A Death, A Duke, And Miss Mifford - Claudia Stone Page 0,64

Mary's hand, "In my hand, forever."

And then he kissed her, but only momentarily, for a half-dozen footmen arrived on the scene, quite ruining the moment. Henry broke away from Mary to issue orders--notify Mr Marrowbone, set up a search party once the weather had abated, and the return of the gig to Primrose Cottage--then turned back to his bride-to-be and lifted her into his arms.

"What are you doing?" she squawked, as Henry lifted her up into the saddle, before hauling himself up behind her.

"I am riding off into the sunset with my lady love," Henry replied, which is what he had wanted to do last night, "Well riding off in the rain to Northcott Manor, where you might have a hot bath."

"And where I might explain to your mother my earlier madness," Mary wailed, burying her head in Henry's coat, "Will she ever forgive me?"

"Oh yes," Henry replied lightly, "Once I explain to her that we plan to provide her with dozens of grandchildren."

"We do?"

"We do," Henry smiled, "In fact, I am of a mind to ride to London in the morning to secure a special license from the Archbishop, so that we might set about our task as soon as possible."

"That's madness," Mary laughed, "We can wait for the banns to be read, surely?"

"My dear," Henry replied, drawing her close to him, "I cannot wait another second."

And he would not, for he was a man of action now, who knew that he would regret spending even one more day without her as his bride.

Epilogue

A month after Mary and Henry had wed, making her both the happiest lady in the Cotswolds and the Duchess of Northcott at the same time, Mary attended a meeting of the Plumpton Parish Ladies' Society.

"I thought our little meetings would be below you now," Mrs Canards said, by way of greeting, when Mary arrived into the hall.

Mrs Canards' face was twisted into an ugly grimace, as though she had eaten something particularly sour, and though it was not the friendliest of greetings, Mary simply smiled in reply.

Happiness, her father always said, was the best revenge, and Mary was brimming over with such joy that she was certain Mrs Canards would cast up her accounts with bitterness before the meeting's end.

"Isn't it just the most beautiful day?" Mary breathed, dreamily, as she slipped into a chair.

Mrs Canards scowled in reply, as raindrops began to lash against the window panes.

"Love makes sun where there are clouds," Miss Hughes observed, with an indulgent smile to Mary.

"It can also make people nauseous if spoken about too much," Mrs Canards interrupted, "And there are other things—far more important things—which we need to discuss."

"Such as?" Jane questioned, a smile playing on her lips.

"Damp mould," Mrs Canards bristled, "In the rear of St Anne's. Someone will need to go at it with some vinegar water and a cloth."

"I shall do it tomorrow," Mary volunteered, eliciting a few startled glances from the assembled ladies.

"My dear," Mrs Mifford leaned forward in her chair, "You are a duchess."

"Just because I am a duchess does not mean that I cannot still muck in," Mary replied, a little irritated, "I almost miss cleaning; in Northcott Manor, if I so much as spill a drop of tea, a dozen servants come rushing over to tidy it up. I do not even turn the sheets on my bed down at night, for there is someone employed to do that for me."

Mary glanced at Mrs Canards, to see if her earnest wish to remain humble had sweetened her bitterness, but to her surprise, Mrs Canards looked even more cross than before.

"Fine," Mrs Canards snapped, writing it in the minutes, "Her Grace will clean the mould—or one of her many servants will do it if she decides it beneath her."

Ah; Mary realised too late that what had upset Mrs Canards so was that Mary had a household staff of thirty in Northcott Manor, and Mrs Canards had a household staff of none. She would remember not to mention them at the next meeting, she decided, nor would she mention the four other fully-staffed estates she was now mistress of....

The meeting carried on as usual, with cleaning duties of both churches divvied up between the ladies. The matter of the next assembly, which would be held at the next full moon, was then discussed. Mrs Canards, Mary noted, did approach its organisation with the same zeal with which she had approached the ball held for the duke.

"Should we reserve the seats at