Read Mary Blayney - [Pennistan 03] Online
Authors: Strangers Kiss
Mary Blayney - [Pennistan 03] (42 page)
He lived his dream of escorting her through every room of this much-loved spot, but made it even better by kissing her at every doorway. It took them a very long time to reach the grove of trees near the cascade.
Spreading the blanket he had asked the housekeeper for, they sat in the shade of the trees, with the front of the house filling the sky, the rare blue sky.
They could hear the children yelling, far enough away to be entertained by it. He rested his head in her lap and she brushed his hair back from his forehead.
“It is such a lovely house, Lyn. So beautifully balanced. It reminds me of some of the styles that developed from Palladio—the perfectly matched proportions, the two chimneys, and the central pediment.”
“I have always liked it best of all the Pennistan properties. I have thought more than once of spending the months of Parliament here.”
“I could live here.” She stopped stroking his hair, but would not meet his eyes.
“You could?”
“Yes.” She spoke the one word with conviction. “All it will require is a great leap of faith.” Now she did look at him, and pulled his ear like a very annoyed governess. “How undeniably brilliant of you to throw that phrase back at me.”
He shrugged and sat up, lest she was thinking about injuring him in a more serious way.
“I hope that Wilson changes his mind. I know I have.” Elena looked him in the eye and he could see tears on her lashes. “I know that marrying is a leap of faith. But I know now that it is worth the risk.”
He closed his eyes and thanked God and blessed Alan Wilson.
“Lyn, I know that whatever comes, it will be worth the effort. I would be a fool not to say yes, should you ever ask me to marry you again.”
Meryon knelt on the blanket and took her hand. He would be a fool to let this moment pass. He had his mouth open, the words “Will you marry me?” ready, when Rexton came racing down to them, shouting.
“Papa, Papa! Signora!” They tried to look like something other than lovers but the boy did not notice anything unusual. “Lord William fell out of the tree trying to rescue one of Cousin Marie’s cats and I think he has broken his arm.”
March 1819
L
ETTY
H
ARBISON WELCOMED
the Duke and Duchess of Meryon with genuine pleasure. “We are so happy to have you make your first appearance as a married couple at our ball.” She turned to Elena. “Your Grace, I will not ask you to sing tonight because I know everyone will want to wish you well, but I would very much like to speak to Signor Tinotti about a possible engagement entirely at your convenience.”
“Of course, Mrs. Harbison, I would be delighted. Your ball will always hold a special place in my heart.”
“Yes, our ball last year was your first singing appearance in England, was it not?”
Let her think that is why, Meryon thought. He and Elena both knew the true reason that they would always attend the Harbison ball.
“Be sure to notice the decorations this evening. They are our wedding gift to you, Duchess.”
Elena glanced at Meryon, then nodded at Mrs. Harbison, not at all sure what Mrs. Harbison had done with the bit of information she had asked for. It took them a few minutes to work their way into the ballroom. Everyone stopped them to wish them the best. Meryon insisted on talking for a few moments with each one of them.
“Oh my,” Elena said as they walked into the ballroom, still mostly empty. “You did have a part in this, Lyn, you cannot deny it.” She gave her husband a knowing look.
The ceiling of the ballroom had been painted to look like the sky. Not just any sky, but the whispered blues and white of a Canaletto sky. The walls were an imaginative variant of Canaletto’s festival scenes, with the palaces of Venice painted in such a way that the doorways to the terrace were the doors of the houses.
“Oh, this is wonderful! It is too, too kind. Much too much.”
“Oh, I don’t know, my dear; she could have flooded the ballroom with water and brought in gondolas.”
Elena laughed. Then she squeezed his arm and hurried back to their hostess. He stayed where he was and watched as she thanked Letty effusively, her laughter making him smile at them both.
He loved her laughter, especially in bed. When he told her he had never ever laughed in bed before, she admitted that she hadn’t either. It made him realize he was not the only student. They would both learn about life and love from each other.
The ball was one of the most entertaining that the
Harbisons had ever hosted. Before dinner was announced he noted that Elena was no longer in the room and made his own way down the passage he had first traveled a year ago. He found Elena standing at the window. He thought of any number of clever things to say, but when he came up next to her, Elena turned into his arms. “I am so happy you knew to come here. While I was waiting I was remembering last year, when I told Mia that one should
never
expect to find love twice in a lifetime. And I was right.”
She raised her head and smiled at him. “But little did I know; what I never expected was that I would find a different, more passionate love. Nothing equals what we have.”
Elena hugged him tight, stepped out of his arms, and went over to the settee, patting the seat next to her. “Tell me, Your Grace, what has been the best part of the last six months?”
He took the chair across from her. That patting gesture was one of the few things that annoyed him.
“Well, Your Grace,” he began, “do you recall the time we were at the house in Richmond, walking down to the river, and it began to rain?”
She nodded with a very tolerant expression on her face. He was annoying her a little. He knew very well this was not what she meant. But she had not qualified her question. He loved the little glimmer of irritation in her eyes.
“We had to take shelter in the boathouse,” he reminded her, which was completely unnecessary. He knew
she remembered it as well as he did. “That game of hide-and-seek we played? I have to admit that being caught was one of the finest experiences of the year.”
“Mine as well,” she admitted, while still managing to sound like a condescending duchess.
“Rexton would be shocked to hear me say that losing was so gratifying, but then he is too young to appreciate a naked woman.”
She was silent. A silence filled with meaning.
“I can see that you are not happy with that answer. Please, my darling wife, tell me how I can make you smile.”
