Dukes by the Dozen

by Grace Burrowes

  “My wife was prone to temper tantrums. One night, it was storming, but she decided to leave. I wasn’t there, and none of the servants knew why she insisted on leaving that night. The coachman refused to take her, but she convinced one of the younger grooms to drive the coach. She took Lillian with her.”

  Kendal should have been there. If he had postponed his trip to another of his estates for one day, he would have been able to stop his wife. “The coach ended up in the river. The head groom and some of the others had followed her when they discovered the coach missing, but the groom who had been driving was dead, as was my wife. Only Lillian was alive.”

  This was always the hardest part to think about. He’d never told the story to anyone else, but he wanted to tell Thalia. He had to take several breaths before he could continue. “I came home as soon as I received the message, but I could do nothing to save her.”

  Thalia’s hand covered his. “Unless you believe yourself to be soothsayer, you are not at fault. You could not have known.”

  He covered her fingers with his own. “That is what Berwick always tells me.”

  She drew in a sharp breath, and paled so alarmingly Kendal thought she would faint. “Berwick-upon-Tweed?”

  “Yes.” What was going on? “He was my guardian. Thalia, what is it?”

  Closing her eyes, she shook her head, but two tears seeped from beneath her lashes. “My—my father is trying to arrange a match for me with him.”

  Kendal felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. “No.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “It’s true.”

  But it wasn’t possible. He’d just come from Berwick, who hadn’t mentioned another marriage. Something wasn’t right. “It might be what your father wishes, but I can almost guarantee you that Berwick does not.”

  “I do not understand. Father said Berwick needed an heir.”

  Raising her hands, Kendal kissed them. “Berwick has a nephew he loves as his own son.” Then Kendal remembered what the man had said. Go to Wintering. There is someone you will find interesting. Kendal wanted to crow. “He knew you were going to be here.” Gazing into her eyes, he knew that his mentor had known him better than Kendal knew himself. “He wanted us to meet.”

  And wed. He had never felt such a strong pull toward any lady. It wasn’t any one thing. Not her intelligence, or her calm nature, or even the way she had gazed down at her little nephew with such love. It was that she was exactly the type of lady he had always dreamed of marrying and never thought he could find. Yet he had. For the first time, he could envision a future filled with love, and children, and a meeting of minds. Was this love? It must be. Now he just needed to convince Thalia to spend the rest of her life with him.

  Chapter 4

  “But how?” Thalia did not understand. “And why?”

  “He has been gently nudging me toward marrying again. I don’t know how he knew or why he thought you and I would be right for each other.” He wrapped his large hands around both of hers and kissed them again. “Thalia. May I call you Thalia?” She looked at their hands together. She was falling in love, but how could that have happened so soon? She could not speak above a whisper. “Yes.”

  “And I want you to call me Giles. No one else does.” He held her hands to his cheeks and kissed them again. “I have never been in love before, but I believe with my whole heart that I am falling in love with you.” He touched his forehead to their clasped hands. She had never known how important to love hands were. “Please tell me you feel the same.”

  “Yes. Giles, yes.” Her fears fell away and her heart took flight, pounding fiercely in her breast. “I think I am falling in love with you as well.” But they faced a powerful problem. “What about my father?”

  “We will think of something.” Gently disengaging his hands from hers, he drew her into his arms. “I won’t allow him to come between us.” Giles lowered his lips to hers, and softly kissed her before moving off the bench and lowering himself to one knee. “Thalia, my love, will you be my wife and helpmate for the rest of our lives?”

  She did not think she had ever been so happy. No, she knew she had never been. “Yes. I would love to be your wife.”

  Yet as soon as she agreed to marry him, her mind spun with the implications. This is what her married brothers and sisters had gone through. Every time each had found the perfect mate, their father had tried to stop the marriage. Thalia and Giles needed help, and she knew where to obtain it.

  “We need to talk to my brothers and sisters. They might even know what is going on with Berwick.” Rising, she took Kendal’s hand. “Let us find them.”

