The Duke's Revenge (19 page)

“
Why thank you, Will,”
Lady Hart said, taking the offered cake. She took a bite and
savored the softness. “Hmm...”

“
See Cath likes the cake
too,” the earl said, nodding his head.

“
Err, about the season,
your grace,” Lady Mornington insisted. “I do truly believe that Ivy
should attend as soon as possible. Next month perhaps? If Ivy does
not have a chaperone then I’m glad to be one, and I’m sure
Catherine would be glade too. Isn’t that right, Cath? I mean we are
neighbors and have known each for ages,” she said, nodding her
head.

“
Oh, indeed, what do you
say, Ivy?” Lady Hartland turned to the young woman beside
her.

“
Well, err...” Ivy was
lost for words as she stared at her hand resting on her
lap.

“
There is plenty of time
yet,” Max said, “Lord Mornington, about this American business you
were telling me the other day.”

“
Men, they always have to
talk business,” Lady Mornington muttered, shaking her head, and she
in turn took Ivy to one side and told her all about the season with
its gay atmosphere and lovely food. She also told Ivy of the
various balls and parties she had gone to in the past years or so,
and insisted certain important people Ivy
must
meet such as the Duke and
Duchess of Devonshire, Spencer Perceval the Prime Minister, and the
Prince Regent, in which the woman assured her that she would be
introduced to at court. It was a full hour later that the guests
were ready to depart.

“
Now, Ivy, don’t walk too
much, won’t you? Your ankle is still tender,” Lady Hart warned as
they walked out the door.

“
That’s right, my dear.
You must look after yourself. That ankle needs to heal before the
season starts. You couldn’t possibly dance with a sore ankle, you
know,” Lady Mornington added.

“
I won’t,” Ivy replied,
“have a safe journey.”

“
Indeed,” Lady Hart turned
toward the carriage, “Mr. Oliver came up to Mornington Hall
yesterday, Mary was ill and there was simply no doctor around the
town you see. He was asking about you. Now next time I see him, I
will tell him that you are fine.” She smiled.

“
Thank you, Lady Hart,
give him my regard, won’t you?” Ivy smile, when suddenly, she felt
the duke’s hand on her arm. He squeezed her none too gently. She
tried not to take notice of his imposing presence beside
her.

“
Have a safe journey,” Max
said to Lady Hart.

“
Yes, thank you, your
grace,” the woman replied.

“
Why, your grace, do you
expect guests?” the earl said from behind as he stared into the
distance.

Max turned to look at the courtyard. There
were three carriages approaching the castle. He released Ivy’s arm
and made his way toward the slowing coaches.

Ivy saw him smile. It was a genuine smile,
and it was the very first time she had seen him did so.

First Ivy saw a very handsome man with dark
hair came out. When he stood, he was as tall as the duke himself
and was as muscular though their appearances in comparison were
very different indeed. One looked as dark as the devil, and the
other, as she shifted her eyes to the Duke of Lynwood, was as
golden as an angel. When she shifted her eyes back to the dark hair
man, she saw a woman standing beside him.

My God!
The woman was enchanting indeed with her chestnut
hair and petal white skin. Who were they? She wondered.

Then she saw them walking toward her.
Suddenly, she felt as though she was in the wrong place with these
important, grand people and stepped back to hide behind Lady
Hart.

A woman dressed in dark grey dress came out
last with a baby in her arms. Donald and Mrs. Price came out of the
castle at that moment, followed by various footmen and maids who
marched like armies to the carriage and started to untie ropes and
unload the bags. Ivy glanced to the other carriage and saw two
maids coming out, and they, too, helped the others to unload the
bags.

“
Do take him inside, Pat,”
Christine said as she gently caressed the baby’s cheek.

The nurse nodded, and Mrs. Price led her
into the castle.

“
My Goodness, my lady,”
Lady Mornington said as she stared at the new comers.

“
Ah, Lady Mornington, how
are you?” Christine greeted.

