Beyond the Duke's Domain: Ducal Encounters Series 4 Book 4

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘According to old lore a woman who refuses to procreate is destined to lead apes in Hell in perpetuity. It means I shall become an old maid, Mr Sanchez-Gomez.’

  ‘You would pass muster as an ape leader, Miss Boyd—and as a teacher of your strange language too.’ Raph laughed and shook his head, enjoying her company and the distraction she provided from his more pressing concerns far more than was wise. ‘But it would be the most terrible waste,’ he added.

  ‘I have seen nothing of the world. I want to travel and see some of its wonders before I think of settling down. If I do. My father left me well provided for.’ She pouted. ‘Which is about the only thing I can say in his favour. He lives in India and we don’t see him anymore, which is a shame, but at least my fortune provides me with the opportunity to please myself. Goodness.’ She blinked up at him from behind her wilted plume, which she pushed aside. It immediately fell back to where it had been, so she removed the hat from her head all together. A few long blonde tresses were dislodged in the process, but she didn’t appear to notice. ‘I cannot think what made me say such things to a relative stranger. Whatever must you think of me?’

  ‘I think you are a young lady with a brain that you’re not afraid to use. You have observed as much of the world as you have seen so far and found it wanting in some respects. You have questioned life’s traditions insofar as a woman’s place is concerned, and are determined to choose your own path.’ He paused to reflect. ‘That takes courage and intellect. Not all of us are given both in equal measure so I would urge you to follow your instincts.’

  ‘And go to Egypt and ride on a camel?’

  They both laughed.

  ‘And go to Egypt and ride on a camel,’ he agreed.

  A silence that felt a little awkward grew between them. Raph wasn’t sure why he’d chosen to walk with her, instead of simply exchanging pleasantries and continuing on his solitary ramble. He did his best thinking out in the fresh air and he urgently needed to consider the ramifications of Lord Romsey’s disclosures and Ariana’s headstrong determination to involve herself in the hunt for Cutler. He had not known about the rift between the duke and Lord Basingstoke, but Lord Romsey obviously had, and probably knew that the duke would be unable to help involving himself in the matter, if only to finally help rid himself of his nemesis.

  ‘You are very quiet suddenly.’ Miss Boyd’s lilting tone recalled Raph’s wandering attention. ‘Clearly you have matters on your mind and I am preventing you from thinking about them. In which case, you can be sure that I shall excuse you.’

  Raph knew he should accept her offer and strike out on a different path, but he found that he had no desire to leave her. There would be enough time for introspective reflection later. No plans would be finalised regarding Cutler until he agreed to them, so he could afford to indulge himself for a few minutes more. Ariana might be headstrong, but she wouldn’t take arbitrary action—would she?

  Raph understood Ariana’s determination to exact revenge and save others from the fate that had so nearly befallen her and Martina, and admired her pluck more than he could ever express. But she would defer to his authority as head of their family when they reached a decision about Cutler.

  Again, Raph wondered if he wished it to be so rather than being absolutely certain that his sister would be guided by him. It went against the grain for any man to be gainsaid by a female beneath his care, especially a Spanish man. But Ariana had been fending for herself for far longer than should have been the case, and had become independent.

  And the blame for that lay squarely on Raph’s shoulders.

  ‘I don’t wish to be excused,’ he said in response to Miss Boyd’s question. ‘Unless there is somewhere that you need to be, in which case I shall excuse you.’

  ‘Not in the least. If I return home then I will be—’

  ‘Saddled with babies?’

  She flapped a hand. ‘Are you the voice of my conscience, Mr Sanchez-Gomez?’ she asked with a mischievous smile. Raph fixed her with a probing look, thinking that a man could drown in the depths of those sparkling blue eyes if he didn’t have a care.

  ‘That is an accusation no female has ever thrown at me before.’

  She nodded thoughtfully. ‘Quite the opposite, I rather expect.’

