A Second Chance for the Broken Duke: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance

by Fanny Finch

  “I am sorry, my lord, I…”

  She stopped talking when the Duke of Thornwall shook his head. “You need not apologize. You may be right. I… I cannot stop thinking that there was more I could do to ensure everyone got out. Especially her.”

  “Was there anyone else in the house, Your Grace? Did you discover who it was she went in to save?”

  His face fell as he shook his head. “That is all the more tragic. Everyone escaped. Except for her.”

  “I know you would have gone in and retrieved her if you could have, my lord. She knew that, too. I know her thoughts were with you in the end.”

  The Duke of Thornwall looked as though he was about to burst into tears.

  He turned and began walking again, as rigid as he was before.

  Lady Elizabeth hurried to fall into step next to him. His legs were long and his strides took him further from her with every step.

  She looked up as he pulled away from her, wondering if she should mention that her legs were not quite as long and she had not worn shoes appropriate for running.

  She said nothing, hoping he would notice.

  When he was a few feet in front of her, he glanced to the side and saw she was not there. He stopped and turned to look at her. “I apologize, my lady. I did not realize I was walking so fast.”

  “It is all right, my lord. Do not worry yourself. I know you have a great deal on your mind this evening. Perhaps we should go back to the house? I do not want to trouble or disturb you any longer.”

  The Duke of Thornwall looked at her. She did not recognize the look and wondered what he was thinking.

  She assumed it was something about the woman he had lost, the love he no longer had.

  She did not want to pressure the Duke of Thornwall into making a decision. She also did not want to give her heart to a man who was unable to forget about the past, or at least move on from it.

  “I suppose going back to the house would be best,” he said, quietly, scanning her face. She could see the pain on his face.

  “If you wish to talk to me, my lord, my ears are always open to you.”

  It was the first time since the Duke of Argyle had visited that the Duke of Thornwall smiled. It was not a big smile. In fact, Lady Elizabeth could barely see the corners of his lips pulling up.

  But she did see it. And it made her happy.

  The two of them walked back to the house. At the door, the Duke of Thornwall stopped and looked behind him at the darkening sky.

  “I want to thank you for coming and taking care of my sister.”

  “You have already thanked me for that, my lord. It was my pleasure. I have had such a wonderful time with you and your sister.”

  “Agatha thinks highly of you.” He moved his eyes to gaze at her. “And so do I.”

  Lady Elizabeth felt like she was being dismissed. She was waiting for him to tell her that she had overstayed her welcome and it was time to leave.

  She did not want to replace the late betrothed of the Duke of Thornwall. She did not know if it was something she could even do.

  “I am pleased to hear that, Your Grace.”

  Lady Elizabeth wanted to hear him call her his lady. It sounded better when he said it than when anyone else did.

  “Shall we meet again in the morning?” she asked softly.

  “I will be going to town in the morning. I have business to take care of. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow afternoon. We will have the afternoon meal together.”

  Lady Elizabeth was already looking forward to it. Perhaps he would be in a better mood and they would talk again, like they had been.

  She would keep her guard up. If he continued to be distant, she would know it was not meant to be, at least not right now.

  That meant she would have to go back to London, where her parents still awaited her. The season would be starting soon and they had already warned her they wanted her to meet the Marquess of Cramilton before it did.

  They were certain he would be taken quickly.

  But Lady Elizabeth did not want to meet the Marquess of Cramilton, even if he was a kind and courteous man.

  She wanted the moody Duke of Thornwall.

  Chapter 42

  The Duke of Thornwall took his leave of Lady Elizabeth, walking toward his study as she went up the stairs to her room. The only reason he had walked with her was to see if she could get him out of his dark mood.

  Unbeknownst to her, Lady Elizabeth did help his mood. Just having her next to him made him feel better. It did not take away his pain. It made him feel covered in a warm blanket, secure from the cold harsh winds of reality.

  He wished he had said more to her. He did not want to push her away. By the time they got back to the castle, he felt like he had done just that. By wanting to be near her but unable to speak freely with her, he had pushed her away, made her feel unwanted.

  He was disappointed with himself. Instead of going to his study, he went past it to the door to the library and went in.

  He stopped just as he got inside and looked around him at the stacks of books he had left on the tables all around the room.

  “I am not a very tidy person.”

  “You did not do this, my lord.” He heard Ursula’s voice behind him. He turned to look down at her.

  “Did you do this?” He was amused.

  “I did some of it. Some of it is yours. Others are books that Lady Elizabeth and Lady Agatha have pulled down. It seems no one wants to put books away after they have read them.”

