by Fanny Finch
Lady Elizabeth scanned his handsome, unscarred face. It was not a surprise to her that other eligible ladies of the ton were seeking his affections. He had remarkably blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight and danced with candlelight at night. His shockingly blond hair was swept back from a slender, sculpted face, reminding Lady Elizabeth of Adonis.
The sight of the Duke of Thornwall’s scarred, intimidating face swam through her mind. At the same time, an overwhelming feeling of desire passed through her body. Thinking of him made her feel warm inside. It made her heart beat faster.
She could not deny her feelings for the Duke of Thornwall had only grown since her departure from the castle.
They traversed the parlor, where other guests were also gathered, chatting amongst themselves. She passed a look with Phoebe, who seemed to be reading her mind. The look on Phoebe’s face told Lady Elizabeth she did not believe for a moment that the Marquess of Cramilton would someday be Lady Elizabeth’s husband.
She looked fairly disgusted with the whole routine.
When they returned to Winterset Mansion, Phoebe had told Lady Elizabeth what she thought of the situation. She knew of the Marquess of Cramilton from the previous season.
“I have spent enough time with you, my lady, to know that you will not give your heart to any other man. The Duke of Thornwall has it. You cannot tell me I am wrong.”
“I will not tell you that, Phoebe,” Lady Elizabeth replied. “When I left home, I was told I had permission to stay as long as I wanted. They have not let me leave for long periods of time before. I was hoping this time would be different.” She sighed.
Phoebe nodded. “I am sorry that your parents cannot see what they have done. I wish I had authority over all of this. I would not have let you leave Thornwall Castle if it was in my power.”
Lady Elizabeth was touched by Phoebe’s observations and her defiant passion.
“Are you sure you are only speaking on my behalf?” she teased her friend. “I do believe you had a magnificent time at Thornwall Castle.”
Phoebe’s cheeks flushed and she let out a soft laugh. “I did, my lady. I do not want to lie about that. I would not have left if I had a chance to stay.”
Lady Elizabeth leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “If I returned there, would you return with me and be my lady in waiting?”
Phoebe’s grin spread across her face, stretching from ear to ear. She nodded eagerly. “I certainly will, my lady.”
Lady Elizabeth remembered the conversation fondly.
They were arranging for her to marry the Marquess of Cramilton. They would be staying in their London house, even though it was not during the season. With a courtship going on at the moment, they felt it best to remain where they were.
Lady Elizabeth’s heart sank every time they spoke of the courtship and of the Marquess of Cramilton. She could not get the Duke of Thornwall off her mind.
As she sat in the window seat, observing the rain that reflected her mood so well, she thought of all the books she wanted to read with the Duke of Thornwall. The evenings she wanted to spend with him, just as Lady Sophia had done, reading, sitting close together, feeling his skin against her when he touched her, feeling his lips on hers.
She could not imagine what it would be like.
She wrapped her arms around herself and hugged tightly. She missed the Duke of Thornwall terribly. She missed the castle. She missed Lady Agatha. She even missed Milla, Smithson, and Hetty.
She had grown accustomed to that house. She considered it home.
She thought about the highlights of the Marquess of Cramilton and the obstacles in her way with the Duke of Thornwall. It would certainly be easier to give in and marry the Marquess of Cramilton. She would be provided for. He would show her concern, kindness, and compassion.
But his feelings for her seemed hollow and insincere. She did not see the intense burning fire she saw in the Duke of Thornwall’s eyes.
When she first met him, she did not see that fire either. It was not until they had become closer, gotten past their initial clashing. It was not until the two weeks before she left the castle that Lady Elizabeth had begun to hope he wanted her and did not just want to fulfill a duty to his title.
She did not want to replace Lady Sophia in the Duke of Thornwall’s mind and heart. She was in love with him. It would take a long time for the Marquess of Cramilton to sway her feelings.
If he ever did.
Chapter 50
“Malcolm? Are you all right?”
Lady Agatha came toward him. His heart sank a bit and he slumped back down in the chair.
“I am fine,” he mumbled.
Lady Agatha came to the side of the chair and touched him on the shoulder.
“You do not look fine, brother. You look like you are melting into that chair. It is so dark in here.”
“That is why there is a fire,” the Duke of Thornwall replied, grumpily. “I could not see.”
“It is chilly in here, too,” Lady Agatha said. She pulled her thick shawl around her shoulders and stepped over to the matching chair next to the Duke of Thornwall and lowering herself. He watched her, thinking how graceful she was. After the injuries she had sustained, he was glad to see she was trying to take care of herself.
He did not say anything. She gazed at him.
