The Alter Ego_A Regency Romps Story Page 7

  “I assure you, your Grace-“ he’d begun, but she had glared at him in such a way that he’d been cowed to silence.

  “I might be weak in body, my boy, but never let it be said that I am weak in mind.”

  “I would never say such a thing!” he blurted out, and was grateful to see she was at least a touch mollified. “The truth is, Duchess, I’m here incognito, and would very much appreciate your support in this matter!”

  Her son, the Duke of Devenish, who had up to this point seemed to be ignoring the entire exchange, had glanced over at this. “Incognito, are you? Well then you’re going to have to explain everything, Arthur, or we will be forced to write to Kate for an explanation.”

  Arthur had shuddered at the thought of his sister-in-law and best friend learning of his current lark, so there had been nothing for it but to tell the Devenishes everything. The Duchess kept her glass of water pressed between her gnarled hands as he talked, taking occasional sips of the foul-tasting stuff. The Duke’s lips quirked up in amusement every once in a while, but he otherwise gave no sign that the tale interested him in the least.

  When Arthur was done, the Duchess simply shook her head in response. “Your entire family is crackers, Lord Arthur, although I am pleased to hear that your brother is home and finally taking his duty seriously. I hope he appreciates what a lucky man he is to have a wife like Kate.”

  Arthur grinned at the memory of Alex following Kate about Darlington like a lovesick puppy. “I’d be lying if I said he did at first, Duchess, but believe me when I say he quickly remedied that belief and is now her chief admirer.”

  “Well that’s something at least,” she replied. “I still don’t understand this reluctance on your part to entertain young women of fashion, though. One would almost think you wished to be poor.”

  “Nothing that extreme,” he assured her, but she did not look convinced. Her son turned out to be his unlikely saviour.

  “Mother, you harangue me enough about marriage, there is no need to adopt a Weatherly into the fold to indulge your favourite pastime.”

  “Yes, but you recently had your heart broken, so I can hardly plague you about marriage without rendering myself odious,” replied the Duchess.

  The Duke did not smile. “Hardly something as dramatic as a broken heart, my dear. Just a shade of disappointment.”

  Arthur coughed into his hand, unsure what to say. That the Duke of Devenish had entertained the thought of marrying Henrietta Cartwright, now Lady Cottingham, was common knowledge amongst the Ton, but it did not seem to be something that the Duke would want attention drawn to, particularly not in front of a man ten years his junior.

  “Mr Arthur!” shouted a voice from above the hubbub of the crowd. He turned to see Miss Clyde waving at him as she made her way through the crowds promenading about the Pump Room. Her stepmother looked pained, and Arthur almost laughed as he could see the desire to inform Lily that shouting at an acquaintance was not polite, warring with the hope that no one had noticed the social slip up.

  “Hello again, my young friend,” he said as she finally reached him and bobbed into a curtsey. “You shouldn’t shout across a crowded room, you know. It seems like a perfectly reasonable way to get the attention of an acquaintance, but it tends to be looked down on by the matrons of the Ton.”

  Lily’s eyes went just a little wide for a moment, and she looked across at her stepmother in alarm.

  “I did tell you that,” said Mrs Clyde, looking just a little smug. “How do you do, Mr Arthur?”

  “Capital, ladies! Absolutely capital! Mrs Clyde, Miss Clyde, may I introduce you both to the Duke of Devenish, and his mother, the Duchess?”

  Arthur couldn’t be sure, but for a horrible moment, he thought that both the Clyde women were going to faint. They recovered quickly, however, and both dropped into curtseys so deep they would have been better suited for royalty.

  Devenish threw him a look that suggested he was too bored to play along with Arthur’s ruse, but the smile he cast to Mrs Clyde as she straightened up let loose an entirely different emotion in Arthur’s chest.

  “Your Grace! An absolute honour!” she said almost breathlessly, while Lily glanced between both the Duke and Duchess as though she had no idea who she was supposed to address.

  “The honour is ours, Mrs Clyde,” said the Duke, and Arthur would never have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but the cur dared to capture her hand and place a light kiss onto her gloved hand. “And this is your sister-in-law, I presume?”

