Seduced by the Brooding Duke

by Scarlett Osborne

  “Alexander,” came a familiar voice. “Are you in here?”

  “Come in, friend,” Alexander said, as he turned toward the door that Bernard was walking through.

  “Oh, you are in a good mood, excellent,” said Bernard with a smile.

  “What is there to be upset about?” asked Alexander. “The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and there is just something in the air today that is making me feel great.”

  Bernard looked at Alexander strangely before he walked over to Alexander’s desk and leaned against it. “Why are you in such a good mood?” he asked with a smirk. “You can’t deny that this isn’t a bit unusual.”

  Alexander smiled. “Can’t a man simply be in a good mood every once in a while?” he asked Bernard.

  Bernard raised his eyebrows and said “Most men.” He chuckled, “But, we both know that you aren’t usually this happy.”

  Alexander just laughed. “Let it go, Bernard.”

  Bernard laughed again and shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the pile of paperwork on the surface of the desk. “Are any of those new orders?”

  “Probably a few,” replied Alexander. “I haven’t had a chance to look through them yet.” He felt as if he was being pulled back to reality against his will.

  “I hope so, because I have some more bad news,” Bernard said with a slight frown. “I got word today that John Howe has been telling tales that our ale is making people ill.”

  “What?” Alexander exclaimed with shock. “Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t know…like I said before, he’s not a very nice man, and he’s obviously trying to take some of our business for his own,” explained Bernard.

  Alexander thought for a second. “We will have to stop this. After losing the order for the tavern, profits are going to be tight.”

  “What do you suggest?” asked Bernard.

  “I think we have to show people that Howe’s allegations are not true,” said Alexander. “I think we can do this in a number of ways. First, we should make sure we are doing this legitimately. We don’t want to disparage his brewery.”

  “I agree with that,” said Bernard. “People would think we are just trying to get revenge.”

  “Yes,” agreed Alexander. “I also believe that we should start spreading the news that we have spruce ale. I keep hearing that people are very interested in it, and that it is becoming quite popular in London.”

  “Oh, excellent idea,” said Bernard excitingly. “We don’t have a lot, but we have enough for the wedding and for a few smaller orders. I will make sure we start producing more, too.”

  “That sounds excellent,” Alexander said with a smile. “We don’t have to sink to his level. I shall speak with Kirkwall, too. I’m sure he would be happy to spread the word since he works so closely with the farmers and laborers thanks to his irrigation project.”

  “Wonderful,” said Bernard. “And in the meantime, perhaps you should go through those orders and see what we need. A thriving brewery never sleeps, my friend,” he said with a smile.

  Alexander grinned back, but only slightly. I guess I have a lot of work to do before I can get back to Laura.

  Laura and Emily were having a pleasant afternoon. After the evening’s events with the Duke, Laura had difficulty concentrating in the morning, but as the day passed, she was able to focus on her work, but she was no less happy.

  Even Emily had noticed her good mood. “You are very happy today, Miss Elkins! I like it when you are happy.”

  Laura smiled at her young student. “I am happy, Lady Emily. It is a gorgeous day, and I have a wonderful student. Why shouldn’t I be happy?”

  Emily laughed. “Yes, I agree. Your student is wonderful!”

  “My student would be even more wonderful if she paid more attention to her accent marks during her French lessons,” Laura said, as she leaned over and corrected Emily’s work. “The accent should be over the ‘E,’ not the ‘A,” she said.

  “Here, I fixed it,” said Emily.

  “Finish the rest, and then we can start your final lesson of the afternoon.”

  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Laura walked over to it, secretly wishing with all of her might that it was the Duke. She took a breath, pulled the door open, and came face-to-face with a footman.

  “An urgent letter for Miss Elkins,” he said, as her heart dropped. Had something happened to her mother? Her father? Laura took the letter from the footman. “Thank you,” she said, as she closed the door.

  She looked at Emily, who was focused on her French lesson, and then slowly turned the letter over. There was a blank seal, and the letter was also simply folded with a tie. She pulled the knot, flipped the letter over once again, and opened it:

  WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG? YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES. YOUR MOTHER WILL BE FIRST IF YOU DON’T ACT.

  Laura’s heart sank immediately. This letter had to be from the mysterious stranger who had visited her home and forced her to come here. If she didn’t kill the Duke, the stranger would kill her mother? How long did she have?

  “Miss Elkins?” Emily asked with apprehension. “Are you all right?”

  “What? Yes. Yes, of course,” Laura said. “Thank you.”

  “You look sick,” Emily said. “Are you sure you are all right?”

  Laura took a breath. “Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit ill.” She walked toward Emily, hiding the note in her hand. “I think, perhaps, we will skip our final lesson today. I will go and lay down after cleaning up.”

  Emily looked at Laura with concern in her face. “Should I tell someone?”

  “Oh no. It’s really nothing,” said Laura, smiling at the caring girl. “I think I just need to lay down. I promise I will be fine.”

  “All right,” said Emily, not quite convinced. “I will see you tomorrow, Miss Elkins, and I promise I will work on my accent marks.”

