A Duke's Delight: A Clean Historical Regency Romance (Heathfield Hall)

by Kira Stewart

  Despite her heart skipping a beat, Rebecca remained cold. She could not afford to be hurt once more. Her heart was a delicate thing that had been trampled upon too many times.

  “It is good to see you again, I ...”

  “It has been a long time, sir.”

  The young man looked puzzled.

  “You are being very formal, Rebecca. Please, call me Edward.”

  “As I say, it has been a long time, Edward. Things have changed.”

  “Have they?”

  “Excuse me, I must go and find my sisters.”

  Starting to leave, Edward grabbed at her arm.

  “Will you dance with me, Rebecca?”

  His eyes pleaded with her, and without answering, she found herself being led across the Ballroom.

  The next dance was a slow French waltz, and as the orchestra started, she felt his arms around her.

  Rebecca closed her eyes. She had dreamed of this moment for so long—when they would be dancing close together—but not like this. It was all wrong. She would love to relax and melt into his arms, but it was impossible. He was to be another’s, and her heart was aching. Opening her eyes, she tensed her body, and sensing the change, the young man looked puzzled.

  “What is it, Rebecca? It is so good to see you again tonight. You look beautiful.”

  She could hardly believe her ears.

  “You have no right to say that, sir.”

  “Why, when it is true?”

  “It has been a while since we last met, and circumstances have changed.”

  Edward could sense the girl’s annoyance.

  “I see you are on good terms again with Thomas Buckingham. You were dancing with him earlier.”

  She could feel her blood roused.

  “I am a single woman, and I can dance with whom I choose!”

  Sophia Barrasford’s name was on her lips, but she would not stoop so low as to mention the girl, especially if he was so ungallant to even mention the fact that he was due to be engaged.

  The rest of the dance continued in silence, and as soon as it was over, Rebecca was eager to join her party.

  As the strains of the orchestra died away, Edward held onto her hand, and looked deep into her eyes.

  “I am sorry if I have done something to upset you, Rebecca. I wish I knew what it was. I am very sorry. I thought we were friends.”

  For a moment, she felt quite triumphant, as the shoe was on the other foot.

  “Nothing is wrong, sir. In fact, I am very happy. Now, I must rejoin my party. They are waiting for me.”

  Indicating that Thomas Buckingham stood waiting with her drink, she left the poor young man alone on the dance floor.

  For the rest of the evening, she remained with Thomas, laughing at his jokes and pretending to have a good time, although deep inside, she felt rotten. It was all an act to prove to Edward that she no longer cared for him.

  It was a relief to finally return home.

  Rebecca would have liked to wallow in her grief, but in complete contrast, her sister, Grace, was sublimely happy.

  She and Harry had rekindled their friendship and the spark had remained. He had promised to ride over to see her the very next morning. She could not hide her joy, but was sympathetic to her sister’s feelings.

  Despite putting on a brave face for her sister, Rebecca could not help but sob into her pillow. She had lost her one great love, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  20.

  The next morning was glorious and bright, and it promised to be a fine spring day.

  Harry Masterton was true to his word. He arrived at midday to visit Grace and they went out walking together. Not only had Rebecca lost her young man, but she was also losing her sister and best friend. With her mother and sisters out shopping in the town, she felt particularly alone. Feeling rather sorry for herself, she took one of the books from Olivia’s room into the small walled garden to read under the shade of an old oak tree.

  The novel had a thin plot and she scanned the pages, without really noting what was within. She had slept uneasily the night before, and felt her eyes start to close. The garden was peaceful, with just the song of birds as her lullaby, and the soft sun to warm her skin. It was not long, before she fell asleep and began to dream of Edward D’Arcy. For a moment, she was transported back to the evenings spent in the Hall, when Sir Percy was away. If only those times could have lasted forever.

  “Rebecca?”

  He called out to her in her dreams. It seemed so real.

  “Rebecca?”

  She opened her eyes slowly. The sun had moved over the house and was shining directly above her, causing her to squint. She must have been asleep for several hours.

  “Rebecca?”

  His voice had followed through her dreams, and was now echoing all around her.

  A shadow fell across her.

  It was Edward, and she sat up with a start.

  “I’m sorry, Rebecca. I did not mean to startle you.”

  The poor girl could barely pull herself together, half asleep and so unprepared.

  “If you are here to see your friend, Harry, I believe he is still out with my sister.”

  The young man smiled.

  “I know, I have seen them, but I came here to see you.”

  Rebecca wondered for a moment if she was still dreaming, and struggled to sit up straight beneath the tree.

  “I could not sleep at all last night, Rebecca, thinking of you. I couldn’t believe that you no longer cared for me. You seemed so cold, so distant. Call it arrogance, but I still believed that you cared for me. When Harry told me that he was to visit your sister today, I could not lose the opportunity, and begged him to find out from your sister, your true feelings for me.”

  For a moment, Rebecca looked shocked. It was hardly what she was expecting.

  “Forgive me, my dear, but I had to know. I could not let another day go by without finding out. I dare not ask you outright. I was unsure what I had done to offend you, so I asked my truest friend to help. At first, your sister would not tell, but when she saw how I truly felt about you, she told me all.”

