by Yasmine Nash
* * *
Rain was pouring down when the pair set off the next morning. Louisa could see Jon looking torn. Was he actually considering becoming drenched by riding in the rain, rather than sit in a carriage with her for a few hours? After several seconds, he gave a few words to the driver, then climbed into the coach after her, taking care to sit as far apart as the small interior allowed.
They had eaten breakfast in silence, and it seemed Jon was determined to continue the rest of their journey in much the same matter. Well, Louisa had already had enough of silence. After Sarah had abandoned her, Louisa had been left alone in the carriage with nothing except her thoughts to distract her, and she’d arrived at their accommodations with very depressed spirits. She’d spent most of last night fighting back tears alone in her room. So this morning, Louisa had no desire to repeat the same gloomy cycle. Besides, she had questions.
“What’s your home like?” she asked him. Although she was curious to know more about the place where she’d be living from now on, she asked mainly as an attempt to get the duke to say anything.
After a pause, he spoke reluctantly. “I have several estates, but I spend most of my time at Longfield, in Devonshire. It’s the smallest, but I prefer it.”
“And what’s the country like thereabouts? If I’m to move there, I’d like to know a little something about my future home.”
“It’s peaceful. Quiet. My sister will be there to greet us when we arrive and see that all your needs are taken care of. But as soon as I can arrange matters and find a suitable establishment, you’ll be attending boarding school. I don’t imagine you’ll be remaining in Devonshire long. My sister has a husband to return to at some point, and I am not in a situation in life to—”
“Then why not allow me to return to Haverton?” she asked a little too eagerly. It was clear Jon wanted Louisa there as little as she wanted to be. “The servants and I will be fine by ourselves. And I can keep an eye on the land while you’re away.”
“Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “You’re now my responsibility, which means I can’t leave you to wander the countryside alone with nothing but servants to watch over you.”
“With all due respect, Your Grace, I managed just fine by myself for the past eight months,” she said stiffly.
He scoffed at that. “Yes, you were fine. Wantonly conducting yourself with strange gentlemen in public where anyone could have seen you! The wrong whisper and your reputation would have been completely shattered. And for all you knew, I could have taken advantage of you. Whether you wished my attention or not.”
It was the first time Jon had alluded to their initial meeting, but it seemed as though his thoughts on the matter had refused to remain pent up any longer.
Louisa took several deep breaths to cool her temper before she trusted herself to respond. “I agree, my behavior was shocking. But it was no worse than yours. You forget that you’re culpable as well, Your Grace.”
“And you seem to have forgotten your understanding of how the world works!” he exploded. “Society expects that of gentlemen, not of polite young ladies. You are right that there is a double standard at play here,” Jon added, cutting off Louisa’s angry retort, “but only because society dictates there be one. You are my ward, whether I like it or not, and I am responsible for your future now. So you will do as I say and attend finishing school, and perhaps they can drill this wildness out of you.”
With an air of finality, he shook out his newspaper and raised it in front of his face so he could no longer see her.
Louisa slouched lower in her seat and scowled. He was right. She knew that, although she didn’t say so. It wasn’t fair, but the world punished a woman more severely for her lapses than it ever did a man. Had someone noticed her kissing the duke in the tavern, it would have caused a scandal, to be sure.
But Louisa thought she already knew enough about the man and his cursed sense of honor that she felt confident he would have taken the noble course of action and wed her, as much as he disliked her, rather than allow Louisa to fall into ruin.
She almost wished that had happened, now that she thought about it. Not because she had any desire to be married to this irascible man—no matter how delectable his lips were. No, but at least if they were married, she would have some extra modicum of liberty than she did now. A wife would be far more respected than a ward. A wife would never be at risk of being shipped off to finishing school, or worse.
Louisa gazed out the window at the passing greenery while chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully. What would it be like to be the wife of a duke? She had never wanted for anything growing up, but she knew Jonathan Wallbridge was still several magnitudes wealthier than her parents had been. Most importantly, the future Duchess of Devonshire would have some small claim to Haverton.
The more she considered the idea, the more Louisa determined marriage wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. She chanced a glance at Jon. He was still reading, but he had lowered the newspaper enough that she could see the deep frown still furrowed between his eyes. He was certainly handsome, she couldn’t deny that, although his dour personality left something to be desired. Chiseled face, broad shoulders, and curling black hair. Fit, masculine figure.
Women of Louisa’s class rarely married for love, anyway. She was more likely to wed a gouty old man twice her age and with half his teeth than marry for love. At least Jon was attractive and not old enough to be her father.
A slow grin spread across Louisa’s face and she turned to the window again so Jon wouldn’t see if he happened to glance up.
She had made up her mind. Louisa Kellynch was going to catch herself a duke.
Chapter 4
Jon’s resolution to keep his distance ran into further difficulty that evening, but in truth, his troubles had begun earlier than that. All afternoon, he’d had to put up with Louisa’s intermittent attempts at conversation, and no matter how short or brusque his answers were, she didn’t seem deterred.
