“Miss Isabel?”
Isabel looked up to see that Elisa had brought a seat for her. “Oh, thank you, Elisa,” she said, sitting down. Elisa said nothing and stepped back.
Isabel peered closer. Even with his eyes closed, she was taken aback by how handsome he was. His chestnut-colored hair was still wet at the tips. His jaw was strong, his mouth firm and straight. Isabel leaned closer, distracted by the perfect slope of his nose and his thick eyebrows.
He looks fine, thank heavens. He really will be all right.
She felt herself relax, happy she had come to see him herself. Now, she could breathe a little easier.
After a long while had passed by, Isabel was even more grateful for the chair Elisa brought her, because she didn’t plan to leave his side.
Chapter Four
David could hear voices around him, though he wasn’t sure what was being said. It pulled him from his sleep, and with it came the pain he had escaped so long ago. The voices began to clear and he recognized a man’s and a woman’s before he couldn’t hold the groan in any longer.
“Your Grace?”
David managed to pop one eye open, then the other. His head wasn’t pounding so much anymore but his vision was a little hazy, so it took him a moment to recognize who was before him.
“Mr. Phillip,” David rasped. The elderly physician smiled warmly at him. David had become well acquainted with him after his mother’s heart failure, the first serious medical situation the family had to endure.
“Good to see that you’re finally awake, Your Grace,” Mr. Phillip said. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness for a couple days. Luckily for you, while you were still asleep, I took the liberty of attaching a splint on your leg, since the swelling has gone down. This means you’ll have to stay in bed for the next few weeks and try not to put any pressure on it until it’s safe to do so.”
David nodded, easing into the bed beneath him. It was all coming back to him—being thrown off his horse, the storm he had laid in while unconscious, being found by a servant afterwards. What happened while he was being carried back to the manor was hazy, but he figured he made it safely without any other problems.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m sorry to have bothered you in the middle of the night.”
“It was no bother at all. Late evening calls seem to be my specialty around here,” the physician said, chuckling to himself. David didn’t see the humor in the statement. “Well, my job here is done. I’ve given orders how you should be taken care of. You had a terrible fever when you brought in and we don’t want it coming back.”
David nodded. “Yes, Mr. Phillip.”
The physician nodded good-naturedly. He collected his bag from the table next to the bed and he nodded at someone else in the room.
Ah, right.
He did hear another’s voice and now that his mind was a little clearer, he had a good idea who it was.
Sure enough, when David turned his head to the other side, there stood a lady. He had expected to see Miss Isabel, his young ward, but… surely this wasn’t her?
It couldn’t be. Had she always been this…mesmerizing?
David knew he was staring, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. The last time he’d seen her, she had been a child, just growing into herself. Now, there was little trace of that child. Before him stood a beautiful lady, with curly brown hair falling down her back, and soft blue eyes. She gazed at him with empathy, the light shining through the window falling delicately on her skin, and she glowed like an angel.
She would be even lovelier as my wife.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, David dismissed it, ashamed. He shouldn’t think in such a manner. He was her guardian, to protect her however he could until she was married.
She took a tiny step forward, her lovely brows dipped slightly. “Your Grace? Are you all right?”
Her voice brought him back to himself. David was suddenly aware that Mr. Phillip was gone and it was only them, her lady’s maid, and his valet left in the room. “Ah… Miss Isabel. I didn’t expect to see you here. How do you fare?”
“Me?” Miss Isabel’s eyes went wide and round. “Your Grace, you were the one who went through such a terrible ordeal! I should be asking you that question.”
David blinked at the anguish in her voice. “I’m fine. You needn’t worry.”
With a soft sigh, Miss Isabel sank into the chair by his bed, folding her hands gracefully in her lap. “I was worried throughout the nights, Your Grace. To think that after being away from your home for so long, you would meet such a terrible accident. You could barely sleep last night.”
“I couldn’t?” David said in surprise. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. It wasn’t just her beauty, but the softness of her voice. He hung on to every word she said. She captured his attention like no other.
“You were tossing and turning in your sleep all night, Your Grace,” she went on, looking distressed by what she was saying. “I feared the fever you endured throughout the night troubled your sleep.”
“Am I to believe that you stayed by my side all night, Miss Isabel?”
Her eyes widened at that and then she looked away, her cheeks turning the sweetest shade of pink. “I was concerned for you, Your Grace. And the physician said you needed to be taken care of.”
David only stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing yet knowing deep down that it was the truth. Surely she was aware that a servant could have taken care of him?
“Are you all right, Your Grace?” she asked worriedly. “Do you need water?”
