Chapter Ten
Jake entered the bright breakfast room at the back of the house for the first time in six months. As had been the case under his father’s rule, chafing dishes were laid out on the sideboard. The occupants, his sister and his grandmother, had already helped themselves.
Where was Rose? He kept the question behind his teeth, discretion being the watchword.
‘I’m sorry, Grandmama,’ Eleanor was saying as he browsed the offerings on the sideboard, ‘but there is nothing I can do. I have no power to cure the ague.’
Jacob’s heart clenched. ‘Is Lucy ill?’ He turned from the scrambled eggs to eye his sister.
‘No it is Nanny who is ill. Grandmama and I planned to go shopping, but I refuse to leave Lucy in the care of the upstairs maid as Grandmama suggests. Lucy doesn’t know her and, besides, the girl is much too young.’
He spooned scrambled egg on to his plate and added another dollop for good measure. Clearly his appetite had returned. He moved on to the bacon, then frowned. ‘We were left with the maids often enough after Mother died.’
‘Do not tell me you don’t recall the mischief we got up to,’ Eleanor said, ‘because I won’t believe you. If it hadn’t been for Ralph that one time, we would have set the house afire.’
His heart clenched painfully at the sound of his brother’s name. ‘You lit the blasted thing.’ He hoped she didn’t notice the rough edge to his voice.
‘I understand your fears, dearest,’ Grandmama said. ‘But we won’t be gone above a couple of hours, surely?’
‘Two hours will run into three.’
‘And three to four,’ Jake finished. ‘Why don’t I take care of Lucy?’
Eleanor’s doubtful expression cut at him. He’d seen how little trust she placed in men these days. Did she put him in the same category as the man who had abandoned her and her child? Instinctively his fists clenched, not for himself, but in his need to protect his sister.
‘It is not that I don’t trust you, Jake,’ she said quietly, obviously understanding his reaction. ‘There are some things a young lady requires where an uncle cannot be of assistance.’
Of course there were. Idiot. ‘I will enlist the help of Miss Nightingale, then.’
‘A lady’s companion, Jake?’ Eleanor scoffed. ‘I doubt she’d consent to play nursemaid.’
He took his plate to his seat, only to stand up again as Rose entered. She handed his grandmother an amethyst ring.
‘You found it.’ His grandmother beamed. ‘Clever girl.’
‘It was under the dressing table caught in the rug’s fringe.’
‘Oh, thank you so much, I had Parrot on her knees for half an hour with no success.’
‘Poor Parrot,’ Eleanor said.
His grandmother’s dresser was older than his grandmother.
‘Not at my request,’ his grandmama said. ‘She was upset about dropping it.’
‘I told her all is well before I came down,’ Rose said, going to the sideboard and filling her plate before taking her seat.
Eleanor poured tea for her. It pleased Jake no end to see Rose being treated more like family than employee. More than it should.
‘Rose, my dear,’ Grandmama said. ‘Jake has offered to look after Lucy while Eleanor and I go shopping, since Nanny is ill. May we impose on you to help him for a few hours?’
As predicted by Eleanor, Rose looked doubtful.
Jake frowned. He hadn’t expected that from his Rose. His Rose. He liked the sound of it in his head. If only... He shook the thought off.
‘It is not that I mind, your ladyship... I mean, Eleanor,’ Rose said with a regretful smile. ‘But I have very little experience with the needs of young children.’
‘No need to worry about that,’ Jake said, smiling at her. ‘I practically raised Eleanor single-handedly after Mother died.’
With Father and Ralph busy with the dukedom, the two younger siblings had been left to manage for themselves.
‘You were a wonderful big brother, Jake.’
Jake felt stunned at his sister’s compliment. He felt heat sting his cheeks. ‘Well, I helped Nanny a bit, anyway.’
‘You help me.’ She turned to Rose. ‘It is all right if you don’t wish it, Miss Nightingale. Indeed, it was wrong of us to ask. You have your own duties.’
‘It is only for a couple of hours, Rose,’ Jake said quickly, then winced. ‘Unless you would prefer to accompany Grandmama and Eleanor to the shops?’
Rose shook her head. ‘I thought to catch up with my mending.’
‘You prefer mending to time spent with Lucy and me?’
‘Enough, Jake,’ Eleanor said. ‘If Rose—’
Rose put up a hand with a smile. ‘His Grace is right. Mending pales in comparison to spending the morning with Lucy in the schoolroom. Truly.’
