His Unlikely Duchess

by Amanda McCabe

  Lily glanced at them, until Doris shooed her back around to straighten the lace collar. ‘Would you really rather stay in England?’ That would be the perfect outcome to her plan to take care of her sisters. Bring them into her own home, give them such freedom. Freedom she had never known.

  ‘Of course,’ Rose said. ‘It’s so peaceful here, so pretty.’

  ‘I dare say it doesn’t matter to me,’ Violet said. ‘I’m determined to learn to ride a bicycle now and I can do that anywhere, as well as take my photographs.’

  Doris pinned Lily’s straw boater to her upswept hair and handed her a parasol.

  ‘Well, it’s all just daydreams anyway,’ Lily said. ‘We leave Roderick Castle on Monday. The Season is almost over.’

  ‘It’s surely only a matter of time, Lily,’ Violet said, jumping off the bed and plopping her own hat on her head. ‘Roderick Castle will be your home very soon, if you want it.’

  * * *

  Lily sat back on the blanket spread under the shade of Roderick’s ancient, towering trees and sighed happily. A picnic really had been a good idea. It looked like a painting, all greens and blues and golds, dappled under the midday sun. The lake rippled in the light breeze and the remains of their feast were scattered around them: cucumber sandwiches and fruit pies, fresh bread and empty bottles of wine, all ravenously consumed in the fresh air. Everyone seemed quiet and lazy now with the sun and the drink.

  Her mother watched the twins and Lord James as they played spillikins, Violet laughing noisily. The Duchess and Lord Shelton flirted, while Lord Rannock snored after having drunkenly dozed off. Lady Rannock, her golden hair shining under her white parasol, looked rather bored, whispering sometimes with Lord Clarendon. Aidan, too, seemed asleep as he lay in the shade, his hat over his eyes.

  ‘Come, Miss Wilkins, row with me,’ Aidan said, sitting up suddenly from his picnic blanket. He’d looked the picture of indolent languor only a moment before, but now he fairly seemed to vibrate with energy. His green eyes glowed under the straw brim of his hat. ‘You did promise me a race.’

  Lily glanced at the dock. ‘There’s only one boat there.’

  ‘Then we’ll take turns rowing,’ he said. He leaped to his feet and held out his hand to her.

  Lady Rannock gave a taut laugh. ‘Surely it’s too hot to be out of the shade.’ Lord Clarendon gave her a lazy smile and waved a fan towards her.

  ‘Oh, nothing like that would ever stop Aidan,’ the Duchess said, popping a grape into Lord Shelton’s mouth. ‘He could never sit still, even as a child.’

  Lily took Aidan’s hand and everything else faded away. There was only their touch, only his smile.

  ‘Thank you, I’d love to go out on the water,’ she said. He led her down to the jetty and helped her on to the narrow wooden seat. She smoothed her pink skirts around her as he unmoored the boat and leaped lightly on to the seat across from her. He pulled effortlessly on the oars, long, smooth strokes that carried them far out on to the sun-dappled water. His lean, powerful shoulders strained against the thin muslin of his shirt, making those butterflies flutter in her stomach again.

  To try to calm those stormy feelings Aidan always stirred in her, she looked back to the shore. Everyone had returned to their lazing, except for her mother. Lily could see her satisfied smile even from across the water. And Lady Rannock, who had risen to her feet and stared after them, was as still as a statue.

  Well, Aidan was with her now, Lily told herself. That was all that mattered. She wouldn’t let the past, or her doubts of the present, ruin her bright day. She turned back to Aidan and smiled only at him, taking off her hat to let the cool breezes off the water brush her cheeks.

  ‘It really is lovely out here,’ she said, studying the idyllic scene of the folly onshore, sunlight glittering on its domed roof, Diana pointing her arrow at them.

  ‘I’m sure it’s nothing like the sea in Newport,’ he answered.

  ‘Not really. The waters there are grey so often and crowded with boats. I do miss swimming from the beach, but I think I like this better. It’s so peaceful.’

  ‘Some of the places I’ve seen feel so remote you would think there couldn’t possibly be another person left in the world. There’s only silence and the whir of one’s own thoughts.’

