The Duke's Love

by Stephanie Maddux

  He saw Ana was dazed. He put his face down in her neck and groaned in frustration. The knocking grew louder and harder. With a grunt, Jake untangled himself from her and he moved to open the door. Jake opened the door an inch, enough to see his mother’s face filled with concern. Jake felt a trickle of shame by what he had done. “It is alright. She is fine. I’ll be done talking to her in a moment,” he said quietly. His mother studied his face, nodded in understanding, and he closed the door with a soft thud.

  He did not turn around. He couldn’t look at her. Aware that she was silent and probably embarrassed, he said the only thing he could think of at that moment. “I’m sorry, this won’t happen again.” Silence greeted his statement. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides trying to calm his rapid heartbeat. What was he thinking? He wanted her, possibly more now than he ever did before. He turned and leaned against the door to study her. She was sitting up on the bed with her hands in her lap and properly clothed.

  There was another knock on the door, then without waiting for an answer, it opened and Eliza stepped in. “You best be going, your Grace, and not let anyone know you two were alone for this long,” she said.

  Jake nodded. Although it was for the best, a part of him wished for someone to discover them. He started to say something, but then decided against it and left them alone, shutting the door softly behind him.

  Jake went back down to the library to find his brother sitting by the crackling fire. “She is still alive, I take it?” He heard him ask. Jake scowled.

  “Yes, what do you think that I should do? I can’t keep her in there,” he said.

  Jordan knew what Jake meant. “Move her to another room.”

  “I can’t do that either, Jordan. All the other rooms are filled already. Mother had this planned down to the last detail,” Jake said dryly. Jordan chuckled at his observation.

  “The better question would be what will your Miss Fairchild think about this?” Jordan asked.

  “This couldn’t get worse.” Jake sighed. What would Sarah think? He could imagine her reaction when she arrived tomorrow. He knew he was in for a long and stressful weekend. Jake went to the side cupboard and poured himself a drink. After he downed it in one shot, he poured himself another. He offered Jordan a glass, which he refused with a wave of his hand. Jake decided he was better off trying to forget about his problems for the time being. He would deal with it later.

  Lady Katherine was sitting in her bedchamber and wondering how things were going to turn out. She should not have let Jake drag the poor girl off like that, but she was secretly hoping Jake would irrevocably ruin her. Then he would have been forced to marry her. She sighed, no such luck, now she would have to deal with her guests and hope the two would work it out on their own.

  Katherine had other plans she needed to work out at the moment. The more Jake and Ana were together, the better. Now, Miss Fairchild would be here. She wondered how much it would affect her plans. Katherine really wanted to go and ask Ana why she ended things the way she had. She decided there must be something she was not seeing. No intelligent woman would throw away a chance of marriage to a Duke, especially the Duke of Ashbury.

  Then there was Viscount Langley, but she knew the man was not interested in Ana as a wife. He had confided in her after she had questioned him about their friendship when Jake was courting Ana, so she was not worried about him. It was nice to know Ana invited him. Katherine had not thought about it.

  Her thoughts turned back to Miss Fairchild. She instantly took a dislike to the girl the moment they first met. Granted, the girl did not know who she was at the time, but she had already shown her true colors. Katherine remembered the awful day. Miss Fairchild was attending a ball and the girl bumped into her and instead of apologizing, the girl yelled at her about her clumsiness. It was in bad taste and the ton had witnessed it, which led to her downfall in society. Jake had introduced her later and she was appalled he was actually courting the chit, but she wanted him married, so she did not tell him about that incident. Miss Fairchild was an only child and an extremely spoiled one to boot. She did not seem very educated or refined and her behavior was appalling. Katherine grimaced.

  What did Jake see in her? She was not even beautiful. She was much too thin, with a sickly pale shade to her skin. She was very fickle and vain. Anyone could see it. If Katherine remembered correctly, Sarah had been through three seasons without a single offer. Thinking back, she could not remember why she found Ana lacking in the first place. She was rather outspoken and very opinionated, but she never faulted her for it. She remembered the letter she had written to Ana after the broken engagement. She could not believe she had written those things, but she had to believe it. The letter was hers and she remembered writing the thing.

  She wanted her son to have a wife that she wished she could have been to her husband. She already knew Ana would make Jake happy. After a heartfelt deliberation, she decided she was doing the right thing by intervening. Being a little depressed and grumpy, she decided on a long hot bath to help soothe away the stress of the day.

  Chapter Seven

  Sarah was astounded by the massive surroundings and opulence. “Mother, just look at what my new home looks like!” Sarah exclaimed. The carriage was pulling up in front of the estate. Sarah looked back at her mother and saw she was preoccupied with her book. Looking back to the window, everything about this place was gorgeous, she thought. They were early and she hoped they were the first to arrive. The carriage came to a halt and the footman opened the door. Sarah was a little disappointed that Jake was not there to greet her. Oh well, being a Duke came with responsibilities. A servant escorted them into the main hall and the footman was retrieving their luggage.

  “You’ve made it. I am so delighted. Good afternoon, Lady Felicia and Miss Fairchild, I do hope the drive went well?" A voice said behind her. Sarah turned around and her eyes met with Lord Trent.