  Mrs Clyde went quite red as she slowly pulled back her hand. “Oh no, this is my stepdaughter, Lily.”

  There was a brief flicker of surprise on the Duke’s face, but he was far too well bred to comment.

  “Have you been long in Bath, ladies?” asked the Duchess, calling everyone’s attention toward her.

  “No, your Grace, but I am already in love with it here, even though at first I truly thought I would not,” said Lily, her new-found enthusiasm for Bath shining through. “There is so much to do, and see, and so many interesting people. I had no idea it could be so busy in one place!”

  The Devenishes, kindhearted despite their high regard for their station, smiled at the lack of polish evident in this statement.

  “I find that the Pump Rooms are an excellent place to people-watch,” said the Duchess, almost conspiratorial in her manner. “Why don’t you take this seat beside me, Miss Clyde, and I will point out to you all the local celebrities that I know.”

  “We don’t wish to put you to any trouble, your Grace,” said Mrs Clyde, as Lily was apparently too bowled over at the invitation to respond.

  The Duchess smiled. “It is no trouble at all! In fact, the only thing I love more than talking with young people is reading books, and I assure you that it is considered quite rude to give your attention over to a book while in the Pump Room.”

  “Oh, do you like novels, you Grace?” said Lily, all of her fear gone as she finally took the seat beside the Duchess. “I am such a fan of Mrs Radcliffe!”

  “You may never see your stepdaughter again, Mrs Clyde,” said the Duke with a fond smile. “I hope you were not counting on her for company.”

  “I am just happy that she makes friends so easily, your Grace,” replied Mrs Clyde. “It is my fondest wish to see her make as many acquaintances as possible, for she has been quite secluded the past few years.”

  “I have no doubt that Society will find her artlessness refreshing rather than something to be decried,” he said. “Clyde… now, are you by any chance related to Sir Desmond?”

  “He is my brother-in-law! How did you know we were related?”

  She laughed with such delight that Arthur had to stop himself from telling her that Clyde was not a typical a name in the area, and even if he had never personally heard of Sir Desmond before, it was likely that someone of the Duke’s advanced age, what with him being a decade older, would have met him.

  “He was a business partner of my father’s some time ago, and my mother insists that I memorise the name and family of every titled Lord and Lady in Europe, just in case…” he tapered off with a glance at Lily.

  Arthur would have felt smug, but Mrs Clyde seemed amused at the vague look of discomfort on the Duke’s face.

  “Is the Duchess a matchmaking mama, your Grace? I promise you, then, that I shall never introduce you to my own mother. She has three more daughters at home, you see, and it has taken every ounce of Father’s patience to convince her that the Royal Dukes are not suitable husband material.”

  After a brief look of shock, Devenish burst into laughter – a sound rare enough to make the Duchess look up with a quizzical expression.

  “I think I would very much like to meet your mother, Mrs Clyde – once your sisters are safely married off, of course!”

  Arthur stared, slack-jawed, as he watched the Duke rapidly befriend Mrs Clyde, an occurrence so rare that he had to pinch himself to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. D
evenish was rarely nice to women of marriageable age, let alone friendly. Considering that Lily was also of marriageable age made everything just that little bit more unbelievable.

  He found himself standing with the Duchess and Lily deep in conversation to one side of him, and the Duke and Mrs Clyde laughing together on the other. All of his society training failed him as he could not work out how to join either conversation without appearing as uncouth as he dressed.

  Fate intervened on his behalf as he saw Aunt Seraphinia enter the Pump Room on Jane’s arm. They made their way toward their usual spot, and in doing so provided him with the perfect opportunity to prise the Clyde women away from the charismatic Duke and his matchmaking mama.

  “If I may interrupt,” he said, trying hard not to smile as Devenish raised his eyebrows, “but there is someone that Mrs Clyde and her daughter simply must meet if they are to settle well in Bath. If you would excuse us?”

  He felt a pang of guilt at the confused expression on Mrs Clyde’s face as her gaze flitted back between the Duke and Arthur, for she apparently had no idea what the most appropriate course of action should be. He almost felt guilty, until he caught the smirk on Devenish’s face.

