Page 15 of King of Clubs (The Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society #9)

“G ood morning, my dear.” Lady Wickford came forward and took the seat immediately to his right.

As he sat, he asked, “Would you care for some tea or coffee?”

“Tea, thank you. And whatever it is that you are having will be fine,” she informed him.

“Of course.” He gave a nod to the footman standing near a door at the far end of the room. The man nodded and left to fetch her meal.

“I expect the duchess here by ten. She wrote and said she would be able to bring a few half-made gowns for you.”

“Excellent. I am pleased to see you move in the best circles. Clearly, that school your father insisted on sending you to was the right place,” she said, smiling at him. She could smile now, but remembered too well the fights she’d had with Joshua’s father—the shouting and tears. Nothing had been able to sway him, however, from taking her son with him to this horrid, cold land so very far away from their home. He’d insisted it was the only way Joshua would be accepted as a member of this society, and that was absolutely necessary, not only because of his unusual parentage but also because her husband had been merely a distant cousin of the late viscount.

She’d hated Powell for taking her only child away from her. She’d hated him for years, even after he’d died. But now she had to admit he’d been right. Her son was friends with a duke, whose wife would be here to dress her. It was fitting, but no one beyond her son knew this, she was certain.

Joshua gave her hand a squeeze. “I actually didn’t meet the duke at school, but here in London, through my club. He was one of the first members and is responsible for spreading the word. I am greatly indebted to him for so much.”

“Well, I shall be appropriately grateful to the duchess when she arrives.” She moved aside so her plate could be placed in front of her. Then she did her best to eat like the polite noblewoman she was, rather than someone who had starved, barely surviving on the kindness of strangers for the past five days.

She could see the questions that filled her son’s eyes. He would simply have to wait until she had sated her initial hunger for his answers. He had waited since yesterday afternoon, another half hour wouldn’t be impossible for him.

When she was ready, she took a sip of her tea. “Esi has passed,” she informed her son.

Immediately, his eyes saddened. “I am so sorry!”

Hannah had had Esi with her all of her life, from the moment she was born to the time she left her home and moved across the sea to the West Indies with her new husband. Esi had served Hannah for over fifty years and now… Hannah swallowed hard and blinked back the tears burning in her eyes.

“I had no one left. No reason to stay,” she told her son.

He moved his hand to cover hers as it sat on the table.

She kept her eyes on their hands. “I don’t like this cold country, but…”

“It’s better than being alone,” he finished for her.

“I wanted to be with my family. You are the only family I have left,” she told him.

“I’m glad you came. I have missed you.”

She nodded. “It’s been too long since you’ve been home.”

He smiled. “It’s just been a year.”

“It is too long,” she insisted.

“Well, I’m very glad you came.”

She gave a nod and placed her other hand on top of his. “I am too.” A thought occurred to her, however, and she frowned.

“What is it?” he asked. He’d always been so astute. She appreciated that about him.

“The ship I came on. It was the one carrying your rum.”

“What?” He jumped to his feet. “It was my ship?”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t book passage on just any ship. I came on yours,” she told him.

“Right. Of course, but…”

“So, I’m afraid all of your rum is gone to the bottom of the sea. I am sorry.”

He turned his back to her and looked out the window. When he turned back a full minute later, he simply shook his head. “I am thankful you survived. I will deal with the loss of the ship later. Right now, you and your comfort are most important.”

She couldn’t help the broad smile and relief his words brought her. “You are truly the best son, Joshua. You are a good, good boy.”

He shook his head and came back to her to give her a kiss on her forehead. “You taught me well, Mother, and I love you.”

~*~

“I am honored to meet you, Miss Sherman,” Mr. Jamieson said as he took the chair Gwendolyn had indicated for him. “My father has told me very little about what it is that you are doing, however. He merely mentioned that you were looking for some guidance regarding a club? Is that right?” He gave her a confused smile.

“Yes well, actually what I’m looking for is, in essence, a majordomo. A butler, if you will, but more than that.”

He still looked confused, and Gwendolyn wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining herself.

“I am going to open a club, Mr. Jamieson, a club for ladies. It will be just like the clubs for gentlemen only…”

“For ladies?” he repeated. He sat forward in his chair. “How very… unusual. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of a ladies’ club before.”

“I don’t think there has been one, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be now, does it?” she asked with a little laugh.

“No! Not at all. Quite the opposite, I would imagine. And you are going to open one?”

“Yes, although… Now, here is the delicate part. Because I am making my debut into society this Season, I cannot let it be known that I am the owner and manager of this club. So whoever I hire for the position of majordomo is basically going to be the face of the management.”

“Ah, I see! Of course.”

“I knew you would understand once I explained it.” Gwendolyn sat back with some relief.

“And the person you hire is going to manage the club on a day-to-day basis? Er, with your approval, of course.”

“Yes. I will, actually, need them to do most of the managing since I won’t be able to be there all the time. I have to maintain the facade of your ordinary society miss, so I’ll have to go out visiting in the afternoons, every so often, and to parties in the evening. But in the mornings, or evenings when I don’t go to parties, I will be at the club.”

“Only no one will know that you are the owner,” he pointed out.

“Precisely!” She gave him a big grin. “You’ve got it!”

He sighed and nodded, but when he looked up at her again, he had a shy little grin on his face. “I would be honored if you would consider hiring me for this position, Miss Sherman.”

“You would?” Gwendolyn asked, rather surprised. “But your father said that you were enjoying your current position at Clarendon’s Hotel.”

He inclined his head. “I am, but this… this is an opportunity I would be a fool to pass up.”