Jake raised his brows at her. ‘The schoolroom? Really? What sort of uncle would that make me? We are going out.’
‘It needs to be something educational,’ Eleanor said sternly, ‘If you intend her to forgo her lessons.’
Jake made a face.
‘What about the Elgin Marbles?’ Grandmama suggested.
Jake winced. ‘Some of those might be a little too risqué for an uncle to be explaining.’
‘I know the very place!’ Eleanor said, her eyes alight. ‘Lucy has been learning about famous explorers. The Panorama in Leicester Square is exhibiting the North Coast of Spitzbergen. We talked about it just the other day. Would it interest you, Miss Nightingale?’
Rose looked fascinated, the way she looked fascinated when she discovered a new word.
Mentally he grinned. There was no way her natural curiosity would let her allow such an offer pass her by.
She glanced his way, but he kept his gaze fixed on Eleanor. ‘Educational, Eleanor?’
‘I would like to see it,’ Rose said.
‘Everyone should visit Barker’s Panorama,’ Grandmama pronounced with a stern look at Rose. Dear old stick. If he hadn’t known better he might have thought she was championing his cause with Rose. Really? He narrowed his gaze on her, but her expression was completely innocent. Suspiciously so.
‘In the upper chamber they have a view of St Petersburg,’ Eleanor said, drawing his attention to her. She looked more animated that she had for a while. His offer had pleased her and he could not help but feel glad. Mostly these days she simply looked sad. ‘I read in the paper that it is even better than going to visit the actual city,’ she continued. ‘Apparently one can see the whole thing, though it is quite a climb to the top.’
‘You had better eat a hearty breakfast, Rose,’ Grandmama said, with a chuckle. ‘You are going to have your hands full with those two.’
‘Two?’ Rose asked.
‘Lucy and Jake,’ the old lady said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Rose smiled such a sweet smile his heart gave a strangely painful little thump. It meant nothing. He was glad for her, that was all. He simply wanted to give her an opportunity that might never present itself again.
What was he letting himself in for? An expedition alone with Lucy and Rose, that was what. Something he was looking forward to far more than he should.
* * *
The morning was warm, the sky blue with only a few puffy clouds sailing along on a light breeze when Jake helped Rose into his town carriage. A grand black affair with its wheels picked out in yellow and the ducal crest emblazoned on the door. Once she was settled, he handed Lucy in as if she was a grown-up young lady.
The child spoiled the impression with a giggle. Once inside she hopped up on the forward-facing seat beside Rose, wiggling around until she was comfortable.
After giving instructions to the coachman, Jake climbed aboard and took the seat facing them.
‘How long will it take to get there?’ Lucy asked.
‘Half an hour,’ Jake said. ‘Depending on the traffic.’
The coach pulled off.
‘Exactly what should we expect to see when we visit this Panorama?’ Rose asked. ‘Perhaps you should explain it to Lucy.’ She’d looked up the word, but it hadn’t been listed. His grandmother had waved a vague hand and called it a vista, which Rose had learned came from the Italian word for view.
Jake gave her a rather mischievous look. ‘It’s a surprise.’
He looked younger with that expression on his face. More handsome than ever. Somehow more dear.
The nervous flutter in her stomach increased. She had hoped he would give her some guidance as to what to expect. There were so many traps to avoid when moving among the members of the ton. But clearly he wanted to surprise his little niece. Who was she to want to spoil the occasion? And, truth to admit, she was really looking forward to accompanying Jake on this adventure. For that is what it would be.
‘Oooh!’ Lucy exclaimed, bouncing off the seat and lurching towards the window. ‘Birdies.’ She grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up to lean out, pointing.
In a flash, Jake leaned forward and pulled her back to sit on his knee.
‘Uncle, you made me miss the birdies,’ Lucy grumbled.
A second later a horse and carriage going in the other direction passed so close Rose recoiled from the noise and the swirl of air that swept into the carriage, raising a cloud of dust in its wake. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised it could easily have hit the little girl’s head.
‘What did I tell you about leaping about inside a moving vehicle?’ Jake growled. He sounded so severe the little girl visibly shrivelled. Poor little thing.
Rose recalled one of the maids telling her that his father and brother had died in a carriage accident. No wonder he looked so fierce.