  “It seems that Arthur has a more pressing claim on you than I do,” said the Duke as he helped Mrs Clyde back to her feet. He seemed to keep hold of her hand far longer than necessary. “I very much hope that we will meet again soon. May I call on you?”

  Arthur found his hands balling into fists as Mrs Clyde blushed. “I’m afraid we do not have an address at present, your Grace, although I hope to secure a more permanent home in the next week or so.”

  “Then mother and I shall be charmed to invite you to call on us,” said Devenish, before providing Mrs Clyde with their direction.

  Arthur shook his head. He had always thought the Duke to be a rather decent chap unfairly maligned by the Ton after the Rothman incident, but it seemed he was mistaken. Devenish was obviously a dangerous philanderer who had taken a shine to the beautiful widow and her daughter. Unfortunately for Arthur, the women in his family had always been adept at depressing any unwanted attention, so he had not the least notion of how to tell Devenish to jump into the Thames without finding himself called out over the issue.

  “Thank you so much for your kindness, your Graces,” said Mrs Clyde, curtseying once again. “Your condescension is most kind.”

  “I hope we can talk about books again soon,” said Lily with a shy, hopeful smile at the Duchess.

  “I will be heartbroken if you do not join us for supper one night, and a discussion of our favourite novels,” replied the Duchess, and Lily looked as though she was about to expire from happiness.

  “Come along then, ladies,” said Arthur, offering each of the Clyde women an arm. He nodded at the Devenishes and tried to keep his tone civil. “Duke, Duchess, I’ll see you again soon I’ve no doubt.”

  “I would not miss this for the world,” replied Devenish, and Arthur practically hauled the Clyde ladies away from the rogue.

  He did not miss the laughter that followed him, and unfortunately, neither did Mrs Clyde.

  “What a peculiar man,” she commented, which, for no discernable reason, cheered Arthur up immensely.

  “He’s known as something of an eccentric in Tonnish circles,” he replied, which wasn’t an entirely untruthful comment. His evil genius compelled him to add: “devoted to his mother, of course. Now she’s so limited in the use of her hands and legs she is rather reliant on him to get about.”

  “How lovely and thoughtful of him,” said Lily, the admiration evident in her eyes, “but I cannot see how it could be a hardship when her Grace is such an intelligent, kind person!”

  “It certainly speaks well of his character,” said Mrs Clyde with a degree of approval that made Arthur deeply regret his comment.

  “Yes, no doubt,” he muttered.

  “How are you on such good terms with the Devenishes, Mr Arthur?” asked Mrs Clyde suddenly. “I thought you said you did not move in Tonnish circles?”

  “I wouldn’t call the Duke Tonnish, precisely,” said Arthur, reflecting on the question. “He’s rarely in town, for he does not have a high opinion of Society.”

  “But how do you know that?” said Mrs Clyde, her face creasing into a frown. “You told us yourself that you are not part of the Ton.”

  Arthur fumbled over his words as he realised what he’d said. It was Lily that saved him.

  “Don’t tell us that you read all those gossip rags, Mr Arthur?”

  He laughed along with her, hoping they didn’t notice the nervous edge to it. “Well you have me caught out there, my dear, for you have discovered my darkest secret! Pray, tell no one!”

  “Oh,” said Mrs Clyde, her expression still puzzled even as her stepdaughter accepted his reasoning without question. “I assumed you had a closer relationship with them than that, considering how familiar you were with each other.”

  Damn and blast, thought Arthur. He should have been addressing the Devenishes as your Grace rather than by their titles if he had wanted to maintain the illusion he was a nobody. Only friends, family and peers would use Duke or Duchess to address them.

  “Good Lord, was I?” he said, hoping his genuine panic would be mistaken for fear of committing a social solecism, “I thought because we had been introduced in the past that I was supposed to address them in that way.”

  Mrs Clyde’s expression turned to one of pity. She gave his arm a tight squeeze and flashed him a smile that almost made him stumble.

