CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY

Two days after the betrothal ball, Giff was breaking his fast at Worthington House. Yesterday, he, Worthington, and Alice worked out the settlement agreements regarding Giff's property. Today his father was meeting with them. At first, he wondered why Papa had decided to allow the meeting to be here rather than at Cleveland House. But decided he was curious to meet with the earl who thought nothing of commanding a duke. Or a marquis for that matter. Giff's future brothers-in-law had taken him aside and explained exactly what would happen during his meeting with Worthington.

Giff, Alice, and Worthington met in his study a half an hour before his father was due to arrive. Worthington waved them to the seats in front of his desk. He glanced at Giff. "Although I have met your father, I still do not have a good idea of his character. What can you tell me?"

"He has no respect for weakness, and he will be difficult and try to make you give up as much as possible."

Worthington gave Giff an appraising look as he tapped a finger on the desk. "How far are you willing to go?"

He understood then that if he wanted to marry Alice, he would take her side and not his father's. This was the start of his own family. He glanced at her. "What do you suggest?"

She turned toward him. "Based on some things your mother and you have let drop, I have given this some thought. I will demand he do as Matt wishes. I think you should declare you will not wed anyone but me. And if he wants his heir to have an heir, he will do as Matt demands."

Giff prayed he never got on the wrong side of her. "Ruthless, but it just might work. He has been turned before by firm intransigence." He glanced back at Worthington. "Very well. We'll play our hand."

"I want you two on either side of me. He must know from the beginning that we are negotiating as a united front."

Giff and Alice rose while the footmen moved the chairs.

If he was a gambler, he'd put his wager on Worthington. "How often have you done this?"

"Six," Alice said. "No seven. I forgot Cousin Jane. One duke, three marquises, one heir to a marquis, the heir to a baronetcy, and a wealthy nabob."

Thorton appeared at the door, and Giff and Alice quickly took their places. "The Duke of Cleveland."

Worthington strode forward and bowed. "Your grace, welcome."

"We'll see about that." Papa walked into the study. "I received your proposal. It is preposterous."

"Please take a seat." The duke was in the process of doing just that when he saw Giff and Alice. He glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

She raised her chin and a brow. "It is my life that is being discussed. Why would I not be present?"

"I hadn't thought of it like that," Papa mumbled.

Giff resisted smirking. Thus far, things were proceeding as expected.

Papa glared at Worthington. "As I was saying, this agreement will not stand."

Worthington tapped a pencil on the desk. "Why is that, your grace?"

Tea was brought, interrupting the flow of the conversation. Quite on purpose, Giff surmised. Alice served. "How do you like your tea, sir?"

"Milk and sugar, please."

As she gracefully poured tea for them all, his father watched her and nodded approvingly. She returned to her chair.

"Your grace," Worthington said. "In what way is the proposal inadequate?"

"It is not inadequate. It is outrageous." Papa reminded Giff of a bantam cock used to having his own way.

Alice leaned forward slightly and narrowed her eyes. "You think it is outrageous that I be protected as befits my station not only as the sister and daughter of an earl, but as your heir's wife? If he dies before me, I will not be made a poor relation, sir."

His father had probably never considered that a lady would keep her own property, including the dowry, and have guardianship of her children. As well as a generous allowance and a dower house separate from the one in which his mother might reside.

Papa held his serviette to his mouth as he spluttered.

"She is correct, Papa. The purpose of this contract is to protect my wife and children in the event of my death. If she gives birth to an heir and if she does not."

His father stood. "I did not come here to be told what to do."

Alice rose as well. "That is unfortunate. I dearly love Giff, but I cannot marry him without the protections of the agreements." She glanced at him. "I am sorry, my darling."

That was a good touch.

"My son will wed another lady," his father practically shouted.

Giff stood. "I shall not. I will marry Lady Alice or no one."

Papa looked at Giff, then at Alice. Finally, he glanced at Worthington who was regarding Papa with an interested expression. "You put them up to this. Turned my own son against me."

