Confessions of Lady Tabitha, page 9
Blushing furiously, Jeremy nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”
He couldn’t even deny staring at Tabitha; the duke had caught him red-handed. Storping’s smile couldn’t have looked more satisfied than it did now.
“I’m glad that we understand each other,” he said. “I trust you not to bring up this topic about Lord Bazeley again.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Duke nodded. “You may go. Just remember to get everything ready for the marquess’s arrival. I will hold you personally accountable if anything goes wrong.”
Jeremy could tell the duke was covering all his bases and ensuring that only he could be blamed if the marquess wasn’t happy about something. That meant Jeremy had to be mindful of everything that could go wrong and make sure it didn’t. That wasn’t fair at all. There was always the possibility of something going wrong, especially when people like the duke constantly stepped out and did whatever they pleased. How did a person control their employers?
“Yes, Your Grace,” he replied.
What else could he say? Jeremy stood up, bowed, and left his master’s presence.
The duke had not said which day the Marquess would come, only that he would arrive early next week. That could be anything between Sunday and Wednesday, giving Jeremy less than a week to ‘foolproof’ the estate from any mishaps. How did one do that? Jeremy was a meticulous man and ran a tight ship, but even he was aware of challenges that could pop up at any time.
One of the farmers could lose control of their herd, a gardener could make a mistake and ruin a hedge, the Cook could have a bad day and burn the food, and the duke himself could become drunk and make a fool of himself. Would Jeremy have to take the blame for all of that?
“Knowing the duke? Yes,” he muttered under his breath.
Jeremy gently pulled on Wolfe’s reins, urging him to the right. He had just been to the tenants to speak to them about Lord Bazeley’s coming and how the marquess might wish to meet them. After all, the man was due to become the new master of the estate, especially if he was the one to pay the duke’s debts.
Jeremy had hated every minute of talking about the marquess and explaining that the man was to marry Tabitha soon. Each word had tasted like gall and had left his stomach in tight knots.
“Good day, Jeremy!” a woman called out.
Jeremy turned his head, waving when he saw Mandee. “How are you?” he asked as she came closer.
“Well, thank you. Cook tells me that you did not have your usual light meal this afternoon. Is anything ailing you?”
Other than the fact that he had to cater to a scoundrel who was going to marry the woman he loved? A woman that was out of his reach? Then no, nothing was ailing him.
“I’m fine,” he said. “I’ve just been busy doing my rounds.”
“Perhaps you would like your meal now? Dinner will be a little later than usual today,” the woman explained. “One of the stoves suddenly stopped working, and Cook has been going through a mild rage. Fortunately, we have three others, but it significantly slows her down. I’ve just been to the duchess to let her know. Fortunately, the duke is not here. He hates to wait for his meals.”
The duke had left? Jeremy didn’t need many guesses to know where the man had gone. Stiffening, Jeremy tried his best not to let the emotion flit across his face.
“I am not feeling hungry, Mandee. Why don’t you see to Lady Browning? She must need your assistance with something.”
Disappointment flashed in the woman’s eyes before she lowered them and reached out to pet Wolfe.
“She has gone for a walk and wishes to be alone,” said Mandee. “The matter of marriage has her under the hatches.”
As it did him, but Jeremy knew he could never experience what Tabitha was feeling.
“I can imagine. Lord Bazeley is not a man that any woman should know, yet she is to marry him. Storping is dead set on that.”
Mandee sighed, raising her head. “I know. I have done and said everything I possibly can to calm her, but it hasn’t worked. She hardly sleeps at night worrying about her upcoming wedding.”
The thought of Tabitha lying awake at night and having dark circles under her eyes troubled him.
“Perhaps you can make her some calming tea in the evenings or that milk you once made for me some weeks ago. What was it again? It worked wonders for me. I do not think that I have ever slept that well.”
“Lavender milk with honey,” Mandee said, smiling. “My mother taught me the recipe, and her mother before that. The women in my family are what many call herbalists. The gift has not fallen to me, but I do recall some of the recipes used. The lavender milk was a favourite of mine growing up.”
“I’m sure it will work wonders for Lady Browning’s sleep. I’m surprised you haven’t given it to her yet.”
Mandee lowered her eyes once more. “I will give it to her this evening.”
“Let me know tomorrow if you succeeded in getting her to have a restful sleep. We wouldn’t want her growing ill.”
“Of course not.”
