Read Online Heirs and Graces (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Rhys Bowen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rhys Bowen
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guest. Georgiana Rannoch—her grandmother was very kind to me when I was a young lady-in-waiting to the old queen. I’ve invited her to stay for a while.”
“We already met her outside,” Nicholas said, as if scoring a point.
“Really, Mama, you’re wasting your time, you know,” Irene said.
“What on earth do you mean?”
“If you’re thinking of her as a potential bride for Cedric, there is no chance.”
“I assure you I have no interest in becoming Duchess of Eynsford,” I said. “My taste in men is very different.”
“I agree with you, my dear,” Virginia said. “Why would one want to look twice at an unattractive man when there are so many handsome ones in the world?”
“When I was young, we married out of duty,” Edwina said. “We were told whom we should marry and we did so. “
“I married Orlovski for love,” Charlotte said.
“Nonsense. You liked the idea of being a princess.” Virginia chuckled.
“How did you meet a Russian prince, Your Highness?” I asked.
“Our father was ambassador at the court of the Hapsburgs,” Edwina answered for her. “The prince was visiting and was taken with my sister.”
“I was considered a great beauty at the time,” Charlotte said.
“The fact that Father had arranged a generous dowry for each of us didn’t hurt either,” Virginia added.
“Sit up, Nicholas, and don’t slurp your soup,” Edwina interrupted sharply. “Really, you children still eat like savages.”
“He gets nervous in your presence, Mama,” Irene said. “Most children of his age take their meals in the nursery.”
“I’ve always thought it was important for children to learn civilized manners and the art of conversation well before they are taken out in society. Since yours have apparently learned nothing before they came here, I am taking them in hand.”
“That’s really not fair, Mama.” Irene’s face had turned red. “They’ve had to suffer very upsetting things in their young lives. We’ve all had to suffer.”
“Nonsense. You should talk to Billings, the estate manager, about his son, who came home from the war so shell-shocked that he still cries like a baby every night. Or the gamekeeper’s son who lost both legs. Or that family in the village who lost all three sons on the same day. That is suffering, Irene. Not going without a new hat every season.”
She paused and looked up as Cedric came into the room.
“You’re late again, Cedric,” she said.
“Since it is I who now should set the time for meals in my own house, I might say that you are early, Mother,” he said. “But in fact I am too wound up after last night’s triumph to think of joining the bean-feast. I’ve told Mrs. Broad that we’ll have sandwiches and a bottle of bubbly in my study.” He looked around the table. “And I don’t see what those brats are doing here again. I’ve made it clear that I have no wish to see my sister’s offspring more than once a day. A nursery is the place for children.”
“They are learning manners, Cedric. A skill in which I clearly failed lamentably in your upbringing.”
Cedric snorted, went to stride from the room, then spun around again and said, “I only came in to tell you that I’ve received a telephone call from our solicitor. The ship is scheduled to dock in Southampton tomorrow. He will escort the boy up to London for a briefing and plans to bring him down here at the weekend.”
“Cedric!” Edwina said in horror. “How many times have I told you that I find that common Americanism deplorable. People of our class do not have ‘weekends,’ because we do not need to take two days off from our weekly toil. We’ll have Nicholas and Katherine using it next.”
“Since they will obviously have to work for their living, they had better get used to it,” Cedric said.
“I’m sorry. Which boy is he talking about?” Irene asked.
“I assumed you’d all heard the rumors,” Cedric said. “Our dear mother has sent
“We already met her outside,” Nicholas said, as if scoring a point.
“Really, Mama, you’re wasting your time, you know,” Irene said.
“What on earth do you mean?”
“If you’re thinking of her as a potential bride for Cedric, there is no chance.”
“I assure you I have no interest in becoming Duchess of Eynsford,” I said. “My taste in men is very different.”
“I agree with you, my dear,” Virginia said. “Why would one want to look twice at an unattractive man when there are so many handsome ones in the world?”
“When I was young, we married out of duty,” Edwina said. “We were told whom we should marry and we did so. “
“I married Orlovski for love,” Charlotte said.
“Nonsense. You liked the idea of being a princess.” Virginia chuckled.
“How did you meet a Russian prince, Your Highness?” I asked.
“Our father was ambassador at the court of the Hapsburgs,” Edwina answered for her. “The prince was visiting and was taken with my sister.”
“I was considered a great beauty at the time,” Charlotte said.
“The fact that Father had arranged a generous dowry for each of us didn’t hurt either,” Virginia added.
“Sit up, Nicholas, and don’t slurp your soup,” Edwina interrupted sharply. “Really, you children still eat like savages.”
“He gets nervous in your presence, Mama,” Irene said. “Most children of his age take their meals in the nursery.”
“I’ve always thought it was important for children to learn civilized manners and the art of conversation well before they are taken out in society. Since yours have apparently learned nothing before they came here, I am taking them in hand.”
“That’s really not fair, Mama.” Irene’s face had turned red. “They’ve had to suffer very upsetting things in their young lives. We’ve all had to suffer.”
“Nonsense. You should talk to Billings, the estate manager, about his son, who came home from the war so shell-shocked that he still cries like a baby every night. Or the gamekeeper’s son who lost both legs. Or that family in the village who lost all three sons on the same day. That is suffering, Irene. Not going without a new hat every season.”
She paused and looked up as Cedric came into the room.
“You’re late again, Cedric,” she said.
“Since it is I who now should set the time for meals in my own house, I might say that you are early, Mother,” he said. “But in fact I am too wound up after last night’s triumph to think of joining the bean-feast. I’ve told Mrs. Broad that we’ll have sandwiches and a bottle of bubbly in my study.” He looked around the table. “And I don’t see what those brats are doing here again. I’ve made it clear that I have no wish to see my sister’s offspring more than once a day. A nursery is the place for children.”
“They are learning manners, Cedric. A skill in which I clearly failed lamentably in your upbringing.”
Cedric snorted, went to stride from the room, then spun around again and said, “I only came in to tell you that I’ve received a telephone call from our solicitor. The ship is scheduled to dock in Southampton tomorrow. He will escort the boy up to London for a briefing and plans to bring him down here at the weekend.”
“Cedric!” Edwina said in horror. “How many times have I told you that I find that common Americanism deplorable. People of our class do not have ‘weekends,’ because we do not need to take two days off from our weekly toil. We’ll have Nicholas and Katherine using it next.”
“Since they will obviously have to work for their living, they had better get used to it,” Cedric said.
“I’m sorry. Which boy is he talking about?” Irene asked.
“I assumed you’d all heard the rumors,” Cedric said. “Our dear mother has sent
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