  Laura chuckled. “I am sure you will do better tomorrow, Lady Emily,” she said, as she opened the door to the hallway. “Have a good evening.”

  “You too, Miss Elkins,” Emily said as she bounded out into the hallway.

  Laura closed the door behind her and took in a deep breath. What am I going to do about this?

  “Alexander?” Alexander could hear Bernard walking into the brewery.

  “I’m down here in the cellar,” replied Alexander, loudly. He had spent most of the day supervising his staff with inventory, and he certainly hadn’t intended on staying so late.

  Alexander could hear Bernard’s boots echo off of the wooden steps leading into the cellar. When Bernard saw Alexander, he said, “How did the day go?”

  “It was fine,” Alexander answered. “We got most of the inventory done, and I am just finishing up before heading home to dinner.”

  “Excellent,” replied Bernard. “My day was uneventful as well, which is certainly a good thing.” He chuckled.

  “Indeed,” agreed Alexander. “Nothing more about John Howe?”

  “Nothing at all,” explained Bernard, who was now looking over the work that Alexander and his staff had done throughout the day. “It was very delightful, in fact. I even spoke to several people about putting in orders for our spruce ale. That will certainly hit Howe where it counts!”

  Alexander laughed. “The spruce ale should be ready in only a matter of days, so that is also good news.”

  “Excellent,” said Bernard, smiling widely. “Even though this day started off a bit unfavorably, it seems as if our good luck has returned.”

  “Agreed,” said Alexander as he pulled down his sleeves, which were rolled up onto his arms. “With that, I shall head home to prepare for dinner.”

  “I will finish up here,” said Bernard. “And then head toward home myself.”

  “Good night, Bernard,” Alexander said as he made his way up the cellar stairs. He walked across the building to his office, took a quick peek inside to make sure all was well, and closed it behind him. As he turned toward the d
oor to walk out, he saw a quick movement, heard a crack, and then everything went black as he fell.

  Chapter 11

  “The doctor is here seeing to him now.”

  The words from Mr. Grove, the Duke’s steward, hit Laura’s heart like a hammer might hit a nail. He had just announced that the Duke had been attacked at the brewery. His business partner, the Marquess of Woodworth, had been down in the cellar when he heard a commotion above. By the time he made it upstairs, the assailant was gone, and the Duke was laying crumpled on the floor.

  “We are keeping the family in our prayers,” Mr. Grove said, as he addressed several staff members, including Laura. She was trembling with fear for him. Who would hurt the Duke?

  It was then that it dawned on her…the mysterious man. Laura didn’t even realize it, but she had gasped aloud as she thought about this, and the woman standing beside her, whom she believed to be the housekeeper, Mrs. Cooke, patted her on the shoulder. “It’s a shock to us all, Miss Elkins,” she said.

  Laura just nodded. The man whom she cared for had just been attacked, and she was terrified that something worse would happen. She knew that the mysterious man wanted the Duke to die, and she couldn’t help but see the connection between this attack and the reason she was here.

  “…We will surely keep all of you informed of his condition as the hours pass,” Mr. Grove continued, but Laura wasn’t paying attention to most of his words. She was still stuck on the fact that someone had attacked the Duke.

  The small group of senior servants began to go back to their duties, so Laura took that as a sign that she should make her way back to her chambers. She started to walk toward the stairs when she heard someone call her name.

  “Miss Elkins? A moment of your time, please?”

  Laura turned and Mr. Grove was standing in front of her. “I wanted to speak with you about Lady Emily.”

  “Oh, of course, Mr. Grove,” replied Laura. “I can’t even imagine what she might be feeling right now.”

  “Yes, it’s true,” said Mr. Grove with a depressed look on his face. “That poor girl has lost her parents, and today, she almost lost her brother.”

  Hearing those words shook Laura to the core…so much so, that she felt lightheaded, and then felt herself begin to sway before slightly moving her feet to correct her balance.

  Mr. Grove continued. “I was able to briefly speak with His Grace, and he asked me to give a message to you.”

  Laura’s heart skipped a beat.

  “He said to tell you to please keep Lady Emily’s lessons as normal as possible,” said Mr. Grove. “He wants to keep her on a routine whilst he recovers.”

  “That’s all?” Laura asked without thinking.

  “Pardon?” asked Mr. Grove.

  “I’m sorry,” Laura said, catching herself. “I just meant if there was anything else that His Grace requires for Lady Emily’s lessons.”

  “Oh, I misunderstood,” said Mr. Grove with a slight smile. “No, he did not give any other instructions.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Grove,” said Laura, trying to remain calm. “I will make sure that Lady Emily’s lessons remain on schedule.”

  “Wonderful,” said Mr. Grove. “Is everything else going well with the position?”

  “Oh yes,” replied Laura. “Everything is going very well.”

  “That is very good to hear,” acknowledge Mr. Grove. “Please, also keep His Grace in your thoughts and prayers.”

  “I certainly will,” said Laura with a nod. You don’t even know how much I will be praying.

  Alexander’s head was pounding. He had no memory of the attack at all. The last thing he remembered was closing his office door and getting ready to head home when everything went black. The next thing he knew, he heard hushed voices, felt people moving around him, and then the pain came in a wave.