  ‘You have a lively imagination.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose I do. I am aware that you undertook dangerous and secret work on behalf of your government, and it seems only natural that risking your life in such situations would encourage you to act impulsively when it comes to taking your pleasures.’ She clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh lord, that must have sounded terribly vulgar. Please pretend that I didn’t speak.’ She grinned up at him again. ‘Tell me instead how much you are enjoying our English weather.’

  He laughed. ‘You are incorrigible.’

  She flicked a long strand of escaped hair over her shoulder and sent him a teasing smile. ‘Is that a polite way of telling me that I am impertinent?’

  ‘You are more rebellious, unafraid to speak your mind.’

  ‘I can see that your time in the diplomatic service did not go entirely to waste.’

  ‘Your independence is probably the result of not being hampered by visions of a nursery full of babies in your future.’

  ‘Undoubtedly.’ Raph had kept a commendably straight face and Miss Boyd remained equally serious for a moment. ‘Ariana is inordinately proud of your patriotic tendencies, by the way,’ she told him.

  ‘Is she?’ He flexed both brows. ‘I was not aware.’

  ‘You have barely had the opportunity to get to know her again, and I suppose you cannot be with her at this precise moment because the children need her.’

  ‘Which rather proves your point about the dependencies of children.’

  ‘In Ariana’s case it is very different. You must be aware that Lord Amos’s wife was tragically killed by an assassin’s bullet that was intended for the duchess.’

  ‘I knew she had been killed, but not that the duchess had been the actual target. That is very sad. What a terrible burden for the duchess to carry.’

  ‘Quite. Lord Amos’s children were devastated, especially since Lord Amos took himself off for a year to recover from his grief immediately after he buried his wife. It must have felt to Charlotte in particular as though both of her parents had deserted her. Ariana feels beholden to Lord Amos for rescuing her and Martina, and has repaid him by helping to restore his children’s confidence.’ She sighed. ‘I’m unsure how they will cope if she returns to Spain with you. It will seem like they have been deserted yet again.’

  ‘As I mentioned before, we have not had an opportunity to think about the future yet.’

  ‘My apologies.’ She offered him a rueful smile. ‘I hope you do not think that I was prying into your affairs.’

  ‘I am grateful to you for being such a good friend to my sisters, and for giving their lives some normality.’

  ‘I cannot take any credit for that. Anna was here at the Park when Lord Amos arrived with the girls. The duchess would not have hesitated to take them in, but now that you have met Lord Romsey’s wife, you will find it easy to imagine that she took matters into her own hands and insisted upon them remaining safely here on this estate.’

  Raph chuckled. ‘Is Lady Romsey always so forthright?’

  Miss Boyd’s responding grin was wide and infectious. ‘Always. She is the greatest possible fun, the polar opposite to her husband in that regard, since Lord Romsey invariably has responsibility for matters of national security resting on his shoulders. He has little time for levity, but Anna brings him out of himself and is as kind as she is compassionate. I like her very much.’

  ‘I find it hard to imagine anyone disliking her.’

  They strolled on with no particular destination in mind, until shrieks coming from the direction of the house had them turning in that direction. Raph was immediately on his guard and reached for a weapon that he didn’t have at his side.

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nbsp; ‘Don’t worry,’ Miss Boyd said, noticing his reaction and laughing. ‘It might sound like an invasion but in fact it is just the children romping on the lawns. The time has flown and it’s later than I realised. Are you feeling brave enough to join the melee?’

  He smiled at her, endlessly amused by her forthright manner of expression. ‘I am not afraid of a few small children.’

  ‘Ha! I shall remind you of that when the boys persuade you to join in their games and use you as a human horse.’

  ‘Come along,’ he said, taking her elbow gently and turning her towards the house. ‘I rather think that it is not me who is afraid.’

  She threw back her head and laughed. ‘Be aware, Mr Sanchez-Gomez, that I never back down from a challenge.’ She removed her elbow from his grasp and walked ahead of him. ‘Shall we?’ she asked.

  Chapter Seven

  Amos joined the traditional children’s playtime on the terrace in a distracted frame of mind. Miranda, his younger daughter, ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his legs. Amos smiled and tossed her in the air.

