On the Duke's Authority (Ducal Encounters series 4 Book 3)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘I will prepare them and remain with them,’ she said immediately.

  ‘Thank you.’

  She lifted one shoulder, trying to ignore the gratitude that she detected in his expression and not imagine that it implied anything more fundamental than…well, gratitude. Imagination was a dangerous thing when it got the better of a person and Ariana had too much integrity to exploit Lord Amos’s growing dependency upon her, especially when he was at such a low ebb.

  ‘It’s what you pay me for. I understand your children’s characters very well, especially Charlotte’s. She is still very sensitive about her mother, which is only to be expected, and I shall not allow her relatives to overset her.’

  ‘How did I ever manage without you? he asked softly. ‘I think it fair to say that you have saved my sanity over these past months, especially when I have allowed myself to wallow in self-pity. At least until you snap me out of it by reminding me of my responsibilities. None of my family dare go that far.’

  ‘You saved me from a fate far worse than madness,’ she replied, thinking it unwise to look at him when he clearly spoke from the heart—something he had never done before. ‘I suppose you could say that we saved one another. But still, it’s getting late and I think it’s safe to leave you to your own devices now.’

  He arched a brow at her. ‘What did you imagine I would do?’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘With you, it’s impossible to know.’

  He laughed aloud. ‘You are a breath of fresh air.’

  She stood and jumped liked a startled rabbit when his hand came to rest on her arm. He almost never touched her, she realised, except in the most perfunctory of manners. The heat from his ungloved hand seared through the fabric of her sleeve, causing her breathing to hitch and her mouth to feel inexplicably dry. A strong arm slid around her waist and suddenly there was no space between them. Ariana’s mind froze. She ought to push him away but knew that she would not. She tried to tell herself it was because he was still emotionally raw and needed comfort, not rejection, but knew the reason was far more selfish than that. She simply didn’t want to be released.

  His face hovered over hers, his features tormented, his eyes momentarily free from the pain of recollection. His lips briefly touched hers and she was helpless to resist. A sigh slipped from her as she leaned against his shoulder, feeling safe and secure in ways that she had forgotten were possible since the death of her parents and the destruction of the life she had always known.

  She heard footsteps approaching in the dim recesses of her mind not given over to the pleasure of the moment and they sprang apart like guilty lovers. Ariana fell back into her chair, her legs too unstable to support her as the door opened and the duke put his head around it.

  ‘Amos, I’m…Oh, sorry.’ His glance rested upon Ariana. ‘I wasn’t aware that you had company.’

  ‘Lord Amos was asking me to help if the children are to meet their grandmother. I was just leaving.’ She managed to stand up and bobbed a curtsey for both men, her mind in turmoil. ‘Goodnight, gentlemen.’

  *

  Leona felt the simmering discomfort shared by Frankie, Lady Vincent and Sara Sheridan, who were all unhappy about the arrival of the uninvited guests. More uninvited guests, she reminded herself with an ironic half smile, but at least she herself had been made to feel welcome. Mrs Brooke and her party had not enjoyed a similar reception, and Leona deduced that Frankie’s restrained reaction was out of respect for Lord Amos’s feelings. Leona wanted to repay Frankie’s kindness in some small way by putting her at her ease, but had no idea how to go about it or what to say.

  She tried to talk of various matters, but sensed that she hadn’t secured the full attention of the other ladies. She was glad when the gentlemen rejoined them and sat back, leaving them to ease the tension. The duke asked for some music. Leona knew why he had done so when Frankie took up her place at the piano and showed just how skilled a player she actually was. She soon became caught up in the sonata she had chosen to play, losing herself in the lilting music as the rigidity left her shoulders.

  ‘Ah, the power of music,’ Mr Conroy said, slipping into the chair beside Leona’s. ‘Well performed, it never fails to soothe.’

  ‘She is quite the perfectionist,’ Leona agreed.

  ‘Do you play?’

  ‘The harp. And very badly.’

  Mr Conroy sighed dramatically, making Leona smile. ‘You’re Celtic at heart, I knew it.’

