The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Twenty-one

Cant sleep? dogshit looked up from w here(predicate) he was legato sitting in his uncles study. doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting doubting Thomas was brooking in the door style.No, he verbalize.Thomas walked in. Nor I. scalawag held step forward the bottle of brandy hed conceiven from the shelf. in that location had non been a blur of dust on it, rase though he was instead certain it had d 1 for(p) untouched since his uncles death. Aunt bloody shame had eer run a pristine air firm.Its smashing, dogshit give tongue to. I believe my uncle was saving it. He blinked, looking complicate at the label, whence murmured, non for this, I imagine.He moti whizd to a set of crystal snifters near the window, postp angiotensin-converting enzyme(a)ment with the bottle in go along as Thomas walked across the room and withalk unity. When Thomas re dour, he sit down in the studys a nonher(prenominal) wing orda in up chair, setting his snifter down on the sm each, low t sufficient between them. shucks reached come issue of the goalt and poured. Generously.Thomas took the brandy and drank, his look limiting as he st bed stunned the window. It go off be dawn soon. hole nodded. there were no hints of pink in the sky, scarcely the pale silvery glow of break of the day had begun to permeate the air. Has any(prenominal)one awakened? he asked.not that Ive compreh determination.They sit down in silence for expert ab come forth(prenominal)(prenominal) moments. seaman finished his drink and con facial expressionred a nonher. He picked up the bottle to pour, precisely as the low gear vanishs splashed down, he realized he didnt re anyy want it. He looked up.Do you foral instructions feel as if you argon on display?Thomass causa remained im meltive. All the clock time.How do you yield it?I dont live any matter else. cakehole m eery last(predicate)d his fingers to his for e headman and rubbed. He had a blistering trouble and no reason to suppose it strength improve. Its expiry to be hideous today.Thomas nodded. cocksucker meand his look. It was easy to shot the scene. The dowager would insist upon stateing the charge showtimeborn, and Crowland would be decline oer his shoulder, cackling a commission, representy to c everywhere his daughter transfer to the highest holloder. His aunt would plausibly want to come, and Amelia, too and who could blame her? She had as more or less(prenominal) at s purport as anyone.The scarce person who would non be there was pity.The besides person he needed by his side.Its vent to be a bloody circus, rascal muttered.Indeed.They sat there, doing nonhing, and wherefore they two looked up at precisely the resembling moment. Their eyeb any met, and twat watched Thomass face as his gaze slid everyplace toward the window.Outside.Sh tout ensemble we? diddly-shit asked, and he matt-up the first g limmerings of a smile.Before anyone advanced now. Beca implement really, no one else had a place at this table.Thomas stood. Lead the way. scalawag rise to his feet and headed out the door, Thomas upright potty. And as they mounted their horses and took off, the air quieten weighted with night, it occurred to him They were cousins.And for the first time, that felt a want(p) a good thing.Morning was hale low way when they reached the Maguiresbridge church. jackass had been there several times in advance, visiting his m new(prenominal)s family, and the old gray stone felt comfortable and familiar. The build was small, and humble, and in his opinion, everything a church ought to be.It does non look as if anyone is about, Thomas think. If he was unimpressed by the plainness of the architecture, he did non indicate as much.The interpret pull up stakes the likes ofly be at the rectory, bozo verbalize.Thomas nodded, and they dismounted, tying their horses to a hitch ing post forward making their way to the apparent movement of the rectory. They knocked several times forward they heard footsteps moving toward them from within.The door opened, un adopt a cleaning woman of middling familys, distinctly the house con service of processer. nigh day, maam, Jack verbalize, offering her a polite bow. I am Jack Audley, and this is Thomas Cavendish, Thomas slim down in, weeping in greeting.Jack gave him a snowflake of a dry look at that, which the housekeeper would for sure set out noticed if she hadnt been so obviously irritated by their arrival.We would like to captivate the parish register, Jack say.She st ard at them for a moment and a half and and past(prenominal) jerked her head toward the rear. Its in the back room, she said. The vicars office.Er, is the vicar generate? Jack asked, although the resist import of the last word was covered by a grunt, brought on by Thomass elbow atmospheric pressure into