Loving a Fearless Duchess

by Abigail Agar

  “My mother and father combined kitchen expenses for the two townhouses. Your cook would come to my cook, and they would work out what was needed. Apparently, it worked out well. Mother had the idea, and she considered herself a genius when it proved to work out well.

  “Same for the fireplaces. Everything was bought and sent to Father’s; then Mother would split it to have it go to where it was needed. Cook knows all the details.”

  “I’ll bring the servants in to clean it, and you can bring Cecilia over. How does that sound, Edward?”

  “Nash, you don’t know how good it sounds.”

  “Thank God. My mother can make me feel guilty from the grave. She wanted her townhouse occupied at all times.”

  Nash continued, “My place in Norfolk has a dowager home for your mother, or she can live in the main house with us. She can decide later.

  “So, I’ll get it ready, then when we’re ready to put our plan in motion; you and Cecilia will have a place to go.”

  Edward stuck out his hand, and Nash shook it. It really was a good plan.

  “And there would no longer be anyone to threaten you again.”

  Chapter 10

  At the beginning of calling hours, Nash was at the Balfours’ door. Once settled in with his teacup in hand, he felt the ease and comfort he enjoyed. There hadn’t been a ton event the night before, and he realized he missed Penelope.

  He scoffed. That was ridiculous. They were together two days ago. He put down his teacup and smiled at her while she told an amusing story about Lady Bronson’s dog running wild at Rotten Row. The gentlemen who had come to her rescue looked foolish running after the thing.

  He gave her a soft laugh for her efforts. God, he loved to be around her. Her presence washed over him like the warm breeze he felt during his visit to Sicily.

  Nash turned to Edward. “May I escort your sister to the Dunham’s musical this evening?”

  Edward turned to Penelope, who gave him a look like, ‘do you have to even think about it?’ And he turned back to Nash.

  “My sister seems to want to spend time with you, Nash. No accounting for taste. She may accompany you.”

  “Thank you, Edward. When you begin courting a young lady, I’ll be sure to weigh in on her questionable taste.”

  Cecilia laughed. “You two act like you went to university together, and instead, you’ve only known each other a short time.”

  Henry had been watching at the door. “How touching. Edward, are you sure you don’t want to court Nash?”

  Nash turned in his chair to face Henry. “Jealous?”

  Henry walked in and sat next to Penelope. She moved away from him on the settee. While he picked up and put down at least three teacakes, he said, “No doubt you are all going to the musical this evening. I’m sure it will be bone-crushingly boring. Is Patrice Dunham still trying to master the harp?”

  Edward stood next to the settee and spoke to him, looking down. “Then we won’t have the pleasure of your company this evening. I’m sure we will make the best of it without you, Henry.”

  Henry looked up. “No need. I will be there listening to every harp note Patrice manages to pluck. I love a good comedy. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Nash hoped Henry would leave tea once he made his pronouncement, but he didn’t. He hung on until the bitter end. Nash reluctantly left, having not talked with the Balfours more than five minutes alone.

  Edward and Penelope soon left, leaving Cecilia and Henry alone. She tilted her head and summoned her most conversational tone.

  “Tell me, Henry. Why do you want to break up Nash and Penelope?”

  Henry stood and walked to the window. He turned, “I don’t want that man as part of my family. We disagree about almost everything. I don’t want the remainder of my life to be a tug of war.”

  Cecilia nodded. She didn’t think that was the real reason, but he had rehearsed a good answer to her question.

  “Do you really think you would see him that often if he were married to Penelope?”

  “Often enough. It will be no pleasure serving in the House of Lords with him.

  Henry had the decency to give his aunt a bow then left the parlour.

  ***

  Nash came calling for Penelope at half past eight. The only thing he found exciting about his evening ahead was having Penelope to himself in his carriage. Since the evening at Vauxhall, he could think of little else.

