“The kind stranger from last night! I was hoping to see you again,” Aunt Isabelle said excited, glad that her predictions had come true.
“Hello, madam,” he said taking Aunt Isabelle’s hand and giving it a soft peck.
“What a gentleman! Come in, come in child! Join us for breakfast, there’s always room for one more!” Aunt Isabelle insisted as she invited him to stay. Lady Hannah looked at her Aunt, astonished.
Why would she invite him to stay for breakfast? We don’t even know him! All he did was lend us an umbrella! I know what she’s trying to do. She’s probably made up the entire story in her head. She thinks she’s found me a husband!
Lady Hannah didn’t know why, but for some reason Duke Anthony Reece gave her a sense of discomfort. She wasn’t sure whether it was the Duke himself, or just an unjustifiable feeling she had since she didn’t know him. What she was certain about was that she thought it was still too early to invite him over for breakfast.
“Thank you very much, but I will have to politely decline your bighearted offer. I have a few errands to run and it’s best that I should be on my way,” he said excusing himself.
“Well, if you must. But please stop by some other time,” Aunt Isabelle said to him, being hospitable.
“Yes, maybe another time. Goodbye ladies,” he said, as he left towards his waiting barouche.
The two of them went back to the dining table to finish their breakfast; her Aunt could not stop smiling.
“What are you so happy about?” asked Lady Hannah, highly amused by her Aunt’s behavior.
“I told you he liked you,” her Aunt said casually, as she took another bite.
“I hardly think so, there’s something about him. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about him is very mysterious,” Lady Hannah said, remembering how he seemed like two different men; one from the night before and one this morning.
“It’s all in your head, Hannah,” her Aunt Isabelle told her.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. Just like her Aunt, she too felt that he would be stopping by again later someday. At first, the thought of being courted by a Duke had been fascinating, now, she wasn’t too sure. It’s not always a blessing to get what you asked for, Hannah thought.
The next few days at the mansion were quiet and all the excitement her Aunt had had the past few days had died down; Duke Anthony Reece hadn’t visited. Lady Hannah had mentally prepared herself for such a letdown. She was in an awkward situation where she felt stuck between finding him attractive and mysterious at the same time. She had her mother’s sharp instincts when something was wrong and she felt that the Duke was bad news.
After about three days, while Lady Hannah was resting in her room reading a romance novel she had brought along with her from back home, there was another unexpected knock on the main front door. Even though she wanted to know who it was, she didn’t budge from where she lay hoping it was nobody, and that Earl would deal with whoever it was at the entrance. Within a few minutes, there was a knock on her door.
“Who is it? And what do you want?” asked Lady Hannah lazily, not wanting to get out of bed.
“Lady Hannah, it’s me Lillian. Duke Anthony Reece is waiting for you downstairs. He says he’d like to see you,” said Lillian the maid from the other side of the bedroom door.
Lady Hannah was stunned. What is he doing here? I did not really think he was coming back. I’m not even dressed appropriately! she thought, looking down at her casual morning dress she wore around the house.
“I will be right there, Lillian. Tell him to wait and please seat him in the sitting room,” Lady Hannah instructed her, as she quickly fixed her hair in the mirror and slipped on a nicer casual dress. She went downstairs and entered the sitting room to find him and her Aunt sitting on the settees, lost in conversation. Her Aunt saw Lady Hannah and ushered her to come and sit.
“Good you came,” said Aunt Isabelle, beaming with joy.
“Hello again, Hannah; I hope you are well,” Duke Anthony Reece said standing up and asking as she walked in, out of respect.
“Hello again, Duke Anthony Reece. Yes, I am well. What brings you here?” Lady Hannah asked him straightforwardly.
“Hannah! Why don’t you sit and we’ll all have a nice talk,” her Aunt Isabelle eyed her, when she asked him rudely about his visit.
“You must forgive her, she’s a little too honest sometimes,” her Aunt said, apologizing to the Duke on Lady Hannah’s behalf.