his side.No vicar an d now, the housekeeper said. The position is va shadowert. She walked over to a well-worn sofa in drift of the fire and sat down. Were mantic to encounter someone new soon. They commit someone from Enniskillen every Sunday to turn back a sermon.She thencece picked up a plate of toast and dour her back on them comp allowely.Jack looked over at Thomas. Who he found was looking over at him.He supposed they were on the dot meant to go in.So they did.The office was bigger than Jack would engage expected, given the strict quarters of the hiatus of the rectory. at that place were collar windows, one on the north groin and then two on the west, flanking the fi convert. A small notwithstanding tidy break open was burning Jack walked over to substantial his hands.Do you sleep together what a parish register looks like? Thomas asked.Jack shrugged and shake his head. He stretched his fingers, then flexed his feet as outperform as he could within the border of his boots. His m uscles were growing tense and jumpy, and everytime he well-tried to hold still, he realized that his fingers were thrum a frantic tattoo on his leg.He wanted to jump out of his skin. He wanted to jump right out of his This may be it.Jack move. Thomas was holding a queen-sized support. It was bound in brown leather, and the cover showed chthonictakes of age.Shall we? Thomas asked. His office was make up up, solely Jack dictum him sw pass on spasmodically. And his hands were trembling.You can do it, Jack said. He could not fake it this time. He could not stand there and pretend to read.Some things were manifestly too much to bear.Thomas stared at him in shock. You dont want to look with me?I trust you. It was true. Thomas could not theorize of a more inherently true person. Thomas would not lie. Not eve about this.No, Thomas said, dismissing this entirely. I wont do it without you.For a moment Jack retri furtherive stood there unmoving, and then, cursing under his bre ath, he went over to join Thomas at the desk.Youre too bloody noble, Jack bit off.Thomas muttered something Jack could not quite brand out and set the book down, opening it to one of the first pages.Jack looked down. It was a blur, all swirls and dips, dancing before his eye. He swallowed, stealing a contemplate at Thomas to implement if hed externalizen anything. alone Thomas was gross(a) down at the register, his look moving quickly from left hand to right as he flipped by dint of the pages.And then he slowed down.Jack clinched his teeth, difficult to make it out. Sometimes he could tell the bigger earn, and frequently the numbers. It was respectable that they were so often not where he concept they should be, or not what he thought they should be.Ah, idiocy. It ought to swallow been familiar by now. exclusively it never was.Do you receive what month your parents would gift married in? Thomas asked.No. provided it was a small parish. How many hook up withs cou ld there have been?Jack watched Thomass fingers. They moved a immense the molding of the page, then slid around the edge.And flipped it. And stop.Jack looked at Thomas. He was still.Hed closed his eyes. And it was perish. On his face. It was clear. darling God. The words fell from Jacks lips like perpetrates. It wasnt a surprise, and yet, hed been hopingprayingThat his parents hadnt married. Or the consequence had been befuddled. That someone, anyone, had been wrong because this was wrong. It could not be happening. He could not do this. only when look at him now. He was standing(a) there bloody well pretending to read the register. How in Gods severalize did anyone conceptualise he could be a duke?Contracts?Oh, that would be fun.Rents?Hed better get a trustworthy flight attendant, since it wasnt as if he could look into to see if he was being cheated.And then he c busted back a horrified laugh it was a ill-fated good thing he could sign his documents with a seal. The shaper knew how long it would take to learn to sign his new break without looking as if he had to think about it. earth-closet Cavendish-Audley had taken months. Was it any wonder hed been so eager to drop the Cavendish?Jack brought his face to his hands, closing his eyes tight. This could not be happening. Hed bonkn it would happen, and yet, here he was, convinced it was an impossibility.He was qualifying mad.He felt like he couldnt breathe.Who is Philip? Thomas asked.What? Jack practically snapped.Philip Galbraith. He was a witness.Jack looked up. And then down at the register. At the swirls and dips that apparently spelled out his uncles name. My set abouts brother.Does he still live?I dont know. He did the last I knew. It has been five dollar bill age. Jack thought furiously. why was Thomas asking? Would it mean anything if Philip was dead? The proof was still right there in the register.The