Summer Folly Page 14

  Beth turned. “Anne? Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. ‘Tis only a short walk home. Do go, Beth, you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Well—very well, yes, I will go.” Beth gave an unexpectedly brilliant smile, making Lieutenant Bancroft blink. Anne and Felicity exchanged knowing smiles as they made their farewells. It looked like the beginning of a promising romance. How marvelous, Anne thought, as she finished selecting her books. Perhaps something would turn out well for someone this summer.

  Jamie was bored. Nurse had fallen asleep over her crocheting and was snoring, as she did more and more often these days. Mama had gone out, and Uncle Giles was busy with a lot of papers spread over his desk. Sometimes he talked to the ghost, Terence, but even he didn’t answer today. Jamie hadn’t told anyone about Terence, not even Mama. She wouldn’t believe him, just as she didn’t really believe there was a monster under his bed. Grown-ups were strange. They did odd, boring things, like tending to business, as Uncle Giles did, or going out shopping, like his mother. He didn’t want to be a grown-up; he wanted to stay a little boy forever and ever, and not here. England was a nasty place, cold, noisy, crowded. He missed Hampshire Hall. There he’d been able to come and go as he pleased, and there was always something happening, something to see. Here, he had to stay inside because of all the traffic, and there was nothing to do. Just lessons, and playing soldiers with Uncle Giles, and talking with Terence.

  Slowly, never taking his eyes from Nurse, lest she awaken, he slid down in his chair until his feet were touching the floor. Still watching the old woman, he tiptoed with elaborate quiet to the door, which he flung open. Nurse’s snore turned into a snort, and then resumed its even cadence. There. He was out. He could finally do some exploring.

  It was very quiet in the upstairs hall. Jamie headed for the back stairs, leading to the servant’s hall. There he spent an enjoyable time, chatting to the maids and Cook, until old sourpuss Benson came in and frowned at them all. Young though he was, Jamie knew when to beat a retreat. Carrying his bounty, freshly-made sugar cookies which Mama would never allow him to have this time of day, he scurried back upstairs, well satisfied with the morning’s events. Maybe Nurse would wake up now and read to him. He liked stories. He could even read some words himself. He was getting to be a big boy.

  Munching on a cookie and intent on his destination, he trod down the hall to his room. He wasn’t aware that anyone else was there until he came up against violet silk skirts that rustled imperiously. Uh-oh. Raising his head, he looked up into the stern, forbidding face of the duchess. He was in trouble now.

  A little while later, Benson opened the door to admit Anne inside. “‘Tis a glorious morning, Benson,” she said, smiling at him. “Don’t you wish it would stay this way forever?”

  “It is not for me to say, ma’am,” Benson said.

  “Oh. Well, no matter. Where is his Grace?”

  “Here.” Giles walked toward her from the book-room. “Good morning, Anne. Do you wish to see me about something?”

  “Yes, I’ve something to tell you. Shall we—”

  “Ahem. Excuse me, Your Grace, madam.” Benson stood ramrod straight, his face long and stern. “There is a problem you should be aware of. With Master James.”

  “Jamie? Is he all right?”

  “What has he done, Benson?” Giles asked with amused resignation.

  “What makes you think he has done anything? Jamie is a well-behaved little boy!”

  “What is it, Benson? Has Jamie been up to some mischief?”

  “I found him in the servant’s hall, Your Grace.” Benson’s eyes were fixed on a point somewhere beyond Giles’s shoulder. “Consorting with Cook and some of the maids. Of course, if you’d allowed Mrs. MacPherson to come, instead of hiring a new cook, none of this would have happened. But then, it’s not for me to question your actions, sir.”

  Giles and Anne exchanged looks at this reproof and then hastily glanced away, before they gave into laughter. “Shocking,” Giles said, mildly. “Was that all he did, Benson?”

  “Yes, Your Grace. It is quite enough.”

  “Quite. I will talk to the boy. Shall we go, Anne?”

  “Thank you, Your Grace. I knew you’d be sensible about this.”

