Deceived. Bertrice Small

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ nodded with a grin. “There is a cart for your man and your baggage. I brought a horse for you, sir. We can talk as we ride up to the house together.”

      “Agreed!” the duke responded, then he turned and spoke to his valet, instructing him as if the man had not already heard George. When he had finished he said to Captain Conway, “You will stop to board my bride and myself when you return to England as we discussed?”

      “Aye, sir,” the captain replied. “ ’Twill be in two and a half weeks. If there’s any delay, I get a message to you.”

      The two men departed the vessel.

      Unable to help himself, George said, “You don’t intend remaining long on St. Timothy, do you? I think Mama will be quite distressed.”

      “The Royal George is the finest passenger ship traveling between England and these islands, Mr. Kimberly. I do not wish Charlotte’s wedding voyage to be less than comfortable. If we do not return to England on its return trip, we shall have to wait several months for it to come again. I believe at that point we shall be facing your stormy season. I would not distress your mother, but I think it best my bride and I leave as soon as we can.” The duke swung himself into the saddle, gathering the reins into his hand.

      “I think,” said George as he mounted his own horse, “that I should explain to you that my stepsister is not known as Charlotte. She is known by her second name, Calandra.”

      “Why?” Valerian Hawkesworth asked.

      “When our mother married our stepfather, Cally and Mama’s daughter were just under three years of age. Both had been christened with the same first name, Charlotte. Our parents decided that the girls would be known by their second names, Calandra and Aurora. That is why the marriage contract, at least our copy, gives the bride’s name only as Charlotte,” George finished, tensing just slightly as he waited for the duke’s comment.

      “Indeed,” the duke said dryly. “So my bride is known as Calandra? ’Tis an elegant name. Is she an elegant girl, Mr. Kimberly?”

      “My stepsister is certainly an attractive girl, and I suppose with the right gowns and hairstyles she might be elegant one day, but Cally is just an innocent island maiden. You will have to be the judge of that, your grace.”

      “You will call me Valerian, and I will call you George, sir,” the duke answered him. “And what is your sister like?”

      “A pretty chit,” George said. “Aurora is a law unto herself though.” He chuckled.

      The horses moved up from the harbor along the dusty dirt road to the house on the hillside. Now the duke could see the building better. The open front was in reality a spacious veranda. The ground floor windows were long. All the windows belonging to the house had heavy wooden shutters on either side of them. To protect them in the fierce storms he had heard about from Captain Conway undoubtedly. On either side of the roadway the land was thick and lush with green growth such as he had never seen. Vines entwined with brightly colored flowers attracted his eyes. The trees were filled with scarlet, green, blue, and gold birds of a most exotic nature. The heat was pleasant, but he had never before known anything like it, and the winds that seemed to constantly blow were softer, sweeter, and had just a hint of dampness.

      “Is your manager, and your overseer satisfactory?” the duke asked George. “How have you managed since your stepfather’s death?”

      “My father,” George replied, “ran St. Timothy himself. He didn’t approve of those men who allowed others to handle their affairs, leaving them free to pursue a life of pleasure. I was five and a half when we first came here from Jamaica. On my sixth birthday my father took me out with him when he made his rounds. I went with him every day after that. I am nineteen now, and have been handling the plantation’s books ever since I ceased my formal education at the age of sixteen. My father meant for me to eventually run St. Timothy in its entirety. With his death, however, the ownership passed to Cally, and will pass to you upon your marriage to my stepsister. If you wish to bring your own man to take over the running of the plantation, I will give him my full cooperation, Valerian. You have my word on it.”

      “There is no need for a stranger to be introduced here, George,” the duke responded. “I will never live here, for my life is in England, but I agree with your father in the matter of absentee ownership of an estate. I would like you to remain here, if it pleases you, to run the plantation as your father did. When I have gone over the books, we will decide upon a fair rate of remuneration for your services. After all, you will one day want to take a wife, and will need to support her. The plantation will one day become the property of one of the children Calandra and I produce. Perhaps a second son would favor it. We will both rest easy knowing St. Timothy is in good hands. Do you think this arrangement will be satisfactory to you?”

      “Aye, Valerian!” George said enthusiastically. This was really working out quite well, he thought to himself, pleased, and Mama would be delighted to know she should not be discommoded in any way. “There is one thing you should know,” George continued. “The old Meredith plantation house, which is located on the other side of the island. It came to Papa through his second wife, Emily Meredith. Papa left it to Aurora along with an income. There is no real land with it. Only the land upon which the house sits, but Papa thought she would want her own home should she marry one day. Her inheritance, and her income along with the house, make her a good choice for a respectable young man of good family. Mama is sending her to England with you and Cally.”

      A husband-hunting sister-in-law? Valerian Hawkesworth frowned. He did not need or want such an encumbrance on his honeymoon voyage home. “I shall speak to your mama about that,” he said. “Of course Miss Spencer-Kimberly will be welcome at Hawkes Hill.”

      They rode up the driveway to the house, where two young men hurried up to take their mounts.

      “Your servants are not black?” The duke was curious.

      “Our house servants are bondsmen and bondswomen. Mama prefers it that way. Few leave us when their term of servitude is up. We have slaves peopling the fields and the sugar house. I have also trained several intelligent blacks as foremen, and clerks to work with me. They are most trustworthy men. We do not mistreat our people as so many others do. My father would have freed his slaves if he could have. Since he could not afford to do so, he did the next best thing. He treated them with humanity and kindness.”

      “We will speak of this later,” the duke said, brushing the dust from his breeches and coat.

      “Come into the house, Valerian,” George said, leading the way.

      The foyer was high-ceilinged and cool, the duke found. The woodwork was all white, as were the walls. It was very inviting. He followed George into a bright room with yellow and white striped wallpaper. The furniture was beautifully carved and fashioned mahogany, the chair and settee seats neatly caned. There were no draperies on the long windows, only tiers of mahogany shutters. The wide pine plank floors were covered with a large and beautiful blue and beige Oriental carpet, one of the finest he had ever seen. Three ladies awaited them. The elder, gowned in black silk and white lace, arose, smiling.

      “Valerian, may I present my mother, Oralia Kimberly,” George said politely. “Mama, the Duke of Farminster.”

      Oralia held out her hand to be kissed, and then, withdrawing it, said, “You are welcome to St. Timothy, your grace.” The hand gestured. “My daughters.”

      His dark blue eyes quickly swept over the two girls. One wore a simple gown of blue-gray, СКАЧАТЬ