  ‘I’m not sure I would enjoy that,’ Lily admitted. ‘I do like being alone, with nature or a book, but to only have my thoughts for company...’

  He smiled his delicious crooked smile. ‘What would you think about, then, Lily?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘Books I’ve read? Places I’ve been? Though nowhere as exotic as what you’ve seen. What did you think about when you were all alone? Roderick Castle?’

  ‘Sometimes. I ran as far away as I could, but Roderick gets into your blood, I suppose. And I thought about a nice Victoria sponge with raspberry jam. And, yes, things I had read, philosophy and history. I went looking for myself out there.’

  ‘I would be grateful for such a chance, too. Sometimes I think I don’t know myself at all. I’ve always been told what to do. What would I choose to do?’

  He tilted his head to study her closely, making her squirm and turn away. ‘I think I know you, Lily. Or at least, I think I’m beginning to.’

  She was intrigued and half scared. Maybe he really had seen things she would rather keep hidden. Lily leaned back in her seat, letting her fingertips trail in the water. ‘Do you, Aidan?’

  He drew the oars in, leaving them floating alone in the middle of the lake. He leaned his sun-golden forearms on them, studying her. ‘I think you are kind and considerate. I think you get to know people, you listen to them, you care about them. Like my farm tenants. You’re nothing like they say rich American girls are.’

  Lily laughed, discomfited. Her...kind hearted? She fanned her warm cheeks with her wide-brimmed hat. ‘I’m sure I do what anyone else would. Your mother, for instance. She seems to care very much for the estate.’ And she had said a good duchess was essential.

  ‘My mother has always done her duty, I’ll say that for her. But what she cares about is the Lennox title, not seeing it tarnished by gossip about neglect or impropriety. You care about real people.’

  ‘And what do they say rich American girls are like?’

  He laughed, throwing his head back so his hair shimmered in the sun. ‘That they’re bold and brash, full of confidence.’

  Lily thought of some of her friends back in New York, of ladies like Jennie Jerome. They were confident, sure of their beauty and their brains, sure of their place in the world. She’d always envied them. ‘I wish I was bold and brash. But I think I’ve lived too much in books, too much in my own head. I doubt I’m the kind of American girl your Prince of Wales likes.’

  Aidan’s grin widened. ‘I doubt Bertie and I have much in common, except for bossy mothers. You are exactly the kind of American girl I like.’

  Lily laughed and reached down into the water to splash some of it towards him. ‘And you are nothing like a stuffy old English duke in a book. So we’ve both learned a lesson.’

  Aidan splashed her back, and soon they were tossing handfuls of water and laughing helplessly like a pair of naughty children. Lily tripped over the oars and landed in his lap, holding on to him as they both gasped for breath through their laughter.

  He hugged her close and Lily rested her head on his shoulder to inhale his scent of sunshine and lemons in that one golden moment. She was sure she would remember it always and take it out like a jewel from its box on grey days.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ he murmured against her hair. ‘I have learned a valuable lesson indeed.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘What shall we do this evening? Piquet? Charades?’ the Duchess said as the men joined the ladies in the Yellow Drawing Room after dinner.

  ‘Perhaps some music?’ Lady Heath suggested. ‘Your duet with
Miss Wilkins was so charming, Duke.’

  Lily peeked shyly at Aidan over the gilded edge of her coffee cup. There had been no time to talk more when they had returned to the jetty after the picnic. They had been rushed back to the castle to dress for dinner, but she still felt the glow of their time on the lake.

  ‘Oh, no, we always have music and charades,’ Lady Rannock said languidly, from her chaise by the window. She waved her painted silk fan. ‘What about hide-and-seek? Roderick is perfect for such things. Remember when we were younger, Aidan? The attics had such lovely hidey-holes.’

  Lily couldn’t help but hear from her tone that something extraordinary must have happened in those ‘hidey-holes’ once. She turned away, not daring to look at Aidan to see what his memories might be.

  He gave Lily a long glance. ‘The attics are indeed a fine spot for it.’

  ‘Is that not a children’s game?’ Stella said doubtfully.

  ‘I don’t think feeling young again for an hour could be a bad thing,’ said the Duchess.

  ‘Well, I shall stay here and chat with the Bishop,’ Stella said. ‘You were telling me about the history of the Roderick chapel, I think, Bishop? Fascinating.’