  That turned out to be easier than she had expected. Leading him to the nearest French window, she opened it to find, not only her sisters, brothers-in-law and Hawksworth, but Quartus and his wife as well. Before Thalia could get a word out, Laia bustled to her and hugged her. “I am so happy for you!”

  Giles placed his mouth close to Thalia’s ear. “When your mother said to remain in view of the house, I didn’t know we would be so avidly chaperoned.”

  “Oh, my dear,” her aunt said, “I knew by the way Kendal looked at you at the market that the two of you would make a match. Thank goodness it did not take long.”

  “From the way you described it”—her uncle, who had joined them, took her aunt’s hand—“it was the same way I looked when I first saw you. Or that’s what my mother told me.”

  Everyone laughed, and her uncle called for champagne. Thalia glanced around the room. “Should we not wait for Mama?”

  Her brothers and sisters exchanged looks, then Meg said, “She cannot be here. Catherine will be extremely happy for you, but with the twins and Mary still young, Catherine she cannot take the chance that the duke will discover she was part of this in any way.”

  “I see.” How sad for her. Then what Meg had said struck Thalia. She exchanged a look with Kendal and saw the same question in his eyes. “Perhaps you can tell us how this all came about?”

  “I can help explain that.” Standing in the door was a large man with thick silver hair and striking dark-blue eyes. “Lady Thalia.” He bowed, and when he straightened, he glanced at Kendal. “Well, my boy?”

  Her betrothed dropped his jaw, but quickly snapped it shut. “My love, allow me to introduce the Duke of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Berwick, my betrothed, Lady Thalia.”

  Berwick’s laugh filled the room. “I’m glad to see you didn’t waste any time. Well done.”

  She rubbed the place between her brows. “I’m confused.”

  Meg stepped over and took Thalia’s hand. “Come, have a seat, and we shall explain everything.”

  Champagne was served, tea was brought in, and she and Giles were congratulated by everyone present. Although her mother always vowed that a cup of tea was the best restorative, Thalia decided to have a second glass of champagne. It was the bubbles she liked so much. She had never had a drink that tickled her nose before.

  Meg sat on a large chair with Hawksworth propped on the arm. “I suppose I should begin at the beginning. My grandmother Featherton, the Duchess of Bridgewater—”

  “They helped Markville and me,” Euphrosyne interrupted.

  “Yes,” Meg said. “One can always depend upon my grandmother’s and the duchess’s assistance. They made it possible for Hawksworth and me to marry as well. For you, we studied all the information available to us and came up with a very short list of gentlemen your father was likely to approach concerning your marriage.”

  Thalia was surprised they had taken so much time on her behalf.

  Berwick took up the story. “I have a piece of property that marches along the boundary of a Somerset property in York. Many know that it is unentailed, but most do not know that it was my late wife’s dower property and, according to her wishes, it will go to the grandchild who needs it the most.” His tone became gruff with emotion. “I will not part with it under any other circumstances.”

  He took a sip of wine. “Before Somerset a
pproached me, the Duchess of Bridgewater wrote me informing me that if he offered you in marriage, I was to write to Lady Hawksworth.”

  The corners of Giles’s lips tilted up, and he squeezed Thalia’s hand. “At some point, you contacted Hull. His duchess was either already planning a house party, or decided to hold a house party to which I would be invited.”

  “Yes.” Laia spoke up. “We wanted to make sure that you were the right one for our sister. If you had grown close to one of the ladies at the house party, we would have known that you were not the right gentleman.”

  “Her Grace of Hull was happy to help,” Euphrosyne said. “She and her husband sheltered Markville and me after our marriage.”

  “There is no love lost between Hull and Somerset,” Markville added.

  “Yes, yes,” Berwick said. “And time was of the essence. I had no doubt Somerset would browbeat Thalia into accepting someone — me if I offered first.”

  “And if you did not offer . . .” The heat left Giles’s hand. “What would have happened?”

