The Duke's Alliance: A Soldier's Bride(41)

'No. I shall eat with Lord Aubrey. Inform the kitchen that trays are to be sent to Lord and Lady Peregrine. Have hot water waiting for them.'

He was on his way to his apartment to change his soiled garments when the estate manager waylaid him. 'Welcome back, your grace, might I be permitted to have a word with you before you go upstairs?'

'Carstairs, I take it this is urgent and cannot wait until tomorrow?'

'I fear not, I have been lurking here all day in the hope of catching you.'

'Come, we shall go to my study.' He snapped his fingers and the footman, waiting to open the door for whichever room he approached, stood to attention. 'Have coffee and bread and cheese sent to us.'

The room was immaculate, he would have been surprised if it was not, but the desk was alarmingly high with documents and letters waiting to be dealt with. Bennett had been tasked with acting as head of the family in his absence so he was surprised to see so many things awaiting him.

'Sit, Carstairs, and tell me what has agitated you.'

'There has been unrest on your estates in the north and three farms and a manor house have been razed to the ground.'

'When did this happen? Are any of my people injured?'

'No one has been hurt but your tenants and the family leasing the house are homeless. Now that you are back I can travel there and see for myself what is going on.'

Beau gestured to the piles of paper on his desk. 'I thought Lord Sheldon was dealing with all this.'

'Lord Sheldon is not here. He was called to London by the Prime Minister shortly after you left and has not yet returned.'

'I have only been away two months and yet I have returned to chaos. I am sure that Lady Sheldon will have more information about my brother and I shall ask her when I see her tomorrow. I intend to start on this backlog of paperwork tomorrow. You must travel post-chaise, I need you to be there as soon as possible. Send word by express when you know more. Your first task is to find my tenants somewhere temporary to live.'

His estate manager shared the refreshments whilst they talked of events in the neighbourhood. This was not the homecoming he had envisaged for his youngest brother. He had hoped to be able to devote his time to Perry and Sofia, help them to settle in. Now he would have to leave them to their own devices as his estate would need his undivided attention.

*

Silchester Court was as magnificent as she feared, not at all the sort of place she was going to feel comfortable in. The closer she got to what was going to be her home for the foreseeable future the more miserable she was. The fact that Perry remained on the far side of the carriage, his expression shuttered, looking as unhappy as she, did nothing to restore her equanimity.

The carriage didn't pull up with a flourish outside the imposing portico with its marble pillars and elegant steps, but continued around to the back. The steps were let down and they were ushered into the house like unwanted guests.

This must be the duke's doing, and it merely served to reinforce her reservations. For a horrible moment she thought they were also going to have to ascend to their accommodation via the servants' stairs but Perry guided her to a handsome wooden staircase which was obviously for the family to use.

'We shall come down by the main stairs, sweetheart, but better to slip in unnoticed whilst we are so dishevelled.' He put his arm around her waist and she was somewhat reassured by the connection.

'I thought we were to be living in a separate wing?'

'We are, but obviously that has not been renovated to suit us as nobody knew I would be coming back with a bride – in fact – the family had been told I was probably dead.'

'So where are we going to be living? In a guest apartment?'

'No, of course not. You will have a set of rooms adjacent to mine on the family side of the house.'

Her heart sunk at his words. They were not to share, but to live separately, it could not have been made clearer that she was an unwanted extra in this toplofty family.

'At what time do I have to come down?'

'We are not eating downstairs. I shall go and see my brother, you must have a tray in your sitting room.'

She blinked back her tears at his rejection and shrugged off his arm. She entered the chambers she had been allocated without further comment. She was hoping he would follow her, would call her back, but he strode off and she heard the door shut on his own apartment.

Polly, her new maid, was yet to arrive but a pleasant girl was waiting to attend to her. A hip bath had been filled and was sitting on the floor behind a pretty lacquered screen in the substantial dressing room.

'I shall put on my nightgown and robe, I'm not going down again today.'

'Very well, my lady.'

After her ablutions were completed, her hair brushed thoroughly and plaited, she wandered into the bedchamber. The first thing she noticed was that there was no communicating door. If Perry wished to come to her he would have to walk along the main corridor.

Her bed was large and comfortable, the furnishings were modern and the decoration recent. The sitting room was equally well appointed – there was even a bookcase crammed with the latest novels. She wandered to the window and gazed out. Stretching in front of her were acres and acres of parkland, deer grazed amongst sheep obviously there to keep it looking tidy.

She hoped somewhere there were flowerbeds, parterres, perhaps even a maze, as endless greensward was not to her liking. From this side of the massive building one could not see a lake, that is if they had one.