“So…he stunk to high heaven, and he was a rude cretin?”
“You could say that,” she gave him a tentative smile.
Oh, God, how he wanted to pull her into his arms, and ravish her. That way, she would never have to worry about becoming her mother’s pawn again.
“So you ran out of one man’s arms straight into another.” He liked to tease her. The way her eyes danced while she looked as if she wanted to flee from him, delighted him to no end.
“I did not come here seeking to find myself a man,” she said softly.
“And yet, here I am.”
She sighed, and turned away from him. “I see you will not take me seriously.”
“Oh,” he said huskily, gently turning her to face him. “I have never given such serious thought to anything before.”
She bowed her head. “We cannot behave like this, Your Grace. We barely know each other.”
“From the first moment I met you, Ruby, I felt as if we had known each other forever, and were finally reunited after a long separation.”
“I am not here to become your wife.”
“You might not have come here with that intention in mind, Ruby, but you must feel it, now. You must feel this drawing attraction between the two of us. It is like a magnetic pull.”
She sighed. “I should leave.”
“No,” he said, a bit stronger than he wanted to, because his voice had made her wince. “I don’t want you leaving Penryn House. I…I would follow you wherever you ran, Ruby, and I would always find you.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said stubbornly. He reached down and gently tipped her chin up to meet his gaze.
“I never lie,” he proclaimed.
“What I actually meant…was that I need to leave the Library. No matter how much I might be tempted, I do not think that I can leave this place. It terrifies me and yet, Lady Miranda and Lady Cordelia have worked their way into my heart.”
“Much in the way that I have worked myself into your heart as well,” he said impishly.
She sighed. “I…love can’t bloom in such a short amount of time, sir.”
“Love can happen in the blink of an eye, Miss Massey.”
He wanted to pull her against his chest, more than that, he wanted to kiss her sweet lips. He wanted to do that and so much more. He couldn’t wait until he could claim her as his wife and take her to his bed, and never let her go.
She licked her lips. That was it. He could wait no longer. He had to kiss her.
Her eyes widened, and she must have anticipated his intent. She stepped backward, and then turned around and dashed toward the door.
“You can run, Miss Massey. But you cannot hide. Not in this big house of mine—I shall always find you.”
“And…” she turned back to confront him. “Maybe one of those times, I will want to be found. As it is, I must finish my day of work. Your nieces still require instruction, and we cannot let anything distract me, can we?”
“I suppose not,” he said reluctantly.
“Do I have your word?” she asked, as he slowly crossed the distance that lay between them.
“Oh, you do have my word, Miss Massey. I shall make you mine one day. By the end of the month—you will be my wife, mark my words.”
“That was not what I meant…again, you misunderstand me, sir.”
“Ah, you mean can you trust me not to contact your uncle?”
“Aye.”
“It wouldn’t be to my benefit to contact him. And, as I think you are perfectly safe with me—safer here than you would be anywhere else. You are certainly safer than you were on that damnable Mail Coach. You could have been accosted by strange men. Do you realize what could have happened to you? I thought…I thought when I engaged you that you were an old woman, wise to the ways of the world, and now…now I find that you are not. You could have been hurt! What the bloody hell were you thinking when you decided to travel by way of that damnable conveyance?”
“I do not have to explain myself to you, sir,” she said softly.
“Maybe not—but someday you will.”
“Mayhap, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“You have my word. I shall not contact your uncle until after we are married.”
“You have far too much confidence, Your Grace.”
“You might have eluded other men, Ruby, but they didn’t feel about you the way I feel, because if they did, they would be here beating down my door.”
“No man could possibly love me that much. I am not worth it, sir.”
“Oh, but you are. You are a priceless jewel, Ruby.”
She gave him a soft smile, and without another word, she left the room.
His courtship of Miss Ruby Massey had only just begun. He would spend the rest of October wooing his way into her heart, and by Allantide, she would be his.
