Chapter Two

"Wait a moment." Drumming her fingers on the table for a few moments, Lillian let her gaze drift across the page, taking in every single transaction which had been written there for the last month. "Something here is wrong." With a frown, Lillian rubbed at her eyes and then replaced her gaze back upon the ledger. Her father had asked her to look over the estate ledgers to make certain there were no discrepancies or the like. Arithmetic was something that she loved a great deal and therefore, since she enjoyed such a thing, her father had asked her to do this every single year without fail, ever since he had learned of her enjoyment and her skill.

"Have you found something?" Her father, the Earl of Galesbury, came over to her from where he had been standing at the window. "Something that no-one else has thus far?"

"It is only a small amount."

"But small amounts are just as important," he told her, coming to stand by the desk and, leaning over it, looking at the ledger. "What is it?"

"Here." Lillian pointed to the first line of money. "You said you received a bill for six meters of one particular fabric – for new gowns, I believe, for Mama?"

Lord Galesbury nodded slowly. "Yes, that sounds right."

"But you have here that one meter costs this much, which means that six meters should not cost this, but this." She pointed to her arithmetic, then looked up to see her father scrutinizing her work.

After a few moments, he nodded slowly, rubbing at his grey beard. "This is quite right, Lillian. Well done."

"Thank you, Papa."

He patted her shoulder and Lillian almost glowed with happiness. "You have such an exceptional mind. It is quite remarkable, truly. Are you able to look at the rest of the ledger?"

Lillian smiled. "Of course."

"But you must hurry. Your mother wishes for you to make certain that you have everything prepared for when we make our way to London tomorrow." He looked at her steadily, pausing for a moment. "Are you quite prepared for that?"

With a small smile, Lillian shrugged her shoulders. "I am to make my debut, just as every other young lady must do. I cannot see that it is a dreadful thing to behold! It is something that simply must be done if I am to find a future in this world."

"Though you know that I would be glad to keep you here and make use of you at the estate," her father grinned, his eyes twinkling. "You have as sharp and as learned a mind as any gentleman." His smile faded. "You must promise me, Lillian, that, you will not accept the courtship or the engagement from any gentleman who does not value you as I do. I will not give my permission to any gentleman that I think is unworthy of you, of course, but if you find yourself drawn to one particular gentleman, I will not stand in your way. But I must beg you to be careful and considerate in all your thinking, for it is very easy to be swept up in one's emotions."

A little surprised at her father's concern, Lillian reached up and set her hand on her father's. "I will, Father. In truth, I have never had any real interest in marriage, for I find reading and arithmetic in particular to be more than satisfactory!"

Her father laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "I understand but I can assure you, there are a good many things that come from matrimony. That is why it is vital that you find a suitable gentleman, one who will see your brilliant mind and your capacity for arithmetic as blessings, not something to be hidden. Do you understand me?"

Lillian nodded, seeing the concern in her father's eyes. "I do, Papa, yes."

"Good." With a smile, he took his hand from her shoulder and walked to the other side of the room. "Now, let me ring the bell and have some tea and buns brought to you. No doubt you will be needing it by the end of this!"

Lillian laughed and thanked him before turning her attention back to the ledger. She was happy and contented here, glad to be of aid to her father and all the more happy that he valued her in this regard. To have him ask her for her help, to have him thank her for what she did made her feel valued and contented and that, Lillian realized, was something that she certainly did want to have when it came to who she married. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she continued on with her calculations, pushing all thoughts of London and husbands to one side… for the time being, at least.

***

"I do fear we shall never get to London!"

"It is just as well that we are not going to London, then." Lord Galesbury winked at Lillian as she reached to pat her mother's hand. "You recall, my dear, that we are to go to the inn first?"

"Yes, yes, I know that." Lady Galesbury let out a long sigh and directed a sharp gaze to her husband, who was smiling at her. "You are always trying to tease me, are you not?"

Lillian, who had seen this interplay many a time, could not help but laugh softly, despite the wind and rain which rocked the carriage side to side and pelted hard at the windows. Her father had always been jovial, light in his spirits and, oftentimes, teasing. Her mother, on the other hand, had been a little more severe and less inclined to smile but Lord Galesbury seemed to make it his daily intention to have his wife laughing and smiling as much as he could manage – and Lillian had delighted to see the love and kindness shared between her parents. That , she determined, as her mother begrudgingly offered her husband a smile, was the kind of marriage she herself wished to have. One where there was genuine care and affection, one where the years spent together were happy rather than difficult or cold.