  It had already been a day since the attack, and if anything, the pain was worse than it was before. He could never thank Bernard enough for raising the alarm that he had been hurt and for quickly bringing in the doctor. It probably saved his life.

  The perpetrator was still at large, though some of the brewery workers had seen a man dressed in black with a dark cloak running from the scene.

  Alexander was laying on a lounge in the sitting room resting. Generally, he wouldn’t do this, but he was in pain and the sitting room was comforting to him. Emily had been in visiting, but he had just sent her to her lessons with Laura.

  He heard a knock on the door and Robert walked in. “Your Grace, the Earl of Kirkwall to see you.”

  “Please send him in, Robert,” Alexander replied.

  “Farnworth?”

  “Graham…hello,” he said, as he opened his eyes. It took a second for the blurry shape before him to form into the recognizable shape of Graham.

  “Woodworth sent me a letter, and I came as quickly as I could,” said Graham with concern in his voice. “I had to come and see for myself. You don’t look great, my friend.”

  Alexander was able to chuckle. “I don’t feel great, but I’m happy to be alive.”

  “Any idea who was behind it?” asked Graham.

  “No,” replied Alexander. “The only thing we know is that several members of the staff saw a man dressed in black running from the brewery. No one was able to identify him, however.”

  “Too bad,” said Graham, turning from Alexander and pacing back and forth.

  “Perhaps the other brewery owner is behind this. Did you think of that?” Graham asked.

  Alexander was silent for a moment, allowing the thought to process in his head. “No, I didn’t think of that, but you might be on to something there. Bernard did say that this man is a bit on the immoral side.”

  “See? What better way to take down a rival brewery than to attack it’s owner?” Graham said convincingly. “It sounds exactly like something a man like that would do.”

  Alexander knew he should talk to Bernard about this. Graham was right. John Howe could certainly be behind the attack.

  “You know what?” said Alexander, “I think you might be right.” He was always happy that he could count on Graham to point him in the right direction. “Could you do me a favor?”

  “Oh course, friend,” Graham said with a sincere smile.

  “Please send Robert in,” said Alexander. “I need him to send a letter for me.”

  Waiting for Emily to arrive to the schoolroom was like torture for Laura. She knew she could get information about the Duke’s condition from her student without seeming desperate, which was what she was worried about if she asked a staff member.

  Laura was certain that the threatening note she had received was connected with the attack on the Duke, and she felt horrible about it. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the identity of the mysterious man nor who was pulling his strings. All she did know was that it couldn’t be a coincidence that she had received that letter the same day the Duke had been attacked.

  “Good morning, Miss Elkins,” a sad-looking Emily said as she walked into the school room.

  “Oh, My Lady,” said Laura with concern in her voice. “Are you all right?” She walked closer to her student and leaned down to look her in the eyes.

  “Yes,” said Emily. “I’m just scared about what happened to Alexander.”

  “I know,” said Laura with compassion, as she gently touched Lady Emily’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “We are all sad. We all care greatly for the Duke. Did you see him this morning?”

  “Yes, I did,” responded Emily, sitting down at the table to begin her lessons. “He looks like he is in pain.”

  “I’m sure he does,” replied Laura, as she took a seat next to her pupil. “It’s a terrible thing that happened to him.”

  “He has bruises on his face and a bandage around his head,” explained Emily as she pulled her history primer toward her. “And he makes a weird face when he tries to move, like he really hurts all over.”

  Laura’s heart was breaking hearing
that the man she was falling in love with was hurting so much. It was all she could do to control the tears that were trying to leak from her eyelids. “I’m sure he will be as good as new in the coming days,” she said to Emily, gently rubbing her back. “The doctor is a wonderful man who is an expert at fixing people.”

  With that, Emily smiled, and looked at Laura. “Since I’m a little sad, maybe we could skip lessons today?”

  Laura couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nice try, but you can help your brother by learning your history lesson. Think about how proud he will be when you can tell him all about Wars of the Roses.”

  Alexander was getting restless. He had sent a letter to Bernard more than two hours ago asking for him to come up to the house, but he had not yet arrived. It was certainly not productive to be sitting there alone as he had so many responsibilities to take care of, but the doctor had been very strict about him resting, at least for today.

  After Graham had left, Alexander had spent his time having some tea and giving directions to his staff. He also had some alone time, which he used to think about Laura. He hoped that she wasn’t upset at the news that he had been attacked, and he wished that he could see her. However, he also knew that it certainly would not be appropriate for them to spend a lot of time behind closed doors together, at least until they made their courtship official, which he planned to do.

  “Your Grace,” said Robert as he slowly opened the door to the sitting room. “The Marquess of Woodworth to see you.”

  “Finally,” said Alexander. “Please send him in, Robert. I appreciate it.”

  Robert nodded and stepped away from the doorframe, and Bernard quickly walked in and took his place.

  “I’m so very sorry for my tardiness, friend,” Bernard said, sounding out of breath. “I have been trying to get up to the house for an hour now, and things down in the brewery are a disaster, though I think everything is now under control.”