What happened to you, Thomas? What are you hiding? Is there something about your past that you are ashamed of?
“There isn’t anything interesting about me. I am just a humble butler. My parents also work for royalty,” he explained in a haste.
She noticed that he was no longer smiling but when he faced her, he put on a fake smile.
“You do not wish to speak of it?” Mary Ann asked stopping right in front of him.
Thomas wanted to talk, but she raised one of her fingers to her lips before making a shush sound to which Thomas complied. She stared at him and he also maintained the eye contact. As if her legs had been lifted from the ground and her body was now controlled by the gentle breeze, she moved closer to Thomas. Closer than she had ever been all by herself. She gave a mild smile and with her heart now beating very fast, she kissed his cheeks just as softly as she remembered him doing. She felt Thomas holding his breath then holding her tiny waist lightly. It was as if it wasn’t there at all but the warmth from his palm was too familiar.
Her heart was beating fast and her eyes opened wide as if she just came back to her senses. In reality, she just did. She had wanted to comfort Thomas, and couldn’t think of a better way than a peck to the cheeks. She felt chilled and warm at the same time from within and the breeze was doing more to make her feel cold. She clenched her fist tightly as she felt warm moist coming from her private spot. Mary Ann pulsed from underneath and she was sure it wasn’t her heart. She parted her legs and the little air that caressed her moist spot almost made her close her eyes in delight.
“I need to go now,” Mary Ann finally whispered after being lost in his eyes for what seemed too short to be considered a whole minute.
“Yes, yes, that is true. You need to prepare for tomorrow,” he muttered, reluctantly taking his hands off her waist.
“That is correct. But I will need to do a thing or two before coming to the house,” she explained, “I hope His Grace won’t find that rude?”
“Of course not. There is no need to rush. The Duke loves to travel when the sun is about to set. He does not like the noise that comes with his arrival and departure.”
“Oh! I see,” Mary Ann commented as she took a step backward from his loosened embrace.
She didn’t want to go, for what it’s worth, she would have loved to stayed with him. Closed in his arms for all eternity, but she knew better. It was impossible. Even with that, she entertained the thought of being wrapped in his strong arms and allow her lower region to throb pleasurably in response. It made her smile and before she knew it Thomas, whom she had been unconsciously staring at smiled back.
“Thanks once again and good night Thomas,” she told him before turning away.
“You do not want me to walk you to your doorstep?” Thomas called after she just took the first step.
“Are you ready to tell me more about yourself?” she turned to say in a single breath.
Thomas smiled at her and spoke again,
“Good luck, and be quick with whatever business you have to tie up tomorrow,” he said as he took a couple of steps backward without turning.
Mary Ann didn’t turn this time. She only shook her head and laughed.
If he hadn’t seen her walk in broad daylight, he would have thought she was floating with the wind. Not that it wouldn’t make sense. Except for the way she dressed and the toll her needy state had taken on her, she looked like an angel. Her face, even though bare, was dazzling with a natural red blush on her cheek. What made this more amazing was that she seemed to know how her looks made men feel.
This was one of the things that Thomas found pleasing and arousing about her. In addition to that, her lovely face and seductive smile that was always followed by her tucking her hairs behind her ear was very pleasing. When she was finally out of sight, he adjusted his trousers and started walking back to the house alone with the thought of Mary Ann soothing his mind.
He couldn’t remember much of the journey home. Only that he turned toward the path that led home and in a couple of minutes, he was home. When he entered through the front entrance, did not see James. He smiled at himself, knowing that he had just avoided James’ judging eyes. He took a glass of wine and the bottle with him as he climbed up his chamber. As he was about to take the final step on the stairs, he saw a figure leaning by the wall and it startled him.
“What are you doing lurking around in the shadows?” Thomas questioned as he regained his countenance.
“I am sorry, Your Grace,” James apologized as he stood upright.
“It is s nothing. You can retire to your bed now,” Thomas stated as he opened the door to enter his room.
“Your Grace?” James called softly.
Thomas turned to face James. He didn’t need to hear what he wanted to say to know what was in his mind but he gave him the benefit of the doubt.
“What troubles your mind?” he asked holding the door half open.
“Mary Ann will be following us back home,” he began, “to be a scullery maid but—”
“Is there a problem with that?” Thomas inquired as he entered his room and James followed him, closing the door behind him.
The bed was already laid and to his surprise James had packed all his clothes. Thomas sat on the bed and looked blankly at James waiting for him to spill out what he wanted to say. “The lie,” James stated with a clear but gruff manner.
