Lord Montague by Mary Kingswood

Author:Mary Kingswood [Kingswood, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sutors Publishing
Published: 2018-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

14: Hopes And Fears

Monty felt curiously changed by marriage. Becoming a clergyman should have been more of an earthquake in his life, but he had wanted that, had dreamt of it, for years, and he accepted it as his God-given right, something he was destined to be. But he had never seen himself as a married man, and it was a strange experience. Sharing morning chocolate in their little sitting room, still in their robes, or hearing his brothers speak about Lady Monty, or receiving letters of congratulation addressed to ‘Lord and Lady Montague Marford’ — all of it was oddly different. He would get used to it in time, but for the moment it was unsettling.

Merton came to see him the morning after the marriage. “My lord, I am having a little difficulty with the notice of your marriage to be sent to the Gazette.”

“You want to know something of the lady’s father, I daresay,” Monty said with a sigh.

“It is usual,” Merton said apologetically. “’…daughter of Mr So-and-so of the county of Something.’ Or even, ‘Miss Melissa Frost, lately of Wherever.’ What should you prefer me to say, my lord?”

“Since we know nothing of her home or her family, or even whether she has a father, legally, it is best to say nothing. Just put, ‘…lately married to Miss Melissa Frost.’”

“Might I enquire of Lady Montague what her wishes are in this respect?” Merton said.

“If she wished us to know anything of this nature, she would have disclosed it,” Monty said. “Therefore let us not trouble her needlessly about such matters.”

“Very good, my lord.”

That Saturday, Monty rode over to Kirby Grosswick with his valet and groom to spend his first nights at his new home. He expected to find a parlour fit to be used. What he did not expect was to find his sister and a dozen other ladies in residence there, with fabrics and ribbons and thread spread over every surface, and several small children playing with wooden toys on the rug before the fire.

“Hatty? I am very pleased to see you, and pray feel free to use my home as your own, but whatever are you doing here?”

She laughed. “Oh, Monty! You are such a good brother, not to explode with outrage, for I am taking advantage of you shamelessly. Is Lady Monty with you? Oh, thank goodness, for I knew you would not mind but Melissa is more of an unknown.”

Monty could not but agree with her on that point.

“This is Bridget, Monty,” Harriet went on. “You have heard all about Bridget Kelly, of course.”

“Of course. How do you do, Miss Kelly.”

“And these are Bridget’s girls. They have been obliged to leave the house in Sagborough rather suddenly, and Carrbridge has been so stuffy and refused to do anything at all for Bridget, just because she is female. He is perfectly happy to help all father’s little offshoots, but only if they are male, which is so annoying. I plan to make Westbury House

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