“That’s perfectly alright. It’s good to be honest, it shows good intentions,” said Duke Anthony smirking, highly amused by Lady Hannah’s prudish behavior towards him.
“You still did not answer my question,” Lady Hannah said, ignoring what both of them had said about her.
“I came to see you again,” said Duke Anthony looking straight at her. Lady Hannah watched him suspiciously.
“Why don’t you have a seat Hannah and I will let you two have a talk alone to see if you’ve got any common grounds,” Aunt Isabelle said getting up to leave the room.
Lady Hannah sat across from Duke Anthony, close enough to hear him and far enough to avoid his alluring and good-looking face. After Aunt Isabelle had left, he continued smiling at Lady Hannah.
“You know you’re a very odd man, the first one I’ve met of this kind,” Lady Hannah said, trying to figure him out.
“I know, I get that a lot for some reason,” replied Duke Anthony, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I’m surprised you even came back,” Lady Hannah said blatantly.
“Were you waiting for me?” Duke Anthony asked with a smug smile, liking the interest she was showing in him.
“I wasn’t waiting. I was just thinking…” Lady Hannah said defensively, turning her face and looking around the room to avoid his eyes.
“I came because I like you. That night I wasn’t planning to meet anyone and yet fate had me run into you. I tried to forget you but my heart led me to your doorsteps. When I saw you again, I knew I had to know you,” Duke Anthony said unraveling his thoughts and feelings all at once.
“I’ve heard odd things about you,” Lady Hannah said after hearing his confession.
“What kind of things?” asked Duke Anthony with a hint of worry on his face.
“Well, I heard that you weren’t really interested in marrying again after your… wife passed away. They also said you don’t talk about it much,” Lady Hannah told him hesitantly, regretting having mentioned his late wife when he had specifically come to see her.
Duke Anthony was clearly uncomfortable, he shifted in his seat straightening his back; he was clearly thinking of what to say to her.
“I’m sorry if I spoke of something that you aren’t comfortable with but if you’re here to court me, I should know at least of the rumors hovering around, to quiet them because I like you, too, and I wouldn’t want us to begin with lies,” Lady Hannah said in a more sympathetic tone after seeing him react in the way that he did.
“You’re right. I know there are rumors about me. I loved my wife dearly -” he began saying “-after her death I started believing that I could never love again, that I wouldn’t find anybody right for me… but then that day, at a ball I had no interest of attending, I lent my umbrella to an elderly woman and I fell in love at first sight with the beautiful young lady walking with her,” Duke Anthony said calmly, narrating.
Lady Hannah, had always felt it, that there was some chemistry between them the moment they had laid eyes on one another, but because she was afraid of heartbreak, she ignored it; today however, the words had come so easily from his mouth. She was happy to hear them.
As they looked at each other, sitting across from one another in Lady Hannah’s Aunt’s house, confessing they liked each other, confused from the outside, happy from the inside, she couldn’t help but smile; the man for her had been at the ball that night, after all.
Chapter 6
Since Duke Anthony’s unexpected visit, the two o
f them had grown closer together. Lady Hannah’s stay had been prolonged to two weeks longer so that she may be able to know him better. He started stopping by almost every day, always staying for either dinner or tea, depending on what time he arrived. The two of them would have their private walks in the garden. At first they would walk side by side, maintaining a considerable amount of distance between them, but soon enough she had an arm interlocked with his arm and fingers intertwined as they grew fonder and fonder of each other.
She learnt in just a week that he was a kind and sensitive man, although she had figured that already from the night of the ball. He was generous and never rude and she had a difficult time looking away from his face; the face she began to adore. She was falling in love, deep and fast. There was still some mystery to his demeanor, for instance, he would still not speak of his past much, which Lady Hannah gathered would be because it reminded him of his late wife, but as much as she wanted to believe that was solely the reason, she could not. She always felt as if there was something he was not telling her, of course he didn’t need to, not when they were just beginning to like each other, but by the end of the week, when they had shared long hours of conversation and personal moments, she felt that she deserved the truth, whatever it was and whatever it was about. Her thoughts went from thinking about him all day to thinking about what he was hiding, and soon enough it began to show in her behavior, clear upon her face at how upset she was.
