Good Lord. Neither had he. He only knew the crest. “I am as ignorant as you.”
“Green and gold,” Alice and Mrs. Simmons said at the same time and laughed.
“There you are, green and gold.” Giff tugged Alice a little closer. “Leave it to our wives. Or in my case, almost wife.”
“How did you know?” Simmons asked.
“There are some old suits in the attic. They will not be suitable for any of the new footmen, but they can be a guide.” Mrs. Simmons looked at Giff and Alice. “There is a lot of gold on them.”
“I’ll wager you found periwigs as well,” Alice said.
“I did, my lady.”
“None of our footmen wear periwigs.” Alice wrinkled her nose. “They are hot in the summer and become dirty easily. I think we can do without them.”
“I agree,” Mrs. Simmons said. We’ll just order the livery.” She glanced up at the ceiling. “If you will give me a few minutes I’ll bring one down.”
“I will accompany you,” Alice said. “Other than when they are being used as a nursery, I am very fond of attics.”
Naturally, Giff and Simmons followed them up. The housekeeper had not exaggerated when she said there was a lot of gold. “Good Lord.” Giff held up the uniform. One could barely see the colors for the gold. “We could melt this down.”
Alice pulled a face. “Our footmen will bring over a set of Worthington livery for a guide on the amount of gold to use. I do not remember anyone having this problem before.”
“There is a lot to do and reorganize, my lady,” Mrs. Simmons said softly. “But we’ll get it all done, and you’ll see how nice everything will be.”
Alice patted her shoulder and smiled. “I know. I’ve been through construction and decorating before. This is just another part of it.”
The housekeeper appeared concerned. “I hope you will be happy to hear I’ve ordered all the linens.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Alice sighed. “I am glad to know it. We will need new bedding for the stable staff as well. Perhaps you can coordinate with the new stablemaster.”
“Yes, my lady. I would be happy to do so.” Mrs. Simmons nodded.
As they passed the corridor leading to their apartment, Giff hoped that the next time, he and Alice could make love in their bed. After all the bedding had been replaced. He flipped his pocket watch open. “Shall we go, my love? We have just enough time to arrive and wash up before dinner.”
* * *
More quickly than Giff thought possible, their house and stables were put in order. Every time he and Alice went to the house, something new had been done. Carpets and hangings changed, new paint and wallpaper. The kitchen took the longest, but with their new cook, Eugène, a relative of Jacques, in charge even that went smoothly. Relatively speaking. He and Alice shopped for everything from gloves to trunks. His mother even set about making sure the garden was in perfect condition. Which reminded Giff and Alice to hire gardeners. The only place Giff was not allowed to go with her was to the fittings for her wedding dress. Instead, he went jewelry shopping. Alice deserved jewels that she owned aside from the sapphires and the ornaments required for a young lady’s come out.
He selected a double strand of pearls with earrings to match and coaxed her into a set of pearl hair pins before he gave her the necklace. “Wear these at our wedding if they will go with your gown.”
Alice grinned. “I shall.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.” After kissing him, she took a box out of her reticule. “I have something for you as well.”
The box contained a square sapphire pin that matched her necklace. Giff had never expected such a gift from her. “This is marvelous.”
“I am glad you like it.” This, naturally, led to more kissing, which was broken up by Mary wandering into the morning room.
“Oh, I did not mean to interrupt you,” she said. Suddenly, she glanced at the window. “You have more company than me.”
Gideon and Elizabeth were at the windows peering in. One day, hopefully soon, Alice and Giff would have privacy. Until they had children.
* * *
Miss Susanna Greenway noticed a letter addressed to her on the dish in the hall. She picked it up and went to her room. Normally, her mother would read all the correspondence sent to her, but the careful and childishly elegant handwriting intrigued Susanna. She opened the letter.
My dear Miss Greenway,
It is with regret and heavy hearts that we must inform you that Lord Normanby has been courting Lady Alice Carpenter with a view toward marriage—he would scarcely be contemplating anything thing else with a lady. Lady Alice discovered he is betrothed to you and will no longer accept his overtures. I wished to warn you of histrue naturein order to give you an opportunity to save yourself from this blackguard.
Yr. friends,
T.V and M.C.
Susanna was not surprised. She had been both stunned and suspicious when he had started to court her and then asked for her hand in marriage. There was always something about him she hadn’t trusted. His lordship probably used the betrothal to her as a way to stave off his creditors. She and her father knew about his debts almost immediately. After all, everyone in the City knew which members of the aristocracy were under the hatches. Although she doubted his lordship was aware that they had knowledge of his financial difficulties. He probably believed that he was fooling them. She glanced at the initials again. M.C. could be someone from the Carpenter family, but who was T.V.? It did not really matter. Lord Normanby had signed the settlement agreement exactly as she had wanted. He apparently did not care that he had ceded almost all control to her, or he had not read it. Susanna wondered if he was really as intelligent as he thought he was. She went to the library, took out a copy of Debrett’s, and found the Earl of Stanwood. His sisters included a Lady Mary Carpenter, Lady Alice and Lady Grace Carpenter who wed the Earl of Worthington whose sisters included a Theodora Vivers. Susanna called for her family’s town coach. Perhaps it was time to put Lady Mary’s and Lady Theodora’s minds at ease. Susanna was also interested in meeting the ladies who would warn her about Normanby.
When she reached Worthington House, she was informed that Ladies Mary and Theo were out with their governess, but that Lady Alice was available. Susanna was then led to a parlor by the very correct butler. “Would you like tea, miss?”
“Yes. Please.”
A few minutes after tea had been brought in, a blond lady entered the room. Her gait was so smooth it was as if she was floating. Susanna had been trained well at school, but she always thought that type of elegance must be natural or taught from early childhood. She rose. “Good morning. I am Miss Susanna Greenway.”
“Good morning.” The lady held out her hand and shook Susanna’s. The action had the effect of putting her immediately at ease. “I am Lady Alice Carpenter.”
“Thank you for taking time to speak to me, my lady.”
Lady Alice appeared curious. “Please have a seat and tell me what I may do for you.”
Susanna took the letter from her reticule. “Earlier, I received this missive. I wanted to ease the authors’ concerns.”