  “Thank you. The drive was long, but well worth it," Lady Felicia answered.

  "Are we late, my lord?” Sarah interrupted, ignoring the frown her mother gave her. It was her right to ask anyway.

  “No, you are early, actually.” Lord Trent gave her what she thought was a forced smile. “Follow me. I’ll have our housekeeper show you to your rooms to freshen up after such a journey.” Sarah followed Jordan until they encountered the housekeeper.

  “Where is the Duke today?” She politely asked him. Some responsibilities are more important than others are. She considered herself the most important one.

  “He should be around shortly. There were some business matters to attend to,” he said. “I’ll see you at dinner. It will be the highlight of the day for me,” he said impishly before he left. Sarah stared at him as he walked away. She was confused. Why would dinner be a highlight?

  They followed the housekeeper upstairs through the beautifully decorated halls, where the family portraits hung. They finally stopped at the end of the hall. As Sarah walked into her room, it dawned on her that her mother was following her in. The housekeeper spoke up, noticing the frown on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Miss, but you two will have to share, because we are short on rooms,” the housekeeper informed her in a stiff voice.

  "There must be some mistake, there must be." There was no way she would share a room with anyone. “There must be a mistake!” Sarah repeated.

  “No, Miss, there is no mistake.” The housekeeper’s answer was clipped as she strode away.

  “Utterly rude!” Lady Felicia muttered.

  “Mother, do something,” Sarah demanded. Lady Felicia threw her hands up, clearly not wanting a scene with her daughter.

  “I’ll go find the Duchess and maybe she can get this mistake corrected. Although, I am not quite sure what the problem is.” Lady Felicia stomped off.

  Sarah stared at her mother’s receding back. The problem was she could not share a room with her mother or anyone else. How would she succeed in trapping Jake? His chambers wo
uld be in the family wing, and it would be impossible to sneak out and find his room. It was all the way on the other side of the mansion. She was going to have to make Jake come to her, but now that would not happen. Maybe her mother could double up with someone else. She could not see why her mother could possibly be opposed to that idea.

  She glanced about the room, taking in her surroundings. It was elegant and fit for a queen. Luscious colors blended well with the paint and décor. It was perfect and it was a guest room. She was desperate to know what the Duchess’ chamber looked like. She turned at the sound of the door opening. Her mother strode in with their hostess following behind her. She curtsied and smiled. “Thank you for inviting us your Grace,” she said.

  Lady Katherine ignored the greeting, “Is there a problem with the room and with whom you will be sharing it with?” She asked.

  Sarah was taken aback at the curt tone of her voice. “Why no, I suppose not. I just thought maybe my mother would like a little more privacy,” she lied, knowing her mother would not correct her.

  “Your mother has assured me she was delighted with the room and had no problem with the accommodations. If you don’t like them, I suppose there is a hotel along the way somewhere,” Katherine stated calmly.

  Sarah was appalled, leaving her with no choice, but to concede. “This will do. I am sorry to have been an inconvenience to you, your Grace,” Sarah mustered.

  “We can only hope that there will be no other problems," Katherine exited the room, not bothering with any more civilities.

  Sarah watched her leave the room, leaving her mother’s jaw hanging open.

  “Well, I never! That woman was horrid to you. What did you do to her?” Lady Felicia looked at Sarah with a wide-eyed expression.

  Sarah had no idea. She had only met the woman once at a ball and she was sure she had made a good impression. Sarah shook her head. “It’s not her, I will be marrying. When Jake and I marry, she will move to the dowager house and I couldn’t be happier,” Sarah stated. “Now, Mother, I have to change and prepare for dinner tonight.” Sarah left her mother to change and freshen up for dinner later.

  Jake woke up already regretting the tasks ahead of him for the day. He bathed and dressed before he made his way downstairs. His main job for the day was to greet the guest and get everyone settled before dinner. He went downstairs and overheard his mother complaining. From what he gathered from the bits he heard, was that Sarah was not happy about the room accommodations. He would deal with the situation later. He made some discreet inquires as to the whereabouts of Ana. He intended to ignore her as much as he could. The best way to do that was to know where she was at all times.

  They had over thirty guests arriving throughout the day and they had a huge dinner planned. He was still trying to figure out what to do about the moment Sarah realized he had inadvertently lied to her about Ana attending. Would one call it lying when he had no idea he was lying? He knew Ana would never make a scene, but he did not know about Sarah. Good breeding dictated she would not either, but one never knew what goes through the female mind. Jake of all people, could attest to that.

  Several hours and many guests later, Jake stopped to take a small break.

  "Have you greeted Miss Fairchild and her mother yet? She was inquiring about you earlier," Jordan asked. He joined in to help with the day's chores.

  "No. I have been busy with greeting guests and making them comfortable," Jake said, as he was watching yet another carriage pull up to the house.

  "You are avoiding her. While I understand your motivation in avoiding her, Mother and I are not happy about being stuck with her. She has been a nuisance already," Jordan said with a disgusted look on his face.