First, she’d probed him about his estate in Devonshire. Then she’d asked him his favorite dessert. Finally, after she’d quizzed Jon on whether he preferred hunting or fishing, he’d had to close his eyes and feign sleep to get her to stop talking. Either the girl was obtuse, or she was willfully ignoring the fact that he had no wish to speak.
The rain had not let up the entire day and it slowed their progress considerably. To Jon’s great frustration, it soon became clear they would not be able to make it to Devonshire before nightfall. Which meant another night spent sleeping on the road, with no maidservant as a buffer. And the misfortunes had only continued.
When they arrived at the inn Jon had determined upon for the evening, the innkeeper had informed him there was a large party passing through the area and only one room was left available. By then, there was no sign of the coachman Jon had hired to ferry them this far, so there was no chance of seeking lodging at another establishment.
“Don’t worry though, Your Grace. We’ll ensure you and the missus are kept very comfortable,” the innkeeper reassured him.
“She’s not my wife,” Jon said hurriedly. “She’s my…sister. And surely you can find a spare room somewhere? Perhaps one of the other guests could be convinced?”
“But then, where would they sleep?” the innkeeper asked stubbornly. “No, Your Grace, I’m afraid this is all we can do.”
It was no use. Jon resigned himself to sleeping in the stables with the horses and said as much out loud.
“Don’t be silly, brother!” a bright female voice said. At some point during this conversation, Louisa had sidled over to the two gentlemen and she interjected here. “Is my snoring truly that awful?” she asked with a giggle. “It’s cold and damp outside. You’ll catch a chill. We’ll take the room,” she added, addressing the innkeeper. The man was immediately charmed by her beauty.
Jon glared down at her, but Louisa only smiled sweetly in response. How had she become such an accomplished liar? He would have to make
note of that in the future. There was no way for Jon to contradict her now without it seeming suspicious. After all, what reason would a brother actually have for choosing to sleep in the stables instead of indoors? And it was too late to change their story now. So they would be sharing a room after all.
“You certainly are talented at dissembling,” he said acidly the moment the innkeeper stepped away to see to their baggage. “Anyone overhearing you would have thought the two of us really were siblings.”
Her eyes were wide with innocence. “Perhaps because my concern for you was genuine, Your Grace. I would hate for my new guardian to catch a chill and grow ill.”
Jon highly doubted that she was being sincere, but he decided not to pursue the subject any further.
This inn’s small size precluded it from having a private parlor, but Jon judged it best for their meal to be eaten in the public common area anyway. More eyes around. Fortunately, Louisa seemed to be hungry and focused her attention on the food, only making occasional comments on the quality of the meal. The firelight brought a warm, soft glow to her already lovely features.
Jon ate his soup and directed his gaze at the other guests around the room in an effort to distract his mind from recalling the last time he had sat across from Louisa in an inn common room. Had it only been a week ago? How drastically things had changed since then.
Eventually, Jon could draw the meal out no longer. The dishes were cleared away—no beer or wine this time—and Louisa’s yawns were soon contagious. He couldn’t avoid it any longer. Time for sleep.
“Have no worries,” Jon said tightly once they had gone up to their room. “You can have the entire bed to yourself. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Not that he expected to get much sleep tonight. Louisa looked around the cramped room’s limited floor space skeptically, but she didn’t say anything.
Jon piled a few blankets and a pillow into an uncomfortable-looking makeshift bed on the floor. He could feel Louisa watching him, but he declined to meet her eyes.
“All right then. Good night,” Jon said, moving to blow out the candles.
“Wait!” Louisa said incredulously. “You’re going to sleep like that? In your clothes?” They were both still in their traveling outfits.
“Yes. Under the circumstances, that seems like the most comfortable option.” The safest option, more like.
“You try sleeping in a corset and see how comfortable you feel then,” she shot back. “You can do what you like, Your Grace, but I’m not going to sleep a wink if my hair is still up in pins and I’m wearing day-old traveling clothes.”
Jon pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. This woman insisted on making everything difficult.
“Fine,” he said at last. “I’ll turn around so I can’t see you.”
He lay down on his makeshift bed facing the wall. He could hear the sounds of Louisa brushing out her hair and removing her stockings. His eyes were tightly closed, but that made it only too easy for him to picture what was happening behind him, so he opened them again and stared at the peeling wallpaper in front of him instead.
It sounded like she was struggling with something now. He could hear her frustrated little huffs for several minutes. Finally, she ventured, " Your Grace? Are you still awake?”
Jon sighed. “Yes?” he said, without turning around.
She cleared her throat. “I…um…I can’t unbutton my gown.”
“You what?” Jon hoped he hadn’t heard her correctly.
“They’re too awkwardly placed for me to unbutton them by myself. Sarah normally helped me undress in the evenings, you know.”
“Well then, how did you bloody manage it last night?” Jon asked in irritation, forgetting his language in his frustration.
“The buttons were easier to reach on that outfit. And the inn’s scullery maid helped me into this gown this morning.” She hesitated a few seconds. “It would only take a moment. If you wouldn’t mind assisting me.”