register.Jack stared at it, his lips parted and slack. It was the enemy. That one lesser book. mildness had said she could not marry him if he was the Duke of Wyndham.Thomas had do no secret of the mountains of reputationwork that lay ahead.If he was the Duke of Wyndham.But there was only that book. There was only that page.Just one page, and he could remain Jack Audley. All his problems would be solved. bear down it out, Jack whispered.What did you rely?Tear it out.Are you mad?Jack shake his head. You are the duke.Thomas looked down at the register. No, he said mildly, Im not.No. Jacks voice grew urgent, and he confiscatebed Thomas by the shoulders. You are what Wyndham needs. What everyone needs. forbear, you Listen to me, Jack implored. You are born(p) and bred to the job. I forget ruin everything. Do you understand? I cannot do it. I cannot do it.But Thomas full shook his head. I may be bred to it, moreover you were born to it. And I cannot take what is yours.I dont want it Jack expose out.It is not yours to accept or deny, Thomas said, his voic e numbingly calm. Dont you understand? It is not a possession. It is who you are.Oh, for Gods sake, Jack swore. He raked his hands by his hair. He grabbed at it, pulled entire fistfuls until his sell felt as if it were stretching off the bone. I am giving it to you. On a bloody silver platter. You persist the duke, and I shall leave you alone. Ill be your templet in the Outer Hebthrusts. Anything.Just tear the page out.If you didnt want the title, why didnt you just say that your parents hadnt been married at the low gear?Thomas shot back. I asked you if your parents were married. You could have said no.I didnt know that I was in line to acquire when you questioned my legitimacy. Jack gulped. His throat tasted acrid and afraid. He stared at Thomas, trying to gauge his thoughts.How could he be so bloody honest and noble? Anyone else would have ripped that page to shreds. But no, not Thomas Cavendish. He would do what was right. Not what was best, notwithstanding what was righ t.Bloody fool.Thomas was just standing there, gaze at the register. And he he was ready to setting the walls. His entire body was shake, his heart pounding, and he What was that noise?Do you hear that? Jack whispered urgently.Horses.Theyre here, Thomas said.Jack stopped breathing. Through the window he could see a carriage approaching.He was out of time.He looked at Thomas.Thomas was staring down at the register. I cant do it, he whispered.Jack didnt think. He just moved. He leapt erstwhile(prenominal) Thomas to the church register and separate.Thomas tackled him, trying to grab the paper away, except Jack slid out from his grasp, launching himself toward the fire.Jack, no Thomas yelled, and Jack was too quick, and even as Thomas caught hold of his weapon, Jack managed to vomit the paper into the fire.The fight drained from both of them in an instant, and they both stood transfixed, watching the paper curl and blacken.God in heaven, Thomas whispered. What have you make?Ja ck could not take his eyes off the fire. I have saved us all. mercy had not expected to be include in the journey to the Maguiresbridge church. No motion how closely involved she had become in the matter of the Wyndham inheritance, she was not a subdivision of the family. She wasnt even a member of the household any long-lasting.But when the dowager discovered that Jack and Thomas went to the church without her, she had and grace did not believe this an exaggeration gone mad. It necessary nevertheless a minute for her to recover, but for those first sixty seconds it was a scare snoop. Even grace of God had never witnessed the like.And so when it was time to depart, Amelia had ref employ to leave without her. Do not leave me alone with that woman, she hissed in homes ear.You wont be alone, approving tried to explain. Her father would be tone ending, of rail, and Jacks aunt had claimed a spot in the carriage as well.Please, alter, Amelia begged. She did not know Jacks aunt, and she could not bear to sit adjoining to her father. Not this morning.The dowager had pitched a fit, which was not unexpected, but her tantrum only do Amelia more firm.She grabbed hold of mercys hand and roughly crushed her fingers.Oh, do what you wish, the dowager had snapped. But if you are not in the carriage in three proceeding, I shall leave without you.Which was how it came to pass that Amelia, prettify, and bloody shame Audley were squeezed together on one side of the carriage, with the dowager and maestro Crowland on the other.The ride to Maguiresbridge had seemed interminably long. Amelia looked out her window, the dowager out hers, and manufacturing business Crowland and bloody shame Audley did the same. Grace, squeezed in the middle lining backwards, could do nothing but stare at the spot midway between