  Lady Rannock clapped her hands. ‘Lovely! Now, who shall hide and who seek? Clarendon?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said with a grin. ‘Nothing more amusing, eh?’

  ‘The ladies shall hide and the gentlemen seek, of course. Is that not the way of life?’ Lord Shelton said. ‘Agnes, my dear, shall you be timekeeper?’

  The Duchess laughed. ‘Of course! Very well, ladies. Get ready, get set and...hide!’

  Lily was caught in the middle of the crowd running out of the drawing room, carried with them into the hallway and up the stairs as they heard the Duchess counting off behind them. ‘One, two, three...’

  Everyone vanished into the shadows, leaving only floating giggles behind them. She wasn’t sure where to go, but the counting went on. ‘Nineteen, twenty...’

  She dashed up the second flight of stairs and turned down the first empty corridor she found, in a part of the castle she hadn’t seen before. It was only lit by flickering lamps at either end of the narrow space and she could hear giggles nearby, as well as the snap of doors closing. She found another narrow flight of servants’ stairs behind a baize door and ducked inside. It was a small attic space, muslin-covered furniture hulking in the shadows, and she was able to take a deep breath. Hadn’t Aidan said the attics were the best place to hide? Maybe it was a hint.

  She wasn’t alone there for long. The door opened and a tall figure slipped inside, outlined by the lamplight outside.

  Aidan. It had to be. No one felt like him, smelled like him.

  ‘Lily?’ he said, his voice so quiet, as rich and comforting as a velvet blanket on a cold night. ‘Are you all right? This silly game...’

  ‘I’m fine, I just couldn’t quite breathe,’ she said. ‘I haven’t played hide-and-seek since I was a child! Then I would usually just read in a corner and let Violet win.’

  ‘I’m not so fond of it myself,’ he said, stepping closer. ‘Except that now I can be alone with you.’

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered, swaying towards him, drawn by his quiet strength as she always was.

  His arms came out to catch her, drawing her close, and she leaned her forehead against his chest, the soft, fine wool of his evening coat warm on her cheek. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of his heartbeat, so steady, so wonderful.

  Outside the door of their sanctuary, they heard running footsteps, a lady’s giggle, a man shrieking, ‘I can find you, my beauty, no sense in hiding from me!’ Lily burst into helpless giggles and Aidan laughed, too, the two of them leaning on each other.

  Their laughter faded and, in the long, tense moment of silence, Lily stared up at Aidan in the striped shadows of moonlight from the high windows. He also stared down at her, his eyes glowing, his lips tight.

  He reached out and took her hand, balancing it delicately on his palm as if she was a precious piece of porcelain. She couldn’t breathe.

  ‘Lily,’ he said, so quietly. ‘Do you think you could come to love...all of this? Could you be happy at Roderick?’

  ‘I...’ Don’t think she told herself as everything seemed to whirl around her. Just feel. This is really happening now. ‘If I could only make you happy, Aidan, then I could do anything at all.’

  He kissed her, his arms coming around her so tightly, drawing her so close there was nothing between them. There was only them. His lips met hers, so sweet, so perfect.

  ‘I think I didn’t go about this right, Lily,’ he said, his voice hoarse, but touched with laughter that made her laugh, too. She’d never felt so wonderfully giddy.

  He knelt down on the dusty attic floor, still holding her hand.

  ‘Lily Wilkins, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

  Lily stared down at him, the sharp angles of his beautiful face as he stared up at her. She’d half imagined this moment already, but the reality of it was nearly overwhelming. It felt so fast, grabbing her and sweeping her out to sea. But she wanted it so very much. Aidan and all he stood for—freedom and security.

  He had said nothing of love, but surely the power of that kiss meant something? Love was waiting just beyond.

  She tugged on his hand and pulled him back to her. ‘Yes,’ she said, holding on to him. ‘Yes.’

  Aidan laughed and Lily was suddenly very sure she was making the right decision. He would love her one day. His adventures, Lady Rannock—they were all in the past. Surely she was right about that?

  ‘We should tell my mother,’ she said. ‘And let my father know.’

  ‘Will he give me his consent, do you think?’