He cared for this child. Deeply. Rose couldn’t help admiring his protective streak even if he had spoken too harshly.
Then she saw that he had softened the effect of his admonition with a gentle touch, one hand holding the little girl gently but safely on his knee while the other rubbed comforting circles on her narrow little shoulders. He shifted so she could once again see out of the window, but this time in safety.
‘You know if you stick your head out like that you will frighten the horses coming the other way,’ he said.
Lucy gave a nervous little giggle. ‘They would be scared of my head?’
‘Certainly,’ he said. ‘Horses are stupid creatures. They are terrified of rabbits and can shy at the mere sight of a ribbon fluttering on a hat.’
‘Did Grandpapa’s horses see a hat?’
Rose’s heart stopped. Jake never talked about his father. He became positively remote if the subject came up.
His hand on the child’s back stilled. His shoulders tensed. A little muscle in his lean jaw flickered.
For a long moment, Rose feared he might stop the carriage and walk away.
He inhaled a slow breath and blew it out. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps they did,’ he finally said.
‘I miss Grandpapa,’ Lucy said quietly, sadly. ‘And Uncle Ralph.’
‘Me, too, poppet,’ he said in a low voice.
The pain in Jacob’s eyes was hard for Rose to see. She wanted to offer comfort, but all she could do was look down at her hands so he would not see her sympathy. She did not want to intrude on his grief. She did not have the right.
Oh, but she did understand their sense of loss.
There was an empty space in her heart where a mother and father should have been and perhaps one or two siblings.
She blinked the mist from her eyes. Perhaps she was the lucky one after all. Seeing the depth of Jacob’s sorrow made her think it was better to have never known her family, than to have had them wrenched out of her life in such a cruel way.
‘How much farther is it?’ Lucy asked, returning to her bright eager self in the wink of an eye.
Jake smiled at her fondly. ‘Not far now.’
What a wonderful father he would make. Wealthy. Protective. And best of all, loving. The woman he married would be fortunate indeed.
She on the other hand would likely never have children. For that she would need a proper home and husband, but women in service rarely married, because if they did, they lost their positions and income.
No, what she had with Jake was the best she could ever expect. Sadly, it would not last for ever, but when it was over she would have the most wonderful memories, including those of today.
‘Time to go back to your seat, young lady,’ Jake said, lifting Lucy as if she was lighter than air and setting her beside Rose as the horses slowed, turned the corner on to Cranbourn Street and halted.
Jake climbed down and helped them to alight to the pavement. He crouched on his haunches so he was eye to eye with Lucy. ‘You will hold my hand at all times,’ he said, once more his tone stern. ‘Your mama will spank my backside so hard I won’t be able to sit for a week if I lose you.’
Lucy roared with laughter at the thought. Rose couldn’t help smiling at the image her mind conjured up, though she had the feeling Jake meant every word.
The entrance to the rotunda was rather small, though it proudly proclaimed its exhibition and promised delight and amazement. The porter at the door tipped his hat.
‘Westmoor,’ Jake said. ‘I am expected.’
‘Indeed, Your Grace.’ The man bent almost in half, his bow was so low. ‘This way if you please. All is ready for your party.’
Rose frowned at him.
Jake raised a brow. ‘I sent word ahead. The place is reserved for us.’
‘Reserved for...’ She gasped. ‘You mean no one else can come in while we are here?’
‘One of the benefits of being a duke. Privacy.’
She eyed him with suspicion. There was a little too much smugness in his voice. But with Lucy able to hear every word there was little she could say.
Jake held out his arm, she hooked hers through his and, with Lucy holding his other hand, they followed the porter through a door.
The narrow passage in which they found themselves was dimly lit. There was absolutely nothing at all to see in the chilly gloom of the corridor that twisted and turned like a labyrinth.
‘Not much of a vista,’ Rose, said savouring the unfamiliar word.
Jake patted her hand. ‘Wait. You’ll see.’
The shadowy passage arrived at a set of equally badly lit stairs winding upwards. Finally, at the top, they stepped through a black curtain and on to a platform. Rose blinked at the sudden brightness.
Her jaw dropped as her eyes finally focused. Speechless, she stared at the...the view. She was standing in a blazing white wilderness of ice that was not just in front of them but all around, no matter which way she turned. She shivered, despite that she was not cold. Chills ran down her spine.
