Daring Deeds 0f A Forbidden Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance)

by Violet Hamers

  That made her heart swell to an unimaginable degree.

  Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush!

  “I’m happy you like it, Your Grace,” Isabel said, looking down at her plate so as to will the blush away, which this time was a reflection of her modesty. She wasn’t sure it worked. “To be honest, it’s my first time trying my hand at anything creative. Decorating the room was more difficult than I thought it would be.”

  “And yet you did a wonderful job at it.” The Duke wasn’t eating as much as she was, Isabel noticed, and she made an effort to slow down. Lady Pemperton always told her that she ate as if the food was about to run away and it wasn’t befitting a lady. She didn’t want to make a bad impression on the Duke. “Perhaps you should try your hand at something else?” he suggested.

  “Something else, like what?”

  “Painting, perhaps. Or do you like music?”

  Isabel thought about it for a moment. It was true that she was a fan of art, but she’d never attempted something like that, nor did she think she would be particularly good at it. But there was one thing that stuck out to her. “I am a lover of fine literature.”

  “Then there you have it, Miss Isabel. Why don’t you take to writing? Does poetry suit you?”

  “I… I don’t know. I’ve never tried it before.”

  “I suggest that you do,” the Duke pushed. “Such a wonderful creativity such as yours shouldn’t go untapped.”

  That made her smile. And because she knew she couldn’t say the thoughts aloud, she held them in, letting them warm her body.

  Whatever barriers had been between them before had been successfully dismantled. Now, there was only friendship, a kind and teasing one that made Isabel both happy and craving for more.

  She couldn’t help sneaking glances at him while he ate.

  He truly thinks I can try my hand at writing. He truly believes in me.

  The feeling erupting in her chest wasn’t one she should feel for her guardian, but for someone she was to marry.

  Would it be so bad if I were to marry him?

  “Miss Isabel?”

  “Y-yes?” Isabel blinked, suddenly realizing that she had been staring at him. She looked away. “Yes, Your Grace?”

  “Your birthday is coming up.”

  “Yes, it is, Your Grace.”

  “Is there something you’d like to do? Or something you’d like to have?”

  Isabel widened her eyes at him. “Something I’d like?” she couldn’t help but echo.

  “Yes,” he said simply. “You are turning nineteen, are you not?”

  “I—yes, I am, Your Grace.”

  “Well, then I think that deserves some celebration, don’t you?”

  Isabel couldn’t believe what she was hearing—and her elation shot through the roof. At the very most, she had hoped the Duke would spend time with her, but she didn’t imagine he would go to such an extent. It was likely that she would be making her debut this year as well, so what else would she need?

  “I…I don’t know, Your Grace. I’d have to give it more thought.”

  “Please do.” And then he smiled. But this wasn’t the same smile as the other, which had been filled with amazed mirth. This one was more…inviting.

  The world seemed to stop for a few moments.

  Does he feel the same way as I do? Why is he looking at me as if…as if…

  As if he wants to eat me up?

  Chapter Nine

  David never thought that he would enjoy himself the way he had the past few months. Dinners, breakfast, and rambles through the garden were all very simple things to him, but they came packaged with a not so simple lady.

  In reality, Miss Isabel was the most intriguing lady he ever came across. On the outside, she was the picture of perfection and grace, with a kind, gentle smile that was always ready to be on display. But the longer he was in her presence, David saw just how human she was. He saw the way she wore her emotions on display, and how easily she became caught up in the things she did and said. Her happy enthusiasm was priceless.

  He remembered how that enthusiasm exploded on the day of her birthday. The celebration had been simple but Miss Isabel smiled from ear to ear as if it was the happiest day of her life. As it had been for the past few weeks, they spent nearly all day with each other, but he arranged to have tea in the garden, along with a small gift in the form of a brooch. Miss Isabel fawned over it as if it was the most precious piece of jewelry she’d ever owned. It was lovely to see.

  But above all, David felt drawn to her in a way that went beyond physical desire. Every day it grew harder to contain, and more difficult to keep from her. He gave into her soft smiles and her beautiful laugh, wanting to touch her and hold her. Even worse, as the days progressed into weeks, David began to see that she did, as well.

  Now, they sat at the table for dinner. Outside, the springtime evening was falling into night, shining golden light in through the windows and onto the crown of her head. David tried his hardest to keep from staring at her, simply because he knew he had done enough of that. But it was difficult to keep his mind from lingering on the way she moved next to him, stirring the air like she stirred his senses.

  She probably doesn’t know what she’s doing to me. She’s too innocent, and here I am having inappropriate thoughts about her.

  David knew he should feel some shame, and no matter how much he waited, it never came. Instead, the growing need for the lady who sat next to him enveloped him.

