What A Wicked Duke Demands (Historical Regency Romance)

by Emily Honeyfield

  “Didn’t you have social engagements?”

  “In the middle of a battleground?” Alexander snorted. “Of course, we did. I just preferred to be out on the front line making sure the French weren’t getting through our defences.”

  Gerard could very well believe it. Alexander was not one who was known for sitting still. He preferred to be kept moving, actually doing something. It had driven his parents to despair trying to keep the younger son from getting down from his chair five minutes after sitting down because he didn’t like the conversation.

  Alexander had been the same with his social life. Gerard couldn’t begin to count how many young women Alexander had seduced, only to shrug his shoulders and move on when he had been caught.

  There had been a time before he left abruptly where it looked like his brother was settling down. Something was happening, and it was making Alexander smile. But he didn’t want to tell anyone why he had changed. Amelia had thought it had to be over a woman, but Gerard wasn’t so sure. It would take a very special woman to make Alexander stop his wayward behaviour.

  While it was sudden, Gerard wasn’t really surprised when Alexander wrote to him about a week after he left their London home saying he was looking for a new life to say he had enlisted into the army. That he was going to France to face Napoleon. Gerard could see life in the army straightening Alexander out, making him a better man. The thought of his little brother dying out there didn’t sit well with him, but Gerard was sure Alexander would come home alive. He was resourceful, and he was tough. It would take more than the French army to get rid of him.

  And now Alexander was finally home. He looked thinner, and his hair was already starting to turn white at the temples in spite of his young age of nine-and-twenty, and he also had a slight limp. But it was still his brother. A captain. Gerard couldn’t help being proud about that.

  “I still feel like this is too much, Gerard,” Alexander said as he turned to him. “It’s just the family at dinner. It’s not like you’re presenting me to the royal family.”

  Gerard chuckled.

  “You can blame Mother for that. She wrote on ahead, telling me that while she wanted it to be just family, we were to celebrate that you were back.”

  Alexander grunted.

  “She does too much.”

  “But she means well. I mean, how long has it been since we last saw each other?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m not sure if it was too long or not long enough.”

  Gerard frowned. That was a strange comment to make. He had thought Alexander would be delighted to be home, but there was a slight melancholic air about the younger man. Captain Thinesley wasn’t completely in the right mind for a celebration, that much he was sure about. Was he still thinking about the war? Gerard had heard that soldiers would suffer flashbacks regarding the war, and it made them struggle with normal life. From the look of it, Alexander was suffering from the same affliction.

  “What’s wrong?” He stood and walked towards his brother. “Alex?”

  “I …” Alexander stopped abruptly. Then he sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve had mixed feelings about coming back to England.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought people would be angry with me.” Alexander glanced away. “That you and Mother wouldn’t want me back after I left the way I did.”

  He was still worried about that? Gerard sighed.

  “No one’s angry at you, although I still want an explanation as to why you did that. But I want you home, Alex. Where you belong. Is that too much to ask?”

  Alexander looked up. For a moment, Gerard thought he was going to witness his brother cry for the first time since he was twelve years old. But then Alexander swallowed and lifted his chin, clasping Gerard’s arms.

  “I have missed you, brother.”

  “And I you.” Gerard drew Alexander into a firm embrace, clapping him on the back. Then he stepped back and gestured towards the door. “Come on, Mother’s waiting for us. So are the children. They can’t wait to see you.”

  “I can’t wait to see them, either.” Alexander followed him out of his bedchamber. “Mother told me that you had managed to get a governess who stayed for more than a couple of months. How is she going?”

  Gerard found himself smiling. He couldn’t help it. Whenever he thought about Beth, he ended up smiling. Everything about her had Gerard’s spirits lifting. She was more of a tonic to him than Gerard could expect.

  “She’s become part of the family. She’s fitted in so well.”

  “Really?” Alexander chuckled. “From what you’ve told me about Hermia, I’m surprised she let the woman stay.”

  “She doesn’t want Beth here, yes. But Beth’s tougher than Hermia expected.”

  “Beth?”

  Gerard stopped and turned. Alexander was staring at him in bewilderment.

  “What?”

  “You’re informal with a servant now?”

  “Oh.”

  Gerard bit back a flinch. He had forgotten about how he addressed Beth. It was hard to think of her just as Miss Campbell now. How could you address someone formally when you had claimed every inch of her physical being?

