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

by Violet Hamers

  For a moment, no one seemed to know what to do. The servants and the butler were frozen in shock, and Lord Pemperton seemed to be at a loss for words. He had his own hand at his side, clearly moving much too slowly to have been any help.

  David returned the pistol to his side and looked at Lord de Xander, who was staring at Lord d’Ylles lifeless body. There was actual sadness in his eyes.

  I can’t be sad right now. I can’t feel anything until I see her.

  “Where is she?” David asked, very much aware how cold his voice sounded, despite the fact that he just shot and killed someone.

  Lord de Xander looked up at him and that sadness turned into gratitude. “I’ll have the butler take you,” he said.

  David nodded. He refused to look at Lord d’Ylles. He kept his head straight as he turned and followed behind the butler, out of the room.

  He could feel the end drawing closer and he so badly wanted it to be here. He wanted to see her, to finally confirm with his own two eyes that she was here and that she was all right. Then he would let the exhaustion claim him. Only then would he let the weight of what he had just done sink in so that he could come to terms with the fact that he just took a life. But all that came after he saw her face again.

  Each step through the halls was long and burdensome but when the butler finally came to a stop in front of a door, his heartbeat spiked. There were two servants standing before the door, both wearing frowns of confusion and concern and the butler shook his head at them. They suddenly looked relieved. David suspected the butler was only letting them know that the Count was all right.

  He kept his eyes on the door, anticipating what he would see on the other side. After everything Lord de Xander said, David didn’t think he would have done anything to Miss Isabel and so he expected her to look physically fine when he finally laid eyes on her again. As for how this entire ordeal would affect her nerves, David didn’t know.

  I’ll do what I can to fix it. I just need to see that she is all right.

  The butler was moving much too slowly for his liking as he unlocked the door. Once it was finally unlocked, David tensed. He couldn’t wait a moment longer and he pushed the butler aside and shoved the door open himself.

  * * *

  Isabel couldn’t eat. She’d been locked up only one night and even though she had reached the point of desperate hunger, she couldn’t bring herself to eat the food she was given. She spent every second of her time awake pacing the room, begging for someone to release her, and staring blankly out the window, at the gorgeous garden, hoping that the Duke would find her soon.

  The maid coming to bring her food provided the best parts of the day. Isabel didn’t realize just how much she had come to rely on having someone next to her until she was without company for most of the day. Those few seconds were precious to her and she spent them begging for information on what would happen to her, on why she was here. The maid only said the same things over and over again.

  You are safe. Everything will be revealed soon. You don’t need to worry.

  And every time Isabel heard it, it made her angry.

  How can I not worry when I was given so little information?

  Why would she put her trust in the very same person who stole her away from the people she loved? The more she heard it, the angrier it made her, but she never got the chance to act on it before the maid was gone again.

  Now, she sat in the loveseat by the fire, staring at the tray of food that had been brought in not so long ago. Her stomach begged for it, but she didn’t have the strength or the drive to attempt eating. She could only stare and wondered how many more days she would be forced to stay in this room.

  Are Lord and Lady Pemperton all right? Did something happen to them as well? To Lord d’Ylles? Is that why it’s taking so long for me to be found?

  A mixture of worry and anxiety swirled within her and she didn’t know which to focus on. She wanted to believe that the Marquess and his wife were all right, but locked up in here, she couldn’t be sure. Lord d’Ylles surely had to be fine. What reason would they have to target him as well?

  Except for the fact that he was her husband-to-be. Isabel knew she had a hefty inheritance waiting for her once she was married. She couldn’t help but wonder if whoever took her had their eyes set on that inheritance, and if they would target Lord d’Ylles as well, to meet that aim.

  But then, why tell me that everything will be fine and that this is for my own safety?

  Groaning weakly, she burrowed her face in her hands. She was sure that she looked terrible and though the maid had provided gowns for her to wear, she didn’t have the strength to even look at them. She had lost count of how many times she had nervously touched her hair and the curl of her hair more resembled an unkempt frizz.

  She rose, trying to cast the negative thoughts aside and focus on the positive. The Duke would be coming for her. He had to be. Even if he didn’t do it out of love, he would do it out of the duty he had to ensure her wellbeing. He would turn the world upside down to find her.

  I hope.

  She began to make her way toward the window, continuing her growing routine of pacing, fretting, crying, and sleeping. When she was only halfway there, she heard a loud bang.

  She went still at the sound, her head whipping around to the door.

  It can’t be…is that a shot?

  Fear warmed her body and she only stood there, not knowing whether she should go back toward the window or get closer to the door to see if she could hear anything else. There had to be a commotion going on somewhere inside the manor.

  Is that the Duke? Is he here to save me?