  “You have spoken to my sister?”

  “But less than an hour ago, Harry and Grace walked up to the Hall and I met them there. Say you forgive me, but I had no other way of finding out.”

  “But what about Sophia Barrasford?”

  Shaking his head, the young man kneeled down where Rebecca was sitting.

  “It is true that my father wishes me to marry Sophia, but how can I, when it is you who I love? Oh, Rebecca, your sister says that you care for me, but I would like to hear it from your own lips.”

  “Oh, Edward, my love.”

  No more words were necessary, as the two embraced.

  Once again, the tears rolled down her face, but this time, they were tears of joy. Edward handed her a white cotton handkerchief to dry her eyes.

  “You will be getting quite a little collection of these.”

  Wiping her eyes, Rebecca became serious for a moment.

  “But what about your father, Edward? He will never accept me. He hates my family.”

  The young man sighed. He could not deny it was a problem.

  “Father is back from business tonight. I will speak to him then. I will call on you tomorrow morning to tell you all is well.”

  With a promise to meet the next day, the young man left.

  Despite sitting up half the night talking with her sister, Rebecca rose early. She had been too excited to sleep, but now some of her excitement had turned to anxiety. Edward loved her, but what of Sir Percy? How would the two families ever be reconciled?

  Slipping away from the house early, she crossed the dew soaked fields and up to the old Hall, just so she could gaze on the spot where Edward was sleeping. The morning looked especially beautiful, and her heart was so full that she thought it might burst. The trees has never looked so green, nor the sky so blue.

  It was a perfec
t day, and Edward loved her.

  21.

  The two girls waited all morning. Harry was staying at the Hall, and both young men had promised to ride over to the cottage by eleven. All of the girls, excited by their older sister’s courtship, eagerly waited at the windows for signs of the young men arriving, each secretly hoping that they would be next.

  “Come away from the windows, my dears. You will frighten the young men away, and then Grace and Rebecca will be old maids.”

  “I see someone coming.”

  It was Hannah who caught first glimpse of a horseman approaching.

  Harry Masterton strode into the cottage, looking a little uncomfortable. He was alone, and Rebecca’s heart immediately sank. He requested to see the girl alone.

  “I have a message from Edward. He is with his father as we speak, and will be here directly.”

  Frowning, she searched his face for clues.

  “Did he not manage to speak to his father last night?”

  The young man hesitated.

  “I believe they spoke on the subject last night, but it was late and they are speaking again on the matter.”

  “How did Sir Percy take the news?”

  Harry shifted uneasily.

  “They are still discussing the matter.”

  “Tell me truthfully, Harry, what happened last night?”

  There was no way he could evade her question, and sitting down, he shook his head.

  “Sir Percy did not take the news well. I heard father and son shouting last night. Edward said he would speak with his father again this morning, after giving him time for the news to sink in. That is all I know. When I rode over here, Edward was still in the study with his father.”

  Thanking the young man for his honesty, Rebecca returned to her room. She could not bear the quizzing from her sisters, for they were all expecting him. There was nothing to do, but wait.

  It was an hour later, when she finally heard the sound of hooves outside her window.

  Rebecca immediately went downstairs, and wanting to be alone with Edward, took his arm, so they could walk together. She could tell from his face that it was not good news.

  “My father is so stubborn. He is allowing this ridiculous family feud to come between my happiness. He says that he will disinherit me if I do not cut myself off from you completely.”

  “And what did you say, dearest?”

  “I told him that I love you, and had no intention of marrying Sophia Barrasford. I told him that I did not care if I was disinherited, and that he could not buy me so easily.”

  “You stood up to your father, Edward. That is a brave thing to do. At least now he knows. What happened after that?”

  The young man shook his head.

  “Nothing. He held his ground and said that if I didn’t change my mind, then he would see the solicitors immediately, to have me cut off.”

  “Surely, you will call his bluff?”

  Edward did not look so sure.

  “Father was furious. He rarely changes his mind. I don’t care for my sake, Rebecca, the Dukedom came as a shock to my father, and it was something that I never imagined for myself, but if I am disinherited, what shall we live on?”

  “When I marry, I will receive a handsome trust that was set up by my father. We shall hardly starve.”

  The young man shook his head again.

  “But I cannot live off your money, Rebecca. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  “I will speak with father again. If he will not budge, then I will have to start in business. I have friends in London who could help me. I am going tonight to see what can be done. I may be away for a while, my love, but I will write. And do write to me, too, dearest. Promise me, for I have just found you again, and can hardly bear to leave you again so soon. But I must, if we are to be together forever, then I must make it happen.”

  •••

  Despite his promises, Rebecca fretted. Her happiness hung in such a fragile balance that she hardly dare believe that everything would come right in the end. Things didn’t seem to work out that way for her. Every day, she watched as the love blossomed between her sister and Harry Masterton, and could only hope for the same.

  A week passed by, before she received a letter.

