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

by Abby Ayles

  “Well, you are both strong. You will survive this struggle, I’m sure of it,” he replied nonchalantly.

  “I do hope so, father. But as you are moving, I thought I might ask what your intentions are with our family home?” Thea inquired.

  “Our family home? Why I’m going to sell it, of course. For half again as much as I paid for it. We’ve made it lovely enough and if you put a value on something, people will be willing to pay,” he said as if educating her.

  Thea was surprised by this response, but tried to overcome it.

  “Alright then father. But would you consider holding off for a time? The truth it, the Duke and I might need a place to settle for a short while. It is not certain, but it is a possibility. And if we find ourselves in need of a place, I thought that perhaps we might be allowed to stay here?” she asked.

  “Stay here?” her father scoffed. “And how much do you intend to pay me in rent?”

  “In rent?” Thea asked, taken aback that her father would suggest it. “I thought that if it were only for a few months while my husband works to regain his finances, you might allow us to stay without rent. As you have now come into such abundance.”

  Mr. Caulfield looked at his daughter as if she had gone mad.

  “Thea, dear. Do you really expect this? Is it right for you to even ask it of me? Your husband is a man of enormous wealth. His brief loss will be quickly remade and it’s hardly right for you to ask your newly rich father for help when he ought to have made better decisions for himself,” Mr. Caulfield lectured.

  “But you do not know how he has used his money so generously, father,” Thea implored.

  “And that is none of my business. My business is to ensure that trade is thriving and my customers are satisfied. Your husband’s decisions are his own and he must accept them, for better or worse. Don’t be so foolish as to think that you can simply ask me for money, Thea,” he scolded.

  Thea was utterly downcast. She had not anticipated this from her father at all. She had expected that he would treat them generously. That he would be glad to help. But instead, his greed seemed to have grown more powerful than Thea ever would have thought.

  “You have to understand, I cannot help you,” Mr. Caulfield reiterated.

  Thea nodded, accepting that this was her father’s decision. She could not argue with him about it. After all, it was his money and it was new to him. Her husband was known for his wealth and there was little reason for anyone to pity him in his current circumstances.

  But Thea still found it difficult to accept that her father was being so cold. She could not understand why he found it so easy to simply push away her need. True, he did not know the Duke’s generosity or intentions, but he knew that his daughter was making a request and it ought to have been enough to move him. Or so she had mistakenly thought.

  He was becoming so utterly cold-hearted in his wealth. She understood his reasonings for refusing. It was true that the Duke had had an opportunity to save money. And her father was so new to it that he was not yet willing to let go. But she still thought he was being unreasonable.

  “Well, father, thank you for your time,” she said, standing to leave.

  “You are just going like that?” Mr. Caulfield asked.

  “It seems to me that you are rather busy. I find your mind is growing more and more towards your business with every passing day,” she observed.

  “That is how a man ought to be,” Mr. Caulfield said. “Perhaps your husband could learn a thing or two about it.”

  Thea bristled.

  How could her father speak about the Duke this way? He had been the very man who helped him to get involved with the entire industry. He had been the one who opened the doors for her father when he was just a simple merchant without much ability.

  “You have changed, Father,” she stated coldly. “And while you view yourself as a man of great wealth and authority now, I pity you for what you have lost. How could you say these things that you do?

  “How is it that you can so cruelly treat my husband that you forced me to marry for your own gain? And now that you have benefitted you show nothing but spite. Such ingratitude is not what I know of my father. I have never seen you behave in such a despicable way. I am sorry for you. I am sorry for how little you value the man you once were,” she said, needing the release from all she had held back.

  Mr. Caulfield stared at her, his eyes red with emotion and denial.

  “You would speak to your father like this?” he demanded.

  “You are no longer the man I once called father. I think I must leave you now. Have a wonderful day and enjoy your work,” Thea said, quickly making her way to the door.

  “You don’t have to be in such a hurry,” Mr. Caulfield said accusingly.

  “Indeed, I must return to my home. My husband and I have a great deal to discuss. But I thank you for so diligently listening to my proposal,” Thea said, knowing the biting sarcasm was not lost on the man she had grown to so detest.

  Mr. Caulfield was quiet as he watched her depart. She hugged her mother and Georgette, but said little else to them. They had said all that needed to be said during the uncomfortable lunch that had occurred before.

  Leaving defeated, Thea wondered what the next step might be for herself and the Duke of Sandon. Was moving in with his mother really their only option? And how would they be viewed by society? That part meant very little to her, but to the Duke it would be entirely new and difficult.