  That last statement, with its implication that Anne would not have been, was too much for her. A strangled laugh escaped her, and she quickly turned it into a cough. “Ahem. Of course we must speak with him, Giles,” she said, her voice trembling. “Please, come with me.”

  “Of course. Thank you, Benson. You old tartar,” he muttered under his breath as he and Anne proceeded up the stairs, and Anne choked on another laugh.

  “Oh, dear. Benson hasn’t changed, has he?” she said.

  “Not at all. Sometimes I think he would make a much better duke than I. He certainly has more consequence.”

  “I can handle this matter myself, Giles. There’s really no need for you to come with me.”

  “No need! I needed rescuing.” He stopped on the stairs and faced her, his face serious and oddly tender. “Anne. We haven’t had a chance to speak lately—”

  “Come, let’s find Jamie and find out exactly what the little rascal did,” Anne chattered, turning away. “I’d hate to receive another scolding from Benson.”

  Giles sighed. “Very well. Let us go.”

  The hall was as quiet as it had been earlier, except for the low murmur of voices, Jamie’s high-pitched, and an older, female one, coming through the door of the nursery. Giles was about to push open the door for Anne to enter, when she caught at his hand. “Look!” she whispered.

  Giles looked in over her shoulder and drew himself up in surprise. Through the crack in the door he could just see Nurse, rocking in her chair and nodding her head over her crocheting. That wasn’t what was so startling, however. Jamie, his back to them, was sitting at the wide nursery table that served as his desk, a huge book set open before him. Beside him, her longer, slightly crooked fingers pointing to a spot on the page, sat Julia, Duchess of Tremont.

  “And that was your ancestor, the Earl of Houghton,” she said, and leaned back.

  “Giles Templeton,” Jamie read. “Giles Templeton!” His face shone with excitement. “Just like Uncle Giles!”

  “Giles is a Templeton family name. You have inherited a noble tradition, boy.”

  “What did he do, Auntie Julia?”

  “Fought that wicked Oliver Cromwell. Not that it did him any good. He languished in prison until Charles II was restored. Ah, but then he got all his land back, and more, and Charles made him a marquess. The Templetons have always served the Crown.”

  “That’s what I want to do, Auntie Julia. I want to go and fight. Do you think there’ll be a war when I grow up?”

  “I hope not, boy.” Julia’s voice was gruff, but the hand she laid on Jamie’s head was gentle. Anne and Giles looked at each other in astonishment.

  “I hope there is. Auntie Julia! Do you want to see the toy soldiers Uncle Giles gave me?”

  “Set them up, lad. On the table, if you please. I’m too old to be sitting on the floor.”

  “Yes, auntie!” Jamie scrambled off his chair, and Anne grabbed at Giles’s arm, pulling him back. His lips were tightly compressed, his face red, his eyes watering. Anne was not in much better case. With her hand over her mouth and her own eyes dancing, she gestured frantically toward her room. Only when they were inside, with the door safely closed behind them, could they give into their mirth.

  “The boy needs a firm hand,” Anne gasped, leaning back against the wall. “Oh, Giles.”

  Giles bent double with the force of his laughter, and then straightened, wiping at his eyes. “Auntie Julia. Never did I think I’d hear anyone address my mother that way.”

  “What has got into your mother, Giles? I’ve never seen her like this.”

  “She likes children. I know, she covers it well. But she really has been a good mother, Anne, though you might not think so now. She never
relegated us to nursemaids or governesses, the way most people do.”

  “How lucky you were,” Anne said, wistfully. “I hardly ever saw my parents, except for a few moments each day at tea. And of course, when they went to London, I had to stay behind.”

  “When I went to school for the first time, the other boys laughed at me at first when I talked about Mother. I didn’t care. She was splendid when I was young.” His eyes were distant. “She was always there for us to talk to when we needed to, and she knew the most extraordinary things. Of course, she’s very proud of the Templetons.”

  “I had noticed.”

  “Do you know, she was the one who explained different battles to me? She told me about my ancestors, as she’s doing with Jamie now, and she would describe what each one did. A much better way to learn history than from a book.”