One evening when Duke Anthony came around his usual time and they went out for their walk, Lady Hannah decided that she would ask him upfront about his dark past.
“Isn’t the weather just lovely today? Reminds me of the evening we met!” Duke Anthony said smiling at his beloved, putting an arm around her waist.
“It reminds you of that? It reminds me of darkness and all sorts of things that could hide therein. How the light doesn’t touch it because it is undeserving or maybe the dark is too afraid for light to shine upon it?” Lady Hannah said slightly tauntingly, not reacting well to his caring touch.
“What do you mean by that Lady Hannah? I get the feeling that you’re upset with me? What is it that I have done?” Duke Anthony asked, picking up the bitterness in her voice as she spoke.
“I’m glad you caught on, I was afraid you wouldn’t. There’s been something that has been bothering me for a while and I’ve honestly tried to brush it aside but I cannot do so any longer,” Lady Hannah finally said out loud.
“Well, what is it?” Duke Anthony asked worriedly and getting frustrated as well.
“I need to know about your past; you always seem to be so reserved and closed off about it, like it haunts you still, like there’s some business left unfinished and I’m afraid I’m falling in love with you, but you have a secret and that scares me, it really does. I need to know,” Lady Hannah said feeling both liberated and upset.
“Lady Hannah…I…It’s just…I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m falling in love with you, too…” Duke Anthony said, his words drifting off into silence.
“I’ve been through a lot; let’s just keep it at that, shall we?” Duke Anthony said, regaining his senses.
Lady Hannah looked at him displeased, saddened that maybe he didn’t trust her enough to let all his secrets out and his feelings show.
“That’s it? I’ve practically confessed my love to you and this is all you’ve got to say?!” Lady Hannah said, fighting back her tears, not wanting to appear weak in front of him.
“I’m sorry Lady Hannah, but that’s all I can say. I promise you it is nothing that could affect the both of us now in any ill way. It will never affect the love I have for you. You are the woman who has brought me back to life, I will love you forever and even after that,” Duke Anthony said both emotionally and poetically.
Lady Hannah watched his face, trying to understand him. What could be so horrid that he could not tell her? Why wouldn’t he tell the woman he loved about it? How could she let this go? How could she forget about something that he refused to tell her every moment that they were together? His face would always remind her of the secrets that he was keeping hidden in those eyes, the things he’d seen but wouldn’t tell.
Duke Anthony was just about to say something when Aunt Isabelle called for them.
“You two lovebirds, get in here! It’s getting dark and dinner is ready! Hurry up before it gets cold!” Aunt Isabelle yelled loud enough so that they could hear her.
The footman had offered to summon them himself, but Aunt Isabelle had insisted she could call for them herself; she wanted to see them in the garden together. Seeing the two of them so deeply in love had given her pure joy, so much in fact that she would forget about the pain her joints caused her.
It was Aunt Isabelle who had written to Lady Claire, requesting that Lady Hannah be able to stay with her a little longer, since there was a very rich and able Duke interested in courting her. She knew her sister enough to have made the decision alone, but out of common courtesy she wrote to her sister anyway, asking for her formal permission. Lady Claire had been delighted reading the letter and had happily agreed, granting Lady Hannah permission to stay two weeks longer.
Lady Hannah had kissed her Aunt on the cheek after she had read that letter out loud and couldn’t wait to tell Duke Anthony herself, in the evening when she was expecting him. It had been a week or so to this story and she felt the days of her departure coming closer. But he still hadn’t proposed because for some reason, he could not. He would need to meet her parents first, however, as this was how this was done in the Quinn’s household. Lady Beatrice had had her future husband offer his proposal by directly speaking to her father, anything else would be considered much too distasteful and disrespectful. Hannah’s thoughts shifted back to the present as she heard her Aunt calling them.
