The coachman nodded. “I’m sorry, Your Grace, but there is no carriage maker in the immediate area. One can be sent over from a neighboring town; however, he cannot arrive until day after tomorrow.”
Grace released a breath. “And what of renting a carriage?”
“There are none available.” The coachman’s shoulders slumped. “It seems the only option is to wait for the repair of yours. Shall we send for the carriage maker?”
Grace stiffened her spine. “No. I’ll take the mail coach. Do go and find out what time it arrives. While you are at it, arrange for Eliza and Jasmine, along with my trunks, to be brought here.”
The coachman’s eyes rounded as he stared at her, shock etched in the lines of his face. “You couldn’t. It would be most improper. Even with—”
“Nonsense. I can and I shall. Now go do as I bid.” Grace waved him off. She’d never given a fig about propriety and she damn well wouldn’t start now. Nothing was going to keep her from fulfilling her commitment to her nephew and Amelia. Certainly not a busted carriage axle. She was made tougher than that.
The scraping of a chair drew her attention, and Grace glanced up. She froze, not quite believing her eyes. A gentleman—not just any gentleman, but Lewis Duffield, the very man she’d fallen in love with as a young debutante—pulled out a chair at her table and slid into it.
“Your coachman is correct,” he said, his tone cool.
Grace’s pulse suddenly accelerated as the air caught in her lungs. She wasn’t prepared to face him. Leastwise not yet. Of course she’d known Amelia’s uncle would be at the christening, but she’d assumed he would sail directly to Scotland, that she would have days to prepare herself before facing him. What the deuce was he doing here in England?
She collected herself and smiled. “You are the last person I expected to bump into.”
“It has been quite some time since we last met.” Lewis returned her smile.
“Amelia told me you would be in Scotland.” Grace brushed a curl from her suddenly warm cheek. “What are you doing in England?”
“I had business to tend to in London.” He relaxed back in the chair, his green eyes trained on Grace. “I’m on my way to Amelia’s now. I only stopped to break my fast.”
Perhaps she could continue on with him? They were traveling to the same place and being that he’s nice was wed to her Nephew, they were practically family. There being together should not incite too much gossip.
Her mouth went dry and she nibbled her lower lip, turning the idea over in her mind.
Was she mad for thinking he could help her? Perhaps, but all the same, she smiled. “Then you intend to continue on tonight?”
He smoothed his jacket. “Indeed. And you shall accompany me.”
Grace’s heart fluttered, old feelings resurfacing. The same had happened when they’d meet some years ago after she’d become a widow. At that time, she’d hoped to reignite their relationship from decades before. However, it was not to be, and she was left wondering if he’d ever truly cared for her in the first place. Could her heart withstand being trapped in close quarters with him when she’d barely survived afternoon tea?
Why was she wasting time pondering her feelings? She was getting what she wished for—a ride to Amelia’s.
She released a breath, willing herself to relax. She could ill afford to be choosy, and her other options all delayed her for an untold—and unacceptable—amount of time. He had a carriage going to the same destination she was. Whether or not she travelled with him, she’d have to spend time in his company once they reached Scotland. Besides, they were both mature adults.
She drew in a calming breath and reached for a piece of cheese, doing her best to act nonchalant. “Thank you, Mr. Duffield.”
He furrowed his dark brows. “I’ve always been Lewis to you. Let us not change things now.”
A wide grin tugged at Grace’s lips. “Very well, Lewis. Let me go and inform my servants. I will meet you out front in short order.”
“Very good, I’ll wait for you.” Lewis stood, taking his leave with a nod.
Grace’s heart hitched at his words. The same way he’d waited for her all those years ago when she’d had to turn him away. Had his heart ached for her ever since? Is that why he’d never wed? A wave of guilt crashed into her.
Maybe, just maybe, this was her chance to make amends, to heal what she’d broken in both of them, even if she and Lewis were never to be.
