by Abby Ayles
He took her hand and pressed the top to his lips, hoping his passion for her was coming through his lips into her hands.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her light perfume. It was a soft musky scent that made his chest tighten.
Something inside him stirred. He took his time letting go of her hand and standing up straight.
Aware that he was acting awkward, Duke Colbourn smiled at the pretty woman. She smiled back.
“I do hope we will have time to speak again very soon, Miss Cartwright. It… is always a pleasure for me.”
“I feel the same, your Grace,” Annabelle replied. He cleared his throat, encouraging himself to go on.
“We will be examining the art pieces tomorrow, if you are free to join us. I am sure Duke Cartwright would not mind.”
“I will check my schedule. I have kept my days full since the end of my schooling.”
Duke Colbourn raised his eyebrows. “Did you complete your academic education?”
“I did, yes. Of course.”
“I would like to discuss this with you at length sometime. I believe now I see why you are so easy to talk to.”
Julia cleared her throat and stared at the two of them through wide eyes.
Joanna giggled into her cup, refusing to look up at the Duke.
Duke Colbourn moved his eyes over the two twins.
“I apologize. I did not mean to get into a conversation. I am retiring to my chambers. Of course, you and your sister are amazingly smart women.”
Julia smiled. “We do thank you for that, your Grace.”
Her embarrassed voice made the rest of them laugh.
“I am happy to have spent much of my day with you ladies. I will see you on the morrow.”
Chapter 10
To his disappointment, Duke Colbourn did not see Annabelle till mid-day at the meal they shared buffet style in the dining hall of the Norrend.
He went down the curved steps to the bottom that led out into the main foyer. The open double doors of the dining hall gave him ample view inside.
He saw everyone he knew and a few he didn’t. It was apparently an open, social event, these mid-day meals at the Norrend.
He was going in through the doors when he nearly bumped into Annabelle. She was holding a glass of clear liquid and it nearly splashed back on her.
She reacted by holding the glass higher and stepping back with her body.
“Oh! Oh!” she exclaimed before getting herself under control. She fanned herself with her free hand, shaking her head.
“That was a close one, your grace.”
“Yes, it was. I do apologize.”
“It is all right. I was not looking where I was going. You were just trying to come inside.”
“Please allow me to escort you to your chair.”
Annabelle smiled at him. “I would be happy to but I am taking my lunch to eat with Julia in the garden. She does love the sunny days. It rains here more often than it is sunny. We take advantage of it when we can.”
The thought of a sunny picnic in the garden with the two women appealed to Duke Colbourn but he said nothing. He was not invited and was not the type of man to invite himself anywhere.
“You are only having water?” The duke eyed the cup in her hand.
Annabelle looked confused for a moment before she looked down at the cup in her hand. She smiled.
“No, my Lord. Julia has the picnic basket. I am bringing this cup with me because Julia always forgets to put cups in the basket. She will bring the drink, she just does not bring anything to drink it in.”
Duke Colbourn laughed, delighted by the little anecdote. “I do hope you have a good time.”
“Thank you. I am sure we will. We always do.”
She passed him and walked to the front doors without looking back. She could feel his eyes on her back anyway. It made her smile. She opened the door and passed through, proud of herself for not looking back at him.
Duke Colbourn watched her as she went, admiring her form and the way the skirt swished about her legs. She was wearing slippers again, the same dark shade as the pair that had hurt her feet so terribly the night of the ball. He hoped they weren’t the same ones.
He chuckled as he turned away.
The spread on the long table in front of him was amazing. He scanned the many trays, the fruits, puddings, pies, meat selections, and breads that were placed about on the surface of the table. At one end there was a plate.
He picked one up and began to choose from the selection. Everything looked fresh and delicious to his grumbling stomach.
He stood to the side and ate three strawberries before looking up and around him. The drapes hanging on the walls were open to let in the sunlight. They were a dark red color. Each one was trimmed with gold and the tassels on the end were long and gold.
Other than the long table, the other furnishings in the room were covered in fabrics that matched the drapes. Tables, chairs, settees, trunks, all were spread about the room.
Decorations and busts were scattered around the room celebrating the artistic stylings of Annabelle’s great-grandmother, who had doted on the finer things, the porcelains, chinas, crystal and blown glass.
He took in the beauty while chomping down on a few more strawberries, following them up with grapes.
“This is a fine room, is it not?” He looked over to see the Reverend standing next to him. He could not keep the look of surprise from covering his face.
The reverend saw it and grinned. “You did not expect to see me here again today, did you?”
“No, Reverend, I must admit I did not. How are you today?” Duke Colbourn was anxious to avoid an explanation for the clergyman’s presence. It was not his business to know.
“Yes, after your departure last night, his grace spoke to the boys about coming to help with some of the landscaping.”
Unable to avoid the conversation, Duke Colbourn asked, “I thought Lord Leonard was here to be an apprentice?”