"Speaking of cold," she murmured aloud, shivering lightly as another gust of wind threatened to break through the carriage door and come whistling around her. "It is a summer storm, yes?"

Her father nodded, his expression a little difficult to make out given the dark skies which surrounded them. "It is, though it is a very severe one. The road will be muddy very soon, I fear though the inn cannot be more than a mile away, given how long we have been travelling for."

Lillian nodded and clasped her hands in her lap, her fingers tightening as she fought worry. They had come to London many a time given that her elder brother had come to make his match here before her – though, much to her parents frustration, he had not chosen a bride even now – and thus, the inn that they always stayed at was a familiar one to them all, but all the same, with the storm surrounding them, Lillian could not help but feel a little uneasy.

"Whoa there!"

Catching her breath, Lillian reached up to grab a hold of the strap as the carriage began to slow, hearing the driver's exclamation as he pulled the horses back.

"What has happened?" her father called, rapping on the roof. "Are we in difficulty?"

"An accident, my lord!" the driver shouted back, his voice carried away by the wind so that Lillian had to strain to hear him. "There's a carriage here."

"Stop, then. We might be able to assist."

"No, my love!" Lady Galesbury put one hand to her husband's knee, fear in her voice. "What if it is armed men? What if they have come to steal and kill? We will be next!"

Lord Galesbury put his hand on top of his wife's one, smiling gently. "My dear, if it is highwaymen, then be assured that they have already left by now and will have robbed the people in the carriage before us. Though I feel quite certain that it is because of the weather that they have stopped. It is, no doubt, an accident with the roads being as bad as they are. Now, stay here and wait for me to return. I will not be long."

Lillian took her mother's hand and watched as her father stepped out of the carriage, the wind and the rain pouring in as he opened and then shut the door. Lillian shivered again and pulled her coat around her all the more tightly, glad that she had chosen to wear it rather than have it packed away. "I am sure he will be quite all right, Mama," she said, quietly. "It is good that he wants to help."

"He is always very good," came the soft reply. "Too willing to help, no matter the cost to himself." She sighed and then looked to Lillian, a small smile on her face. "I am blessed to have him as a husband. My prayer is that you will be able to find someone just as wonderful as he."

Smiling, Lillian squeezed her mother's hand and waited, hearing a few exclamations carrying towards them from outside. Eventually, her father opened the door and came to sit back inside, his face wet with the rain, his hair dripping. Running one hand over his face, he picked up one of the blankets and wiped it over his eyes, before smiling reassuringly at his wife.

"You see? I am not captured by highwaymen, nor am I injured in any way."

"Yes, I can see that. Though you are soaked to the skin and will, no doubt, catch a cold and be most unwell with it."

Lord Galesbury chuckled and shook his head. "My dear, we are less than a mile away from the inn. The Duke of Wrexham – for that is who is at the carriage – has sent his mother and cousin there and they have had to walk in the wind and the rain, for his carriage is quite stuck!"

"His mother and cousin?" Lillian repeated, turning to look out of the window, horrified at the thought of how cold and wet they would both be. "Can we go and find them and take them in the carriage with us?"

Her father shook his head. "I think that they will be there by now. However, I have said that I will stay and assist them in releasing the carriage wheel from whatever it is stuck in and, thereafter, return with them to the inn."

"No! You are to stay with us! I could not bear to leave you here, not when it is so wild outside." Lady Galesbury shook her head, her face going a little pale. "I am scared, Galesbury. It is so very fierce and the thought of going to the inn alone – "

"You would have Lillian," Lord Galesbury said, gently, though Lady Galesbury shook her head fervently. "Come now, my dear, do not be unreasonable."

"I do not mind waiting here with Mama until the carriage is freed," Lillian said quickly not wanting her mother to be distressed and, at the same time, ignoring the desire deep within her heart to get to the inn and, thereafter, rest in a soft bed instead of sitting upright in an uncomfortable carriage seat. "What is wrong with the carriage, Papa?"

The Earl scowled. "One of the carriage wheels is stuck. It appears to be wedged between two very heavy stones which have been revealed by the rain - but cannot be dug up either, given the weight and the size of them."

"Might I be able to help?" Lillian asked, though her father immediately shook his head no.

"I do not think that is wise, Lillian, though I am grateful for your willingness to help. The carriage wheel is at a slight angle which is making it difficult and the horses are cold and wet, meaning that they are tugging and pulling at the reins, desperate to get to the inn which is making it all the more difficult."

