A Fiery Love for the Reluctant Duchess: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance

by Abby Ayles

  Thea could not trust the man’s intentions. There was something not right about his behavior and it left her feeling frustrated and angered by him. She wondered why he wouldn’t simply leave her to enjoy her final week with her family and freedom from marriage.

  “You must come and greet him,” Mrs. Caulfield urged.

  Thea sighed and looked over at her father and the duke.

  “Mother, you are right, I must. But can I disturb him now? He is doing important business, meeting the leaders of our town. I do not wish to flaunt myself before him and my elders so childishly. I shall simply have to be patient, do you not think?” Thea asked as if being terribly cautious for propriety.

  Mrs. Caulfield stopped to consider this.

  “Oh, of course, my dear. We don’t want you to be the one to seek him out. He must come to you. And he shall, I’m quite certain. As soon as he has finished with your father and the others,” her mother decided.

  Thea breathed in relief. She didn’t want to be the sort of girl that was throwing herself before a wealthy man that she was so unfit for marrying. What would her friends think of her, going before the men like that?

  As her mother scattered off to greet other friends, Thea decided she had little choice other than to search for the very men she had already thought to dance with. She found Andrew and greeted him joyfully.

  “Miss Caulfield, how good to see you!” he said in reply, the same greeting that seemed to abound between every pair that evening.

  “Have you had an opportunity to dance with my sisters yet?” Thea asked.

  “Indeed, Miss Caulfield. How could I not? The Caulfields are the loveliest young women in this town,” he complimented.

  “Oh dear, I do believe we quite excel at deception if you truly believe such a thing,” Thea teased.

  “Not at all, Miss Caulfield,” he laughed in reply.

  “How is it that my sisters have already had the joy of dancing with you and yet my card remains empty?” Thea prompted.

  Andrew looked suddenly surprised. “Well, I had not thought a woman such as yourself…I mean a woman soon to be married, of course…I suppose I hadn’t thought you would wish a dance.”

  It had been as Thea suspected. With her pending marriage, it was assumed she had no desire to dance.

  Andrew moved with Thea in and out of the bodies as the steps of the dance progressed. She sensed eyes on her, wondering if she was playing some sort of game. But when the second dance came, and Thea sought out her uncle, she knew that it was clear she had no ill motives.

  Soon, Thea was adding names to her dance card. Harmless names. Men older, younger, or married relatives, in whom it would be clear that she had no interest.

  She watched as every young woman in the room—and the musicians—seemed to stop when a handful of soldiers arrived. The men were instantly given more honor than the duke had been when he had arrived and the attention to them was magnetic.

  Thea finally allowed her eyes to find her betrothed again, curious what he might be thinking about these men who had stolen the attention of everyone present.

  Her heart stopped a little when she found him. The Duke of Sandon was staring directly at her with something new in his eyes. Was it hurt? Suspicion?

  When he realized she had caught him, the duke looked away and Thea straightened her head to look directly across the room where one of the soldiers was eyeing Georgette.

  Soon the music began once more, and Thea looked at her dance card. The next space was empty.

  She sensed his presence before she saw him. Thea turned around quite suddenly and saw the duke standing behind her.

  “Miss Caulfield,” he bowed.

  “Your Grace,” she curtseyed in reply.

  “I do hope you have had a splendid evening thus far,” he commented.

  “Indeed, Your Grace. And I hope the setting has not been so simple as to ruin yours. It was…unexpected of you to come,” Thea remarked, using the same word that the duke had used to describe her.

  “Yes, well, your father informed me of the dance and I thought it would be an opportunity for me to see my future bride in a comfortable setting,” he replied.

  Thea was unsure how to take this comment. Perhaps he really was being jealous or suspicious of her. Was he foolish enough to think she would disgrace herself now when she was being watched by every caveat of society?

  “I thought, perhaps, as we are soon to be wed…” the duke led in nervously. Thea waited for what he was thinking that would begin so ominously.

  “I thought we might have a dance,” he finally said.

  Thea’s breath caught. She had no reason not to and he was right. Her dance card had empty spaces and it would only be proper for them to share in a dance.

  “As you wish, Your Grace,” Thea replied bowing her head in acquiescence.

  “Might your card have a space for the next dance?” he asked.

  “Indeed, Your Grace, it does,” she answered.

  “Then I should be honored,” he said, holding out his hand for her.

  Thea placed hers atop it and felt the smooth warmth of the duke’s palm as he led her into the throng of couples lined for the following choreography.

  The music began, and Thea curtseyed as the duke bowed, along with every other couple, and finally they began the steps required. With her back elegantly straight, Thea still felt small, shadowed by the duke’s height. His deep brown eyes occasionally gazed upon her in a way that increased her nerves.