  They had not been involved in London’s season so much as they had been entirely busy elsewhere but that had been enough to arouse suspicion. Thea knew that many prominent people wondered why the Duke had been hiding away his new bride. But now that his misfortunes were well known, there was little hope that they would not be gossiped about.

  Thea left her family home without the hope she typically felt around her father. He had not been comforting. He had not been the father she had loved for so long. He was now a proud, arrogant man.

  The transformation was extreme. Initially, his fortunes had been a small amount. But now they had grown and Thea knew that her family was able to grow their place in society.

  Georgette would have far better prospects for marriage and it was quite possible that even Delia might have such an opportunity. Their brothers could be sent to a better school. They could attend university and become whatever men of society they wished to be.

  And while Thea was grateful for this, was overjoyed that they had these grand new prospects, she missed her old life. She missed her family as it had been.

  But at that point, her only option was to return to her estate and wait for her husband. He would have a better idea of how they might proceed. And what was more, Thea had come to trust him. It had not been an intentional decision, but time had a way of showing her who he truly was.

  She was in the coach and looking out the window, amazed by all of the beauty outside that she passed by. Thea wondered at the joys of nature. She wanted to get out and walk, but knew that it was unreasonably far from her family’s home to the estate.

  The Duke had told her how difficult their new circumstance was, and yet, Thea felt that she still had not entirely grasped it. She was still able to travel about and see her family. They still had exquisite dinners every evening and a thoroughly prepared breakfast and lunch throughout the day.

  They had not had to let any of the estate staff go and were still able to keep things going quite nicely.

  But it seemed as though this could vanish from them at any moment. Thea trusted that the Duke knew exactly what was to come and he would handle all of it. So she might as well relax and be at peace until then.

  When the coach pulled up to the estate, Thea was urgent in going inside to see if the Duke had arrived home. She found him in the library, relaxing and reading a book that she had as yet to begin.

  It was a lovely sight, her husband leaning back in the chair, a hand propping up his cheek. His eyes lifted from the page to
her face and a smile widened across it.

  “Mr. Tyndale,” she greeted with a curtsey.

  “Mrs. Tyndale,” he replied with a bow of his head.

  And with those brief words, Thea was comfortable enough to sit beside him and grab a book of her own to read.

  Chapter 36

  The Duke of Sandon looked up from his book. His wife had been home for nearly half an hour according to the clock on the wall. Still, they hadn’t spoken. They had simply enjoyed one another’s presence as they read their books.

  “How was your day?” he asked, knowing that a conversation needed to be had.

  His wife looked up at him, slightly startled by his voice when she had been so devoted to the work before her eyes.

  “Forgive me, I did not mean to frighten you,” he said.

  “Oh, no, it’s nothing. Sorry. You know how I can get when I am reading,” she told him with a laugh.

  “Indeed. I quite enjoy that about you,” he said.

  She smiled shyly, but waited for him to continue.

  “How was your day?” he asked again.

  Thea’s smile faltered a little. “It was…not quite what I had expected, to be honest,” she confessed.

  “Oh? Were you not planning to see your family?” the Duke inquired.

  “Yes, I did. And perhaps that was the part that was so different for me. You see, my family is no longer the same as they once were,” she said bitterly.

  The Duke nodded, understanding a little, although he had not heard the full extent of it yet.

  “My father has changed, Mr. Tyndale. He is not the same kind, humble, honorable man that he once was. I never imagined such a change to overtake him as this,” she said with a heavy sigh.

  “It can be rather difficult,” the Duke replied. “When a man finds wealth for the first time in his life, it consumes him. I have seen it time and again. I had hoped it would not happen to your father. He was such a good man that it is a great shame for him to be so overtaken.”

  “Indeed. And I do fear that he has been. I hardly recognize the man that he is now. I mean…” she paused and the Duke sensed that she was hesitant to say what she needed to.

  “I understand that perhaps this was not what you would have wanted,” she continued. “But I did ask my father about the possibility of us living in their home for a short time once they have moved to the new one.”

  She clenched her lips at the confession, waiting for the Duke’s response. He eyed her, uncomfortable that she should have done that, but also understanding it.

  “I am sorry if that angers you,” Thea blurted out, immediately returning to her close-lipped expression.

  “It-it does not…anger me,” he began with difficulty. “I appreciate that you have chosen to try as you might to see us in a better state. I am thankful for that even,” the Duke said.

  “But I’ve disappointed you…” she pressed.