  The Duke of Thornwall looked around him with a smile. “I think you are right. It is a project then.”

  He went to the nearest table and looked at the several stacks of books it was holding. He picked one up and read the title.

  He knew where all the books belonged. It was his library, after all. He began replacing them on the shelves.

  “It might take you all night to do this, my lord.”

  The Duke of Thornwall shrugged. “I am not sleepy. I will lay in bed staring at the ceiling all night. I want to keep my hands busy.”

  “Your Grace, what happened during your walk today? I was not walking close enough to hear your conversation. It seemed… short… contrived, almost. As if you were having to think of something to say to her. What is on your mind?”

  “The Duke of Argyle came to visit today.”

  Ursula tensed visibly. “Because it is her birthday.”

  The Duke of Thornwall nodded, continuing to pick up books and slide them on the shelves where they belonged. “He wished to have a drink with me to honor her. He brought a bottle of wine.”

  “That was good of him.”

  “He told me that he has never truly forgiven me for what happened to Sophia.”

  Ursula stared at him, stunned into speechlessness. Finally, she blurted out, “I beg your pardon?”

  The Duke of Thornwall found it painful to even say. He forced himself to continue putting the books away. “Yes, he believes that I caused it all to happen. I have spent the last four years blaming myself. You know that I have.”

  “Yes, I do. He should not have said that to you.”

  “Lady Elizabeth has been encouraging me to let go of the pain and start anew. I desire a courtship with her but I am afraid now.”

  “What are you afraid of? If you desire her, court her. She would be a magnificent wife.”

  “I believe that,” the Duke of Thornwall nodded. “But, Ursula, if I am not ready to commit myself to her, I will only hurt her. I will hurt her and myself. I cannot do that. Not to mention it made the Duke of Argyle furious. He says I am betraying the memory of Lady Sophia by moving on and finding new love.”

  “That is ridiculous, Malcolm, and you know it.”

  The Duke of Thornwall shook his head. “I do not know it. What if I am betraying her memory? There is so much to consider.”

  Ursula stopped him as he passed by her, a large book in his hand. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I cannot bear to see y
ou continue this beating you are giving yourself. You must stop it. You have torn yourself down long enough.”

  He gently removed his arm from her thin hand and continued to the bookshelf. He turned back after sliding the book into its slot.

  “That book was heavy. I wanted to put it away.” He smiled at her.

  She tilted her head to the side, giving him a gentle look. “Oh, my lord. I do not know what to do with you. You are so young in so many ways and yet you have so much on your shoulders.”

  “I have been through much in my time,” the Duke of Thornwall said. “I am afraid the past will disturb my future and possibly ruin it.”

  “You cannot listen to the Duke of Argyle when he says those things. He lost his beloved daughter. You know how close he and Sophia were. They were almost inseparable until you came along. You were blessed that he liked you. Otherwise, you would never have known her at all.”

  The Duke of Thornwall dropped himself into a nearby chair. “Perhaps that would have been better in the long run.”

  “No, my lord.” Ursula’s voice was stern. “It would not have been better. And it was not what God wanted.”

  “God wanted her to die in a fire?”

  Ursula shook her head, coming to stand beside him and then lowering herself so that she was crouching in front of him. She turned her face to him and smiled softly. “It is not that He wanted her to die in a fire. He wanted the two of you to meet. He is a loving God. There is a reason for everything that happens.”

  “What could possibly have been His reason for having us meet and then tragically losing her in a fire? I gave her all my love. She was my life. I wanted to make her happy for the rest of her life.”

  “Oh, do you not see?” Ursula’s eyes gazed at him with warmth and love. “You did.”

  The Duke of Thornwall frowned at her. “I do not understand what you mean.”

  Ursula patted his knee. “God is all-knowing. He knew when Sophia’s time would end. Perhaps he wanted you to show her how good life was, how good it was to be in love and to be loved. You did make her happy for the rest of her life. Her life just did not last as long as yours. She was happy with you until the last day.”

  The Duke of Thornwall moved his eyes away from the old woman, staring at the floor but not seeing it.

  He liked the way Ursula analyzed the situation. She was a smart woman. He had always trusted her to give him good advice and suggestions.

  “You do not think the Duke of Argyle should have come here today, do you?” Ursula asked.

  The Duke of Thornwall shook his head. “He says if I do not send Lady Elizabeth away, he will banish me from his home and put some of the townspeople in debtor’s prison for some money they owe him. He knows they cannot pay it back.”

  “That is a horrible thing to do. Why would he threaten you so?”