Jon cursed again to himself and sat back up. Louisa was sitting on the bed, still fully clothed, but with her blond hair loose around her shoulders. Very reluctantly, he stood up next to her. She was tall for a woman, and yet Jon still hovered above her by more than half a foot. Her long blond strands were in the way of the buttons on the back of her gown, so he gently brushed them away, and as he did so, his fingers tingled when they accidentally touched the soft, pale skin of her neck.
He had to curl his right hand momentarily into a fist to prevent himself from digging his fingers into her hair. He could have probably wrapped his hands easily around her slim waist.
Focus, he breathed. He had undressed plenty of other women before, for far less proper reasons than this. And yet he could feel the heat rushing through him as his fingers made contact with the first pale blue button. It stuck a little, and he braced his hand on her shoulder briefly while he undid the first one. Undoing the next two buttons revealed a tantalizing glimpse of her back. He resisted the urge to touch her.
“I think you can manage the rest,” Jon said instead, hoping his voice wasn’t hoarse.
Louisa spun around as soon as he’d finished.
“Thank you,” she said softly, gazing up at him through a swirl of blond curls. Her loose gown had slipped partially off her left shoulder, exposing milk-white skin. She looked angelic and devilish all at once. The room felt smaller than ever.
If Jon stayed one more minute in this space with her, he’d lose all control and do something he was sure he’d regret.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he told her. “I’ve remembered a matter I need to discuss with the innkeeper before the morrow. Don’t wait up for me.”
And with that, Jon turned and left the room as quickly as his pride allowed.
* * *
Louisa was in a grumpy mood the following morning. His Grace was being a little more stubborn than Louisa had anticipated. In truth, she had been able to reach those buttons on her gown just fine on her own, but she had wanted to see what Jon would do.
As it turned out, he hadn’t responded at all to her attempts at seduction last night. In fact, her efforts seemed to be having the opposite result: Louisa was the one who had felt undone by his nearness while he’d helped her from her gown, while Jon seemed unaffected. She hoped he hadn’t noticed the way her breathing had hitched the moment he’d touched her neck, or the flush that had arisen on her cheeks.
She’d tried to stay awake until he’d returned from whatever errand he’d left for, but Louisa must have been more tired than she’d realized because she was out as soon as her head had hit the pillow. Sleep had been no reprieve though, because she had dreamed of Jon helping her remove the rest of her clothing as well…
She’d awoken flushed, feeling incredibly grateful no one could read the contents of her mind. And there he’d been, still fully dress and calmly asleep in his spot on the floor, unaware of the effect he’d had on her. In his sleep, his face was more open than she’d ever seen it.
The man either had immense reserves of willpower or a heart of stone. Either way, Louisa would have to rethink her methods. Perhaps she’d need to try more subtle means of breaking down his walls.
Louisa didn’t have a chance to attempt any new strategies that morning though. The day dawned bright and clear, which meant Jon chose to travel by horseback once more. Louisa took advantage of the alone time in the carriage to solidify her plans in her mind. She would certainly have access to the duke’s library in Devonshire. If that was where he kept his files, she might be able to read them. Perhaps there was a legal loophole one of the lawyers had missed, or some leverage she could find to wield against the duke. She would search for anything that would give her some measure of power over him.
She was still caught up in her planning when the carriage came to a stop. Looking out the window, she saw they were pulled up in front of an enormous estate, at least twice the size of Haverton. There was an elegantly dressed woman awaiting them in
front of the house who had Jon’s same dark blue eyes and sharp nose. This must be his sister then. The masculine features of her brother were softened just enough to be handsome on her.
The woman greeted Jon with an affection that he seemed to return. It was the first time Louisa had seen a glimpse of the man she’d met by accident that first day since he’d learned she was his ward. His mask of indifference had already slipped back on when he turned to introduce Louisa though.
“Mildred, this is Miss Louisa Kellynch. Miss Kellynch, my sister Mrs. Allen.”
Louisa made Mrs. Allen a very proper curtsy, which the older woman disregarded as she rushed Louisa up into a hug.
“Oh, you poor thing! I was heartbroken when Jon told me the story—in a letter, mind you,” she added reproachfully to her brother. “To think, you lost both your parents at such a young age. But don’t worry, you’re part of the family now. Jon’s all right, as brothers go, but I have so always wanted a sister, so that’s what I’ll treat you as.”
The warmth and sincerity of these words coming from someone Louisa had only just met struck her forcefully. Before she could help it, her eyes had welled up with tears. It had been so long since she’d had anyone to call family, but maybe they really could be that for her—or Mrs. Allen could, at the very least.
When Mrs. Allen saw Louisa tear up, she hugged her again, harder than before. “There now,” she said, patting Louisa and letting her go finally, only to link her left arm through Louisa’s right one. “Let’s all go in for some tea, and then I’ll help you get acquainted with the rest of the house.”
“Then I’ll let you take it from here, Mildred,” Jon said. Louisa started. She had nearly forgotten he was there. She hoped he had been too distracted to notice her crying; he thought her enough of a child already. “I have to catch up on some business with a few folks in the village. I’ll see you both at supper.” And then Jon swung back up on his horse and rode off the way they’d come.