“What are you thinking, Malcolm? You look so sad.”
“I am sad,” he admitted. “I feel I have made a grave mistake.”
Lady Agatha tilted her head to the side, crossing her ankles and leaning on the arm rest of her chair. “What mistake have you made?”
“I should not have let Lady Elizabeth go. I know… I know I had no right to demand for her to stay. It was not my choice. I feel, though, that I could have put up more of an argument for her to stay.”
Lady Agatha nodded. “I feel you could have, as well. I begged her to stay, do you know that? I begged her. I was crying. Do you know what she told me?”
The Duke of Thornwall was not sure he wanted to hear it. His sister did not hold back with him. She was forceful in her ways. He understood why. He had always been the quiet one, not wanting to cause any trouble.
Lady Agatha, on the other hand, would speak up as though she was the Queen of England, demanding anything she saw that was not right be turned right immediately. She was blunt with him but he knew she was honest. It was important for someone to be that way with him.
“What did she tell you?” he asked.
“She said she does not think you have healed from losing Lady Sophia. It frightens her to think that you will be pining for Lady Sophia while you are courting her. She worries that you simply seek a replacement because it is time to do so.”
“That is not how I feel,” the Duke of Thornwall said in a firm voice.
Lady Agatha nodded. “I know you do not feel that way. But it was the impression she got.”
“How can I rectify that? All this time I have thought the people in the town were happy. I thought they liked me. I did not realize they thought I was cruel. Now I do not have the motivation to do anything about that. Lady Elizabeth would have encouraged them to… to…”
“To think of you a different way? From a different point of view?” Lady Agatha supplied the suggestions.
He nodded. “Yes. Yes, both of those. If I cannot tell the mood of the people in my town, how am I to understand this woman? I… I have fallen in love with her, Agatha. She is all I can think of. I miss her, though I do not want to admit this to you or to anyone.”
“You do not have to admit it to me. It is obvious to me.”
The Duke of Thornwall shook his head, bewildered. “I do feel as though I am betraying Sophia. It does bother me. But it has been four years. I know it is time to move on.”
Lady Agatha leaned toward him. He admired her beauty, with the light dancing off one side of her face, leaving the other side in a shadow. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight.
“You are not betraying L
ady Sophia. It is my firm belief that she would be unhappy with the way you have led your life these last four years. She would want you to be happy. I knew her, too, Malcolm. She would be disappointed in you.”
The Duke of Thornwall slumped even more in the chair, resting his chin on his chest. Lady Agatha sat back, gazing at him with sympathy on her slender face.
“I am sorry, Malcolm. I am being too hard on you.”
He shook his head. “You are right, Agatha. I do not think she would want me to live this way.”
“Please tell me, Malcolm. What was it that the Duke of Argyle said to you the day he visited that had you so distraught? Was it merely because it was Sophia’s birthday and you were reminded of her too much?”
The Duke of Thornwall frowned. He debated whether he wanted to tell his sister what had really happened that day.
“It was not just because of her birthday, Agatha,” he finally said. “I… the Duke of Argyle wished to share a drink with me. To celebrate the day and remember her. I told him Lady Elizabeth had come to help you recover from your accident. He said that I was moving on from Sophia and he objected to it. He wants me to be miserable and unhappy, Agatha.”
“Surely not.”
“He said so himself. He blames me for her death. He always has.”
“He said he forgave you. He said you were not to blame. And you were innocent. You did not make Lady Sophia go back in the house. In fact, you sent her out while you got other people out. He should not blame you.”
“Whether he should or not is irrelevant. He does.”
Lady Agatha frowned.
“What else did he say?”
“He said I am not welcome at the Argyle Estate until I… I am alone again. Without Lady Elizabeth.”
Lady Agatha lifted her eyebrows. “Does he expect you to stay in this house alone for the rest of your life? Not produce an heir? Not have a family?”
“It seems those are just the things he expects from me.”
“I cannot stay here,” Lady Agatha said. “I will eventually marry and leave the castle. He cannot possibly… how long does he expect you to mourn?”
“Indefinitely.”
Lady Agatha made a sound of disgust. “You do not need to listen to him. So you are not welcome in his home? So be it. You do not need him.”
“That was not all he said.”
Lady Agatha drew her eyebrows together, looking apprehensive. “Go on.”
“There are people in town who owe him money. He said he will call in their debts if I did not make Lady Elizabeth leave and not entertain any women here.”
Lady Agatha drew in a sharp breath. “He… he is threatening our people?”
“He said they will be put in debtor’s prison. He knows they do not have the money to pay him back everything they owe him.”