  Alexander frowned.

  “Is there something going on that I should know about, Gerard?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like is there something between you and your governess?”

  Gerard gritted his teeth. He wasn’t about to share anything he had with Beth with his brother. It was part of him he wanted to keep for himself. He glared at his brother.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “I’ll take that as an affirmative answer.” Alexander chuckled. “It’s strange. I never thought you would be the one to become infatuated with a servant. You’ve always been too proper for that.”

  “I’m not infatuated with her.”

  “If you’re not, why are you blushing?”

  Gerard growled. Damn. He needed to get himself together. They were going to walk into a room where his mother and daughters would be present, along with Beth and her sister. Everyone would be able to see that he was in some discomfort. Just the mere mention of Beth had Gerard feeling like he needed to loosen his trousers.

  He needed to take a deep breath and stop this. This couldn’t keep going on. Something needed to be done about it. But what? Gerard didn’t want to send her away, not when she was doing such a good job with his children. And he would miss her; her absence would make him ache for her more. He also didn’t want to make Beth his mistress; she was far too precious to him to be made to sneak around in the shadows. Gerard wasn’t about to degrade her like that.

  The only option, if his feelings kept building like this, would be marriage. And Gerard didn’t know how he felt about marrying someone who wasn’t Allegra.

  That drew him up short. Allegra. He hadn’t thought about her in a long time. A while back, just a few months ago, Allegra would be on his mind every day. Gerard would see something or hear something that reminded him of her, and it wouldn’t let go. She was still a big presence. And then Beth Campbell had arrived in his life, and Allegra’s memory, still present, began to fade. Now it didn’t affect him as much as she had done before. Beth had become the forefront of his thoughts.

  Gerard didn’t know what to think about that. It was unnerving. He felt guilty for Allegra’s memory, but she wasn’t alive. He was alive. Beth was alive. And Allegra wouldn’t have wanted him to mourn her for the rest of his life. He would find someone else to fall in love with.

  Gerard hoped she would approve of Beth. If they had met in this world, they would have got on, he was sure.

  He wondered if Allegra was watching them from the heavens rolling her eyes at the predicament he was in. She would see it as normal for him to be in a sticky situation.

  “Gerard?”

  “Hmm?”

  Alexander was looking at him strangely.

  “You stopped walking and started to look s
trange. Are you well?”

  “I ... I’m perfectly well.” Gerard cleared his throat. “Get downstairs, Alex. Mother wants to see you.”

  “She saw me on the journey up here.”

  “You know what I mean.” Gerard pushed his brother in the direction of the stairs. “Get moving.”

  They went down to the foyer and towards the drawing room. Gerard could already hear the loud, laughing voices of his younger two daughters. He saw it put a smile on Alexander’s face. His brother adored his nieces, and even Hermia was a different person around him.

  Maybe it would do Hermia good to have her uncle around. Perhaps it would stop her being so cruel towards Beth. Beth may be fine with allowing Hermia to turn on her, but Gerard wasn’t. Nobody deserved that, and Hermia needed to realize that.

  Maybe his brother could get through to Hermia where nobody else had.

  They entered the drawing room. Gerard immediately spied Beth at the far end of the room, sitting on the window seat and in deep conversation with Flora They were both dressed in dark blue, their hair curled and pinned up on their heads. Both sisters were lovely to look at, but Gerard’s gaze was drawn to Beth. She looked so serene, so poised. Almost as if she was made for being in his home.

  His thoughts were immediately put to one side as Amelia stood from her chair by the fire and walked over, giving Alexander a warm smile as she hugged him.

  “Alexander, darling.” She stepped back and inspected him, nodding with a twinkle in her eye. “You look much more presentable now.”

  “And I love you, too, Mother,” Alexander drawled.

  Then there was a loud squeal that had Gerard wincing. Both Isabel and Rosamund had jumped up from where they had been playing on the floor and ran at Alexander. Rosamund got there first, flinging her arms around Alexander’s waist.

  “Uncle Alex!”

  “Hello, little madam.” Alexander ruffled her hair. “You saw me earlier. I would’ve thought the excitement would have gone by now.”

  “That’s not going to happen for a while, Uncle.” Isabel smiled as she stepped up to his side. She leaned into him and kissed his jaw. “We’re just glad to have you back.”

