by Fanny Finch
“Anna,” she called out softly, lifting her finger in the air. Anna smiled and walked closer to her.
“Yes, my lady?”
“I am wondering if you might be able to show me where I can find paper, ink and a pen?”
“Oh, yes, my lady, there are some in the adjacent room. I will show you.”
“Thank you, Anna.”
Chapter 20
The Duke of Thornwall stretched his legs as he walked around the castle, taking long steps on purpose. He was a tall man with long legs and broad shoulders. When he marched, he knew it was intimidating. He had seen the looks even from men he respected and admired when he took a strong stance.
He was not intentionally intimidating and often thought if those men knew how his emotions boiled inside him, he would not be looked at with such fear.
The fact that they did not know was gratifying.
He had a feeling Lady Elizabeth was going to be his downfall. Opening his heart to her would have many consequences. He was thinking of her more than he wished. Lady Sophia’s light was still awake inside him. He did not know if it was possible to come out of mourning completely, as he would not be able to give his heart to another if it was still with Lady Sophia. He did not know if he should put his heart at risk in such a way.
Over the years, he had built a wall around his heart. Lady Sophia resided in there, along with his grief and guilt. It was because of him that his betrothed was taken from him. He wanted to let it go and move forward but his fear prevented him from doing so.
Love and relationships could cause pain. He had seen it happen to friends, men who were genuine, smart, handsome. They married a woman they thought they loved and discovered after the marriage vows were stated the woman they loved was a shrew.
And they were in no position to tame that shrew.
He chuckled. Lady Elizabeth was not a shrew. She was a pain in the neck, headstrong, and excitable. Three things he did not find admirable in a woman. However, he had seen her encouragement cheer his sister into laughter and happiness.
There was no doubt Lady Agatha was pleased to have her friend visiting. He did not want to take away from that happiness. His sister meant too much to him to let that happen.
Therefore, he would continue to put up with the lady until the day she left Thornwall Castle.
What if she refused to leave?
Again, the Duke of Thornwall let out a soft chuckle.
He seemed to be picturing the worst-case scenarios, assuming Lady Elizabeth was the kind of woman who would do such things. The young woman’s demeanor was overall pleasant and he had to admit he had found himself amused by her on several occasions. He had even laughed at her jokes.
His concern remained that her behavior might cause Lady Agatha to prolong her recovery. But even he had to admit Lady Elizabeth’s presence had not hindered it in any way.
He walked across the courtyard to the entrance of the castle and nodded at Smithson, who pulled the door open for him.
“Your Grace,” Smithson said, bowing at the waist. He reached out for the Duke of Thornwall’s jacket.
“Smithson, have you seen the ladies?”
“Lady Agatha and Lady Elizabeth have returned from their picnic. I believe they are in the library, sir, but I cannot be certain they have not moved from there.”
The Duke of Thornwall nodded. “Thank you, Smithson. Have Milla bring tea and some biscuits to my study.”
“Yes, my lord.” Smithson bowed again, took the Duke of Thornwall’s thin outer coat, and turned toward the dining hall.
The Duke of Thornwall took a stroll around the large foyer, passing all the other doors and hallways. When he passed a corridor, he narrowed his eyes and peered as far down it as he could. There was so much room in the castle and it had so few occupants. It was sad, really.
He had big plans for the future of Thornwall Castle. With Sophia by his side, he would have governed Thornwall village as a family man. Sophia would serve as the hostess for grand parties, especially during the season. He had imagined the castle filled with little feet, children laughing, people chatting and talking, having a good time.
But it was not like that. It was drab, dreary, and dull. The only sunshine that filled the place was Lady Agatha. He had missed her light these three weeks she was bedridden. That was why he had gone in to visit her as often as he could.
Without her, he was not sure what he would have done after their mother’s death. His father and Sophia went first. Now Lady Agatha was all he had left.
When he thought about how vulnerable she was at any moment in time, how he could lose her and he would be completely alone.
The game room was set up in the two adjoining rooms just before his study. They both had doors to the outside and then another that joined them together.
The first door he approached to the game room was standing open just a few inches. As he passed by, the Duke of Thornwall caught a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. The inside of the room was bright with dancing light.
The Duke of Thornwall stopped abruptly. His heart pounded in his chest. He backed up a step or two and reached out to grab the door. He yanked it open, his eyes falling directly on the fireplace, where a low-burning fire sent shadows swirling all over the walls.
His eyes narrowed and he turned to look through the room. There were no servants about.
He felt anger rising in his chest. He fought the memories of the fire that had taken his Sophia’s life. The shame he still felt at not being able to save her raged through his body.
