Return of the Duke

by Monroe, Jennifer

  “I learned how to walk and to sit in a chair,” William said in exasperation. “I learned to do both at a young age, and yet, I’m being forced to learn them all over again.”

  The silver-haired man gave him a sympathetic smile. “I understand your frustration, but Mrs. Blithe and her daughter speak very highly of you. When I spoke to them earlier, they praised your willingness to learn and were quite surprised how quickly you did so.”

  William gave him a skeptical look. “Did they? Well, I’m surprised they didn’t give me a sweet for performing for them so well.”

  “Now, Your Grace,” Mr. Ludlow said with what sounded much like an admonishment, “I would not be so quick to anger. What you are learning will show to be more than beneficial once you are introduced to society. You have seen how differently those of the ton conduct themselves as compared to those who are not, have you not? Especially that of the hired help. I say this not to insult you about where you come from but rather to help you see that, if you do not learn these things, you leave yourself open for ridicule, and I am certain you do not wish that to happen.” He placed a comforting hand on William’s shoulder. “I would never lie to you. It would do me no good to set you up for failure.”

  William gave a heavy sigh. “You’re right,” he said. “I guess I do walk and sit better now than I did before.” He turned back to the paintings. “My grandfather, from what I understand, was the most perfect of Dukes. Father ran away from his title. I find myself somewhere in between, and that bothers me.”

  “Why is that?” Mr. Ludlow asked.

  “I can’t be a great Duke; I’m just a simple gardener. But I’m expected to learn in just two months what they both learned in a lifetime, and from the beginning of their lives.”

  “Your Grace,” the adviser said in a consoling tone, “when I set out to find you, which was no easy task, I assure you, I had received word of where you were employed. The man I had sent looking for you had observed you there, as well as your excursions about the town and even the pub in which you drank.”

  William gaped at the man. “I never saw anyone watching me.” The idea was more than a bit unsettling.

  Mr. Ludlow chuckled. “Then he did a fine job. He shared everything he had seen, and that included a kind man, one whose laugh could be heard from across a room and whose smile was always welcoming. It was then that I knew your father, though his time was short on this earth, had given you a strong foundation from which to build your life. Those traits I mentioned? Your father had them, as well, and he was well-known for them.”

  A sense of hope washed over William. “Do you believe I’ll be able to be successful in this role as Duke?” he asked. “Measuring up even to my grandfather?”

  “No, you will never match the other Dukes,” Mr. Ludlow said.

  William’s heart sank. Then why should he bother to even try? Would all his time be wasted with this practicing of walking and sitting, not to mention all of the other things he would be learning, would it be worth nothing in the end? Would it all result in him remaining nothing better than a gardener in the eyes of the ton?

  The smile Mr. Ludlow gave him was warm. “I suspect you will far surpass them.”

  As if someone had held a pitcher full of pride and poured it over him, William felt taller than he ever had, and a feeling of renewed eagerness awoke in him. “I think I’ll go to bed now,” he said. “I’ll need my rest if I’ll make it in the weeks ahead.

  “Good night, Your Grace,” Mr. Ludlow said.

  “Good night.” William left the room and headed to the main stairway. Tonight he would dream of the Duke he was to become.

  Chapter Seven

  It was now late evening, and Marianne made her way to the library to exchange a book she had borrowed two days before. Poetry had been a nice pastime, but now she wished to read something on the sciences. Her father would have gone into an apoplectic fit if he found out she was reading in a subject considered unacceptable to a woman, but she cared not. Well, not too much, for she hid such books from her mother, as well.

  A week had passed since they began instructing William, and although the man made great strides, Marianne wondered if he would be ready within the time frame they had been allotted. It was not that the man did not try, for he did despite the frustration evident on his face and the mumbling that could be heard under his breath. It was that he still had so much to learn, and time was passing much too quickly for her liking.

  The candle flickered in its holder as she moved down the hallway. The door to the room was partially open and a soft light seeped into the hall. She peeked inside and saw William sitting in a chair, a book in his hand.

  A smile crossed his lips when he noticed her standing in the doorway, and he placed his finger in the book to mark his place and closed it. “Marianne,” he said, and a shiver went down her spine. It was as if the way he said her name was a soft caress, “please, come in.” She entered the room and returned his smile as he asked, “Are you going to get another?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I did not mean to disturb you.” She set the book on a table beside one of two lamps that glowed with a faint light. The other sat on a table beside the Duke.

  He chuckled and moved to stand beside her. “You didn’t disturb me at all. Do you know which book you’re going to read next?”

  Although she had spent the last week with him, being this close to him brought back the dryness to her mouth she had experienced when they first met. She attempted to speak but could not find the words and wondered why her legs had suddenly become so weak she could barely stand. “Yes,” she said, though it came out in a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes.” Much better. “I was considering something either in the sciences or perhaps even on travel.”

