The Emerald Duchess (5 page)

Emily curtsied, but as she left the room, she heard Miss Quentin say, “Well, I see I have been put firmly in my place.” Her tone was disbelieving and a little stunned. As Emily shut the door, Lady Kinsley said, “I knew I could not be mistaken in my own child, but on the other hand, Alicia, it is the outside of enough
...”

Emily frowned as she made her way upstairs. Lady Quentin’s independence was not to last long, by all accounts.

Two weeks later, as Emily was putting away some clean laundry in the dressing room while Lady Quentin enjoyed her usual breakfast in bed, the captain threw open the bedroom door and rushed in, throwing his gloves and sword stick down before he approached the bed.

“My darling Alicia, I came at once to you. I have the most exciting news, just wait till you hear.”

“Do you, Tony?” Emily heard her mistress ask. “Whatever can it be?”

Emily put down the pile of chemises and petticoats that she was holding and prepared to slip out the dressing room door to give them some privacy when she heard the captain exclaim, “It is famous, pet! Napoleon has escaped from Elba.”

Emily froze, her eyes widening as she heard Lady Quentin put down her cup with a snap.

“Napoleon has escaped, Tony?” she asked. “And that is famous? Why—why, we will be at war before the cat has time to lick her ear.
”

“That is what is so famous, Alicia. Don’t you see, I will be sent abroad again; the battle is not over, as I feared.”

“Oh, Tony,” his wife wailed. “How can you wish to leave me—to go where your life will be in danger?”

There was a pause, and then Emily heard the captain say, in slightly less-excited tones, “Now, my dear, you married a soldier, and a soldier is never happy unless he is fighting. Nothing will happen to me, and this may well be the means to advancement. It is not that I wish to leave you, but that I must. Besides, you will be so busy with all your parties, I vow you won’t even know I’m gone.”

“Tony, how can you say so,” Lady Quentin asked, her voice injured. “I shall miss you quite dreadfully.”

She began to cry and there was another pause, and then the captain asked in a strained voice. “Do you love me so much, then? I did not know. Do not cry, my love. Perhaps you
would like to go to your father’s estate until I return? Or if you want to remain in town so as to be near the news, I am
I
sure Bella would be delighted to bear you company.”

“No! Not my mother, and
never
Bella!”

Emily heard the captain rise from the side of the bed and begin to pace the room, bewildered at his wife’s vehement weeping. “But I do not understand. Come, my dear, be calm. There is no need to make any hasty decision, for I have to get an appointment to Wellington’s army. No one knows if the Guards will be included.
”

“You mean there is a chance your regiment will not be called?”

“Well, it is nowhere certain, which is why I shall have to bustle about, for if they are to remain here, I must get myself appointed an aide-de-camp to some general. I have it in mind to ask General Raklin this very day, just in case. All this disbanding of the army after Napoleon was exiled last year, and now we see the result. There is no army left, no
real
army ready to fight.”

Completely ignoring this diversion, Lady Quentin said crossly, “So that is why I had to be nice to him and his wife. No wonder you did not tell me what was in your mind, for I would surely have given the general a disgust of you if I had known to what purpose I was being used. Help you to the fighting, indeed.”

The captain laughed at her. “Be glad for me, Alicia. It is what I am trained for and the only way for me to make my way in the world. If I get a promotion, I shall not have to live in your pocket anymore.”

“And what does that mean?” she asked.

“Only that I have not liked being dependent on you, my love. I did not marry you for your money, you know, but in spite of it.”

“Really, Tony?” Lady Quentin asked eagerly. “I am sure I never knew. Well, what I mean is
—
But truly, it does not bother me, and I am so glad you told me, I cannot say.”

He laughed again. “That sounds more like the wife I know.” Emily heard the bed creak as he sat down again, and then there was silence. In a few minutes, the captain was on his way, calling cheerfully over his shoulder, “I shall return as soon as I have news, love. Pray for my success.”

The door of the bedroom banged, and when Emily heard Lady Quentin begin to cry as if her heart would break, she slipped out of the dressing room and went away until her mistress should summon her again.