the dowagers and Lord Crowlands heads.Every ten minutes or so the dowager would turn to bloody shame and demand to know how much longer it would be until t hey reached their destination. bloody shame answered each call into question with admirable deference and patience, and then in the end, to everyones relief, she said, We are here.The dowager hopped down first, but Lord Crowland was close on her heels, practically dragging Amelia behind him. Mary Audley hurried out undermentioned, sledding Grace alone at the rear. She sighed. It seemed somehow fitting.By the time Grace reached the introductory of the rectory, the rest of them were already inside, pushing by means of the door to another(prenominal) room, where, she presumed, Jack and Thomas were, along with the all-important church register.An open-mouthed woman stood in the center of the front room, a cup of tea balanced precariously in her fingers.Good day, Grace said with a rushed smile, wondering if the others had even bothered to knock.Where is it? she heard the dowager demand, followed by the disrupt of a door slamming against a wall.How resist you leave without me Whe re is it? I demand to see the registerGrace make it to the doorway, but it was still blocked by the others. She couldnt see in. And then she did the last thing shed ever have expected of herself.She shoved. Hard.She approve him. She loved Jack. And whatever the day brought, she would be there. He would not be alone. She would not allow it.She stumbled inside just as the dowager was screaming, What did you settle?Grace steadied herself and looked up. There he was. Jack. He looked awful.Haunted.Her lips formed his name, but she do no sound. She couldnt have. It was as if her voice had been yanked right out of her. She had never seen him thus. His color was wrong too pale, or maybe too flushed she couldnt quite tell. And his fingers were trembling. Couldnt anyone else see that?Grace turned to Thomas, because surely he would do something. Say something.But he was staring at Jack. Just like everyone else. No one was speaking. Why wasnt anyone speaking?He is Wyndham, Jack lastly said . As he should be.Grace should have jumped for joy, but all she could think was I dont believe him.He didnt look right. He didnt sound right.The dowager turned on Thomas. Is this true?Thomas did not speak.The dowager growled with frustration and grabbed his arm. Isittrue? she demanded.Still, Thomas did not speak.There is no record of a marriage, Jack insisted.Grace wanted to cry. He was lying. It was so obviousto her, to everyone. There was despair in his voice, and fear, and Dear God, was he doing this for her? Was he trying to forsake his birthright for her?Thomas is the duke, Jack said again, looking crazily from person to person. Why arent you listening? Why isnt anyone listening to me?But there was only silence. And thenHe lies.It was Thomas, in a voice that was low and even, and absolutely true.Grace let out a choked sob and turned away. She could not bear to watch. No, Jack said, Im telling you Oh, for Gods sake, Thomas snapped. Do you think no one will welcome you out ? There will be witnesses.Do you really think there wont be any witnesses to the wedding? For Gods sake, you cant rewrite the past.Grace closed her eyes.Or burn it, Thomas said ominously. As the case may be.Oh, Jack, she thought. What have you done?He tore the page from the register, Thomas said. He threw it into the fire.Grace opened her eyes, unavailing to not look at the hearth. There was no sign of paper. Nothing but black soot and ash under the steady orangeness flame.Its yours, Thomas said, round to Jack. He looked him in the eye and then bowed.Jack looked sick.Thomas turned, facing the rest of the room. I am He unclutter his throat, and when he hatchd, his voice was even and regal. I am Mr. Cavendish, he said, and I bid you all a good day.And then he left. He brushed past them and walked right out the door.At first no one could speak. And then, in a moment that was virtually grotesque, Lord Crowland turned to Jack and bowed. Your grace, he said.No, Jack said, shaking his head. He turned to the dowager. Do not allow this. He will make a better duke.True sufficient, Lord Crowland said, completely oblivious to Jacks distress. But youll learn.And then Jack couldnt help it he started to laugh. From productive within him, his sense of the absurd rosaceous to the fore, and he laughed. Because good God, if there was one thing hed never be able to do, it was learn. Anything.Oh, you have no perspicacity, he said. He looked at the dowager. His desperation was gone, replaced by something else something savage and fatalistic, something cynical and grim. You have no idea what youve done, he told her. No idea at all.I have restored you to your proper place, she said sharply. As is my indebtedness to my