  Dearest Rebecca,

  Father still refuses to change his mind, and so I am forced into the situation where I am starting to look into business ventures. I may be here some while, but stay strong and please, write back. I miss you terribly and cannot wait until I can see you again. I dream about you every night, and think about you every day.

  All my love and affection,

  Edward.

  It was a short, but sweet letter, and she put it in her box with the handkerchiefs he had given to her. It wasn’t much, but it gave her comfort.

  For the first few weeks, Rebecca tried to remain positive. His letters kept her going, but as he wrote about his struggle to find employment he would enjoy, she began to feel guilty about pushing him away from his birthright. Would he end up resenting her, if he ended up in a job he hated? She would rather lose him, than lose his love.

  One evening, as Rebecca was re-reading one of his letters by candlelight in bed, there came a rough and loud knock on the door downstairs. It was raining, and Rebecca glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight. Who on earth would be calling at such an hour, and on such a night? The knocking awoke her sister, too, as their room was almost above the front doorway. Stepping to the window, the two girls peered out into the bleak night.

  There, at the doorway, stood a figure with a lantern, hunched against the rain.

  Rushing downstairs, they quickly unfastened the door. It was one of the maids from the Hall.

  “Oh, miss, sorry to trouble you like this, but I wasn’t sure what I should do. The young mistress is sick, and what with Sir Percy and young Edward away, I didn’t know what to do for the best.”

  “She is alone at the Hall?”

  “The mistress was going to travel with Sir Percy to London this very morning, but her chest hasn’t been so good lately, so she decided to stay at home. He’s only gone for a few days, urgent business it was, and he thought she would be all right, what with all the staff here.”

  “Has someone sent for the physician?”

  “Oh yes, miss, but he is away, too. He will come as soon as he returns, but that won’t be until the day after tomorrow. We thought of you, miss, because of the way you looked after Miss Lucy.”

  Rebecca didn’t need to think twice about it, and got dressed, putting on her thick cloak.

  “Shall I come with you, dearest?”

  Rebecca shook her head.

  “It is silly for both of us to get wet tonight, Grace. Come up to the Hall tomorrow morning. It will be perfectly all right if Sir Percy is not there.”

  22.

  The girl was in bed when Rebecca arrived at the Hall. She had a temperature, but was glad to see a familiar face.

  Theresa knew of her brother’s affection for the Brancepth girl, and was on his side.

  “Oh, Miss Brancepth, thank you so much for troubling yourself to come out and see me on such a horrible night. I know that the servants are here and I am not entirely alone, but it is not the same thing. I am usually quite brave, but I feel frightened tonight, and I am not sure why. It is such a comfort to have you here.”

  Before she could say more, the girl began to cough, a deep rasping in her chest, her face wincing in pain with each cough. When finally it subsided, she lay back on her pillow, quite limp and glassy-eyed from the exertion.

  Laying her hand across the girl’s forehead, Rebecca could feel the heat rising in the girl’s body, and soon realized the seriousness of the situation.

  “I am cold, Miss Brancepth. Is the fire lit?”

  The room was hot and stuffy. It was obvious that the girl was developing a fever. The doctor was needed urgently, but he could not be reached for another day.

&nbs
p; Reaching for the girl’s hand, she held it tenderly in her own.

  “Now, try not to talk, my dear. You need to rest. And you must call me Rebecca.”

  Theresa smiled, before starting to cough again.

  Rebecca had to do something. She tried to think of what had happened when one of her sisters was ill. Olivia had developed pleurisy when she was younger, and they had to keep her warm and give her plenty of fluids. She would send down to the kitchen for some hot beef tea and keep the fire well stoked. Perhaps a poultice for the girl’s chest made from mustard would help. When the girls had a bad cold, her mother had also made a preparation of Thyme leaves in boiling water, and made them inhale the steam to clear the airways. She would get onto it straight away—there was not time to lose.

  Making sure the girl was as comfortable as possible, Rebecca headed down to the kitchen. It was late, and as the master was away, the pace was empty, except for the old woman who had called for her.

  Rebecca had visited the kitchen so many times to watch Mrs. Thomas bake and cook that she knew the place like the back of her hand. Fortunately, Sir Percy’s changes had not yet reached the kitchen, and she easily found the things she needed. With the help of the old woman, they had soon made a mustard poultice, using the muslin used for tying puddings, and also prepared a basin full of boiling hot water and dried Thyme leaves. Leaving the woman to make the beef tea, Rebecca returned to her patient. The girl was resting with her eyes closed, but opened them as soon as she heard the door click.

  There were beads of sweat on the girl’s forehead, and her face as pale as death, with just two tiny red spots in the center of her cheeks. It was obvious that the girl was seriously ill, and for a moment, a chill passed over her heart. What if the girl should die? Rebecca tried not to let her fear show. That would not help one little bit. She would do everything possible for the girl.

  “Oh, Rebecca, you are back. I must have fallen asleep, for I was dreaming. I was in a beautiful place. It was bright and peaceful, and I could hear angels singing. I think it must have been Heaven, and I did not feel afraid, for my mother was waiting for me there with her arms outstretched. I knew it was my mother, for although I never saw her, I carry her picture always.”