The Lady Tamed Read online

  Fanny sighed, took up her sister’s hands and held them tightly. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Rebecca sagged. “Would you?”

  “Happy to help. I can handle a pair of shears.” She steered her sister toward the door. “Now go back to the guests and that ridiculous man you love, and for heaven’s sake, stop worrying. Enjoy yourself.”

  There’d be a pre-wedding dinner and a pre-wedding party as well, but each occasion would be unique. Today was merely a rehearsal for married life.

  “What would I do without you.”

  “Pray you never have to find out,” Fanny joked, pushing Rebecca out the door and closing it in her face.

  Fanny turned to the maids and shrugged. “You’d never guess she’s been married before. Please forgive her. She wants so much to make everything perfect for Lord Rafferty.”

  The pair nodded. “We understand, my lady. To be honest, we were afraid she’d burst into tears.”

  “Well, let’s not have that. Now, we will each need a pair of shears. Quickly now.”

  One raced off, and the other followed Fanny to a nearby vase as she studied the arrangements. “There really are just too many vases.”

  One maid winced. “Lord Rafferty kept saying he wanted lots of Mrs. Warner’s favorite flowers, my lady.”

  “Oh, dear. I’m sure he meant well but…well, let’s keep a few of the taller ones intact for his sake, but place them over there on the mantle above the hearth and another few about the permitter of the room on the other furniture. Then we must shorten the table arrangements.”

  Working together, they found a better height and carefully trimmed all the table arrangements so that everyone would be able to see each other. It took about half an hour, and by the time they were finished, Fanny vowed never to cut another flower stem again.

  She thanked the maids on her sister’s behalf and discreetly rejoined the party. Rebecca was standing across the room, hanging on to her betrothed’s arm. Fanny caught her eye and gave her a quick and hopefully reassuring smile that all was well.

  Lord Letterford was suddenly at Fanny’s side. “Do you have a moment now, Lady Rivers?”

  A footman announced the luncheon.

  Fanny stood aside with him as Rebecca adroitly maneuvered her future husband and guests toward the dining room. “Not really at this moment.”

  Letterford remained by her elbow as other guests sauntered past. “I understand from the duke that your visit to the country will be a short one again.”

  “Yes, I am due back in London the week after next,” she confirmed. “I hope to spend a lot of time with my family.”

  “A pity, for I had hoped for a chance to see more of you.”

  She smiled. “I’m afraid that will not be possible. Do excuse me again, but I must find my seat for the luncheon.”

  Lord Letterford beamed, throwing out his chest. “I have the happy honor of sitting by your side today.”

  Fanny was taken aback. Rebecca had promised she’d not be placed beside Lord Letterford for any event.

  Letterford smiled. “Rafferty obliged me and switched my place as a favor.”

  “Is that so,” Fanny said, dying a little inside at the thought of being trapped with a man she had so little in common with.

  But there was nothing she could do but make the best of it and hope he didn’t propose in front of so many witnesses.

  She couldn’t wait for tomorrow, when she would have Mr. Dawes by her side again. He would not be bribed or tricked into leaving her side for any reason. There were compensations to being a widow with vast resources at her disposal. Loyalty could be bought.

  “How lucky for me,” she managed to force out as they took their seats.

  Chapter 2

  Jeremy Dawes had never been so far from London in his life. Or willingly remained so close to other human beings for so long, either. Jeremy escaped the close confines of the mail coach for the wide-open space of the Stapleton village square and looked around, uncertain of what he expected but filled with enthusiasm.

  The little village was awash with new sights and sound that he drank in. There was a friendliness to the inhabitants that he found reassuring almost immediately. Jeremy quickly concluded that the fine people of this village were unlikely to steal his new hat from his head, or his expensive luggage, but he kept a wary eye out just in case. Thieves were everywhere…and he should know.

