That night, Radley and Charlotte barely arrived at the opera on time. She had been told the people attending would be as much fun to watch, and he was right. While they sat in a balcony booth, the people below visited, yelled insults towards the stage, and some threw things. Though the music and singers were acceptable, she considered those in their family to be just as accomplished.
The positive side came from the opportunity to wear her formal gown, arrive in Radley's coach, and be introduced to some of his friends as his Viscountess. They were congratulated and toasted, then invited to a ball. Radley agreed to go just because he wished to show her off. Charlotte was happier than she had ever been.
When the opera was almost over, they left to miss the crowd. They descended the stairs to their awaiting coach.
"Is the hour not late to arrive at a ball?" she asked considering what was proper once again.
"Not to worry, my dear. These things go on until the wee hours of the morning," Radley assured her.
"Am I dressed properly?"
"No, you have on too many clothes for my liking."
She grinned and slapped his knee in fun. "I have no doubts you will see to their removal later, husband."
At the sound of her addressing him in such a way, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "As always, you look beautiful. Others cannot compare to you, my dear. We shall dance, have a bit of warm, tasteless punch, and then I will introduce you to those I know. Most of whom I have business dealings with. Their wives will be polite because you will have influence over me and I, in turn, tend to make them money," he said with a wink. "You have no need to worry about any of them."
"How do you make them rich?" she asked with surprise.
"I advise them on adventures to invest upon."
"Are you rich, Radley?"
"If I had any doubt as to why you married me, your question made it abundantly clear that it wasn't for the size of my purse. My family will never worry about finance. I am not so foolish to gamble it away with cards or unwise investments."
"I had already ascertained that about you. Though, you could play cards with me for different stakes."
His laughter bounced off the carriage walls. "We shall definitely do a bit of that on our trip to Maywood. Are you very good at the game?"
"Owen and Bennett taught me to play and then said they regretted it."
"I can imagine you would be, but I'll still win because of the desire to rid you of clothes," he said as the coach pulled to a stop. He glanced out the window to see torches lighting the walkway to the house. "Ah, we have arrived to the ball, my dear."
The coach swayed as his footman climbed down from the back of the carriage. He opened the door and prepared the steps for them to alight. After Radley helped Charlotte to descend the steps, he gave instructions to the driver. When he turned back to his bride, she was smoothing out the wrinkles.
He offered his arm, saying, "Shall we go and enjoy the festivities, my dear?"
She took his arm most formally by laying her gloved hand on top, and together they walked down the walkway to the house. The music from an orchestra could be heard over the chatter of people as they stepped inside. He removed her wrap and handed it to a servant. When they approached the door to the ballroom, Radley gave the butler their names.
In a loud voice, he said, "The Viscount of Maywood and his Viscountess."
For some reason, Radley saw her eyes filled with humor. "What has amused you, wife?"
"The heads that spun off as people looked in disbelief."
He grinned at her. "I was thought to remain unwed. It is quite hard to believe. Though, they will understand when they meet you."
"Are you speaking of my appearance or the challenge you say I bring to you?"
He winked as they approached their host. "Lord Dansbury, tis good to see you. I hope you will accept my apology for our late arrival."
"I thought you said you were attending the opera tonight."
"Yes, we did indeed. However, we left early to enjoy your invitation." Radley smiled courteously, and Dansbury nodded. Both of them knew there had been no formal invite, yet had been verbal while visiting Whites. "You have not met my bride, formally Miss Caldwell, the daughter of the Marquess of Kensingdale. This, my dear, is the Marquess of Dansbury."
He smiled as she curtsied. "I know your father well. How is he? Last I heard he moved to his manor to recuperate."
"He is much better, Milord. We plan to visit him within a week. I will tell him of your inquiry. He will be pleased."
"I must congratulate you, Rad. You have found a most beautiful bride. Did you have a small country wedding? I'm sure I would have heard the rumors if you had celebrated in town."
"I would have invited you, but we chose to keep the strain off of her father's health by keeping the marriage limited to only the family."
He nodded his head eagerly. "I understand. Such large events are taxing. It was most considerate. My daughter will be having her coming out next year, and I frankly dread the activity. I assume you met through your father's acquaintance?"
Radley nodded. "I have known her brother, Lord Kendal, since we were in knickers. But I never had the opportunity to meet Charlotte until this year."
"Viscountess, it has been a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps you will add my name to your dance card."
She smiled, saying, "I would be pleased to, Lord Dansbury."
Radley heard a waltz begin to play and escorted Charlotte towards the dance floor. He swept her into his arms and began to dance.
"I must admit that you have my admiration for spinning a tale so quickly. Do you not worry about being called on it?"
