by Fanny Finch
“There is no need for me to announce your arrival, Lady Elizabeth, if that is who you are,” the man replied in a smooth, cold tone that nearly froze her nerves on the spot. “For the Duke of Thornwall stands before you.”
Lady Elizabeth wanted to melt into the ground. She gazed at him, taking a small step backwards. The grip on her skirts loosened and she suddenly realized how well-dressed he was. Her cheeks quickly burned and she pulled in a deep breath, lifting her chin.
“You are the Duke of Thornwall?”
“I am. And you are Lady Elizabeth Owens, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Winterset. Is that correct?”
“It is. I would like to see your sister, my lord, if you are allowing her visitors. She does know I am coming. I do not wish to be sent away as soon as I get here.”
The Duke of Thornwall frowned. “I beg your pardon?”
“As I was approaching, I heard you asking the driver if he needed supplies to take me somewhere else to stay. I do not wish to leave until I am satisfied Lady Agatha has recovered from her injuries.”
The Duke of Thornwall’s frown deepened into a scowl. He was glaring at her. Lady Elizabeth noticed his jaw was set. She could see him clenching his teeth every few seconds from the bone jutting out of his cheeks. She wondered what he was thinking about her.
She could not help feeling that he was somewhat rigid and stiff. Not at all the warm, gentle creature Lady Agatha depicted him to be. This was not the kind of man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
The Duke of Thornwall closed the distance between them, stopping when he was too close to Lady Elizabeth for her comfort. He was still glaring at her and she noticed a look of contempt on his face that made her even less comfortable.
“I was not speaking to the driver about taking you to town. I am sending several servants to purchase supplies for my sister and asked if he would drive them. I do not owe you an explanation for anything that I say or do, my lady, and I would beg you not to breech that line of authority. I have the power to remove you from the premises, if I wish.”
Lady Elizabeth swallowed and took a step back. Up close, the Duke of Thornwall was much more handsome. Once she had noticed the scar on his face, she did not see it again. She was looking at him, judging his character, not his looks.
Although she would later admit to her dear friend that her brother had some of the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. She was envious of the soft, waviness of his nearly-black hair. It was long, almost to his shoulders.
She also found him to be incredibly intimidating. She tried to breathe slow and steady. She did not want him to see how he had rattled her.
“Your grace, allow me some forgiveness.” She struggled to get the words out. They sounded hollow to her and she was not sure she meant them. “I have overstepped and I do apologize.”
“I will take that into account. My sister is not feeling well today. I do not think she will be enjoying anyone’s company today.”
Lady Elizabeth’s eyebrows shot up. “Your Grace.” She tried to control her temper. “I have come a long way. Your castle is many miles from my home in London. Please allow me to see my friend.”
The Duke of Thornwall’s eyes narrowed. “I will not allow my sister to see anyone today. She is not well.”
Chapter 3
The Duke of Thornwall stared at the insipid creature in front of him. Who did she think she was? She had no right to demand anything from him. Her assumption that he was sending her away had struck him as odd, because he had been considering sending her back to town with the servants. But he had not mentioned it to the driver, who said his name was Alexander.
“I am sorry, Your Grace,” she said to him. “But I must insist on being taken to Lady Agatha. She is such a dear friend to me and did me a kind service much the same as this one a year ago. Allow me to repay her for her kindness by watching over her as she recovers from her accident. I have been given all the details and I am quite certain it will be good for her health to be with someone who cares for her so.”
He felt a streak of resentment slide through him and opened his mouth to issue a retort when she closed her eyes and shook her head. She lifted both hands in the air, her small, white palms facing him.
“Your grace! I do apologize for the way that sounded. Lady Agatha has always spoken very highly of you and I am aware that you care deeply for her. As her friend, nay, her sister of heart, if not blood, I beg of you to let me see her for I will not leave the property until I have.”
She allowed herself to smile weakly at him.
“And you do not want me to stay if I am not welcome. I will not be a pleasant houseguest and will repeatedly bother you until you let me speak to Lady Agatha.”
The Duke of Thornwall considered his options. How could this pushy, troublesome young lady possibly relax his sister during her recuperation? She would surely delay the process.
However, Lady Agatha had spoken highly of Lady Elizabeth, as well, and had talked of her arrival non-stop for a month. Lady Agatha just might skin him alive and throw him in the moat herself, if he did not allow her to see Lady Elizabeth.
He reluctantly said, “Very well. Follow me.”
Lady Elizabeth spun around to tell Phoebe to come to her and reacted in a surprised way that her companion was standing directly behind her. The Duke of Thornwall had seen her approaching so her presence did not scare him. Her head was down but the Duke of Thornwall knew she had been listening to every word.