Chapter Twelve
The Duke had left Ruby in peace. Leaving her to eat alone, and giving her the time to think about what would be her next step. Every fibre of her being told her to run, it told her to go while she could—before he broke his word and contacted her family, and yet, she couldn’t leave. Whenever she considered it, her thoughts immediately went to Miranda and Cordelia. She would give it until Allantide. If she didn’t think she could trust the Duke at that point in time, then, she would depart Penryn House never to return.
She placed her fork down, and stood up. Feeling a gust of air blow through the room, she turned around to see that the window had opened itself.
Splendid.
The spirits had decided to play with her again. She just prayed she wouldn’t hear that infernal madman’s laugh again. It had truly spooked her. It made her feel fear the likes of which she had never before encountered.
Not wanting to remain alone in her bedchamber a moment longer, she walked out of it, and made for the sanctuary of the nursery. Her eyes settled on the Duke and panic welled within her. She had turned on her heel to walk back out the door.
“Oh, please, don’t go, Miss Massey,” Lady Miranda said. “Uncle was about to tell us a bedtime story.”
With her back still to them, she rolled her eyes, and prayed for patience.
“You shouldn’t beg her to stay, Miranda. She is afraid of me. She thinks I bite.”
“Cordelia thinks the same way, but I do not, Uncle. I think you are wonderful.”
Ruby sighed, and slowly turned around to face them. “Why doesn’t Miss Massey regale us with a tale? I am quite certain she has a few stories to tell.” He looked at her expectantly. “Have you ever encountered any fairies or pixies, Miss Massey?” he asked, a delighted twinkle in his eyes, and a slight curve to his full lips.
“Alas, I have no fairy stories to relate to you, my ladies, but I could come up with a tale to ease you into dreamland.” She could? She sounded more confident than she felt. She had to think hard and conjure something out of thin air. “Perhaps, perhaps, I should leave the story to your uncle after all. I am afraid I am not gifted with a silver tongue.”
He chuckled. “Why don’t I tell you about how your mother and I met the giant that took Queen Joan?”
Lady Cordelia had been hiding under her bedclothes, but at his announcement, she peeked up over at her uncle. A lump started to move under her covers, and seconds later, the kitten popped her head out, and curled up onto Lady Cordelia’s pillow. “Oh, do tell us, Uncle Phineas. However did you get away from him? Didn’t he try to eat you?” Lady Miranda asked, quite excited by it all.
He laughed. “Let me tell the story first. Not long after the day that we rescued Queen Joan, we were walking in the woods, and we heard a terrible thundering noise. Thinking that it was about to rain, we determined that we had to hasten home, and that was when we saw him.”
“Saw who?” Lady Miranda asked, quite enchanted by his tale.
“We saw the giant. He had felled a tree and he sat on it as if we would sit on a log. He was crying, and the awful sound we had heard was when he had blown
his nose. He looked so very sad that your mother, Isolde, told me we had to stay and ask him what was wrong. I wanted to run, and she wanted to stay. That was your mother for you—she was unfailingly kind, and unfailingly brave.”
“We know,” Lady Miranda whispered.
He smiled at them, and then continued, “So, we walked boldly up to the forlorn giant, and we asked him what was wrong. He didn’t hear us at first, so we had to shout to be heard.”
“Did he hear you?”
“Oh, yes, he heard. He stopped sniffling, and stared down at us. He told us that he had lost his one and only true love. That she had decided to leave him. He caught her once and put her in a cage, thinking he could keep her that way, thinking that he could woo her and win her back, believing that he could appeal to her heart.”
With those words, he locked gazes with Ruby. She swallowed thickly, and looked away, feeling her cheeks burn.
“He told us that his heart would never heal. He told us his heart would be broken forever if she didn’t come back to him.”
“Oh, no! The poor giant!” Miranda gasped.
“He said that being reunited with her would be the only way to heal his broken heart.”
