Page 19 of Lady Dramatic
She satisfied herself that it would all come right in the end. Mr. Cremble would be driven out of this house and Lady Marchfield would be forced to find him another place. Then the poor fellow would land in a house that actually wanted a butler.
Mr. Cremble could not know it, but she’d have done him a kindness.
*
Serenity felt asif her life were speeding up in some manner. There had been so many days in the Dales where not a thing out of the ordinary happened. She and her sisters would wake, and if the weather was fine, take out their Dales ponies. Those surefooted horses would fly them across the countryside, nearly always annoying their neighboring farmer and his sheep. If the weather was raining, they would all cozy up in their father’s library and read whatever took their fancy in front of a fire.Often, Winsome would read to them all, Verity having invariably talked her into it by claiming her sister had the best voice for it.
Here, in just one morning, the surprises had come rapid fire. First the musk roses from Lord Thorpe. They were so perfect in their meaning, it was just what it ought to be. His note had said: “To the most charming lady at Almack’s.” Even more perfect.
Then, a folded piece of paper had been delivered. It was from Lord Charles and it was a pencil drawing of his beloved dog, Nero. The dog was curled in front of a fire and the note said: “As we did speak of my dear departed Nero, I wished to give you an idea of what he looked like.” It really was very kind of him to think of it!
That was not to be all, though. A package had just arrived for her. As Valor leaned over her shoulder to see what it was, she unwrapped it. It was a red leather dog collar. On the underside of the collar was an inscription burned into the leather: Nelson, of the Duke of Pelham’s household. Reward or law.
Lord Thorpe had enclosed a note with it. “Lady Serenity, I have often worried that Havoc would be lost or taken, and he wears a similar collar to hasten his return to my house.”
That gift really had affected her the most. Shehadso often worried that someone might take Nelson. He was unique and wonderful and who could see him without feeling it? When she’d found him at the inn, she’d prayed he did not have an owner as she desperately wished him for herself. Might not another person come along feeling just the same, but without the scruples to find out if he was owned? Those early days had set the habit of him sleeping in her room under the guise that he would cry all night if he were left alone in the kitchens. The truth was,shewould have cried all night, worrying over whether he was still there or not.
Valor looked it over. “Oh I see, if Nelson ever got lost, people would know where to bring him back to. What’s the reward? I hope it is significant.”
Serenity brushed tears off her cheeks. “It doesn’t specify, but of course it must be handsome.”
“Maybe I should get Mrs. Wendover a collar of red leather too,” Valor said pensively. “Nelson keeps gettingherlost—I have not seen her in days and he will not show me where he put her.”
Serenity smiled. Nelson was indeed entranced with Valor’s raggedy stuffed rabbit. He was forever making off with her.
Just then, Thomas opened the drawing room doors. “Lady Felicity and Lady Grace,” he said.
Two of her elder sisters came into the room, followed by a lady in a starched uniform. Felicity carried her baby in her arms and Grace struggled to hold on to young Miles Delatore, who speedily got away from her. He ran to Serenity and Valor on the sofa, much changed and much steadier on his feet. “Aunts!” he said. “Which ones?”
Serenity laughed. It had been a year since they had seen the young man and he could not be expected to remember who was who. “I am your Aunt Serenity and this is your Aunt Valor.”
“Grace sent me a note that we ought to surprise you and we all piled into the carriage together,” Felicity said. She looked round the drawing room, noting the flowers and the brown paper strewn on the table. “Goodness, what’s happened here?”
“I’m going to be all alone, is what’s happened,” Valor said.
Young Miles seemed struck by this. “I’ll be your friend,” he said, taking Valor’s hand.
“Thank you,” Valor said gravely. “I’ll need all the friends I can get, as I will be very alone.”
“Should we suspect the flowers are from a gentleman, then?” Felicity said, sitting down with her wriggly baby.
Serenity nodded, leaning over to have a look at Miss Isabelle Stratton. She was a pretty little thing and was just at that stage that could not be named. She was less a baby, but not yet a toddler. Eyes alert and taking everything in, not content to stay in her mother’s arms, not yet ready to make experiments in walking, and not yet accomplished in talking. Isabelle grabbed at Serenity’s finger and pulled it toward her mouth. That was another area that would change in time, but as of yet, everything might be food and should be tried out.
“Nurse Green,” Felicity said, “Perhaps take Isabelle down to the servants’ hall, as they will all wish to see her.”
The nurse nodded and Isabelle was whisked away to entertain or harass the servants, however the case might turn out to be.
Winsome and Verity burst into the room. “Felicity! Grace!” they cried. “We’ve just seen Isabelle, she is grown. And here is Miles.”
“More aunts?” Miles said, his brow wrinkling. It seemed he’d lost track of precisely how many aunts he had.
“Aunt Verity and Aunt Winsome,” Grace said, for her son’s elucidation. “Now I wonder, Miles does so like to see a stable.”
“Horses!” Miles shouted to confirm the idea.
“And he has only ever seen my own Dales pony,” Grace went on. “He’s been so keen on seeing more.”
“Ponies!” Miles shouted.
