A Damsel for the Mysterious Duke Read online

  How fortunate the Duke of Calder was. If the outer reaches of his estate were anything to go by, the house and grounds itself must be indeed a sight to behold.

  And Georgina did not have long to discover the truth of that, for as their carriage carried on along the pathway which now dropped down, the house and grounds came suddenly into view.

  At the same time as Georgina’s mouth fell open, she heard her cousin Fleur gasp. Surely every visitor coming to the Calder estate for the first time must have been subject to the same sensation of delight and surprise as they came over the brow of the hill.

  “Goodness me, this most certainly is a very grand pile,” Jeremy said and then laughed as he looked back and forth between his cousin and his sister. “And the ladies are speechless for the first time, which is quite a curious sensation is it not, Father?”

  “What a shame that you do not find yourself so just now and again, Jeremy.” Felix laughed. “It might make for a nice break for the rest of us.”

  “I know you cannot possibly mean that, Father,” Jeremy said and chuckled. “But tell me, ladies, have you recovered your tongues? What do you think of the place?”

  “I have never seen anything so stunningly beautiful in all my life,” Fleur said breathlessly.

  “And you, cousin Georgina? What have you to say about Calder Hall in all its glory?” Jeremy went on.

  “I have never seen a place so large,” was all that Georgina could say, despite there being so many other observations she might have made.

  They continued their journey in silence for a while, and Georgina was content to stare at out the ever-approaching Hall. The building itself was in three stories and of a pale beige stone with so many mullioned windows she could not count them. The main part of the hall was large and rectangular, except where it bowed handsomely around the main entrance where four immense stone columns held up a semicircular canopy over the wide stone steps.

  From each side of the rectangular hall came two long and sprawling wings, again with many windows and smaller doorways, although both were only two stories high.

  There were also a great many stone outbuildings here and there, each seemingly with their own courtyard and gardens.

  All in all, Georgina could hardly begin to imagine that one man lived there all alone. Obviously, he would have an immense household staff, but in the main part of the hall itself, the Duke of Calder would be quite solitary.

  Something about it made her feel a little sad, although she could not think why. Perhaps it was because she could see that there must surely be more than a hundred rooms in so immense a place, if not more, and she instantly imagined herself alone in a home of such size without family. Surely it must be a dreadfully lonely experience.

  Georgina shook herself, remembering that a young man who was also a Duke was likely to have a great many friends and visitors and would probably never know a moment’s peace.

  The gardens were also quite a sight to behold. There were great rectangular lawns everywhere, with trees on one side and wonderful box hedging cut into immaculate cubes on the other. There were other pathways, walkways constructed of box hedging which had been clipped so neatly that there could not have been a stone wall built anywhere that was more level and precise. And the gravel pathways here and there created features of their own, all of them converging upon a large square of gravel with a small round lawn in the middle, upon which sat a great circular stone with an iron sundial on top of it.

  Where the edge of one of the great lawns met the gravel apron at the very entrance of the hall, there was an attractive line of trees cut very neatly into conical shapes. Georgina stared at them mesmerized, realizing that there was not an inch to choose between one tree and its neighbour. They were absolutely exact and precise, and she wondered exactly who it was who kept them so.

  Beyond the great hall, Georgina could see trees and greenery far off into the distance, and she wondered if the grounds at the back were as extensive as those at the front.

  No doubt she was soon to find out, for there was no sign that visitors to the garden party were gathered in the grounds at the front at all. There were many carriages already drawn up on that great gravel apron, so she knew that other guests must have surely arrived.

  “Well, here we all are,” Felix Allencourt said with a curious grim determination.

  Georgina immediately realized that her father’s cousin was keen to get any greetings over and done with, to see an end to that initial awkwardness before it was even begun.

  And she did not envy him his position, for as head of that particular household, it was for him to lead his little party into that social occasion and for them to simply follow.

  When they had all climbed out of the carriage, a very smart and handsome young footman in full livery came to guide them through a great archway in the west wing of Calder Hall and out into the grounds beyond.

  Once again, Fleur gasped, although much more quietly this time. And, in truth, Georgina would have done the same had she not stopped herself, for there in front of her was such a magnificent sight as she had never seen before.

  The lawns at the back were equal to those at the front, immaculate and full of interestingly cut box hedging. In the centre of the largest of the lawns was a stone fountain so large that the sound of the water falling was pleasantly all-pervasive.

  The whole garden seemed to be awash with colour as ladies and gentlemen dressed in their very best paraded this way and that, admiring the rose gardens that were only just in bud, or staring up silently at one of the many beautiful stone statues that were so well placed that Georgina had the feeling that she had stepped into a wonderful painting; a painting of the most perfect gardens and the most perfect garden party, something so beautiful that it could almost not exist in real life.