“Queen Joan couldn’t possibly want to marry a giant,” Lady Miranda said, and Ruby looked over at Lady Cordelia who was adamantly shaking her head.
“We thought so, too. We told him it was sheer folly for him to think he could win her hand. We told him he was nothing but a big ugly giant. Well, I told him that…Isolde, could never be so cruel, and I still had a lot to learn back when I was nine years old.”
Ruby had to hand it to the Duke. He could tell a wonderful bedtime story, even she wanted to hear how it ended.
“We thought so, too, until we turned around and saw her. She was resplendent. Dressed in emerald green, and wearing a crown that glittered like starlight, she sighed, and put her hands on her hips. Oswald, said she, would you stop blubbering, you are dampening the spirits of my people. We cannot make merry with you wailing away.”
“She doesn’t sound very nice now,” Lady Miranda said thoughtfully.
“He brightened when he saw her, and asked her if he would be his one true love. She told him she could not marry a giant, but if he was willing to be changed into a pixie, she would take his hand in marriage, and make him her consort, as she, too, loved and missed him.
“He told her that he would do anything for her. He told her would go through any trial, and if he had to change himself into a pixie, that he would do it. She told him that once she kissed him, her magic would transform him into a pixie. He would never be able to return to his giant family. He would be an outcast. He told her that none of that mattered. His family had returned to the old lands, and the only thing keeping in him Cornwall was his love for her. Smiling, she told him to pick her up, and she planted a kiss on his cheek, and then, used her magic to float back down to the ground, as sparkles of light started to envelop him. Isolde and I stepped back, as the light almost blinded us. We shielded our eyes, and once the light stopped glowing around us, we tentatively peeked out, and saw that Oswald the Giant had become Oswald the Pixie Prince.”
“Did they live happily ever after?” Lady Miranda asked. Lady Cordelia was just as enthralled with the story as Lady Miranda was.
“That my darling girls, is a story for another night.”
“Oh, Uncle Phineas, that isn’t fair,” Miranda said, pouting.
Ruby had to concur. However was she going to hear the ending of the story? She couldn’t sneak into the nursery every night.
“Fair or not, that is how it is,” he said, kissing Lady Miranda’s forehead.
“If we can’t hear the next part of the story, could we go out riding tomorrow on our ponies? Please?”
He looked over at Ruby. “We can, but Miss Massey must come with us.”
Lady Miranda and Lady Cordelia instantly looked at her. She sighed. She had never cared for riding. “I…I am not that good on a horse.”
“Uncle Phineas shall have a nice calm mare saddled for you,” Lady Miranda said calmly.
Ruby bit her lip. “I…fine. I shall accompany you, but heed my words, I am not an accomplished horsewoman.”
He winked at her. “If you find you cannot ride alone, Miss Massey, you can always ride with me.”
She looked away. “I think…I think I should away.”
“You may kiss us goodnight, Miss Massey, if you would like,” Lady Miranda said, her eyes blue eyes wide and oh so innocent. So innocent it broke Ruby’s heart. Sighing, she walked over to Lady Miranda and bestowed a kiss on her forehead, and then, she turned to do the same to Lady Cordelia, who smiled shyly at her.
“What do you think, Cordelia? Should we play the part of matchmakers, and throw Uncle and Miss Massey together?”
She groaned. They wouldn’t need to encourage the Duke. She was the one that needed a little push.
Lady Cordelia nodded her head. “Mama would have liked Miss Massey, don’t you think, Cordelia?”
Lady Cordelia nodded again, and the kitten let out contented purrs, as she fell asleep.
“We shall take our leave, now. Goodnight, and sweet dreams, Miranda and Cordelia,” the Duke said.
“Goodnight, my ladies,” she said, as she followed him out into the hallway.
“Now, then, Miss Massey, would you like me to tell you a bedtime story?”
Chapter Thirteen
Finn was teasing Ruby again, and by the dancing of her eyes, she might just be about to rise to the occasion.
“What would you do, sir, if I told you, yes?”