CHAPTER 2
LEWIS STOOD on the large stone porch of the inn awaiting Grace. Lord if he didn’t feel like a green lad awaiting the company of a beautiful girl. Every time he crossed paths with Grace, the past came rushing back to him.
Even after all these years, the mere sight of her took his breath away. When she spoke, her soft tone fairly melted his hardened heart. He would never understand the choices she’d made in the past. He felt that he would never recover from losing her…
He shook his head in self-chastisement. Hell, he must be daft for inviting her to travel with him, but how could he allow her to take a mail coach? A duchess traveling with common folk across England. She would have made every gossip column in the country. Worse, Amelia and Goldstone would have been cross with him for allowing it.
All thought fled his mind when Grace stepped out onto the porch, the sun’s rays shining in her strawberry blond hair and her hips swinging as she strolled toward him. Time had been kind to her. Like a fine wine, Grace became sweeter, prettier, more desirable with age. The devil if he wouldn't love to taste her.
Lewis swallowed hard. The woman had been his downfall. How could he long for her after all she’d put him through?
“Thank you again for inviting me to accompany you.” She smiled sweetly.
He ignored his the blood pounding in his ears and offered his arm. She took it, sending a flood of warmth through him. “There is no need to thank me.” He led her toward his waiting carriage and handed her in. “Amelia would have my head if I left you behind.”
Grace laughed as Lewis took the seat opposite her. “I do not believe she’d do anything so drastic.”
“All the same, I could not leave you to take a mail coach. Not when I have a perfectly serviceable carriage and happen to be traveling to the same residence you are.” He tapped on the carriage window, then waited for his coachman to open it.
“Yes, sir?” The coachman asked.
“Continue toward The Duke and Duchess of Goldstone’s—”
“I need to go to my carriage first. My companion, cat, and trunk are there.” Grace interrupted. “I hope it’s not too big of an inconvenience,” she added, then offered a coquettish smile.
Lewis turned toward her, “Of course. I should have thought of it myself.” He gave a nod before looking back at his coachman. “Take us to Her Grace’s conveyance. It’s…” He returned his stare to Grace.
“About half a mile back that way.” She pointed in the direction where her conveyance had been stranded.
The coachman nodded, then slid the window closed.
Lewis settled back in his seat, crossing his legs at his ankles. “Have you made arrangements for your carriage and men?” Knowing her, she had everything in hand. However, if she did not, he was prepared to handle the situation for her. Against all reason and in spite of a lifetime between them, he still desired to care for her—to see to her needs and safety.
She brushed her fingers over her bodice. “Yes, of course. My coachman will see to the repairs and deliver my carriage to Richard and Amelia’s. Two of my outriders are remaining with him and the rest are to accompany us.” She grinned. “I procured a room for the night when I believed I’d be stuck here. My men will now share it.”
“Sounds reasonable.” Lewis removed his gaze from her and began looking out the window at the passing countryside. For years this woman had haunted his mind. He dreamed about her as much at night as he did by day. The few times he had attempted to court another woman, he couldn’t stop himself from
comparing them to Grace—and they always came up short.
He’d last seen Grace three years ago at his niece Amelia’s home, and it had taken everything within him to walk away. He’d just found himself appointed as Amelia’s guardian after the tragic passing of her father—her mother, his dear sister, had died some years prior.
As it happened, his niece had hatched a plan to stay in England rather than returning to America with him, and Grace was assisting her in the endeavor. Of course, Lewis knew nothing of their antics or he never would have agreed. Nonetheless, everything worked out splendidly for Amelia. She fell in love and married the Duke of Goldstone—Grace’s nephew.
Lewis stole a glance at Grace. She appeared regal in her fine silk gown and jewels. Her hair was loosely piled at the crown of her head, and her warm brown eyes sparkled. She’d looked very much the same way at their last meeting. That day and the easy conversation they’d shared came back to him. It had been as if nothing had ever happened between them. As if they had been strangers meeting for the first time.
