“Yes, Thomas,” she responded sheepishly.
“Do you believe me now?” Thomas inquired.
As they spoke, they walked out of the room going along the same route, they took the first time.
Their walk was slow, giving her the chance to look around. She stared at the paintings once again but before she could ask who he was, Thomas responded.
“That is the original owner of the house,” he explained, “the Duke’s grandfather.”
“That’s nice,” she responded half-heartedly.
The two words were all she could get out as her heart sank. She looked around and could see the vast difference between how she lived and how the nobles did. The warmth inside the house reminded her of the intense cold waiting for her on her return home. The mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine. She frowned and the light in her eyes dimmed in her distress. Caught up in her sad thought, she stumbled over her feet.
“Are you all right?” Thomas asked, holding her shoulders to steady her.
His touch and the deep concern in his voice shocked her out of her thoughts.
“No… I mean yes… I am fine. Now get your hands off me,” she ordered.
“My apologies. I think you also owe me an apology. Have you forgotten?”
“Wait! I did not call you a con artist, I only—” she stopped as her eyes opened wider. “You heard me when I was outside alone,” she said feeling a little embarrassed.
Thomas chuckled.
“The next time you want to say bad things about someone, make sure they are not around,” he told her.
“Now, the apology?” he added as they got to the last room that led outside.
Mary Ann stared up at him.
“I do not have to apologize for anything,” she stated folding her arms on her chest.
Her action brought her cleavage to attention and though Thomas seemed to catch a glimpse of this, she didn’t care. In fact, she secretly loved the look on his face when he saw it – desire.
“Oh! You have to, woman,” Thomas responded quickly.
“Fine, you are not as bad as I thought. That still does not make me wrong to assume,” she told him.
Thomas frowned a bit, trying to make sense of what she had just said before bursting out in laughter.
“That is not an apology, now is it?” he questioned.
“That is the one you are getting, so you can call it whatever you want,” Mary Ann told him with a joking smile.
“I wonder what His Grace will say when he hears about this,” he said in a serious tone. The statement seemed to suck the laughter out of her as she stared blankly at him. Her heart started beating fast as she knew that would cause more harm than good for her. There was a deafening silence around them. Then, Thomas smiled revealing a set of perfect white teeth.
“I got you,” he chuckled.
To her surprise his laughter made her feel at ease in his presence. She joined in this as they stepped into the darkness waiting outside. They stayed at the doorstep for a couple of seconds for their eyes to adjust to the darkness, but there wasn’t much change.
“I should get a candle for you,” Thomas suggested as he motioned inside but Mary Ann held him back.
“No,” she declined in a whisper, “I can find my way.”
She was quite adept at seeing in the dark already, having spent many nights bumping around her hovel of a home with no money to buy candles.
“Are you sure about that? It is quite dark,” he tried to explain.
“Of course. I know these streets more than anything. I can walk around with my eyes closed,” she lied. “Moreover, the Duke needs you inside too, you have been away for far too long.”
Without waiting for him to respond, Mary Ann stepped into the darkness, hoping she wouldn’t get lost trying to find her way. It wasn’t her first time walking in the dark, but after being with Thomas for that long, she somehow wished he was with her.
“Goodbye Thomas,” she whispered as she walked away.
She took one last glance at the house and realized there was light in a room upstairs. She guessed that it was the odd-looking Duke’s room. She hadn’t walked more than a few seconds in the street before she heard a footstep. She waved it off thinking her mind was playing tricks on her but the sound moved closer. Her mind went to the previous happenings of the day and thought about the men from earlier.
Could they be the ones coming? What am I going to do? Should I run?
Is the sound just a figment of my imagination?
As she thought this, the footsteps became louder that she could not deny it. The thought of running crossed her mind as she would have a fair head start but she knew she wouldn’t get far on her legs. So, she decided on the next best idea she could think of – scream for help.
Help! Somebody help! Anybody!
There was no sound.
Her lips trembled with only cold air slowly seeping out of her mouth.
She came to sudden realization. I cannot speak!
Help! Please, somebody! she tried again hoping things would be different this time. But she was wrong and it was too late now, the footsteps were louder with just few feet between them.
Chapter 11
It was quite dark , and the wind fluttered the tree branches to make the night look even more frightening. There were stars, no doubt in the sky but what good could they be if there was no moon to light the path.
This countryside has got to be the worse.