His stomach dipped. She probably didn’t want to know what he would do if she told him yes. He might be attempting to act like a saint—but he was still trying to cast aside his rakish ways.
“I would sweep you up into my arms, and I would take you to my bedchamber, where I would finally make you mine.”
“Well, then, sweep away,” she said impishly, shutting her eyes, and waiting for him to proceed. The question was—was she in jest or was she serious? He didn’t know how to take her act of submission. Was it just a challenge that she expected him not to accept?
He moved toward her and swept her up into his arms. Her astonished gasp told him what he had already thought. She hadn’t expected him to take her challenge. He held her cradled in his arms, and strode to the staircase that would take him to the floor where his bedchamber was located. Her eyes popped open, and they looked wonderfully wild. She thrashed about in his arms, looking as if she would give him a bloody good struggle.
“You take me back to my bedchamber at once.”
“You cannot go back on your word, darling Ruby. You gave me leave to do this—this isn’t something you should joke about. I am quite serious when it comes to my affections for you.”
“You are quite the dangerous duke, sir.”
He considered her words thoughtfully, as he carefully walked down the steps and then turned in the direction of his bedchamber.
“I think you should put me down, sir,” she said indignantly.
“I shall put you down once we are safely in my chambers.”
“Your Grace, you must cease this foolishness at once!” Now her voice had raised to a fevered pitch, and she looked as if she was tempted to slap him.
He laughed. “Your eyes are quite bright right now, my lady. I think it makes you look even lovelier than you do when you are even tempered.”
Reaching his bedchamber, he strode through the doorway and placing her down on her feet, he shut the door securely. Now, she had moved into the next level of her indignation. She had her hands settled on her hips, and she looked inclined to give him a good and proper tongue-lashing. He was besotted, bewitched, and quite undone by her.
“I would like to leave,” Ruby said, darting forward. He blocked her path, and gave her his best roguish grin. “You said you wanted a bedtime story from me, so go ahead and settle yourself down on my bed, and I shall give you one.”
>
“I do not think you have stories in your mind right now, Your Grace. You are being quite churlish.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “You slay me with your words. They are like an arrow to my heart,” he said dramatically.
“Oh, go on,” she laughed. “You should have taken to the stage, sir.”
“That was exactly where I wanted to be when I grew up. Alas, I had to become a duke instead,” he said.
She sighed heavily. “You, sir, need to move out of my way, so I can make my escape.”
“You said you wanted a bedtime story, now go along and sit down so I can tell you one. It shall be a story about how love conquers all, and how the lovers live happily ever after.”
“Until they grow tired of one another—or until one of them dies,” she said pragmatically.
He stared at her in disbelief. “Don’t you believe in the magic of love, Ruby?”
“I only believe in tangible things, and while I have seen many of my cousins and friends find that magic, I do not believe it is something I can ever obtain.”
He truly felt sorry for her. What kind of a person had made her so down on herself?
“My mother told me once that I should be thankful that Reverend Beasley was willing to marry me. She told me I was nothing to look at, and that my personality was quite dull. She said I was someone that had to be thankful that anyone wanted me, and that I couldn’t be choosy.”
“And yet, you said you had two other duke’s bewitched by your charms. I think your mother might be jealous of you, Ruby. I think she hates seeing you get the attention that she was probably always denied, and instead of wanting better for her child, she is one of those mothers who wants her daughter to pale in comparison to her.”
“My mother…you do not know her.”
“I feel as if I know about her just listening to you speak. It is a very wonder she allowed you to ever leave her side.”
“You…pray, step aside, sir.”
He leaned down, and kissed her on the lips before she could anticipate his intent. He pulled her close, and while she struggled at first, it didn’t take her long to relax, and soon, she was responding to him. God, it was heaven kissing her. She was full of fire—she was so much different from any of the other women he had ever been with.
His Bewitching Jewel (A Regency Holiday Romance Book 7) Page 12
