Duchess by Chance (9 page)

Daniel snorted, then rolled his eyes for good measure, yet remained silent.
 

“And I yearn for the wide open spaces and lush green hills of Stratton,” Simon said, adding with a wide smile, “It has been an age since I visited there and I feel that Luton has been denied the pleasure of my company for far too long.”

“You attended my father’s funeral.” Daniel’s voice was dry as he walked down the stairs to take the reins of his horse from his groom.

“Is it wrong to want to meet the wife of my dearest friend?”
 

“Dearest?” Daniel responded. “I’m flattered.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Simon muttered, urging his horse forward to fall in beside Daniel’s.

“I just received a missive from Luton indicating that Huxley called at Stratton and that his intentions were not honorable. The servants saw him off, yet Luton was sufficiently concerned to write to me.”

“Good Lord, so the threat was real. Is the duchess all right?”

Nodding, Daniel added, “Yes, but she asked Luton not to inform me of Huxley’s visit, however that combined with what Grandmother told me was enough to alert my fears.”

“You can’t be surprised by your wife’s request, surely, Daniel.” Simon looked at him. “She was raised by those heathens and then forced into marriage with a man she does not know. Even taking into account the threat from Huxley, she’s hardly likely to want you to return now, when she has probably found a measure of peace for the first time in her life.”

Daniel knew his friend’s words were true, yet that did not make him happy about the fact that she had not notified him. He was her husband, and she was his responsibility whether he liked it or not. He should not have had to rely on his butler to alert him of Gilbert Huxley’s visit.

“In truth, I may need your help,” Daniel said.

“How so?”
 

Daniel looked at his horse’s ears and then viewed the streets before him. Lord, this was hard. “I don’t know if trouble awaits me but if it does, I would be pleased to have you at hand.”

Simon nodded but remained silent, sensing Daniel had not finished.

“And in truth, my wife may be more comfortable with you around.”

Simon stared at him. “What?”

“You can converse like a woman,” Daniel growled.

“I don’t believe that was a compliment.”

“It wasn’t.”

Simon mulled on that for a minute. “So you’re having trouble communicating with your wife? You, the silver tongued duke who woos woman as easily as the rest of us breathe?”

“It’s different with a wife, Kelkirk, especially one wed under duress. The words don’t seem to come as easily as they would in a ballroom.”

“Or bedroom.”

Giving his friend a foul look, Daniel continued. “I want her to return with me to London and hope that having you there will put her at ease and give us a chance to grow comfortable with each other.” Daniel pushed aside the memory of how he had held her in a darkened room and how they had both spoken without reserve then. He knew that in the light of day things would be different between them.

“I shall, of course, be at your service, your Grace. My silken conversational skills and ready wit will be on hand, should you require them.”

Daniel growled something rude and ended the conversation by nudging his boots in the side of his mount so that it sprang forward into a gallop.

They stopped for the night and were up again at dawn the following day to continue the journey, arriving at Stratton as the sun was sinking behind the hills.

“It is a vision to gladden the most hardened heart,” Simon said as they rode up the long driveway. Stratton was at its most picturesque bathed in golden light.
 

It was a beautiful sight and one Daniel liked more now his father was not waiting for him inside.
 

After stabling their mounts, Daniel, followed by Simon, walked to the house. It loomed before him as it always had, large and austere, but this time it would be his duchess greeting him.

“Your Grace, we were not expecting you,” Luton said, hurrying forward as Daniel and Simon entered the house.

“It was a last minute decision, Luton.”

“For my part, I have missed you, Luton,” Simon said, shrugging out of his overcoat and handing it to the butler.
 

“Where can I find the duchess?” Daniel said, ignoring his friend.

“The duchess is from home, your Grace.”

Daniel stopped in the act of removing his gloves and stared at his butler.

“What? Where is she?”

“Visiting with Miss Belmont, your Grace.”

Stunned that she wasn’t here where he had left her, Daniel simply stood there for several seconds, gaping at his butler.

“And when do you believe she will return?” Simon asked when Daniel remained silent.

“We are expecting her soon, my lord.”

“Excellent. We shall take a tray in the study, Luton, and if Mrs. Stimpel has baked any of that excellent plum cake, I shall not be offended if you place a slice or two upon it,” Simon added.

“I shall see to it at once, my Lord.”

“What the hell is she thinking?” Daniel snapped. “To leave the protection of Stratton on her own!”

“Doesn’t the Belmont estate border yours?”

“That is not the point.”

Following Daniel as he stalked to the stairs, Simon said, “For my part, I have only met Miss Belmont briefly. However, I did not think her a woman with nefarious intentions.”

Opening the door to his study, Daniel stomped inside and headed straight toward the fireplace, where he dropped to his haunches and lit it. “Claire does not have a nefarious bone in her body, you idiot, but with the threat of Huxley still looming, I hardly think it a wise move to leave Stratton alone.”

Simon found the brandy and poured two measures.

“How do you know she has gone alone? She could have taken an army of servants with her.”

Rising, Daniel took the glass Simon handed him and then fell into the nearest chair.

“She should be here, not cavorting around the bloody countryside.”

“What are you annoyed about, Daniel? Should your wife have spent her days at Stratton seeing or visiting no one? That hardly seems fair or indeed, worthy of you.”

“She is an innocent who knows nothing of the world but what she learned in her father’s home! She dresses like a servant and is timid and skinny. The woman should not leave here until she has gained experience.”