Giff coughed. "No. Lady Alice is quite serious about these agreements."

"Young lady?" Papa blustered.

She raised her brows. "Your grace?"

The room was silent as they locked gazes for almost a full minute. "By God." He slapped the top of the chair. "You'll make a deuced good duchess. I almost gave up hope of him finding a lady with a spine like yours." He took his seat again. "Well, Worthington, let's get to it. I agree."

Giff let out the breath he'd been holding. He'd been right. All they had to do was to stand up to his father. While he, Papa, and Worthington signed the agreements, Alice tugged the bell-pull. The butler appeared with champagne and glasses.

As the secretary took the documents, the butler poured. Papa held up his glass. "Welcome to the family, my dear.

Alice inclined her head and returned the toast.

Next Papa saluted Worthington. "You are as formidable as I had been told. I'm glad for our connection."

Once the wine had been drunk, Worthington escorted Papa out of the study.

"Is he always like that?" Alice asked.

Giff pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Only when he decides to be obstinate.

His father left muttering to himself, " Eight. Two dukes, three marquises . . ."

The door closed and they were alone for at least a minute or two. Alice grinned. "I think he likes playing a bully to see if someone stands up to him."

Giff wondered. "A trickster?"

"Not so much a trickster as an instigator. I suppose I shall have to get used to crossing swords with him."

Giff shuddered at the thought. "Which is the very reason we are not living at Cleveland Castle."

"Thank Heaven for that." She pulled a face. "We will be in the same house during the Season."

He took her hand. "It's now time for you to see the Heir's Wing of Cleveland House."

They called for her phaeton and made the drive to his parents' house.

They were greeted by the Cleveland under-butler, a tall well-built man who looked to be in his thirties. Alice had thought to make Williams the butler, but the under-butler was clearly hoping for the position. She would have to speak to Giff about it.

The servant bowed. "Her grace said you would want to inspect the wing today."

Alice smiled. "Thank you. What is your name?

"Simmons, my lady. Mrs. Simmons, my wife, is the senior maid. She is waiting to show you around and assist you."

Mrs. Simmons would most likely become their housekeeper. It was a good thing to have senior staff already in place. "Let us begin."

Mrs. Simmons arrived with a notebook and pencil in hand and curtseyed. "My lady, I have had an opportunity to inspect the linens." She grimaced. "Most of them will need to be replaced."

Alice sighed. Yet she was not surprised. Her grace had said that other than regular cleaning, nothing had been done for years. "I will leave that to you."

"Yes, my lady." They all studied the hall.

It was a half-circle, the niches already occupied by Italian statues. Light gray and cream marble covered the floor. The walls were painted an odd shade of purple that Alice had never seen before. Although it could be faded. A grand staircase of pink marble rose to the first floor landing. It was beautiful but needed a carpet. "We must paint or paper the walls and add a carpet. Aubusson, I think. Something that will bring out the marble."

Mrs. Simmons took notes as Alice spoke.

Giff nodded. "I agree."

Two corridors opened on either side of the hall, and a door to the servants' quarters was at one end. The green baize was faded and torn in places. "Replace the door covering with something that will not clash with the rest of the hall."

"If I may, my lady. A medium to light gray might be best."

She imagined how the color would appear and agreed. "Excellent idea, Mrs. Simmons."

Simmons led them to the first parlor off the hall. It was clearly decorated to hold people who were not particularly welcome. The furniture was early Georgian. "I like the furniture. Although, it must be recovered. And, again, the walls need to be painted."

"I believe you will find that in all the rooms," Giff said.

"I suppose you are right.