3

The days sped by, and for a while it seemed that the captain was to be frustrated in his desire to make his way to Belgium so as to be ready when the summons came for battle. Every evening that he returned home with a dark frown on his face, his wife was sure to be all smiles, although she tried to restrain her relief. Most unexpectedly, she was joined in all her feelings by her sister-in-law. Miss Quentin was not slow to learn the news, for all London buzzed with it, and there was very little else discussed no matter where you went. From the balls to the parks to the circulating libraries and the shops, the news was all of Boney and what Old Nosey would do to him this time for having the temerity to escape his exile. Not that anyone was at all sure that the duke would be appointed head of the army, for he had been in Vienna for the Congress since early February, and if Napoleon chose to march at once, there would be no time for him to travel north and assemble his army.

Napoleon had arrived in France on March the first, and the allies waited breathlessly for the news that the king’s troops had stopped his march on Paris, but it never came. Even Marshal Ney deserted the king in favor of throwing in his lot with his newly returned former master. And then, on the twentieth, Napoleon entered Paris, and King Louis XVIII fled.

Now, as Captain Quentin tried desperately to get himself reassigned, all England waited to hear that Napoleon was on the way north, and Bella told Alicia that they must both pray that Anthony would be unsuccessful and remain in London.

“But we must not let him know we feel this way, Alicia,” she warned. “He would be most displeased.”

Lady Quentin was quick to agree, but then Miss Quentin ruined this budding camaraderie by adding coldly, “You, of course, did not even know my brother when he was wounded at Talavera in the Peninsula campaign; I was out of my mind with worry before he returned to recuperate. There was some talk that he might lose his arm; indeed, he was lucky to escape with his life, and until now there was no thought of his returning to the war. His wound was so slow in healing. I felt sure he would remain here in London, where he is a most valuable asset to the War Office.”

The Countess of Ridgely was making plans to return to her home. She had had a letter from her husband, and it appeared that there was some delay in Agatha’s accepting the suitable Lord Dale, and so she did not feel she could remain. She confided coldly to Alicia that Agatha was being very silly, but she was sure she would be able to put her in a more amenable frame of mind. Lady Quentin spared a sympathetic thought for her sister as she waved her mama good-bye.

Emily was glad the countess had departed and fervently wished there was some way that Miss Arabella Quentin could also be banished. The young couple were so much happier on their own, without her interference. Emily had a premonition that the captain was going to be successful in being sent abroad and she wished they might have this time to themselves. There was, after all, a distinct possibility that it would be their last.

All through April, the captain fretted and fumed, and Lady Quentin smiled. He was gone from morning to night seeing this colonel, that general; trying in every way he knew to convince his superiors that the wounds he had received in Portugal had in no way incapacitated him from the fight that everyone was sure would come. No one of the military expected Napoleon to remain quietly content in France, even though the days passed and he made no move to renew the fighting. Wellington had left the Congress at Vienna on March 20, and when Captain Quentin learned he had arrived at headquarters in Brussels on April 4, he renewed his efforts. With Wellington in position, surely the action could not be far off.

In between his efforts to get himself ordered overseas, the
captain was often with Lady Quentin. He escorted her himself to any party she wished to attend, and no more was heard of her
cicisbeos.

One afternoon he arrived home early to find his sister and his wife in the drawing room having tea. He kissed them both before he called the butler to bring up the best Madeira and three glasses.

“I do not feel it is wise, dear Tony, to be indulging in spirits at this time of day,” Miss Quentin remarked. “Let me give you a cup of tea.”

Emily heard all this from Lady Quentin that evening, for she was indignant that Bella should take over as hostess in her own drawing room. Evident
l
y the captain agreed, for he was swift to refuse. “If I wanted tea, dear Bella, I would ask my wife for it, for she is sitting behind the tea tray as mistress here.” As Miss Quentin colored up, he added, “But come, we have a toast to drink. The Guards have been called up.” He did not appear to notice that both women paled.

“Indeed, Nelly,” Lady Quentin told her maid, “I thought I should have to call you to bring my salts, I felt so faint. It was only that Bella was there that enabled me to control myself.
”

The toast was drunk—“To Wellington, and to success!”
—
without much enthusiasm by anyone but Captain Quentin. Alicia asked when he had to leave, wishing with all her heart that the two of them were alone so she might run into his arms and be comforted, and he told them that he expected to embark within the week. “So soon!” she mourned, holding tight to his hand.