  He stepped over to one of the bookcases and chose a particular book. “I looked at this one earlier,” he said as he showed her the brown leather tome. “A man wrote about his travels in Africa. It even mentions elephants.” His wide-eyed expression caused her to giggle. However, when she saw the frown that replaced his childlike grin, she felt shame for laughing. He was a Duke, and having just laughed at him was something for which her mother would have scolded her, regardless of how long the man had been a Duke.”

  “I apologize,” she said. “I did not mean to laugh. Forgive me?”

  He studied her for a moment with a scrunched brow. “Why did you laugh?” he asked. “Please, tell me.”

  If she had been nervous before, now she was terrified. It was not that she was afraid of the man, that he would hurt her in some way, but she did not realize how deeply she had offended him. He was a man with a kind heart, and she did not wish him to believe she viewed him as anything less than what he was.

  “The thing is,” she began, struggling to find the right words. “Well, you looked so excited speaking of elephants that I found you…” She swallowed hard. “Handsome.” She closed her eyes and groaned inwardly. Why would she say such a thing? If she could, she would crawl under a low bush and never return.

  “I think I understand,” he said. He did not sound offended in any way, and Marianne felt relieved. “It’s like your laugh.”

  “You find my laugh handsome?” she said teasingly.

  “No,” he replied with a chuckle. “What I meant was that it’s beautiful.”

  Her cheeks stung, and for some reason, her corset felt as if it was tightening around her. What surprised her was that he, too, sported cheeks that had to be the same crimson hers exhibited.

  “Will you join me in reading?” he asked, motioning her to the chair that sat opposite the one had been sitting in when she arrived. “I have wine, or I can get you another drink if you’d rather have something else. I can move the lamp closer if you’d like.”

  “I am sorry, but I cannot.” What would her mother say if she found her sitting alone in the library with the man?

  “You act like you’d like to,” he said with a thoughtful expression. “At least
that’s what it seems to me.”

  Indeed, she did wish to sit with the man, but there was no way she could do so. She needed him to understand. “You see, it is improper for a lady to sit alone with a man not her husband,” she explained. “Although I would like to.” She cringed. There went her mouth again, saying her thoughts without her permission!

  “Yes, society standards and all that silly stuff,” he said with a wave of his hand as he walked over to a cart that held several different bottles of spirits. “I think rules should be broken sometimes, don’t you? It’s not like we’re going to be kissing or anything.”

  Marianne thought her cheeks burned so harshly she could have started a fire in the fireplace. However, she could not help but laugh, for she, herself, had thought such things, even if she held those thoughts at bay most of the time. Not kissing, necessarily, but that rules were meant to be broken if for the right reasons. “I suppose they could at that,” she replied.

  “Besides,” he continued as he poured them each a drink, “you’re being paid to help me with how I’m supposed to act. To not help would be against societal standards, would it not?” He smiled at her as he handed her the small glass.

  “I suppose it would at that,” she said, returning his smile as she accepted the drink.

  He gave her an expectant look, and Marianne glanced toward the door. Her mother would already be asleep, and although she knew it was not lady-like, she took the seat across from him as he moved the lamp to the table beside her.

  “Thank you,” she said as he retook his seat.

  “Of course.”

  She opened the book on Africa he had offered her and began reading. From time to time, she stopped, either to take a sip of her drink—sherry, as it were—or to sneak a peek at the man across from her. He seemed absorbed in his own book until he looked up at the same time that she was peeking at him.

  “How does it feel?” he asked.

  She looked around her. “The chair?” she asked, confused. “It is quite comfortable.”

  He laughed. “No, breaking the rules. It’s nice, don’t you think?”

  Marianne thought on his words as she looked first at her glass and then at her book. If Julia knew what she was doing at this moment, she would keep a discussion going all night. She took a sip of her drink and placed it back on the table.

  “I must admit, it is quite lovely,” she replied with a wide smile. Then they both returned to their books, each peeking up at the other from time to time, but neither caring if they were caught. Or at least Marianne did not care all too much.

  ***

  Marianne sat in the drawing room with her mother as they waited for William to join them. The past two days had left her feeling as if she were on the edge of a cliff—she had always been afraid of any sort of significant heights—waiting for someone to push her off. After their time spent alone reading in the library, Marianne had been rippled with guilt for that shared time—unaccompanied no less!—and she feared her mother would learn of it and berate her for allowing herself to be caught in such a situation.

  Yet, with each passing day, that guilt eased, and she found herself moving away from that cliff to a safer distance. One day, it would leave her mind altogether and she would be back to her peaceful stance once again.

  That is, a relatively peaceful stance. Today William was to begin a new lesson that included him walking with her through the gardens. He had appeared nervous about this particular piece of instruction when they informed him before retiring the previous evening, and Marianne suspected that it was more than likely due to the fact that it was not an activity he could practice on his own but rather would require the attendance of a woman.

