day.

Why not?

Takingoff his frock coat, shirt, breeches, cravat and boots he eased himself down into the cool, reviving water. He was home, at Clairville, the place he loved most in the world.

Dipping his head under the water, he felt a surge of energy throughout his body. Kicking his legs, he swam towards Tess, pushing through the sparkling gray water, enjoying the freedom. Life could be so complicated; his mother, and the estate filled with house guests his mother had invited, in the hope of finding him a bride.

And now an orphaned child, and a young lady recovering from illness after running away from home under an assumed identity.

He had not liked the expression in Lord Cheshire's eyes. He'd made an enemy and something told him it would not be long before he crossed swords once more with the Earl of Cheshire.

As for Lady Audrey, she was here in his household, safe from danger, and he had time to work out the feelings he experienced whenever she was in the room. Every morning, he longed to see her face, and only once he'd caught a glimpse of it could he carry on with his day. He needed her in his life.

He'd thought it was love and had been coming to terms with the reality of being in love with a governess, until the mystery of her identity and the deceit had come to light, and intense anger had submerged his love for her. And after all that? He had no idea. She still filled his thoughts and he recognized there was a connection between them.

What to do about it was too complicated a question and all he wanted to do at this moment was swim. The ice-cold water embraced his body as he felt the warm sunlight on his head. That was all he wanted to think about as he swam back to shore.

A voice called him as he entered the boot room. His mother had clearly been on the lookout for his return. "Jude, dear, Lady Caroline arrives at noon. I've asked Cook to prepare a light luncheon, a cold collation in the small dining room. That room has the sun in the morning, so it will be warm and bright by the time they arrive."

His mother continued before Jude could interject, "It will be just us. The girls are taking Sasha and Miss Banks on a tour of the park. The twins want to show Sasha their ponies, and Elspeth says there is a baby donkey at Home Farm, so they are taking Sasha there. I told Beatrice I thought that, as the oldest, she should join us for luncheon, but she tells me she knows Lady Caroline from school and would far rather see a donkey. No one listens to me anymore."

Jude had been about to brush off the invitation for luncheon as he needed to catch up with estate business, but he took pity on his mother and agreed to join her and her guests when they arrived.

He wondered what Lady Audrey made of his sisters. They could be quite overwhelming, but he suspected Lady Audrey could hold her own in the group. He could imagine Sasha's excitement at spending time with so many fine ladies.

He caught a glimpse of them walking toward the woodland path. Beatrice and Elspeth were holding hands with Sasha, and she skipped between them, giggling excitedly as they set off on an adventure.

Around noon, he heard the expected chaise arrive as he worked in the library. He felt no need to hurry to greet the guests, his mother could deal with that. He'd join them for luncheon, but that was all.

When he met her, Lady Caroline seemed the perfect young lady. Jude wondered why she hadn't been married to an earl or duke in her first season. At twenty-two she was still young, but that would change soon, and she could find herself on the shelf in terms of marriage. She must be entering her fifth season in London and such perfect beauty and manners must have gained her many suitors.

As Lady Caroline sat on a red velvet settee, gazing at the blue-striped wallpaper and paintings of long-dead ancestors he could assess this lady whom his mother thought would make an exceptional duchess.

He could see why. Lady Caroline's dark brown hair was set in symmetrical ringlets. Her complexion was pale and perfect with a touch of rosiness in her cheeks. Her figure was neither too tall, nor too small and her dainty, shapely body was shown off to best effect by a light silk gown.

He preferred Lady Audrey's gray dimity and sprig muslin gowns for their simplicity. Lady Caroline had smoky quartz earrings and a teardrop pendant, and these matched her gown perfectly.

Every gesture and movement seemed choreographed. This lady of elegance had caught his mother's attention when she had last visited Bath and met the family at the pump room while taking the waters. "She's perfect for you," his mother had told him. "Such beauty, such manners, such taste in clothes."

He nodded politely during the introductions. noting the marquess was soon asleep in a wing chair. He suspected the man was asleep much of the day. Lady Langdale, seated next to her daughter, said very little, but smiled a lot.

He wondered fleetingly why his mother was so keen on him marrying a perfect young lady. He loved his sisters, who were all different, but natural in manner and never too concerned with looks, or the latest fashion plates. He heard too much conversation about puff sleeves, and whether to put jewels or flowers in their hair, but today they had thrown on whatever clothes they could find and gone off for a day in the countryside.

He could only imagine Lady Caroline being taken to a picnic in an open carriage and walking demurely along a street in Bath with her parasol, not rambling across the countryside.

The contrast with Lady Audrey was striking. He knew nothing of her taste in fashion, the clothes of a governess were not those seen in high society. Nor could he know if Lady Audrey had loved that life of grace and favor. No, the difference was in the naturalness of her expression and in her body language. He doubted she ever thought for a moment about how she looked, or whether to stand in a certain way. He didn't know Lady Caroline very well, but she exuded sophistication and style.

Again, he realized he was thinking too much about Lady Audrey. He needed to get her out of his thoughts. Lady Caroline was a pleasant young lady, keen to have his company and all he could do was compare her with the governess.

His mother's voice pulled him out of his daydream. "Jude, tell Lady Caroline and Lady Langdale about the history of the hall. Parts of it date from the Medieval era and the plow at Home Farm often digs up pieces of mosaic from Roman times."

"How interesting," came the high-pitched soprano voice of Lady Caroline. "Do tell me about the history of the hall, Your Grace," she said, smiling directly at Jude.

Jude began his story about the changes at Clairville over time, but he stopped when he heard a tiny scream, and looked across at Lady Caroline who was looking at Tess with disgust.

"We never have dogs in the house at Langdale Hall. Dirty creatures," Lady Caroline exclaimed, and shooed Tess away.

Jude found himself comparing Lady Caroline to Lady Audrey. Two young ladies, yet this one lacked any natural actions, everything felt too controlled, Jude also had an instinctive dislike of anyone, man or woman, who spoke that way to Tess.

His mother didn't seem to notice these things, totally captivated by Lady Caroline Ridlington.