  Lily thought of her father, of his own questing spirit that would surely answer Aidan’s. ‘I dare say you’ll get along well.’

  He stood back and offered her his arm, a strangely formal gesture. They made their way down the narrow, winding back staircase, through the green baize door to the main part of the castle. As Aidan led her towards the drawing room, under the dome of the chilly hall, it struck her that this would be her house, hers and Aidan’s. She couldn’t quite absorb it all.

  Everyone else seemed to have returned to the drawing room before them. Lady Heath was talking with the Bishop, while Lady Rannock fiddled with the piano keys and her husband drank by the window, his face red. The Duchess and Lord Shelton whispered together.

  ‘There you are,’ the Duchess said. ‘We were just wondering if we should send Donat to find you. We’ve had a surprise arrival.’

  She gestured towards the fireplace and Lily turned to see her mother standing there—with her father, still in travelling tweeds, his greying hair windblown. The twins clung to him on either side, in their dressing gowns, which was no doubt a terrible American informality in a castle.

  ‘Lily Marie, how pretty you look,’ he said, hugging her close as she ran to greet him. ‘England suits you, I think.’

  ‘Papa!’ Lily gasped. She thought she would surely burst with happiness.

  ‘Such a surprise,’ Stella said wryly. ‘Luckily the stationmaster was still there when the last train of the night arrived and brought Coleman to Roderick.’

  ‘Papa, I’d like you to meet the Duke of Lennox,’ Lily said, drawing Aidan forward.

  Aidan offered his hand and her father shook it. Coleman looked affable, as always, but also...wary? Did he think Aidan was after his American fortune? ‘How do you do, Mr Wilkins? I am happy to meet you indeed.’

  ‘And I you, Duke,’ her father said. ‘A real-life duke—imagine that. Your house, what I could see of it in the dark, is extraordinary.’

  ‘I do hope you think so, Papa,’ Lily said quietly. ‘Because, well, you see...’ She glanced up at Aidan.

  ‘I am sorry for the last-minut
e news just as you’ve arrived at Roderick, Mr Wilkins,’ Aidan said. ‘But I have just asked Lily to marry me and she has accepted. With your permission, of course.’

  There was a sudden sharp gasp and Lily glanced back to see Lady Rannock press her hand to her lips. Lady’s Rannock’s husband took another deep drink, while Lord Clarendon reached for her hand.

  ‘Oh, my dear,’ her mother cried in delight. She and the twins hugged her, laughing, half-crying. Lily wondered if the old drawing room had ever seen such displays of emotion.

  ‘Aidan, how perfectly romantic,’ the Duchess said. ‘I didn’t know you had it in you.’

  Lily looked at her father. He still smiled, but his expression was bemused. ‘Well, if it makes my Lily happy, Duke. I can never refuse my girls anything. Shall we discuss it tomorrow?’

  ‘Of course,’ Aidan answered.

  ‘Yes, nothing so solemn tonight,’ the Duchess said. ‘We must have champagne! Donat, do we have any of the Dom Perignon left?’

  ‘Aidan, how very splendid,’ Lady Rannock said hoarsely. She came to Aidan and kissed his cheek, smiling up into his eyes. ‘I hope you shall be just as happy in your married life as I have been.’

  Aidan nodded, but he couldn’t answer her as the twins smothered him in a hug. The rest of the evening passed in a whirl of champagne and congratulations, until she could remember nothing else. The past—and the future—seemed very far away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‘What about this necklace tonight, Miss Lily?’ Doris said, holding up a new chain of diamonds and sapphires that Lily’s mother had given her. Just an early wedding gift, Stella had said with tears in her eyes as she handed Lily the jewel case. It was the first gift Coleman had given her when his mine came in and Lily remembered playing with it as a child.

  ‘Oh, yes, it will go well with the gown,’ Lily said. ‘And it is a special night.’

  ‘Your engagement party, Miss Lily!’ Doris said. She fastened the necklace for her mistress and found a pair of pearl drop earrings in the jewel box before she went to take the blue satin and white chiffon gown from the armoire. She looked a bit wistful as she smoothed the ruffled sleeves. ‘You’ll probably need an English maid now, or a French mamselle like the Duchess has.’