“
I’m doing very well, my
lady. I haven’t seen you for quite sometime. How are you? Yes, you
look fine. Ah, let me introduce you to my dear friend, Lady
Hartland.” Lady Mornington turned to her friend. “Cath, this is the
Count and Countess of Huntingdon.”

“
Very nice to meet you,”
Lady Hart said, nodding at the count and turned to take the
countess’s hand.

“
Very nice to meet you,
too,” Christine replied, “and err...?” She looked behind Lady Hart
to Ivy who was biting her lip shyly and stepping even further away
from everyone else.

“
Oh, Ivy, do come forward,
this is Ivy Michaels, the duke’s cousin,” Lady Hart
said.

“
Cousin?” Christine turned
to look at her husband and then glance at Max. “You did not tell me
you have a cousin, your grace. How marvelous. Just look at her, she
isn’t at all much younger than me. Do come here.” She reached for
Ivy’s hands and pulled her forward. “Why, just look at you, what a
beauty.”

“
We must depart now, your
grace,” Lord Mornington said to Max. “The weather doesn’t look like
it’s going to hold. There’s a storm coming. Don’t want to be stuck
in the rain. Dangerous these roads,” he muttered.

“
Do have a safe journey
home,” Max replied.

“
Won’t you all stay a bit
for tea?” Christine asked, looking from Lady Hart to Lady
Mornington.

“
Nay, we just had tea. Do
try the carrot cake, it’s very delicious,” Lady Mornington said,
patting the countess’s arm. “Perhaps we should have a dinner party
one evening.”

“
That would be marvelous,
isn’t that right, Merrick?” Christine said to her husband over her
shoulder.

“
Indeed, my love,” Merrick
replied lightheartedly to his wife.

Ivy darted her eyes to
Merrick and then back to Christine. She saw the love they shared in
their eyes. Her heart felt heavy
. Would
she ever find love like they do?

“
Good bye, my dear,” Lady
Hart said to Ivy, and she turned to climb into the coach. “I will
give Mr. Oliver your regard.”

“
Mr. Oliver?” Christine
mused with her brows raised.

“
Good bye, your grace,”
Lady Hart said.

“
Yes, God speed,” Max
said.

They all stood there watching the carriage
moving away. Finally, Christine turned to pay her attention to
Ivy.

“
Ivy, I like that name.
She is a beauty don’t you agree, Merrick.” She looked at her
husband.

Merrick just eyed his wife with
amusement.

“
As for you, your grace,
you have never told me you have such a beautiful little cousin. You
should have brought her to London for our wedding. She could have
been my bride’s maid,” she said, nodding her head. “Now then, come
along and I shall introduce you to my cute, little son. Yes, by the
way, call me Christine.”

Ivy smiled as she was dragged into the
castle. They met Mrs. Price at the grand stairs.

“
Do show Her Ladyship to
her room, Mrs. Price,” Max said from the doorway.

The housekeeper inclined her head and smiled
at Christine. “Do follow me, my lady.”

Christine and Ivy followed Mrs. Price up the
stairs to the first floor.

“
What lovely castle this
is,” Christine commented as they walked pass the
corridor.

“
Do you like it?” Ivy
asked.

“
Aye, it’s very nice. You
and His Grace must be very close.” Christine beamed at the younger
woman.

“
Nay.” Ivy shook her
head.

“
But you seem so close.
Why both of you are practically staying under the same roof and you
don’t even have a chaperone. Is the duke your guardian?” Christine
turned her gaze to Ivy from admiring the various paintings hanging
on the walls.

“
Well, you could put that
way.” Ivy blushed.

“
This is your room, your
grace,” Mrs. Price said once they had reached one of the grandest
guest rooms.

“
Thank you,” Christine
said and walked in. “Oh my, this is indeed very nice,” she mused to
herself, staring at the very large, freshly furnished
room.

Ivy followed her in and saw two maids busily
unpacking the many bags beside the bed.

“
Do come along, Ivy, and
meet my son,” Christine said and took a hold of Ivy’s wrist. “There
he is.” They walked toward the nursemaid who was holding a baby in
her arms.