  Leona shook her head decisively, causing curls to dance around her face. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but although I adore Ireland a little more each time I go there, I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in my veins.’

  ‘Ah, but your soul is Irish. Did you know that during medieval times, Ireland was famous throughout Europe for its harp music?’

  ‘I knew the harp was associated with Ireland, but not that its roots went back so far in your country’s history.’

  ‘We’re a romantic people with long memories. Harpists moved around Ireland writing music for patrons and for events that needed to be marked in a special way. We tend to have a lot of festivals, you see, mostly religious in origin but that doesn’t limit the scope of our imaginations, so you can see why such a versatile instrument is the emblem of Ireland and dates back to our ancestors.’

  ‘Now you have thoroughly intimidated me, and you can be sure that I shall not play a single note before such a discerning audience.’

  ‘You say that, but I can be very persuasive.’

  ‘And I can be equally stubborn.’ They both applauded when the duchess’s performance came to an end. ‘Exhibitionism might come naturally to the Irish, but we English are more reserved.’

  ‘Where’s the fun in suppressing your desires or the calling of your true character?’ he asked, leaning close and whispering the question.

  ‘Oh, stop flirting with me!’ she said, feeling a little breathless in the face of his relentless charm campaign.

  ‘Very well, since I appear to be making you uncomfortable, we shall discuss the weather. That ought to be a safe enough topic.’ He turned to her with a disarming smile. ‘Tell me, Lady Marlowe, what do you make of this delightfully warm spell?’

  She laughed and flapped a hand at him. ‘You are incorrigible. The snow is still pelting down.’

  ‘That didn’t prevent Lord Amos’s relatives from descending upon the Park.’ The playfulness left Mr Conroy’s tone and he now seemed mildly concerned. ‘You have to admire their tenacity.’

  ‘I felt very sorry for Lord Amos. He was clearly furious. I think it most unreasonable of them to intrude. Anyone can sense the sadness that he carries with him, much as he tries to appear cheerful.’

  ‘Is it better to have loved and lost…’ He glanced up at her, his expression appalled. ‘I beg your pardon. That was crass of me. I forgot for a moment that you lost someone dear to you quite recently.’

  She waved aside his apology. ‘My circumstances and Lord Amos’s bear little resemblance, so there is no need to apologise.’

  She could see that her remark had piqued his curiosity but that he was too polite to press the issue. ‘The name Devonshire keeps running through my head,’ she said. ‘I have heard it somewhere, I am absolutely sure of it, and quite recently too. I don’t recollect having met anyone by that name, but I have definitely heard it mentioned. I just wish I could remember where and by whom.’

  ‘I doubt whether the person you heard being discussed is the same one who just arrived here.’

  Leona frowned, accepting his logic but unable to explain away her uneasy feeling. ‘Perhaps not, but the name is not that common, and I feel absolutely sure that what I heard is somehow significant.’

  ‘Well, whatever reason Devonshire has for being here, it cannot be to do with you, since he could not possibly have known you would be here.’

  ‘I am not unduly concerned, just curious. You know how it is when something you want to recall remains annoyingly on the edge of recollection.’ />
  ‘If you try not to think about it, you will likely remember, probably in the dead of night. It will wake you up.’

  ‘No doubt.’ She stood when it appeared as though the duchess intended to retire. ‘Anyway, it’s been a long day, so I shall wish you good night, Mr Conroy.’

  He stood, bowed over her hand and sent her another of his infectiously wicked smiles. ‘I have enjoyed the evening immensely,’ he replied. ‘And if the weather has improved tomorrow, take warning that I shall persuade you to take a turn in the grounds with me.’

  She laughed. ‘Knee-deep in snow? The poor groundsmen will have their work cut out clearing the carriageway. They cannot be expected to attend to the paths as well just to please you.’

  ‘Ah well now, we shall see.’

  Leona was still smiling at his addictive joie de vivre as she wished everyone else good night and made her way upstairs, idly wondering where Ariana had disappeared to immediately after dinner.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Has it stopped snowing?’