At the question, her lady’s maid got into action, distracting him. David watched as the lady’s maid crossed over to the other side of his bedchamber and picked up the pitcher of water and a cup, placed it on a metal tray and brought it over. It was better than staring at the lady by his side as if it was his first time seeing one.
The lady’s maid poured him a cup of water and handed it to Miss Isabel, who tried to feed it to him. David only stared at her.
“Oh, yes!” As if something just occurred to her, she set the cup down and attempted to help him into a sitting position. The moment her hand touched him, David felt sparks race over his skin. He struggled to keep his expression under control, confused by his body’s reaction.
“Is that better, Your Grace?” she asked him with that same troubled frown.
“Miss Isabel, you needn’t worry yourself like this,” he said to her. A part of him was enjoying the attention. The other part was confused by his sudden feelings. “I assure you, I will be well taken care of.”
“Oh.” She blinked, sitting back down.
David hurriedly tried to correct his statement. “But your concern for me warms my heart. Now, please, I pray you have some rest.”
“This is no trouble at all, Your Grace,” she said. Her worried frown was gone and she folded her hands into her lap once again. “It has been a while since I last saw you. I think my eagerness has gotten the best of me.”
“I must have given you quite the scare when they carried me into the manor.”
“I nearly fell from shock!” David’s eyes went wide in alarm. Miss Isabel laughed. “You needn’t worry, Your Grace. I’m stronger than I appear.”
He felt a smile tug at his lips. Just like her voice, her laugh demanded his attention. It was like a warm song washing over him.
She went on, unaware of how mesmerized he was, “I can’t imagine what you must have endured, Your Grace. Thomas tells me that the servant found you lying on the ground, soaked! It must have been so cold.”
“I cannot remember any of it, Miss Isabel, thankfully. When I was thrown from my horse, I hit my head. I fell unconscious shortly after that.”
“What I cannot understand is what possessed you to attempt the trip during a storm,” she said. Her tone held no judgment, only curiosity.
Even so, David felt embarrassment wash over him. “It was a foolish mistake. I was so e
ager to arrive at the manor that I failed to heed the advice of the owner of the coaching inn from whom I rented the horse. He told me it was foolish but I refused to listen.”
“And now you have a broken leg to show for it,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson well.”
David was laughing before he realized it and so was Miss Isabel. Her face lit up when she laughed, and as impossible as it seemed, she looked even more angelic.
But David’s thoughts wandered to darker places, noting the way her bosom moved when she laughed like that. She truly had grown into quite the lady. Even sitting down like she was, he could see the figure she boasted and the thought stirred something in his loins.
Oh no. Thoughts like that will only lead to…
Sure enough, David felt his lower regions rouse. He didn’t want Miss Isabel seeing something she shouldn’t.
“If you’ll forgive me, Miss,” he said, trying his best to sound apologetic. “But I am terribly tired all of a sudden. I think I’d like to rest a little more.”
“Oh, of course, Your Grace, of course.” She rose quickly and helped him to lie down on his back. Her touching him did not make his situation any better but it was over soon enough.
She offered him a small but happy smile. “I’m glad to have you back, Your Grace,” she said to him, stepping back. Her steps were hesitant, as if she was expecting him to say something else but David only nodded, feigning tiredness.
Miss Isabel made her way to the door, her lady’s maid close behind her. She gave him one last look and he caught her gaze, unable to stop looking at her, and then she slipped through the door.
His valet left in the room, and he was alone. There was no rain this time though, only the comfort of his bed, and the memory of his gorgeous ward.
Chapter Five
Isabel stood outside the door of the Duke’s chambers, her heart thudding against her chest. Slowly, she raised a hand to her heart, as if that would calm it. But she couldn’t get the Duke’s face out of her thoughts.
“Miss Isabel?” Elisa said, gently.
Isabel didn’t answer her. Her mouth was dry, her speech failing. Had the Duke always been that… that handsome? When he looked at her, Isabel thought she had stopped breathing altogether. She didn’t know how she managed to feign normalcy.
“Miss Isabel?” said Elisa again, stepping closer to her. “Are you all right?”
“Hm?” Distracted, Isabel looked up at her. Elisa was frowning slightly. “Oh, yes. I’m fine. I was simply… thinking, that’s all.”
Elisa didn’t respond with anything but a nod, but Isabel knew she continued to watch her. Isabel straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and walked away from the door.
Isabel’s mind was racing, her heart still pounding with the memory of being in the Duke’s presence. She had never before exchanged words with him and she was relieved to find that he wasn’t as cold as she had thought him to be.
Before he had inherited the dukedom, Isabel had often wondered about him. She was well aware that the late Duke had a son but he was always away at school. And when the Duke and Duchess died, Isabel only ever glimpsed him. Today was the first time she’d ever actually sat down and spoken to him.
