Bertrice Small - The Duchess

At nine o'clock a bell was rung to indicate the famed Cascade was about to begin. An intermission was called for the concert. As it only lasted for fifteen minutes each night, and was constantly changed, they hurried from their supper box to see it. Tonight they viewed snowy peaked mountains from which a great waterfall tumbled over rocks into a frothy pool below. This was followed by a display of fireworks, and then they returned to their box to enjoy the rest of their concert.

"I ain't never seen anything that grand," Honor whispered to her mistress. It was not unusual that a servant be included in such an outing. The contessa had an elderly servant named Anna with her as well. Respectable women in the company of gentlemen not their husbands frequently traveled with a female servant.

"How long will you be in London, Your Grace?" the Contessa di Lince asked Allegra.

"We shall return home on Thursday," was the reply. "I must stop at my father's house on the way to Hunter's Lair. My stepmother is expecting a baby any day now."

"Is she?" The contessa looked a bit surprised. "Your father had other children?"

"I had a brother, James Lucian," Allegra said. "He was murdered in Paris during the Terror. He had gone there to marry a young lady. She and her family were arrested by the authorities. My brother would not leave her to die alone. He was very brave." Tears welled up in her eyes. "If my child is a son, perhaps I shall name him for my brother."

"You are expecting a baby?" the contessa said softly.

"Yes," Allegra confided. "That is why I must hurry home. I only came up to London to confirm my suspicions, and Lady Bellingham's physician, Doctor Bradford, has done just that. I am so happy, and my husband will be happy, too. We want a large family."

"Do you? I, myself, have never really enjoyed children, but now that my husband is dead, I regret what I have missed," the contessa said frankly. Then she turned to Prinny, smiling. "I hope we shall play cards again, Your Highness. I did so enjoy last evening."

"Indeed, madame, as I did," the prince responded. "And you were quite a lucky partner for me." He lowered his voice slightly. "My luck is not always as good as it was last night."

"I am at your service, Your Highness," the contessa said.

"I am happy to hear it, madame," Prinny replied, and his glance went to her décolletage. "Very happy, madame," he murmured.

George Brummell, a clever young man, had noted when the contessa turned away from Allegra, her eyes had been filled with tears. Curious, he thought, and then determined he would learn the reason why. As they left The Grove to promenade back to where their carriages awaited them, he spoke in low tones in flawless Italian to the contessa.

"Who are you really, madame? You are English, you say by birth. Who was your sire?"

She looked at him with bleak eyes, and then she murmured so low that only he could hear. "I was the youngest daughter of the Duke of Arley, Mr. Brummell. Please, I beg of you to keep my secret."

Brummell could not have been more surprised than he now was by her revelation. "You are the duchess's mother:"

"I am. I never expected to see England again, but that the French ravaged my villa outside of Roma. My husband died two years ago, and we had no children of our own. I will go back one day when the French have gone, of course, but for now I had nowhere else to come but England. I am financially safe for Giancarlo placed his funds with a family of bankers named Kira. who have branches all over Europe. I thought it was unlikely that I should meet anyone who once knew me. Even the prince does not remember me, and we met when he was a young boy. He attempted to put his hand down my dress even then. I slapped him. I will not slap him if he again attempts it." She gave him a rueful shrug. "I need friends, you understand."

He nodded. "Seeing her now, do you regret your actions, madame?" Brummell asked the contessa.

"No," she shrugged. "I fear I do not. I did not love my first husband. I did love my second. I wanted no one, nothing to come between us. I was fortunate he felt the same way. It is odd, however, to see my daughter grown. To know I am to be a grandmother. To realize my sister has taken my place. Still, I have lived my life the way I wanted to live it. Don't most people if they can? Yet, it saddens me that I have lost my only son. But how gallant he was, wasn't he? And as for my only surviving child, she is a lovely young woman, with beautiful manners, and an obvious intelligence. She has found love the first time, and I wish that she may always have it."

"You will not tell her who you are?" Brummell said.

"Of course not," the contessa explained. "While I did not want her, I nonetheless bore her, making her father happy, who for all my own feelings, is a good man. Even if she knew my identity, sir, all it could do would be to upset her. I am nothing to her, nor do I wish to be at this late date. Nonetheless, I am pleased to see what a fine young woman she has turned out to be."

"You are a realist, madame," Brummell said in English.

"Yes," she responded in the same language. "I have always known when to cut my losses. Now, if I can but teach that to your prince," she finished with a smile.

Brummell laughed.

They had reached the end of The Grand Walk, and were at its entrance. Prinny handed Allegra and Honor into her carriage. He bowed.

"I think I shall go to Casa di Fortuna with Brummell and the contessa, m'dear. You do not mind. You will give my regards to both your husband and your father."

"I will, Your Highness," Allegra said graciously. Then she pulled up the window of her carriage door, and the vehicle pulled away.

Alighting from her traveling coach, Allegra ran through the front door of her father's house, Morgan Court. "Papa! Papa!" she called excitedly.

The foyer was deserted. How odd, she thought. Then a young housemaid carrying two steaming kettles of water hurried by, billowed by a footman carrying an armful of white clothes.

"Stop,"Allegra called to them, and, startled, they did. "Where is my father?" she demanded.