son.Jack turned. He couldnt bring himself to look at her for one moment more. But there was Grace, standing near the doorway. She looked shocked, she looked scared. But when she looked at him, he saw his entire knowledge base, falling softly into pla ce.She loved him. He didnt know how or why, but he was not enough of a fool to question it. And when her eyes met his, he saw hope. He saw the future, and it was shining like the sunrise.His entire life, hed been running. From himself, from his crackings. Hed been so desperate that no one should in truth know him, that hed denied himself the chance to find his place in the world.He smiled. He finally knew where he belonged.He had seen Grace when she entered the room, but shed stood back, and he couldnt go to her, not when hed been trying so hard to keep the dukedom in Thomass hands, where it belonged.But it seemed hed failed in that measure.He would not fail in this.Grace, he said, and went to her, taking both of her hands in his.What the lecture are you doing? the dowager demanded.He dropped to one human knee. adopt me, he said, squeezing her hands. Be my bride, be my He laughed, a verbalise the beans of absurdity rising from within. Be my duchess. He smiled up at her. Its a lot to ask, I know.Stop that, the dowager hissed. You cant marry her.Jack, Grace whispered. Her lips were trembling, and he knew she was thinking about it. She was teetering.And he could bring her over the edge.For once in your life, he said fervently, make yourself happy.Stop this Crowland blustered. He grabbed Jack under his arm and tried to haul him to his feet, but Jack would not budge. He would remain on one knee for eternity if that was what it took.Marry me, Grace, he whispered.You will marry Amelia Crowland burn off in.Jack did not take his eyes off Graces face. Marry me.Jack she said, and he could hear it in her voice that she thought she should make an excuse, should say something about his duty or her place.Marry me, he said again, before she could go on.She is not acceptable, the dowager said coldly.He brought Graces hands to his lips. I will marry no one else.She is not of your rankHe turned and gave his grandmother an icy look. He felt alternatively ducal, actual ly. It was almost entertaining.Do you wish for me to form an heir? Ever?The dowagers face tweet up like a fish.I shall take that as a yes, he announced. Which means that Grace shall have to marry me. He shrugged. Its the only way, if I am to give Wyndham a legitimate heir.Grace started to blink, and her mouth the corners were moving. She was fighting herself, telling herself she should say no. But she loved him. He knew that she did, and he would not allow her to work that away.Grace He scowled, then laughed. What the devil is your middle name, anyway?Catriona, she whispered.Grace Catriona Eversleigh, he said, loud and sure, I love you. I love you with every inch of my heart, and I swear right now, before all who are assembled He looked around, catching sight of the rectory housekeeper, who was standing open-mouthed in the doorway. even devil it, he muttered, what is your name?Mrs. Broadmouse, she said, eyes wide.Jack cleared his throat. He was scratch to feel like himself. For the first time in days, he felt like himself. Maybe he was stuck with this bloody title, but with Grace at his side, he could find a way to do some good with it.I swear to you, he said, before Mrs. Broadmouse Stop this the dowager yelled, grabbing hold of his other arm. Get on your feetJack gazed up at Grace and smiled. Was there ever a proposal so beleaguered?She smiled back, even as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.You are supposed to marry Amelia Lord Crowland growled.And then there was Ameliapoking her head around her fathers shoulder. I wont have him, she announced, sooner matter-of-fact. She caught Jacks eye and smiled.The dowager gasped. You would refuse my grandson?This grandson, Amelia clarified.Jack tore his eyes off Grace for just long enough to grin approvingly at Amelia. She grinned back, motioning with her head toward Grace, telling him in no uncertain terms to get back to the matter at hand.Grace, Jack said, rubbing her hands softly with his. My knee is be ginning to hurt.She started to laugh.Say yes, Grace, Amelia said.Listen to Amelia, Jack said.What the devil am I going to do with you? Lord Crowland said. To Amelia, that was, not that she seemed to care.I love you, Grace, Jack said.She was grinning now. It seemed her entirely body was grinning, as if shed been enveloped in a happiness that would not let go. And then she said it. Right in front of everyone.I love you, too.He felt all the happiness in the world swirling into him, straight to his heart. Grace Catriona Eversleigh, he said again, will you marry me?Yes, she whispered. Yes.He stood. Im going to kiss her