Regency Romances

by Grace Fletcher

  Staring at the mirror again, Kent smoothed the length of his shirt with his palm and pocketed his hands. The cloth fitted his frame perfectly and gave him a look that he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

  Per everyone’s belief, he hadn’t done anything other than burying himself in county work and hiding in the library since Louise’s death. He thought about that and considered changing the narrative. He was never going to stop loving the woman that had loved him back with everything, but perhaps he could make himself happy by moving on with his life.

  Start with Miss Williams, Andrew. She makes you and the children happy – that should count for something.

  The smile on Miss Williams’ face after he invited her as the duke’ guest swept through his mind before the door behind him slowly shoved open.

  “Your Grace,” one of his servants said. “Sorry to disturb but it is time.”

  It is, he thought, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. It was time to kill a part of him that had not longed to be free.

  He hoped he was ready for it.

  ***

  Laura was anxious. She stepped into the hall, hoping no one would notice her until she was seated with the other guests at the dinner tables. Unfortunately, eyes couldn’t ignore her as she stepped down the stairs in her long, fitted gown and delicate shoes. She had knotted her hair smoothly into a tail behind her and had dusted a touch of makeup on her face for the occasion. The first to notice her entrance was the dowager duchess. She sat across the hall where she could see and notice everything, and her eyes lit up with surprise as soon as she saw her.

  Beside her, the duke seemed to be occupied with a few men that engaged him in humorless discussions. Lucky her. His face tightened between a frown and an uncomfortable smile, and she grinned at the way his eyes seemed distant as one of the men finally said something funny and the rest threw back their heads, reeling with laughter.

  Hoping that it was only the dowager duchess and a few of the guests that had seen her, Laura quickened her pace, intending to find a seat and hide in it as soon as possible.

  “Miss Williams?”

  Laura stopped in her tracks. Josephine stood a few steps away from her, gasping in surprise. She and the rest of the maids were earlier occupied with serving the guests, they hadn’t noticed her. But now? The older woman’s gasp had gotten the room precociously silent.

  “Hello, Josephine,” Laura muttered under her breath.

  “You—you look different.”

  Laura nodded, suddenly wishing she could be anywhere but in the middle of the hall. The sudden silence in the room was discomforting, and by the time she stared at the dowager duchess, she noticed a sordid frown on the woman’s face. The duke was no longer listening to his guests too. He kept his gaze fixed on her and through his wide blue eyes, she knew he was equally as baffled by her looks.

  “Approach the table, Miss Williams.” she heard him call.

  Josephine hurried out of the way, quickly getting back to her task. The devil. Laura held her breath and slowly stepped towards the duke. She noticed some of the men trailing her movements with their eyes and could have sworn that one of the maids – Josephine’s daughter, Andrea – hissed under her breath as she walked past her.

  “Miss Williams shall sit by me,” the duke announced as soon as she was close enough.

  “Aye, aye. That, she will,” his guests sarcastically responded.

  A chair was quickly pulled out for her beside him, and Laura sat, avoiding the eyes of the men and women that stared at her interestedly.

  “Would you be so kind as to introduce the dainty Miss Williams to us, Duke?” one of the men asked.

  Laura looked up to notice that he was almost as young and handsome as the duke. Speaking of Duke Kent, she stole a glance at him as it struck her that he looked different. He had a clean-shaven beard and seemed to have trimmed his hair. In a new white shirt and pants, he looked like a handsome groom, waiting to steal away any woman that would dare to be his.

  “Viscount Newton, Lords,” he said, staring at the faces around him. “This is Miss Laura Williams, the governess of this here manor. I invited her especially as my guest.”

  He said the last words while staring at the dowager duchess who still seemed quite baffled by her presence. Laura figured that although she had helped in the organization of the dinner party, the dowager duchess hadn’t expected her attendance to be so honored.

  “It is an honor to meet you, Governess,” the men and women chorused. Laura noticed that the women snorted at her, but she ignored them.

  “Tell me, Miss Williams. What exactly does a governess in a manor as big as the Hartley Manor do?”

  The question had come from the man that had spoken earlier – Viscount Newton. Laura smiled at him, and instinctively nodded towards the stairs that led to the rooms where Bruce and James had been tucked into bed. “I keep the children occupied and share knowledge of the world with them.”

  “Interesting,” Viscount Newton said. “I particularly crave knowledge myself. What do you teach?”

  “Art, science, and the growing innovations in the world today.”

  Another man sitting beside Viscount Newton inched forward with a curious glare. “Lord Bracknell, Miss Williams,” Kent quickly introduced.

  “Nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Williams,” Lord Bracknell greeted her.

  Laura bowed her head, courteously. “The pleasure is mine,” she returned. She had never really expected that her childhood effort to learn ladylike manners was going to be useful.

  “I noticed the fine English,” Lord Bracknell commended. “I assume you had a degree at a reputable university?”

  That ended the broad smile on her face. Laura shook her head. “I have never been into a school before, Lord Bracknell,” she whispered.

  “My, shouldn’t you be in one to become a governess these days?”