“Oh! I did not…” Lady Elizabeth grunted softly. “We are to go see Lady Agatha now.”
Phoebe nodded. “Yes, my lady.”
Lady Elizabeth turned back to the Duke of Thornwall. “I would like to introduce my companion, Phoebe.”
“It is nice to meet you,” the Duke of Thornwall bowed at the waist. He looked back at Lady Elizabeth. “Please follow me.”
He went in through the double doors and did not stop to welcome them into his home.
Lady Elizabeth followed behind him. He clasped his hands behind his back and thought about the woman coming up behind him. She was, indeed, as beautiful as his sister had described. If they were not to get along, it would be her brash attitude that kept them apart, certainly not her looks.
The Duke of Thornwall was impressed by her long, blond curls and her flashing blue eyes. He was almost taken in by the forcefulness of her nature. But he was wounded inside and the last thing he needed was a rude young woman staying in his castle.
She had indicated she was going to stay until Lady Agatha recovered, perhaps even longer. With a heavy heart, he knew he would not be able to keep that from happening. He doted on Lady Agatha and anything she wanted, he would be sure to provide.
He was thrilled to have Lady Agatha back at Thornwall Castle, where they had both spent their best childhood years. He had missed her, especially when his mother died and he was forced to spend the last two years at Thornwall Castle all alone after Lady Agatha was sent to live with their aunt.
They had lost their mother when she died of apoplexy two years ago after losing their father to old age four years before that.
He’d missed her before his mother died but it was worse after. After the elder Duke passed, he was saddled with great responsibilities and when his mother was gone, with Lady Agatha not there, he had no one to share his troubles with.
Instead, she gave him advice through correspondence, which was the only thing they could do for a long time. Finally, she returned home three months ago and he could not be more pleased. He was filled with sorrow and regret that he had not been able to prevent her horse from throwing her.
He had not been there when it happened.
The Duke of Thornwall already held a deep sense of regret and mourning. His father had passed six years previous, his mother two years previous and he still mourned the death of the first love of his life, who he lost in a housefire a month before their wedding. Four years passed since that fateful day and he had never fully recover
ed.
As for the woman behind him, he was aggravated at her insistence. She was far too pushy. If her behavior influenced Lady Agatha in a negative way, he would have her removed from their home immediately.
He would not allow anyone to hinder the recovery of someone he cared for more than anyone else in the world.
“Look at those paintings, Phoebe.” He heard Lady Elizabeth speaking softly to her companion. “Are they not the loveliest things you have ever seen?”
Her voice was soft and smooth when she was not speaking to him. He felt another jolt of resentment. It had not been he who lost his temper without getting the facts of the matter first. He had, indeed, been worried about Lady Agatha.
After his initial meeting with Lady Elizabeth, he felt no better about her arrival. His worry had only mounted. A beautiful face meant nothing when a woman carried bitterness inside her.
It seemed odd to him, though. Lady Agatha had said she was warm and carefree. Lady Elizabeth always had a ready smile, according to his sister, and lit up a room when she entered. That did not describe the woman who had confronted him in the courtyard of his own castle.
“They are quite beautiful, my lady,” the companion replied in a kind voice. She certainly did not seem to think Lady Elizabeth was unpleasant.
He listened to their conversation, staunchly walking through the large foyer toward a maid who was dusting the statues his father had imported from Africa. Two staircases leading to the upper parts of the castle were on both sides of the foyer.
“Milla, take Lady Elizabeth to Lady Agatha’s room,” he said when he was close enough.
The maid stepped down from the stepladder she was standing on, nodding at him.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Duke of Thornwall turned to Lady Elizabeth. “You may go with Milla. Your companion is welcome to have tea and snacks in the kitchen, if she likes. I will have some sent to you and Lady Agatha, as well.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” Lady Elizabeth turned to Phoebe. “If there is anything you need, please let me know. I would like to speak with my friend for a while.”
“Of course.” Phoebe responded as though she had expected nothing less. She smiled at Lady Elizabeth in a friendly way. “Enjoy seeing your friend again, my lady. I know how much you have been looking forward to it.”
They parted ways as Lady Elizabeth followed Milla up the stairs to their right.
She glanced back, saying, “Your Grace, if you will please let Phoebe know where the kitchen is. I am quite sure she does not know.”
If the Duke of Thornwall had not been so irritated, he would have heard the amusement in her voice. But he did not hear it, nodding at her in reply without saying a word.
Phoebe sent her a grateful glance, however, which the Duke of Thornwall caught sight of just as Lady Elizabeth turned to follow the maid up the stairs.