  Zach had not slept well, his concern for Amos gnawing at his insides and bringing back the horrors of Crista’s death along with Zach’s guilt at not being able to prevent her murder. It was his fault, and he would wrestle with that particular demon for the rest of his days. His cogitations had kept him awake, despite spending the night with his wife wrapped in his arms—a distraction that ordinarily sent all other thoughts from his head. He had slid from her bed early, trying not to wake her and clearly failing. She sat up and pushed her tousled hair away from eyes still puffy with sleep.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, moving back to the bed to kiss her brow. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you. It’s still snowing, but not as hard.’

  ‘You were restless all night, worrying about Amos I would imagine. You went to see him but you didn’t tell me what he said.’

  ‘We didn’t talk because he didn’t need my support,’ Zach said, smiling. ‘Someone else beat me to it.’

  ‘Ariana.’ A slow smile spread across his wife’s lovely face. ‘I wondered what became of her, but she has a habit of disappearing immediately after dinner so I didn’t think much of it. Do you suppose—’

  ‘I don’t suppose anything,’ Zach replied, tweaking her nose, ‘and neither should you. Ariana is the only person Amos lets in, but I really don’t think there is anything more to their relationship than friendship, respect and concern for his children’s welfare.’

  ‘I’m not so sure. The fact that she felt she could go to him when you and Vince hesitated shows that their friendship runs deeper than we supposed.’

  Zach smiled and shook his head. ‘No, my love, it means you want that to be the case.’

  Of course I do. I want Amos to put his demons to rest and be happy again, and I am determined to see it happen. Ariana is perfect for him in all respects—and besides, he cannot live in the past indefinitely. It isn’t healthy.’

  Zach laughed. ‘I for one would not dare to defy your wishes, but my brother might be less willing to oblige you.’ He kissed her again. ‘Let Amos find his own way. He is recovering the will to live and if he can get through Mrs Brooke’s visit then his situation can only improve. The woman is a perpetual thorn in his side. I happen to know from the odd comment he’s made that she often writes to him, probably wanting something from him. I am sure that she is always in the back of his mind, niggling away like an open sore. It’s beyond time that he cleared the air, and we can’t do that for him.’ Zach pushed her gently back onto her pillows. ‘Now go back to sleep before I forget all the reasons why I need to be up early today and give in to the temptation to rejoin you.’

  ‘Hmm.’ She looked up at him, a suggestive smile playing about her lips.

  ‘Damn it, woman!’

  Zach left quickly, before she could lure him in. He returned to his own room and made a fuss of his dogs, who had slept in his dressing room. He rang for his valet and a short time later, suitably attired, he made his way downstairs with his dogs at his heels and broke his fast in the morning room. Vince and Max joined him not long after he had sat down.

  ‘Morning,’ Zach said. ‘Looks like the worst of the storm is over.’

  ‘Outside, at least,’ Vince replied, grimacing. ‘I feel bad for Amos. Honest to God, Zach, I could wring that damned woman’s neck. What she hopes to achieve by foisting herself upon us I cannot begin to imagine.’

  ‘She isn’t the first who’s tried to infiltrate our family by questionable means,’ Zach replied, thinking of the woman who’d attempted to manipulate him into marrying her daughter seven years previously. ‘I know she’s Amos’s children’s grandmother, so I suppose she has some claim upon us, but Amos made it clear after Crista died that her interference isn’t welcome.’

  ‘She tried to use her daughter’s death as an opportunity to further her own ambitions?’ Max frowned at his breakfast plate. ‘I wasn’t aware.’

  ‘We didn’t shout about it, even within the family,’ Zach replied. ‘When Amos took himself off, he warned me that she might hear of his absence and attempt to step in. Needless to say, I didn’t allow that to happen.’

  ‘Amos got the measure of her before he married Crista,’ Vince added. ‘She cannot know Amos very well if she thinks the passage of time and the loss of his wife will have softened his stance, especially if she sees that death as an opportunity.’

  ‘I’ve not had the dubious pleasure of making her acquaintance,’ Max said.

  ‘Count your blessings,’ Vince replied. ‘But we have to let Amos resolve his personal affairs himself, unless he asks for our help.’

