Courteously Seduced By An Enigmatic Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance)

by Scarlett Osborne

  “Are you trying to pair me with Lady Hannah?”

  “I can’t force her to do anything,” the Duke said. “She’s much too headstrong for that. But I can’t deny that it would make me happy to see you two get married.”

  “And why is that?” It surprised him that his voice was so calm. On the inside, he felt like shouting. Miss Flynn’s image raced around in his head, mingling with the echo of the Duke’s words.

  “I don’t know,” the Duke admitted with a confessing smile. “Call it a parent’s intuition?”

  Rowland didn’t know how to answer that.

  “Of course, Rowland, I’m not asking you to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage. I can’t control you any more than I can control her. I simply wanted to let you know that I think you two would make a wonderful match. I believe you should keep that in mind during your stay here.”

  The Duke was good at this. Somehow, he managed to make Rowland feel bound to Lady Hannah under the guise of full freedom. He knew the Duke spoke no lies. He wouldn’t force Rowland to do anything he didn’t want to do, nor was Rowland going to let him. But by hinting at what he wanted, the Duke had made it more difficult to see Lady Hannah in a platonic light.

  Miss Flynn’s image blared in his mind. It made him want to recoil in shame. His love for her was still strong, still potent enough to keep him in a foul mood after her rejection.

  Yet here he was, wondering what it would be like to be married to Lady Hannah.

  The Duke jumped to his feet, changing the topic. Rowland could barely keep up. He thought the Duke was saying something about heading out to breakfast soon, but he could not focus past the roaring in his ears. Since the moment he fell in love with Miss Flynn, he’d only ever seen himself with her. To picture himself with another lady felt like a betrayal—a foolish thought but one he couldn’t help. Guilt racked his body every time he thought of Lady Hannah.

  It's too soon. The wound Miss Flynn left is still too fresh.

  * * *

  Breakfast commenced shortly after. The entire family seemed to be in high spirits. The Duke and Duchess kept shooting each other loving glances. The two younger daughters whispered animatedly at each other while they stared openly at Rowland. Once in a while, the Duchess would give them a scathing look, which made them straighten their backs and keep their eyes on their plate. Their governess, who stood nearby, looked very embarrassed by their behavior.

  Lady Hannah was also in a good mood. She wore a small smile from the moment she entered the room and though she didn’t say much to him, she would shoot him looks now and again. Rowland took care not to pay her much mind. Now that he knew what the Duke wanted, he was wary of her. What if she wanted the same thing? Rowland didn’t want to have to deal with that.

  She looked different from this morning. Again, her hair was pinned up, but in a different style than it had been previously. She wore a simple mauve gown that, though it wasn’t the most extravagant style, made her look so beautiful Rowland had to keep himself from staring.

  But even now, though he kept his eyes squarely on his food, he was overly aware of her presence. She had a lovely scent, faint and fresh, which made him want to lean closer to her. And her skin was so fair, so flawless, he wondered if it would be as soft to touch as it looked.

  “Are you all right, Mr. Albertson?” the Duchess asked him. It snapped him out of his thoughts. “You haven’t been touching your food.”

  He came up with a quick excuse. “I fear traveling by ship has meddled with my appetite. It’s already been a few days and I’m yet to recover it.”

  “I could have Karla make you something,” Lady Hannah suggested. She didn’t look at him, her tone light. “She is well-versed in curing ailments.”

  “Karla?” Rowland asked, confused.

  “She is our head cook.” Rowland looked at one of the younger sisters who had spoken. It was the one with the alert green eyes. She held Rowland’s gaze. “She always makes us soup whenever we get ill, so she should know how to help you.”

  Their governess visibly cringed.

  Rowland glanced at the Duchess, wondering what her response to her daughter’s outspokenness would be. The Duchess only nodded in agreement. “She’s right,” she said to Rowland. “I’ll have her make something for you and have it brought to your bedchamber.”

  “I appreciate the concern, Your Grace,” he said. “But I think I will be all right in time. The food is lovely, I must say.”

  “I will make sure to give Karla your compliments,” Lady Hannah spoke up again.

  “Are you close with the cook?” Rowland couldn’t help but ask. Why else would she be referring to her by her given name?

  Lady Hannah nodded. “We are quite close. I’ve been meaning to go visit her today, actually. Since my return from London, we haven’t had the chance to spend much time together. I should remedy that.”

  Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t help but continue speaking with her. “Forgive me, but I wasn’t aware the English are so close with their servants.”

  “Well, we cannot speak for others,” the Duke said, pride stark in his voice. “But we view our servants as an extension of our household, as family. You’ll soon come to understand.”