‘Oh, look,’ Lucy cried. ‘Mermaids.’
Fearful for the child’s safety, Rose made a grab for her, only to realise there was a railing between the edge of the gallery where they stood and what seemed like a gaping black hole beneath them.
She stood behind the child, gazing at the scene spread out before her. ‘Oh, my.’ There were icy mountains and a ship heeled over, held fast between two blocks of ice, and men in small boats or standing around conversing on the snow. The whole thing made her feel slightly dizzy.
She swayed and Jake put an arm around her waist, steadying her. ‘Give it a moment,’ he murmured. ‘You’ll get used to it. They say Princess Charlotte was seasick for a week after viewing a sea panorama.’
The feel of that strong arm supporting her was blissful. She took a deep breath and looked up to find Jake grinning at her, though much of his face was in shadow. ‘Now you know what panorama means.’
She took in the scene before her in wonder. ‘Yes. Yes, I do.’
‘And how would you explain it?’
She shook her head. ‘I couldn’t. Not in a hundred years, if I was to try ever so hard.’
He leaned forward and brushed his lips along her jaw, a fleeting warm touch over almost before it began and shivers broke out all over her body. Pleasure and desire.
Naughty man. She glanced down at Lucy, who for once was silent and clearly transfixed, unaware of the adults behind her. She was terribly tempted to kiss him back. Out of gratitude. Out of deep affection. Out of love.
It could not be. She forced herself to remain still.
Lucy turned and tugged at her skirts. ‘What are those things there?’ She pointed through the railing.
Jake pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. ‘I have a guide.’ He angled the paper towards the light that somehow seemed to emanate from the scene itself. ‘The ship you see is the Dorothea, caught in the ice.’
‘But the creatures, Uncle Jake.’
‘Give me a moment, child.’ He scanned the paper. ‘Those are walruses. See their curving tusks.’
‘Where are their legs?’
‘No legs, pet. They don’t need them for swimming.’
Lucy ran a little farther along to take in another part of the scene. Jake tucked Rose’s hand beneath his arm and they strolled after her, he reading from the guide and pointing out the items of interest.
‘They have dogs,’ Lucy announced.
‘Not dogs,’ Jake said. ‘Polar bears.’
‘Bears aren’t white.’
‘These are.’ He went on to describe the explorers and their ships as they promenaded around the railing, until they had gone full circle.
To Rose, it felt as if they were a real family. A man and his wife and their child. A lump forced its way into her throat. Longing. She wanted to weep for longing. She turned her face to the panorama, hoping Jake would not see.
She took a deep breath. Swallowed past the lump and pinned a smile on her lips. ‘Why is some of the ice blue?’ Her voice sounded brittle.
Luckily in the dim light, Jake seemed to notice nothing amiss.
‘Honestly, I don’t know. I would have to read more about it. It is hard to believe this happened last August. The middle of summer, no less. They were lucky to survive a huge storm, I understand.’
‘They are very brave men.’
‘I’m going to be an explorer when I grow up,’ Lucy said. ‘And go on a ship. And get stuck in the ice.’
Jake glanced down at her.
Rose expected him to tell her that women did not undertake such daring adventures. Instead he merely smiled. ‘I expect you will, pet.’
And then they were back where they came in. ‘Shall we go down?’ Jake asked. ‘There is another staircase leading up to the other view, but it is a very long climb to get a view of St. Petersburg. Not nearly as exciting as this.’
In other words, not something that would interest a child. ‘No, I think it might be best saved it for another day.’
‘I want to go,’ Lucy said, pouting.
Jake crouched down. ‘Very well, I will give you a choice. A long hot climb for a view of an old city with streets and buildings or ices at Gunter’s.’
‘Ices. I want raspberry.’
Jake chuckled and came to his feet.
Rose breathed a sigh of relief, having expected floods of tears or a tantrum. The man was so lovely with the little girl. He would indeed make a wonderful father.
Again her heart squeezed.
‘Shall I carry you down the stairs, Lucy?’ he asked.
‘I can do it myself,’ the little girl said. She bustled ahead.
‘Hold on to the banister,’ Rose reminded just before Jake spun her around and kissed her on the lips.
She melted against him and kissed him back. When they finally broke apart, she smiled up at him. ‘Thank you.’
His eyes sparkled. ‘Thank you. Now, you will allow me to help you down the stairs, will you not?’