Surrender Your Grace (3 page)

Andrew spoke then, “That won’t be necessary. Let’s just complete our business, shall we?” He approached and handed the Earl a stack of papers. “I’ve had the contract drawn up according to your specifications, with the Duke’s input of course. All that remains is for all parties involved to sign the contract with His Grace bearing witness.”

“What is going on? Why are we signing a contract?” Cecilia looked to her father, but he didn’t answer her question as he busily examined the Viscount’s paper. “Mama?”

“Oh Cecilia dear, you must know that you were disgraced last night. The gossip has run rampant through the Ton already.”

Her father looked up at her then; his eyes filled with concern for his favorite daughter. “The Viscount has agreed to do the honorable thing. The bishop will be here to wed you by special license this afternoon.”

“Wed? I am to marry him?” She looked toward Lord Arrandale who returned her regard with a mocking expression. Clearly, he thought her dim-witted. “But I thought you were to court Elizabeth?”

“Ah yes, the lovely Elizabeth. What did your charming sister have to say about last night’s debacle?” He quirked a dark blonde brow and frowned as he put two and two together. He looked toward the Earl. “I suspect that you will not be able to vouch for the veracity of your eldest daughter’s accounting of last night. I heard that she was not happy to be lowering herself to my station.”

Lord Benton also frowned; he knew his daughter and her skill at maneuvers to get her own way. She had been quite angry about him accepting the Viscount’s suit on her behalf. “Reynolds!” He barked suddenly for his butler. “Get Lady Elizabeth in here, immediately.”

Lady Benton protested, “My Lord, surely Elizabeth is innocent as well.”

“Time will tell, won’t it?”

A smug Elizabeth waltzed into the room; she was dressed for an outing in a carriage gown and held her bonnet in her hands. “You called, Father? I am just heading out for a drive in the park.” As if she just suddenly became aware of their lofty guests when the gentlemen rose, she dropped into a deep curtsy. “Your Grace, I beg your pardon for my rudeness.” As an afterthought she nodded to Andrew. “And My Lord Arrandale as well.”

“Your ride in the park will have to wait. Take a seat.” Her father waited until Elizabeth had flounced across the room and artfully arranged herself in the vacant chair next to the Duke. “What do you know about your sister’s attack last night?”

“I can’t imagine what I could know about it, Father,” she replied in her practiced sugar-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth voice. She flicked open her fan and began to wave it gently, cooling her slightly flushed face. If Cici read the signs correctly; her sister was guilty of something.

Arrandale addressed her next. “Where did you go to after your sister fell ill, Lady? She collapsed in the pavilion and the next instant you were gone.”

“If your lordship will recall, I went to find Mama but couldn’t.”

“Then what did you do when you couldn’t find her, daughter? You just abandoned your own sister, alone and ill with a stranger in a private garden?” Her father demanded a response in an outraged and angry tone. He knew his eldest daughter; all of her actions were self-serving.

“Elizabeth, you were the one who said you had arranged for mama to chaperone. Obviously, that was a lie.” Cici was now certain her sister had arranged the incident and was incensed. “What have you done?”

Her sister became flustered as she realized all eyes in the room were trained intensely on her. “Me? What could I have done?”

Then it dawned on Cici. She had replayed the entire fiasco of an evening in her mind numerous times. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. She hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. “You gave me your lemonade. You hate lemonade. Did you put something in the drink?”

Haughtily she responded, “Don’t be silly, Cici. Would I do such a thing?”

“In an instant dear sister, and damn the consequences if it fits into your plans. You would sacrifice your very own mother if it got you your way.” Cici looked at her father. “There is no other explanation, papa.”

“Cici, you will guard your tongue and Elizabeth Louise, you will tell the truth this instant or I will fetch the cane for the both of you.”

“Father!”

“Charles!”

Both her sister and her mother gasped in outrage over her father’s threat in front of their guests. Andrew looked mildly amused for the first time. “Don’t let us stop you, My Lord. If it were left up to me this spoiled brat would have already been bent over your desk getting her just desserts. It is obvious you have at least one very spoiled young lady on your hands.”

