What Desire Demands, My Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Olivia T. Bennet

  William let out a frustrated breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t forgotten about the whole host of issues he had to deal with following his father’s death, but he had hoped he could enjoy his time with Elizabeth for a while longer before he gave in to that sort of stress again. Now, he could feel his good mood leaving without a trace, that pressure in the back of his head returning.

  “Very well,” he said after a moment. “I shall leave for Bedfordshire this evening.”

  “Y-Yes, Your Grace.” Samuel bowed so low to the floor that William was almost afraid he would topple over. But he straightened a second later and rushed out of the front doors, closing them behind him. William didn’t need to ask where he was going. Samuel, as annoyingly fearful as he was, was also a hard worker. There were, undoubtedly, other fires that needed to be put out.

  Releasing his sigh, William turned just in time to see Elizabeth come to the top of the staircase.

  She wore a lovely lavender walking gown, with a lace-trimmed spencer jacket that served to accentuate her gentle bosom, a fan in her hand. Wrapped around her blonde hair was a large bonnet that hid most of her face—except when she lifted her head. When she looked at him, when she smiled, it chased away all the worries that had been creeping in. Worrying about her father and betrothed, the issues regarding his estate matters—they all dissipated as she drew closer to him.

  A gentle rose scent wrapped around him when she came to a stop. Entranced, William reached for her gloved hand, pulling her closer to him. She gasped when he did, but her smile was impish, a wicked gleam in her eyes that he loved to see.

  “I must say,” she murmured. “When you said you had plans for me, I did not think we would be leaving the manor. I’d imagined they were plans better done indoors.”

  For a moment, William was struck dumb. Her subtle words washed over him like a tidal wave, enough to bring sharp heat to his groin, his trousers tightening at the pleased look in her eyes. After a moment, he returned it. He didn’t care if any of the help were to see, and it was obvious that Elizabeth did not either.

  “Those plans can always be arranged, you know,” he whispered to her. “You need only say the word.”

  Elizabeth’s cheeks colored. Slowly, she licked her lips, then drew her bottom lip in between her teeth as she thought it over. William watched like a starved man, desperate to taste her. Though he’d been eager to bring her out of the manor, now he wanted nothing more than to whisk her into his arms and carry her to his bedchamber.

  “No,” she said finally, shaking her head. “I may not show it, but I would so like to leave the manor for a spell.”

  The heat smoldering between them didn’t lessen in the slightest, but William nodded, trying to tamper the yearning within him. “You aren’t worried about being seen?” he asked.

  “I know I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with you,” she said, licking her lips. “Though, I must admit I am still a bit nervous about it. I cannot help but fear we might be seen. But just in case,” she lifted a finger to her bonnet, running it along the rim with a grin, “I thought I’d put this lovely bonnet you had made for me to use.”

  “Wise woman,” he chuckled. “The carriage is already prepared. Shall we?”

  “Let’s.”

  William gestured for her to take the lead, and with a bright smile, Elizabeth gave him a curtsy. He laughed as she went by. Outside, the manor felt brighter somehow with her present. The air was crisper, the rustling leaves of bushes and trees lining the driveway far greener than they’d ever been. William watched her as she picked up her skirt and went down the steps onto the graveled driveway and tilted her head at the footman who stood on hand to help her into the carriage.

  Once they were settled inside and Wesley pulled away from the manor, she finally asked the question he’d been expecting. “Where are we going?”

  “It is a secret,” he told her.

  Elizabeth opened her fan with a thwap. She raised it to her face so he could see nothing but her narrowed eyes. “You aren’t taking me back to my father’s house, are you?” she asked.

  William shook his head. It didn’t surprise him that she would assume that first. He hadn’t really given her much choice. “The next time you return to your father’s home, Beth, it will be with me by your side.”

  “I’d like to hope so,” she told him matter-of-factly, which brought a smile to his face. “Is it something I will like?”

  He thought about it for a moment before he nodded. “I hope so.” Elizabeth was quite for a moment and when he glanced at her, he saw that she was ruminating hard on his words, clearly trying to figure out where they were going himself. “Our destination is about an hour away from the manor, towards the countryside, so you may relax.”

  She only pursed her lips, clearly deep in thought. “Now, I am only more curious,” she admitted.

  William had expected as much, but he didn’t plan on revealing their destination until they finally arrived. Even though he thought she might like where he’d taken her, he still felt a tremor of nervousness go through him. It had been so long since he’d been there himself, and he’d been reminding himself to visit for a while now. It was only fitting to do so with Elizabeth in tow.

  The hour passed comfortably. Elizabeth gave up trying to figure it out herself soon enough and spoke about other inconsequential things instead. The light conversation was meant to distract them both from their conversation in his study earlier and William was eager to give in to it. He didn’t want to think about any other gentleman standing between them right now. He only wanted to relax with her, to finally let the rest of his guard down and let himself simply love her.

