by Ella Edon
"Well, I'm glad that you have. I've however heard that the Duke of York also visits the orphanage often."
Anne's eyes widened, she set her tea aside and blurted. "The one who returned not quite long ago?"
"The very same."
"The one who had waltzed with Esther at her ball? I've heard a lot about him."
"As have I," Katherine added. Then she turned to Esther. "Does he bother you? I hear he's quite the libertine. And he has numerous mistresses. I wouldn't get involved with him if I were you. He's bad news. Quite a heartbreaker, I hear."
"I've also heard those things. Be careful of him, Esther."
Holding her breath, Esther nodded quietly. "Of course, I'll be careful. However, the Duke is not all that you say. Or all that you've heard. He's a good man. You should see him with the children. He has donated his time and money to that orphanage. He makes sacrifices when necessary. And he would fight tooth and nail for those who are dear to him. He may be a man who keeps one too many mistresses, but it doesn't change the fact that deep down, he is a good man."
After she was done talking, all she saw were her friends staring at her wide-eyed.
"You spend a lot of time with him," Katherine stated.
"No!" Esther protested. "Not at all. Just when we are at the orphanage and speaking to the children."
"You seem to know quite a bit about him," Anne smirked. "Come on, Esther. Talk to us."
Esther blushed. "It's nothing. Really! Just that he's a better man than most people give him credit for being."
Anne seemed eager to hear more, but Katherine had a sour look on her face. Esther noticed this, and it was why she decided to keep the recent happenings to herself.
"How often do you talk then?" Anne pressed on.
"Well, not every day, but most weeks for sure and only a few seconds, nothing long. We read poems to the children together. But he's been busy of late. I haven't seen him in quite some time."
"Well, you will. Because surely, he'd come around to the orphanage."
"Of course, he will."
Anne giggled, then she proceeded to ask Esther more questions about Stefan, but she was soon cut short by Katherine. "Be careful, Esther. Be careful of the Duke. He may be far worse than Lord Milway. Stay away from him. If his charms get to you, you'll be very hurt when he tells you he wants nothing to do with you anymore. He's not what you think he is."
Esther stared at Katherine, irked. How would she know if Stefan was all of this when she barely even knew him? Or did Katherine know him better than she was revealing?
"All those things are gossip, Katherine. If you knew him well, you'd be able to tell that some of those talks are made up. They are lies."
Katherine scoffed. "I really hope so, Esther, for the sake of what Lord Milway has put you through."
As Katherine uttered those words, Esther stared at her in disbelief. Anne, having had enough interrupted. "All we need to tell Esther is to be careful around the Duke of York. Esther, Katherine is only looking out for you."
Esther stared at Katherine, who looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "I just want you to be careful, Esther.”
"I promise that I will." Esther meant those words.
"Now that that's all settled, have you picked a dress for the ball Lady Alastair is throwing for her daughter?" Katherine grinned, sitting up.
Esther cut out their voices as the conversation sprang up. Sitting in the midst of her friends, she tried to reassure herself that she didn't need the Duke to get Nicholas back or rebuild her crumbling reputation.
Chapter Ten
The small pearl earring that fell on his boots belonged to his mother. He squinted and picked the object up and glanced at it. Looking around, there was no one there with him. He wondered where it had fallen from. Turning around and keeping his eyes focused for anyone, he hoped to know how the pearl earring had fallen on his boot.
"You're turning too much, and it's starting to hurt my eyes. I think I've lost an earring, help me find it."
He stopped dead in his tracks. Following the voice of his mother, he looked up at the staircase to see his mother descending from it.
"You mean this?" Stefan inquired, as he watched her. She was clad in a blue dress with an empire waist. While one ear had a small white piece circling the earlobe, the other was left bare. Stefan walked over to her and placed the earring rightfully. "You look beautiful, mother."
"Thank you."
Behind his mother, Myrtle, the dowager's lady’s maid followed, with a white piece in her hand. "My Lady, your kerchief."
The Dowager Duchess collected the piece from the girl and smiled at her. "Thank you, Myrtle." then she turned to Stefan. "We must be off now. I do not want to get to the ball late."
He has thought the house was quiet until they both stepped into the hallway. Echoes of footsteps filled their ears. Noises of laughter and name-calling followed.
"William! No. I want that berry!" Robert spoke.
"I'm famished," Alex complained.
"Children… I thought they'd be gone for quite a while. They are back early." His mother sighed.
The door opened. Robert walked in first, giggling. William held the door and stepped to the side while Alexandra walked through.
"William is a true gentleman." The Dowager Duchess smiled, staring at her children.
Stefan nodded in agreement. Robert ran towards Stefan and chanted. "Catch me, Stefan!"
Lost, but trying to understand the child, Stefan bent down a little with outstretched arms, Robert ran into them, and Stefan twirled around with the boy in his arm. Robert giggled gleefully as the twirl went on. Stefan finally let him down after two complete spins.