  “I am only confused, that is all. Why would you believe that you must do this? Have I frightened you so with our current situation that you believed we must live off the charity of your family?” he asked.

  “If I have made you feel thus insecure, Mrs. Tyndale, then I have done a very grave thing indeed. My duty as a husband is to provide for my wife and that is my goal. More than any other,” he added passionately.

  His wife nodded, barely glancing him in the eye.

  “I mean it, truly,” he said. “I wish only for you to know that I will make every effort I am able to ensure that you have a good life with me here. I will provide for us. I will do what is necessary to get us back on our feet in a place where you need not worry about these things.”

  Thea smiled in satisfaction at his words. He did not know if she believed him or not, but he needed her to understand that he was going to do all he could to be what she needed.

  And yet, he had poor news for her as well. He had much from that day which would cause Thea grave disappointment.

  “What is it?” she asked, observing his expression.

  “Well, my dear,” he began. “While all that I have said is true, it does not change that I have had word today about my accounts.”

  Thea watched him, curious what he might have to say on the matter.

  “I do not believe that we will be able to afford this life for a great deal longer. You know, it is not exactly one of frugality. And we will not be able to continue indulging as much as I have enjoyed and as much as I have come to enjoy indulging you as my wife,” he confessed.

  His wife was quiet for a moment, taking in the news. She turned to him and asked with curious eyes, “How, then, might I help?"

  The Duke felt the corners of his mouth lift in relief that she cared so much.

  “How might you help?” he asked.

  “Indeed. I cannot allow you to suffer this alone. What would you have me do to enable you the freedom you need to get back on your feet?” she asked, offering him whatever he might need.

  “My dear, you are a duchess. The very presence of my wife is more than enough for her to be doing,” he said, taking her hand in his again.

  “But you know I could work. I am quite capable of tha-”

  The Duke let out a bellow of laughter.

  “Forgive me, my dear. It is not you that I am laughing at. I know well that you are a hard worker and are capable of a great many things. But rather I am laughing at the notion of a duchess working and what society might say in reply. Mrs. Tyndale, you can do no such thing,” he told her with a jovial air.

  He sensed that his wife was embarrassed, which had not been his intention. He now felt quite sorry for having laughed so much. But the image in his mind of Thea wearing one of his mother’s dresses, jewels around her neck and ears, while scrubbing the floor of some Earl’s estate was too great to contain.

  “I truly am sorry if you thought I was laughing at you,” he said, trying to regain his composure.

  “I understand,” she replied quietly, trying to hold her head higher. The Duke of Sandon knew he had wounded her pride.

  “I must tell you that if I thought society would accept it, I would love nothing more than to see you doing things which you loved and receiving a profit for them. But you know that we do not have such luxuries as that,” he explained.

  “Yes, I am quite aware,” Thea replied.

  He looked at her again and saw that she was still red-cheeked. He had not meant to embarrass her, but he trusted she would understand with time.

  “My dear, it is I who must provide for you. And I shall. You have my promise. I will do whatever is necessary. Truly, I believe this set back will be only for a short time,” he said.

  “But a set back for a short time can be quite devastating. Think about it, Mr. Tyndale. It is not merely you and I having to move from this estate that worries my mind. It is the staff who will be out of a job should the next tenant have others in mind for employment.

  “It is the children who will not benefit from the school you so desired to build. It is the chef who makes your dinner and the man who drives your coach. It is your mother. So, Mr. Tyndale, a short time can create a very bad thing,” she explained.

  The Duke was sobered by this thought. His wife was right. There was much more to this than just the things he had been thinking.

  He was quiet for a moment, sighing and considering it all. How would he manage to do all the things he had hoped to accomplish? How would he be able to succeed?

  “Mr. Tyndale, husband,” she said, standing from her chair and moving to sit on the arm of his This new closeness warmed his chest. “You must know that I do not mind if we are no longer of wealth. I do not mind if we are unable to continue living this life that we live now. I am not bothered by any of that.”

  The Duke was looking up at her and holding her eyes in his own. The honesty and conviction with which she spoke was magnificent to him.

  “I shall stay by your side through all of this,” she promised. “No matter what is to come. I am with you. I am
your wife and nothing is going to change that. Not our circumstances or any other person. I am with you, beside you. Always.”

  The commitment was unexpected and one that the Duke hadn’t even considered. In many ways he felt humbled by it, but more than anything, it led him to such a deep affection as he had never anticipated between them. He wondered what would lead her to such a conclusion and promise as this. He wondered what would make a woman like her stay beside him despite all his losses.