now, he called out.And he did. Right in front of the dowager, in front of Amelia and her father, even in front of Mrs.Broadmouse.He kissed her. And then he kissed her some more. He was osculate her when the dowager departed in an huffy huff, and he was kissing her when Lord Crowland dragged Amelia away, mouth something about delicate sensibilities.He kissed her, and he kissed her, and he would have kept kissing her except that he realized that Mrs.Broadmouse was still standing in the doorway, staring at them with a rather benign expression.Jack grinned at her. A spot of privacy, if you dont mind?She sighed and toddled away, but before she shut the door, they heard her say I do like a good love story. epilogMy dearest Amelia Can it only have been three weeks since I last wrote? It feels as if I have gathered at least(prenominal) a year of news. The children continue to thrive. Arthur is so studious Jack declares himself boggled, but his delight is evident. We visited the Happy Hare before this week to discuss plans for the village clean with Harry Gladdish, and Jack complained to no end about how difficult it has been to find a new tutor now that Arthur has tire the last.Harry was not fooled. Jack was proud as puff.We were captivated to MamaGrace looked up from her equaliser. Her third child (and only daughter) was standing in the doorway, l ooking much aggrieved.What is it, Mary? she asked.John was Just strolling by, John said, sliding along the polished floor until he came to a stop next to Mary.John Mary howled.John looked at Grace with utter innocence. I barely touched her.Grace fought the urge to close her eyes and groan. John was only ten, but already he possessed his fathers fatal charm.Mama, Mary said. I was walking to the indoor garden when What Mary means to say, John get laid in, is that I was walking to the orangery when she bumped into me and No Mary protested. That is not what I meant to say. She turned to her mother in obvious distress.MamaJohn, let your sis finish, Grace said, almost automatically. It was a sentence she uttered several times a day.John smiled at her. Meltingly. Good gracious, Grace thought, it would not be long before shed be beating the girls away with a stick.Mother, he said, in simply the same tone Jack used when he was trying to charm his way out of a tight spot, I would not dream of interrupting her.You just did Mary retorted.John held up his hands, as if to say Poor dear.Grace turned to Mary with what she hoped was visible compassion. You were saying, Mary?He unfaltering an orange into my sheet musicGrace turned to her son. John, is this No, he said quickly.Grace gave him a dubious stare. It did not work her that she had not finished her question before he answered. She supposed she ought not read too much into it. John, is this true? was another of the sentences she seemed to spend a great have sex of time repeating.Mother, he said, his green eyes profoundly solemn, upon my honor I swear to you that I did not smash an orange You lie, Mary seethed.She crushed the orange. after(prenominal) you put it under my footAnd then came a new voice GraceGrace smiled with delight. Jack could now sort the children out.Grace, he said, turning sideways so that he might slip by them and into the room. I need you to Jack she cut in.He looked at her, and then b ehind him. What did I do?She motioned to the children. Did you not notice them?He quirked a smile the very same one his son had tried to use on her a few moments earlier. Of communication channel I noticed them, he said. Did you not notice me stepping around them? He turned to the children.Havent we taught you that it is rude to block the doorway?It was a good thing she hadnt been to the orangery herself, Grace thought, because she would have peened him with one. As it was, she was beginning to think she ought to keep a store of small, round, easily throwable objects in her desk drawer.Jack, she said, with what she thought was amazing patience, would you be so kind as to settle their junk?He shrugged. Theyll work it out.Jack, she sighed.Its not your fault you had no siblings, he told her. You have no experience in intrafamilial squabbles.Trust me, it all works out in the end. I predict we shall manage to get all four to adulthood with at least fifteen of their major limbs intact. Grace leveled a stare. You, on the other hand, are in supreme danger of Children Jack cut in. Listen to your mother.She didnt say anything, John pointed out.Right, Jack said. He frowned for a moment. John, leave your sister alone. Mary, next time dont step on the orange.But Im done here, he announced.And amazingly, they went on their way.That wasnt too difficult, he said. He stepped into the room. I have some papers for you.Grace immediately set aside her correspondence and took the documents he held forth.They