Jeremy watched Mandee give a last pat and a kiss on Wolfe’s cheek and step away. Digging in her pocket, she drew out a perfect red apple and offered it to the horse. Wolfe immediately took the apple and happily chomped on it.
“No wonder Wolfe adores you,” he said, chuckling.
“If only you adored me,” Jeremy thought he heard her mutter.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I adore him just as much,” Mandee replied. “He is a beautiful horse.”
Oh. He thought he had heard differently, but Jeremy decided he was wrong. Why would Mandee talk about adoring him? They were just friends, after all.
Jeremy’s mind drifted to Tabitha. If she was taking a walk, then she had to be somewhere around here. Perhaps he could stay a little while until he saw her.
“Thank you for worrying about me and informing me about Tabitha’s state,” he said, already pulling Wolfe away. “I have a few more things to do, so I’ll be leaving.”
Mandee seemed reluctant as she slid her hand against Wolfe’s leg, patting it affectionately before stepping back.
“You’re a busy man, Jeremy, but don’t be so busy that your health is affected. I can only look after one person at a time, and Tabitha is my priority.”
That sounded strange to him. “I would never ask you to give up your time to worry about me, Mandee.”
Mandee smiled sadly. “You wouldn’t have to.”
She turned away from him and hurried back to the house. Jeremy felt that something had passed between them, but he had no idea what it was. Shrugging his shoulders, he went in search of Tabitha.
It took him a good fifteen minutes to locate her, and by then, the sun had lowered. It was evening soon, and he hadn’t done everything he had set out to do. However, that didn’t matter to him now that he could see her. Tabitha looked as morose as she was the other day, but she was swinging a little more.
Jeremy stood by and watched her kick at the ground before lifting both legs and pushing her weight back to gain momentum on the swing. A tendril of hair had come loose from the simple topknot on her head and framed her face in the way Jeremy longed to reach out and touch her cheek.
Jeremy was careful never to touch Tabitha unnecessarily, not wanting a reminder that her skin was as soft as it looked. He might help her down a carriage now and then, but she always wore gloves that hid her hands away. That worked well for him.
Approaching her, Jeremy quickly ran a hand through his hair to tame anything that may be sticking out. Tabitha must have heard him because she looked up, surprising him when he saw her eyes were rimmed with red. She had been crying! It took much effort to remain on Wolfe and not leap down and fly to her side to console her.
“Good day, Mr Gibbs,” she greeted.
“It might be a good evening,” he said with a smile. “The sun has lowered, and I can see a bit of the moon already.”
“But the moon is always there,” Tabitha argued.
“Right you are. What are you doing here at this hour? Usually, you would be inside.”
Tabitha looked away. “I needed some fresh air to clear my head. Things have been a little ... challenging lately.”
A little? That was the understatement of the year! Jeremy knew Tabitha had to be frightened about the prospect of marrying a man like Lord Bazeley. How would any innocent woman feel about marrying a man who was nothing more than a well-disguised criminal?
“I know,” he said softly. “This may sound silly given what you’re going through, but how do you feel today?”
Jeremy already knew because he had spoken to Mandee, but he wanted to hear the answer from Tabitha’s lips. He hoped she trusted him enough to tell the truth.
Tabitha brought her gaze to his and smiled. “Better than yesterday, thank you.”
Then why did he see the pain in her eyes? Had he not earned the right for her to confide in him?
“I’m glad to hear that, My Lady. Would you excuse me? I still have a few errands to complete.”
“Of course. Good evening, Mr Gibbs.”
“Good evening, My Lady.”
Jeremy tugged once on the reins to start Wolfe moving away. He no longer wished to see the pain in her eyes, knowing that he couldn’t do anything about it. As he went his way, Jeremy started to think about the situation. Could he really do nothing? Surely he could use the contacts he had to look into Lord Bazeley’s background?
“Why didn’t I think about this before?” he asked himself in irritation.
That was a brilliant idea! Jeremy had many business associates who had feelers in every part of England. One of them was bound to come up with something about the marquess. If Jeremy managed to find the information he needed against the man, he would use it to expose him. The duke would have to listen to him and put a stop to this wedding before it took place.
Urged on by the idea, Jeremy galloped to his house and jumped down from his horse, nearly tripping over a stone that had seemingly jumped in front of him. He immediately wrote a letter to all his associates once he got to his desk, asking for their discretion in the matter. If the duke refused to investigate Lord Bazeley, then by golly, Jeremy would do it. He couldn’t just sit by and watch Tabitha’s life ruined by her father’s hasty and wrong decision.