  “Miss Williams knows and teaches perfectly enough,” Kent grunted. Laura felt his hand on hers under the table, and she heaved a sigh, appreciating his empathy.

  “I just think the many intelligent men of this here county and beyond have a degree the least,” Lord Bracknell argued.

  “I was home-schooled,” she explained, managing to smile at him. “My father was a headteacher, and he made me read every book there was.”

  “Every book?” one of the women asked. It was the first time any of them spoke directly to her.

  “Aye, that could be found in his library and in the school where he taught,” Laura further explained. “He brought books that were suitable for every age that I grew into.”

  “And you read them all?” Why was that surprising?

  “Seems like a very boring and rustic childhood to me,” another woman whispered.

  “Not with me,” Laura muttered under her breath. “I felt alive digesting every word in those books until there was nothing else to read and more interest to know more. I could mention every country in the world and explain some cultures from East to North Asia and Africa. Not many know these without stepping into a classroom.”

  The table fell silent, and Laura glanced up to notice a proud grin on the duke’s face. The expressions on the rest of the faces around her ranged from disillusion to appreciation. The dowager duchess, noticing how intense the atmosphere had gotten, cleared her throat, and clapped her hands. “The foods won’t eat themselves,” she groaned. “We have got to get rid of the desserts, Lords and Ladies, so we can finally have that dinner party we are here for.”

  Laughter accompanied her speech, and the men and women went back to their drinks and food. Kent squeezed her hand for a second, leaned close to her and whispered the words “You are beautiful tonight, Miss Williams” into her ear.

  Color flew to her cheeks while she stared at the food in front of her for the first time. Somehow, she found a little bit of confidence in having the duke beside her. She picked up the cutlery, shoved it into her food and began to eat, convincing herself that she wasn�
��t entirely different from the wealthy and influential men that feasted around her.

  Chapter 7

  Their First Kiss

  It was slightly cold outside of the walls of the castle, but Kent took comfort in the fact that he was spending time alone with Laura. She padded beside him as they strolled down the balcony of the left-wing of the manor. Sometimes she glanced at him, but as soon as their eyes met, her gaze was back to her feet.

  Once they were in the middle of the balcony, he stopped walking and turned to stare at the vast meadow in front of the manor. She stepped beside him and placed her hands on the guardrails.

  “Tell me, Miss Williams,” he grinned without looking at her, “are you always this coy with all your employers or it is just me?”

  He had expected the long silence as well as the nervous look on her face. He kept quiet, patiently waiting for her response.

  “I don’t think I am coy with you, Your Grace,” she finally said. “I only find it sometimes incredulous that you would want to….”

  When she stopped speaking in mid-sentence, he smiled at her and asked, “That I would want to interact or socialize with my own employee?”

  She nodded, and he nodded too, understanding her. “You underrate yourself then, Miss Williams,” he teased. “I would expect a woman well-read, and confident enough to explain to a bunch of privileged upper-class women how enjoyable reading could be, to rate herself a bit higher.”

  Laura groaned at him, looking into his eyes for the first time. “I actually think I performed poorly, speaking to your guests that way, Your Grace,” she muttered.

  “Oh, but you didn’t,” Kent argued. “The conversation would have taken a more ridiculing turn if you hadn’t been so proud of your background. And it has brought you here, haven’t you?”

  Laura bit her lips, obviously surprised by his encouraging words. She finally smiled and stared at the meadow with him.

  “I am glad you asked for us to take a walk, Your Grace,” she said. “I needed to be out of the hall before someone else asked to dance with me.”

  “Well, you suddenly became the center attraction of the party,” Kent laughed. He also added after a second thought: “I am sure the dowager duchess isn’t happy about that.”

  “No, she isn’t,” Laura sighed.

  Earlier, Kent had noticed that the expression on his mother’s face shifted between pleasure and displeasure as he interacted with the guests and laughed more around his governess. Perhaps a few months ago, he would have cared about her reservations about the difference between their social class and that of Laura’s, but she had also been the one that had convinced him to move on with his life and find happiness again.

  “I think leaving the party has her back in control,” he said.

  Laura nodded and kept her eyes fixed to the view in front of her. Something else had begun to bother her, and he stared at her, hoping she was going to talk about it.

  “Your Grace?”

  His heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at him. “Speak, Miss Williams,” he encouraged.

  Slowly, her eyes darted up to look at him. In that brief second, he saw emotions in them–longings that seemed to be fighting their way to the surface.

  “Miss Williams….” he whispered, suddenly feeling as if they could speak so many words to each other by just whispering each other’s names. He stepped towards her as her lips parted to speak and held her hand.

  “Is everything agreeable?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “I have just been thinking,” she said. “Inviting me to the dinner party…asking me to walk with you. Everything doesn’t seem right, and I know it isn’t in my mind.”

  He understood why he had always felt drawn to her. Laura was observant, and both passionate and expressive. He let her eyes stare into his for a few lingering moments before he inched closer to her. “You think I want something?” he asked.