  Nash waited in the foyer for Penelope to come down the stairs. She was so beautiful, in a dark red watered silk gown with rubies around her neck. Cecilia’s no doubt. The curve of her neck was accentuated by the rubies. He would love to kiss the shell of her ear down the side of that neck to her clavicle then –

  “Good evening, Nash,” Cecilia said, coming out of the parlour. She too was dressed for the evening at the Dunham’s. She curtsied.

  He bowed, “Lady Balfour,” then turned. Penelope was curtsying. He bowed.

  “Lady Penelope, you look exceptionally beautiful this evening.”

  Penelope went and let the butler put her wrap around her shoulders.

  “I expect we’ll see you shortly at the Dunham’s?”

  Cecilia beamed at him, “Edward and I will be right behind you.” She curtsied, he bowed, and Nash and Penelope left.

  In the carriage, Nash knocked on the roof signalling the carriage to go. After a small lurch, Nash and Penelope could hear the metal wheels of the carriage hit against the cobblestones.

  Nash moved across the coach to sit next to Penelope. He looked into her eyes and took one of her hands. “I thought we might kiss so I can think of what is going on around me at the musical. If you don’t let me kiss you, it will be all I think about throughout the evening.”

  Penelope was amused by the pathetic look of pleading she saw in his eyes. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

  Nash moved in. He knew he had to take the initiative with her, and he was happy to do it. Her lips felt wet and warm. They felt welcoming. He encouraged her to open her mouth by dragging his tongue along the seam of her lips.

  She opened, and he invaded, hearing her tiny groan. Penelope must be enjoying herself, too. That added fuel to the burn in his heart and his groin. He should stop. He needed to compose himself before exiting the carriage. She would need it to. Except he couldn’t stop.

  The carriage jumped, likely from a stone out of place on the street. Nash and Penelope came apart. Nash kissed the palm of the hand he had been holding then moved back to the bench across from Penelope. He watched her straighten her hair and touch her index finger to her swollen lips. She looked up, and he smiled at her.

  The musical was about as boring as predicted. He had told Penelope he needed a kiss before going in, or he wouldn’t think of anything but her kiss on the way home, but the strategy didn’t work. They kissed, and still he thought of nothing but her.

  He must’ve said ‘Pardon me?’ twenty times before the evening was through, missing parts of conversations while thinking of their kiss. Each time he said it, Penelope looked up at him and smiled, the smallest of smiles, at their own private joke.

  As usual, the ladies congregated together, no doubt to hear the latest word about a member of the ton. That kept them way too busy in Nash’s opinion, but who asked him for his opinion? No one.

  Edward dragged Nash into a corner of the room to ply him with questions about Penelope. Nash explained a little problem he was having.

  “Edward, I don’t know what to do about Avery. Henry has been doing everything possible to break us up. What if Avery put him up to it? I’m beginning to think Henry’s doing Avery’s dirty work for him. You know Avery likes to keep his hands clean.

  “So if I approach him for Penelope’s hand, he may say no, and I will never be able to see her again. I don’t want that to happen.”

  Edward turned to face Nash, “That would devastate her. I know she loves you. She told me. She would never recover from it. And with her face–”
<
br />   “Don’t even say it, Edward. I understand. I sometimes think Cecilia, you, and I are the only people who don’t see the scar when we look at her.

  “Hello, gentlemen,” Henry said and bowed.

  Oh, but didn’t he have good manners at ton events. Edward and Nash bowed.

  He sneered at them and said, “What are you two doing in the corner with your heads together? Plotting the overthrow of the King?”

  Nash briefly closed his eyes, then opened them and said, “No, Henry, we were having a confidential conversation, the likes of which you will never be privy. If you’ll excuse us, we’ve been gone from the gathering far too long.”

  Henry stepped in front of Nash. “Ah, you’re talking about one of those investments of yours that leaves your investors giddy with satisfaction?”