William held onto Robert as the effects of the twirl nearly sent him to the floor.
"You look amazing, mother." Alexandra moved close and kissed her mother on both cheeks.
The Dowager Duchess smiled. "Thank you."
To Stefan, she jerked her head towards the door. "Come, we shouldn't be arriving late. Lady Alistair is a very good friend of mine, and I should be by her side at this point in time."
Stefan held on to his mother's arm. With his siblings watching them as they walked on, and Richard pulling open the front door, they got into the carriage and headed to the ball.
* * *
The ballroom was lit beautifully, the splash of color came from the lovely dresses the people of the ton donned that evening. As Stefan stepped through the threshold with his mother by his side, Lady Alastair's butler, Charles, announced their arrival.
"The Duke and the Dowager Duchess of York." The bald-headed man bowed and nodded into the room. Stefan smiled at the old man, then walked ahead.
A group of dowager ladies at the far end, left from where they stood waved at his mother. He watched as her eyes lit up, but she didn't walk over to them, rather, she returned their smile and bowed her head a little. "I must find Lady Alistair."
His response barely came before he saw her walk through a small door by the left —perhaps she was heading to the drawing-room. He stood by a table and watched the crowd. Giggles filled his ears from behind, and he turned, to see a group of young ladies hiding behind their fans, giggling and eyeing him in awe. As his eyes awkwardly met the dark-haired lady, he smiled tightly and looked away. He had promised Esther he wouldn't regard ladies the way he used to. And he was surely keeping to his promise. He also wanted to prove her wrong. For some reason, she didn't believe that he could actually go through with it. She had challenged him, and he planned to rise to the occasion.
"Your Grace," a deep baritone called from beside him.
Stefan turned abruptly. He smiled happily when he saw his longtime friend standing before him. "Eugene!"
Eugene Fitzgerald, the third son to the Earl of Sutherland, had been his best friend, they had grown up together. They were like brothers. But as they got older, responsibilities and personal choices separated them.
While Stefan had taken to learning the ropes of
running a duchy, his friend had opted to travel around the world. He had become a voyager, traveling by sea to many countries. For the first few months, he sent Stefan letters, telling him about his life at sea. But the letters became increasingly infrequent. And a final one arrived after some time in which Eugene said he had settled down in France and had fallen in love with a French lady. But he wouldn't return home, for he knew it would displease his father.
Now, standing before him, Eugene seemed bigger. His arms were wider and his shoulders, broader than the last time that Stefan had seen him . His dark hair was left long, stopping at his jawline. He had a small scar on his forehead, but his smiles would make one overlook it all. He looked so happy.
Stefan moved towards him slowly. Eugene stretched out his arms. And with the two friends smiling, they hugged each other while patting shoulders. "Brother!"
Stefan stepped back, still grinning. "How have you been?"
"I've been well, Stefan."
"What are you doing here? What happened in France? Your wife...?"
"Eugene!" A woman with a sultry French accent walked up to him. She was dressed in a fine yellow dress, which complemented her brown hair and light brown eyes. She was smiling as she spoke into Eugene's ear, and when Eugene finally laughed out, she stepped aside and faced Stefan. With a broad grin then, she stretched out her hand.
"My Lord, I'm Henriette Fitzgerald." Her grin was wide.
Stefan took her hands and shook them, still slightly confused. "Stefan Hamilton, Duke of York."
The lady gasped. "Your Grace, you know Eugene well, no?"
"Indeed, I do."
"How lovely! Eugene talks about you, yes..." she trailed off as she stared behind him. With a smile sent his way, she placed her hands together. "Pardon me, but I must attend to something."
Stefan nodded in amusement as the lady walked away. He raised a brow at Eugene. "Is that your wife?"
Eugene nodded proudly. "Henriette is my wife."
"How are you here? You said your father would never let a French lady into his home. What happened?"
"Henriette wouldn't agree. She wanted to see my family, my mother, my brothers, and my father. After her papa died a few years back, Henriette decided that we should move to London. She had nothing left in France and she wanted to see my home. So, we decided to return last year. However, our son, Francis, fell ill. He was so feeble, that we were told he wouldn't survive..." Eugene's mood changed, his eyes became sad. "So, we decided to wait to see if he would recover or if he would...leave us. Thank God, he survived and we began the voyage to England. We have only returned a few days ago. My father is not quite thrilled, but he has not said a word. My mother was most excited to see me and my brothers are happy as well. My mother has even asked Henriette to help her with the ball preparations. Because Lady Alastair had asked it of her, it is why she has been running about."
Stefan shook his head, a small smile on his face. Eugene had fallen in love, gotten married, and now had a son. He wasn't sure how it felt taking in all the changes.
"How have you been? How has running York been?"