  “Then you should understand, Giles, why I treat Jamie as I do. I don’t wish to spoil him, no matter what you might think. Life is hard enough. I want Jamie to have a happy childhood.”

  “Do you know, I never thought of that,” he said, slowly. “But you do realize, Anne, that you must be careful not to coddle him?”

  “In other words, I should send him to school. I’ll consider it, Giles.” She paused. “What happened to her? What turned your mother into such a cranky old woman?”

  He shook his head. “She’s always been opinionated. This crankiness, as you call it, only came on recently. I don’t know why. I do know it was hard on her when my brother died. And the others, my baby brother and sisters.” He paused, too. “Do you know, she never visits the family graveyard anymore?”

  “I think I understand that,” Anne said, softly. “If I lost Jamie—”

  “You like children, too. Have you ever considered remarrying?”

  “No.” Anne turned abruptly away from him, and was as abruptly aware that they were in her bedchamber. Only a few feet away was her bed. Dangerous. “My heavens, it really isn’t proper for you to be in here,” she said, lightly.

  “What? Oh.” His gaze followed hers, but instead of looking uncomfortable, he grinned. “Why? Do you plan to seduce me, Anne?”

  “What—oh, get out! That is low of you, Giles.”

  “I know.” His smile gentled as he gazed at her. “That dress suits you, you know.”

  “Thank you. Lieutenant Bancroft thought so, too.”

  “Who the devil is Lieutenant Bancroft?”

  “Actually, he appeared far more interested in Beth.” Her shoulders held back, awareness of him prickling down her spine, she crossed to the door. “Come, let us go back to the book-room and discuss it.”

  Giles’s eyes narrowed a bit as he followed her out. “Where is Beth? I thought she was with you.”

  “Oh, we met with Lady Whitehead, and she invited Beth to go shopping with her and her daughter. Along with two very handsome soldiers.”

  Giles stopped on the stairs. “What!”

  “Oh, don’t worry, Giles. Felicity assured me they come of quite good families.” She smiled up at him from the hall. “Come. Shall we discuss this in private?”

  The look Giles gave her was not friendly, which filled her with both relief and regret. There, their relationship was back on its old footing. Just as well. “Very well,” he said, and came down the stairs.

  Sometime later Anne walked out of the book-room, smiling. In a few moments Giles followed, his face more serious. What Anne had just told him was troublesome, and he wasn’t certain how to deal with it. On the one hand, it was good news, but on the other, it could cause considerable trouble. He wasn’t so certain that was bad, though. Things had stayed the same for a very long time. Why shouldn’t they change?

  “Mother.” He knocked at the door of Julia’s room, and she, sitting in a comfortable chair with the huge family Bible she had been showing Jamie open on her lap, looked up. “Good morning. Have you a moment?”

  Julia lowered the pince-nez she used for reading. “What is it, Giles? Is there a problem?”

  “No.” Giles walked into the room and took a chair facing her. “We’ve had an invitation. I thought you might be interested in accepting.”

  “What is it?”

  “Felicity’s getting up an excursion to Battle Abbey next week. We’ve been invited along.”

  “An excursion! Really, Giles, you know I don’t like to travel. And so near the water, too. You young people are so casual these days.”

  “Yes, Mother. All the same, it sounds like fun.”

  “Fun?”

  “Fun.” He returned her gaze steadily. “Why not enjoy ourselves, if we can?”

  “I think not. However, if you and Beth wish to go, I give you my approval.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  “You are quite welcome. Is that all?”

  “Well—”

  “Good. Send Beth to me. I require her.”

  “Beth is not here. She’s gone shopping with Felicity.” He paused. “And a certain Lieutenant Bancroft.”

  “Bancroft? What is this, boy, are you hoaxing me?”

  “No, ma’am, I wouldn’t dare. Felicity and her daughter were being escorted by two officers of the Tenth Light Dragoons, one of whom is a Thomas Bancroft of Surrey.”

  “Bancroft,” she said again. “Of Surrey. Ah. I have it. The Earl of Stratham’s third son. Elizabeth could do better for herself.”