  ‘Mungo!’ she cried, waving and giggling when the dog jumped around Amos, wagging his tail, thinking it was a game.

  ‘Go and play with the dogs,’ Amos encouraged.

  She wriggled from Amos’s arms and tumbled onto the lawns, her podgy arms clasped around Mungo’s neck. Of all his children, Miranda seemed to like the dogs the most. Perhaps he should consider getting her a puppy of her own when she was a little older.

  Amos watched the children with a half-smile playing upon his lips, his mind returning to the problems that Clarence had brought with him. Cutler choosing to carry on with his trade was one thing, but his gall in continuing to do so in this part of the world defied belief, as did Ariana’s stubborn determination to run him to earth. The impetuous romp was far too strong-willed, and if Amos stuck with his decision to distance himself from her, she would likely get herself killed.

  Or worse.

  He had kept Ariana and Martina safe and helped reunite them with their brother, which meant that his responsibility for their wellbeing had now passed into Raphael’s hands. He was tough and resourceful; that much had been immediately apparent to Amos upon making his acquaintance. He held something of himself back and didn’t take anything at face value. Amos understood that he would have been required to develop a thick skin in order to survive for as long as he had in his chosen profession. Be that as it may, Amos wondered if he was capable of handling the adult Ariana and persuading her to give up all thoughts of involving herself in Cutler’s capture.

  Amos was in a better situation than most to understand her feelings. He recalled her desperation when he had rescued the two of them, and knew that the internal scars must still run deep. She would never make the admission, but Amos would be very surprised if she didn’t suffer from recurring nightmares.

  He knew for certain that bringing Cutler to justice wouldn’t alter that situation.

  The man had to be stopped, but that was the only aspect of the sorry affair upon which they were all in agreement. If Amos had any say in the matter, Ariana would play no part in Cutler’s downfall. She ought to know from personal experience just how ruthless the organisation was, but the fiery little vixen didn’t appear to have spared a moment’s thought for her own safety.

  Amos shook his head and scowled. Conscious of Frankie sending him occasional quizzical looks, he rearranged his features into a more amiable expression and responded absently to a remark of Vince’s as he continued to ruminate. He’d lock Ariana in her room if necessary, he decided, such was his determination to keep her safe. He was well aware that his protective instincts crossed boundaries, but he would still try to make her see reason. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t spell out the impossibility of her involvement and something happened to her as a consequence.

  Zach was frowning too, but quizzically at Frankie, who had seemed subdued of late. Amos wondered if they’d had a disagreement. It was highly unlikely; he couldn’t recollect ever hearing so much as a cross word pass between them. Lucy and Raphael walked towards them from the direction of the stables, causing Frankie and Anna to exchange raised eyebrow looks. Zach and Amos shared a glance of their own, well aware of the speculative nature of the thoughts the ladies would be harbouring. It was one of the reasons why Amos had attempted to keep his afternoon rides with Ariana a secret—even though he was sure everyone knew about them but were too polite to mention the matter. He would prefer not to create unwarranted speculation. It would be an insult to Crista’s memory; a reminder that he didn’t deserve to enjoy himself when Crista no longer could.

  ‘Ah, there you are, Mr Sanchez-Gomez,’ Frankie said, smiling up at him. ‘Do sit down and take some tea. You too, Lucy.’

  ‘Thank you, your grace.’

  Amos watched as Raphael’s easy manners effortlessly charmed the ladies. He wondered how difficult he had found it to make the transition from the covert life he’d been living all these years, always wary of his surroundings and about whom he could trust. The indolent luxury of the daily routine here at the Park must seem trivial in comparison. Raph seemed perfectly at ease—but appearances, Amos had good reason to know, could be deceptive. He sometimes felt that he himself had become two different people since Crista’s death. The stoic face he showed to his children and relations warred with the real man, lonely and adrift, who only emerged in the privacy of his rooms.