  “How is your leg feeling, Your Grace?” Miss Isabel asked him with genuine concern in her eyes. She asked the question periodically over the last few months and David was happy that he had a better response for her each time.

  “My leg is all but healed now,” he said. “I think I’ll have Mr. Phillip come by tomorrow to make sure I’m right. You needn’t worry about me any longer, Miss Isabel.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” she said with a grin. “If you were brave enough to ride through a storm, then I am sure you are brave enough to endure a broken leg for a few months.”

  He chuckled. Now that dinner was over, James brought his sticks over for him to stand. David hated being incapacitated, relying so heavily on someone else just to get around, and so he was happy that he was finally seeing signs of being able to walk on his own soon.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get over the foolishness of my act that day,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “Neither will I, Your Grace,” Miss Isabel laughed. “Now that the incident is long gone, I can think about your stubbornness and laugh.”

  “You’re beginning to make a habit of laughing at me, Miss Isabel,” David grumbled a little.

  Miss Isabel only shrugged her shoulders, as if she wasn’t intimidated by his low tone. In fact, her lips quirked slightly. She walked alongside him as he hobbled out of the room. “Can you blame me, Your Grace? The situation is quite funny when you think about it.”

  “Your sense of humor is appalling, Miss Isabel.”

  “It’s nice to be able to look at certain things and laugh about it, don’t you think?” She didn’t wait for his answer, though David had one ready. “Besides, in no time, you’ll rid yourself of that cane, like you did the Bath chair.”

  David didn’t respond because they had arrived at the staircase. James stood behind him with a waiting arm in case David lost his balance. He’d endured this routine for a few weeks now, so he was sure he had it down pat. Miss Isabel followed one step behind James, her hands folded before her. She looked very much at peace though she was walking so slowly.

  “And that day cannot come any sooner,” David grunted once he was seated again. He was panting just a little and he hated to seem so weak in front of her.

  “I’ll be with you wherever you go, Your Grace,” she murmured softly, “so there’s no need to worry.”

  David didn’t look at her. He didn’t allow himself to. If he did, he would say something he knew he should not.

&
nbsp; It wouldn’t be so bad to take her hand, would it? I’m her guardian. She doesn’t need to know that I want to do much, much more than that.

  With all the strength he could muster, David held himself back and let the words fade into the air around them. He knew she was waiting for a response—he could hear her holding her breath—but he wouldn’t let himself give it.

  I should tell her that I enjoy her company. At the very least!

  David gritted his teeth, willing the thought away. If he did, he would say other things he enjoyed. Like her lips, how plush they looked and how beautifully they stretched into a smile. And her hair, a brown halo around her angelic face.

  Not to mention the mere fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to hold her body against his.

  No, he couldn’t say those thoughts aloud, and because he so badly wanted to, he chose to say nothing at all. Silence was better than making it known just how tactless he truly was.

  Miss Isabel chose not to say anything more when David decided not to respond to her. She accompanied him all the way to his chambers and once they arrived, she turned to face him, her face filled with expectation.

  David nearly gave into those beautiful blue eyes but he forced himself to do what he’d always done since the moment his parents died—stick to his responsibilities.

  “Rest well, Miss Isabel,” David said.

  He saw the disappointment course through her body, starting from her eyes. She nodded. “As should you, Your Grace.”

  Right on cue, James opened the door and David hobbled into the room. He tried giving Miss Isabel a little smile before he left, but he didn’t think it came off the way he wanted it to and before he knew it, the door was being closed behind him.

  The process of preparing for bed went by unnoticed. James was a very silent man, who didn’t speak unless spoken to, and thus, David had nothing but the quiet around him, to think about the lady he’d just left behind.

  Two sides of him battled for control—the one that wanted to do what he knew he should and the other that was tempted to take Miss Isabel for his own. It was a hard choice to make but one he had to in the end.

  * * *

  “Rise and shine, Miss Isabel.”

  Isabel squinted when Elisa drew the curtains back, allowing bright sunlight to invade the room. With a groan, she rolled over and tried to pull the covers over her head. She didn’t get very far before Elisa caught the sheets and tugged down.

  “Elisa!” Isabel gasped.

  Elisa only looked at her deadpan. “It’s time to get up, Miss Isabel.”

  “I am feeling unwell,” Isabel said. “Please just allow me to sleep in a little longer.”

  She closed her eyes, hoping that that would make Elisa leave her alone. Instead, she felt her stand over her body and a hand on her forehead.

  “You have no fever, though,” Elisa commented lightly.