  The slowing carriage marked their arrival, even though nothing could be seen on either side but tall grassland. There were no homes, no buildings, only a lonely road. Elizabeth peered out the window with her confusion written all over her face, but she didn’t voice her thoughts aloud.

  Wesley came to open the carriage door and Elizabeth exited first and William alighted right behind her, taking the blanket Wesley held out to him. A strong gust of wind rushed by and she put her hand on her bonnet, fiddling with the strings to ensure that it was secure enough. William waited until she was done looking around—clearly looking for their destination—before he took her hand in his and gestured his head to the side.

  Elizabeth’s confusion deepened. William led her to the left of the carriage, stepping across the large weed-like grass that swayed under the now gentle wind. In the distance was a single tree surrounded by wild bluebells, growing taller and wider the closer they came.

  Once they were under the cover of its leaves, William drew to a halt and rested the folded blanket on a thick layer of grass.

  “This is it,” he told her.

  Elizabeth said nothing. She looked around at the tall tree. William watched her, waiting for the exact moment she would realize.

  It came a second later, when her eyes landed on the cluster of rocks put together a little too perfectly. “Is that—?”

  William shook his head. “She was buried at St. Paul’s Cathedral,” he explained.

  “Ah…yes, I remember.”

  It wasn’t a day he could ever forget. The burial had occurred almost one week after his mother’s death, only because his grandfather had been too hard at work trying to ensure no rumors regarding her death began to circulate. In the end, it had been a hasty burial and though William had known that his father could not possibly return from India during that time, he’d hated the fact that he wasn’t present. All he could think in that moment, as he’d watched his mother’s coffin go into the ground, was that he could have at least seen her off, seeing that he was the one who’d driven her to her death in the first place.

  The anger that possessed him had threatened to consume him whole at that time, but right now, he felt no tremors of it. No resentment towards his father, no anguish at his mother’s death. He felt…content. He felt as if he could fina
lly accept what had happened and overcome it all with the lady by his side.

  “She liked bluebells,” William spoke into the silence. “In fact, she fancied anything that happened to be the color blue. Half her wardrobe had been filled with that color. So I thought I would set up a little memorial here, so I could visit her whenever I want.”

  “I understand,” Elizabeth said softly. “She always was a carefree spirit. I think she would have liked to be buried somewhere like here.”

  “I think so, too.” Not letting go of Elizabeth’s hand, he approached the cluster of rocks he’d set up for his mother. The flowers he’d last brought were now gone, undoubtedly wilted and whisked away by the harsh wind. That wind now tore at him as he closed his eyes, letting his memories wash over him.

  “Good day, My Lady,” Elizabeth spoke softly. William opened his eyes, looking down at her. A smile flickered over her lips as she continued. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. It has certainly been a while.”

  Elizabeth tightened his grip on his hand, letting her smile widen. “I’m sure you have been watching us from above this entire time. Are you proud of us? Certainly, you are impressed with how well I handled your stubborn son, even though he could be quite frustrating sometimes.” She giggled. “But we are happy now. You can rest with ease knowing that I will do my best to make sure William has no reason to be sad or angry anymore and that he will look forward to each day he was given.”

  The heartwarming words hit him harder than he’d expected them to. To his horror, William felt tears prick his eyes. He hadn’t cried since the day he’d found his mother’s lifeless body and yet here he was.

  Elizabeth slid an arm around him. “Do you think she liked it?” she asked him gently.

  He blinked the tears away, nodding. “I’m sure she’s smiling down at us right now.” Then he drew in a breath, lifting his head upwards. Swaying leaves blocked much of the sunlight but he still caught slivers of the blue sky. It might not be her grave but… “I know you’ve been quite frustrated yourself, Lady Gillet, but you need not worry anymore. I’ve promised Beth that I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure that she is happy, and I will make the same promise to you. Please, continue to watch over us.”

  Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder in that moment as they both let their thoughts consume them. He didn’t know how long he stood there. In fact, he wasn’t certain what he’d planned on saying, or doing, once he arrived. The last time he’d come here, it had been when he’d returned from Africa, and he’d spent the entire day cursing his father and lamenting on the fact that the only person who loved him was dead. This time, William didn’t have the urge to do any of that. If anything, he only wanted his mother to see that he’d found happiness…and that he had no plans on letting it go.

  Without a word, he reached for the blanket and spread it out under the tree. He gestured for Elizabeth to sit and she did so with a gentle smile, tucking her legs to the side of her. William took her side.

  “Do you truly think everything will end well?” Elizabeth asked after a long moment of contemplative silence.

  William took a moment to respond himself before he took her gloved hand and planted a kiss on the back of it. “It has to.”

  It wasn’t the best answer he could come up with, but Elizabeth seemed content with it. And as they stayed there for the rest of the day, not leaving until late evening fell, William promised himself she would never have another reason to worry.

