Midnight at Mallyncourt by Jennifer Wilde Read Free Book Online Page B

tradition would mean nothing to a man like Edward Baker, nor would he be moved by the historic splendor represented by a house like Mallyncourt. I wondered idly what would move him. He couldn’t be as unfeeling as he seemed.
    â€œYour uncle must require a whole fleet of servants,” I remarked.
    He nodded grimly. “There is a butler, a housekeeper, a governess for Lettice, a personal valet for my uncle, a cook, six footmen, a gaggle of maids, two gardeners, a coachman, half a dozen or so stable boys, all of whom are fed and maintained by the Mallyn estate. The butler and housekeeper have quarters in the basement, as does the cook, the governess has a room in the nursery, and the other house servants have rooms in the attics. The rest of them sleep over the stables.”
    Circling around the exotic, wildly beautiful gardens, the phaeton drew up in front of the wide, flat steps. Six slender brown columns supported the ornate portico, and there were pots of red geraniums on the posts of the graceful balustrade. Edward alighted and helped me down, his face impassive as the coachman drove away toward the stables. The two of us stood in front of the great house, momentarily alone. I was extremely nervous, a prey to all sorts of apprehensions, and Edward noticed it. Some of his remoteness vanished. My nervousness amused him.
    â€œFrom this moment on, you’re my wife,” he told me.
    â€œIt’s not a role I fancy,” I said acidly.
    â€œMy loving wife, I might add.”
    â€œThat will be the most difficult part to simulate, I assure you.”
    â€œOh? You find me unlovable?”
    â€œDistinctly!”
    â€œThat’s because you don’t know me,” he said lightly. “I’ve no doubt you’ll warm to me in time.”
    â€œI shouldn’t count on it, Mr. Baker.”
    â€œEdward,” he reminded me. “You’ll play your role nicely.”
    â€œI’ll try.”
    â€œYou’ll do more than try, my dear. Five hundred pounds are at stake, remember. There will be no slipups. Not only would you lose the five hundred, but you would also incur my wrath. You wouldn’t want to do that, Jennifer.”
    â€œYou don’t intimidate me.”
    â€œNo?”
    â€œNot at all!”
    â€œTry to curtail your venom, Jenny dear. You’re in love with me. We had a whirlwind courtship, a simple, private wedding and have just returned from an ecstatic honeymoon. An occasional lovers’ quarrel might be in keeping, but certainly not the animosity I currently detect in your eyes.” He took my arm, tucked it under his and escorted me up the steps. “You’re an actress, luv. The curtain is about to go up.”
    The great doors opened as if by magic. Two footmen in the Mallyn livery stood back, and the butler approached. Severely dressed in black, he was tall and thin and extremely grand, more aristocratic than the bluest of blue bloods.
    â€œAfternoon, Jeffers,” Edward said crisply.
    The imposing Jeffers nodded, barely glancing at me. The footmen stood rigidly against the wall, as motionless as statues. I glanced around at the great hall, trying to conceal my awe. It was square in shape, two stories high, and although a gallery ran around three sides on the first story, I saw no staircase. The enormous fireplace was of gray marble, the Mallyn coat of arms worked in moulded and gilt plaster above the mantlepiece. Faded Brussels tapestries depicting hunt scenes in shades of tan, gray, green and indigo hung along three of the stone walls, and the fourth was paneled in dark wood, displaying a collection of pikes, enameled shields and ancient weapons. A huge brass chandelier hung from the ceiling, and though the room was sparsely furnished, the furniture remaining was both lovely and majestic. There was a great chest which, I knew, would have been used as a safe for money and jewels during previous ages. Henry VIII might have dined at that