  The noise from the lawns, with the addition of Anna’s children as well as Vince’s, became deafening. Amos was amused to see even Leo deferring to Michael, Anna’s eldest, who already showed glimpses of his father’s calm competence and leadership qualities. Leo walked up to Raphael, and unusually for him, didn’t make demands. Instead, he grasped his hand and tugged him into the midst of their rough and tumble.

  Raphael looked momentarily surprised, then put his cup aside and went willingly enough. Amos glanced at Ariana, who usually organised their games. A tender smile graced her lovely face as Raphael found himself flat on his back with a dozen children and two boisterous dogs clambering all over him. This exotic stranger with a lilting accent and dark, haunted eyes had clearly fired their imagination. After all the dangers he had faced, Amos suspected that the young Spaniard had finally met his match.

  ‘Your brother might have acquitted himself well in dangerous situations,’ Anna remarked to Ariana, echoing Amos’s thoughts, ‘but I doubt whether he’s managed a situation quite as fraught as this one before. Our children are definitely not for the fainthearted.’

  Ariana laughed when Adam, Frankie’s second son, sat on the back of Raphael’s head and demanded his surrender. Amos hoped he would have the good sense to comply.

  ‘So it seems. I ought to take pity on him, and would do so, but for the fact that Raphael adores children and is probably enjoying himself more than they are. He was endlessly patient with Martina and me when we were younger.’

  For some reason, Lucy let out a little cry at that piece of information, but it was lost in the general hubbub and Amos suspected he was the only one to have heard it.

  ‘He would make an attentive father,’ Frankie said absently.

  Fifteen minutes later the children were starting to squabble amongst themselves, and a posse of nursemaids herded them back into the house. The adults went their separate ways too, and this was normally the time when Amos and Ariana would ride together. He had vowed to stop that habit now Raphael was here, but an urgent need to talk her out of her crazy scheme necessitated a change of heart. He was not, he repeatedly told himself, making an excuse to spend time alone with her.

  He glanced her way, aware of her tarrying on the terrace and looking at him with a question in her eyes. Amos nodded once and took himself off to the stables. By the time Ariana appeared, dressed as always in breeches in order to accommodate her preference for riding astride, Falcon had only just been saddled and brought out to Amos.

  ‘I thought you would not come today,’
she said the moment they set off.

  ‘I don’t want to take you away from your brother. You are his responsibility now.’

  She tossed her head indignantly. ‘We are all very aware of the gratitude we owe you, Lord Amos,’ she said loftily. ‘Raphael will not jump to conclusions and make demands. You have nothing to fear in that regard.’

  ‘Ridiculous female! That is not what I meant to imply, and you know it.’

  ‘Do I?’

  ‘You are the one with a lost brother to catch up with,’ Amos reminded her, aware of an awkwardness between them that had never existed before.

  ‘He wants to scold me, and I assume you are similarly-minded, but it won’t serve. My mind is made up and there is nothing you can say that will alter my resolve.’

  She pushed Cinnamon into a canter that left Amos momentarily in her wake. Falcon put in an almighty buck and fought for his head, outraged to be left behind, and broke into a gallop the moment Amos allowed it. They both needed to clear their heads. For his part, Amos needed to express himself more carefully. He wanted to talk her round, not offend and give her reason to take matters into her own hands in some misguided attempt to succeed when the combined might of government forces had failed.

  Damn it! He had practised exactly how he would broach the subject while he was ruminating on the terrace, but the moment he was alone with her he seemed incapable of marshalling his thoughts or speaking coherently.

  It simply wouldn’t do!

  Falcon caught up with Cinnamon easily, and the two horses finally slowed on the summit of a knoll that overlooked a significant proportion of the estate. Ariana’s unsettled mood appeared to have been eradicated by the exhilarating ride, and her eyes sparkled with pleasure. She looked across at him, her cheeks flushed, her hair cascading about her shoulders. She was defiant, she was magnificent—and she was becoming increasingly precious to Amos. Something lurched deep within his core as he watched her for a prolonged moment, struggling to draw breath into her lungs. He felt as though he was slowly emerging from a prolonged hibernation and looked away again, fearful that feelings he neither understood nor welcomed would be apparent in his expression.