He could be a rake if he promises to call on you but never does.
MISS HONORA TRUTH’S WORDS OF WISDOM AND WARNING ABOUT RAKES, SCOUNDRELS, ROGUES, AND LIBERTINES
“Five days,” Justine remarked in a huffing voice and paced in front of the floral-printed settee. “Do you know how long it’s been since the duke graced us, or rather you, with his lofty appearance?”
Oh, yes. Marlena knew exactly how many days it had been and it wasn’t because Justine had reminded her several times. For some reason she hadn’t been able to get the infuriating man out of her mind no matter what book she read, what stitch she made on her embroidery sample, or what score she played on the pianoforte. She kept seeing him with that hint of a smile that had made her heart beat like the splattering of rain storming against a window.
However, Marlena only answered her cousin with an uninterested, “Mmm.”
“It’s shameful really, and I’m quite vexed about it,” Justine continued. “He must know I need to hear from him that Mr. Olingworth’s letter is indeed fact.”
Marlena couldn’t understand Justine not taking her word for it, but she’d stopped trying to convince her and had stayed quiet whenever she’d mentioned it the past several days.
“It’s as if he has no manners nor respect for us, which we know can’t be true. But he obviously hasn’t any time for us. Most certainly because he is a duke and we are the lowly relatives of a disfavored earl. The more I ponder about this the more I’m thinking the duke has no pleasing qualities about him whatsoever.” Justine stopped pacing. “Though he is quite handsome in a roguish sort of way, don’t you think? He dances well, too. And if he does have designs on me, I’d have to consider him.”
Marlena answered with another, “Mmm.” She certainly didn’t want her cousin knowing any of her own thoughts about the duke.
“But that doesn’t make up for the fact I have forgone my afternoon beauty rest, dressed in my beautiful clothing, and had my maid labor over my hair almost beyond endurance every day for a week. And all for naught, mind you.”
“There are seven days in a week, Justine—not five,” Marlena found herself saying.
Her cousin ignored her correction and walked over to the window and looked outside. “Since the duke hasn’t had the civility to come by, communicate by a note, or even send a solicitor to speak to us about what his intentions are for me or his plans for you, perhaps none of this is true.”
“You must give him time,” Marlena answered absently while Tut lay quietly curled at her feet. He was used to Justine’s rantings, too, but that didn’t keep his ears from twitching every so often.
“I have.”
“I’m sure he has many things to take care of throughout the day.”
“Thunderbolts and lightning, Marlena. So do we. Still we take the time to dress in our finest to wait for him to call on us. And he repays us by not coming to our door.”
Marlena tried to ignore her cousin’s rantings and kept working on her column for next week’s Miss Truth’s Scandal Sheet. Justine never questioned Marlena about what or whom she was corresponding with when she was writing at her desk. Putting a quill in her hand and writing a letter, poetry, or even a note of thanks was the last thing Justine wanted to do. However, today had proven she was a master at the spoken word. She’d seldom stopped talking since she’d come belowstairs earlier in the afternoon.
It was difficult for Marlena to believe, but her cousin didn’t even like to read. Justine had always said she was quite happy with her own thoughts and didn’t need to be reading anyone else’s musings. She had plenty of her own to occupy her mind. And if you thanked someone for having you to their party while you were there, she saw no reason to thank them again in a handwritten note later in the week.
Perhaps that was because Marlena had seen her script, and some of her words were truly illegible. Justine had owned up to the fact she’d never had the patience to master the art. The good thing about it was that Justine cared not a fig about how often Marlena picked up a quill to write a few words or what she wrote about. She simply had no interest in the written word, no matter who wrote it—unless, of course, someone wrote to her.
That worked out very well for Marlena not having to worry about her cousin looking over her shoulder with curiosity. Too, Marlena never added the salutation of Dear Readers or her nom de plume at the bottom of the scandal sheet until she wrote the final draft and it was ready to be handed off to Eugenia.
Marlena picked up the wet inked sheet and silently read to herself: The wintry season hasn’t left us but the air is filled with a taste of springtime and a sunny hint of gossip.
No, that wasn’t quite salacious enough to start the column. Her readers wanted more than a hint of gossip. Marlena thought for a moment, then moved farther down the vellum and wrote again: There may be snow clouds still gathering over London’s streets and buildings but the latest rumors will be as welcomed as sunbeams streaking through an icy crusted windowpane.
