Page 65 of The Lady Who Said No to the Duke
‘Thank you, and that does seem sensible,’ Hal said.‘I hope you will like the castle and the other houses as well.’
It would be a brave new duchess who took a dislike to Leaming Castle, Thea thought.‘How many are there?’she asked.
‘Six, in addition to the town house, the castle, the Dower House and the shooting lodge in Leicestershire,’ he said.
‘Oh.How lovely.’Her family owned this house, Wiverbrook Hall, a small dower house and an elegant villa in Brighton.‘I should have found that out for myself.Do you have a seaside villa?’
‘No, but we can remedy that.’Hal looked interested.‘Where would you like?Brighton?’
‘It does get very crowded in the summer season, especially now that the Prince Regent seems determined to expand his home there.Papa was talking of selling ours and looking elsewhere.’
‘We can have a summer expedition and put all the coastal resorts under review,’ Hal said.‘What do you think?’
‘I think I would enjoy that very much.’Thea found herself ridiculously excited by the idea and realised that all the emotional worries she had over this marriage had stopped her thinking about some of the more practical, everyday advantages.Perhaps if she focused on interesting tours, visits to the seaside, wonderful indoor plumbing and the pleasure of Hal’s company, she would be less anxious.
‘Excellent.I have brought my preliminary list of wedding guests and thought it might be a good idea to sit down with you and your mother to see where we have duplications, or it there are any problems.It would be good to have some idea of how many guests will need to be accommodated.’
‘What a good idea.’Thea, daunted by the length of the list he produced, told herself firmly that it was about time she started thinking like a duchess and learned how to manage a castle full of guests with aplomb.
Mama, of course, was in her element, with Mr Scott by her side marking off on her draft guest list the names that were already on Hal’s.
‘Eighty-five,’ the secretary announced.‘That is for the ceremony and the wedding breakfast.Of those, Your Grace, you have indicated that sixty-two will require accommodation.Then the suggested list for the ball the evening prior to the ceremony is two hundred, including those invited for the day.’
‘You can accommodate sixty-two guests and their staff in the castle?’Thea asked, trying to sound unconcerned.
‘We will use the Dower House as well, and the single men can go to the Leaming Arms in the village, I have written to ensure all their rooms are free,’ Hal said.‘Now, do you feel this is a complete list, Lady Wiveton, or shall we leave it another week to make certain?’
‘No, with your additions, Duke, I feel that is quite complete.’
‘Thea?’he asked.‘Are your attendants already included?Is there anyone else?’
‘Yes, they are, and no, thank you.’She found she was quite calm about this enormous gathering because therewas no room for panic in her mind—it already had far too much to worry about.
She was going to marry a man who did not love her, and she would lie in his bed, raise his children and spend the rest of her life with him.As long as we both do live.She remembered the wedding service.It said something about love, as well.She could manage that, but she could not see how Hal could promise to experience an emotion he did not feel, however much the church ordered him to.
Set next to that, she could manage a wedding and a house party that included all of the Royal Dukes, if she had to.
‘No Royal Dukes?’she said, meaning it as a joke.
Her mother went pale.‘Should we?’
Hal laughed.‘I do not think so.It would mean them bestirring themselves to travel, for one thing.I have invited them to my ball—which I am alarmed to realise is the day after tomorrow—and I imagine we will be honoured by the presence of two or three of them.’
‘Including the Prince Regent?’Mama asked faintly.
‘He is the most likely.We might see York or Kent as well.’
‘Who is your hostess to be?’Thea asked.It wouldn’t be her, even though she was betrothed to him.
‘I have asked my cousin Augusta, Lady Brinklow,’ he said.‘Brinklow’s in Paris, working on the various treaties.All you ladies have to do is attend and enjoy yourselves.’
Mama appeared pleased by that, and Thea knew she would revel in receiving the congratulations of her wide acquaintance on securing such a brilliant match for her daughter.
Thea was less certain of how she felt.She would have no role to keep her mind occupied; instead, she would be stared at, talked about, assessed critically and would haveto cope with a stream of comments, not all of them kindly, given that she was removing the most eligible gentleman of the Season from the Marriage Mart.
* * *
Hal was hardly out of the door before Mama began to fret about her gown.
