A Christmas Affair (30 page)

“Will she?” Justin asked, not really interested. Instead he was thinking of Amanda and wondering what she would be wearing. He hoped it would be the dress she’d worn Christmas night. The deep green velvet made her hair glow like burnished copper, and the memory of the kiss they had shared that night made his heart race with excitement. He’d been delighted, to discover that her passion was every bit as strong as her temper, and his body grew heavy in anticipation of his wedding night.

Teale was a bloodless fool, he decided turning his head to study the slow stream of carriages flowing past them. A blind man could see Amanda was the perfect bride for him. They were well-matched in every way, and he could not wait to claim her as his wife.

If Amanda thought the bitter cold would discourage Lady Lettita from dragging her to the dressmaker’s, she was soon disappointed. The countess simply sent her carriage for the plump little modiste, and Amanda spent the better part of the morning standing in resigned silence as the two women squabbled over each piece of fabric that was pinned to her.

“No, no, no, not this insipid blue,” Lady Lettita snapped, tossing the square of satin to the ground. “My niece is an original, and that is how she must be dressed! Look at her coloring; only the most brilliant shades of green and turquoise will do.

“But I am in mourning,” Amanda protested, although she doubted it would do much good. Her hostess had already made her opinion of the subject quite obvious.

“Mourning?” The dressmaker looked up with interest.

“My brother,” Amanda explained, grateful that someone had some respect for the departed. “He fell in battle some months ago and—”

The little woman broke into a spate of incomprehensible French, flinging swatches of fabric about the room until she pulled out a piece of shimmering black silk. “
Viola!”
she exclaimed, holding the material up to Amanda’s face. “She will wear only black,
comprehende?
Black and white; so simple and yet so chic. And we will dress her hair so.” She pulled Amanda’s hair down from its stern arrangement, gathering up a fistful of copper-colored curls and holding it to one side. “With a single rose nestled at her crown, hmm? She will be — how do you say — a diamond of the first water.”

“Madame, Lady Lettita, this is all very interesting, but I–”

“No, not a diamond” Lady Lettita interrupted, ignoring Amanda’s indignant protest, “a pearl. A rare and perfect pearl. The Stonebridge family has an extensive collection of pearls, and she has the perfect coloring to carry them off. Do you not agree, madame?”

“Really, your ladyship, I must protest,” Amanda said in her sternest voice. “I appreciate your kindness, but I have no need of a new wardrobe. Furthermore, I refuse to be talked about as if I had no more sense than a chair!”

“Your ladyship is quite right; I shall begin my work at once,” Madame Chiennette said, taking her cue from the countess. She saw no reason why she should pay any attention to the younger lady’s complaints, especially when it was likely to cost her a generous bonus.

“I suppose it’s too much to expect a gown to be made up by the morrow.” Lady Lettita sighed, giving the other woman a meaningful look. “Although I’m sure Miss La
wrence’s brother-in-law the Duke of Stonebridge, would be most grateful. . . .”

The thought of such largesse was enough to insure anything. There were several customers who were behind on their bills, and as far as Madame was concerned, they could wait. “The impossible is my specialty, m’lady,” the dressmaker announced with Gallic flare. “I shall have a selection of gowns made up
toute suite.
You have my word on it.”

After the dressmaker departed, Amanda turned on her hostess, her eyes gleaming with a martial light. It was not her nature to be so docile, and she decided the time had come to set down her foot. “Lady Lettita,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “it is very kind of you to trouble yourself with this—”

“Heavens, child, you needn’t thank me,” Lady Lettita gave her hand a fond pat. “It is my pleasure, I assure you. You’re going to be my niece, and unless that dolt Edward takes a bride, which, my dear, I sincerely doubt, then you will be the next duchess of Stonebridge. Naturally I wish to see that you do the rank proud.”

Amanda’s angry protestations died on her lips. The duchess of Stonebridge, she thought, a feeling of sick horror washing over her. Justin had said he would be inheriting the title upon Edward’s death, but until this very moment, she never thought of what that would mean to hen She would be a duchess, she realized dully, a lady of high rank and fashion, and the very notion chilled her to the marrow of her bones.