Lady Hannah saw her elderly Aunt waving from the door.
“We’ll be right there, Aunt Isabelle!” yelled Lady Hannah, but her Aunt had not heard her.
She looked at Duke Anthony, who gave her a shrug and apologetic look. She picked up her dress and walked back towards the house, still frustrated.
Duke Anthony rushed forward to hold the door open for Lady Hannah. She ignored his charming behavior and maintained her serious face as she walked right past him. An excited Aunt Isabelle was seated at the dinner table, as usual. She was excited to see a love story happen right before her very own eyes, the love story of her favorite niece. She hadn’t had one of her own, and this was the closest she could have had to her own perfect love story. But little did she know that it was not all rainbows and butterflies between the two of them; she was soon to find that out.
Usually Lady Hannah would seat herself right next to Duke Anthony, so that they could be the closest they could be at the dinner table. Today, however, she sat across from him, not looking up to meet his eyes. Duke Anthony looked at his plate sadly, with his head sunk low. Aunt Isabelle immediately caught on to the tension between them and her excitement faded.
“What is the matter with the two of you?” Aunt Isabelle asked feeling uncomfortable.
“Nothing,” Lady Hannah responded still not lifting her head up as Duke Anthony remained silent.
“Surely, it can’t be nothing when usually you can’t even eat because you’re too busy staring at each other, today you can’t take your eyes off your plates!” Aunt Isabelle pointed out agitated at her answer.
The two of them remained quiet, listening to Aunt Isabelle speak.
“Whatever it is, it can be sorted out. You both need to speak to each other for that to happen though. Don’t let something small get in between something grand,” Aunt Isabelle said after calming down, advising the young couple wisely.
Both Lady Hannah and Duke Anthony continued staring at their plates.
“Love is both a beautiful and a dangerous thing. It is the only feeling strong enough to make us selfless, it can make flowers bloom in barren deserts and rain fall where the sun shone harshest, but when it’s gone for
even a moment it can create storms that can never be tamed. Love is the good with the bad, love is finding the eyes that remind you of home, the voice that calms your nerves, the heart that now is yours, too,” Aunt Isabelle said trying to make them reconnect.
Lady Hannah looked up after being moved by Aunt Isabelle’s words; she saw Duke Anthony raise his head, too.
She’s right, whatever it is, if he doesn’t want to tell me, maybe it’s better for me not to know. What I do know is far better, I know he loves me. I know that he would do anything in the world for me, what else do I need? This isn’t what true love stories look like. I should say sorry to him. He didn’t deserve any of this.
“I’m sorry,” Lady Hannah said shamefully looking at Duke Anthony.
He smiled softly hearing those words.
“It’s alright Lady Hannah,” Duke Anthony said reaching out his hand for hers. He put his hand on hers gently, assuring her that everything was okay.
Aunt Isabelle watched them quietly as they reconciled, feeling warm inside.
“I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that. I trust you, I know you love me. That is more than enough and all that I will ever need,” Lady Hannah said smiling, more so when he placed his loving hand on hers.
“Don’t apologize, Lady Hannah. I know you meant it only out of love and care for the both of us, to save what we have and to help it grow. I admire that, I love you more for it. I will never stop telling you, that you are the woman who saved me, for that I can go through a thousand more nights like these. Just to have you there with me, by my side at the end of the day,” Duke Anthony said to her lovingly and romantically.
Lady Hannah blushed profusely, her cheeks were flushing red and she couldn’t stop smiling.
“Look at you two! Look at how you patched things up so quickly like mature adults! You both are the coolness to my eyes. I see the love between you two and I feel joy,” Aunt Isabelle said placing her hand on top of theirs.
“Thank you Aunt Isabelle, for being my mother,” Lady Hannah said getting up out of her seat and embracing her Aunt tightly.
Historical Hearts Romance Collection Page 22