They toured the rest of the wing. It needed just as much work as the duchess said it would. The furniture, all of which Alice quite liked, ranged from the early Georgian they had already seen to Queen Anne with the occasional French Renaissance piece. That was where the charm ended. Most of the walls were covered with dark red or green wallpaper in patterns that were hard to describe. It was as if someone had drawn chandeliers and had them printed onto the silk. In more than one case, she could not make out what the pattern was supposed to be at all. She had seen this type of décor before in Madeline's house before Henrietta and Alice had redecorated it. But the Duchess of Bristol had given them unlimited funds. On the other hand, they had knocked out walls and re-planned a number of rooms. Alice would have to discover what her budget for this house would be. The ballroom was a good size, with rococo paintings on the ceiling and ornamental plaster. She would leave it the way it was. "Now for the nursery and schoolroom."

They climbed to the top level. When the door was opened, Alice stood there in shock. "It is nothing more than an attic divided into rooms, and a dirty one at that."

"I can't believe they put any of us in here." Giff entered and started making his way into the rooms. "I do not remember this at all."

"It does not appear as if any children actually used the area." Perhaps they did not bring them to Town. "How long has it been since anyone lived here?"

Giff's brows drew together. "Close to thirty years? Yes, it must be that long. I remember my mother had been discouraged from redecorating it. My grandmother did not want it changed. Ergo, the furnishings and everything else must be at least fifty or more years old."

"That makes sense." Thankfully, her future mother-in-law had said Alice could redecorate.

He scanned the room. "If we have children and bring them to Town, they cannot live in this."

"No. They cannot." They would probably not need anything as large as in Worthington House, but it must be made livable. "We will go back to Worthington House, and I will show you the nursery and schoolroom there." That would actually make it easier. "I will contact the firm I used to refurbish my sister's house, pick the patterns, and leave them to it. If we are at Whippoorwill Manor, it will be a short trip to Town in the event we need to be here for some reason."

He was frowning. "As you wish."

"Are we planning to return to Town this year?"

Giff shook his head. "Not unless there's a reason to do so."

She turned to Mrs. Simmons. "Will you be able to work with the decorator?"

"Yes, my lady."

Alice needed to know her budget. "The kitchen will need to be renovated. I cannot imagine any cook we hire will be happy with just an open fireplace. How much can I spend?"

Giff shrugged. "We must ask my mother."

A knock came on the door below and Simmons answered it. "Your Grace, his lordship and ladyship are in the nursery."

"There is a nursery here?" Her steps sounded on the stairs. When she reached them, she glanced around. "I have never seen this before. On the other hand, we did not bring the children to Town until Archie's father died, and he was the duke."

Alice glanced at the duchess. "I will not leave our children behind. I believe this must be renovated."

The duchess looked at the area and pulled a face. "Of course, my dear. Do you have any ideas?"

"We are going to Worthington House so that Giff can look at the nursery there. Would you like to join us?"

"I would. I wondered how you made room for so many children." His mother grinned.

"It is a double house." That was one of the things Alice had learned recently.

"Mamma," Giff held out his arm to help her down the stairs. "We were just discussing what the renovations will cost."

She glanced at Alice. "Other than this attic, what do you want to do, my dear."

Alice followed them. "It is really a matter of the wall-coverings and other soft furnishings. I like most of the furniture."

"I think I would have thrown everything out and started all over. Do not worry about the cost. The duchy will, of course, pay for it."

"Thank you." That took care of that.

When they reached the hall, Giff took Alice's hand. "I must go to St. George's the vicar wasn't there when I stopped by the last time. I'll meet you at your house and leave from there." He glanced at his mother. "Do you wish to ride with me or with Alice?"

"Believe it or not, I have never been in a high-perched phaeton. I will ride with Alice."

"Shall I order your carriage, my lord?" Simmons asked.

"Please." Once he had left, Giff said, "What do you think of hiring them as our butler and housekeeper?"

"I want to consult with Williams first. If he does not want to be the butler, I believe we will do well with Simmons and his wife. Once that decision is made, we must consult with them regarding other servants." Alice and Giff were almost in the same position as Madeline and Harry having to hire all their servants. "Your grace, if you are ready, we should go."

The duchess linked arms with Alice. "I cannot tell you how excited I am to ride with you."