Thomas had only walked for a few minutes but didn’t know where Mary Ann had gone. He didn’t believed the search would have taken this long since she left a couple of minutes ago. His legs were becoming weary and that made him contemplate shouting her name. He was just about to do this when he realized that it would only attract more attention than he wanted. Or worse, scare her off if she couldn’t recognize his voice.
As he looked around for her with a candle in hand, his mind began to about his reason for doing this. He kept telling himself that he was doing this because letting a young lady walk by herself in the dark was the wrong thing to do. However, he couldn’t convince himself that was the only reason, no matter how hard he tried.
Plagued by his thoughts, he picked up his pace and continued to search for her. He was so out breath that by the time he had realized someone was there, he ran into her with full force.
“Watch where you are going, mister,” the familiar voice exclaimed angrily with a hint of fear causing her voice to crack.
Trying to help her steady herself, he didn't realize that had stepped on a part of her dress, causing them to fall over. Thomas’ body broke the fall, limiting any damage that could have been done to her.
“I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you and make you fall,” he apologized quickly while still lying partly on top of her.
Mary Ann’s eyes twitched like they did when they were under the wagon at the market.
Temper, temper.
“It is fine,” she told him as her faced relaxed into a mild frown.
“But will you get off me now?”
Thomas got the message a little too late and reacted even slower. He hadn’t noticed his position until that moment. He was lying partly on top of Mary Ann, with one of his arms on the ground and the other placed gently on her perky breast. Even through her dress, he could feel the warmth. It looked even better than he had seen in the glimpse before and he could feel the roundness of the breast in his palm. His gaze moved slowly from her cleavage to her. He gulped and then everything came crashing at him.
“Oh, pardon me, I did not mean to—” he stuttered as he jolted back to reality.
He didn’t just struggle to explain himself, but also to stand on his feet. It felt as if he should still lay with her, enjoying her warmth even in the bone-gnawing cold. But he was up and his hands were stretched to help Mary Ann up, but she got up herself.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, affection showing in his voice.
“I am fine, no thanks
to you. Are you?” she asked her voice still maintaining its usual spunk.
Thomas checked himself for any injuries, but he noticed something else instead. He realized his member had risen in his trouser, and he looked toward Mary Ann who didn’t appear to notice anything in the dark.
Perfect!
“Are you hurt?” Mary Ann reiterated.
“No, I am fine as well.”
“I am not convinced. Let me take a look,” Mary Ann suggested as she moved closer to him.
Thomas caught her hands just before they touched him. They stared deeply at one another for a couple of seconds but it felt like minutes, hours for Thomas. And within that time, he had basked in the tenderness of her eyes that made him want to hold her closer and the soothing sound of her voice “Well, if you say that you are fine, then I believe you,” she said surrendering as Thomas released her hands.
“May I ask what brought you here in the first place?”
Even though the question was simple, the answer wasn’t, not for Thomas anyway. His mind had one answer, his body had another, but his mouth uttered what he knew would sound best.
“It did not settle well with me to let you walk back home in the dark,” he explained moving closer toward her hoping that she would not see his protruding trousers.
“Then why did you not state that from the beginning.” The response came faster than he had expected and it threw him off in a way only she could.
That didn’t go as planned.
“Well, you left before I could state it and my conscience would not allow me to let a cripple walk alone on these dangerous streets by herself,” he explained in a loud and clear voice. “I owe it to you and to myself to make sure that you get to your abode safely.”
The twitch had returned to her face, and it was more visible this time. It made Thomas wonder what was wrong with her when the he realized what he had just said
Cripple.
Before he could respond, she walked briskly away from him. Thomas wished he could take back his words. At least the one word that angered her, but it was impossible. He raced to join her immediately and could see her deep frown as she marched ahead. He wanted to hold her so they could talk it out but he knew that would only get anger her more.
“Why are you so quiet? Scared of the dark?” he asked hoping that it would break the silence but he received no response. Not even a murmur or a grunt.
He knew he was wrong which was why he was doing everything to get her to talk, except apologize. He noticed the more he tried to get her to talk, the faster she walked. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to allow her to outpace him.
After few minutes of walking in silence, they arrived in the town. The town was no different than where they were coming from, only that there were still people outside; drunks, con artists, robbers, and bullies. Mostly people that you wouldn’t want to have a conversation with.
“So,” Thomas began when Mary Ann turned abruptly.
She grabbed Thomas’ collar pulling down him down to her hands.
“I know that you are an impetuous and reckless person who does not care about who you hurt with that mouth of yours,” she snarled. “But the next time you call me cripple, I will make sure that you become one yourself.”