  He couldn’t deny that he wanted to. He didn’t have that many servants in New South Wales but the ones he had, made sure to stay out of sight. Rowland didn’t know if that was because of him. In truth, he hadn’t given it much thought. Linton had been the only one under his employment that he spent a considerable amount of time with.

  “Is there anything else you may need, Mr. Albertson?” Her Grace asked kindly. “We are happy to help you with anything you might need.”

  “I’m quite all right.”

  “Did you have a nice morning?”

  Rowland didn’t get the chance to respond. He intended to say it was simply good but Lady Hannah cut in before he could. “The fog was dreadfully heavy, Mother. We could hardly see a foot before us. Mr. Albertson was the voice of reason who saw it was too dense to do a full run.”

  “Hannah, don’t tell me you were willing to run in heavy fog?” The Duchess’ voice was light, not as shocked or alarmed as he imagined it should be.

  “I haven’t had a good ride in ages, Mother,” Lady Hannah said. “And though the fog was thick, the air was wonderfully brisk. It would have been lovely if I could see well.”

  “I know that must have surprised you, Mr. Albertson,” the Duke said.

  Rowland nodded. They were always dragging him back into the conversation, ensuring he wasn’t ever too isolated. It warmed him and bothered him. With the mood he’d been in since arriving, he would much rather wallow in silence than enjoy himself with riveting conversation.

  But they made it difficult. This family, Lady Hannah especially, was much too engaging to ignore. “I’m beginning to realize that I shouldn’t be surprised by anything Lady Hannah does.”

  The Duke and Duchess laughed at that. Lady Rosamund and Lady Violet, who had lost interest in the conversation and were busy with their own, snapped back to attention at their parent’s laughter. Lady Hannah didn’t laugh, she only smiled.

  “That’s the best way of going about it, I suppose,” Lady Hannah murmured when the laughter died down. “Why is it that I always become the topic of conversation? Let’s move on to something less boring, shall we?”

  The Duke and Duchess complied readily. Lady Rosamund and Lady Violet, now that the conversation went on to less interesting things, whispered to each other once again.

  Rowland was just as eager to stop talking about Lady Hannah. He wondered if she was used to that, always being the center of attention. She didn’t strike him as one who reveled in it nor did she strike him as one who constantly sought it out. She was simply being herself, he could tell.

  It bothered him that he was as easy a victim to her as everyone else was.

  Chapter 9

  Hannah took care not to stare too much at Mr. Albertson.
She knew she had a bad habit of doing so when she was too interested in something, and she didn’t want to scare him. She’d never been this interested in someone else, though. Other people never held such an allure for her. Certainly not the gentlemen she’d met in London.

  He didn’t pay her much mind when he left, heading off with the Duke to his study. Important matters, she presumed. For once, Hannah wished she could be in on one of those meetings.

  Finding nothing else to do, she went with her mother to the manor’s library. Her Grace was searching for a new book to read and with Lady Rosamund and Lady Violet off for lessons, she had the peace to do so.

  “So,” the Duchess began, once they were within the solitude of the massive room, enclosed by the bookshelves, “What do you think of Mr. Albertson?”

  Hannah saw no reason to lie. In truth, she had been expecting such a question. “He’s an interesting man. He doesn’t like to reveal much of himself.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” said the Duchess. She trailed alongside one side of the room, searching for something interesting to read. “I thought it was because he just hasn’t grown accustomed to us. I can imagine how different it must be for him being here.”

  “Is it really that different?” Hannah asked. She took a seat in a plush armchair, watching her mother. “The colony is a little new, isn’t it? Not many years have passed, so is it truly that different there than it is here?”

  “I wish I knew myself,” the Duchess said. “It cannot be the same, now can it? Hmm, here it is.” She pulled a dull-looking book from the shelf, turning to Hannah. She began flipping through it as she took a seat.

  “Is that what you were looking for?” Hannah asked.

  “It is.” Her Grace closed the book and handed it to Hannah. “Here.”

  “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “It has some information on the colonies. I’m sure you’ll be able to get a better insight on what it’s like in New South Wales if you read that.”

  Intrigued now, Hannah looked at the book. She flipped through it, seeing none of the words but excited all the same to begin reading. “I could have asked him about the colony myself, you know.”

  “Hannah, darling, we both know that if you do that, you are bound to pester him. We know how persistent you can get.”

  “That isn’t entirely a bad thing, you know.”

  “It isn’t. But let’s refrain from asking questions you can find out on your own.”

  “You want me to marry him, don’t you?”

  The Duchess’ only reaction to the sudden question was a small, knowing smile. “I know him as much as you do, Hannah. Why would you think that?”

  “Because you wouldn’t be urging me to learn more about where he’s from if you didn’t.”

  The Duchess shrugged. She picked up a forgotten book from a side table and flipped it open. Hannah knew she wasn’t really reading anything. “Your father and I would like to see you married before you grow too old. Is that so wrong?”