  Hawksworth scowled. “The other choice was so bad that I would have sent Thalia to Frank and Jenny rather than allow her to marry him.”

  Giles’s eyes widened. “In America?”

  Her brother gave one short nod. “Yes.”

  Thalia took a deep breath. He was talking about what would have happened, not what was going to occur. “But now that Kendal and I have decided we wish to wed, how do we go about doing it?”

  Kendal’s brow rose in a dukely manner. “Naturally, I shall approach your father and give him what he wants to allow your marriage to me.”

  “No!” everyone in the room shouted at the same time.

  “No?” Giles’s tone was soft, but almost dangerous.

  “Allow me to explain.” Markville drained his glass. “I did that, and I would not wish what happened to us on anyone. Somerset betrothed Euphrosyne to Ross.”

  “Not the current duke?” Giles asked with surprise.

  “No, the one who died last year. Full of the French pox and an opium eater,” Thalia said. Laia had told Thalia about the man.

  “She was carrying our child, and the cur would still not allow our marriage,” Markville said.

  Kendal dragged a hand down his face. “Good Lord.”

  “The sad fact of the matter,” Bolton said, “is that the man cares nothing about his children. His sole purpose is to marry them to anyone who can increase the wealth of the dukedom, and, to him, that means acquiring more land adjacent to his own.”

  “Exactly,” Meg agreed. “Whatever we decide must be kept among those of us here.”

  Suddenly, the stories Kendal had heard began to make sense. “That is the reason none of you were invited to any of the events at Hull.”

  Thalia’s aunt nodded. “We needed to keep our presence here as quiet as possible.” She gave a wry grin. “Fortunately, we have no single young gentlemen with us who must be entertained.”

  “Thalia said you were normally in Wiltshire,” Kendal remarked. All this had been extremely well coordinated and planned. “If I continue to travel back and forth from Hull, someone is bound to notice.” Probably the young ladies at the Duchess of Hull’s house party.

  “If you do not mind terribly”—Lady Hawksworth’s tone was apologetic, but it also conveyed determination—“we had planned to keep you here with us.”

  “How will I explain my absence?” All his clothes and his servants were at Hull.

  “There is no problem about that.” The duchess gave him a too-innocent look. “Once Millie and I saw which way the wind was blowing, and if you agreed to remain here, she would tell the rest of her party that you were called away to attend to a dire problem on one of your estates. I expect your servants and belongings will be here shortly.”

  He must have been looking as if he didn’t agree, for Berwick said, “It’s the best way to do this, my boy.”

  Thalia had a worried look in her beautiful eyes. “If you do not wish to remain—”

  “Of course I do. I am just not used to matters being taken out of my hands.” Even though his marriage had been disastrous, honoring his father’s plan had been his decision. It was the only time he and Berwick had truly argued. “What do we do now?”

  Hawksworth had been refilling everyone’s glasses with champagne—no one had been interested in tea—and set the bottle down. “Tomorrow, you and I, representing Talia, shall work out a settlement agreement. Berwick has a plan to trick Somerset into signing it, but even if he does not, I will dower Thalia, as I did for Euphrosyne.”

  Kendal’s jaw tightened. “I don’t care about her dowry.”

  “But I do.” Thalia squeezed his hand. “I care.”

  “Very well.” Catching her eyes, he gazed at her, and despite all the scheming to get them together, he did not want to even think about how much luck had played into their meeting and falling in love. “I will hazard a guess that she is not of age.” She shook her head. “How and where are we going to marry?”

  Berwick grinned. “Do you remember Whiteadder Hall?”

  “Yes.” Kendal had loved playing there as a child and hearing the stories surrounding the old house. “That is perfect.”

  The rest of the group leaned forward in their seats, but Thalia asked the question. “Where is it?”

  “It’s west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border with Scotland.”

  “If Somerset does not agree to the wedding, would we travel across the border to marry?”

  “I’d planned to do that with Euphrosyne.” Markville frowned. “He abducted her before we could depart.”