Benton ignored the younger man’s assuredly accurate statement. His eldest daughter was in truth a spoiled brat, and he was determined that such behavior was about to be put to an end. “Elizabeth? Do you own up to your role in this fiasco or do I get the cane?”

“No father, you can’t punish me in front of strangers, whatever will His Grace think?” She wrung her hands, for once showing concern about her very near future. “Very well then, I admit it. I put Cook’s breathing medicinal in the lemonade knowing how she would react. It has opium in it and I remembered her sensitivity to it as a child.”” She rose from her chair and stomped her foot angrily. “But it is entirely your fault, Father! You were forcing me to court him! It was inconceivable!”

Her father’s face flushed red with anger. “I am sorry Lord Arrandale. It astounds me that my own daughter could act in such a shameful manner. I promise she will be punished severely for her actions. Regretfully, the damage to Cici’s reputation cannot be repaired. I trust you are still willing to do the honorable thing despite Elizabeth’s actions.”

Andrew nodded, and then the brothers rose and moved to sign the documents. As they turned to leave, Andrew added before excusing himself. “I would never let an innocent young woman’s reputation be sullied by an act of such wickedness. I will be honored to wed your daughter and remove her henceforth from such a contaminating presence. We will return for the ceremony at three, My Lord.” When that final insulting remark had settled upon the room, he turned and left with the Duke following closely at his heels.

Chapter Four

F
ive days later, the carriage pulled up to the Arrandale estate just as the sun was setting. The orange and red of the sky was a stunning backdrop to the stately manor. During the long drive from London, with only her maid for company inside the coach, Cici had plenty of time to think. Tonight would be their true wedding night. She had spent the nights since their official marriage at his townhouse in London. He had not sought her out though, explaining that he had several business matters to attend to before leaving town and that taking a few days to get to know each other would make the transition easier on Cici. While this sounded like a reasonable plan, she had barely seen her husband in all that time. True, he had greeted her every morning for breakfast and joined her twice for dinner, but other than that he had been absent. Cici’s mind had been full of imaginings of Andrew and his paramour Lady Winslow and so had been miserable the entire time.

Mama had come by twice for tea, thankfully leaving her manipulating sister at home. She mentioned that Elizabeth’s chastisement from Papa had left her sister contrite and more than a little sore. Cici didn’t believe it but felt slightly vindicated to hear that Papa had delivered a sound thrashing.

Maggie had visited every day. She had been cheerful and excited about the best friends ending up as sisters. She had even shared all the latest gossip, including the ridiculous rumors about her and Andrew, but nothing had spurred her from her doldrums.

The footman dropping the steps startled her out of her reverie and she accepted his offered hand of assistance to alight the vehicle. The new Viscountess of Arrandale emerged from the carriage and looked upon her new home for the first time. It was a very large, old building and the first spark of excitement swept through her since her wedding day. She looked forward to exploring every inch of the old relic that would be her home. Hearing a rider approached, she turned to watch her husband ride up on a beautiful bay stallion. Both horse and rider were magnificent male specimens. Her husband, hair mussed and cheeks full of color, was what drew her eye. Reigning in, he dismounted and tossed the reigns to a waiting stable hand nearby. He soon approached and offered his arm, ready to escort his bride into her new country home.

“The house and grounds are extraordinary, My Lord. In fact, it resembles a medieval castle. Are those turrets and a battlement I see?”

“Indeed, and the views from atop are spectacular. We will take a full tour of your new home tomorrow.”

“How long has it been in your family? It looks like something from the conquerors’ era.”

“You have an excellent eye. My grandfather, the first Duke of Sommerville was gifted the estate in 1067 for his loyalty to the crown by William the Conqueror himself. Before that it was an abbey, but the order left long before the siege. But we have plenty of time for history lessons after we get you settled in.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

As they climbed the stairs to the front entrance the door opened and the butler stood waiting in readiness to serve their needs.

