Page 76 of The Undaunted
Caroline squeezed his hand. For all his blustering, she was becoming more and more convinced that Bertie was rather a soft touch. And very deep, with his ideas about what ought to be on a table.
“I suppose you’ll be redecorating the whole place,” Richard said. “We’ll have plaster dust and workmen and chaos for months.”
“Oh no,” Caroline said, laughing. “I will only go bit by bit so you will hardly notice. One day you will set your tea down on a table in the drawing room and think, were not those curtains green? Or have they always been yellow?”
“If you are on the table, I will never notice the curtains.”
“Then you may expect to find me on tables all over the house, as I have particular ideas about curtains.”
Richard nodded and said, “Now, children. I only have my own childhood to reference and that only tells me what I do not want. I am determined that my children grow up in a steady sort of house—no unwelcome surprises, no upsets. It must be calm and ordered and predictable. It must be the solid ground beneath their feet.”
“Perhaps we might add into that recipe a dollop of fun and joy, with the occasional hi-jinks?”
“Yes, I suppose so. Now you see that’s the sort of thing I don’t have experience with. You’ll guide the fun, I expect.”
“You’ll catch on to it quick enough.”
“I suppose you’ll want piles of pin money to buy all sorts of fripperies. My house will overflow with ribbons.”
“Probably,” Caroline said, laughing.
“Then it is fortunate that I’m very rich. My cheesemaking shall pay for your bonnets.”
“I shall be interested to hear more about the cheese.”
“Will you? Will you be as interested as you were the first night we met, where I believe I went into some detail about it? And where I also believe you may have been on the verge of laughing?”
“Now it is to be my husband’s cheese. I can assure you that is an entirely different matter.”
“We are well-suited somehow, are we not?”
“I rather think so.”
They had come to the house, and perhaps lingered out of doors for longer than was strictly necessary.
Richard banged the knocker to alert Bramley before opening the door himself.
Caroline was surprised to see that it was Richard’s valet who came to take their things.
“You may tell Bramley, wherever he may be,” Richard said, “that the night has been entirely devoid of footpads, murderers, or pirates.”
“I wouldn’t bother telling him anything just now, my lord,” Kingston said, looking meaningfully at Richard.
“The reason being…” Richard asked.
Kingston glanced nervously around and then in a low tone said, “He was overwrought about the murderers and such and so did have a large glass of brandy. Our man is not much of a drinker, as it turns out. I left him in his bed singing tavern songs.”
Caroline covered her mouth to stop her laughter. She might have thought Bertie would take a very dim view of a singing butler and was surprised when he laughed too.
“Poor Bramley,” he said. “Does Lady Easton know?”
“No she don’t,” Kingston said. “I told my lady that Bramley was struck down by a headache.”
“Good man,” Richard said. He turned to Caroline and said, “It’s late, we’d best go up.”
“Rather scandalous to go up the stairs together,” Caroline said.
Richard nodded and they walked up, leaving the slack-jawed valet behind.