  “And I’m glad to be back.”

  Alexander wrapped his arm around Isabel and kissed her head. Gerard watched the sight with a smile. His brother had the ability to make even his nieces fall at his feet. They would do absolutely anything he said, and Alexander was so gentle with the three girls.

  One of these days, he would make a good father.

  Gerard heard someone clear her throat and turned. Hermia was standing beside him, looking a little nervous. She bit her lip as she watched Alexander, her hands twisting in front of her. She had been like that before when Gerard had told her Alexander was coming back.

  Moments later, Hermia had run into Alexander’s arms and burst into tears. It was a stark contrast to her sullen, combative attitude. Gerard found it odd. It was like Hermia had expected the worst and then she was shown that her fears were for naught.

  He swallowed. Hermia had really thought Alexander wouldn’t come home.

  Alexander spied his eldest niece and neatly disentangled himself from Isabel and Rosamund. Then he approached Hermia with a warm smile and drew her into an embrace.

  “Hermia. Why are you crying?”

  “I’m not crying.” Hermia sniffled, leaning into him with a heavy sigh. “I’m just struggling to believe that you’re really here.”

  “Well, I’m really here.” Alexander kissed his niece’s head and stepped back, cupping her jaw in his hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I hope not,” Hermia shot back. “I miss you.”

  “And I you.”

  Gerard caught his mother’s gaze over his daughter’s head. Amelia was smiling, looking like she was close to tears. Gerard couldn’t blame her. Her youngest son was home, and her eldest granddaughter was not being sullen and rude. It really was a beautiful sight.

  Then Gerard turned towards the sisters. He was eager for Alexander to meet Beth. One look at her, and his brother would know why Gerard was smitten with her. Then he stopped short. Beth was staring at her sister, but Flora was looking right at Alexander. Her face had gone so pale she looked like she was about to pass out. If she hadn’t been sitting, Gerard was sure she would have been on the floor.

  “Gerard?”

  Gerard turned. Alexander was staring back at Flora. He looked equally shocked, all colour draining from his face. Gerard frowned. What was going on?

  “Alexander?”

  “What is she doing here?”

  “Who?”

  “Flora Campbell.”

  Gerard blinked.

  “I didn’t know you knew her.”

  Alexander’s jaw tightened.

  “I do. All too well.”

  Chapter 20

  Beth had known the moment Gerard had entered the room, followed closely by an equally tall, dark-haired young man with white flecks at his temples. This had to be Alexander Thinesley, and he looked a formidable man. From what Gerard had said of him before, his younger brother had been a man the ladies flocked around. Beth could see why.

  Beside her, Flora let out a sharp gasp. Beth turned and saw her sister look like she was going to collapse. Her face was white, her hands clutched tightly in her hands. Beth was confused. What had just happened?

  Then she saw who Flora was staring at. She was looking at Alexander, who was greeting his nieces with such warm affection. Beth leaned over, pressing her hand over Flora’s clenched fists.

  “Flora? Flora, what is it?”

  “What is he doing here?”

  Flora’s voice was different. It was tight with barely contained anger. Beth hadn’t heard her little sister speak like this in a long time. What was going on? Did she know Alexander Thinesley from somewhere?

  “Flora?”

  “Didn’t you know what Lord Rossdale’s name was?” Flora hissed. “I mean his real name?”

  “Thinesley.”

  And then the penny dropped. Alexander Thinesley. The man Flora had run away with. The one who had disgraced her. Flora had mentioned his name in confidence to Beth only a handful of times, but Beth hadn’t thought beyond that. She wasn’t about to pry if Flora wasn’t ready to divulge.

  He had ruined her and made Flora a disgrace, while he waltzed off and joined the army without a stain to his name.

  “Their father was still alive when I met him.” Flora’s voice was barely above a whisper. “The title passed to the older brother shortly after Alexander left me when the old Duke of Rossdale died.”

  “Why ... why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought you knew.”

  “Honestly, I didn’t know. I’ve always addressed the duke as Lord Rossdale.”

  How could she not have realized? Now it explained Flora’s behaviour when she heard the name of the family. And why she wanted Beth to have nothing to do with the family. If she had pressed on and explained to Beth why, Beth would not have taken up the posting. She would have turned and walked away, even if it meant throwing away a good amount of money. Beth wouldn’t have put herself in the family that disgraced hers.