“Higgins, may I present the new mistress of Arrandale Manor.”

He bowed. “Welcome, My Lady Arrandale, the household staff will gather at your leisure for introductions.”

“Have the staff gather in an hour, Higgins. I’ll see my wife to her rooms so she can rest for a bit.” He placed a hand low on Cici’s back and guided her to the stairs. “Higgins or our housekeeper Mrs. Weatherford can give you the full history of the manor later.” She took in the majesty of her surroundings as they climbed the wide curving staircase to the second floor. As they walked to the end of the main corridor he pointed out his rooms on the immediate left and a short distance farther opened the door to what would be her rooms.

She looked in to see a large sitting room done in pale yellows and hunter green. “It's lovely, My Lord.”

“Andrew, please. I have asked you several times to call me by my Christian name when we are private. Please make an effort to remember, my dear. I do hate repeating myself.”

“Yes, Andrew.”

“Good girl. Why don’t you take a seat and get comfortable while we chat for a moment?”

It was not a polite invitation but a command, so she sat and arranged her skirts before looking up at him in expectation. “Cecilia, we both know our marriage started in a less than promising manner. Despite that fact, I would like to make a real effort to make a go of our marriage and to be happy. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of a courtship. But, we have greater privacy here in the country away from the prying eyes of the Ton. I am hoping we can take this time to get to know each other better before we head back for the remainder of the season.”

“Yes Andrew, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I would like for us to become better acquainted.”

“Excellent.” He began to pace across the expensive rug that covered almost the entire floor spanning from the ornate fireplace nearly to the door. “There are a few rules that I expect you to follow and are directly related to your safety. First, you aren’t to go off unescorted, on foot, by carriage, or on horseback. Although safer than London, there are still dangers and I will ensure you don’t jeopardize your safety. Understood?”

He paused in his pacing to look sternly down at her. He was obviously expecting an answer.

“Yes, my-, uh yes Andrew.”

He smiled as she caught herself before making another mistake. He was pleased she was trying to honor his request. “Second, I expect proper wifely behavior. Respect your vows to honor and obey me and I hope intimacy and companionship will soon follow. Act respectfully toward your husband and be a good and honest helpmeet and we will get along fine. I also expect you to care for the household and the children I am sure we will be blessed with in the near future.”

“Of course Andrew. I was schooled in household management and the domestic arts so that should be no problem.” Well, there it was. She knew it wasn’t a love match, but Andrew made it sound quite cold and distant for a new husband, no matter the circumstances. He merely hoped for intimacy and companionship. Cici’s shoulders slumped. What about love? Like most young aristocratic women she had dreamed of a romantic, whirlwind courtship and of course finding a love match. It appeared that she would come up short again.

“I trust you don’t have any of the rather unsavory personality traits of your sister. That would not suit at all.”

“Elizabeth was spoiled terribly by mama. It isn’t really her fault.”

“What about you? Weren’t you spoiled as well?”

“Hardly, Mama made sure I had the proper education and of course she loves me, but it was expected that Elizabeth would make the most advantageous match. Papa indulged my educational pursuits and travel interests but other than that, I was supposed to be seen and not heard while growing.”

“Your father threatened to take a cane to your sister. Was that a common event in your household?”

She blushed furiously at the topic. “That is a rather unseemly subject, my lo-, uh Andrew.”

“No topic is off-limits between a husband and his wife. Answer the question, Cecilia.”

She nodded and averted her eyes. “I was paddled a time or two while growing up, but Papa never used the cane on me. Elizabeth earned herself a thrashing or two, though.”

“Well, I am a firm believer in delivering a sound thrashing when it’s needed. It appears your father was lax in the application of the cane where your sister is concerned. The old idiom ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ seems fitting in this case. You will find I am not so careless. In the future, if you violate the rules we’ve just discussed or any rules I decree from now on, you can expect to feel my guiding hand on your naughty backside, or any other implement I see fit to use to make my point clear. Do you understand?”