“Well, why are you just standing there?” Lady Lettita glared at her. “We have much left to do, and no time for dawdling! Now, don’t tell Justin, but there is a dancing master I know, a most delightful Comte, and there is no one like him for teaching ladies to waltz. Perhaps we might arrange something. . . ,” and she guided a silent Amanda from the room, plans and talk spilling from her in gay abandon.

Justin arrived just as the family was finishing luncheon. The twins waylaid him at the door, and after promising to take them out the moment the weather improved, he and Amanda set out for Hanover Square.

“How was your morning?” he asked, tucking the fur robe securely about her. “I gather you and Aunt were unable to visit the modiste?”

“Not precisely,” Amanda replied with a sulky pout and went on to tell him of the morning’s events, including an indignant description of the wardrobe the countess had selected for her.

“It’s not that funny!” she exclaimed when he threw back his head in laughter. “I doubt you’d think it so amusing if you had to go about looking like a chess set, and that is precisely what will happen if those two have their way!”

“I am sorry,” Justin apologized, still chuckling. “It is just that I am having a hard time envisioning you standing there in docile silence while Aunt ordered you about. God knows I have never had any success at it.” He cast her a teasing look.

“That is because you’re always so quick to take up the cudgels,” she grumbled, ignoring his provocative challenge. “Lady Varonne doesn’t argue. She simply keeps talking until the other person either gives in or runs screaming from the room.”

“Ah, so that is her secret,” Justin said, nodding his head thoughtfully. “I must remember that. In the meanwhile, humor her. Once we’re married you can order up more gowns.”

Amanda turned to gaze at him in dismay. “But what of the expense?” she cried, her frugal nature decrying such extravagance. “She must have ordered a dozen new gowns! And what of the dresses you bought me in Godstone? I haven’t worn even a third of them!”

“Save them. They’ll do nicely when we visit the country.” Justin dismissed the matter with an indifferent shrug. “You
can order whatever you like; I can afford it.”

Amanda said nothing, falling into a troubled silence as she turned to gaze out the window. For the second time that day, she was reminded of how drastically her life would change once she and Justin were married. She’d spent the greater portion of her life mired in genteel poverty, and the thought of unlimited wealth was intimidating. How could she ever hope to be the sophisticated sort of wife Justin would require?

Justin was also troubled with thoughts of the future. After dropping Edward at his bank, he’d gone to Whitehall to visit an old friend who was now posted with the Foreign Office. George had been delighted to see him and over a glass of brandy, they discussed the course of the war. At the end of the discussion, George surprised him by offering to put his name in for a new command. A few short weeks ago he’d have accepted the offer and its accompanying promotion without hesitation, but things were different now. The thought depressed him even as it pleased him.

Dover House sat just off Hanover Square, its mullioned windows gleaming dully in the gray winter sunlight. Its exterior was lovely but unpretentious, and it in no way prepared Amanda for what lay inside.

“Justin, it is beautiful!” she gasped, her eyes growing wide as she gazed about the marbled foyer. “I’ve never seen anything half so elegant!”

“It is lovely,” he agreed quietly, more entranced by the wonder on Amanda’s face than by the opulence of his surroundings. “I’m glad that you approve.”

“How could I not,” she murmured, her eyes going from the Chippendale table, to the gilded mirror, to the crystal chandelier hanging above them. A beautifully carved staircase wended its way to the upper floors and Amanda’s heart sank as she recognized Adam’s impeccable work. She was to mistress of all this?

With the butler and housekeeper in attendance, they set
out to tour their new home. Away from the foyer, the house’s appearance changed drastically, and Justin’s displeasure grew at the signs of neglect that were so clearly evident. He’d been in the house several times as a young man, and he was furious that his elderly cousin had allowed the house to deteriorate to such a state. His critical eye noted where several
object d’ art
had been removed, and where the expensive carpets he remembered had been replaced by shabby thread-bare rugs.

Amanda also noted the house’s state but rather than being dismayed, she was secretly relieved. This was something she could do something about, and her spirits lightened as she made mental notes of the repairs she would make. They paused in one of the rooms that had been used as a study, and the general neglect in evidence made Justin’s lips tighten in annoyance.