In a way, he supposed they were. She was no longer the starry-eyed debutante who’d fallen in love with him—who he’d given his heart to as a young man. No. She’d married the duke…birthed his children…elevated her status and that of her family. Grace was no longer the girl she’d been, and yet, he still saw bits of that girl when he watched her. It was in the way she moved, the way she spoke, how she looked at him.
The carriage drew to a stop, jerking him from his thoughts. “We must have arrived.”
Grace slid closer to the door. “I won’t take long.”
He nodded a moment before the coachman opened the door. Lewis stepped from the conveyance then handed Grace down. “Take as much time as you need.” He stepped aside and clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze trained on her.
Before long Grace returned to Lewis, a fiery red-haired woman clutching a bundle at her side. He offered a bow after the red-haired woman curtsied.
Grace looked at Lewis. “May I introduce you to my companion, Miss Eliza Bruce.” She looked to her companion. “And this is Mr. Lewis Duffield.”
The corners of Lewis’s eyes crinkled with his pleasant smile. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss.”
She readjusted the bundle in her arms and smiled back. “And you as well, Mr. Duffield.”
Grace reached over and lifted the corner of the blanket concealing Miss Eliza’s bundle, and a large orange and black striped head popped up.
“That is no cat.” Lewis’s eyes rounded then narrowed, and he took a step back. “It’s a tiger. Where did you get such a pet?”
Her eyes lit with merriment, a trail of laughter floating from her pink lips. “She most certainly is a cat. Granted a rather large one, but I assure you, Jasmine is the sweetest of things.”
The cat’s tongue darted out as it licked at the corner of its mouth, sharp white teeth glinting in the sunlight.
Leery of the cat, Lewis took another step back. He was no coward, but common sense told him that a tiger, regardless of size, should not be in such close quarters with humans.
Grace lifted the cub from Miss Eliza’s arms and held it against her chest. The length of the animal stretching from her chin past her waist. “Do give her a chance. I’m certain you will come to like her.” She strolled close to him, one feminine hand around the cat's back and the other cradling its bottom. “Go on, pet her.”
Lewis met Grace’s twinkling gaze, “I would rather not.”
She pouted, her bottom lip protruding in the most delectable way as she stepped closer. “Please.”
How could he deny her now? Releasing a breath, Lewis reached out a hand then stroked his fingers down the tiger’s back. The animal turned its face toward him, large round eyes sizing him up. “Nice kitty,” Lewis said as he pulled his hand back.
Grace smiled. “She wants you to scratch under her chin. It’s her favorite spot.”
More relaxed this time, he reached out and did as she’d instructed. The tiger leaned into his fingers, its eyes drifting closed, and Lewis grinned at Grace. “I suppose she really is just an overgrown cat. Where did you come by her?”
“I rescued her from a traveling show.” Grace nuzzled her face against the cat. “Her mother had been so mistreated that she was barely holding on to life. I couldn’t allow the same thing to happen to this sweet girl.”
How very much like his Grace. She had always been a champion for those in need. It had been one of the reasons he’d fallen for her all those years ago. He’d first meet her along the Serpentine in London. She’d helped him to rescue a lost and terrified child. It had endeared her to him.
“I would expect nothing less of you, Grace.” He removed his hand from the tiger and glanced back at his carriage. “Your trunk has been loaded. Let us get underway.”
“Yes, indeed.” Grace strolled toward the carriage, her hips swaying invitingly as he followed behind.
Once inside of the carriage, Lewis seated himself across from Grace and Miss Eliza. Both women had settled into their spots and neither seemed interested in chatting further. Just as well, he thought as he turned his attention to the window. He didn’t want to talk either. He needed time to sort out his mind—and his reactions to Grace.
They traveled in silence for some time before Lewis hazarded a glance at the women. Miss Eliza had fallen asleep, curled against the wall of the coach. Grace sat in her regal way, the tiger curled on her lap.