  Jeremy glanced at the coachmen shouting out a spate of orders to everyone and returned to the conveyance. He was anxious to collect his trunk, aware the quality of workmanship was better than those of most who traveled the public conveyance with him, and that it had marked him as someone worth stealing from. In Jeremy’s experience, this had to be the first time ever he’d appeared more prosperous than his fellow man. It was quite a disconcerting situation to find himself in, actually.

  Jeremy had been born poor and had expected to be so all his life. He’d scrimped and stolen to get by since he’d been orphaned as a boy, too young to remember he’d had a family once upon a time. He’d found employment at a theater in recent years and enjoyed modest success supporting the lead actors and understudies as he learned the craft of pretending to be someone else. But to get ahead in life, he’d learned that actors needed a patron.

  He’d found his…Lady Fanny Rivers. Suddenly having coins to spare in his pocket was very much a novelty still. He had kept his first shilling, to remind himself of where he began. Now he was about to embark on his first role as a leading man in a very private play. His only regret was that no one in the company would ever see his performance.

  As baggage was tossed down carelessly, Jeremy rushed to collect his new traveling trunk before it was damaged in the drop. He juggled it as well as the smaller case he’d been given to bring by Lady Rivers’ London man of business.

  “When you’re ready, sir,” a man called out.

  Jeremy jerked around for the location of that voice and spotted a sour old man watching the coach being unloaded from a nearby gig. Lady Rivers had promised he’d be met and conveyed to her father’s estate, rather than having to walk the whole way on foot. The fellow might look unhappy, but he was clearly an upper servant of some sort.

  He drew closer to the fellow. No rings on his fingers. A pocket watch on a tarnished chain across his belly. Right-handed. “Are you from Stapleton Manor? Did Lady Rivers send you?”

  The fellow paused to suck on his teeth before answering, assessing Jeremy in turn. “I am, and she did.”

  Relieved he’d not have to wait all day to finish his journey, Jeremy strode forward, smiling. Time to act. “Mr. Jeremy Dawes.”

  The old man raised a brow and then looked him up and down again. “Are you sure? You don’t look like one of her usual friends.”

  “Yes. I am.” He frowned though, worried he hadn’t perfected his costume. “What do her usual friends usually look like?”

  “Useless perfumed tulips, too lazy to wipe their own behinds,” the fellow declared.

  Well that wasn’t him. Jeremy could have set down his own luggage for the man to take care of but the man was older than him, and he wasn’t at all lazy to tote his own possessions. He would set himself apart from Lady Rivers’ perfumed friends by his actions. He set the smaller case on the seat beside the driver and then secured his traveling trunk to the back himself. Once he was sure everything was safe from loss, he clambered up beside the driver and clutched the small case on his lap aware the servant was watching him closely. “When you’re ready, sir.”

  “Sir? Well, now.” The man sniffed the air and grunted when he must have detected no trace of perfume in the air. “The name’s Fenton. I’m his grace’s steward.”

  Jeremy extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

  Fenton looked at it but shook his head. “You’re late.”

  “Not through my actions, I assure you,” Jeremy promised. “There’s probably been dozens of small delays along the way. People forgetting their luggage
. Jumping on and off. Changes of horse. None of which I was involved with personally.”

  Fenton slapped the reins over the horse’s rump, and the carriage lurched forward. Jeremy hadn’t been prepared for it and was tossed about. He scrambled to hold fast to Lady Rivers’ case, his hat, and the seat, too. “Oi. Have a care!”

  Fenton regarded him though narrowed eyes. “Too rough for you?” The fellow looked at him sourly, sucking on his teeth. “She sure can pick ’em.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Never mind.” The fellow slapped the reins again, and they moved off at a faster clip. Jeremy kept a hand on his hat to save it from separation with his head. It was the finest hat he’d ever owned and a gift from Lady Rivers, along with everything else he owned.

  They’d been driving for twenty minutes before the old man spoke again. “Lady Rivers is away visiting and won’t be there to welcome you to Stapleton.”