  There were tables everywhere and footmen and maids either serving behind them or ferrying food and drinks this way and that. Georgina had never seen so many servants in all her life but realized that there must be many more still below stairs working away to continue to provide all that was needed in the garden.

  She realized, of course, that such an immense place would surely need a staff so large that they would almost resemble a small army.

  “His Grace is receiving guests on the far lawn, near the fountain, you see?” the young footman said, clearly indicating that the party ought to make their way over and join the small queue of guests waiting to be greeted by their host.

  “Thank you kindly, young man,” Felix Allencourt said with a smile, and the young footman bowed quickly before turning to make his way back to the front of the hall to receive yet more guests.

  “Goodness me, I think that the Duke will be greeting people for his entire afternoon,” Fleur said in a hoarse and excited whisper. “Unless he only takes a minute or two with everybody he greets.”

  “Oh Fleur, are we to have your commentary throughout the entire day?” Jeremy said teasingly.

  “Yes, you must endure it, Jeremy. I am excited, and I do not care to hide it.” Fleur laughed. “And you will not spoil it for me with your cheeky comments.”

  “I would not dream of it,” he said, and Georgina felt very touched when she saw Jeremy reach out and squeeze his sister’s hand briefly. “I truly wish you a very wonderful afternoon, my dear,” he went on, and his sister turned to smile at him.

  “Can you see anything of the Duke yet?” Georgina said in hushed tones.

  “Yes, there he is just there,” Felix responded quietly and lightly inclined his head in the direction of a young man who was smiling and talking with a middle-aged couple who appeared to be quite ostentatiously dressed.

  No doubt they had been so keen to show their own standing in the world that they had rather outdone the Duke himself.

  “Oh yes, I see,” Fleur said, inserting herself between her father and Georgina. “He is quite simply dressed, is he not? But I must say he is very well dressed. I wonder if that makes sense at all.”

>   “It makes perfect sense, my dear,” Georgina said with a laugh. “And you are right, he is quite immaculate without being at all overdone.”

  The Duke was wearing dark cream breaches and very well made black knee boots. His tailcoat and waistcoat were of the deepest blue and both tailored to perfection. And his shirt stood out brilliantly white in the bright sunshine, its necktie full and yet not at all elaborate. Georgina thought that a young man could not be better and more sensibly dressed than the Duke of Calder.

  If only she could get a little closer and study his features better still. She could see that his hair was thick and well tamed, giving the appearance of hair that could be, on a different day, quite unruly. It was a curious colour, neither brown nor blond, but rather a pale silvery brown that she thought most appealing.

  As they moved ever closer to the Duke, a very smart man who must surely be the Duke’s butler approached them.

  “Might I introduce you to His Grace in a moment, Sir?” The butler said with measured politeness.

  Georgina thought that it was a lovely way of asking Felix exactly who he was so that he could announce it to the Duke and the Duke could give the impression of knowing exactly who Felix was.

  Not that Georgina was disparaging, for there must surely be many people in the vast crowd whom the Duke did not know, or did not recognize at any rate.

  “Yes, of course, my dear fellow,” Felix said and smiled at the butler warmly. “I am Mr Felix Allencourt of Winton House,” he went on, immediately perceiving the butler’s request just as Georgina had.

  “Very good, Sir,” the butler said approvingly. “And perhaps I should leave you to introduce your own dear family yourself, Sir?”

  “Yes, of course,” Felix said, and Georgina was pleased to see that her father’s cousin seemed to be relaxing. “Thank you kindly.”

  When their turn finally came, Georgina thought herself a little nervous. She had never met a Duke before, and despite the fact that he was only a couple of years older than she was, she still felt somewhat intimidated by it all.

  “Your Grace,” the butler began with a certain amount of ceremony. “Mr Felix Allencourt.”

  “Ah, Mr Allencourt,” the Duke said, turning around fully so that Georgina might study his face for the first time. “I do hope you are well, Sir. And what terribly sad news about dear Garrett Winstanley.”

  “Very sad news indeed, Your Grace. I know that I shall miss him terribly, for he was my attorney for a good many years.”

  For a moment, Georgina was genuinely amazed. Felix had told her that their paths had crossed but twice before and yet the young man, who undoubtedly had more people to remember than he could possibly manage, had instantly recognized him. She had always imagined that a man of such status and title would be one who barely took in the details of those around him unless they were of some importance to him.

  “And these are your family, Mr Allencourt?” the Duke said and looked towards Jeremy, Fleur, and Georgina.

  “Yes, this is my son, Jeremy,” Felix said and paused so that the two men might greet each other with a courteous bow. “And this is my daughter, Fleur.”

  “Good afternoon, Miss Allencourt. How very nice to make your acquaintance,” the Duke said and bowed.

  “Good afternoon, Your Grace,” Fleur said, and it was clear that she was very nervous indeed.