  Chapter 20

  James was at his wit’s end—and Mr. Wilson’s darting eyes and flexing fingers were not making things better. It had already been days since he’d ordered him to find Lady Elizabeth, and putting faith in all the good things he’d heard about this man, he’d believed he would have found her by now. Yet, here he was, without Lady Elizabeth in tow.

  Mr. Wilson’s eyes darted away from the lion statute sitting by the door of James’ study and up at James. The flicker of the candlelight nearby made his face appear much gaunter that it actually was. “You look displeased, My Lord,” he pointed out.

  James’ annoyance deepened. He twirled the whiskey in his glass, watching as Mr. Wilson put his briefcase to the side of the chair and relaxed. Quelling the urge to chuck the glass at his head, James murmured, “Did you think I would not be?”

  “Is that why you have summoned me?” To his credit, Mr. Wilson looked utterly unfazed by the anger so clearly simmering within James. He looked just the same as James had last seen him—with his clothes disheveled, his hair a mess, and his entire demeanor so untrustworthy that James was beginning to berate himself for listening to the advice of others in the first place.

  James set the glass on the table, resting his elbows on top and lacing his fingers together. He wouldn’t explode—not yet. Not until he’d gotten all his answers. “Have you learned anything about Lady Elizabeth’s whereabouts yet? Or is that why you have not been maintaining contact with me and have been staying out of sight? Is it because you realize you cannot do the task I have asked of you?”

  Mr. Wilson shook his head in that very irritating jerking motion. “Not at all, My Lord,” he stated. “On the contrary, I have not been in contact with you simply because I have putting a few things in order first.”

  James narrowed his eyes. He’d been just about ready to throw the hardest thing on his desk at Mr. Wilson, not caring about how badly it might hurt him. He was not a noble, so James did not really care. He only needed to get one thing out of him. “What is that?”

  Mr. Wilson stopped tapping his finger against his thigh and leaned back in his seat. In that moment, he became an entirely different person. The constantly anxious demeanor fled and what now sat before James was an assured man, the barest smirk lifting the corners of his lips as if he knew James’ every secret. For the first time since meeting Mr. Wilson, he was a bit wary.

  “To answer your question, My Lord, I have found Lady Elizabeth.”

  “Where?” James demanded.

  “She is staying with the Duke of Brandon,” Mr. Wilson stated without remorse, his voice cold and to the point. “It appears she’s run away from home to be with him. I’m afraid your suspicions were correct.”

  Rage seized James at once, even as he narrowed his eyes at the man before him. He didn’t remember ever telling Mr. Wilson about his suspicions, but to learn that she truly had done such a thing made him see nothing but red. He curled his hand to a fist, his jaws grinding together as he tried his best to tamper the fury that rose within.

  She dares to humiliate me like this? She dares to threaten my reputation by running away with another gentleman?

  James drew in a slow breath, but it didn’t serve to calm him as much as he’d hoped. He didn’t think anything would do so, not until all who had wronged him paid for what they’d done.

  “What else do you know?” he asked Mr. Wilson, who watched him with steady eyes. It still unnerved him to see how much this man had changed, as if he’d been acting all this time.

  “I’m afraid it is not much, My Lord,” Mr. Wilson said with a casual wave of his hand. “You see, in order to fulfill the many requests I receive on a daily basis, I have established somewhat of a network. And in order for this network to remain in place, each layer should not be tampered with.”

  “Speak more clearly,” James growled.

  Mr. Wilson’s smirk widened. “There is a man I have recruited into my ranks. He is but a fledging, though he’d done quite well for himself as a criminal before I took notice of him. As it were, he happened to have vital information that sped up our search of Lady Elizabeth far more than we’d anticipated.”

  Mr. Wilson reached into his briefcase and brought out two large slips of paper. Rising slightly, he slid them across the desk and then reclaimed his seat. James glanced down at the papers that had been spread out before him without touching them. “What is this?”

  “A few sketches I had made. I value precision and clarity above all in my line of work, My Lord,
so I had a good image made of Lady Elizabeth’s whereabouts, as well as the man she happened to be staying with.”

  Intrigued now, James reached for the papers. Both revealed a pencil sketch—one of a looming manor and the other of a man with a chiseled face and dark eyes. He didn’t recognize anything in either one of the pictures, and judging how much space surrounded the manor, James guessed this Duke did not reside in the heart of London.

  But that wasn’t to say he didn’t recognize the title. He always made sure to keep abreast of current news, and the passing of the previous Duke had washed London with gossip, bolstered by the fact that the reclusive son would take his place. This must be the son.

  For a moment, James was far too surprised to say anything. He hadn’t expected this much information. When he found his words, he asked, curiously, “Why didn’t you simply go there to see it yourself?”

  Mr. Wilson shook his head slowly, no jerking head movement. “I am known to different people by different names, My Lord. It is always good to remain unseen whenever I can.”