  “He wants me to be unhappy. He wants me to pay for the death of his daughter.”

  “You have given four years of your life to mourning her,” Ursula said, her voice firm for a woman her age. “You do not need to stay in prison any longer.”

  The Duke of Thornwall pulled in a deep breath. “I do not want to. I… I want to live again, Ursula.”

  “That is because you have discovered there is life outside of mourning,” the old woman said, patting his knee once again and then standing up. He looked up at her.

  “Do you think Lady Elizabeth will wait for me to be ready for her?”

  Ursula lifted up her gray eyebrows, giving him an amused look. “Do you not think you are ready now? Has it not been long enough? She has been here for six weeks. She did not stay past Agatha’s recovery because of her friend. She stayed because of you.”

  The Duke of Thornwall felt his cheeks warming up. He knew it was the case but for the life of him, he knew not why the woman had given him a chance. She had come here only to do good and he had tried to make her leave.

  He sat back in the chair and pondered his options.

  It would not bother him if he were banished from the Argyle estate. But he did not want any of his villagers in debtor’s prison. He had to do something about it.

  Chapter 43

  The early morning sun shone through the coach window as the Duke of Thornwall drove through the town proper. The middle of the town was a large square they called Center Square, which the Duke of Thornwall had always thought was extremely unoriginal.

  It had no poetic ring to it at all.

  It was simply Center Square.

  As soon as he pulled into the town limits, he began to see the gawking and staring as the townspeople watched him go by. He leaned forward in the seat, looking around him, scanning the buildings and the people walking along the street.

  They all turned to him and though he smiled at several, no one smiled back. They looked scared and extremely surprised.

  He got the driver’s attention and told him to slow down once he reached Center Square. He instructed him to stop and let him out so he could walk among the people.

  He felt no danger from doing so, other than his wounded pride. He could tell he was being avoided as he walked from shop to shop. The people backed away from him. The only people who did not step out of his way were the vendors and they were looking at him with hopeful eyes.

  He tried to purchase something at each stall, even if it was simply an apple. He was satisfied by the look of gratification on their faces when he pressed money into their hands.

  “Good day to you,” he said, nodding his head at the people. They were looking at him with curious eyes. He would have to get used to it.

  He purchased a small rolled cheese-filled pastry and stepped away from the cart, putting half of it in his mouth and biting down. The taste was amazing and he closed his eyes. He did not stop walking however and ended up bumping into something small and solid.

  He looked down and saw that he had knocked down a small child. The little boy was gazing up at him in amazement.

  “You are the Duke of Thornwall, are you not?”

  The boy was amazingly articulate. The Duke of Thornwall nodded. “I am. And you are?”

  “I am Joshua the Great!” announced the boy. He got up and lifted his arms to show his muscles. He flexed several times, making the tiny bumps of his muscles lift up on his upper arms.

  The Duke of Thornwall leaned over at the waist and smiled at the little boy.

  “Well, Joshua the Great. What have you done that is so great lately?”

  Joshua’s face fell and the Duke of Thornwall felt bad for asking the question.

  “I have no adventures to tell, my lord. I am just beginning.”

  The Duke of Thornwall laughed. “I am sure you will have many adventures to speak of in time, Joshua. Do not despair.”

  “You have had great adventures, my lord. I have heard of them!”

  Thornwall raised his eyebrows, straightening up and looking down at the boy. “You have! What adventures have you heard about, my boy?”

  “I heard that you saved many peoples’ lives in a fire and that you saved a servant from being run over by a cart. You defended the castle from enemies when you were just a boy! Many battles, my papa says.”

  “Well, that is good to hear. I hope those stories give you inspiration and courage. You must always do the right thing.” The Duke of Thornwall was beginning to feel a little better. Perhaps the people of the town did not think so badly of him after all. It may have been only the people Lady Elizabeth happened to talk to.

  “What happened, Your Grace?” the boy asked, staring up at him with wide eyes.

  The Duke of Thornwall frowned. “What do you mean, young man?”

  “Papa says you got mean. He says you are not the same man you used to be. He said you are bitter.”

  The Duke of Thornwall was dismayed. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach and he struggled not to let his overwhelming emotions show on his face.

  “Is it because of your scar?”

  The Duke of Thornwall knew at
that moment he had to leave. The topic was too much for him to bear.

  He suddenly wished he had formed a mask for himself that would cover half his face. He did not want anyone seeing the scar.

  He regretted stopping in the Center Square.

  He turned to go back to the coach but stopped again when he noticed many people were looking at him talking to the little boy.