Marlena studied over that one for a few moments and decided it was better but not completely right, either. She might have to wait until Justine went abovestairs to rest before she came up with something to her liking today. The constant chattering and complaining was distracting. And for some reason it seemed to be wearing on Marlena’s nerves more than usual this afternoon.
No, not some reason. She knew the exact reason. And that in itself was worrisome. She, too, wondered why the duke hadn’t returned as he’d said he would. True, he hadn’t said when he would be back to see them, but Marlena had thought it would have been within a day or two. Three or four at the most, not a day or two less than a week.
She looked up at the top shelf on the secretary. There lay the duke’s handkerchief. Washed, pressed, and folded. There was no starch in it, and Marlena had told Mrs. Doddle to make sure there were no wrinkles in it, either. She wanted to return it to the duke as soft and fresh as it was when he wiped her cheek.
Glancing over at Justine, Marlena saw that her cousin was staring out the front window as if trying to will the duke to show. Marlena picked up the handkerchief and smelled it as she had several times for the past few days. Nothing had changed. All traces of the duke’s subtle, masculine scent were gone, and in its place was the arid smell a hot iron left on fine linen.
Marlena smiled and replaced the handkerchief where it would be easily seen whenever the duke decided to grace them with his presence. Now that it was over, and she could think rationally about what had happened the day they met, it was humorous and made her smile. It really was quite clever of the duke to make her think she had a bee or wasp on her cheek when it was nothing more than soil from the garden. No doubt he was the kind of man who had no problem gingerly teasing a young lady.
But his tactic had also calmed her and helped her realize he wasn’t there to have her arrested for writing about him. And though she was sure it wasn’t his intention, he had vexed her when he untied her ribbon and his warm fingers had touched her throat. She hadn’t stopped thinking about that, either. What surprised her most of all was that there was no meanness, no offensiveness or feeling of being forced to bear what he was doing. His untying the knot for her had not upset her sensibilities.
There was no impression he was being a rake, a scoundrel, or anything other than a man who wanted to help her.
“The duke said he’d get you a premier finishing governess and he hasn’t bothered to do that, either,” Justine complained.
“What?” Marlena asked when her cousin’s words broke into her fond remembrance of the duke. “Not a premier governess, no. I never said that. I doubt there are any available at this late date. He only said that he’d hire someone who knows what to do.”
“A duke can move mountains, dear girl, and we will expect him to do exactly that for us,” she said, walking back over to where Marlena sat. “There’s precious little time left to get you prepared if he wants you to attend the very best parties, teas, and other events of the Season. Had we only known we could have already been working on obtaining such things, but of course Mr. Olingworth didn’t keep us apprised of what he was thinking or doing so we had no idea there would be plans for you to make your debut this year. We certainly never received any money from him to get you started on your gowns. However, a duke can get whatever he wants and usually when he wants it. Best you remember that.”
“I understand, Justine,” Marlena answered, beginning to feel a little weary from her cousin’s constant talking. “And even I know not much can be done other than clothing until everyone starts returning to London from their winter estates. Now, would you like to go to your bedchamber and rest as you usually do? There’s only half an hour of proper visiting time left in the day. If you’re worried the duke might come by, maybe you should keep on your dress and just be careful how you lie down. That way you’ll be ready quickly should he arrive.”
Justine cupped her hands under her breasts and lifted them up. “I can’t lie down with these stays on. Heaven’s gates, Marlena! They are pulled so tightly I’d probably stop breathing in my sleep.” She touched her hair softly with her hand. “Besides, truth be told, I’ve hardly slept a wink since we heard the Duke of Rathburne is to be your guardian. I’m quite anxious to meet him again. Are you sure he said he’d return? Maybe you misunderstood and we were expected to seek him out for an appointment.”
“I am not wrong on what he said. You are worrying too much. If you don’t want to lie down, why don’t you take a walk in the garden? I noticed some of the shrubs are budding.”
Justine gave her a completely expressionless face. “Have you ever known me to enjoy a walk in the garden, the park, or even the street on a wintry day? Next you’ll be wanting me to look through that tediously dull pamphlet you have from the Royal Horticultural Society that you are so fond of. Why you want to try to pronounce the ridiculously difficult names of what should be just a simple flower’s name is beyond me.”