"Well. I was in France for quite some time before my return. But it was a very brief stay."
"Oh, I see. I wish our paths had crossed then."
"As do I, brother."
A noise interrupted them. Stefan looked up to see the butler hitting cutlery against a goblet. "Lady Esther Bowen of Kendal."
She stepped forward. The first thing he saw was her hair. Braided thinly at its sides and left loose mid-way, to mix with the rest of the fine curls that tumbled down her shoulders. She had donned a wine-colored dress. She looked stunning. Her head was bent as she walked through. And there was silence all around. He knew how shy she was at that moment, when everyone was focusing on her.
Soon the chattering went on, Eugene was already talking, but Stefan’s focus remained on her. She raised her head a little, and he hoped her eyes would meet his. Before she could finally look up, a golden-haired lady in green dress gripped her forearm, and Esther turned immediately, focus stolen. Stefan clenched his jaws as he watched her turn away from him.
"Stefan."
Blinking hard, he turned to Eugene who stood beside him with a smirk. "You're yet to wed, I see."
"I shan't wed anyone."
A footman passed by, and Stefan took a drink from him. So did Eugene. "So, you still believe that love is...fictional, Stefan? If this is about what happened to Agnes —"
"Do not speak a word of her, I beg you." It hurt too much to be reminded.
"Who is she?" Eugene cleared his throat. "The lady who just arrived."
"Lady Esther Bowen of Kendal."
"You know exactly what I mean. Who is she to you? "
"A lady who volunteers at the orphanage I sponsor."
"Ah, so you're acquainted, I see."
Stefan sent his friend a look. Eugene raised his hands in the air and chuckled. "Come on! A little joke won't hurt now, would it?"
That made Stefan laugh. Eugene understood him better than most people. "You should come shooting on the estate sometime, Eugene."
"I would be happy to." Then with a sad smile, he shook his head. "It's been a long time and being home feels strange."
"I understand, my friend. But you had agreed to come here for your family."
Eugene nodded. "I only wish we'd come earlier. My absence broke my mother's heart."
Another noise averted their attention. Lady Alastair stood beside Lord Alastair. He hit a fork against a glass to attract everyone's attention. When he got it, he began to speak.
"...And now I present to you, Lady Amalia Alastair."
Applause went about the room as the child stepped out. Stefan was less concerned about her and more about Lady Esther. He wanted to tease her, watch her blush under his gaze, and struggle to be tough. He looked around the room, his eyes searching for her in the sea of ladies in dresses. He craned his neck to the right and looked on carefully. She wouldn't be so hard to find.
He spotted her then, her back was to him, but he knew it was her. She stood in front of someone, but he couldn't quite tell who.
"Excuse me for a moment," he said to Eugene, but barely waited for his response as he walked away. As he closed in on her, he saw an elderly lady, with a vaguely familiar gentleman beside her. It seemed she was introducing the gentleman to Esther.
The woman nodded at Esther, a suggestive grin on her face and Esther nodded reluctantly. The lady turned and walked away. The moment she walked away, he recalled who she was. Lady Rose Bowen. Countess of Kendal.
The man who stood before her seemed charming. He had a dimple on his right cheek, and he was forcing a smile to make perhaps her notice his dimple. Stefan scoffed. However, he was perplexed on what action to take. He didn't know if it was right to cut into their conversation but he really wanted to talk to Esther. He watched as she nodded reluctantly to the gentleman as he spoke.
The gentleman sighed. With one nod, he excused himself, but with the way he smiled at her, Stefan was sure he promised to return. The gentleman twirled around and headed to the door at the end. Esther, on the other hand, turned around and she nearly stumbled but was caught halfway by another gentleman. Stefan froze because Esther went rigid in the arms of that stranger.
Chapter Eleven
If she had been told that she would be in Nicholas' arms again, she would never have believed it. In the middle of a ball, after having a horrible conversation with Lord Donald, whom her mother had forced on her. She had been about to find her friends when she stumbled into him. And he had caught her right on time.
She steadied herself and moved away from him. Nicholas had a smug smile on his face. He cleared his throat, attracting attention from a few people nearby. Esther's cheeks went red with embarrassment. She recalled the humiliation their previous conversation had brought to her as she fled the ballroom. She wanted to be stronger when she faced him again, but she hadn't known when that would happen. He looked different
, not stressed at all, maybe happier. She wasn't sure. His dark hair was longer than she remembered, but his dark gaze was still as intense as it used to be.
"Lady Esther," he announced, looking stunned to see her. His gaze raked over her briefly, and his dark eyes made her shiver. With a husky voice, he added. "It's been such a long time."
She nodded, trying to face him squarely. "Indeed. How have you been, My Lord?"
"Well. However, I should be asking you how you have been. Word around is that you haven't been so well. The maids like to gossip in town while on errands."