  “My heart is unwell,” Isabel said, fanning Elisa’s hand away. She turned her back to her, but she kept her eyes open. Now, every time she closed them, she remembered the incredibly embarrassing situation she had put herself in the previous night and Isabel didn’t know much longer she could deal with such a memory.

  After all those months with him, how could I have allowed everything to go so wrong? Everything was going so perfectly!

  They were with each other nearly every second of the day, with endless conversation flowing effortlessly. Isabel grew to rely on that conversation as the days wore on because it helped distract her from her ever-increasing love for him. No matter how much she tried to contain it, it threatened to overflow, to overcome them both.

  But, even though it sounded crazy, Isabel had begun to think that he felt the same way, growing to love her like she was growing to love him, that he didn’t care about the fact that he was her legal guardian. Why else would he speak to her the way he did, with such care and tenderness? Why else would he look at her in such a manner? Why else would he be so eager to spend all this time with her?

  Yet, when she had hinted at her feelings, he said nothing. Why?

  “Is this about what happened last night?”

  “Yes,” Isabel sighed. “I simply cannot see him, Elisa. Please, just tell him that I cannot come to breakfast today.”

  “I cannot do that, Miss.”

  Isabel looked at her with a frown. “Why can’t you?”

  There were a few times Isabel felt true annoyance at Elisa’s flat expressions. This was one of them. “Because you have to have breakfast with His Grace today. You wouldn’t want him to think that you are embarrassed, now would you?”

  “I don’t care anymore. He already knows that I’m extremely fond of him. I made it very clear to him last night and he did nothing about it. He didn’t say anything!”

  “And now you have to go and show him just how unaffected you are.”

  Isabel narrowed her eyes at her, sitting up in bed, her hair falling around her shoulders. “Why are you so determined to make me go? You normally allow me to stay in bed whenever I want to sleep in.”

  “Just because.”

  Elisa’s cryptic remark made Isabel narrow her eyes even further. Elisa didn’t stick around for her to ask another question. She tugged on Isabel’s sheets once again and patted her on the leg, a sign of impatience. “Now, it’s time to get up, Miss Isabel. Time to get ready for breakfast.”

  “You’re hiding something.”

  “Many ladies are already up and ready by this time of the morning, you know,” Elisa went on.

  Isabel continued to watch her, easing herself out of the bed. “I’m not like other ladies and you know that. I like my rest.”

  “There is plenty of time to rest later.”

  Isabel couldn’t figure this out. Elisa was very easygoing with Isabel’s whims. She only expressed her disagreement if it was something she truly couldn’t agree with, and that in itself was very rare. Isabel couldn’t fathom what Elisa was thinking right now.

  She watched her, but she went along with it, getting dressed. There was no use asking her, in any case. If Elisa didn’t want to say, then she wasn’t going to. She was simply that stubborn.

  But Isabel couldn’t keep her curiosity from getting the best of her. “Elisa, is something the matter? Why are you so determined to get me out of the room?”

  “You need to eat, don’t you?” Elisa asked her.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then it is time for you to do so.” With a determined nod, Elisa pushed her gently toward the door.

  But now that she was already on her way to the dining room, the expected anticipation sprung up within her. She wanted to see his face, if only out of the hope that she was simply overreacting.

  It might not be as bad as I think it is.

  When they made it to the bottom of the staircase, Elisa placed a hand on her arm, stopping her from heading toward the dining room. “This way, Miss Isabel,” she said.

  Isabel’s frown deepened. They weren’t going to eat in the dining room?

  Elisa led the way. She brought her to one of the drawing rooms, a small one where Isabel would go for seclusion when she had first come to the manor. She hadn’t set foot in here in years, but she remembered how often she would sit in the farthest corner of the room and try her best to remember the faces of her late parents.

  Why are we heading here?

  Elisa paused at the door, turned to Isabel and said, “I hope you enjoy yourself, Miss Isabel,” she said.

  Isabel didn’t bother to ask what she meant by that. A slight smile appeared on Elisa’s face before she turned and opened the door.

  Chapter Ten

  Isabel wasn’t prepared for what she saw next. Her eyes landed on the Duke, sitting in the very center of the small room. James stood next to him, also wearing an oddly-placed smile. She ventured further in.

  “Your Grace, what is…” she trailed off when she noticed who else was in the room. The Marquess and Marchioness of Pemperton stoo
d to the side, looking quite pleased at Isabel’s shock.

  “My Lord!” Isabel gasped. “My Lady! What are you doing here?”

  “Why, what do you mean, what are we doing here?” Lady Pemperton asked with a broad smile. “We haven’t seen you in so long!”

  She hurried over to Isabel, grabbed her by both hands, and pecked her on both cheeks. It was her favorite way of greeting Isabel, since she was French.