Marchioness Divine | A Regency Romance

Chapter Four: Empty Rooms on the Ground Floor

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Amelia was sure Lord Thomas had never lit a single fire in his London house, as it was colder than the graveyard where she had laid him to rest in winter. She glided easily into the hallway, while the small troupe behind her tiptoed in.

"I had always wondered what this place would look like," Christina muttered as Delilah reached out for her hand. The two sisters stumbled awkwardly into the room, followed by their graceful but hesitant mother.

"Do not fret. We shall not stay long," Amelia declared.

While Amelia had little experience with townhouses, from what she had gathered so far, this was an extraordinarily average example of a London home. Lord Thomas had not bought it himself but inherited it, so everything was tediously traditional. Each room was large and bright, designed specifically to be larger than the neighbours' rooms, lit by wide windows which allowed you to overlook your inferiors in the street. The walls were decorated in the most expensive family portraits you could afford; not because you particularly liked your relations, but because each person was equivalent to a rosette on your racehorse.

"It is a lovely home," a confident voice bellowed from the back of the pack.

Speaking of bedecked horses, Lord Herriot brought up the rear of the group on the hunt for another prize – the favour of the new Marquess. While Lady Madeleine insisted that Frederick and Lord Herriot had always been close, Lord Herriot's attachment to the new Lord Warstone was becoming rather cloying. He was at Warstone House every day, frequently trying to engage her in conversation of all people! Amelia knew he was still humiliated after she won their last debate and wished to have his revenge by besting her with some over-prepared argument, so she simply shunned him and engaged the ladies in conversation, no matter how many times he tempted her by forcing his many disagreeable opinions onto Frederick. The only thing worse than remaining silent and allowing others to assume you are stupid was to break your silence and prove it.

Regrettably, when she was ignoring him yesterday, Frederick mentioned the planned trip to Lord Thomas' townhouse. Amelia was unable to politely interrupt before he invited his friend along.

Amelia raised one eyebrow. "Lord Thomas never liked it. I am quite glad to give it up," she replied, somewhat pettily.

"Can we not find any use for it?" asked Delilah, her head fully tilted back and staring up in awe at the ceiling.

Christina nudged her and hissed, "It is not ours."

The London townhouse was one of the many properties Amelia had been left, and it was far grander than Warstone House. Amelia suspected that the vast space was making them all nervous, especially as Lord Thomas had never attempted to fill it. While the empty rooms at Denmead were used for storage, many of Lord Thomas' other properties were completely barren, including the townhouse. He had a few pieces of furniture in his bedroom, two armchairs in the drawing room with a table in between, and a desk and bookcase in the study where often he took his meals.

As Amelia led them into the empty dining room, the Warstones stalled once more. They flinched and twitched with every step, but Lord Herriot managed annoyingly well to saunter into the room with confidence. She hurried on through to the study, which was the real reason why she had come. Before she put the house up for sale, she wanted to collect Lord Thomas' possessions herself. Her possessions.

Upon entering the study, Amelia called, "You are at your liberty to explore the house and grounds. I must collect a few personal possessions."

She was not fond of the idea of Christina, Delilah, Lady Madeleine, Frederick, and Lord Herriot being left to roam the house, but there was very little to roam. Henry had managed to worm his way out of the trip, meaning the most mischievous member of the group was not a concern. Meanwhile, she set about packing Lord Thomas' books into a couple of crates ready to be driven back to Denmead Hall, where Judy and Paul were ready to accept them. Amelia had no use for the furniture, so it would be left with the new owners. Afterwards Amelia would search Lord Thomas' room for any personal possessions to be kept.