Free Rainbird's Revenge by MC Beaton

Dave, clapping with glee. ‘Do it again, Mr Rainbird.’
    â€˜No,’ said the butler. ‘I want wine and music.’
    â€˜I have been listening to music all evening and longing to dance,’ said Jenny wistfully, ‘but no one asked me.’
    â€˜Play, Joseph!’ cried Rainbird. He jumped to his feet and bowed low before Jenny. ‘Would Miss Sutherland do me the inestimable honour of allowing me to lead her to the floor?’
    There were cheers and claps, and to Jenny’s bewilderment, the servants rose and pushed the table back against the wall. Joseph struck a jaunty chord.
    â€˜Why not?’ laughed Jenny, taking Rainbird’s hand.
    They formed a set for a country dance, Rainbird at the top with Jenny, Mrs Middleton with Angus, Alice and chambermaid Jenny, and Lizzie and Dave.
    Just then the Duke of Pelham climbed down from his carriage and listened in amazement to the sounds of merriment coming from his servants’ hall.
    â€˜Probably getting drunk on my wine,’ he said furiously to Fergus.
    He was in a bad mood, caused, had he but realized it, by his own uneasy conscience. For he had been largely responsible for Jenny’s social failure. It had made him furious to see her standing there as if expecting homage from everyone who set eyes on her. Not quite realizing that a handsome and rich duke newly returned from the wars had almost absolute social power, he had commented acidly to one young man who had appeared smitten with Jenny’s looks, ‘Miss Sutherland is a country nobody with neither charm nor wit. Not the partner for a gentleman of fashion.’ To his irritation, the young man had immediately joined a large group of other gentlemen to relay this piece of gossip. He saw the insolent, contemptuous stares cast in Jenny’s direction but refused to admit to himself he was responsible for her humiliation. But when Jenny had left and he no longer had the doubtful joy of seeing the mortification of Miss Jenny Sutherland, who had dared to be rude to him at a country ball, the evening had gone sadly flat.
    He marched into his front parlour and stretched his hand out towards the bell. No! He would confront these servants. ‘Stay here, Fergus,’ he commanded, seeing his servant sliding in the direction of the door. ‘I will deal with this myself.’
    He walked down the back stairs and threw open the door of the servants’ hall. Miss Jenny Sutherland was twirling around in the arms of his butler while the other servants laughed and cheered.
    She was the first to see him. She let out a gasp of horror, all happiness and life draining from her face.
    â€˜What is the meaning of this?’ demanded the Duke of Pelham.
    Jenny half turned to flee, to leave these odd servants to face the wrath of their master, but something made her stand her ground.
    â€˜The fault is mine, your grace,’ she said defiantly. ‘I had a miserable time this evening. I saw your servants from the carriage window and they looked so comfortable, so happy, and so at ease, that I decided to call on them. We do such things in the country,’ said Jenny airily, although she knew it would be as shocking in the country for a lady to visit servants in the middle of the night as it was in Town. ‘I was unhappy because I had been unable to dance at the party. I commanded Mr Rainbird to dance with me. Your servants were obliged to obey that command.’
    The duke’s frigid stare raked round the room. The servants looked back calmly, and quite unafraid. Even Mrs Middleton wasn’t twitching, he noticed. He did not know that each servant had just reminded him- or herself that liberty was just around the corner, and, the trouncing of Palmer apart, they had nothing to fear from the dislike of the Duke of Pelham.
    â€˜Your aunt shall hear of this, Miss Sutherland,’ said the duke.
    â€˜Think of your aunt, don’t think of your looks,’ came a