It's Always the Duke: Historical Regency Romance

by Lisa Campell

  Clearing her throat, she slowly turned to him.

  As her eyes held his, she saw that those dark orbs had a twinkle in them… a twinkle that seemed all too mischievous. Then there was that smile that was flirting across his lips. He was trying so hard to fight it but she could see it nonetheless.

  It was her turn to narrow her eyes. He was messing with her!

  “Is this amusing to you?” she asked, feigning offence.

  “No more than it was amusing to you,” he replied.

  “I see…”

  He lost the fight then and the smile broke across his face. It was such a beautiful one, Caroline’s breath caught in her throat and she forgot every retort she was going to give.

  “Not so amusing now that the tables are turned, is it?”

  Quickly coming to the realization that she could play this game in her favor, she lifted her chin in challenge. “Tables are turned? How? You’re all the way over there and here I am. From what I remember of the events on the balcony—and I do have perfectly good memories, I might add—the tables weren’t arranged this way.”

  “Are you tempting me, Lin?”

  Her heart skipped a beat as she heard that name.

  Lin. It had been ages since anyone had called her that, since he had called her that.

  It used to be his special pet name for her. Short for Caroline. When they were younger, she would always lie that she didn’t like it, only to get him to call her by it more.

  Was her Edward finally returning to her?

  It occurred to her much later that it had been a calculated move on his part, because before she could recover, he covered the distance between them and took her chin in his hand, lifting her face to him.

  “I ask again, are you tempting me, Lin?”

  Her throat dried, making her mouth suddenly feel parched. She stuck her tongue out to lick her lips, all the while struggling to remember how to breathe.

  “T… Tem…” she stopped, swallowing hard again. “What if I am?” she asked defiantly.

  “If you are, shall I yield then? Shall I give you what you want, Caroline Wentworth?”

  “And what is it I want?”

  “Why, you are so obvious. A kiss, of course.”

  Her heart was beating harder than it ever had before, and for a brief moment, she wondered if it was a dream. It seemed too good to be true.

  “Hm… say you are right, shall you then?”

  He said nothing for a moment. They simply stood there, staring into each other’s eyes as silence thickened and the whole world faded away.

  Finally, he spoke, breaking the spell. “Perhaps I shall…”

  He started to lower his head then, and Caroline’s eyes fluttered closed as she waited for what was to come.

  She couldn’t believe it, yet she knew it was happening.

  Edward was going to kiss her.

  Please, my heart, be still.

  She waited for the touch of his lips, all the while resisting the urge to rise on her tip toes and meet him half way. If he wanted to kiss her, he would have to come all the way, just like she had.

  The closer he drew, the more she felt his heat. His scent filled her nostrils, woods and aromatic herbs—so delicious, she wished to kiss him all over.

  Anytime now.

  He was so close, she could feel him.

  Only, just as she readied herself for the impact, he pulled away.

  “On second thought, I choose to be the bigger person. There shall be no revenge today.”

  Caroline’s eyes fluttered opened to see him smirking at her.

  Beyond mortified, she willed the ground to open and swallow her up.

  I have just been played a fool!

  She knew she should be angry, but she couldn’t bring herself to be. After all, she had made it so easy for him.

  Miffed beyond words, she pulled away from him and stormed out of the library.

  His chuckle followed her all the way out the door and she knew, she just knew, she would make him suffer for that.

  Somehow, some day. Soon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Edward was still basking in the victory he had won in the library two days later when Jeremiah Whittaker finally called upon Caroline.

  After not hearing from the earl for over a week, a part of Edward had begun to hope that the gentleman had changed his mind and was now in pursuit of other maidens.

  It appeared that was not the case.

  He was in the grand hall, watching Caroline play in the fields as always, when Mr. Giraud came to him.

  “You grace,” he greeted, bowing.

  “What is it?” he asked, not looking away from her.

  She was such a delight to watch. The way she laughed so heartily and conversed with the servants, as though they were her equal.

  She was pure at heart and light in spirits. How could he ever hope to be anything but drawn to her?

  When he had entered the library the other day and caught her lying on the sofa, absorbed in the book she was reading, he had contemplated walking away. But he had stopped himself.

  He was tired of running, hiding, only watching from the shadows.

  She had looked so lovely, and finding her alone in the poorly lit library had made him think all sorts of reckless thoughts.