“His grace mentioned that he had some ideas about changes he wanted made and he would have to hire a few extra hands to do it. The boys volunteered. I know Lord Gilbert would rather be doing something than sitting at the chapel, studying the Bible. It is not in his destiny to be a minister, I believe.”
“He does not seem like the minister type to me, I must admit.” Duke Colbourn replied with a grin. “I do not know what I would picture him doing for a living but speaking from a pulpit it is not.”
The reverend shook his head. “I agree with your assessment.” He had picked up a plate and was filling it with different foods. Duke Colbourn had a sudden thought and looked around the room.
“Where are they now? Surely they are hungry. Young men like us…” he lifted his half full plate he’d piled high with various foods. “We need our nourishment.”
The reverend laughed, his portly jaw jiggling. “For some of us, that does not end.” He patted his large belly with another laugh. Duke Colbourn chuckled, nodding.
“They are around here somewhere. I believe the last thing I heard, they were going outside to scan some of the property the duke wants changed. They have a good eye for such things. Why, you should see some of the changes they have made to my chapel. The cemetery in the back is a thing of beauty now. Have you seen it?”
Even if Duke Colbourn had seen the cemetery’s new beauty, he would not have known the difference from the way it looked before.
Unwilling to point out this simple fact and take the risk of humiliating the good reverend, Duke Colbourn shook his head. His mind was distracted.
If the men were out scouting the land, they would come across the women having their picnic lunch.
An uneasy feeling slid through him. He did not recognize it as jealousy but was not sure what else could cause such a feeling of dread. He did not trust the two young men, even though Lord Gilbert had been amiable for the most part.
Those few times he let slip something degrading or rude stu
ck in Duke Colbourn’s mind.
It was as if the young man was wearing a mask and every now and then it slipped off and revealed a unsettling character underneath.
The thought made Duke Colbourn shudder and have the sudden urge to find the women and make sure they were safe.
It was an unreasonable feeling. Duke Colbourn had not been given any evidence to prove Lord Leonard and Lord Gilbert were dangerous. They had shown themselves to be gentlemen since the moment of their arrival.
Thinking back, Duke Colbourn could not think of more than a few things he had even heard Lord Leonard say. The younger Balfour was the talkative, outgoing one. Lord Leonard was large and muscular.
The older brother protects while the younger one speaks, Duke Colbourn thought.
No matter what he did, he could not shake the feeling of uneasiness. After ten minutes, he gave up trying. He put his plate in the bin, where others had been stacked and was through the door moments later.
Before he reached the front door, it opened and he saw an older woman come through, assisted by a younger woman. He recognized the young woman as Joanna.
He assumed the older woman must be her mother and was shocked by the condition she was in.
Her hair was completely grey. She stared straight ahead of her, completely directed to move by her daughter.
Joanna prompted her to move forward and she did so. She stopped when Joanna stopped. She made every move that Joanna urged her to do.
When she looked up at the Duke, her face changed from agony to delight. She smiled brightly.
“Your Grace! It is good to see you today.” She curtsied lightly.
“This is my mother, Lady Christina Rickman. Mother, this is His Grace, the Duke of Cardinal. Father has told you about him, I believe.”
He saw no response from the Lady and moved his eyes to Joanna. She shook her head.
“It is all right, your Grace. She does not respond to anyone anymore.”
“This is terrible for her!” Duke Colbourn exclaimed, his voice compassionate.
“Is there nothing that can be done for her?”
“I do not believe so.” Joanna looked surprised by his passion about the subject. He looked like he wanted to grab her mother into a hug and not let go until she was mentally sound again.
Duke Colbourn rested a hand on the small woman’s shoulder.
“I am glad you are bringing her out into the world, Miss Joanna. That is good of you.”
“Thank you,” Joanna smiled at the compliment.
“I do try. I am sure my mother would love to have a handsome young man accompany us sometime.”
The tone of her voice changed in the middle of the sentence, indicating she was inviting him to walk with them.
Duke Colbourn was taken by surprise. He blinked a few times and blurted out, “I am looking for your sister, Miss Rickman and Miss Cartwright. Have you seen them?”
Joanna frowned. She blinked rapidly and looked away from him.
“I have not seen them. I have been out walking around the lawn with mother. They are probably in the garden. I am sure you will find them there, my Lord.”
“I apologize, Miss Joanna. I did not mean to offend you…”
Duke Colbourn would have continued but Joanna pushed her mother to walk forward and they passed him without another word.
Duke Colbourn followed them with his eyes for only a moment before turning back to the front door. He felt such a strong urge to find the women and protect them.
But from what?
He was acting like a love-sick child. There were two Balfour brothers and him, competing for three separate women. It did not make sense.
Perhaps the Balfour brothers would not pursue Annabelle. That would give him no call to be against them.
But even that thought did not settle his nerves. There was something about Lord Gilbert that made him uncomfortable. Something that seemed to writhe below the surface.