Would he be able to find the information? Jeremy had no idea, but he was willing to try anything. Saving Tabitha was now his first priority, and the estate was second. The duke should have had the same mindset and thought about his gambling ways before he landed in the mess he was in today.
However, there was no point in dwelling on what the duke should have done because that would change nothing. It was clear to Jeremy that it was up to him to save Tabitha.
Chapter 8
There were times when a woman was likely to go through manic episodes in her life. This could have easily been such a time for Tabitha, but Mandee was watching her like a hawk.
“You will not rip those dresses to shreds,” Mandee warned her. “I will tie you to the chair if I have to.”
Tabitha scowled at her but held onto the scissors in her hands. The seamstress had brought the first three dresses from the set her mother had ordered two weeks ago. They were beautiful and showed a skilful hand, but they represented everything Tabitha didn’t want.
“Destroying these dresses will prolong the wedding, Mandee,” Tabitha tried to explain. “Is that not what we want?”
“That will solve nothing. Your parents will have both our heads if you destroy them.”
“How can they have my head when I’m to marry that man?”
Mandee narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. “So, ’tis my head that will roll?”
Tabitha sighed and rolled her eyes, throwing the scissors away from her. She would have to come up with a different way to keep herself from marrying Lord Bazeley, a way that would not get anyone in trouble.
“I’m glad you’ve finally calmed down,” said Mandee. “Now that we’ve wasted a good half hour, why don’t we get ready? Your mother said the marquess could arrive any minute now.”
“I have already told you that I will not meet him. I shall lock myself in my room.”
Mandee cupped her forehead, massaging it. “You’re going to be the death of me,” she mumbled.
“Well, he is going to be the death of me,” Tabitha countered. “So I suppose we are both going to die untimely deaths.”
Mandee laughed, the sound coming from her belly and out through her mouth in cheerful tones. How could any of this be amusing to her? Tabitha cast the woman a displeased frown before flopping on the bed and burying her head under a pillow. Maybe she could just pretend the world didn’t exist, and everything would go away.
She started when she felt fingers tickle the back of her calves. Biting down on her lip, Tabitha pulled her legs in and curled into a tight ball. Unfortunately, her feet were exposed. Fingers tickled the arches of her feet until she couldn’t take any more and came up laughing.
“Oh, all right!” she cried, still giggling. “You have my attention.”
Grinning, Mandee nodded. “This trick always works. Now, I need you to choose a dress because you cannot sit in your underthings for the whole day. Imagine if your mother and father were to come into the room and find you like this? They’ll wonder what I’m doing.”
“I’ll tell them that you’re doing their bidding, and I’m trying hard to go against it.”
“Oh, Tabitha. You need to know how to pick your battles. Refusing to dress and meet Lord Bazeley will not go well for you. Your father expects you to be down soon, and here you are prancing about in your underthings.”
“I would hardly call this prancing,” said Tabitha. “It’s more avoiding and running away.”
“Which I would like you to stop. Please, just choose a dress and let’s put it on. I still have your hair to do. Do not get me into trouble.”
Tabitha scratched her head as frustration ate away at her sanity. She couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived where she would be put on display. She felt like a slave forced onto a platform while people called out what they were willing to pay to purchase her. Tabitha had learned about such things from the history books in their library, never thinking that she would feel like a slave one day.
The Roman Empire had seemed to be the worst of the lot, not caring who was sold as a slave, especially if the people were from lands and tribes they had conquered. The only thing that appeared to matter was one’s Roman citizenship and status in society. If one didn’t have that, they were fair game for any enterprising person to reduce them to slavery and sell them to the highest bidder.
Gladiators could fight for their freedom and then only if the emperor was willing to give it, and house slaves were sometimes granted freedom by kind owners. If it was human nature to want one’s freedom, why did no one understand that Tabitha wanted hers?
“What are you thinking about?” asked Mandee. “It had better not be another plan to avoid the marquess. I do not know how much more I can take of your antics.”
If there was one thing Tabitha had learnt about gaining freedom, it was to have a plan and a good strategy to execute it. Perhaps her random acts of defiance were not the way to go about doing things. Tabitha obviously needed a better way to rid herself of this marriage.
