“Of course I did.” His son’s face was as cold as the father’s usually was. “But you signed the contract. You couldn’t wait to sign it even when Berwick suggested you wait until morning. I am a witness.”
“How?” Somerset demanded. “You weren’t even in the room.”
“Not in the room, but we saw everything from where we were.” Kendal released the old duke, and Thalia placed her hand on his arm. “I witnessed it as well. You did not even care that the other signature wasn’t on the contract. I signed it immediately after you left. Thalia is
“Father”—she said as they turned to leave the study—“I wish you well.”
“Where is my wife?” Somerset raged. “Did she know about this?”
“No.” Laia stepped forward. “Mary has not been well, and my mother has been helping to nurse her. She knew nothing. She will no doubt be as shocked as you are.”
He stalked out of the room followed by two of Berwick’s footmen, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s done.” Kendal said. “I see now why you take such precautions to protect the duchess.”
“If he knew what she was doing,” Meg said, “he’d refuse to allow her to see the younger children and send her to some remote estate.”
“Come.” Guy took his wife’s arm. “We have reason to celebrate. Do we not?”
“Yes.” Giles glanced at Thalia. “I certainly do.”
Her eyes shone with love. “I do as well.”
“I have a question,” Guy said as he escorted Laia away. “Do you really still have dungeons?”
“We do indeed,” Berwick said. “One never knows when there will be another uprising.”
“I think Sittle should be prosecuted.” Thalia had a militant look in her eyes, and Kendal was not going to argue with her. She was turning into a formidable lady.
“I agree,” Euphrosyne said. “He was the one who tried to stop my marriage.”
Markville scowled. “Perhaps we should put him on a ship to the Antipodes.”
Somerset departed within the hour with a reduced number of servants. The next day, Kendal arranged for Sittle to indeed be shipped to the Antipodes.
Five days later, Kendal handed his duchess out of the coach and introduced her to their staff. He’d never been so happy in his life.
THALIA STROLLED THROUGH THE GALLERY, looking at family paintings, and came across one of Kendal with his dead wife and daughter. “Is that Lillian?”
“Yes.” His arm was already around her, but he needed her closer. “We can put it in the attic if you wish.”
“No, why would I want you to do that? You had a beautiful daughter, and you loved her. That is how it should be.” Thalia turned and kissed him. “We will never forget her.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “And we will not let our children forget her either.”
His throat closed, and his heart couldn’t be fuller. “You’re going to have a baby?”
“No.” She smiled in her gentle way, but her tone was firm. “
AUTHOR NOTES
The fabric tulle is actually from the French town of Tulle and debuted in 1818.
The year 1819 was, in general, a cold year in England. A severe frost struck as far south as the Forest of Dean and into southern Scotland. This caused crops to fail and added to the hunger and misery started by the extreme cold in 1816 from which England had not recovered. The Corn Laws made the situation much worse as imported grain was out of the reach of most of the population. In August of 1819, there was a large protest against the government’s policies was in the process of taking place when the local militia charged resulting in the Peterloo Massacre.
There was actually a Duke of Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was the illegitimate son of James II. Although, the English title is extinct, the title of Berwick is carried on in a Spanish line.
Dukely really is a word. It dates to the early 19th century.
We don’t think much of dowries now, but they were very important, many helped to support a lady’s younger sons, some became part of her widow’s portion, and they could also be put in trust for the lady’s use. They also gave a lady a sense of worth.
If you are interested in Hawksworth’s obsession with food, or any of the other references in the book regarding other family members, please read the other Trevor books and Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince, part of my Marriage Game series.
And finally, those of you who read my books with notice that Your Grace, for example, capitalized where it should not be. That was the majority decision of the group.
If you haven’t already, please join me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor and join my mailing list either through the Facebook Link or at www.ellaquinnauthor.com. You can also follow me on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn. I look forward to meeting you!
