"Well, I probably should have," the duke teased her. He turned to his wife. "Where shall we greet them, madame?"
"In the hall," Jasmine responded. "Adali will escort them in to us. It sets the proper tone, for our rank is far greater than theirs. They should be honored to even be considered as a possible match for our daughter. The more I learn about the Deverses of Lisnaskea, the less certain I am that they are the right family with which to be allied. Perhaps we did not look closely enough back home."
If James Leslie was surprised by his wife's words he gave no sign of it. The duke knew Jasmine would have her way no matter what he said, and much of the time she was absolutely correct. "Nothing is signed, or even agreed to yet," he told her. "We can change our minds if Fortune does not like this young fellow, or we decide he is not at all suitable for her, darling Jasmine."
"I am glad you see it my way, Jemmie," came the reply.
They descended down into the Great Hall even as they heard the wheels of the coach rumbling into the courtyard through the open front door. Adali, garbed in his usual white trousers, tunic, and turban, was awaiting the visitors. Stepping out onto the portico, he waited until the Deverses had descended from their carriage and were halfway up the steps to the house. It was then he bowed deferentially to them.
"Sir Shane. Lady Jane. Master William. I am Adali, the duchess's majordomo. You are welcome to Erne Rock Castle." He turned. "If you will please to follow me. I shall bring you to the duke and the duchess who are awaiting you in the Great Hall with Lady Fortune."
Chapter 3
Lady Jane Devers looked sidewise at her husband, and whispered in discreet tones, "She has a brown-skinned foreigner for a servant, Shane? We were not told she consorted with such people."
"If the man holds a position of such importance in the duchess's household, Jane, then he must be a person worthy of her trust, and the duke's," Shane Devers whispered back. "Now shut yer mouth before you destroy William's chances for this marriage. The girl is quite an heiress."
"I was an heiress," came the icy reply.
"Not like this lass," her husband shot back as they entered the Great Hall. He was a tall man with iron gray hair and dark blue eyes. His face was weathered and ruddy from the outdoors, and his big hands those of a horseman.
His wife was petite with fading blond hair and light blue eyes. Her complexion was yet fair, although her rosy cheeks owed much to the artifice of light rouge which she thought made her appear younger. Her gown was old-fashioned, the bell-shaped, ankle-length skirt worn over a farthingale with a wasp waist, and a long pointed stomacher. It was deep blue in color, and while it was of an excellent material, Lady Jane, looking at the duchess's gown, saw at once she was at a disadvantage. She almost cried with her frustration. Why hadn't she found out what Lady Leslie would be wearing? But then she had assumed that coming from Scotland, the lady would be no more up on the latest fashions than she was.
Seeing the woman's scrutiny Jasmine felt a surge of triumph. Lady Jane was obviously already intimidated. Excellent! She had not yet made up her mind about William Devers, but if he was indeed to be her son-in-law, Jasmine felt they were already off on the proper foot with his dominating mother. She smiled graciously. "Welcome to Erne Rock, Sir Shane, Lady Jane, and young William. May I present to you my husband, James Leslie, the duke of Glenkirk, and my daughter, Lady Fortune Mary Lindley."
Sir Shane bowed to his host and hostess as did his son, while his wife curtsied. Their greetings were acknowledged with a bow and two curtsies in exchange. Then Sir Shane said, "I thank you for having us, yer grace. I've always been curious to see the inside of Erne Rock."
"But I understand your late first wife was a cousin of the Maguire lords of Erne Rock," Jasmine said sweetly.
"Her kinship was closer to Conor Maguire and his ilk, although the Maguires of Erne Rock shared a great-grandfather with her," he replied.
"Ahh," Jasmine intoned. Then she smiled at the handsome young man by his father's side.
"This is my son, and heir, William," Sir Shane said. His wife poked him with a sharp finger. "And my wife, Lady Jane," he finished quickly.
"How d'you do, your grace," Jane Devers said. Then she turned her gaze on Fortune. The girl was much too pretty, and in a rather bold way with that bright red hair. Why she almost looked Irish. "I am pleased to meet you, my dear," she said in dulcet tones. "My dear stepdaughter is a Mary also."
"I am not called Mary," Fortune replied. "I am called Fortune, madame, for my mother considered it good fortune that I was conceived the very night before my father was murdered."
Jane Anne Devers caught her breath in sharply. Had the girl no sense of delicacy, using a word like conceived? Then she caught herself, saying, "Fortune is a unique name, my dear, but if it is what you are used to being called, then we shall call you that."
"I think it's a wonderful name," William Devers said, and then catching Fortune's hand up in his he kissed it. "Your servant, my lady Fortune." He looked up at her, his light blue eyes assessing her, and smiled winningly, showing a row of even white teeth.
"Sir," she answered, assessing him as openly. Blue eyes, and chestnut brown hair with just a hint of gold in it. He was taller than she was which pleased her for she knew she was tall for a girl. His face and his hands were tanned which meant he spent a good deal of time in the open air. He seemed to be well formed and well made.
"I trust I meet with your approval, my lady," he murmured softly so that only she might hear his words.
"You make a good first impression, sir," she told him.
William Devers laughed. He didn't like shy or prissy women, and had been expecting just that sort of creature. That Fortune Lindley was neither pleased him. It was far more fun to tame a wildcat than to be given a sweet kitten for a pet; and as Father had always told him, a wife was a pet to be cherished, protected, and trained to her husband's ways. The training, however, was more fun if the lady in question was a spirited lass, Shane Devers said. Fortune Lindley was obviously a fiery filly.
"Let us have some wine to celebrate our meeting," Jasmine said. "Adali, please see a cask of the Archambault red is broached. It has been aging for some years now in the cellars, and should be quite excellent. And bring some sweet wafers as well."
Adali bowed. "Yes, my princess, at once." Then he hurried out.
"Your serving man," Jane Devers said, quite unable to contain her curiosity. "He is a foreigner?"
"Adali has been with me since my birth. He is half-Indian, and half-French, madame. India was the land of my birth. If you consider Adali a foreigner, then you must surely consider me one too, for my father was the ruler of all India, Akbar the Grande Mughal; and my mother was an English noblewoman with Irish roots. She was his fortieth and last wife. I came to England, a widow, when I was sixteen. My second husband was Fortune's father, the marquess of Westleigh, and the duke is my third husband. Our marriage was arranged by King James himself, and our dear Queen Anne, both gone now, God assoil their good souls," Jasmine finished. There! That should give my Lady Jane something to chew upon.
But Jane Devers was not that easily cowed. "Three husbands, gracious! I have always felt one was more than enough, madame. How many children do you have besides dear Fortune?" She smiled again at the young woman.
"Well," Jasmine pondered, and James Leslie held his breath seeing the mischievous look in her eye. "Three by Lindley, two girls and a boy; three boys and a girl who died by my Jemmie." She cast her husband a fond look. "And, of course, my son by the late Prince Henry. He was my lover between my second and third husband. A lovely young man, as I recall. Our son, Charlie Stuart, is the duke of Lundy."