  The door opened, and William entered the room, resplendent in his new clothes. The tailor had come as Mr. Ludlow had promised, and after what Marianne had learned, the process went well; that is to say that William only slapped the man’s hand away a few times. She could understand his insecurity with having another person attempt to measure one’s body; for her it was difficult enough to have Mrs. Palmer measure her, and she had been doing it since Marianne was young.

  With one hand, William pulled at the lapels on his coat, a blue morning coat with tails that hung to the back of his knees, and with other he placed a finger in his white cravat as if he could not get enough air.

  “I can’t believe anyone would spend so much iron on a coat!” he had exclaimed when the bill had arrived.

  “Iron, Your Grace?” Mrs. Blithe asked.

  William placed his hand on his forehead. “I mean money.” He reddened significantly, and Marianne could not help but giggle.

  Her mother, however, was not amused. “You must watch your words now that you are a Duke, Your Grace,” she had admonished. “You will never pass as a man of your station if you use words that are shared amongst those of the lower class.”

  Now, William appeared nothing like a man of the lower class. His valet, Hugh, had shaved him and helped him dress, and Marianne was taken with how handsome he truly was. Not that she thought a man’s appearance rested on his dress or whether or not he shaved, for there certainly were plenty of dandies in the ton who looked closer to trolls than men. However, she could not help but study the man who stood before her now.

  “So, are we going to the gardens, then?” he asked, still unsure of himself despite his clothing.

  “Well, we must first discuss how to ask a woman to stroll with you through the gardens,” Mrs. Blithe said. “You walk up to her, ask her if she is having a nice time, and then you may kiss her hand. After that, you may ask her if she would like to see the gardens. If she says she would, then you offer her your arm. Then you lead her—do not pull her along, now, just guide her—to the door. You will always open the door for her and wait for her to exit before you follow, and then offer your arm again. And do not walk too quickly nor too slowly; a nice steady pace is what is best.”

  William had an astounded look on his face, and Marianne felt for him. “Do not worry,” she said in a quiet voice. “I will be there beside you. If you have any questions, simply ask. Otherwise, I will give you advice as we go along.”

  He seemed to relax at her words, which pleased Marianne for some odd reason. Granted, she wanted him to succeed; there was a lot at stake in this training for both of them. However, her pleasure went beyond that of a tutor, and that worried her. A Duke, even one who came from where William came, did not seek the heart of a woman such as she. Once his training was complete, she would return to her life as a member of the Gentry—and hopefully a woman with her own business—and he would move on to women of his station.

  “Now, walk up to Marianne and invite her to see your gardens. I will accompany you both as chaperone as well as tutor.”

  William bowed to Marianne. “Good morning,” he said, his head held high, looking by all accounts the Duke he was.

  “Good morning,” Marianne replied, trying with all her might not to giggle again.

  “Are you enjoying yourself at…this…” He looked to Marianne the puzzled schoolboy. “Party?”

  “Oh, yes, very much so,” Marianne replied with a wide grin to help him regain his ease.

  The remainder of the practice went quite well, with William doing as he had been instructed without any other issues, and Marianne could not help but feel pride. If he could keep the nervousness at bay, he would do very well.

  They made their way to the gardens, William holding the door open as he had been told, and they strolled down the path in complete silence. It was clear William had no idea what he was to do while they were strolling, so Marianne decided to instigate a conversation.

  “Your Grace, the gardens are lovely; perhaps the finest I have ever seen.”

  William gave her an easy smile. “I take great pride in them, not only for my enjoyment but the enjoyment of others.”

  Marianne raised an eyebrow at him. So, he had rehearsed his part beforehand. That was a good sign.

  He leaned
down and whispered, “How am I doing?”

  “Very well,” she said, holding back that giggle that continuously made attempts to burst out from her. She had to remind herself that this was not a casual stroll like in the stories she had heard about the ladies who attended parties with the ton. This was part of a lesson this man had to learn, and she was one of his tutors.

  They continued their walk to the end of the path, which led them to choose to go either right or left.

  “To the left are some of the finest trees one may wish to see,” William said as he pointed in that direction. “To my right are an assortment of hedges that are also enjoyable to view. As my guest which would you prefer to see?”

  Marianne was surprised, quite pleasantly at that, at how careful he was with his words. In only a few short weeks, he was using terms that would make him a favorite with the ladies at parties. The idea of him speaking to other women brought on a feeling of jealousy, and she shoved it away where it belonged, for it had no place in their relationship.

  “Let us go see these magnificent hedges of which you speak,” she said with a smile.

  William nodded and they turned right and headed down the path. Marianne took a moment to glance at him from the corner of her eye and was surprised to see that, although he smiled, his body was tense. Hoping not to garner her mother’s ire, she tapped his hand once, and when he looked at her, she shot him a wink. The tension seemed to melt away, and by the time they stood before the shrubbery he had mentioned, he was much more relaxed.

  “I admire the way the birdbaths have been set amongst the shrubbery,” Marianne said.

  One of the lessons Marianne’s mother had given the previous day was a list of questions and appropriate answers to help William with a variety of conversations.