  “You dance like a duchess,” the Duke of Sandon commented, causing Thea to look up at him in surprise.

  “I have never been told such a thing, Your Grace,” Thea replied, unable to prevent herself from falling under the spell of the compliment.

  “Perhaps others have not watched you so diligently for an evening. Or if they have, they were simply too shy to tell you,” he reasoned.

  “Yes, it could be that. Or perhaps it is that none here have ever seen a duchess dance. After all, this is not the place one would typically find nobility,” she pointed out.

  “True. And it is such a pity. For, although this has been my only dance of the evening, I must say I have enjoyed the gathering far more than any ball I have attended in London or elsewhere,” the duke said, almost as if to himself, with a contented smile.

  Thea swallowed hard. She still was unable to understand the Duke of Sandon. He refuted her expectations at every turn. Were he the menace she had previously believed him to be, would he be so divergent of kindness? Would he think so highly of those he was around that night?

  Chapter 10

  The music came to an end and the duke had to release Miss Caulfield’s petite hand. Surprised at how she was affecting him, he assumed that it was simply her beauty that was distracting him.

  “Might I have the pleasure of speaking to you for a moment, Miss Caulfield?” the duke asked.

  “As you wish, Your Grace,” she replied without looking him in the eyes.

  Joseph Tyndale, the Duke of Sandon, had been thinking over this marriage and the strangeness of it all. Not only were they the antithesis of what society would consider to be a match, but the two still did not know one another well, nor did either of them particularly desire the marriage.

  It had been a matter of convenience that led to this and Miss Caulfield had had very little say in the matter.

  The duke had considered that perhaps she was appearing uninterested due to a desire to increase his own want for her as young women so frequently seemed to do. Or perhaps she really was miserable with the match in which case he had best try to make amends with her for allowing it to be brought about.

  What he was certain of, was the fact that the marriage could not now be called off without calling her honor into question. Miss Caulfield was bound by this as well. It was unfair, but it was the way of things.

  The Duke of Sandon led Miss Caulfield to one of the quieter corners, although the hall could hardly be considered quiet at any place. Still,
they were out of the way and might have an opportunity to at least hear one another speak. And as they were still visible, there would be no impropriety considered.

  “Miss Caulfield,” the duke began, “I understand that we have a short time before we come together to make our commitment as man and wife. I should very much like to discuss with you now what that shall entail from my end.”

  The intriguing Miss Caulfield looked frightened, as if she did not wish to know what his expectations were of her.

  “I would like first to reassure you that I understand you are in a predicament. Your father and I have arranged this marriage with no thought of the consequence to you. You were given no say in the matter and have been expected to submit willingly,” he continued.

  From there, the duke paused briefly, should Miss Caulfield have anything to say in reply. When she remained silent, he thought he might as well keep going.

  “Truly, I am somewhat burdened by this knowledge. I should hate for you to think that this marriage was forced upon you. And yet, I myself cannot deny that it was.

  “I say all this for no other reason than to be certain that you know I can see where this might be difficult for you,” he explained. The duke felt as though his words were not coming as smoothly as he had planned.

  Finally, Miss Caulfield opened her mouth to speak.

  “Yes, Your Grace. It is evident that you understand my predicament, and I thank you for acknowledging it,” she sighed. “However, it does not change that fact that you were complicit in the arrangement from the beginning. I am not certain what you want from me, Your Grace.

  “Are you seeking my submission now? My permission, even? Or is it forgiveness you want from me? Are you hoping that by appealing to my unwilling senses, I might see you in a new light? One in which you were not responsible for this decision, perhaps?” she asked bluntly.

  The duke felt his words catch in his throat. He had not anticipated Miss Caulfield to be so vocal in her opinions on this matter. He could sense that she was incredibly wounded by the decisions being made which affected her so deeply.

  “I seek…” he started, not knowing where to go from there. “I seek to explain what I expect from you as a result. And it is not permission, nor forgiveness. May I continue? May I tell you exactly what I envision for our future?”

  Miss Caulfield’s eyes were made of ice when she moved her head in a painfully slow nod, allowing him to continue.

  “Miss Caulfield, I shall make no demands of love on you. I expect that you shall never think of me as a woman might a husband in such a sense, but I do anticipate that we shall live in good harmony.

  “I should like for us, in the very least, to become friends. It is possible that such a thing simply will not occur, but it remains my hope,” he said with a smile he hoped might pass for charming.

  “I could accept a friendship,” Miss Caulfield replied with the same cold stoicism.

  “I am relieved to hear that,” the duke replied. “And I do expect simple, wifely duties. I should like for you to be the woman of the house, a woman who truly takes pride in our home and indulges society.”