Thomas squirmed his eyes as he rose to his feet.
“What do you mean?”
“It is easy to tell Mary Ann that I am the Duke and you are my butler when we are here with no one knowing who you really are.”
“And?”
“When we get home, it will be impossible for us to keep this up,” he explained.
Thomas looked thoughtful, then sat on the bed again. He knew exactly what was going on but didn’t know what to say. This gave James the chance to keep talking.
“Holding on to this will only make things worse and when she finds out the truth, which she will, it might—”
Thomas looked at him and it made him stop talking. If there was one thing that Thomas dreaded about James was his bluntness when he was ready to speak. No doubt it had helped in a lot of situations, but the truth can be a hard thing to take.
“I know, James, I know and I understand your concern,” he rose to his feet again. “But have you seen the way she acts around me?” he asked. Before James could respond, he had dragged him toward the mirror at the far end of his room.
“She does not see a Duke. She sees me as who I am, as Thomas. Not the Duke of anywhere and it makes things interesting with her,” he explained.
“But you cannot hide who you are forever, can you, Your Grace?” James uttered, his head bent than ever before.
“No, James, I don’t suppose I can. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to be treated like everyone for once in my life,” he gazed at his worn-out clothes through the mirror.
James sighed but didn’t utter a word.
“I like that she talks to me freely without fear. Have you seen her talk to you? I don’t want that. If she finds out, it will be me that she is terrified of and I don’t think I can handle that,” he declared.
“What do you suggest, Your Grace?” James inquired.
Thomas walked around the room with his arms folded on his chest. He walked around for a couple of minutes before he exclaimed suddenly.
“I have got an idea,” he declared his eyes shone brightly against the moonlight that had found its way inside. “And I know it is going to work.”
He only smiled at James, holding his shoulder to make them keep eye contact.
Chapter 16
“Following me now, are you?” Thomas questioned as he watched Mary Ann turn with empty plates in her hands.
Thomas had rose early to have the last taste of being a commoner. He hadn’t planned to meet Mary Ann there, he’d also wished he would. It appeared his wish came true.
“I should be the on
e asking you that,” Mary Ann smiled, rushing to attend to another man that was getting angry for not getting a refill of rum quickly.
Thomas took a seat at the corner which was darker than any other part of the inn. His location gave him good vantage to look at Mary Ann with ease. It reminded him of when they’d first met. The only difference being that she would smile at no one in particular. He hoped she was thinking about him.
The men in the tavern watched her as much as he did. Some would peek at her from behind as she walked, enjoying the view; her swaying waist and bouncing bottom. Jealous anger filled him at the sight, but Thomas knew there was little he could do against so many.
And so, he simply drank her in. He felt blood rush into his member. He adjusted his body to feel more comfortable, hoping it wasn’t obvious.
“What are you doing?” came a voice, jolting him back to life.
He hadn’t realized when Mary Ann approached him. He shifted again, praying she wouldn’t see how much she affected him.
“Admiring you,” he said simply and was pleased to see her go stiff with surprise, her cheeks coloring.
Mary Ann opened her mouth to respond, btu nothing came. Thomas raised a brow expectantly. Blushing more furiously, she clamped her mouth shut and put the tankard of ale and the plate of meat on his table.
“For me?” he asked. “Why, thank you.”
“Consider it a token of my gratitude for all you have done,” she said, lifting her chin in the air before storming off. Thomas watched her with amusement. The bad-tempered woman clearly didn’t know how to deal with her other emotions.
Thomas watched as she walked to another table. She bent to speak with a man that worn a faded outfit which still looked more stylish than what others were wearing. He said something to her and she replied before they both laughed.
What are they talking about? Thomas sipped his ale.
He didn’t take his eyes off her until she walked out of sight. He resumed his meal and even though it was very good, he decided not to rush it.
This is my last meal here, so I had better enjoy it, he told himself.
After he was half way through the meal, he saw Mary Ann returning to his table.
“When will you be leaving?” she inquired as she took her seat beside him.
“As soon as I’m done with this meal,” he answered.
“And you have decided to spend your time here?” Mary Ann asked again incredulously as he watched him eat.
“The meal here is the best I have ever tasted in the countryside,” Thomas fibbed.
Mary gave him a strange look as if to tell him he was lying,
“Very well. I came to have a last sight of this serene environment,” he smiled briefly before speaking again, “and I also had a feeling I would meet you here.”
From her expression, he could tell she liked the last explanation. Without warning, Mary Ann plucked a meat bone from his plate and nibbled on it.