  Somehow, he had managed to keep himself together, pretending to be very interested in the books. As he searched, he had decided to apologize for his behavior.

  He was their host and it was rude for him to have made himself scarce, especially so shortly after their arrival.

  His intention had been to make light conversation that would lead to an apology. However, when he realized that she was resolved on staying angry, he had felt challenged.

  Then, she had tried to walk away from him. He didn’t know what had come over him, stopping her like that and teasing her so wickedly.

  Nevertheless, he was glad that he had. It had made him feel powerful, and he had enjoyed himself very much.

  Of course, he knew that he now had something more to apologize for, as she wouldn’t speak to him. He was planning a grand scheme. An apology she could not refuse.

  It was perhaps best to leave things as they were, let the drift between them widen all the more, but he loved being in her company all too much.

  The more he told himself to stay away, the more he realized he wanted to stay close to her.

  Mr. Giraud bowed again. “A guest, your grace, for Miss Caroline.”

  Edward frowned, finally facing Mr. Giraud.

  “A guest you say? Who?”

  “The Earl of Clarendon he says. Lord Jeremiah Whittaker.”

  His frown deepened. So, his rival finally decided to strike.

  Hmm.

  “Did he say Miss Caroline is expecting him?”

  Mr. Giraud shook his head. “He did mention, though, that he has her father’s permission to call and that she would be delighted to see him.”

  “Delighted,” Edward scoffed. It appeared the earl was delusional. Caroline had eyes only for him, and she did not wish to be married to the oaf.

  “Shall I inform the lady, your grace?”

  Edward considered it for a moment. He had given Lord Wymore his word, hadn’t he?

  It would have been all too easily to claim that Caroline was out with her aunty and send Whittaker on his way, but no, that would be utterly wrong.

  “Yes… On second thought, show the earl to the drawing room, will you? I shall inform Miss Caroline.”

  Mr. Giraud dipped into another bow. “Yes, your grace.”

  As the butler turned to leave, Edward followed him. They reached the door where Whittaker was waiting and Edward pushed out his hand for a handshake.

  “Lord Brandon,” he said.

  Whittaker took his hand, smiling. “I know who you are, your grace. We have met a few times, have we not?”

  Edward had no smile for him. He could not even bring himself to fake one. “Not formally, no.”

 
“Ah. True. Well, I am Lord Whittaker, Earl of Clarendon,” he chimed, executing a theatrical bow as he ended the handshake.

  Edward almost gave into the urge to roll his eyes.

  Jealousy aside, it was clear as day that Whittaker was nothing but an arse. He didn’t deserve a woman like Caroline.

  Why couldn’t Wymore see through his façade?

  “Pleased to meet you, your grace… formally,” he added as he straightened, still smiling.

  “Likewise,” Edward responded tightly. “I hear you are here to see Miss Caroline?”

  Whittaker nodded, a little too eagerly for Edward’s liking.

  “Yes. Her father told me of the arrangements. He tells me that you have been made aware of the situation and are in agreement.”

  Edward grunted a response. Clearing his throat, he added. “Mr. Giraud here will show you to the drawing room. I shall inform Miss Caroline of your presence.”

  With those words, he turned and headed for the fields.

  Caroline was already returning to the house so he met her halfway. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him and began to spin away, but he stopped her.

  “Whittaker is here to see you.”

  She froze for a moment before turning around to face him.

  He could see the alarm in her eyes. He wondered if she knew he knew.

  “Whittaker?” she asked. “Already?”

  He nodded. “To be honest, I thought he would come sooner.”

  She frowned as the meaning of his words sank in. “You knew.”

  He nodded again.

  “How long now?” she asked again.

  “Since the day you arrived. Your father told me all about it before leaving.”

  “All about it?” There was something in her voice that confirmed his thoughts. There certainly was more to this than he knew, than anybody was letting on.

  He coughed. “Well, I suppose as much as I should know. He is waiting in the drawing room for you.”

  He looked her over, resisting the urge to laugh when he saw smears of dirt on her dress.

  She was hopeless when it came to being a proper lady. She would never learn—not that she couldn’t, she simply did not wish to.

  “I suggest you change into more suitable clothing before you go to him. You have dirt all over. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you just had a roll in the mud with the pigs. Do inform Aunt Trudy of his presence. I cannot have you two alone now, can I?”

  With a smirk, he spun and left her standing there. He could feel the daggers she was staring into his back and he knew that if looks could burn, he’d have turned to ashes.