“We don’t even know if the club will succeed or not, Mr. Jamieson. I do need you to be aware of that,” Gwendolyn told him. “I’m very sorry, but I do believe in being completely honest and forthright.”

“I appreciate that a great deal. Yes, I understand, this is an unusual proposition. An experiment. But if it does succeed? It would be brilliant. And if you will allow me to be blunt, Miss, I think I could make it a success.”

“I already have a good number of ideas on how I want it to be,” she warned him.

“Oh, absolutely! You would be the lead, of course, but I might have some ideas of my own as well, if that’s all right?”

“Yes, of course. I would appreciate that. It’s why I need someone with your expertise, your knowledge of how to run a club and restaurant—for there will be both. The club will just be for ladies, but there will be a restaurant as well where ladies can bring gentleman guests.”

“Brilliant!” His eyes twinkled with excitement. “And have you thought of what else you might like to have at your club?”

“Well, of course, there will be a tea room—the equivalent of a reading room in a gentleman’s club. And a card room just like—”

“Just like the gambling room in a gentleman’s club,” he finished for her.

“Yes. I am going this afternoon to a shop where I will work with the proprietor to create a special tea blend just for the Ryder Street Club—that is the name.”

“That’s excellent! Absolutely brilliant!” he said enthusiastically.

Gwendolyn was a little tickled that he thought so. She had loved the idea, but she hadn’t shared it with anyone yet and wasn’t entirely certain it would go over as well as she hoped.

“And what about for the restaurant? Do you have a chef yet?” he asked.

“No. I don’t.”

“Hmmm…” He thought about it, resting his hand in his chin. “The chef at Brooke’s is very good, as is the chef at Clarendon’s. But you want something a little more exciting than just good. You need someone bold, someone willing to cook not only those dishes that people would know and be comfortable with, but some that are unique as well.”

“That would be wonderful, but who?”

“Michel Ropier at Powell’s is the only chef I know who would fit the bill precisely, but, well, he is at Powell’s.”

“Oh, well, perhaps I can entice him away,” she said with a little smile.

He grinned back. “If you could…”

“Mr. Jamieson, you want this job,” she stated.

His smile grew. “I do.”

“You have it.” She stood up. “I look forward to working with you.”

~*~

The Duchess of Warwick came into Joshua’s modest home, followed by an entourage. There were two maids carrying boxes, a footman carrying a number of larger boxes, and another two unknown women and a man.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” he said, greeting her.

“Good morning, Lord Wickford.” She gave him a large smile. “I do hope you are doing well today? You must be so happy to have your mother here with you.”

“I am,” he agreed. “And it looks as if you have come well prepared to assist her.”

“I hope so. Can you direct me to her?”

“Of course! She is in her bedchamber—since she has nothing to wear, she felt more comfortable there.”

“Of course.”

Joshua led the duchess up to what had been his room, which he’d now given over wholly to his mother, and instead took the smaller guest room for himself. “Mother, the duchess is here,” he said, after a brief knock on the door.

His mother was sitting curled up in a chair near the fireplace. Despite the warm temperature, she had a fire burning brightly, heating the room to a tropical warmth. She rose when the duchess and her entourage all trooped in.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Wickford,” the duchess said, coming forward. She held out both of her hands to Joshua’s mother. “I can’t tell you how horrified I was to read His Lordship’s note yesterday! What an absolutely terrifying thing to have your ship sink! And you survived! It’s just incredible.”

“It was truly horrid, and I have nothing, absolutely nothing. You see me standing here before you wearing only my son’s nightshirt. Could a woman be more desperate?” Lady Wickford asked with a sad shake of her head.

“Well, have no fear, my lady. I have brought two gowns that will be altered for you this morning. We have brought samples of material for you to choose from, and my modiste, Madam DuBois, who will take orders for whatever gowns you may require. I brought Mr. Delacroix who will make you a set of stays. I do hope you’ll forgive my impertinence, my lord,” she said, turning toward Joshua, “but I also brought an extra maid to leave with you should you need someone to assist Her Ladyship to dress.” She turned back to his mother adding, “I didn’t know if Lord Wickford had any maids who could be of service in that way.”

As the duchess talked, Joshua just watched his mother’s shoulders drop, and her entire demeanor ease. “You are an absolute god-send, Your Grace,” he told her. “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“Truly. Truly wonderful,” his mother agreed, giving the young woman a grateful smile.

“Of course! Think nothing of it. Come, my lady, let’s get you dressed.”

“I shall be in the other room,” Joshua told them, turning toward the door.

“We will probably be a few hours or more, my lord,” the duchess informed him. “I left my husband with Lord Rossburke downstairs. They were heading into the club. Perhaps you might want to join them there?”

He gave her a brilliant smile and a bow.

~*~

Just as the duchess had said, Joshua found the duke and Jamie down in the reading room of the club below. He grabbed a decanter of rum and three glasses on his way over to his friends.

“Gentlemen,” he said, setting the glasses down on the table.

“Wickford. How is your mother doing?” the duke asked, watching him pour.

“She’s doing much better now that your wife is there.”

“I didn’t know your mother was here,” Jamie said, picking up a glass.

“She arrived yesterday.” Jamie raised his glass and toasted his friends. “Enjoy, this is going to be one of your last glasses of this fine, fine rum.” He took a delicate sip.

“What do you mean? Surely, you couldn’t be thinking of not serving it any longer?” Wickford asked.

“I would love to continue serving it, but the ship on which my mother sailed was bringing in my next shipment, and it is now sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean,” Joshua told his friends. He looked sadly at his glass. “Well, this was fun while it lasted.”