On the sofa, Miss Quentin frowned. “But, Tony, how can you be ready? That is surely much too soon. Perhaps it would be wise to plan for a later departure.”

“I have been ready for weeks, to tell you the truth. And my batman, Sergeant Boothby, goes with me, of course. That should reassure you, Bella, for you know that I would never have come through the Peninsula Campaign if he had not been with me to care for me. So you see, there is nothing to worry about. I have no doubt that we shall rout Napoleon in short order; perhaps we might plan on spending the rest of the summer in Burton Latimer, just the three of us.”

At this, Lady Quentin told her maid, she wanted to cry out that she wished it might be the two of them, not the three.

She thought Bella would never take her leave, busy as she was issuing orders for his equipment and what medical supplies he must be sure to take with him, until even Captain Quentin had had enough.

“Bella, I am not a raw recruit, you know. Have done! And that reminds me, are we not engaged to dine with the Biddleslys this evening, Alicia?” At her nod, he put down his glass and went to escort his sister to the front hall. “In that case, we must bustle about. How I look forward to telling Percy my good news! Such a stir there will be! Poor fellow, since he lost his leg at Badajoz, there can be no question of his going.”

Bella said dryly. “In that case, Tony, perhaps you should not gloat too much? To think that he will miss such a treat! It does not bear thinking about, does it, Alicia?”

Even in Lady Quentin’s dressing room, Emily heard the shout of laughter that accompanied this sally, and Lady Quentin was able, as she came upstairs on her husband’s arm, to smile a little as well, in spite of all her fears.

The days rushed by. One afternoon Lady Quentin insisted the captain take her to Tattersalls so she might buy him the finest horse there, to carry him safely through the battles. He called his new black charger, Dane, in honor of the Duke of Wellington’s famous horse, Copenhagen.

By the first of May he was gone, leaving very early one morning for the coast and the ship that would carry him to Belgium. Lady Quentin wanted to get up to see him off, but the captain intercepted Emily in the gray dawn light as she was coming to wake her mistress, and told her she was on no account to do so.

“I shall slip in and wake her just before I leave,” he told the maid, for the first time looking a little unhappy. “There is no need for her to bestir herself so early.”

Emily was glad to agree, for she did not feel her mistress would be able to contain her tears through a long leavetaking.

“I have a special charge for you, Miss Nelson,” he added, his dark eyes somber and his handsome face serious. “You must take the greatest care of your mistress while I am gone. True, there is my sister to watch over her, but she and Alicia do not get on as I had hop
e
d. I have noticed that my wife is fond of you and depends on you a great deal. You will see to her, is that understood?”

Emily dropped him a curtsy. “You may rely on me, sir,” she said, and then added, “May I wish you good fortune, sir? We shall all be praying for your safe return.”

“Thank you, Miss Nelson! And now I shall speak to my wife before I must leave.”

He did not remain in Lady Quentin’s bedroom long, and Emily heard him close the door behind him and stand quietly for a moment before he ran down the stairs. Mr. Goodwell had had all the servants assembled there to bid him good-bye, but Emily was not among their number. She had gone without being summoned to Lady Quentin’s room to comfort her. She was surprised to discover her mistress standing at the window, a smile on her face as she held the drapes aside and peered down into the street.

“There he goes! How splendid he looks on Dane,” she said as she waved and blew a kiss. In a few moments, she dropped the curtains and turned blindly away. The tears she had held back so valiantly now streamed down her cheeks. Quickly, Emily went to help her back to bed. Lady Quentin collapsed in her arms. “Oh, Nellie, what shall I do without my Tony?”

Emily soothed her as best she could. A minute later,
Mrs. Goodwell tapped on the door and handed her a cup of steaming liquid. “Get her to drink this, Miss Nelson,” the good woman whispered. “ ’Twill help her sleep, and sleep is the best thing in the world for her right now.”