  Nash gave Henry a hard stare. “You will never be asked to join an investment portfolio of mine, so don’t waste your breath.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to join any of your investment portfolios. Father has sunk a chunk of money and is awaiting a huge return from your friend Wilson’s portfolio. You see Nash, we don’t need you, and we don’t want you. Why don’t you go away and never come back? That would make Father happier than Wilson’s payoff.”

  Nash, then Edward moved away from Henry and walked to the table offering drinks. They were both smiling big, genuine smiles. Henry had finally tipped his hand.

  “Edward, would you like to join me to break your fast at the club tomorrow at ten?”

  “I’ll arrange a private room for us,” Edward said.

  Nash was jumping out of his skin the rest of the evening. Avery wanted him gone. Henry was just an errand boy. He should have known. He needed to have a conversation with Wilson about Avery.

  That one conversation he just had with Henry may just turn this whole thing around. He knew Henry had no idea he had divulged anything to them. He was strutting around the place with a smile on his face. If he realized what he had done, he wouldn’t be smiling.

  Nash finally rejoined Penelope and Cecilia in a group of guests including Kitty, Isabel, and Dinah. He stood next to Jerome briefly asking pleasant questions. Vauxhall went well. If Penelope and Dinah wanted to go somewhere together again, Nash would like that. He thought Jerome felt the same.

  Then he turned and joined Penelope. They carried on an amicable conversation with four people at once. Standing next to her, listening to her participation in the conversation, Nash saw no trace of discomfort, from her or from their peers, about her scar.

  Could this be how they could live once married? Have friends over to the townhouse to laugh together? Nash could picture it. But, the hurdles. The hurdles.

  Once the carriage started to move, Nash crossed to sit next to Penelope. He took her hand.

  “Did you enjoy yourself this evening?”

  She nodded. “I did. The mix of guests was perfect. I heard gossip, and I laughed. Did you?”

  He smiled then ran his finger down her cheek making sure not to touch her scar. “The best part of the evening was standing in that group with you laughing and telling jokes. I will never forget that picture of you and hope it’s one of the last things I conjure on my way out.”

  Penelope put her hand on his heart. “Sounds ominous.”

  He shook his head. “No, I only want to leave this earth with a smile on my face.”

  He took a palm on each cheek of hers and turned her head to his. “I’ve been waiting for this since the moment we arrived at the Dunhams.”

  He pulled her in for a kiss. As soon as his mouth met hers, he groaned with pleasure. She leaned into him, trying to get closer. An impossibility. She moved her hands behind his neck and fiddled with his hair at his nape.

  He could feel the smile on her lips. He moved his tongue against them and invaded her mouth.

  The carriage lurched to a stop. Again, they parted. Nash said, “I believe the Dunhams live too close to the Balfours.”

  Penelope giggled.

  Nash whispered that he would let the footman guide her to the door. She nodded. If she had asked him why he wouldn’t guide her, Nash would have had difficulty coming up with a good answer or with hiding his bulge as he brought her up the stairs. He thought her too naïve to think of such things, so he was happy she agreed to let the footman accompany her.

  ***

  Nash was guided to the private room Edward had arranged at White’s. After ordering breakfast, Nash grabbed the coffee pot and poured.

  He looked at Edward. “I had a sleepless night last night. Between Henry’s stupidity and Penelope, I ended up giving up sleeping and decided to stay awake. I went to my study and reviewed my investments.

  “I’m going to talk with Wilson about selling me the investment portfolio that Avery has shares in. Wilson can take cash, or he can buy shares of my investments, whatever he wants. I studied the standard contract last night. I, as the lead and coordinator of the investment portfolio, have full rights to do what I wish. I would make sure Avery and all his investors make the same return as the Wilson investment would. His payout will be the same. But, in the short term, I would own him.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Edward said with wide eyes. “Wait until Avery finds that out.”

  Nash grinned. “Wait until he finds out I never knew about his investment until Henry told me.”

  But then he sobered and looked at Edward. “I experienced something last night that I would like to experience every day in my future.”

  Edward put up his hand to stop Nash. “I don’t want to hear about you and my sister kissing.”