“
He is sleeping, your
grace,” the nursemaid said.

“
Oh, my little sweetie,”
Christine said, taking the baby from the maid. “Thank you,
Pat.”

The maid smiled and left them.

“
He’s very beautiful,” Ivy
said as she stared down at the baby boy. Her eyes started to brew
with tears. She felt the love and the lost at the same time. She
wondered if she would be able to have such a beautiful baby like
Christine.

“
Why, what’s wrong, Ivy?”
Christine asked, alarm when she saw Ivy tears.

“
Oh.” Ivy blinked and
tears rolled down her face. “’Tis nothing,” she said and turned to
wipe her eyes.

“’
Tis not nothing, I know
we’ve only met but I just feel that we are meant to be the best of
friend. Don’t you agree?” Christine asked.

Ivy felt the same way and nodded her
head.

“
Then you must tell me,
but you don’t have to tell me now. It can wait if that makes you
feel better.” Christine smiled, patting her shoulder. Ivy
nodded.

“
Here, you can hold
him.”

“
But I’m not at all good
with baby,” Ivy said, scared that she might drop the precious
baby.

“
Oh no, I’m not good with
baby either, but you see I love him, and I want to hold him for
there is only one today. When he grows up, I won’t be able to hold
him any longer now, do I?” She gently touched the boy’s delicate
pink lips with her finger.

Ivy looked at Christine and smiled. She
nodded her head and took the baby into her arms. “He is quite
light,” she said in surprise.

“
Why don’t you sit down?”
Christine suggested, leading her toward the bed.

Ivy was sitting down with the baby in her
arms when she realized that the two maids were watching her. She
turned and smile at them. They curtsied and then proceeded to
giggle like a couple of school girls.

“
Jan, Betty, do stop
giggling like that and stop staring at Ivy. I’m sure she isn’t at
all comfortable with you two staring at her so,” Christine
said.

“’
Tis not that, my lady,”
Emma, the tall maid said with her gaze still on Ivy. “We were just
wondering how the duke could possibly find himself such a beauty to
live with when most women would run in the opposite direction,
that’s all.”

“
Emma,” Christine said in
outrage, “how could you say such a thing? Ivy is the duke’s
cousin.”

“
Cousin?” Betty, the plump
maid said in astonishment. “My lady, they don’t look one bit alike.
I mean their hair color is a complete contrast and their
features--”

“
Cousins don’t have to
look alike now, do they?” Christine turned to look at Ivy who was
blushing at the attention she was receiving.

“
Err, we are a very
distant, my lady,” Ivy said with her gaze on the baby’s cute
face.

“
See?” Christine said to
the two maids and turned to Ivy. “Stop calling me ‘my lady’ by the
way, call me Christine instead, it’s more friendly, ‘my lady’ is
too stiff.”

“
But—”

“
No buts, now who is this
Mr. Oliver?” Christine asked, and her eyes twinkled with
excitement.

Ivy raised her brows in surprise. “Oh, he
lives in the town, my...I mean, Christine,” Ivy said
hesitantly.

“
In the town? I would love
to visit it one day. I saw it on our way here, quite nice. Ah yes,
Mr. Oliver and what is his first name? From what I’ve heard so far,
there is something between you two.”

“
Oh no, not at all,” Ivy
said quickly.

“
What’s this, my love? You
are teasing Max’s little cousin already? Can’t you see she is
blushing with embarrassment?” Merrick said from the
door.

Ivy turned her gaze to the door and saw the
two men standing there. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Max
staring at her most intensely. She tried not to look at him as they
walked into the room.

“
I was going to show our
little boy to Max. Seems we came in at the wrong time. Look at him,
he’s a sleep.”

“
Oh, he shall be awake
soon enough,” Christine said, taking the baby from Ivy.

Ivy stood up and said, “You must be very
tired after the long journey. I leave you to rest now.” She hurried
out the room as though the devil was chasing her.