His hands gripped into fists. He clenched his jaw. He was about to go storming back to the door and yell out for any servant in the area to come to him immediately when the door to the adjoining room opened and a young girl named Anna came through.
She stopped as soon as she saw the Duke of Thornwall, a look of fear on her face.
He knew by that look she already knew what she had done wrong.
“Anna! Come here.”
The girl immediately walked to him, clutching a cloth between her hands tightly. He could see she was nervous. She should be nervous. He was not about to let any servant of his get away with leaving a flame unattended.
It was an established rule in his house and one that was not to be broken. He held on to his temper with all his strength. Every muscle in his body had tensed up. He held his hands behind his back, gripped together so he would not grab the girl and shake some sense into her.
“Did you leave this fire in here?” The question came out as more of a bellow than anything else. His chest was tight and he could not help it.
“Y…Yes, my lord, I was coming directly back. I only needed to…” As she approached, she was curtsying at the same time, her face in flames of embarrassment.
“It does not matter what you needed to do. If you leave a room, you extinguish all flames. There is nothing more important than that!”
“It was a mistake, my lord, forgive me. I did not think because I was only going to be…”
“You are correct!” The Duke of Thornwall’s voice was loud and stern. “You did not think. How long have you been working here?”
“I have been here nearly a year, my lord.”
“You know what the most important rule is to follow, do you not? The first rule of Thornwall Castle.”
“Do not leave a flame unattended.” The girl recited the words as if reading them aloud.
“That is correct. And what did you do?”
“I beg you not to dismiss me, my lord. I am dependent on this position to help my family.”
“Perhaps you should have thought about that when you left the room and did not snuff out this fire.”
“I was only going to be a moment, my lord. I did not intend to leave.”
“What were you doing in here?”
“I am dusting.”
“It disturbs me that you would so casually leave a fire burning. You know the rule. I have dismissed servants for breaking this
rule and I…”
“Pardon me, Your Grace, if I may be so bold.”
A woman’s voice behind him sent a chill of excitement through the Duke of Thornwall’s body. He turned sharply to glare at the speaker.
It was Lady Elizabeth. She was stomping toward him, a letter clutched in one hand and the fabric of her skirt in the other. Her eyes were narrow and glaring at him. The scowl on her face was deep. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Anna’s jaw drop in surprise.
Chapter 21
“Why are you berating this girl? What has she done?”
The Duke of Thornwall stared at her in disbelief. She could see he was offended by her challenging him and felt a bit of apprehension slide through her. It reminded her of when she had first arrived and how forward she had been, not realizing he was the Duke of Thornwall.
“There is a rule here in Thornwall Castle,” he said in a firm but low voice that sounded like a growl to Lady Elizabeth. “We do not leave a flame unattended. Anna knew this rule and yet she disobeyed. It is the most important rule in the castle.”
“She did not mean to leave it unattended, Your Grace. I simply asked her to show me where the pen and papers are. She was in this room and told me it was in the other room. She was kindly showing me where I could find all that I required.”
“She knew the rule.”
“She was only going to be in the other room for a few seconds.”
“A few seconds is all it takes!” The Duke of Thornwall seemed unable to hold in his emotions, which surprised Lady Elizabeth. He yelled the words, taking a step in her direction, his chest puffed out and his shoulders stiff.
She did not back away, though she really wanted to be somewhere else at that moment. She flicked her eyes to Anna and then back to the Duke of Thornwall’s blazing eyes.
“Do you intend to dismiss her for her mistake?”
“It is typically what happens when the most important rule is broken.”
“Please do not do that, Your Grace. I am sure it is not what Aggie would want. It is my fault. Please blame me instead. Why, she was only out of the room for a moment! Only long enough to show me to the pen and paper.”
“I have my reasons for my rules. I do not change or bend them to suit… visitors.” He said the last word with contempt.
Lady Elizabeth frowned deep.
“Lady Elizabeth, it is quite all right. I thank you for your help but please do not trouble yourself.”
“I will not allow the Duke of Thornwall to dismiss you!” Lady Elizabeth hissed, glaring at the duke.
She could see she had angered him.
“You will not allow me? Who are you to allow me anything in my own castle? You are not the lady here. I am the lord and I will do as I see fit.”
Lady Elizabeth could tell all Anna wanted to do was run for her life.
“Lady Elizabeth, I will ask you to not speak to me with such disrespect. You are obliged to be respectful as a guest in my home. Any other nobleman would have you removed from the property immediately.”
Lady Elizabeth relaxed her hands and her jaw, pushing away the ire she had previously been feeling. The Duke of Thornwall looked contemptuously at her but turned to Anna with narrow eyes.