“Tell me the truth, my husband.” If there had been a pillow handy, he was sure she would have thrown it at him.
“That is the truth, darling girl. But I will tell you what you want to hear.” Now he did stand up and come to sit beside her. He took her hand and kissed it. “It is not so much a single instance as a way of life. That we always seem to be what the other needs. When I am too serious, you make me laugh. When you are ready to throw things, I hand you something unbreakable.”
She laughed at that, a breathy sound that made him feel that all was right with their world. “I have long considered the ideal match to be one where each found the other exciting and calming as the need arose. Is that what you mean?”
“Precisely.” He kissed her lightly. “On a practical level, I find myself happy about a number of things. That Olivia is safely delivered of a son. That David is so enthusiastic about the projects he is developing in Manchester. That
Lord William’s arm has healed well. That Rexton seems to be enjoying school and Alicia is healthy.”
He did occasionally think about more children, but although he and Elena talked about it sometimes, tonight he kept that thought to himself. She would cry because she was so sure she was barren, and he would have to show her that it did not matter to him at all and this settee was too small to substitute for a bed.
“You are kind not to add that my father’s death has made our lives simpler,” she said.
“Simpler for us and so much easier for his heirs. The man had become a caricature of his best self. That Rowlandson cartoon of him stomping on a violin was proof of that.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Meryon was not sure if Elena would ever forgive her father, but he knew she prayed for him.
“And what are your favorite memories, Duchess?”
“Redecorating the house on St. German Street has been so entertaining. If one of your unmarried brothers decides to come to town it will be the perfect spot for him to be on his own.”
“Yes, and close enough to Penn House that he need never miss a dinner.”
“What I am happiest for occurred more than six months ago. That night that William suggested that I use this room when I needed to escape. I must admit I worry a little about whether his marrying Mia is the best match for the two of them.” She was quiet a minute and he knew that meant an internal debate.
Finally she drew a deep breath. “William so deserves
someone who will love him for the man he is, not the dukedom and wealth he will inherit.”
“Mia does enjoy him. They are always laughing.”
“Yes, but we both know that marriage is not all laughter.”
“Well, my dear, they will have to make their own leap of faith. The best influence that we can have is to set them a good example.”
She put her head on his shoulder, and they sat in silence. He was wondering if the settee was too small. He had no idea what Elena was thinking.
“Meryon, does that door lock?”
“Yes,” he said, proud of his foresight. “I checked when we came in.”
“I was wondering,” she asked very, very quietly, as though someone might be listening. “Have you ever made love in a wingback chair?”
“What an excellent idea!” He stood and lifted her from the settee, and they both began laughing.
I
N THE BALLROOM
The Gossips were watching the passageway.
“Where are they?”
“Could they be playing cards? You know how the Harbisons love their cards.”
“Nonsense, the Duke of Meryon almost never plays cards. He might be talking about his investments. His brother is Lord David, and all he can talk about are those projects the duke is investing in.”
“God, Lord David is boring.”
There were nods of agreement and the group stared down the empty passage.
“The rest of the rooms are dark.”
“Oh, really?” one of them said with a lascivious wink. “Well, they are newlyweds. Can we guess what they’re doing?”
“Please, he’s a duke. She married him for his money and he married her because she’s a duke’s daughter.”
“I saw them laughing together this evening, more than once.”
“Nonsense, dukes don’t laugh, any more than they marry for love.”
“Marry for love? Oh, my dear,” said the wisest among them, “I think this one did.”
Stranger’s Kiss
takes a close look at a duke’s life: the social, political, and personal world of the most important nonroyal aristocrats in Regency England.
To my way of thinking, a duke is a cross between a big-name Hollywood star and a U.S. senator. Like a Hollywood star, a duke attracted attention from all walks of life and provided endless fodder for gossip columns. In the political realm, a duke’s position in the House of Lords gave him significant influence over the legislation introduced and passed in Parliament.
From my perspective, 1818 was the lull between two dramatic years in England’s march to industrial and political change. In 1817 the Pentrich Rising represented an aborted attempt at revolution, and in 1819 the Peterloo Massacre was an (over)reaction to a public demonstration in Manchester.
Both of these events took place in the Derbyshire region,
where the Duke of Meryon’s family has historic roots, and in my fictional world they had a dramatic impact on how the Pennistans view the future and their place in it.
Here are a few comments that will separate fact from fiction: The Duke of Meryon’s interest in proposing a bill to care for widows and orphans is far ahead of its time but reflects his awakening to the needs of the world beyond Mayfair.
William Wilberforce is one of the true historical figures in
Stranger’s Kiss
. The movie
Amazing Grace
gives an entertaining and generally accurate account of his struggles to abolish the slave trade in England.
All the musicians are fictitious (except Beethoven!). The songs that Elena sings are also creations of my imagination. The Marquis Straemore and his wife, Marguerite, are characters from the series I wrote for Kensington and used with Kensington’s permission. Titles are available on my website,
MaryBlayney.com
.
Once again I must acknowledge Lois McMaster Bujold, whose character Miles Vorkosigan is the inspiration for William Bendasbrook.
My thanks to Regina Scott, Shannon Donnelly, Meg Grasselli, Kalen Hughes, Nancy Mayer, and the members of The Beau Monde for sharing their expertise. And to Alan Wilson for the use of his name.
As always, the support and genius of my writers’ group—Lavinia Kent, Marsha Nuccio, and Elaine Fox—make all things possible. The “rapid response team” of Shauna Summers and Jessica Sebor at Bantam is truly amazing in both speed and expertise. Thank you all for making this such a rewarding experience.