  “Oh,” Jeremy said, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to speak to her before he had to mingle with any wedding guests. “When will she be back?”

  “No doubt when she’s good and ready and not a moment sooner.” The fellow kept his eyes on the road ahead. “You’d best remember a woman like her does as she pleases.”

  Jeremy agreed. He’d already noticed Lady Rivers was an independent, headstrong sort of woman. “Have you worked for the family long?”

  The fellow speared him with a suspicious glance. “All my life. I’ll be here long after you’ve gone on your merry way, too, I expect.”

  Jeremy nodded. His role with Lady Rivers likely wouldn’t be of any great duration. One brief moment in the spotlight over the next two weeks and then a quick exit and a return to the theater.

  He relaxed a bit more on the seat, but the man at his side kept drawing his attention. He watched his mannerisms, pondering if the man was naturally abrasive or if his prickly tone was strictly reserved for Jeremy. A steward might not normally collect a guest from the mail coach. “Are there many guests staying at Stapleton for the wedding?”

  “A few, but the family is settled in and that’s all who matter.”

  Lady Rivers had explained that she had a large family. He had memorized all the names, and connections, so he did not embarrass himself or Lady Rivers.

  Fenton sighed. “There she is.”

  “Where?” Jeremy asked, looking for a carriage or horse carrying his lady in the nearby fields. He was excited to see her again. An actor always needed to please their patron.

  “The manor house, paper skull!”

  “Oh.” Jeremy looked to where the man now pointed. He probably should care that the steward had just insulted him, but he was too surprised by what he was looking at. “Oh, my.”

  Stapleton was much larger than Lady Rivers had suggested when she’d convinced him to spend a fortnight in the countryside pretending to be her most ardent admirer.

  Fenton smiled. “Ain’t she the most remarkable sight in all of England?”

  Jeremy hardly knew what to say in response. He’d never seen a single structure that could rival it. But there was a lot in the world that Jeremy had never seen or imagined yet. There was a look about the place that spoke of power and wealth. “Lady Rivers never mentioned the size of the house was so vast.”

  “Course not. Grew up in it, married a man with another just like it. Ain’t you never been to her estate?”

  “Not yet.”

  Fenton squinted at him. “How long you known Lady Rivers?”

  “We met at the start of the season.”

  The fellow slowed the carriage, bringing them to a halt, and just sat there admiring the manor. Finally, he turned to Jeremy. “How long since she started paying for your upkeep then?”

  It was commonplace for actors to have wealthy patrons who supported them financially, but Jeremy’s cheeks grew hot anyway under Fenton’s scrutiny. “She began only last month.”

  His brows shot up. “Not the same day you met like all the others? I’m surprised she waited so long. The lady is always taking in strays.”

  Jeremy colored even more. Yes, he was a kept man. Clothed by a rich woman. It was every actor’s dream come true. He’d signed a contract. He was hers, and she’d pledged to go along with any scene he felt might be required to ensure her ruse was a complete success. But Jeremy was sure it would not turn out to be as simple as she imagined. No performance was ever free from drama or unexpected mishaps. “She is a very generous patron to those of us in the arts.”

  “Yes, she most certainly is. The needy and useless flock to her like geese to fallen crumbs.”

  Clearly Fenton didn’t approve of actors. “Can we go?”

  Fenton slapped the reins over the horse’s rump again and Jeremy’s excitement grew.

  Yes, Jeremy was as needy and nearly as useless as anyone else in the theater. But at least he wasn’t stealing from anyone anymore. He didn’t need to. Lady Rivers believed he had promise as an actor, or else she wouldn’t have handed him the plum role in her little play. She trusted him.

  But one particular thing she had insisted on was that he show respect to everyone employed at her father’s estate. Even the grumpy ones, he supposed. He had to win over this Fenton fellow, and make sure he said nothing to detract from his performance later. He smiled, determined to ignore Fenton’s sour mood. “Lady Rivers is fond of geese. She keeps one with a broken wing in London. Vicious, evil-tempered thing it is too,” Jeremy confided.