"With only the family aware of the truth, who would dare?" He brought her into a twirl pulling her closer. "Nevertheless, it is no one's business. You are my wife and that's the news. I could have said we met at your brother's wedding. He seldom associates with the elite. But since he knew your father, this spin kept it acceptable. I will mention what was said to Dansbury in case they meet up again."
"That is unlikely. Travel is too hard on my father."
When the music ended, he escorted her to a group of couples and introduced her as his Visountess. He knew that this evening would make up for her shock upon meeting his friends when they drove through the park. This is what she had desired. A smile stayed in place as she spoke to them. Once they were in their house, they could have a party where she could meet others.
They stayed until she began yawning, in which he took her home to his father's house. In the morning, they would travel to his estate for a few days and then meet with the others at Kensingdale. He knew that once they celebrated their marriage with her father's approval, she would be content. However, his thoughts lay upon meeting his father.
*
Their trip to the north had been the best trip he had experienced. His bride beat him soundly at cards, and they used the book to use as bets. Before they arrived, he was helping her dress, brushed her hair, and that too had been enjoyable. The more things they shared, the closer they became until they had also built a friendship.
The road leading to the manor in Maywood was long and lined with trees. When the house came into view, she sucked in a breath. A two-story white brick house was much larger than he had suggested. "I shall become lost in this house."
"Your father's manor is much larger, my dear. We shall soon see what repairs need to be made. I have not visited in quite some time."
"Do they know of our arrival?"
"Not in time to do anything about it. I wished to see if those in care of it are doing the job or letting it rot." He said with a bit of a growl.
"The lawns are well kept. That's encouraging," she said, patting his leg. "When I was young, my mother always had to make adjustments to the house. She liked to say, 'Give me a good broom, and we shall make it shine again.'
He grinned at her positive outlook. Some women would not be happy with less than perfection. But he knew she would be happy to see that her new home was clean with a good meal served. "Have I told you how happy you make me?"
"Not in so many words, but you are easy to please, my lord husband." She leaned towards him and cupped his face as she kissed him.
Before he could truly kiss her back, they felt the coach come to a stop. They looked out and saw no one had stirred to open the front door. "Perhaps they are busy cleaning."
"Possibly," he said as the coach door was opened and the steps lowered. He nodded at the footman and climbed down. He turned and helped Charlotte, and then together they took the wide steps up to the front door. "Do you think we should knock?"
She giggled. "It would be more fun to walk through the house and see how long it takes them to discover us."
"An excellent idea. Shall we be sneaky as thieves?"
"We should more easily catch them at their leisure if we do so."
"And what shall we do if we find them playing cards and eating our food?" he asked.
"Dismiss them after they finish cleaning the house." She said with a twinkle in her eyes.
He had to fight to keep from laughing aloud. "I hope the door doesn't squeak," he whispered to her as he reached to open it.
Fortunately, the door was quiet. "Well, the house doesn't sound haunted."
"Stop making me laugh, Imp. You make it near impossible for me to be quiet."
They snuck inside and found no one around the entry. Charlotte looked around at the warm wooden floors and the wide staircase that led to the second story. High above near the ceiling hung a mechanism that raised and lowered the chandelier, yet one was missing. They were often removed for cleaning and she assumed that was why it was gone.
She started to say something to Radley when she saw him open a door to the parlor and gasped. Then she heard him say, 'bloody hell'. She hurried to his side to take a look. When she saw all but a few pieces of furniture were left, she took his arm.
"What does this mean?"
"I fear it's nothing good." He hurried to the next room and then the next only to find the same results. The house had been stripped of anything valuable. By the time they went to the back of the house, his fists were tight, and he was growling. "I've been sending money for this household for six months, and they robbed me of that and my belongings."
She wasn't sure how to comfort him. "Do you know who dared to do this?"
"Most of my staff has been with me for years. Father kept the running of this household until I graduated from the university, but I hired a new bookkeeper. I fear he may be responsible."
"I don't wish to hinder your search to discover what anyone has seen. However, under these circumstances, I'd rather not stay here alone while you begin your hunt. For now, we need to decide what to do for the night."
He cupped her face and kissed her. "I would not think of leaving you alone here without protection."
"Will you go and speak with a magistrate before we leave?" she asked.
"It's too late to do so now. I'm hoping that we can learn who's been keeping the lawns groomed and why."
"Stalling for more time would be my guess. If the place looks deserted, anyone riding by may become suspicious and send a letter to you or your father. That would cause problems."
He agreed with her. "One of my workers should know. For now, let's see if we have something to sleep on. If not, we travel to Kendal. Ben's estate isn't that far from here."
Surprise. This story took a little turn of interest. Now we have a bit of intrigue. Charlotte does have a calm, thoughtful side to her.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and where this little turn will lead them.
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