Page 87 of The Duke of Kisses
His lips spread in a wide smile. “Oh, well, we wouldn’t want that. I’ve got everything set up in the kitchen. The windows and the light are best there.” He gestured for her to go through the doorway to the back.
She went into the kitchen, which was quite cheery. The fireplace from the front room also opened into this one. A cozy settle sat nearby, and on the back wall, there was a bank of three windows, which let in the afternoon sunlight. A stool along with a small canvas and his paints were set up in front of the windows.
“If you would just sit on the stool,” he said, still smiling. There was something slightly unsettling about his ebullience. His eyes were gray like David’s, but the similarity ended there. His gaze was cold and flat, making his smile and happy tone seem…hollow.
She shook her head as she positioned herself on the stool. She was being fanciful. This was an odd arrangement, to be sure—why hadn’t he explained his intent in the note?
“Just angle yourself toward the window there. Look up, like you’re studying the birds. I’ll put one in the sky. David will like that.”
Yes, he would. The sentiment made her relax. “What a thoughtful gift.”
“Beautiful.” He picked up a brush from the small table next to his easel. “Shall we begin?”
* * *
David’s chest swelled with anticipation as he rode up the drive to Stour’s Edge. He’d planned to ride to Clare first to purchase their marriage license, but had found himself stopping here first.
He was anxious to share what he’d learned with Fanny, Ivy, and West. He’d spoken with Scully and the other groom, and they’d been far more forthcoming than Mrs. Johnson.
Scully had known Snowden fairly well. They’d worked in the stable together until Snowden had been given a position as a footman. He’d had aspirations to be a valet or a butler and had worked his way up to underbutler. He was rather handsome, and Scully recalled that the female retainers were always eager for his attention. He’d carried on with several of them over the years, but that had stopped in 1789, when Scully said Snowden had fallen in love.
When David had asked the identity of Snowden’s love, Scully had become a bit reticent. He’d said that Snowden would never say. David prodded further, asking if Scully had been able to discern the woman’s identity on his own. He was fairly certain it had been Lady Catherine but had never asked Snowden about it—if the man had wanted to keep things private, who was Scully to stick his nose in things?
Then Lady Catherine had gone missing, and Scully had kept his mouth shut out of fear of being fired or worse, of abetting something criminal. The groom, who was now Scully’s right hand in the stable, had corroborated the entire story, except to say that Snowden hadn’t beenthathandsome.
“Did she reciprocate Snowden’s feelings?” David had asked.
Scully and the groom had exchanged looks. “I’ve never told anyone this—and his lordship, your grandfather, did ask, but I was too afraid to answer honestly.” He winced, the lines around his eyes increasing. “I saw them kissing in the stable once. They didn’t know I saw them, and I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t any of our business.” He looked at the groom, who barely nodded but kept his head down.
David had needed to confirm what he now believed, along with Fanny and Ivy, to be true. “I’m sorry to ask, but I’d like to be certain. My aunt was a willing participant in this activity?”
Scully had nodded. “As far as I could tell.”
“Do you recall what happened when he returned with my aunt?” David had tensed as he awaited Scully’s response.
“He said she’d died giving birth to their child. The family was devastated, of course. I didn’t see Snowden. He was barely at Huntwell a day.”
“Do you know where he went?”
Scully had shaken his head. “We all knew better than to speak of him to the family, but I did hear that he’d left England. I assumed he went back to Scotland.”
David supposed that was possible. Unfortunately, it seemed they would never know for certain. What they did know, however, was that his aunt and Fanny’s great-unclehadbeen in love. He’d been so eager to tell Fanny that he’d asked Scully to saddle his horse immediately.
As he approached the pale stone façade of Stour’s Edge, he saw an unfamiliar coach parked in the drive. He hoped he wasn’t interrupting anything, but decided it didn’t matter if he were.
A groom took his horse, and he made his way to the door, which was opened by a footman—not the butler he’d met the day before. He welcomed David into the hall. “Good afternoon, my lord.”
David’s attention was immediately drawn to the pair of men standing off to the side. His defenses immediately rose, along with his ire.
“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” West thundered as he came into the hall with Ivy at his side. West’s gaze tripped over David. “I didn’t realize you were here too. Is this a coincidence?”
“Yes,” David answered. He faced Fanny’s father and brother. “I thought I told you not to come anywhere near Fanny.”
Her father’s eyes narrowed with naked malice. “I’ll go where I please.”
David advanced on him. “Not where you aren’t invited.”
The other man—not John but Fanny’s other brother, Jacob, stepped part way in front of his father. “Can we please keep this somewhat civil? We came for a reason.”