When Lady Quentin woke again, she was subdued, but very calm. She allowed Emily to dress her and followed her regular daily routine. She was seated at the desk in her room writing to her husband when Miss Quentin was announced. Emily was in the dressing room and she made no move to leave, for she decided she would interrupt if she felt the call was distressing her mistress. There was no need for such vigilance, however, for Lady Quentin was very much in command of herself. Emily was as surprised as Miss Quentin must have been at her dignity and self-control.

She began by bemoaning her brother’s departure; Lady Quentin agreed it was very sad. Then Miss Quentin mentioned that she was sure the captain expected her to take care of his wife and she considered it her duty to do so while he was away.

“How much better, my dear Alicia,” she said in her cool,
authoritative way, “if I were to move in with you for the duration. It would be so much easier for you if I were here all the time to take over the running of the household and bear you company, for I fear you will be very lonely with Anthony away. Of course there can be no thought of your continuing to rattle about town with all the Corinthian set, now your husband is gone. Then, too, you are very young. Even as a married woman, I cannot feel easy to have you live alone. It will cause gossip. Do say you agree. I am sure it would be Anthony’s wish.”

Emily held her breath, but Lady Quentin was more than equal to the task before her. “How very kind of you to offer, Bella, when I know how comfortably situated you are with Miss Twitchell and her mother. I would not think of inconveniencing you.”

When Miss Quentin would have spoken, she continued quickly. “Besides, I am hardly alone with a houseful of servants to take care of me. And I must point out, dear Bella, that no matter what my age, I am a married woman. There can be no gossip about what I do, not as Tony’s wife. No,
I
thank you. I prefer to keep house by myself.”

Miss Quentin argued the point again and again in the hour she remained. Lady Quentin denied her each time in a light pleasant voice before she adroitly changed the subject. Did not Bella think the weather very pleasant? Surely Tony would have a good crossing. And what did she think of her new afternoon gown? She had worried when she ordered it that it was too ornate, but perhaps she was wrong? It was the third row of ruffles that bothered her, what did her sister-in-law think? Miss Quentin’s voice grew more and more aggravated as Lady Quentin’s grew lighter. At last she broke into the inconsequential chitchat and said, “Come, Alicia, it ill becomes you to think so much of an afternoon dress with your beloved husband on his way to war. I beg you to reconsider my proposal. I can move my things today, for I am sure Anthony would wish to see us together.”

“Do you, Bella?” Lady Quentin asked idly. “But in that case, he would have been sure to mention it before he left, would he not? And since he did not,
I
assume he knew I would prefer to remain alone. And now, my dear, I must ask you to excuse me. I have a letter I wish to finish to Tony. Do you have his direction? I am sure he will be delighted to hear from you. Oh, do not forget your reticule, Bella.”

Miss Quentin lost no time taking her departure, and Emily had to smile when she heard her slam the bedroom door behind her. Then she heard her mistress sigh, but when she peeked around the door, she was once again at her writing desk, quill in hand.

The following day, Lady Quentin told Emily that she was to accompany her shopping. “I have a book I wish to return to Fancourt’s Library as well,” she said.

Emily was delighted at this sign of normalcy, but when they reached the library, Lady Quentin made no move to take out another book, not even when Mr. Fancourt himself presented her with the second volume of the book she had just returned. She smiled at him as she said, “Thank you, but I do not believe I will have much time for reading in the future.” She was bowed to the door, her puzzled maid in her wake. Not have time? What else was there to do? She could not write letters all the time.

On the sidewalk, just as she was about to step into her carriage, Lady Quentin was hailed by a young blond gentleman, who was strolling along in the bright sunshine.

“Alicia! Humble servant, m’lady,” he said, sweeping her a most elegant bow while he removed the jaunty beaver from his carefully arranged locks. His glance slid over to Emily and his eyes narrowed. She was carrying Lady Quentin’s reticule, and standing as she was a few paces behind her mistress as was correct, it was obvious that she was a maid, in spite of her air of breeding and fashionable clothes.

Well, well, what have we here? Lord Andrew thought to himself. What a little beauty, and what a waste that she is nothing but a lady’s maid!

Emily felt his eyes and looked up, and the expression she saw in those intent blue eyes made her lower her own in haste.