Giff escorted them out to where her phaeton was brought around as well as his curricle. He helped them both into the vehicle, then climbed into his. "Lead on, my dear."

Alice glanced at their part of the house, and it occurred to her that it was almost as wide as Worthington House. Perhaps that was the reason it had not appeared small to her.

When they arrived at her home, Grace went with them to the nursery and the schoolroom. Both Giff and his mother's eyes were wide as they took in the light and space.

"I have never seen anything like this before, Grace. You said you designed it?"

"I did. The architect I used was able to include everything I wanted. Of course, after Matt and I married, we had to make some adjustments."

"Giff, I do not see why we cannot do the same thing in your wing of Cleveland House. After all, I would like to feel comfortable when I visit my grandchildren."

"Mamma." Gaia toddled out closely followed by Edward and Nurse.

"She heard your voice, my lady," Nurse said.

Grace picked up her youngest daughter, then her son. "Your grace, I would like to introduce you to Lady Gaia and Master Edward Vivers."

All the yearning for a grandchild could be seen in the duchess's face. "Oh, they are adorable. That settles it. We must have the nursery done as soon as possible."

Giff breath brushed Alice's ear. "Because if the nursery is finished that means we'll have a child?"

She was not going to laugh. "Apparently."

"I'm off to the church." He took her hand and kissed it. "I will find you after I'm done speaking to the vicar."

Alice kissed his cheek. "I will talk to Williams, and we can make a decision as to our butler."

After Giff left, Alice went down to the kitchen and waited until Jacques was done stirring and tasting something.

"My lady. You require my aid in hiring a chef de cuisine, non?"

"I do. I am uncertain if he will remain in Town or go to the country with us."

"Bon." He gave a sharp nod. "I will have someone in no more than deux jours." Unsurprisingly, he tuned back to the stove.

"Merci."Well that had gone well. Now to speak with Williams.

Once in the hall, she had a footman tell Williams she wanted to see him in her parlor. As expected, he arrived practically on her heels. "My lady."

"I have a question to ask you. Do you wish to be my butler in my new home?"

"Is that the only position available, my lady?" He was so good at masking his expressions, she did not know what he was feeling, but he obviously did not want to be the butler.

"No. You can be my personal footman. That would mean traveling whenever I did."

He seemed to relax at her suggestion. "I would prefer that position."

Alice really had thought he would be delighted with the promotion. "Will you tell me the reason?"

He looked directly at her. "I like London for a few months, but I would rather be in the country during other times. If you require it, I could act as the butler until you find someone."

"There is an under-butler at Cleveland House. A Mr. Simmons. I believe he will be happy with the position."

Williams's eyes grew round. "I am honored that you would have given me the job over one who is already expecting it. I hope I have not disappointed you."

In fact, he had made her task easier. "Not at all. I had already decided to hire his wife as the housekeeper."

Her footman bowed. "I am glad everything will work out."

So was she. "Carry on. Sometime within the next few days you, Robertson, and Bertram will accompany me to Cleveland House. The wing in which his lordship and I will reside has a separate entrance, ballroom, garden, and stables."

"Yes, my lady."

"That is all for now." Alice went to the desk, pulled out a piece of pressed paper and wrote a letter to the decorator asking her for an appointment at her earliest convenience. She also mentioned that she would require her husband's skills for a new nursery and schoolroom as well. Once that was set off, she began a list. Mrs. Thorton would need to be consulted about any maids she might have that could work for Alice. Thorton might have an extra footman or two. Perhaps more. She would ask Simmons if he knew any of the Cleveland house staff that would be willing to change households. Then there were the stables. Naturally, she would take her groom, but Giff should know if he could pilfer a coachman from his father.

A knock came on the door, and Williams stepped in. "My lady, her ladyship would like to see you."

"I will be there directly." She set her pen down and picked it up again and wrote down that she needed scullery maids and a laundress. What else? Oh yes, find time to be alone with Giff.