  Fenton grunted. “Probably too tough to make a decent meal.”

  He chuckled. “I’d say so. She calls it Fent—”

  Jeremy buttoned his lips and shut his eyes briefly in horror. She called the evil thing Fenton. Lady Rivers had named the goose after the Stapleton steward, and Jeremy had just told him. How would he react? Insulted?

  But Fenton started to laugh and said no more about the naming of the goose as he drove them toward the manor.

  Stapleton grew closer and larger. Jeremy started counting windows and had to give up at six and twenty, but there were plenty more to be seen after that number had been surpassed.

  They came to a halt before an impossibly wide set of doors.

  “Well,” Fenton grumbled. “Out you get.”

  Jeremy climbed down, clutching the small traveling case under his arm. His driver stayed on the bench, and no servants came out to help, so Jeremy had no choice but to retrieve his own trunk from the back of the conveyance. Once he had that, Fenton slapped the reins over his mount’s hindquarters again and drove off without another word.

  Jeremy stood on the drive, watching him go with annoyance. He was accustomed to being treated rudely in London. He knew what people would believe about him when they met him here, too. He was an outsider, someone who didn’t belong. He still found it odd that Lady Rivers had asked him to come to the country and not someone more experienced.

  He glanced around slowly, taking in his surroundings. The Stapleton Manor grounds were extensive and very, very empty of people. Eerily empty, in fact. He very much longed to be indoors. “Guess I’ll have to knock on the door myself,” he muttered under his breath as he started forward.

  Before he could pull the bell, the great doors opened wide and a trio of servants trotted out.

  A pair of liveried footmen hefted his trunk between them and hurried back inside at a run.

  A third man lingered near Jeremy. “May I take that for you, sir?”

  The case had been entrusted to him. He’d made a promise to never let it out of his sight for a moment. “No.”

  “Very good, sir. If you will follow me.”

  Jeremy entered Stapleton’s front hall, prepared for anything, but he couldn’t have stopped the whistle that left his lips. He had never seen such a beautiful chamber in all his life, and this was only an entrance hall.

  The footman turned to him. “Wait here, please.”

  “Of course,” Jeremy agreed.

  He looked around, up at the high walls decorated with plast
er moldings of birds and what he assumed were family portraits. A wide staircase rose to the next level, where he’d been told all guests would sleep. Jeremy’s last bed had been on the floor in a corner of the stage.

  “You must be Mr. Dawes.”

  Jeremy smiled pleasantly and turned around to find a tall man emerging from a nearby room. He was big, bigger than Jeremy by half a head at least, older by at least a dozen years or so, and might just be the butler. “Indeed I am.”

  “May I be of assistance?” the fellow asked in a bored voice.

  “Yes, well, if you could tell me where I am to go?”

  “The servants have taken your trunk up already. I can show you the way.”

  Relief filled him. “I would appreciate that very much. Thank you.”

  The man inclined his head and started up the stairs. “This way.”

  Jeremy followed, encountering no other souls on the way to a large light-filled room with a massive bed placed in the center. He stared at it in shock. At least four of his fellow actors could have shared that bed and been very comfortable still. He could hardly believe the bed, the chamber, would be his for two whole weeks. But his trunk was being unpacked, and his new possessions were already being put away.

  The fellow turned to him, one brow lifting. “Was there really just the one trunk?”

  “Yes, of course. How many did you expect?”

  “Several, I imagined.” The fellow prowled about the room, observing the servants at their work and nodding. He turned to Jeremy suddenly. “I’m surprised you’ve acquired so little, given the length of your association with Lady Rivers. She is usually much more giving to someone like you.”

  Jeremy straightened to his full height, offended by the remark. “I have everything I need.”

  The man stroked his long fingers over the trunk’s lettering. J. K. D. “What does the K stand for?”

  “It is none of your business what my full name is.”

  “What if I think it is?”