Daniel could hear himself and how stupid he sounded yet did not seem to be able to stop. Arriving at Stratton to find his wife was not where he had left her had rocked him. He was angry and worried and and frustrated by both emotions, especially the first, as he had sworn he would not show her his anger again when next they met.

“Your reaction seems a bit dramatic, my friend. However, as the food has arrived, I shall not continue this conversation, as it may lead to you roaring again, and I intend savor this plum cake and give it the respect it deserves.”

“She’s a lovely lady, that Miss Belmont.”

“Yes, she is, Molly.” Eva smiled across the carriage at her maid.

 
She had spent the afternoon and evening with Claire. They had discussed fashions and the latest hairstyles and Claire had told her about society and some of its more colorful people. Never having mastered the art of womanly conversation due to the lack of friends, it had come as a shock that she actually enjoyed it. She’d caught herself giggling a few times and marveled at the feeling. She was changing. Her life was so different now that she lived without the abuse from her family. Eva had enough food and rest, and more importantly, she had a friend. And although she was consumed with worry for Reggie, she was content for the first time in her life. A child would complete her - a child and a husband - but Eva knew that neither of these was likely to happen anytime soon, if ever. Therefore, she would content herself with this life. She could ride when she chose to, play her piano for hours at a time and read under a tree if the mood struck.
 

“Thank you for accompanying me, Geoffrey,” Eva told the footman as he opened the door and helped her and Molly down.
 

“It was a nice night for a drive, your Grace,” the young man said, looking at Molly.

Eva watched her maid return the look and swallowed her smile.

“I will not need you until later, Molly.” She waved a hand over her head as she headed toward the house. She liked both Molly and Geoffrey and would not stand in the way of any blossoming relationship.

“Good evening, Luton. I hope you’ve had a pleasant night,” Eva said, taking off her bonnet and gloves.
 

“The duke and Viscount Kelkirk have arrived, your Grace, and are at present awaiting you in the study.”

Much like the duke earlier, Eva stood still for several heartbeats as she took in this news.

“He’s here at Stratton?”

“Yes, your Grace.”

Why?
She had not thought to see him for a very long time. Why had he returned now and with company? Panic made her chest tighten as she clutched her gloves. She wasn’t ready to see him. Would she ever be ready to see him? What did he want?

“I, uh…should go up then,” she finally managed to say.
 

“That is the duke’s wish, your Grace.” Luton smiled.

“All right then, I will,” Eva said this time with more force.
 

Pausing in the mirror, she checked her appearance and was pleased she still looked presentable. Squaring her shoulders, she then made her way upstairs. Pausing briefly outside the door, Eva drew a deep, steadying breath and then tapped lightly on the wood.
 

“Enter.”

Pushing it open, she walked inside.

Daniel looked up as his duchess walked through the door and his first thought was that she’d played him for a fool.
 

“Good evening, your Grace. I had not expected your return or I would have been here to greet you.”

She was beautiful. Her hair was the color of midnight and piled on top of her head, leaving the length of her pale elegant neck exposed. A delicate blush filled her cheeks and her eyes were the deep blue color of the Stratton sapphires and surround by thick, dark lashes. Her white outfit with peppermint trim did little to hide the gentle sway of her hips or the full curves of her breasts. Daniel’s eyes travelled the length of his wife’s body and wondered how he had failed to notice what had obviously been beneath those ugly dresses she had worn. Elegantly arched brows rose as he remained mute.      

“You should have told me Huxley had visited you,” he finally said because he couldn’t think of anything else.

Color leeched from her face at the words. He saw the fear in her eyes and if Daniel had needed confirmation of the threat Huxley presented, she had just given it.

“There was no need, your Grace - “

“There was every need,” Daniel said, moving closer until that subtle rose scent reached his nostrils. “What if he returns?”

“I would have taken measures to have him removed again.”

She was trying to stay calm as he crowded her but her breathing was rapid and her hands were clenched together. She’d gained weight, he noticed.
 
Her checks had filled out, as had her wrists, and she was now a woman who would draw any man’s eye.
 

“I was told that he threatened you, Duchess. Is this true?”

Rather than dropping her eyes as she had when first they’d wed, she kept them on his, and again he wondered if she’d played him for a fool.

“Daniel, must you interrogate your duchess when we have yet to be introduced?” Simon came to stand beside him. “Good evening, your Grace,” he added, holding out one hand. “My name is Viscount Kelkirk and it is an honor to meet you.”

“Good evening, Lord Kelkirk.”
 

She offered Simon an elegant curtsy, unlike the lopsided affair she’d been prone to when he’d first met her.

“If you will excuse me, your Grace, I am bound for my bed now, but shall look forward to becoming better acquainted with you in the morning.”

“Of course. Good evening, Lord Kelkirk.”

Daniel grunted something to Simon as his friend left the room.

“Did Gilbert Huxley threaten you, Duchess?”

“It matters not, your Grace, only that he left,” she said in a quiet voice.

He ran his eyes over her again, lingering on the curves of her breast. Damn, Daniel had never wanted a wife he could lust after.
 

“It appears much has changed in my absence, Duchess. Had my carriage reached the end of the drive before you threw away your dowdy clothes?”

      “Wh-what are you accusing me off, your Grace?” She wasn’t precisely glaring at him but to Daniel’s mind it was pretty close. “I was informed by Mr Neil, your steward, that I was allowed to spend some money on my clothes. Would you rather I had not?”