  “Not at all, Mother. But you’re aware that I won’t have either of you browbeating me into a marriage I don’t want.”

  “I’m quite aware,” Her Grace said. “I know my own daughter.”

  “Lovely.” In high spirits, Hannah rose. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a new book I need to read.”

  “Have fun, my dear,” the Duchess said, the smile obvious in her voice.

  * * *

  The day passed painfully slow. With Mr. Albertson here now, she once again had something exciting and new in her life. Now, he was all she ever thought about, wondering what he was doing, if he was free enough to join her for whatever activity she could come up with. She spent time with her little sisters, watching them as they trotted around on ponies, but her mind kept wandering back to Mr. Albertson.

  She tried to seek him out a few times. Her mother’s words echoed in her mind and she made a mental note not to bother him too much. That wasn’t something she had to worry about before, since whenever she met someone they were always seeking her presence instead of the other way around. But with Mr. Albertson, she was much too fascinated by him, always wanting to see more of him.

  She swore to herself it had nothing to do with how she felt when she was around him. It had nothing to do with his captivatingly hard eyes that, when she caught him at the right moment, shone such a soulful brown. And it definitely had nothing to do with the fact that when she looked at him, she couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to run her hands down his chest.

  Hannah was no stranger to such thoughts. She kept them to herself, of course, since it wouldn’t bode well to voice them to anyone, but now and again, she’d think of what it would be like to touch another man. Not just a simple brush of the hand or the respectfully distant way a gentleman held her when dancing. She wanted to truly be held. To be kissed senseless. To have his hands running all over her body until she could feel nothing but the heat between them. To have him kiss and touch the parts of her that were deemed sacred.

  No, those thoughts weren’t foreign to her. But the intensity of these new thoughts were. And it was all because of Mr. Albertson.

  It wasn’t just lustful thoughts that drew her to him, though. It was the person on the inside. She could see parts of the true man from time to time, easing out from under the hard casing around himself. He was clearly considerate, seeing how he had prepared her horse beforehand, and he was much more interesting to talk to than he had first let on. Hannah felt she could sit and talk with him for hours.

  Despite her attempts to find him, Mr. Albertson successfully evaded her. Hannah couldn’t be sure he really was avoiding her, but she couldn’t help the nagging feeling that he was. Had she been that bothersome this morning? It hadn’t seemed that way but maybe she wasn’t as good at reading others as she thought she was.

  Hannah gave up the hunt and decided to retire to her bedchamber as night fell. She brought the book her mother had given her with her, and as soon as she was dressed for bed, she sat by the fire and began reading. She hadn’t intended to read for long. Just enough to pass the time before it was time to retire.

  But, before she knew it, hours had passed.

  It was the silence that struck her first. She looked up, realizing how quiet it had gotten. The constant hum of a busy manor was gone and even the creatures outside had fallen silent. She must be the only person awake right now.

  Hannah closed the book and rested it on the night table. With a sigh, exhaustion finally falling over her, she headed over to the bed. Without thinking, she glanced through the windows of her bedchamber.

  And saw a figure streaking through the night.

  She paused, fear lancing her. She watched the shadow as it darted forward, slowing to a simple walk. From the build, she could tell that the intruder was male, but that was it.

  Warning bells went off in her head. She knew she had to do something, call someone, before he did something, but for some reason, she couldn’t move. She only stood there, watching the shadow, waiting for it to step into the swath of moonlight to reveal who it was.

  Hannah didn’t expect to see a familiar face. She narrowed her eyes at the intruder, only to realize that it wasn’t an intruder at all. It was their guest, Mr. Albertson.

  What is he doing out there in the middle of the night?

  She drew closer to the window, the fear dissipating instantly. He stood still for a moment, looking around, before he turned to the left. Hannah frowned. There was nothing in that direction but woods.

  What does he intend to do over there?

  She watched him go. She expected him to take another turn. Perhaps he was lost again and was taking a roundabout route to the stables. Yet he continued straight until she could no longer see anything but his outline. Even when he was out of sight, she continued to stare after him, utterly confused and incredibly enticed by the new mystery that just presented itself.

  Oh, Mr. Albertson, there’s no getting rid of me
now.

  Chapter 10

  The fog wasn’t as thick this morning as it was the previous one. Rowland wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. When Lady Hannah had appeared, looking like a mystical beauty, for a moment he had wondered if he had been blessed. Now, as he waited for her to arrive once again, he pictured a dozen different ways of how he would see her.

  I shouldn’t have agreed to this.

  The thought attacked him once again and he sighed. He really shouldn’t have. He should be staying away from Lady Hannah. He should be putting her at a distance to ensure there weren’t any misconceptions about them being a good match.