  She remained rooted to the spot, as she strained to hear anything else. It was all quiet.

  Forcing herself to move, she rushed toward the door and pressed her ear against the wood. She could have sworn she heard muffled voices. She couldn’t be sure if that was coming from whispers right outside the door or shouts from somewhere else.

  But then the voices stopped and Isabel could hear nothing else. Her heart pounding madly in her chest, she backed away from the door, her breathing growing shallow. She held her hand to her throat, trying to keep from panicking, to remember the positive thoughts she had been trying to think of before.

  The apprehensive ones were those that prevailed.

  She didn’t know how long she stood there, waiting to hear something else happen. It may have been seconds, but it felt like much longer than that before she finally heard something happening on the other side of the door. It sounded like the door was being unlocked.

  She couldn’t move, fearing who would come in after the bang she just heard. She doubted it would be the maid but she hoped that it would be. Better yet, Isabel prayed that it was someone coming to save her.

  Suddenly, the doors were shoved open and the Duke came rushing in. Isabel’s eyes went wide when she took him in, unable to believe that it was truly him. There were others standing behind him but she was hardly aware of their presence.

  “Your Grace…” she breathed, drinking in his wide-eyed relief when he spotted her standing in the center of the room.

  He didn’t say anything but in two long strides, he was before her. She didn’t know what to expect from him. She was in such a state of shock, hardly able to process everything that was happening, that she didn’t make a sound when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest.

  But when his lips came down onto hers, her body reacted instantly. Though she was still confused, she was utterly happy to see him, so relieved that had he not been holding her, she might have fallen to her knees. She kissed him with as much passion as he did, with all the strength she had left in her body. He broke away and rained kisses all over her face, as if he couldn’t believe that she was in his arms.

  This is like a fairytale…

  Here she was being rescued by the person who had her heart, feeling his love pouring through every pore in his body. It was so overwhelmi
ng that Isabel could only cling to him, staring up into his eyes as if she would never see him again.

  “You came for me,” she whispered.

  “I would have gone to the ends of the earth to find you,” he murmured back.

  Isabel smiled.

  But then, her lack of energy finally caught up to her and Isabel slipped into the darkness without fear, knowing that the Duke was there to catch her.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  She heard voices before she opened her eyes fully and for a moment, she wondered if she was back in the Duke’s townhouse. Except, as the seconds went by, she realized that the ceiling she was staring at was the same one she had recently stared at until exhaustion claimed her. The sight of it gave her a start and she sprang upwards, remembering the pistol shot she had heard.

  “It’s all right,” said a voice next to her that instantly calmed her down. A hand settled over hers and Isabel looked over to see that it was the Duke. She relaxed and he smiled just a little. “Everything is fine. You’re safe now.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but then realized that it was much too dry for her to do anything. As if noticing that himself, the Duke reached for the cup of water on the bedside table and handed it to her. “Drink this,” he suggested. “It’s only water. And then you should eat.”

  She took the cup from him and sipped the water, unable to take her eyes off him. It was all coming back to her. The bang she heard, the tense moments that followed, not knowing what had happened, all leading up to the Duke’s appearance.

  The way he had kissed her despite the fact that they hadn’t been alone also stood out to her and her cheeks warmed at the memory as she looked away. His hand still remained over hers, a thumb gently rubbing soothingly against her skin.

  Slowly, she lowered the cup and handed it back over to him. He rested it where he had found it and said, “I had one of the maids bring you something warm to eat. You may not desire it right now but you need your strength.”

  Isabel could only nod. She felt she could speak now, but she didn’t know what to say. She settled with simply listening to what he told her to do.

  The Duke rose and brought over the tray of food from the foot of the bed. He settled it on her lap and sat by her side again. “Would you prefer if I fed you?”

  “No,” she said quickly and she didn’t miss the amused smirk that appeared on his face. Blushing suddenly, Isabel focused on the food before her. “I can handle it myself.”

  “All right.” She could hear the mirth in his voice. This Duke felt different. He no longer seemed as stiff and mature as he had been since arriving in London. He looked to be more at ease, more like the person she had fallen in love with during their time in Brighton.

  As she began to eat, silence settled between them. At first, she was so focused on eating that she didn’t think she needed to fill the quiet, but after she was mostly satisfied, Isabel felt she needed to say something.

  “I have so many questions,” she began to say.

  “I know,” the Duke responded quickly. “And you’ll get all the answers you desire once you’re strong enough.”

  “Why are we still here?” she couldn’t help but ask, despite what he just said. “Why am I still in this room?”

  His Grace hesitated. Isabel paused eating and frowned at him. Now, that was the only thing she wanted to know.