"Yer father?" The footman looked confused, but the housemaid said, "Dolt, 'tis his lordship's daughter."

Then the young woman turned to Allegra. "Lord Morgan is upstairs with his wife, Your Grace. Her ladyship is having her baby."

Allegra pushed past them both, and raced upstairs, going directly to the apartment she knew belonged to her aunt mama. Entering the salon she moved quickly into the bedchamber where Olympia was ensconced in her bed, looking pale, her forehead beaded with dots of moisture.

Seeing Allegra her face lit up with relief and surprise. "Darling girl, please take your father out of here so 1 may get on with the business of bearing our child. He will not leave me."

"I came to apologize, Aunt Mama," Allegra began.

"It is all right, Allegra. We will speak later after I have delivered your sibling," Olympia said. "Now please calm your papa."

"I will not leave you," Septimius Morgan said. He was too pale, and looked as if he had not slept in several nights. He wore no coat, and his shirt was half-unbuttoned, having no neckcloth. He ran an impatient hand through his thinning hair. "I cannot leave you." He turned to his daughter. "Allegra, please explain to your stepmother that I will not go. That I love her, and must be by her side."

"But Papa, she doesn't want you here," Allegra said quietly. "Besides, how can you help her? You are more a distraction, I think."

"Very sensible," another male voice spoke. A gentleman of middle years came forward. He, too, was in his shirtsleeves. "Doctor Horace Pritchard, Your Grace. I believe your father could do with a good whiskey, and the equally comforting company of his daughter."

"Come, Papa." Allegra took her father's arm.

He pulled away, saying pleadingly, "But she will need me."

"Septimius! 1 have borne four children before this one, and all without the help of a husband," Olympia Morgan said humorously. "I love you, but in the name of God go away so 1 may have this child in peace. We will send down to you when we need you."

"Come along, Papa," Allegra gently cajoled him. "I have a great deal of news for you. 1 have just come from London."

"Allegra," the laboring woman called out. "Thank you, my dear. I do love you, even as I love your papa."

Allegra turned, and flashed her stepmother a warm smile. Then she escorted her father downstairs to his library. "Will you have a whiskey, Papa, or would you prefer wine?" she asked him.

He waved a hand at her. "Whatever is nearest to hand, my child," he told her. "Damnit, I want to be with Olympia."

"Papa, she is having a baby, and she is uncomfortable having you there in the room with her. You must accept her decision in the matter, and make it easier for her." She poured him a smoky dollop of whiskey into a Waterford glass, and handed it to him. "Here, Papa. This will, I am certain, calm your nerves."

Lord Morgan swallowed down half the whiskey in the glass. It roared into his stomach like molten lead, but then it spread its

warmth through his limbs, and he decided that he felt better. He looked at his daughter who sat across from him in a matching wing chair sipping a tiny glass of sherry. "London? What were you doing in London, Allegra?"

"Running away," she told him frankly. "When I learned several weeks ago that Aunt Mama was having a child. I was quite astounded, and not just a little distressed. You had married me to Quinton Hunter on the basis that I was the richest girl in England. Now I was not to be, and worse, I could not seem to conceive a child. Sirena had had her little boy. Then I received word that Eunice and Caroline were expecting babies. I felt suddenly worthless. My fortune was apparently gone, and 1 could not even give my husband a child. I felt Quinton had been cheated by us all, Papa, and so I ran away to London."

"Does Quinton feel he has been cheated, Allegra?" Lord Morgan asked.

"He says he does not. He says if you never gave us another penny we would still live more than comfortably for the rest of our days. We have hardly touched what we have received to date. Papa. But it just didn't seem reasonable to me that he wouldn't feel cozened. He had bartered his blue blood for a fortune that was no longer there. I am afraid I was very foolish, Papa."

"What has made you change your mind, my dear?" Lord Morgan asked his daughter.

"Lady Bellingham. Dear Lady Bellingham. When I cried upon her shoulder she scolded me quite roundly for doubting Quinton, whom she has known his entire life. She said any fool could see that he loved me, Papa. And then she said that breeding women were given to vagaries and fancies. I was utterly shocked, but then…" Here Allegra stopped and blushed. "Well, she sent her doctor around the following day, and Papa! She was right. I am having a baby! It was then I realized what a fool I had been, and decided that I would stop on my way home to tell you and Aunt Mama the happy news, and to beg your forgiveness for my terrible words. Quinton is right, Papa. We do not need any more of your monies. Hunter's Lair is restored. The Kira Bank holds our funds safely. I have my investments. My husband loves me, and I love him. That, Papa, is the greatest gift we could receive." Then she began to weep happily as her father smiled, amused, having just a few months prior gone through the same sort of histrionics with his wife.

"You had best remain the night," Lord Morgan said. "I will send a footman over to Hunter's Lair to tell your husband that you are safe with us, Allegra."

"Yes, Papa." She sniveled happily.

***

Four days later the Duke of Sedgwick arrived at his father-in-law's home. He had been astounded when a footman had arrived at his home from Morgan Court. "Come along, Hawkins," he told his valet. "It would appear that our wives are back from London sooner than later as I predicted."

His wife ran to greet him as if they had not parted so oddly. "Quinton! Ohh, Quinton, I have the most wonderful news," she cried. Reaching him she flung her arms about him and kissed him soundly.