Lillian lifted her chin, an idea coming to her. "Papa, I can help. First, the drivers should swap the horses. That way, this carriage and the Duke's horses can get to the inn and recover. Mama, you will have to go to the inn alone but you could make certain that the Duchess is quite well? She is going to be just as you are, concerned and worried over what has happened and fearful about the storm and what a blessing it would be to her to have you speak with her, reassuring her that all is well."

"Lillian," her father began, but Lillian waved one hand, telling him with the gesture that she was not yet finished.

"I am sure that I could help," she insisted. "If it is stuck and it is at an angle, then there are certain calculations which must be made in order to move the wheel. Please, Papa. You know that I am good at this and even if I cannot help, I would like to have the opportunity to try, at least."

Her father hesitated. "I – I do not know, Lillian. You will get soaked to the skin and – "

"It is less than a mile to the inn, as you said, and Mama could have everything prepared for my arrival," Lillian said, trying to ignore the way her mother shook her head in obvious disagreement. "The Duke must be very cold indeed already, if he has been trying for some time."

Lord Galesbury bit his lip, then shrugged. "I can see the determination in your eyes and I know better than to refuse you."

"Galesbury! You cannot think of permitting her this! You have already heard that I am afraid of going to the inn alone and now you are stating that you will do so regardless!"

"It is the Duke of Wrexham in need of our aid, my dear." Lord Galesbury patted his wife's hand. "Now, you know as well as I that our daughter has an exceptional mind and, if she can be of aid to him then why should we hold her back? You have your part to play also, my dear, for the Duchess of Wrexham, his mother, and another young lady whose name I forget, are already at the inn. They will need reassurance and the promise that all will be well. No doubt they will be frantic with worry for I believe it has been some time since they set off to the inn. Can you do as Lillian has suggested? Can you go to the inn?"

Lillian waited for her mother's consent, seeing how she closed her eyes and trembled just a little. Then, with another sigh, she nodded and looked to Lillian. "But you will stay in here until the horses have been changed," she said, firmly. "I will not have you standing in the rain and the wind until it is absolutely necessary."

"Very well," Lillian agreed, as her father quickly stepped out of the carriage. "It may be, Mama, that I am no help at all and will have to sit in the Duke's carriage until someone else comes up with a solution!"

Lady Galesbury nodded slowly, her eyes searching Lillian's face. "You are not worried about the Duke's consideration of you? It is not often that young ladies have as sharp a mind as you."

Lillian shrugged. "Not in the least." Remembering how her father had spoken to her the day prior, when she had been doing the ledger, she offered her mother a small smile. "I am not going to hide any part of myself away from society and certainly not from a Duke either. Besides, if I can help him, he shall be in my debt and that is a good thing, is it not?"

She laughed as a gleam came into her mother's eye but there came no time for the conversation to continue. Her father stuck his head back into the carriage, windswept and drenched. "Are you quite prepared for this, Lillian? It is furious out here. Are you certain you wish to do this?"

"Yes, I am quite certain." Lillian took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to enter the storm. Her mother grasped her hand again but Lillian only squeezed it and then let it go, making her way to the door of the carriage, grasping her father's helping and stepping out.

The response of the storm was immediate. The wind whipped at its new victim, trying mercilessly to blow her in whichever direction it pleased while the rain did its best to seek every tiny hole where it might push through towards her skin. Lillian shivered violently and instinctively lowered her head, though her bonnet was next to useless in keeping her protected.

"This way." Her father took her hand and guided her to the other carriage, coming around to the other side of it. The sky was dark and gloomy but not dark enough for it to hide the figures there, though each got to their feet the moment Lillian and her father appeared. One kept his head low and that, Lillian presumed, was the driver, which meant her gaze instinctively went to the other fellow.

"This is my daughter, Lillian, Your Grace." Lord Galesbury released Lillian's hand. "This is the Duke of Wrexham, Lillian."

Lillian looked up as best she could, taking in the gentleman before her. His coat was absent, his white shirt and waistcoat soaked through though the smile on his face showed no concern whatsoever as regarded his sodden state. Rivulets of rain ran from his temples to his chin, his sleeves were rolled up and his arms and hands were dirty with the mud from the road but all the same, he did not appear to be in the least bit concerned.

"Lady Lillian, I think you are very brave indeed to have stepped out into the storm. Your father thinks you can help us here?"

Lillian offered him a nod, having no desire to prolong the conversation. "Might I see the difficulty?"

"Of course. This way."

Within a few minutes, Lillian's mind was working furiously, taking in everything that she could see and listening hard to everything she was being told. She considered the angles of certain things, seeing them almost light up in front of her eyes. The weight of the carriage and the strength of the horses added to her thinking until, finally, with a small smile despite the wind and the rain, Lillian finally set to work.