Page 4 of Suddenly a (The St. Clairs 5)

Chapter Two

Eversleigh—Christmas Eve, 1825

Hudson St. Clairtossed the blanket aside and climbed from the carriage. Footmen scurried from the house to collect his luggage.

“Be sure to get the boxes inside the vehicle,” he instructed. “Those are to go to His Grace’s study.”

He strode toward the house, the afternoon’s dark skies threatening to dump rain at any moment. Barton greeted him at the door.

“Mr. St. Clair, it’s a pleasure to see you. The family is gathered in the drawing room.”

“Thank you, Barton. My usual room?”

“Yes, sir. Shall I unpack for you?”

Hudson was capable of taking clothes out of a valise and placing them in a wardrobe but he had always been aware of the role of servants ever since he’d learned he was a St. Clair.

“If you don’t mind, Barton, I would appreciate it. Are you sure you don’t want to leave His Grace’s service and become my valet?”

The butler chuckled. “Your kind offer is duly noted, Mr. St. Clair. I will consider it.”

It was a game they played, Hudson trying to steal Jeremy’s longtime retainer, with Barton always pretending he would change employers. Barton never would have left the Duke of Everton’s employ. None of the Everton servants would have. Jeremy and Catherine were thoughtful and kind to all, including their servants. Just as they’d been kind to him over the years.

He went to the familiar drawing room where he’d spent many an hour. Eversleigh was like a home to him, as was Linwood, where Laurel and Anthony resided most of the year with their children. Hudson had rooms of his own at both estates and moved freely between them, though he spent a majority of his year in London when not traveling. After university, he’d undergone a different kind of tutoring under Jeremy’s guidance and had first learned about estate management, spending time at each of the family’s country residences. He learned about farming and breeding, how to keep tenants happy, and how to maximize crop potential.

Next, Jeremy had moved him into shipping and Hudson had spent time in the London offices, learning everything about that business. Afterward, he learned about construction projects from large to small, working with Rachel on gardens and working his way up to renovating and finally building houses and places of business. Nowadays, he worked hand in hand with Matthew Proctor, helping to manage all the St. Clair business, from transportation to land purchases to coal mines. All in all, he led a satisfying life, one much different from his time working on the London docks and streets.

Entering the drawing room, he saw a gaggle of relatives present. His eyes went first to his sister. Laurel had always been a beauty but she’d blossomed ever since having children. She was deep in conversation with Caroline, his brother Luke’s wife. Hudson sneaked up behind his twin and wrapped his arms about her.

“Hudson!” Laurel cried, spinning and kissing his cheeks. “You’re as cold as ice.”

“It’s blustery out there,” he said. “Rain threatens at any moment. I was glad I arrived when I did. Hello to all.”

He made the rounds, greeting his hosts, Jeremy and Catherine, along with Catherine’s sister, Leah, and her husband, Alex. Rachel squeezed him tightly, and her husband, Evan, offered his hand. Hudson had thought for a time he might like to go into the military and become an officer as Evan had been before his marriage. While it hadn’t seemed as if England would be at war any time soon when Hudson had graduated from university, Jeremy had discouraged him from pursuing that path. Now that war had broken out on Africa’s Gold Coast and in Burma, he was glad he’d heeded Jeremy’s advice and gone into business instead.

“Where are Anthony and Luke?” he asked. “Wait. Don’t tell me. They’re in the nursery.”

Caroline laughed. “Luke is the biggest child of them all. You know that, Hudson. Anthony is his willing cohort. The only good thing is that they’ve been in the nursery most of the afternoon and will have worn the children out.”

“I’ll go see all of them after tea,” he promised. Looking around, he frowned. “Where is Cor?”

Cor was the grand dame of the St. Clair family and Dowager Duchess of Everton. Of all his St. Clair relatives, he was closest to his grandmother. She had spent many hours helping to shape him and his outlook on the world. Cor was the smartest person, man or woman, that Hudson had ever met. She could speak knowledgeably on any topic and had a biting wit. He’d learned which fork to use and all of histonmanners from her. She’d taken a raw, almost uncivilized boy of eighteen and turned him into a polished man. Though not quite a gentleman. He’d always be known as a by-blow of Everton’s. Hudson might dress and speak as cultured as any man of thetonbut he would never be accepted. Laurel had escaped being branded in such a manner by becoming Anthony’s duchess. Even then, Hudson supposed a few gossips talked behind her back.

“Cor is resting,” Catherine told him. “She rarely takes tea with us anymore, preferring to have it in her room.”

“Perhaps I should go and be with her,” he said.

“No,” Laurel said firmly. “I haven’t seen you in ages. You’ll visit with all of us and then you can go see Cor.”

He laughed and said to the others, “Simply because Laurel came out first and is the elder by fifteen minutes, she thinks she can order me about.”

“I side with Laurel on this,” Rachel said, her eyes full of mischief. “We sisters stick together, you know.”

Anthony and Luke returned at that moment and Hudson went to greet them. The tea carts followed and they spent a pleasant hour discussing family, business, and the women’s charity efforts. Laurel, in particular, was heavily involved in an orphanage located in the area where she and Hudson had grown up. She shared several stories about her recent visits and Anthony joined in, describing some of his efforts to remake the neighborhood.

Hudson couldn’t help but think how different this afternoon was from the Christmases he and his twin had spent in poverty. It had taken his mother’s death and Laurel discovering their link to the Duke of Everton before this side of the family had been revealed to them. Overnight, their lives changed. Laurel had a Season and wed Anthony. Jeremy had paid for Hudson’s university education and employed him beyond that. He had the support of this large, loving family and had become close friends with his brothers and brothers-in-law.

He still wondered sometimes, though, about taking on the St. Clair name as a bastard son to the former duke. Luke had eagerly pressed him to do so. Jeremy had told Hudson it was his choice but encouraged him to make up his mind before he left for university. In the end, Hudson had cast aside his Wright surname and adopted St. Clair. He knew it would please his new relatives and, ultimately, it would open doors formerly closed to him as he pursued matters of business. He might not hold a title as Jeremy and Luke did but the magic of the St. Clair name was the next best thing.

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