What was this feeling in her chest, then? Was that… excitement? After finally having a conversation with the elusive Duke, was this fulfillment making her stomach flutter so much?
“This is terrible,” Isabel said to Elisa. “I cannot believe something so horrible could have happened to him.”
Yet horrible things always happen to the people around me. First, my parents, then the Duke and Duchess of Ventbury. I hope this is the worst of the Duke’s bad luck.
“He’ll be fine, Miss,” Elisa said, knowing Isabel needed to hear the words again to ease her mind.
“Yes, I know. He is fine.” Isabel repeated the words to herself, hoping it would help ease her thumping heart. Perhaps that was the reason for the sudden oddness in her chest and why she hadn’t calmed down just yet.
After a while, her heart began to calm and her stomach settled. Isabel found herself in the gardens, sitting in one of the gazebos, the Duke still weighing heavily on her mind. She wanted to go back, if only to see his face again. She wanted to figure out what exactly was causing such an odd reaction. But he was probably sleeping. She wouldn’t disturb him.
Isabel wandered around the manor, distracting herself as best as she could, as she had spent the previous week doing, so as not to think too much about her guardian lying upstairs. He hadn’t called for her, and she shouldn’t expect him to. But a part of her wanted a reason to visit him again.
When evening fell, she found it.
“Elisa?” she said, looking up from the book she was reading. Isabel hadn’t turned a page in minutes. “It is almost dinnertime, is it not?”
“Yes, Miss,” Elisa said, nodding briskly.
“I’ll have dinner with His Grace this evening.” It was such a great idea that she couldn’t help smiling to herself.
Elisa’s brow raised ever so slightly. Isabel had learned to read Elisa’s expressions by now, the very slight changes that someone who knew her less wouldn’t have been able to pick up on. But Isabel knew that because they were alone, and Elisa had been with her since she was twelve, Elisa felt comfortable enough to say, “You seem very eager to be with His Grace, Miss Isabel.”
“He’s injured, Elisa, remember? He needs someone to take care of him.”
“I’m sure he has that, Miss,” Elisa said.
“And company,” Isabel added quickly. “Surely, he’s lonely in bed all by himself. It would be terrible of me not to at least visit him a few times a day, and what better way than to do it during dinner?”
“If you wish, Miss Isabel. It will be done.”
Elisa’s nod was deep and slow, resembling a short bow, before she turned to leave. Isabel watched her, sighing.
Elisa didn’t believe my words. I can tell that much. She thought there might be something else at play.
But she didn’t care. She was much too excited to see His Grace again.
Eagerly, Isabel picked up her skirts and hurried to the Duke’s chambers. When she arrived, she loitered outside the door, suddenly nervous.
I should wait. I shouldn’t be alone with him… but he’s my guardian. What is the worst that could happen?
Back and forth she went. Her hand raised for the door latch and fell. Finally, she settled on simply waiting for Elisa to return, though that was fast becoming easier said than done. It felt like ages before she saw the servants coming down the hall, bringing with them large platters of food. Isabel sought Elisa out, who was walking behind the servants.
“As you ordered, Miss,” she said.
“Thank you, Elisa.” Then, bolstering her confidence, Isabel knocked. “Your Grace?”
The Duke’s valet opened the door, stepping aside to allow them in.
Warmth washed over her body at the sight of him in bed. Isabel stepped in, mouth falling open slightly when that warmth grew into a slow heat.
He was sitting upright, his leg propped up on a pillow. His expression didn’t waver when he saw her. As a matter of fact, he seemed not to care that she was here, but his eyes never left her face, even as the servants piled in behind her.
“I was hoping we could have dinner together, Your Grace,” she said, feeling suddenly shy.
Why is he staring at me like that?
“I pray you don’t mind.”
The Duke took a little longer to respond than she would have liked. After a second went by, his eyes darted to the servants, who had paused in anticipation of his response. Then he looked back at Isabel and nodded. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I welcome it.”
Her smile was quick and filled with relief. The servants got back into action, laying the food out in a manner that was convenient for them both to eat. As they did, Isabel made her way back to the seat she had sat in earlier, trying not to stare at His Grace. She looked ev
erywhere but at his face—his leg, the servants, the food. But soon enough, they began to clear out, leaving only Elisa standing a short distance behind her, next to the Duke’s valet, and she could no longer avoid looking at him.
His eyes were on her. His face was unmoving, so blank that Isabel couldn’t fathom what might be going through his mind. He was much harder to read than Elisa was.
“You must be a soothsayer, Miss Isabel,” he said finally. “Otherwise, how else would you have known that I was terribly lonely?”
Daring Deeds 0f A Forbidden Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 3