“Anna, return to your duties,” the Duke of Thornwall ordered. “Lady Elizabeth, please stay and speak with me.”
Lady Elizabeth pulled in a long breath, which she let out through her nose. Her mouth was still clamped shut. She could not believe the Duke of Thornwall had given in to her influence.
Anna jumped at the chance to go back to dusting. She would act as chaperone for Lady Elizabeth so the two could talk. She went to the other side of the room and resumed rubbing the cloth on the statues and busts.
The Duke of Thornwall gave Lady Elizabeth a hard stare. When he spoke, it was in a deep, angry tone. “I do not like to be questioned in front of my servants.”
Lady Elizabeth did not raise her voice. She whispered harshly so that only he could hear her. “I apologize, Your Grace, as it is not my place to say so but you were approaching that girl like she had chopped off your arm! It was completely unnecessary! You should be more kind to people.”
“I do not need your unwanted suggestions or advice.”
“Perhaps you do,” Lady Elizabeth retorted, her gaze in his brown eyes unwavering. “You should listen, you should heed the warning of those who care about you. I have been to the village. I have spoken to the people you rule and they say you are filled with bitterness and regret.”
Lady Elizabeth turned her head away, her cheeks flaming. She couldn’t believe she had the nerve to say such a thing to the Duke of Thornwall but then again he had not been the most reasonable man to talk to at the moment.
“I beg your pardon?” The Duke of Thornwall frowned.
Her heartbeat sped up.
“I have spoken to them,” Lady Elizabeth continued in a regretful voice. She no longer wanted to talk about it but she herself had opened that door and now she was obliged. “They say you are a brutal and cruel man. They say you have the heart of a stone, as cold as can be.” She looked up at him. “Is this true, Your Grace? Is this the man you truly are?”
“I am aghast that you have the nerve to speak to me this way, Lady Elizabeth. I am nothing like that!” The Duke of Thornwall exclaimed, in a resentful voice. “I cannot imagine why anyone would say such a thing! Surely my sister did not describe me as such.”
“She was gone for a long time,” Lady Elizabeth pointed out. “She may have thought you did not change from who you were before you lost your mother. Or perhaps the loss of your betrothed changed you, God rest her soul.”
“It is a shame that you have proven yourself to be the man the villagers think you are.”
“It is a shame that you feel comfortable speaking to me this way, Lady Elizabeth.” the Duke of Thornwall protested. Lady Elizabeth counted herself lucky he had not already thrown her to the wolves. For the life of her, she did not understand why she took him to task the way she did. It was not her place but she seemed unable to control herself. She kept her eyes down but her voice remained firm.
“If you were the man Aggie described, you would never threaten a young girl with loss of her livelihood because she left a flame in the fireplace and left the room for a few moments. You told them to treat me well and to do as I asked. Then she was doing me a favor! You can blame me!”
Lady Elizabeth did not notice the Duke of Thornwall staring hard at her. Her face had turned a lovely shade of light red that brought out her blond hair and the blue of her blazing eyes.
“I do not know why Aggie thought we would be a good match,” Lady Elizabeth huffed in a quiet tone. “I do not believe you are who she thinks you are.”
“I am not sure you are who she thinks you are, either, Lady Elizabeth.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I beg your pardon, sir?”
“She described you as being lovely and sweet, with a soft heart and a bright smile. She said you would light up a room when you entered and that you have many friends.”
Lady Elizabeth said nothing, just stared at him as he continued. She had never heard herself described in such flattering terms.
“But that is not the woman I see before me, Lady Elizabeth. I see a childish, hasty, bold, and disrespectful young woman who may or may not be a terrible influence on my dear sister.”
Lady Elizabeth gasped, her mouth remaining open for a moment. She blustered, trying to find words to respond to his insult.
The Duke of Thornwall lifted his shoulders and stood tall, putting his hands behind his back again.
“I do not know who you spoke to in the village but I assure you they are mistaken about me. There is simply one rule that I will not allow broken or bended. A few moments away from an open flame is all it will take to burn down my castle. I will be unhappy if I must live in its charred remains.”
Lady Elizabeth’s hand had crushed the letter from her parents. She gave him a hard stare
before dropping her eyes to the floor.
“You are dismissed.”
Lady Elizabeth was shocked. He had just reprimanded her like a child and on top of that, he had dismissed her like a servant. Unable to speak, she turned and was back at the door to the adjoining room so quickly, it was like she had taken only one step.
She disappeared through it, wondering why on earth Lady Agatha thought they would be a good match.
Chapter 22
The Duke of Thornwall left the room in a huff, not giving Anna a second look. He did not see her as she stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. He did not care whether she heard every word that had been spoken.