  "I heard about the problem concerning her room. I will admit I am avoiding her. I will see her after I am done attending to our other guests," Jake replied as he was walking up to the newest guest getting out of their carriage.

  Thankful for the small reprieve he had once he received his newest guests inside, he went to do some manual labor to help ease his tension. It was unusually hot outside and he was actually helping his servants haul the luggage indoors. He knew what the guest would say about his actions, but he could not have his servants overworking themselves in this heat and besides, he needed the hard labor.

  He caught glimpses of Ana and Viscount Langley, arm in arm, exploring the gardens. Several times, he had to stop himself from joining them and breaking up the happy scene.

  “It’s almost time for dinner. You should be the first one down in the drawing room,” his mother said as he passed her in the hallway on his way to freshen up. He sighed, rubbing a dirty hand over his face, and pinching the top of his nose. He could not put it off any longer. He came to a stop at his door and looked across the hall at Ana's door, tempted to go and open it to see if she was in there. Shaking his head, he instead opened his own door and went in.

  Ana finished dressing and her maid was finishing her hair when the knock on the door sounded. Eliza came in and she was ready to go downstairs. Dinner was in twenty minutes.

  “You look stunning, Ana, but then you already know that.” Eliza smiled and still it did nothing to ease her nerves. Ana was wearing a dark green evening gown that was modest and hugged her figure. There were no frills, ribbons, or lace. The dress was simple. It was made of silk, and she loved the feeling of the fabric against her skin as she moved. Nothing about the dress would call attention to it and that was just the goal she was trying to achieve.

  “Come on. Let us go down a little early. Jordan and Gregory are already downstairs,” Eliza said.

  Eliza was right, the earlier the better. Taking deep breaths, she followed Eliza downstairs. Ana kept repeating to herself that everything would be fine. She looked beautiful, she felt composed, and she knew she could do this.

  Chapter Eight

  Ana could see dinner was going to be a big and lavish event, when she walked into the drawing room. Ana became aware of the other guests shuffling in, and took note of the ones she recognized. She was relieved to see Sarah and her parents were nowhere in attendance.

  Maybe this was not going to turn out so badly after all. When all the guests were ready, Jordan escorted Ana to a seat in the dining room, and Eliza sat down beside her. In her opinion, it was too close to Jake, who was waiting for seating at the front of the table. However, short of making a scene, nothing could be done about it. Gregory stood a few seats down from her. Eliza’s parents sat down on the opposite side from them. After polite greetings and trivial conversation, Ana noticed Katherine taking a seat at the other end of the table.

  As the seats began to fill up, the room became steadily louder, and Ana was feeling more at ease. She could feel Jake’s eyes on her. She looked at him and their eyes met. Her heart quickened and she could feel her face getting hot. She could clearly recall the feel of Jake’s hands and mouth on her and knew she was blushing even more, but she did not break the contact. Everything in the room ceased to exist except him, which caused time to stand still.

  Slowly, she became aware of the sudden quietness around her. She saw Jake tense up. She looked around to see what caused this. She did not have to look further than the door. She saw Sarah and Lady Felicia walk into the room. Ana’s stomach lurched and she felt ill. Never had she experienced such a moment of sheer awkwardness. Jordan laid his hand on her arm, giving her the support she needed.

  She watched as Sarah sat down right next to Katherine at the other end of table. The tension made the room even stuffier.

  “Well, let’s not all talk at once,” Katherine joked. The men sat and Ana could plainly see Sarah was seething. Dinner was a long and horrible affair, hardly anyone spoke and everyone was aware of the reason why. Jake sat there and ignored everyone, brooding in silence. Sarah was trying desperately to start a conversation with the person closest to her, and when she failed, she mostly just talked to her mother. Ana conversed for the most part with Eliza, making sure to keep her voice low, as
to not call attention to herself.

  “I think it is past time for the men to retire to the billiards room for a cigar and a glass of port,” Jordan suggested as he stood up. The suggestion put the room in rapid motion, Ana noted wryly. The men stood up and gathered in the other room and the women stayed rooted, wondering what would happen next.

  “What are you doing here? You have no right! No right!” Ana turned around to where Sarah was screaming, knowing it was directed at her.

  “The Duke personally invited her here,” Eliza taunted broadly, as she delivered this information.

  “I realize that you are upset, but what happened belongs in the past and I don’t think we should be disrespectful of our host by losing our tempers,” Ana stated bluntly.

  “My temper? My temper! You haven’t seen anything. How dare you come in here and act as if you even have the slightest interest in being here. You just want to ruin this for Jake and me. I will not have it. Do you understand me?” Sarah screeched at Ana.

  “This party is not about you, Miss Fairchild. I suggest you be polite to my guest and apologize for you behavior. I will not have this here. Next time, you will be asked to leave,” Katherine said coolly as she came forward.

  The rest of the women stared and waited. Sarah clearly wanted to refute this, but having no other choice, kept her mouth shut. Ana saw the other women were positively entertained by this. By tomorrow, all of the ton would know of the spectacle.

  “I will not apologize, she is the lowest of women, and I will not have her here. She has no right. His Grace specifically told me she would not be here and I demand something be done.” Sarah continued on now regardless of the consequences.