“That is not right. How can he do such a thing? Those people are innocent. You did not cause this.”
“They will hate me more than they do now if I do not comply. The Duke of Argyle will tell them it is because of me. He will not tell them the truth. There is little I would put past that man.”
“I am simply disgusted by his behavior,” Lady Agatha exclaimed. “What a scoundrel. I am so disappointed in him.”
“I will not be able to go to London for a long time,” the Duke of Thornwall grumbled. “I will be tempted to find Lady Elizabeth. I would scour the streets to find her if I were to go there.”
“There is something you can do about this, Malcolm,” Lady Agatha said. “You should not just give in to the Duke of Argyle. He is a cruel, unreasonable man, using the loss of his child and his pain to hurt others. It is not you who is to blame for his actions.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“You should speak to Ursula first. Have her go to town and find out who owes the Duke of Argyle money. When you find out who owes him, offer to pay it for them. It is the only way to keep them from debtor’s prison. It will endear them to you.”
The Duke of Thornwall did not say anything. He rolled the idea around in his mind. He liked it. It was feasible.
He nodded.
“I like your idea, Agatha.”
“As for Lizzie… I think you should go to London and find her. It is foolish not to go after her. It is obvious the two of you are in love.”
Chapter 51
Lady Elizabeth moved from the window seat to the wooden desk. She lifted the lid and looked for paper and a pen.
She found what she needed and laid a fresh piece of paper on the surface of the desk. She smoothed it out, running her hand up and down the paper. Inspiration was not coming to her but she knew she needed to write to him.
She glanced to the table by the door at the flowers the Marquess of Cramilton had brought her the night of the party. They were beginning to wilt a bit, which only made her think about the state of their upcoming marriage.
She pulled in a deep breath and looked back down at the paper.
She wrote his name at the top. She followed it with thankful words for the flowers and for visiting the mansion at her parents’ behest.
She stared at the paper, looking forlornly at the few words she had written. They sounded as hollow and insincere as his affection for her the night they met. There was something odd about the man. Having only met him once, Lady Elizabeth could not quite put her finger on what it was.
She would figure it out. Of that, she had no doubt. In the meantime, she would try to force herself not to think about the Duke of Thornwall.
She snorted in an unladylike fashion. The Duke of Thornwall was not going to leave her mind. He was prominent there, solid in her heart, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She sat back in the chair. Ursula came to her mind. She wished she could write to the woman, gain her as a confidante. She would ask her how the Duke of Thornwall was doing, if he missed her as much as she missed him.
For that matter, if she was going to write to someone asking about the Duke of Thornwall, it would surely be Lady Agatha she would write to.
She was surprised by how much she missed everyone and everything at Thornwall Castle.
She sat for a moment with her hand on the paper, the pen between her fingers. She stared at the paper, reading and re-reading what she had written.
I am anxious to…
She stopped. What was she anxious for? She was not anxious to meet with him again. She was not anxious to become his wife or to be courted by him.
She picked up the paper, balled it up and pushed it to the side. A fresh, clean piece of paper was what she needed.
She re-wrote the beginning of the letter, using the same words she had used the first time.
“Come on, Elizabeth,” she murmured to herself. “You must think of something to say. Something… sincere…”
She tapped the end of the pen on the desktop, waiting for something to come to her.
After a moment, she decided she would pretend to be writing to the Duke of Thornwall. Perhaps that would open her mind to the inspiration she needed.
Ignoring the name at the top of the paper, she started to write.
I have come to treasure the time we spent together. She began. You have come to mean a great deal to me. I am filled with sorrow that I was unable to stay by your side. It is my dream to become your wife and share many adventures with you. I am excited to think of the next time we speak. Should you come to London, I do hope you will find me.
I would be devastated if you did not. I would feel neglected. Unwanted. Without you, I feel empty inside, hollow, heavy as a stone. Will you not come find me?
My life is not the same without you in it. How can I go on, knowing you are there alone and I am here… also alone… but not? It is with great regret that I left the castle and it is with great eagerness that I long to return.
I shall make it my home. It will be my place of refuge. I only need permission from its owner to fulfill this dream. Will you allow it?
She stared at what s
he had written. It was not a letter she could send to the Marquess of Cramilton.
With a heavy sigh, she balled the paper up and pushed it to the side.
She no longer wanted to write a letter. She stood up and moved away from the desk, returning to the window seat. Her heart was aching to be at Thornwall Castle.
She wondered what Lady Agatha and the Duke of Thornwall were doing at that very moment. Was he in the reading room with a good book? Was she with him? Were they missing her?