  “No, I could tell you about that, but I won’t. Nor will I ever.” Nash paused and smiled. “Last night she and I were standing around in a small group of people. We were laughing, and people were telling stories; Penelope told about the dog that got loose and was chased by several gentlemen until he was caught.

  “I turned and looked at her and at the people we were chatting with, and I realized Penelope wasn’t hesitant to speak and draw our attention to herself, and the people around us treated her like a person without a scar. No one stared at it. No one prompted their spouse to look. No one acted weird around her.

  “She had more fun at the musical for Patrice Dunham then she’s had any time I’ve been with her.”

  Nash looked up at Edward. “This could work. She could be happy. We could be happy.”

  Edward sighed. “Which brings us to the second revelation last night. Avery is in on it. He not only knows Henry’s trying to break you up … he put the plan in place. I didn’t stay up all night last night like you did so if you can tell me, why does Avery want to break you two up?”

  Nash ate, ignoring Edward’s question for a minute. When he reached for another scone on a plate between the two of them, he looked almost surprised.

  “Sorry. How long was I somewhere else besides in front of you?”

  Edward shrugged. “Longer than it took to answer my question, shorter than I needed to jab you in the shoulder with my finger.”

  Nash sighed and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “My guess, from about three o’clock this morning, was that he could keep Penelope quiet, and I know so little about what Henry has done that if we were a married couple, Penelope might tell me more Henry stories. Then, it wouldn’t be just the dog and the sheep. It would be the dog, the sheep, the animals in the woods, the village children, and so on.

  “He can’t contain me, but right now, he has a better chance of keeping me in the dark about a whole host of other incidents. What do you think, Edward?”

  Edward leaned back in his chair and took his coffee mug with him. “The only question I have along those lines is does it really matter how many incidents there are swept under the rug? Of course, you and I think they all matter, but will others? Is it all about his image?”

  Nash put his elbows on the table and leaned in. “One time, maybe even two times, you can explain away the behaviour we’re talking about. Not much more. I think it’s a
bout image, but I think people become sceptical of a man whose private life and public life are so different. It doesn’t feel good if you’ve had the wool pulled over your eyes. I think it would hurt him politically in this town. Who would want to serve next to him in the House of Lords? And, of course, the subject matter is salacious, so the news would spread quickly.”

  Edward leaned forward. “So one or two incidents are acceptable for looking the other way, but multiple incidents are too many to ignore. You’re the threat of exposing multiple incidents. Henry was an only child and would inherit the dukedom from his father one day. If he were declared incompetent, all lands, income, and title would revert to the Crown. The Crown would appoint a new Duke as a reward to a loyal subject as well as garner a guaranteed vote in the House of Lords. Isn’t anyone she marries the same threat?”

  Nash grimaced. “Yes and no. If she were to marry a different Duke with a good reputation and no qualms about taking on Avery, then yes. If she were to marry a milquetoast of low or no nobility, or easily manipulated by Avery, then no. All he has to do is find a penniless noble who is a drunk or a gambler, and his problems go away.”

  “Wow. I should try staying up all night to solve my problems. What do we do?”

  Nash massaged the back of his neck with his hand. “I don’t know. Avery could be out looking for someone who fits the description right now. I’d take her to Gretna Green today if I thought she’d let me. I don’t know what to do.”

  The waiter came in to clear their plates and bring more coffee. Nash asked for another plate of scones. He looked up at Edward.

  “I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid any day now he’s going to announce her engagement to someone she will be horrified to live with for the rest of her life.” Nash hesitated a moment. “Edward, I don’t want to pry, but I never understood this before. Why are you not her guardian?”

  “I was not of age when my father died and had since thought it unnecessary. We are under my uncle’s roof at his mercy. Until now, I hadn’t considered making the change. I should have, to protect her from the wrong kind of marriage. It never occurred to me. I’ll call on my solicitor today and see how long it takes to make the change.”