  “We need not leave the property at all.” Kendal smiled smugly. “The estate’s chapel is in Scotland.”

  “Excellent.” Thalia’s smile could not have been wider or more adoring. “That will solve everything.”

  Kendal only prayed she was right.

  * * *

  That evening, everyone was in good spirits as they left the house for town. Kendal had been to midsummer revelries before, and vowed he would keep Thalia at his side. Thankfully, she must have had the same thoughts, as she turned down every request to dance and remained with him throughout the evening. It was his right to be the only one to stand up with her. They were betrothed. Or as betrothed as they could be. Everyone in her family agreed with the marriage except the duke, and that would have to do.

  They skipped and twirled in the country dances, which at times left them almost breathless. Her aunt had had the forethought to bring lemonade, as the only thing available locally was ale.

  He had two glasses, and offered a taste to Thalia, who wrinkled her nose adorably. “I am not fond of ale, no matter how good it is.”

  At one point, he danced her behind a large chestnut tree and kissed her, teasing her lips open and sweeping his tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of the lemonade. She tentatively touched her tongue to his, and his knees almost buckled as his cock hardened. The one thing he had not asked was how long it would be before they could marry. After the story about her sister’s abduction, he would not make Thalia his until he had a ring on her finger.

  But her soft body pressed against his, and her hands slipped over his shoulders. Kendal pulled Thalia against him, skating his hands down her back and over her bottom. God how he wanted her. Her breasts pressed into his chest, and he had to touch them, and press his knee between her legs. He could feel the heat at the apex of her thighs. She moaned, and he had the urge to throw her into a coach and flee for the border, now. When she shattered in his arms, it was all he could do to keep from spilling. If only he could make love to her.

  Then another couple, who were much more overtly amorous than they were, which at the moment was saying something, decided the tree was a good place to indulge in their lust. When the woman lifted her skirts, Kendal led Thalia away.

  Hell and damnation! He’d better marry her as soon as he could. He calculated how long it would take to travel to Whiteadder Hall, jus
t a few miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed, and realized the journey could not be done in less than three days with all of her family and the children accompanying them. More likely five days. If that was the case, how soon could they depart for Whiteadder? Thalia had said she was fixed here until June. But did she have to be? Could he convince her family to move to Whiteadder much sooner?

  Thalia kissed his jaw. “You are being very quiet.”

  He gazed down into her eyes and knew he’d never tire of them.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “How quickly we could wed.”

  Mirth replaced the solemn look and warmed the blue. “As far as I am concerned, the sooner the better.”

  “I feel as if I have known you all my life.” It almost scared him how much he loved Thalia, when a day ago he had not even known she existed. What would have happened if he had ignored Berwick or if Kendal had escorted one of the ladies at Hull to the fair today? So many things could have gone awry, and he never would have met her.

  “I feel as if I have been waiting for you.” She gifted him with another of her smiles. “Did I tell you that when Meg found out Somerset”—Kendal noticed that duke’s children rarely referred to the man as “father”—“had betrothed Laia to the old duke of Bolton, she invited Guy to her house and suggested he marry her instead?”

  Kendal couldn’t stop himself from laughing at his vision of the former Guy Paulet’s stunned expression. “What did he say?”

  “That he would have to meet her first.” Thalia grinned. “If I am not mistaken, two weeks later they had decided to wed.” Her finely arched brows drew together. “Euphrosyne and Markville fell in love before then. And Hawksworth said that the first time he saw Meg, he wanted to marry her. Although it took him a long time to convince her that she wanted to marry him. Do you think falling in love quickly runs in my family?”

  Something obviously did. If Kendal were being poetic, he might say it was a purity of heart. Perhaps the way their father behaved made them more prone to want to find someone to love. Could the lack of love or even friendship in Kendal’s first marriage have made it easier for him to fall in love when he finally met the one lady who was perfect for him? “I don’t know, but it might be that the heart knows what it wants regardless of time.”