He looked down at the young companion. She was a pleasant-looking woman, probably in her mid-thirties. He wondered what type of life she had led that would lead her to the position she now held.
“Please follow me,” he said in a gentle voice. She had not irritated him. He would not take out his aggravation on an innocent person.
His grumpy feeling had not dissolved. He decided to go to the library as soon as he showed Phoebe where the kitchen was.
He went through the dining hall to the door just behind the long table. It had been a lonely table for a long time. He was sad that he was once again eating the evening meal alone. Until Lady Agatha was mobile, she was eating in her room.
There was enough room for thirty-two people at the table.
And he ate alone every night. Once again.
Chapter 4
The Duke of Thornwall dropped himself in a cushioned chair with one of his favorite books. He hoped it would bring him out of his bad mood. He tried to read for a bit but his mind would not get off the woman upstairs, bothering his sister.
What was she saying to her? Was she being pleasant?
Surely, she was. She had treated her companion as a friend. It was one of the few things about her personality that he considered a plus for her.
He grunted, dropping the book in his lap, open to the page he had been trying to read, his irritation creating a tightness in his chest that he did not like.
The door opened slowly, drawing his eyes to the person entering.
An older woman entered, looking around the room with squinting eyes. The Duke of Thornwall felt a warm sensation slide through his irritation. He stood up, forgetting the book was on his lap.
“Ursula. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon, Your Grace.” The woman shuffled into the room. He had always trusted Ursula. He met her when he began to court Sophia and discovered she was his betrothed’s governess.
She had not been young when she worked at the Argyle estate as a governess to the younger siblings of Lady Sophia. Her health had gone down since the housefire that took Lady Sophia from them. Immediately after the fire, the Duke of Argyle had dismissed most of the servants, Ursula included.
He had immediately hired her. During his courtship with Lady Sophia, he had come to trust her. He considered her as a good friend, rather than a servant.
“Please sit. You look tired.”
The old woman lifted her gray eyebrows and lifted one side of her lips. “That is not a compliment, Your Grace.”
The Duke of Thornwall grinned. “I did not mean to insult you, Ursula. Please sit. You look like you could run the length of the courtyard and back without trouble.”
This made Ursula laugh, which cut through his grumpiness even more.
She came over and sat near him. He did not return to his seat until she was off her feet.
“You do not look well, my son. Your face is red and you look quite angry. What has happened?”
“I am worried, Ursula, I must be honest with you.”
“I prefer it that way.”
The Duke of Thornwall lowered his chin to his chest. He could feel the heat on his face. When he hesitated to continue, Ursula prompted him, saying, “Please continue, Your Grace. What worries you?”
“We have a visitor, Ursula. She is a friend of Lady Agatha’s. Her name is Lady Elizabeth Owens. Her mother and father are the Duke and Duchess of Winterset.”
“She has arrived?”
The Duke of Thornwall frowned. “Did you know she was coming?”
Ursula grinned, her wrinkly face suddenly brightening in an amused way. “Oh, Your Grace. You told me yourself to be expecting a visitor for a short time. This has been planned for some time, has it not?”
The Duke of Thornwall nodded, looking down again. “I suppose I did tell you she was coming. Or Lady Agatha may have. She has arrived and I… I do not find her to be a pleasant individual.”
“Oh dear. That is quite surprising. It is not like Lady Agatha to befriend an unpleasant person.”
The Duke of Thornwall did not want to admit that he was probably being too harsh on Lady Elizabeth but his mood was dark. She had not made a good first impression with him. He was not one to hold someone to the first impression they gave him. He was just finding it difficult to shake the sight of her stomping toward him, an angry look on her face.
When she was not scowling, she was a beautiful woman.
Even when she was scowling, she was still attractive, he thought with amusement.
“Tell me what has made you feel this way. Has she not just arrived? I saw the coach coming in.”
“I had thought about having her go into town and stay at the Inn. I am afraid she will disrupt Lady Agatha’s recovery. When her driver did not come to open the door immediately, she left the coach to confront me.”
Ursula lifted her eyebrows. “How so?”
“She did not know who I was. She has never seen me before. Any woman with a good mind should have been able to tell that I am not a servant. She confronted me as if she thought I was, demanding to see the ‘lord of the castle’. I i
nformed her that she was speaking to the lord of the castle.”
“And what was her response? Surely she became polite and respectful.”
“She did not.”
Ursula gazed at him. He could sense her sizing him up and down.
“You were defensive, I am assuming.”
“I had a right to be. She was rude and brash. That is not ladylike. I fear she will influence Lady Agatha in a negative way, perhaps slow down her progress.”