“Is that a threat?” Thomas inquired maintaining the same low tone.
“Why don’t you call me cripple one more time to find out?”
The confidence and anger in which she spoke got to Thomas. In his defense, he blurted out the word unconsciously. He knew he was wrong but there was nothing much he could do. He could understand how she felt and wished to apologize but when he opened his mouth, something entirely different came out.
“Fine by me,” he later responded. “Can you release me now? There is no need to spoil my chance of trying by snapping my neck off right now, don’t you think?”
Mary Ann still held on to his neck and collar as they kept their eyes locked. It took another minute for her to let go of him.
“Glad we had this talk,” Thomas said as he straightened his outfit.
For the second time that night, his heart was beating rapidly as he found himself staring at her, the perfect body wrapped in an imperfect outfit. As she walked away, he watched her hips sway and he felt his hair stand as goosebumps rose on his skin. The body was like a painting. Her large curvy hips that were complemented by her tiny waist and the way her hair bounced off her shoulders as she walked were all a gentleman as himself could dream about. Only it wasn’t a dream, Thomas powerless to it.
What a beauty!
Mary Ann turned to face him and it made him wonder if she could hear his thoughts.
“Thank you for the walk. My house is just around the corner. You can go now,” she told him.
It sounded more like an order than a statement. As if to soften it, she gave Thomas a broad smile showing her teeth which looked more like an angry growl. “Happy to help,” Thomas muttered as he watched Mary Ann walk toward the corner, slowly disappearing out of his sight.
Thomas stood at that spot staring after she left. He was impressed, not just by her beauty, but her self-will. Even though somewhat annoying, the way she put her foot down was attractive to Thomas. She looked nothing like a girl you would find in a ballroom or salon, but she was somewhat of a lady of her own. True, she didn’t fit the noble life with her look, but that was just a part of the magic that surrounded her.
Her protruded cheekbones when she smiled bore no fake modest. It showed only the light in her eyes; the spark that caused his heart to leap. He couldn’t help but imagine how pretty she would look if she cleaned up and was wearing something more befitting. He was still on this thought when he heard a clinking sound followed by a gentle nudge beside him.
“Do you have a penny to spare?” an impoverished boy with an almost rotten iron plate asked.
Thomas couldn’t help but notice how malnourished he was. His eyes were big as his nose and from where Thomas stood he could count his ribs.
“Don’t disturb the fine man,” a drunk man mumbled with much incoherency, “he just had his heartbroken by that girl that just left.”
Thomas turned to face the man with his face showing how he felt – furious. The drunkard also saw this. Not wanting to be taken seriously, he kept his mouth shut but this didn’t save him from Thomas’ glare. Begrudgingly, he staggered away, pouring most of his drink on the floor.
“Mister,” the voice he had forgotten called to him again, “do—?”
Before he could complete his request, Thomas pulled out three pence from his pocket and dropped it one after the other on his plate.
“Find yourself some food and a nice place to stay for the night,” he said slowly speaking after each drop of the coin.
The boy suddenly became teary and burst into tears as Thomas bid him goodbye.
What more can be done?
The damage had been done a long time ago but the pain and agony still remained fresh. Like an old wound, a fatal blow brought back all the discomfort she had gone through. Mary Ann had known much hurt in her lifetime. Much more than she had courage to admit, even to herself. But it was the pain that kept coming no matter how long or how well she tried to hide it.
Of what purpose is living when all I know is sorrow and torment?
She had lied to Thomas that her house was around the corner, but in actuality, her house was still a good distance away. She couldn’t allow such a heartless and insensitive person to follow her around spewing things that caused nothing but pain to her. Who could blame her? She was tired of suffering at the hands of others.
To start, she was an orphan with no memory of her parents. For as long as she could remember, she had lived a life of crime with a man whom she only knew as Brown-teeth Barney. That was where everything began to change from bad to worse for her. She closed her eyes hoping to shut out the past but nothing changed.
The weather had changed by the time she got to her house; a dilapidated building that had first been
abandoned by the real owners, then by hoodlums. The roof, or what was left of it, did nothing to stop the drizzling rain. When she opened the almost-unhinged door, water surrounded it.
Ah, home.
By this time, the tears couldn’t be helped. They clouded her eyes before trickling down her cheeks. The more she wiped them off, the more came down. She walked around to see where would be more suitable for the night. She found a corner that was yet to be touched by the rain and laid there, using the dirty sheets as a cover and her arms as a pillow.
A Fiery Duchess for the Dashing Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 8