“You are talking about The Paradisus Londinensis book by Richard Salisbury. And I quite enjoy reading the botanic names of flowers and plants.”
“Oh, I know.”
Marlena rose from her chair. “They’re beautiful and lyrical.”
It was Justine’s time to say a very noncommittal, “Mmm.”
Marlena could have added that the garden, the study of flowers helped fill the days in her life, but she wasn’t sure that her cousin would understand. If Justine was thinking about Justine, she needed nothing else to occupy her time.
Being a widow with an adequate allowance, Justine had freedoms not afforded to Marlena and more things to occupy her time. She could attend parties, teas, or an afternoon of card game. Marlena must wait until she made her curtsy before the Queen and made her debut before she would be accepted at any of the social gatherings.
She and her cousin were very different in so many ways. Marlena would love to live on a sprawling estate somewhere in the countryside and have a garden so large it would take her half a day to walk through it. And she’d be happy to do it, winter or summer. She’d make sure the grounds were completely filled with shrubs, trees, plants, and flowers of every kind and color she could find. There would be arches, trellises, and waterfalls built into the landscape. Statues of the Three Graces, the four seasons, and plenty of cherubs, too. She would have a formal garden, a knot garden, and a field of wildflowers at the end.
Just thinking about it made her smile.
Perhaps a garden was something she should ask about when considering a husband. And she supposed she’d have to soon start thinking about the possibility of getting married. If the duke were to have his way. Though she truly had no interest yet in doing so. Marlena’s foot started tapping at the thought of it. Surely she’d be happy living with a man and being his wife, if he had a lovely garden where she could go every day—as long as he didn’t mind her helping the gardener check the soil, cut the flowers, and pull a stubborn weed or two.
“It’s not wintry outside today, Justine,” Marlena decided to argue politely. “It looks quite pleasant, and I’d never suggest you read any of my materials on flowers.”
“Thank heavens.”
“But I do think a little fresh air will do you good. You seem overwrought.”
“You’re right. I suppose I am. The duke knows I was the diamond of the Season, that we danced, more than once. Probably. It’s simply unforgivable he’s making me wait so long to see him again and renew our acquaintance and tell me his intentions for me—and you, of course. Maybe I will walk next door and say hello to Veronica and Mr. Portington and see his latest fossils, urns, tapestries, or whatever oddities have come in. I’m sure he has some since last I was there. He always does. At least the things he buys are interesting to look at and he knows how to pronounce them.”
Tut’s ears had perked up at the mention of Veronica and fossils. He rose and barked at Marlena, his tail quivering excitedly. If anyone was going next door, he wanted to go, too.
“That’s a lovely idea. You know the sisters enjoy your visits. Perhaps Veronica has been to a party recently and has some interesting news to share with you that you can share with me.”
“That would be a nice change from talking about the duke, wouldn’t it? Yes. I think I will go over there.”
“She does seem to know the latest on-dits. And with her husband’s family being related to the Duke of Norfolk she does get invited to more dinners than most. I’m always pleased when she invites me to be her companion. Would you like to join me this afternoon?”
Marlena looked down at her writings. She didn’t even have the opening sentence worked out. “No, thank you. Not this time. I’ll finish what I’m working on.”
“Dull as it might be,” Justine said under her breath.
Marlena heard and took no offense. Her cousin’s ire over her writing was to Marlena’s advantage.
“No doubt you’re writing about flowers again,” her cousin said in a normal voice.
“I do believe Tut would like to go with you,” Marlena said, putting the quill in its stand and rising from her chair. “If you don’t mind. You know how he enjoys sniffing around Mr. Portington’s latest crates.”
“I suppose I can take him with me, but I won’t be carrying him the way you do. He’ll have to walk.”
Did Justine really think that after almost three years of living with her Marlena didn’t know that Justine had never once picked up Tut, rubbed his back, patted his head, or even offered to let him out in the back garden for a scratch, sniff, and search around the grounds? But it was best not to say anything and ignore Justine’s comment. Now that she’d decided to go next door for a little while, Marlena didn’t want to hinder her with more chatter and delay her.
“He really prefers to walk anyway so he can do a little exploring along the way.”
“You will send for me immediately if the duke arrives.”
“I promise to send Mrs. Doddle for you.”