Mother and daughter gracefully rose in unison, and Elizabeth sighed in relief when they walked out of the room and out of her sight.
Chapter 2
December 1817
The duke of Norwich, tired and annoyed by the early hour and the tedious drive to Ashbury, was cursing the day he had, in a manner utterly unlike him, decided that he would be the bigger person.
Talbot refused to think about the tearful joy he’d felt when he’d opened the envelope containing the birth announcement of Nicholas’s daughter, later angrily claiming he didn’t know what had possessed him to decide to give their friendship another chance.
When Hawkins had told him he was to be married, Talbot had been glad. For men like them, appropriate strategic matches were necessary and important. Nicholas’s marriage, however, had marked the beginning of a growing rift between them. His friend had first retreated to his Ashbury estate for six months, which, though a bit long, wasn’t unheard of.
However, he then stopped keeping up with his correspondence, and when he did condescend to write, his letters were brief, dismissive, and disinterested. Talbot told himself things would improve once Nicholas returned to London and daily life resumed like it always had. They never did.
Hawkins joined them at the club less and less frequently, until they only ever saw him at events he attended with his wife. Talbot had started hating the Sedgewick girl for her interference in their friendship. Why was she clinging to Nicholas so desperately? Was she unable to be alone even for a moment?
And then came Nicholas’s irrational anger with Talbot for the actions ofhis own mistress. Talbot had never forced Hawkins to have a tryst at a ball where his wife was in attendance! And yet, most likely to appease the harpy, Nicholas had blamed Colin and distanced himself from his friend for good.
Duke Talbot, who, once he found a person he liked, did everything he could to keep them in his life, took this rejection surprisingly well: he spent time enjoying his latest mistress, a dark-haired, dark-eyed seductress by the name of Lady Genevieve Sinclair, going to Tattersall’s, spending time at White’s with Doctor Cooper, or Pratt, or Stone. He even spent an entire month at his Norwich estate (which never failed to invigorate him!), but ultimately, he had to admit he missed Nicholas’s presence in his life.
Thanks to the unacknowledged wave of emotion that had swept him off his feet upon learning that one of his oldest friends had become a father, he now found himself at Ashbury Manor to offer his felicitations in person and attempt to salvage one of the most important relationships in his life.
The duke was announced as his hosts were at breakfast, and his entire body was thrumming with an unfamiliar mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
I might be falling ill,he thought briefly, before the man of the manor interrupted him.
“Talbot,” Nicholas said slowly, without the joy Talbot had been expecting to see in his face. “What bringsyouhere?”
The two men shook hands. Although very different in their temperament and character, they used to share a deep understanding of what motivated the other. Colin wasn’t so sure of that any longer.
“I’ve come to extend my congratulations in person,” Talbot said breezily, trying not to show how stung he was by his friend’s wariness.
“It is much appreciated, thank you. They have your usual room ready for you upstairs. We can talk more after you settle in.”
I should have brought Stevenson,Talbot thought as Hawkins’s much less skilled manservant assisted him with his bath and attire.
It was no surprise. Everything, including the staff, was so much better at Norwich, but he would patiently bear it. Now that he had arrived at his destination and greeted his friend, some of the nervous tension he’d been suffering all morning had left his body, and he was able to rest until it was time to dress for dinner.
The Hawkins's had a full house, he noted unhappily when he descended into the drawing room to wait for the dinner bell.
At least I like some of them,he consoled himself as he greeted the other guests.
The duchess’s father, Viscount Sedgewick, was a man he respected and did a lot of business with, and they shared a passion for hunting, which had led to many pleasant excursions in the past. That man had been the reason for Talbot’s initial fervent support for his friend’s marriage.
“Duke Talbot,” the corpulent man greeted him jovially, “it’s good to see you!”
“Lord Sedgewick, Lady Sedgewick,” Talbot inclined his head to the couple, “I hope you’re well.”
“Tremendously well, I dare say, now that we’re grandparents,” the wife beamed.
“Please accept my sincere congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter,” Talbot said, and the woman nodded graciously.
“Thank you, Your Grace. We are exceedingly happy. And I don’t know if you’ve heard that our daughter Isabella is engaged to be married to Viscount Oakley,” the proud mother continued, not caring for her audience one bit.
Talbot knew (and rather liked) Isabella, and Oakley was decent enough, so he could be honest while offering congratulations on that event as well.
“Now, Sedgewick, when are you and I going to head up to Norwich again?” Talbot returned the conversation to familiar waters.
“I say the fall, we finish up at Parliament and head up there together.”