  She heaved a sigh and dropped her gaze to her feet. He pulled her head up by her chin and smiled at her. Her deep brown eyes were everything–they made him want to drown in the passion in them. More so, he noticed the way her lips trembled at his touch and how the soft breeze blew across her face, getting a lock of hair to brush over her left eye. Laura Williams was beautiful and no matter the number of times he denied his feelings for her, he undeniably cared about her.

  “You are right, Miss Williams,” he finally whispered. “I want something from you.”

  He showed his intent with his eyes before he leaned towards her and clasped his lips against hers. For a moment, her body froze in his hands. He had feared that perhaps, she was displeased, but seconds later, he felt his hand on her arms as she leaned towards him and kissed him back.

  Her lips were warm and soft. While he searched the corners of her mouth with his lips, she concentrated on his lower lip and sucked anxiously. He reached for her waist, pulled her towards him, and let out a soft moan as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself to him.

  Kent wasn’t sure how long it was that they stood there, lost in the passion from their embrace. When it finally ended, Laura gasping softly as he stepped away from her, he felt the revelation of his love for her sweeping through his thoughts. She had her eyes clamped shut, and he stared at her, stunned by her beauty.

  “Your Grace,” she whispered, finally fluttering her eyes open.

  “I don’t know why and how, but I want you, Miss Williams,” he told her. “I want to be able to know you, not as the governess of the manor, but as a woman I am attracted to.”

  She blinked blankly at him, and he knew that his words were a bit too much for her. They were much for him also; he wasn’t aware that his attraction towards her had become so overwhelming.

  “I ne—need to breathe,” he finally heard her mutter.

  He frowned, noticing how she gasped out short breaths. “Are you feeling well?” he asked.

  She shook her head, stepping away from him. “This—everything, Your Grace. It is what I had feared and hoped for, but…”

  “Hoped for?” he questioned, stepping towards her.

  She stepped further away from him, getting him to stop in his tracks. “May I, Your Grace?” she bowed courteously.

  It was his turn to blink confusedly at her. He stood motionlessly while she turned on her heels and ran towards the door.

  He watched her leave, thinking about the consequence of their kiss. While Laura had kissed him back, he had a feeling she hadn’t expected to be equally drawn to him as he was to her.

  Perhaps he had stepped out of his dark hole a little too early.

  ***

  Instead of running into the hall, Laura took the stairs that led to the first floor, farther away from the duke.

  She had acted impulsively, no doubt, but she didn’t know what to do or say. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest while it suddenly became too difficult to breathe. The duke had kissed her, and she had heartily kissed him back. The taste of his lips on hers had left her speechless, and she was even more stunned by the way her legs shook.

  I want you, Miss Williams…not as the governess of the manor, but as a woman I am attracted to.

  Those words echoed in her ears as she finally stopped running and rested her back against the nearest wall. She closed her eyes, trying to keep the image of their kiss out of her head and only succeeded in remembering the morning that she had seen the duke shirtless. The broadness of his shoulders. His large arms and his muscular chest and abs. For so long she had thought about them…the duke had been in her head ever since she had been in his employ!

  Laura heaved a sigh and rubbed her palms over her face. She needed to be calm. The only reason she had run instead of expressing how equally attracted she was to the duke was because of her position in the manor. She was just an ordinary governess and was nothing like the beautiful duchess that had attended the dinner party. While what she felt for the duke and what he felt for her might be genuine, her status wasn’t ever going to
change. It wasn’t just her place to be with a man of such power and influence.

  Laura finally felt her racing heart slow to its usual pace. She was still worried about what had ensued minutes ago, but she swept her eyes through the hallway, noticing for the first time that she was close to the master bedroom. She stepped towards it without thinking, noticing that the door was slightly ajar. There wasn’t much light to illuminate her path, but she also noticed that someone moved behind the door.

  She had left the duke at the balcony of the manor.

  “Who is there?” Laura called.

  Silence. The door still stood slightly ajar, but nothing moved anymore. She stepped closer to the door, considering that the duke might have forgotten to shut it when he left for the party. Perhaps her anxiety after the kiss had made her imagine movement behind the door.

  However, as soon as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room, she realized she had concluded a little too early. Hands shoved her into the room from behind her before something heavy and hard hit her head.

  The world spun around her briefly before her body slumped to the floor. She felt blood dripping down her neck to the floor before darkness took over.

  ***

  She heard the echoes of voices around her before she noticed the sheets around her body. Her head hurt, but someone had placed soft pillows behind her, trying to ease her pain. She slowly fluttered her eyelids open, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her head and shoulders. The memories of the previous night swept through her mind, and she slowly inched upright, remembering that she was bleeding on the floor.

  “Your Grace?”

  Josephine was standing a few feet from the bed she lay on, along with two other maids. Laura noticed that she was pointing at her while Kent appeared, looking worried. “Get her some water, Josephine,” he said slowly.

  Josephine quickly filled a glass with water and helped her to sip a few drops.

  “Are you feeling better?” Kent asked, stepping towards her as Josephine withdrew with the cup.