The old man raised a brow and then looked him up and down again. “Are you sure? You don’t look like one of her usual friends.”
“Yes. I am.” He frowned though, worried he hadn’t perfected his costume. “What do her usual friends usually look like?”
“Useless perfumed tulips, too lazy to wipe their own behinds,” the fellow declared.
Well that wasn’t him. Jeremy could have set down his own luggage for the man to take care of but the man was older than him, and he wasn’t at all lazy to tote his own possessions. He would set himself apart from Lady Rivers’ perfumed friends by his actions. He set the smaller case on the seat beside the driver and then secured his traveling trunk to the back himself. Once he was sure everything was safe from loss, he clambered up beside the driver and clutched the small case on his lap aware the servant was watching him closely. “When you’re ready, sir.”
“Sir? Well, now.” The man sniffed the air and grunted when he must have detected no trace of perfume in the air. “The name’s Fenton. I’m his grace’s steward.”
Jeremy extended his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
Fenton looked at it but shook his head. “You’re late.”
“Not through my actions, I assure you,” Jeremy promised. “There’s probably been dozens of small delays along the way. People forgetting their luggage
. Jumping on and off. Changes of horse. None of which I was involved with personally.”
Fenton slapped the reins over the horse’s rump, and the carriage lurched forward. Jeremy hadn’t been prepared for it and was tossed about. He scrambled to hold fast to Lady Rivers’ case, his hat, and the seat, too. “Oi. Have a care!”
Fenton regarded him though narrowed eyes. “Too rough for you?” The fellow looked at him sourly, sucking on his teeth. “She sure can pick ’em.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Never mind.” The fellow slapped the reins again, and they moved off at a faster clip. Jeremy kept a hand on his hat to save it from separation with his head. It was the finest hat he’d ever owned and a gift from Lady Rivers, along with everything else he owned.
They’d been driving for twenty minutes before the old man spoke again. “Lady Rivers is away visiting and won’t be there to welcome you to Stapleton.”
“Oh,” Jeremy said, feeling somewhat disappointed. He had hoped to speak to her before he had to mingle with any wedding guests. “When will she be back?”
“No doubt when she’s good and ready and not a moment sooner.” The fellow kept his eyes on the road ahead. “You’d best remember a woman like her does as she pleases.”
Jeremy agreed. He’d already noticed Lady Rivers was an independent, headstrong sort of woman. “Have you worked for the family long?”
The fellow speared him with a suspicious glance. “All my life. I’ll be here long after you’ve gone on your merry way, too, I expect.”
Jeremy nodded. His role with Lady Rivers likely wouldn’t be of any great duration. One brief moment in the spotlight over the next two weeks and then a quick exit and a return to the theater.
He relaxed a bit more on the seat, but the man at his side kept drawing his attention. He watched his mannerisms, pondering if the man was naturally abrasive or if his prickly tone was strictly reserved for Jeremy. A steward might not normally collect a guest from the mail coach. “Are there many guests staying at Stapleton for the wedding?”
“A few, but the family is settled in and that’s all who matter.”
Lady Rivers had explained that she had a large family. He had memorized all the names, and connections, so he did not embarrass himself or Lady Rivers.
Fenton sighed. “There she is.”
“Where?” Jeremy asked, looking for a carriage or horse carrying his lady in the nearby fields. He was excited to see her again. An actor always needed to please their patron.
“The manor house, paper skull!”
“Oh.” Jeremy looked to where the man now pointed. He probably should care that the steward had just insulted him, but he was too surprised by what he was looking at. “Oh, my.”
Stapleton was much larger than Lady Rivers had suggested when she’d convinced him to spend a fortnight in the countryside pretending to be her most ardent admirer.
Fenton smiled. “Ain’t she the most remarkable sight in all of England?”
Jeremy hardly knew what to say in response. He’d never seen a single structure that could rival it. But there was a lot in the world that Jeremy had never seen or imagined yet. There was a look about the place that spoke of power and wealth. “Lady Rivers never mentioned the size of the house was so vast.”
“Course not. Grew up in it, married a man with another just like it. Ain’t you never been to her estate?”