  He tried to return to his study when he got back into his house, but he knew he would only be deceiving himself. He could hardly concentrate, so instead, he remained in the hallway, pacing.

  He paused as she walked past him, going up the stairs to her chamber.

  She said no word to him. In fact, she ignored his presence altogether.

  A few minutes later, she appeared again, descending the stairs in a fresh dress.

  This one was green. The lightest shade he had ever glimpsed.

  He frowned when he saw that she had done up her hair. The urge to take off the clips and let it fall free overwhelmed him, but he held himself back.

  He hated that she had taken the time to look lovely for him. Not that she needed to try. She always looked lovely. Even covered in dirt, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

  Again, she ignored his presence, saying nothing as she walked past him all the way to the drawing room.

  It wasn’t until she was near that he realized Aunt Trudy wasn’t joining them.

  Troubled by this, he went after her, managing to reach her just before she entered the drawing room.

  He caught her by her hand, stopping her.

  She turned to him, eyes blazing with anger. Yet all her anger did was make him want to hold her against the wall and pleasure her.

  God help him, but he wanted her more when she was livid.

  Forcing himself to remember why he had gone after her, he spoke. “I told you to call Aunt Trudy.”

  “She seems to be asleep. I do not want to disturb her.”

  “But you cannot meet him alone. It’s not proper.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You mean the way we have been meeting alone?” she asked in a hushed whisper. “The way I see it, it is more proper for me to meet him like this than you, seeing as we are set to get married.”

  Her words were like a knife in his heart.

  He faltered for a moment, losing his train of thoughts.

  “But I… Yo… Your father said you were against this arrangement.” Had the viscount been mistaken?

  Something flashed in her eyes but she quickly masked it.

  “Did he now? Well, I suppose I have changed my mind. The earl, after all, is an agreeable man. He is easy upon the eyes. No, he is more than easy. He is very handsome. He is also charming, well behaved, he smiles often. I do believe I have never seen him brood. I reckon he shall make a good husband and we shall be very happy together, don’t you think?”

  Edward frowned as he let go of her hand. It was clear what she was doing, deliberately spiting him.

  Yet, the thought of her considering the earl as a good match filled him with rage, nonetheless.

  “It looks like you have your mind made up. A few days ago, I could have sworn you had your eyes set on someone else.”

  “A few weeks ago, I could swear he said he wanted to see me married, suckling a child,” she retorted. Sweetly, she added, “It appears his wishes are about to come true. He should be thrilled, no?”

  She finished with a smile and proceeded to walk away.

  Edward just stood there, confused, not knowing what to do.

  A part of him wanted to go after Whittaker and banish the man from his home. The other part wanted to go after Caroline and confess his love to her.

  She wanted him. Only him. She had to.

  Finally, he came to a decision. He needed to get away from this house. He needed to clear his mind, but most importantly, he needed someone to be the voice of reason.

  Only one person came to mind—Nathaniel.

  Grabbing his coats, he left his home and flagged down a coach.

  “Sixteen Brighton Street.”

  As soon as the coachman nodded, he got on.

  Nathaniel would know the right words to say. Of this, he was certain.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Caroline was still trying to recover from the bout she had just had with Edward when she entered the drawing room.

  She paused by the door, taking a moment to catch her breath.

  There was a pain in her heart, and knowing exactly what it was only made her feel worse.

  She hated fighting with Edward. However, it was all part of her new plan. Perhaps making him jealous would bring him to his senses.

  Pretending not to care for him would make him desperate, and he would have no choice but to confess his love and beg her hand in marriage.

  It would work, wouldn’t it? By God, she hoped it would.

  If she ended up losing him for good over such antics, she would blame herself forever.

  “Miss Caroline, are you alright?”

  She looked up at Whittaker as she heard his voice. He must have risen when she entered.

  Taking one last deep breath, she nodded as she straightened to go to him.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Was in a bit of a hurry to get here, is all. I did not wish to keep you waiting.”

  She managed a small smile and he flashed a brighter one at her.

  She still didn’t like him, she concluded. She didn’t think she ever would, not even enough to form a friendship.

  “Oh, please. You should have taken your time. I am more than happy to wait an eternity if it means I’ll finally get to have a glimpse of your ethereal beauty.”

  Caroline almost scoffed. Something told her she was not the first la
dy he had said those words to. He was quite the charmer, only because he had had so much practice.