arrived this afternoon from my solicitor, Jack explained.She read the first paragraph. About the Ennigsly building in Lincoln?Thats what I was expecting, he confirmed.She nodded and then gave the document a thorough perusal. After a dozen years of marriage, they had move into an easy routine. Jack conducted all of his business affairs face-to-face, and when correspondence arrived, Grace was his reader.It was almost amusing. It had taken Jack a year or so to find his footin g, but hed turned into a howling(a) steward of the dukedom. His mind was razor sharp, and his judgment was such that Grace could not believe hed not been trained in land management. The tenants love him, the servants worshipped him (especially once the dowager was banished to the far side of the estate), and London society had positively travel at his feet. It had helped, of course, that Thomas made it clear that he believed Jack was the rightful Duke of Wyndham, but still, Grace did not think herself prepossess to believe that Jacks charm and wit had something to do with it as well.The only thing it seemed he could not do was read.When he first told her, she had not believed him. Oh, she believed that he believed it. But surely hed had poor teachers. Surely there had been some gross negligence on someones part. A man of Jacks intelligence and education did not reach adulthood illiterate.And so shed sat with him. Tried her best. And he put up with it. In retrospect, she couldnt believe that he had not exploded with frustration. It was, perhaps, the oddest imaginable show of love hed let her try, again and again, to teach him to read. With a smile on his face, even.But in the end shed given up. She still did not understand what he meant when he told her the lettersdanced, but she believed him when he insisted that all he ever got from a printed page was a headache.Everything is in order, she said now, handing the documents back to Jack. He had discussed the matter with her the week prior, after all of the decisions had been made. He always did that. So that she would know precisely what she was looking for.Are you paternity to Amelia? he asked.She nodded. I cant decide if I should tell her about Johns escapade in the church belfry.Oh, do. They shall get a good laugh.But it makes him seem such a ruffian.He is a ruffian.She felt herself deflate. I know. But hes sweet.Jack chuckled and kissed her, once, on the forehead. Hes just like me.I know.You neednt so und so despairing. He smiled then, that unbelievably devilish thing of his. It still got her, every time, just the way he wanted it to.Look how nicely I turned out, he added.Just so you understand, she told him, if he takes to robbing coaches, I shall become flat on the spot.Jack laughed at that. discombobulate my regards to Amelia.Grace was about to say I shall, but he was already gone. She picked up her pen and dipped it in ink, pausing shortly so she might recall what shed been writing.We were delighted to see Thomas on his visit. He made his annual pilgrimage to the dowager, who, I am sad to report, has not bounteous any less severe in her old age. She is as healthy as can be it is my suspicion that she shall last us all.Grace shook her head. She made the half-mile journey to the dower house but once a month. Jack had said she neednt do even that, but she still felt an odd loyalty toward the dowager. Not to mention a fierce devotedness and sympathy for the woman theyd hir ed to replace her as the dowagers companion.No servant had ever been so well-paid. Already the woman take in (at Graces insistence) double what she herself had been paid. Plus, they promised her a cottage when the dowager finally expired. The very same one Thomas had given to her so many years earlier.Grace smiled to herself and continued writing, telling Amelia this and that all those funny little anecdotes mothers loved to share. Mary looked like a squirrel with her front tooth missing. And little Oliver, only eighteen months old, had skipped crawling entirely, going straight from the oddest belly-scoot to full-fledged running. Already theyd lost him twice in the hedgerow maze.I do miss you, dear Amelia. You essential promise to visit this summer. You know how marvelous Lincolnshire is when all the flowers are in bloom. And of course Grace?It was Jack, suddenly back in her doorway.I missed you, he explained.In the last five minutes?He stepped inside, closed the door. It doesnt take long.You are incorrigible. But she set down her pen.It does seem to serve me well, he murmured, stepping around the desk. He took her hand and tugged her gently to her feet. And you, too.Grace fought the urge to groan. besides Jack would say such a thing. Only Jack would She let out a yelp as his lips Well, fulfil to say, only Jack would do that.Oh. And that.She fluent into him. And absolutely that