“Hush, now.” She patted Daphne’s hand. “Do call me Elinor, my dear. As for the other, well, I have come to regard you as a member of my family.” She gave a wry smile. “Although you may not like me after you hear what I have to say.”
Daphne steeled herself for the inevitable. “You are going to tell me I should be wise to marry the duke.”
“No, no, you are a grown woman, and you know your own heart and mind. Besides, being a duchess would be an enormous responsibility, and I can understand your reluctance to take on such a role. I am not certain I would wish it even for my own daughters. No, my counsel to you concerns the baron.”
“The baron?”
“Yes. Daphne, as much as I regard you as a member of my family, that does not alter the truth that the baron is your true relation. He is your grandfather. I appreciate your pride, for I possess a great deal of that quality myself, and I would feel just as indignant as you at his motives. No doubt it is the duke’s interest in you that has compelled the baron to come forward after such shameful neglect. No doubt he values the possible connection that could come from an alliance with Tremore. No doubt he fears the censure that society will surely lay upon him for his refusal to support you and thereby force you to seek employment to support yourself. It is unconscionable, and his connection to Tremore would blunt his disgrace. Despite all his motives, I must advise you to allow him to do the right thing and allow him the pretense of being the benevolent grandfather, at least for the present.”
Daphne started to speak, but Lady Fitzhugh laid a hand on her arm, and she fell silent.
“For your sake, Daphne,” Lady Fitzhugh went on, “I must be so bold as to speak with you as if you were my own daughter. You are such a sensible woman in most respects, but in this matter, dear, you are allowing your pride to alter your judgment. If you are adamant about refusing the duke, he will eventually be made to accept that. If you allow Durand to acknowledge you now, he cannot take it back, even if your marriage to the duke does not come off. You will be given his support and protection, and you need not fear for your future ever again.
“From our conversation with him before you arrived, I came to the conclusion that though he is not a man of vast wealth, he does have a substantial and secure income from his estates, and would be able to support you quite adequately. My dear, you know from bitter experience how hard life can be. Do not allow pride to prevent you from having the security and connections your grandfather’s position can provide. The duke, no doubt for your sake, has given the baron a chance to right his wrong to you. Allow Durand to save face and do so.”
Daphne drew a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “You are right. He has repeatedly refused to acknowledge me, and when he came today, I was so outraged by his blatant and transparent attempt to curry favor with Anthony, that I blinded myself to the sensible course. To refute his acknowledgment would be folly.”
“Anthony?” Lady Fitzhugh repeated the name, her voice so reflective and thoughtful that Daphne blushed. But Lady Fitzhugh was a tactful woman. “Perhaps a cup of tea would do both of us a bit of good,” she murmured.
But the tea had barely been brought before the gentlemen returned to the drawing room. She and Lady Fitzhugh both rose to their feet, and Sir Edward came over to Daphne. Giving her a kindly pat on the shoulder, he said, “The baron has conferred upon me his acknowledgment of you as his legitimate granddaughter. Your future is secure, my dear.”
Daphne turned to the baron, taking Lady Fitzhugh’s advice and allowing him to save face. “Thank you,” she said politely. “You are very kind.”
“We have also made all the arrangements regarding your situation,” Sir Edward went on. “Lord Durand has agreed to allow you to remain with us, for he appreciates that Anne and Elizabeth are your friends, and he agrees with me that Lady Fitzhugh is an excellent chaperone for you. He is providing you with a pocket allowance of ten pounds per week, and you may use his name at all the shops for anything you might need.”
“That is most generous of you, Lord Durand,” Lady Fitzhugh added. “Whether she is to marry a duke or not, a young lady needs much in the way of clothes and other fashionable things. Daphne is a wonderful friend to my own daughters, and we are delighted to have her remain here. I shall see that she avails herself of your generosity wisely.”
“Thank you.” The baron turned to her with a little cough. “Daphne, I can only hope that once you have thought over the circumstances of your situation, your heart will soften toward me.”
He bowed, she curtsied, and he departed.
The moment Mary had closed the door behind him downstairs, Anne and Elizabeth came racing up to the drawing room. “Well?” they demanded in unison.
“The baron is Daphne’s grandfather,” Sir Edward informed them.
They both gave cries of astonishment and turned to Daphne. “But why did you not tell us? Why were you having to earn your living for the duke if you are a gentleman’s daughter?”
“The baron had not acknowledged me,” Daphne said, still feeling a hint of bitterness as she remembered those frightening days in Tangier. “Now he has.”
“Durand is allowing her to remain with us,” Sir Edward told his daughters, “and he has provided her with an allowance, which I am sure the pair of you will be happy to help her spend as quickly as possible.”
“Oh, yes, we shall!” Elizabeth said, laughing. “Lovely new gowns, bonnets, and all the other finery a young lady being courted by a duke will need. First a duke comes to call, then a baron. I am certain that by the end of the week at least one earl and a pair of viscounts shall visit us.”
Daphne made a wry face. “It is only because he believes I am to marry the duke that the baron is being so generous. Now that my future is settled, I believe I shall go out and spend a bit of the baron’s money this very day. May Elizabeth and Anne accompany me?” she asked Lady Fitzhugh.
“Of course, my dear,” the older woman answered. “But where are you going?”
“DeCharteres‘. I must send a reply to the duke for his gift of yesterday.”
Anne and Elizabeth gave exclamations of delight at the idea of going with her to the florist and seeing for themselves what flowers she would use in her response, but Lady Fitzhugh’s raised brows were her only indication of surprise. “Replying to his message in kind is a very sweet and gracious thing to do, my dear.”
“Once he sees it, Elinor, I doubt he will agree with you.”
Chapter 23
Anthony’s London home in Grosvenor Square displayed none of the awe-inspiring opulence of his ducal estate. This home was one in which he spent a great deal of time, and it reflected his personal tastes to a much greater degree than any of his country houses. The chimney pieces were of a pale travertine marble, and the soft, thick carpets were of subtle colors and simple designs. It was described by some who dined there as a disappointment, intimate rather than imposing. To Anthony’s mind, that was a compliment.
One of his soft, thick, subtly colored carpets was receiving some significant wear three evenings after his call upon Daphne in Russell Square. He was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace of his study, growing more impatient by the hour.