  “I want to explain everything to you,” he said after a few moments. “But I think there is someone else who would be able to do it better. I’ll go fetch him.”

  As he rose, she nearly reached out to take his hand, wanting to stop him from leaving. After being without him for so long, she didn’t want him to leave her side, but she knew that he would be back soon and so she watched as he walked through the door.

  Once he was gone, Isabel tried focusing all her attention on her food. She had seen the grim look on the Duke’s face before he left and she knew that whatever it was she was about to hear, it wouldn’t be good.

  When the Duke returned, she was finished with her food and had set it aside. She was contemplating getting out of the bed to ensure that she was strong enough to stand but then he entered with others in tow. She was relieved to see Lord Pemperton with him.

  The person who walked next to him was clearly a gentleman, with shocking white hair and clear eyes. His gaze was soft when it came to rest on Isabel.

  “Miss Isabel,” he began, his voice strong. “I’m happy to hear that you’re all right. I had feared that this would happen when I heard you weren’t eating any of the food I sent.”

  Realization dawned like a heavy cloud. Isabel’s eyes grew wide as she took in every inch of the gentleman who stood before her. His obvious French accent confused her just as much as his kind eyes did. “You’re the one who abducted me?”

  “I am,” he said with a nod, his tone remorseful. “And I’m sorry I had to put you through that, my dear. But I fear it was the only choice I had.”

  Isabel could only frown. She looked at the Duke and at Lord Pemperton, seeing how at ease they were in the gentleman’s presence. The Duke returned to her side while Lord Pemperton came to stand at the foot of the bed. He gave her a relieved and happy smile but said nothing, allowing Isabel’s kidnapper to continue.

  “You are incredibly confused, my dear, I can tell,” he said. “Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Christian Velaroix, Count de Xander, and I was a friend of your parents.”

  “My parents?” she echoed.

  “Yes,” he confirmed with a sad nod. “A dear, dear friend. And I am also the person who handed you that note during the debut ball all those weeks ago.”

  Isabel gasped. “That was you?”

  “I had my reasons at the time. Very good reasons, Miss Isabel, because I was worried for you. Of course, I understood why you didn’t meet with me in the Park.”

  “I don’t understand.” She looked at the Duke, then at Lord Pemperton, as if they would provide the answers to her unspoken questions.

  “Let me begin from the very top.” And so he did. Lord de Xander told her about his closeness to her parents, and how torn and confused he had been when they died. He told her about his investigation that followed his suspicion and how it led him to the truth and to her in England.

  When he arrived at the part that included Lord d’Ylles, Isabel could hardly believe what she was hearing. She listened silently, enraptured by the tale he spun, not sure if she believed him or not. Even when he handed her the letter from the servant, she couldn’t believe the things he was telling her.

  She thought of the sweet things Lord d’Ylles had told her, how easy it had been for her to become comfortable in his presence, to view him as a friend even if she couldn’t see him as anything more. To hear now that it had all been a part of a ploy to marry her in order to secure her inheritance was earth-shattering. To learn that his father had killed her parents out of such greed, and he had been determined to carry on the plan, was something she couldn’t fathom.

  When the Count was finished, no one said anything. She felt the eyes on her, waiting for her reaction and Isabel only stared at the sheets, not knowing what she could say.

  She knew that it was all the truth. That was what shocked her the most. Without a shadow of a doubt, she understood that Lord de Xander had truly taken her for her safety.

  But she couldn’t focus on that right now. She looked up at him and asked, “So what do we do about Lord d’Ylles?”

  Lord de Xander sighed heavily. Isabel frowned and looked at the Duke to see that he was staring back at her with a mixture of regret and anger in his eyes. Lord Pemperton kept silent, hanging his head.

  “What is it?” she demanded to know.

  “Lord d’Ylles is no longer with us, Miss Isabel,” Lord de Xander told her. “He came looking for you here at the Manor and he attacked me when he realized that you were here. Afterwards, His Grace and Lord Pemperton arrived during the commotion, and my servants managed to subdue them all. Af
ter I explained everything, Lord d’Ylles went into a fit of rage and attempted to shoot me.”

  Isabel gasped in alarm, running her eyes all over him. When she noticed that he was unharmed, without even a spot of blood on him, the truth sank in. “You shot him,” she said, her voice flat.

  “I did.” The Duke said.

  Isabel looked at the Duke. She could see the battle going on behind his eyes. “When I saw him reaching for his pistol to shoot Lord de Xander,” the Duke explained. “I drew mine first and shot him down.”

  Isabel had the sudden urge to reach out and hold him in her arms. She resisted the urge simply because they were around others and said, “You did what had to be done, Your Grace. He would have killed him if you hadn’t.”