  “Your Grace, I fear you have the last part confused. It is society which shall never indulge me,” she reminded him.

  “That will change. I can assure you of that. Miss Caulfield, this match is clearly of financial benefit to your family. I mean that with no offense, but we can see evidently why they should be glad to marry their daughter to me.

  “But what it seems society is not understanding is that I, too, shall be benefitted. I am in need of a wife. And I seek a good wife. One who is diligent and hard-working, strong and beautiful. You are very much the sort of woman I deem to be of value,” the duke expressed.

  Miss Caulfield scoffed.

  “Of value? Your Grace, just as you seek my forgiveness and submission to your whims, you insult me, declaring me of sufficient value for your purposes. What is it that you are truly wishing to say to me? I cannot help but wonder if your tongue has gotten lost on its way,” she scolded.

  The Duke of Sandon was unused to being upbraided, particularly from young women like Miss Caulfield, but he knew that she was right. He was struggling with every word he attempted to say. And perhaps he still could not overcome the idea that she was something to be traded for the good of others.

  The duke recognized then how very insulting his words truly were.

  “Well, Miss Caulfield, I suppose now would be the time for me to ask your forgiveness. I simply meant to say that I find myself to also be benefitted by this marriage. If that is also to your offense, then I shall waste no more of your time this evening,” he declared.

  “Your Grace, as we are to be married soon, I shall say thank you and goodnight. Perhaps within marriage we shall learn more of one another, but this evening has been tiresome, and I sense that you were not prepared for me to speak my feelings so openly. I wish you a fine evening, Your Grace,” Miss Caulfield said, rushing away from him.

  The duke stood, watching her go. He had ruined what he attempted to say. He also felt as though Miss Caulfield was an entirely unreasonable young woman, determined to destroy even the smallest opportunity for a positive future.

  He could not understand why she was so set on being miserable and rejecting even the possibility that they might appreciate one another someday as friends. Was it pride? Hatred of him? Or perhaps she was in love with someone else.

  Indeed, that had to be it. The duke realized that no young woman would want to marry a man if she had already discovered love elsewhere. Her parents had chosen for her to marry him instead, of course, seeing as how he was wealthy and highly connected.

  A man of nobility made a better husband than any that a woman of her station could find elsewhere. Therefore, it made utter sense that her parents would enforce her marriage to a duke over a man from the town.

  A new wave of guilt crashed over the duke. Not only had he forced her into a marriage she did not want, he had inadvertently taken her from another.

  And it was too late now. They were betrothed. They would marry in about a week’s time whether there was another man or not. The commitment would proceed.

  Would Miss Caulfield ever be the sort to pursue her other love despite the marriage to the duke? He could not imagine such a thing from her, but it was of concern. He did not know her values. He knew her not at all. Would it be possible for her to run off with another if he were not around?

  The Duke of Sandon found Mr. Caulfield again and joined some of the men for a bit of brandy. It was not the sort that the duke was used to drinking and wondered if, in towns like this, brandy was a generic name for any home brew, but he drank it nonetheless.

  When the evening began to wind down and the dancers were returning to their homes, he saw Miss Caulfield a final time, walking with her sisters and another young woman with curly blonde hair. The four young women seemed to have so much in their lives.

  Despite living as paupers, despite not owning more than a handful of old dresses, they were happy, joyful even. And he would be taking Miss Caulfield away from this.

  Would he be able to provide for her well enough that she felt satisfied? Would she manage to forget all these things she had left behind? It would not be likely. But he would make every effort.

  “Your Grace, we were so glad you could join us this evening,” Mr. Caulfield said, taking the duke’s hand.

  “And I as well, Mr. Caulfield. Thank you for insisting upon my coming. It was a most…enlightening and joyous evening,” he replied honestly.

  “I am honored that you thought so,” Mr. Caulfield said with a grin.

  “And I do look forward to our meeting again in a week’s time,” the duke said, referring to the wedding that would take place so soon. This part was not so honest, as the duke was growing to rather dread the fact that he would be marrying a woman so vehemently opposed to him.

  But it was the polite thing to say and he knew that he must say it. Besides, whether
Miss Caulfield wished it or not, he would prove himself to be an excellent man and husband. She would likely only hate him more for it, but he was as determined as she was.

  She might have too much pride to accept that the duke was a good man, but he had too much pride to not show it. Very soon, Miss Caulfield would be taken aback by his efforts.

  While he had no need to woo her romantically, he had every desire to woo her into thinking well of him, speaking well of him, and being proud of the match that he and her father had constructed.

  The duke entered his coach and felt every bump on the journey back to his estate. He felt the workings of the alcohol, the strength of that one small glass, as it flowed through his veins, making him even more desirous of what the future might hold.