  Zach chuckled. ‘That is exactly what I just tried to tell Frankie.’

  They talked about other matters as they worked their way through their breakfasts, but broke off and looked up when Amos joined them.

  ‘Morning,’ they said in unison.

  Amos grunted, helped himself from the dishes on the sideboard and slumped down at the table. Since Conroy also joined them at that point, none of them raised the subject of Mrs Brooke.

  ‘Join me in my library if you are replete,’ Zach said to them all, including Conroy, putting his napkin aside. ‘We have matters to discuss.’

  They all stood with him, as did his dogs. Adler, Zach’s emissary and friend, was waiting for them in the library and Zach introduced him to Conroy.

  ‘Amos,’ Zach said, once they were all seated. ‘I know it’s a delicate subject but we need to talk about Mrs Brooke. What do you need from us?’

  ‘There’s nothing delicate about her,’ Amos grunted.

  ‘Would you like me to leave you?’ Conroy asked. ‘This is a family matter.’

  ‘No need,’ Amos said. ‘My mother-in-law is quite a force of nature. She is no longer a young woman, but she still acts like one and assumes that every man she meets will fall for her questionable charms. Be warned, Conroy, she will take one look at you and you’ll be hard pressed to escape her. Not,’ he added firmly, ‘that she will be here long enough to inconvenience you.’

  ‘I’d very much like to know how they made their carriage break an axle to order,’ Vince said in a speculative tone.

  ‘I thought the same thing when his grace mentioned the matter to me late last night,’ Adler said. ‘So I took the liberty of sending a messenger to the Crown this morning, as soon as the path was cleared. It seems it was not an axle, it was simply a loose wheel.’

  ‘Ah,’ Amos said, scowling. ‘Easy enough to orchestrate.’

  ‘And just as easy to remedy,’ Zach replied briskly. ‘There is no need for them to wait for a repair to be done, so they can be on their way again perhaps as soon as today.’

  ‘True.’ Amos flexed his shoulders. ‘Some might accuse me of overreacting at the unwelcome appearance of a woman I don’t like. She will seem harmless to you all, I dare say, and make me appear like an ogre for restricting her access to my children. However, you can take it from me that she’s a scheming individual who has orchestrated her arrival here
for a reason. There’s no question in my mind that she and Devonshire went to a great deal of trouble to arrange matters when the weather so obligingly played into their hands, but I have yet to decide what their purpose is.’

  ‘Will they not tell you when you confront them today?’ Conroy asked, looking justifiably confused.

  ‘Ha!’ Amos threw up his hands. ‘Mrs Brooke will recall that she has grandchildren and develop a sudden desire to know them, if only to get a toehold in this family and benefit socially from the connection.’

  ‘We have people like that in Ireland, using every strategy known to man and many that are not in order to advance through the social order.’

  ‘Can we have their carriage delivered here, Adler, so that they can leave the moment the roads are clear?’

  ‘It will likely not be until tomorrow, unfortunately,’ Adler said. ‘The loose wheel is buckled and a new one will have to be found. Given the conditions…’

  Amos grunted. ‘I suppose another day won’t make much difference, other than to try my patience even further.’

  ‘Indeed.’ Zach nodded his agreement, then turned to Adler. ‘I need to get an express to Clarence,’ he said. ‘I would very much like to know what he can tell us about the circumstances surrounding Marlowe’s demise.’ Zach rubbed his chin. ‘I have nothing but my sixth sense to guide me on the matter, but I can’t shake the feeling that he didn’t die in the execution of his duties. We are no longer at war with France, and while even the stoutest of optimists couldn’t exactly describe the two nations as the best of friends, the French have no reason that I am aware of to bump diplomats off and risk creating renewed friction.’

  ‘You think that Marlowe’s cousin, the one who’s so keen to acquire his widow’s inheritance, is somehow involved?’ Conroy asked, raising a brow. ‘I have to say that the possibility hadn’t occurred to me, but then why would it have? I only found out about the lady’s problems when I arrived here yesterday.’