He rubbed the back of his neck as he studied her, memories from their last encounter flooding through him. The peculiar way she’d pretended not to know him at Amelia’s after her father’s passing came back to him. He’d often wondered why Grace had behaved in such a way. Perhaps now was the perfect opportunity to find out. He lowered his hand back to his thigh. “Grace?”
“Yes?” She tilted her head a fraction.
“Something has been weighing on my mind these past three years. A question that I hope you might provide the answer to.”
“Oh.” Her eyes narrowed, thick lashes shading them from his view. “What might that be?”
He leaned forward, his hands on his thighs. “The last time I saw you, you acted as if I were a stranger.”
A pained expression overtook her features and she nodded.
“Why?” Lewis asked, his voice barely audible.
Her cheeks bloomed a delicate pink, and he almost regretted asking her. Not because he didn’t wish for the answer, but because he hadn’t wanted to make her uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I did—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You have a right to know.” She met his stare and sighed. “After you left England. The first time, after my parents' ball.” She cast her gaze to the carriage floor and inhaled a deep breath.
Lewis watched the rise and fall of her breasts as the silence stretched out between them. He wanted to push her. To demand she go on—but he could plainly see that she required time to gather her words. When he could no longer take the silence, he reached for her hand. “Grace.”
She brought her warm brown eyes back to his, moisture gathering in their corners. “I did what I had to do…not what I wanted to do.”
Lewis gave a gentle squeeze, his large hand blanketing hers.
“Whenever your name came up…” She shook her head, her voice cracking. “It was simply too much to bear. I couldn’t… Before long, nobody spoke of you, or us. Not even your sister.”
By the time Amelia was born, his courtship with Grace would have been a long-ago memory. His chest squeezed. Had it truly been that easy for Grace to erase him from her life? Was she embarrassed over their past? He searched her gaze, hurt clamping onto his heart.
“And you wish…” Miss Eliza stirred, and he swallowed back the rest of his words, not wanting them to be overheard. He glanced at the woman as she stretched and opened her eyes, then locked his gaze back on Grace.
She peeked out the window, then asked, “Are we to procure rooms for the night?”
Lewis
leaned back against the seat. “My coachman has been instructed to find lodging before night falls.”
“Very good.” Her eyes locked on his and she mouthed the words: I’ll come to you.
CHAPTER 3
ELIZA’S light snores filled the chamber as Grace slipped out of bed. She froze when her companion wriggled beneath the covers, then breathed a sigh of relief when she settled back into slumber. It was not so much that she feared Eliza discovering what she was about to do as it was that she didn’t want to explain her past with Lewis—not when she herself hadn’t come to terms with it. As for scandal, Grace was far from proper and Eliza well understood that about her.
All the same, it was best to avoid stirring up the gossips. Being a duchess as well as a widow afforded her some freedom and more than her share of forgiveness, but even she wasn’t entirely above society's rules.
She crossed the room and pulled on her wrapper before going to the mirror. The moon's light provided just enough of a glow for her to inspect herself. She pinched a bit of color into her cheeks and ran a brush through her hair. If she had time to do more, she would, but she had no wish to wake Eliza. Her current state would have to do. She tiptoed to the door and grasped the handle.
Her heart beat a staccato as she stepped into the hallway of the coaching inn, excitement and nerves stirring within her. The hour was late, so nobody should be about. Still, there remained a chance someone would spot her. But the anticipation of being near Lewis—in private—had her more worked up than the risk of discovery ever could.
She took careful, measured steps, staying close to the wall as she made her way down the darkened corridor. One, two, three…she counted the doors she passed all the while watching for his room number. A smile stretched her lips when she stopped in front of room twenty-six. She inhaled a deep breath then rapped softly on the door.
Grace waited with her heart in her throat, then rapped on the door again and waited some more. Had he already gone to sleep? Did he not wish to see her? Perhaps he’d not been able to tell what she’d mouthed earlier. Or maybe he simply didn’t care. Her shoulders slumped, excitement cooling as she pivoted, ready to return to her room.
Romantically Enchanted: A Twisted Fairytale Collection Page 24