“I’m afraid the old gentleman was a bit odd in his last years,” Mrs. Landsbury, the housekeeper, apologized, wringing her hands nervously. “He’d not let any of the maids in here, and after he died, things were so confused we didn’t know what to keep and what to toss away. His Grace said to shut it up and leave it be.”

Justin ran a finger over a pile of dusty papers. “How nice to see that you followed his instructions so thoroughly,” he said, wiping his hand on his handkerchief. “Are the other rooms this bad?”

The butler and housekeeper exchanged uneasy looks. “Most of the upper floor, I fear,” the butler, Tavers, replied, bravely facing Justin. “The roof has several holes in it, and there has been a great deal of water damage. Also, it has been many years since the chimneys were last cleaned and most of the fireplaces are all but useless they smoke so badly.”

Justin bit back an angry curse. He’d been expecting some dust and the like, but never anything like this. He cast a resentful look about the room. How the devil could he bring
his family to this—this hovel?

“What about the bedrooms?” Amanda asked, ignoring Justin’s black temper. “Are they habitable?”

“Oh, yes, miss,” Mrs. Landsbury turned to her gratefully. “The master suite will be fine with a bit of cleaning, and the other rooms are only a little damp. It’s the top floor that is so bad.”

“Where have you and the other servants been sleeping?”

“The east wing, Miss Lawrence,” Tavers answered her question. “And as to servants, I fear there are only six of us. After Sir Gillian’s death, Mr. Teale, the solicitor, had me turn the others off. He said ’twas wasteful to keep them on.”

“Well, perhaps it will be for the best,” Amanda said, noting Justin’s narrowing eyes with annoyance. “I’ll be bringing several of my own servants up from the country, and we’ll need to find positions for them all. In the meanwhile, you might want to hire some temporary staff to help you set the house to rights. I’m not sure when we’ll be moving in, but—”

“January tenth,” Justin interrupted, deciding it was time to reassert his control of the situation. “At least, that is when we shall be marrying. Since we won’t be taking a bridal journey, we’ll doubtlessly come directly here following the ceremony.”

Amanda paled, then flushed deeply. This was the first she’d heard that a definite date for the wedding had been set. “January tenth?” she repeated, turning to him with raised eyebrows.

“If that meets with your approval,” he muttered, the tips of his ears going red. He hadn’t meant to blurt out the news in quite so tactless a manner.

“That will be fine,” she answered, seeing no polite way she could object. How very like Justin to arrange all and then casually inform her of his plans, she thought with a rueful shake of her head. She supposed she should protest such high-handed behavior, but it would doubtlessly be a waste
of time. And if they were to move into the house in a little over a sennight, there wasn’t a moment to be wasted.

“Why don’t you show us the bedrooms, Mrs. Landsbury?” she asked, giving the housekeeper a polite smile. “We’ll only be needing three, perhaps four rooms, and you needn’t worry that they be grand. We’re not particular, I promise you.”

They spent the next hour examining the bedrooms and suites that occupied the second floor. As Tavers had warned him, there was a great deal of water damage, and Justin pronounced several of the rooms unacceptable. In the end they had selected four rooms for the children and a large suite for their own use. That done, they returned to the parlor for tea.

“I’m sorry, Amanda,” Justin said the moment they were alone. “I had no idea things were so bad! Edward wrote me that the house would require repairs, but. . . .” He shrugged helplessly and flung himself on the faded Sheraton chair.

“It doesn’t signify,” Amanda replied, handing him his cup of tea. “The house is quite lovely, and I’m sure it will be fine with a bit of work. Besides”—her lips quirked in a rueful smile—“it’s no worse than what we are used to at home.”

“Perhaps, but at least at Lawrence Hall you had a decent roof over your head,” he grumbled, refusing to be mollified. If he accepted George’s offer, then he’d be leaving England in a little over a month, and he disliked the notion of leaving Amanda to cope with all the repairs alone. There was the house in the country, of course, but still . . . .

“That’s because it never rained while you were there,” she told him with a reminiscent laugh. “Believe me, there are times when it is wetter inside than out!”

Justin gave an unintelligible grunt. One of the reasons he admired Amanda was because of her quick mind, to say nothing of the brave way she coped with adversity. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all, he brooded, taking a
thoughtful sip of tea. At least now she wouldn’t need to worry about money. He would take care to see that she was well provided for.