He got the feeling the brothers were using a façade, covering their true characters with something more pleasant for society.
He did not look back once he was turned away. He did not see that Joanna had looked back, curious whether he was still watching her or not. He was already rushing toward the door.
Chapter 11
Joanna narrowed her eyes, a streak of anger flooding her. S
he regretted looking back. She should have known he was not going to be watching after her.
He had his eyes on Julia. Or Annabelle. One of them. Not her.
She took her mother into the dining hall and made her a plate, seating her near the window, as she liked to do.
She was curious about the men she had met the day before. The younger one was the same age as she, and very handsome.
She watched him the night before while they were on the porch, hiding behind her tea cup and the fluff around the collar of her thick robe.
When she had smiled, seeing the four of them come up on the porch, it was because of the men. Not her sisters.
They were competition. And she had much less to offer than they.
Joanna hung back, gazing through the window without seeing what was on the other side. She was listening to the men talking behind her. Her father was with the Reverend.
They were talking about Duke Colbourn, discussing the arrival of Mr. Covington, who was supposed to be at Norrend later that day.
They said nothing negative and only spoke of business, not mentioning him in a way that characterized him.
She listened to them discuss the different paintings in the duke’s possession, those that he wished to sell and did not sell. She did not recognize most of the names.
She had not taken any special courses in art like Annabelle had. Annabelle was the one with the special knowledge.
The more she thought about it, the more she resented the fact that Annabelle seemed like a perfect match for Duke Colbourn.
Lord Gilbert and Lord Leonard Balfour were gentlemen but they were the sons of an Earl who was still alive and they had nothing to show for themselves.
Not that Joanna was particularly keen on finding a man who had status and title. She was a lady, and no doubt it would help her father if she did marry a wealthy man.
But she was not interested in looking for a rich man to marry. She just wanted to be cared for.
Lord Gilbert had shown her attention more than the other brother. She noticed the night before, watching the men talk, Lord Leonard rarely said anything.
He contributed only when he was asked a question or mentioned by one of the others.
She noticed the movement in the garden and focused her eyes, standing up to see better. She lifted the cup of tea to her mouth and scanned the garden.
On one side, the two Balfour brothers were heading down a path, stopping every few feet to point and gesture around them.
On the other side of the fountain, out of their line of vision, the girls had seated themselves on a blanket in the grass and were happily sitting there, small sandwiches in their hands.
Closer to the house and the entrance to the garden, she saw Duke Colbourn taking long steps. The men were headed toward a collision course with the girls in the middle.
Joanna grinned, lifting her cup to her lips. “This should be interesting,” she mumbled.
Annabelle and Julia were enjoying the sunny day. Although it was difficult to get him off her mind, Annabelle strived to think about Duke Colbourn as little as possible.
When he was not around, she was preoccupied and could not get anything done. When he was around, he was all she could focus on.
“I am thinking of making a quilt with the new fabric mother bought at the shoppe several days ago,” she said, looking at Julia over the rim of her cup.
“Do you want to help me?”
Julia smiled. “You know I do. I love quilting. You are the one who showed me how to do it, do you remember?”
“How can I forget?” Annabelle asked, laughing.
“You have been reminding me ever since, every time we make a new one. I want to make several and send them to the rescue missionaries in New York in America.”
Julia’s smile remained large, her eyes twinkling. “I am willing to bet you did not think of this until last night.”
“I must admit the mention of Duke Colbourn’s contributions to the mission brought the idea to mind,” Annabelle nodded.
“I have thought and read about the plight of the children in America who have no parents to guide and love them. It saddens me to hear of such things.”
Julia nodded, her smile faltering. “Yes, they were in a difficult situation.”
“You should know something about how it feels,” Annabelle said, sympathetically.
“You are not an orphan but you have had a different family help to raise you. That must be somewhat the same.”
Julia shook her head. “I cannot compare myself to those children. I would not want to take anything from their hardship and claim it as my own. I have a loving, healthy father and a warm home. In addition, I did not get caregivers to help me, I had a second family and got two more sisters at the same time. I have been blessed and I will not forget that.”
Annabelle was so grateful for her friend. Julia was one of the best women Annabelle had ever met, with a heart open to anyone.
She often defended her sister’s actions even when Joanna did not deserve her loyalty.
“Family makes a big difference. I suppose these institutions are not the warmest places to grow up.”
“I would think not,” Julia said with a firm tone. She scooted from her position, settling more comfortably on the blanket.
“I think I am sitting on a rock.”
“That cannot be comfortable. You must move. Shall we go to another spot?”
“No, I will just move to the side. But be careful, there are rocks under here. I am surprised we did not look first.”
“I did,” Annabelle scanned the blanket for any lumps that might indicate a rock was beneath it.
When she looked up she saw Duke Colbourn coming from the entrance of the garden. He looked worried.