  “I’m sure they would have corrected you if it were unwelcome to them,” she said. “They seem very nice, so I’m sure there is no harm done!”

  “Besides, I can always put in a good word for you with the Duchess,” said Lily, her tone reassuring. “I might not have a lot of sway, but her Grace certainly made me feel like she valued my thoughts.”

  “How kind,” said Arthur faintly, wondering if they would think him strange if he began to laugh when they were being so thoughtful. “Ah, now there is someone I wish to introduce you to. She is a distant relation of mine, through marriage as she will be the first to tell you, but she is highly thought of in Bath Society, and I feel you will delight her.”

  “That would be lovely, Mr Arthur,” said Mrs Clyde, her smile still bright and warm. “It is so good to be able to extend our circle of acquaintances.”

  Arthur grinned and led them toward his Aunt and Jane, who had been joined by the General.

  Lady Seraphinia, resplendent in an outdated style of dress than nonetheless made her look like a queen of fashion, lifted a monocle to her eye as they approached. Combined with royal blue riding habit, styled en militaire, and a blue Gainsborough hat that was as imposing as it was extravagant, she reminded Arthur of nothing more than a dragon awaiting the arrival of its dinner.

  “She can be rather terrifying,” he said in a cheerful voice, “but I promise that she will not eat you. At least, not in public!”

  “You don’t need to worry,” began Mrs Clyde, but they had already arrived before the Dowager and her small entourage.

  “Ladies, may I introduce you to Lady Seraphinia, my distant relation, and acknowledged Queen of Bath and the surrounding countryside?”

  Aunt Seraphinia dropped her monocle into her lap and gave Arthur a disparaging look that he could not interpret. She turned toward the ladies and did that rare thing that every hopeful in Bath longed for.

  She smiled.

  “How good to see you again, Mrs Clyde,” said Lady Seraphinia, inclining her head to acknowledge Lily as she spoke. “I trust that dear little Governess is doing well?”

  *

  Poor Mr Arthur!

  Anna stole a glance at him as he conversed with Lily and the General in a jovial manner, but even though she did not know him very well, she could tell his good humour was strained.

  “You seem awfully interested in that young relative of mine,” said Lady Seraphinia sharply enough to make Anna
blush.

  “My apologies, I was attending to you, Lady Seraphinia – I promise. It’s just that I fear Mr Arthur thinks I played a cruel trick on him.”

  “It’s what he deserves, considering the number of pranks he pulls on others,” said the Dowager. “Tell me, what did you converse with his Grace about?”

  Anna smiled at the memory. “We talked about family mainly, and a little about the sights in London that he thought Lily might like next Season.”

  Lady Seraphinia lifted a perfectly shaped brow. “Offer his services as a guide, did he?”

  Anna nodded. “Yes, but he did warn us that he is rarely in Town, so not to bank upon his presence should another gentleman offer us an escort. I think he must have been taken with Lily to even make the offer, don’t you, my Lady?”

  “He didn’t speak more than two words to the chit,” said the Dowager.

  Anna frowned at this observation. “No, I suppose he didn’t… but her Grace did, and he did tell me that she was a matchmaking mama.”

  Lady Seraphinia rolled her eyes, and Anna felt as though she shrank two inches as she witnessed the gesture. “The Duchess of Devenish is no fool, my girl, and the last thing she is going to do is try to pair off her son with a green girl who would bore him to tears within a week.”

  Anna risked a look at Lily. “She might be green, but she is knowledgeable and observant.”

  “But not wise, nor worldly,” said lady Seraphinia. “Really, Mrs Clyde, I thought better of you than to try to marry off your stepdaughter within minutes of meeting your first member of the nobility!”

  Anna couldn’t help it; she laughed at the observation and won a quirk of a smile from Lady Seraphinia as a result.

  “Oh no, am I really doing that? Poor Lily – and poor Duke of Devenish! My mother will be beside herself when I write to tell her that we conversed with him, and if she cannot convince herself that Lily or myself are to be his bride, she will undoubtedly send my sisters to be paraded before his nose!”

  “It would likely do him some good if they are half as pretty as you,” said the Dowager.