  “And this is the daughter of my cousin,” Felix said turning his attention upon Georgina. “Miss Georgina Jeffries.”

  “Good afternoon, Miss Jeffries,” the Duke said and stared at her for a moment in a way which almost made her cheeks flush. “How very nice to meet you,” he went on after a brief pause.

  “And how very nice to meet you too, Your Grace.” And, as Georgina graciously inclined her head, she had the strangest sensation that the two of them had met before.

  Chapter 4

  To anybody else present, the Duke of Calder’s garden party would certainly have appeared to be a resounding success. And it had been, Emerson knew that much.

  And yet it had shaken him to the core of his being and had had an effect on him that he could never have expected.

  By the time he had greeted his twentieth group of guests, Emerson had begun to find a certain rhythm to it all. The first few were a little awkward, that much was true, but he knew that he had a certain amount of natural charm, the untaught and unpolished variety that he had always had, and the more he began to relax into his own personality, the easier each greeting became.

  Even those who had come agog with curiosity to see the elusive Duke, the young man who had barely been at home most of his life, had begun to seem amusing to him rather than unsettling.

  And then Felix Allencourt had introduced the daughter of his cousin, Miss Georgina Jeffries. And the moment he heard her name, the very moment he heard her name, all his new-found ease seemed to evaporate. Emerson had felt as if he had slipped through a crack in time and was falling helplessly, his arms flailing wildly as he tried to retain his composure.

  She gave no real indication that she had recognized him at all, barring a momentary narrowing of her gaze that was so brief he still was not entirely sure that he had seen it at all. And her conversation had been such that the initial sense of panic soon left him, even if the feeling of being greatly unsettled did not. And hours later as he stared at the firelight dancing on the crystal of the whisky decanter, that feeling seemed to oscillate. One moment he felt the relief that he was certain she did not know him and the next, all he could do was imagine the ramifications if the realization of who he really was ever dawned on her.

  His sudden shock had loosened his tongue, and he had begun to chatter to Georgina Jeffries as if it would somehow prove to her that she could not possibly know him.

  “Tell me, Miss Jeffries, are you staying with Mr Allencourt and his family?”

  “Yes, I arrived a little over a fortnight ago, Your Grace.”

  “And where is home to you ordinarily, Miss Jeffries?” As he continued to talk, he was aware of Felix Allencourt’s daughter, Fleur, studying him closely.

  No doubt the young lady thought that he had taken an instant liking to her visiting cousin, and why would she not? After all, Georgina Jeffries had grown into a most beautiful young woman.

  “I live in on the edge of a little town called Horley in Hertfordshire, Your Grace.”

  “And how do you like Devonshire, Miss Jeffries?” Emerson had felt his mouth go dry, yet he seemed unable to stop talking.

  He knew he ought really to be paying equal attention to the rest of her family, but his sense of panic had created an urgency within him to convince the young lady that he was a stranger to her, an interested stranger who had no idea where she came from.

  “I like it very much indeed, Your Grace. And to be staying in a beautiful place which is so close to the sea is a great treat for me. There are rivers and lakes aplenty in Hertfordshire, but I think there is nothing to compare to the sight and sound of waves rolling in.”

  “I am in complete agreement, Miss Jeffries, but I am biased.” He laughed and was pleased to see that she smiled warmly without any hint of suspicion. “But I am sure that Hertfordshire is a fine county indeed.”

  “Indeed, it is, Your Grace.”

  “And how long will you be staying in this part of the world, Miss Jeffries?”

  “It is rather open-ended, Your Grace.”

  “Yes, Miss Jeffries is here taking the wonderful Devonshire air so that she might recover from an illness she suffered lately,” Felix Allencourt added helpfully.

  “Oh dear, I hope you are recovering well?”

  “Very well indeed, thank you. In truth, I am very much back to my old self, although my dear cousins are very attentive nonetheless.”

  “I am sure that they are very glad to have you here,” he said and finally found himself able to turn away and include Fleur and Jeremy Allencourt in the conversation.

  “I am very pleased to have her here, Your Grace,�
� Fleur said warmly, and he thought it likely that she was a nice young woman indeed.

  “As am I, Your Grace.” Jeremy Allencourt, a man of his own age who was handsome and fair, smiled amiably. “It is always better to have two women in the house chastising you than simply one.”

  “Indeed, I am sure that is true.” For a moment, Emerson had found himself able to relax and laugh with the pleasing young man.

  He was grateful to him for easing the tension for a moment and providing him with some respite, a tiny slice of time in which to order his thoughts a little better and be certain to keep his countenance in check.

  Emerson had been grateful to see his butler hovering a few feet away as the group of people gathered to be greeted by the Duke of Calder had greatly increased. He realized that he had been speaking to the Allencourt party for some time, perhaps devoting a little too much attention to them as compared with everybody else in attendance.