“We need to hurry,” she said, waving it lazily at him. “I don’t think the Duke will like to be kept waiting.”
Thomas tilted his head back and laughed, attracting the attention of a few others. Mary Ann giggled as well, still eating the meat she’d carried to him.
When they were done, Mary Ann instructed Thomas to wait outside for her to which he agreed reluctantly. He couldn’t contain his joy as he knew he would be home with Mary Ann soon.
This is going to be amazing.
Just as he was salivating on this, he remembered James’ warnings. He tried to think of all the things that could go wrong with his plan. He knew keeping up with the lie of being a butler would be a lot harder if not impossible when they got to his manor and Mary Ann worked for him. He hadn’t thought much about this but tossed the thought aside when he saw Mary Ann exit the tavern.
The smile he wore as she approached slipped from his face when he saw the tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked as he moved closer to her.
Mary Ann’s eyes shot to him and she quickly blinked the tears away. In the next second, it was as if nothing had happened. “It is nothing,” she said firmly. “Let us go.”
It was clear that she was sad about parting with the inn keeper but he didn’t mention it. Thomas didn’t know what to do so he looked into the inn from where he stood. His gaze caught that of the inn keeper, his sadness visible.
“Have you lost feeling in your legs?” Mary Ann asked as she looked at him. “Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes,” Thomas grumbled as he joined her.
He picked up the bag she was dragging and was surprised that it was a lighter than he had thought it would be. He didn’t speak as he understood how she was feeling.
“So, tell me about where we are headed. How is it at the Duke’s manor?’ she asked eagerly. Thomas had an inkling she was trying to make him forget about seeing her cry.
He gave in. “Wonderful,” he explained. “There are many nice servants there. We don’t have many guests compared to other nobles, however.”
“Thank goodness,” she sighed. “I cannot hope to deal with more than one noble at a time.”
“You never know what might happen in the future, Mary Ann,” he said airily, smiling.
“One Duke is enough for me,” she replied, huffing a laugh. “I assure you.”
They arrived at Creakys just as the tip of the sun sunk into the horizon. Its orange color gave Thomas a nostalgic feeling. When they entered, he told Mary Ann to sit in the room where they once ate while he checked on the Duke.
He met James in his chambers dressing up as the Duke. He was impressed.
“You do this quite well, I must say,” he commended as he sat on the bed. “She has arrived.”
James turned and bowed to Thomas, but was quickly stopped by him.
“Fall into your role, good man,” he said. “If all things go as planned, you will not have to do this for long.”
“It is always an honor to serve you, Your Grace,” James replied not beaming with smile.
Thomas helped him with his clothing after this before getting dressed in one of his own butler outfits. Then they left the room. He was happy that while he was away, James had packed all their stuffs into the coach, leaving Thomas with nothing to do. They were only few steps into the stairway when Thomas remembered something,
“What about Peter?” he exclaimed closing his mouth with his hands the moment he realized he was shouting.
James gave him a knowing smile before speaking,
“I have already taken care of that, Thomas,” he told him.
“What do you mean?”
“I told him you have hired a new servant by the name Mary Ann,” he explained.
“And?” Thomas inquired eagerly.
“And that he should keep whatever strange thing he sees to himself,” he added finally.
Thomas nodded his approval. When they returned, Mary Ann greeted James with a respectful curtsy.
James was the first to go outside with Thomas trailing him. Then, he remembered something and stopped short. “I will return shortly,” he whispered to her before closing the door on her surprised expression.
On getting outside, Peter; their coachman looked as if he had seen a ghost. The horsewhip he held in his hands dropped not long after his jaw did.
“Your Grace,” he managed to get out, stuttering.
“Peter, prepare the horses. We are leaving very soon. I am sure you’ve been told we have a new member on my staff?” Thomas spoke authoritatively as they walked closer to him.
“Yes, yes I have been told,” Peter responded, still looking confused.
“Perfect. Then, I will go get her. Now Peter, do be nice to our guest,” he ordered before turning again, “she’s a new member of my staff, so you will be seeing more of her.”
He entered the house after this to get Mary Ann.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” she responded nervously.
“Do not worry. You will
be fine,” he reassured.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t,” she fired with a strange look followed with a heart-warming smile.
Thomas grabbed her bag one more time as they headed out. He took the large bunch of keys from the wall and locked the house as they left. Peter still had a strange look on his face but it was better than before so Thomas didn’t mind. In fact, Peter seemed to comport himself better when he introduced them to each other.
A Fiery Duchess for the Dashing Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 12