  “Perhaps.” Giles leaned forward, his hands clasped between his knees. “Mother, if Beth met someone likely, would you allow her to marry him?”

  Julia glared at him. “If he were suitable, yes. I’m not a monster, Giles. I do not keep Beth close to me out of selfishness. At least, not completely,” she added. “Beth is sensitive and shy. She’ll require someone who will be kind to her, someone who can take care of her.”

  Giles nodded. “Very well. I’ll make inquiries about this Bancroft fellow, and if he’s a bounder I’ll send him packing.”

  “Good. Giles, you do know that all I’ve ever wanted is for my children to be happy?”

  “Yes, Mother.” He smiled at her as he rose. “Oh, by the by.”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you enjoy your game of toy soldiers?”

  To his delight, Julia’s face turned crimson. “I was showing the boy the strategy your ancestor used in the Battle of Worcester,” she said with great dignity.

  “As I recall, it didn’t do him much good.”

  “No, that wicked Cromwell—how do you know about this?”

  “I eavesdropped,” he confessed. He didn’t add that Anne had also been there. Let his mother preserve a little dignity.

  “Yes, well, do not refine upon it overmuch. Someone has to teach the boy about his heritage, and Anne is certainly too light-minded to do so.”

  Giles sat down again. “I think Anne is probably a very good mother,” he said, slowly. “As you were.”

  “Pray do not compare her to me! She is flighty and shallow and foolish. And dangerous. She’s hurt you once already.”

  “I doubt she’ll do so again.”

  “No?” Julia’s eyes narrowed. “You’d best watch out for her, Giles.”

  “How so?”

  “Because she has decided you will be her next husband.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Giles sat very still. Anne, as his wife. A strange thought, one he hadn’t entertained for a very long time, but pleasant. He needed a wife. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but Anne’s arrival had made him realize it. He needed someone to be his hostess, to give him heirs. Someone he could talk to, tell his problems and his joys, someone to share his bed. Anne? Remarkable thought, but perhaps not so astonishing as first it had seemed. “That might not be so bad a fate,” he said, leaning back, and Julia sat forward, her hands gripping the arms of her chair.

  “You will not marry that hussy, Giles! I forbid it.”

  “You forget yourself, Mother. I am the head of the family. I do not need your permission to do as I wish.”

  Julia sat
back. “Of course not, Giles. I was wrong. Forgive me?”

  Giles looked at her a bit askance, wary of this sudden mildness. “Of course, Mother.”

  “If I spoke harshly, you must remember I am thinking of your good. I will never forgive her for what she did to you.”

  “It’s past, Mother.”

  “Oh? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what happened, and how you felt when you learned she’d gone off with Freddie.” The duchess’s face softened. “Forgive me for bringing it up again, but what happened was hard on you. I would not see you go through that again.”

  Giles paced to the window. He remembered well those days after Anne’s desertion, the pain, the anger, the bewilderment. Strange, though. Nothing lasted forever, apparently, not even love. What had once been heart-wrenching agony was now only a bittersweet memory. He had loved Anne once. Perhaps it wasn’t so surprising that he desired her now. “I need a wife, Mother,” he said, abruptly.

  “Of course you do,” she said, so promptly that he turned to stare at her. “You need someone to give you heirs, and I want to see my grandchildren before I die. That Jamie.” She smiled, leaning back. “He’s an engaging scamp. Undisciplined, of course, but very bright. Children remind you of the essentials of life, and they give you love, Giles. Nothing else seems terribly important when you’re holding a child in your lap.” Giles was staring at her, his forehead furrowed, and she went on, her head held high. “You should have children, Giles. You have to do your duty and provide yourself with heirs.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Giles sat across from her again, his mouth quirked. The old humbug, he thought affectionately, wanting to reach over and take one of the old gnarled hands in his but knowing that she would, at this moment, reject such sentiment. “I’ll start looking around for someone. God knows there are plenty of available females here this summer.”

  “Pray do not swear in my presence. As to that, I thought Lady Whitehead’s daughter was charming.”

  “Susan? She’s only a child.”

  “All to the good. A healthy young girl who can bear children and whom you can mold to your wishes.”