To Trust a Duke

by Aston, Alexa

  “The fellow with the ginger hair and freckles? Yes, I’ve met him. He seems a good lad,” the duke said. “What about you, Arthur?”

  The boy shrugged. “It’s like Harry said. With only ten others here, it’s easy to get to know everyone. I like Drake a lot. I knew him at another school. We weren’t friends there but we are now. And Edward is probably my closest friend.”

  Gilford looked thoughtful. “I may have met him. Which one is he?”

  Ashlyn knew the duke tested Arthur, wanting to hear how Arthur described his new friend.

  “He’s very tall, Reid. The tallest boy here. Edward knows mathematics better than anyone. That’s probably why we get along because I like numbers, too.”

  “Does he have blond hair?” the duke asked.

  “No. It’s very black and he has blue eyes. He’s funny. And he knows how to fart whenever he wants.”

  She looked sternly at Arthur and he quickly apologized. Glancing at Gilford, she saw he was pleased.

  “We should head back to the house in order to give you time to wash before tea. Run ahead. We’ll meet you in the drawing room,” she ordered.

  The brothers took off. The duke touched her arm. Goosebumps sprang up on her flesh.

  “You are a miracle worker, Lady Dunwood,” Gilford marveled. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible to bring both of those boys to heel in such a short amount of time.”

  “As I mentioned, I think they were merely lacking in attention. Once they received it, they didn’t need to seek it out in ways that were harmful to themselves or others. All my boys get plenty of attention. Plus, they are kept very busy with their studies.”

  “And worn out through physical activity,” the duke said lightly with a smile. “I do remember your secret and will put it into play when they come home during their Easter break.”

  “I think it’s a lesson all parents learn. I did so with Gregory. He was a bundle of energy. You’ll learn the same once you wed and have children of your own.”

  “May I ask a little more about Edward’s background? You said his father was a local farmer.”

  “Yes. He has a younger sister. His mother passed away last year. His father works very hard. Edward takes after him and has an excellent work ethic.”

  “You mentioned you had hopes of Edward landing a scholarship at a public school.”

  “I feel he can. He’s much too bright to spend the rest of his life behind a plow. Not to belittle a plowman, but I feel Edward has more to offer the world. A scholarship is paramount, though, for him to continue his studies.”

  The duke said, “If he doesn’t earn a scholarship, I will see that he receives an education.”

  Ashlyn gasped. “But you barely know him, Your Grace.”

  “If Arthur’s made friends with Edward and doesn’t even mention his firemark, then the boy is more than intelligent. He’s got depth to him. Arthur is seeing Edward for who he is. That speaks volumes to me. I insist. Please keep it in mind.”

  “I will,” she said shakily, her throat thick with emotion. “That is a very generous offer.”

  He shrugged. “As a duke, I want to put my position to good use. Funding a worthy local boy’s education is a small gesture on my part but it would mean a great deal to Edward and his family.”

  Gilford took her arm. “Come, let’s go in to tea. I find myself famished.”

  Ashlyn walked back in a daze. They went to the drawing room and it filled quickly with pupils and tutors.

  “Tea is held shortly after the boys play their sports or ride. I find this is the time they are their hungriest. They have a light meal a few hours later to tide them over until breakfast. This is also a time we practice manners and conversation.”

  “I’m happy to participate. My manners may be a little rusty. Tea was not a daily practice on the battlefield and good, decent conversation was often lacking. Still, I’ll try my best.”

  He gave her a winning smile and her heart turned over.

  Ashlyn kept quiet for the next hour as she watched her boys interact with one another and the Duke of Gilford. He proved to be charming and attentive to each boy, drawing them and their tutors out. By the end of the hour, she’d learned things about everyone present that she hadn’t known.

  “Thank you for such a pleasant teatime,” she told everyone. “I will see you later.”

  The group filed out, shaking hands with Gilford before they left. Harry, the last one present, gave the duke a brief hug and then rushed out, a huge grin on his face.

  “You were certainly an entertaining guest,” she remarked. “Thank you for spending time getting to know each boy. They will be singing your praises. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “I do,” he said, a slow smile spreading across his handsome, tanned face. “You can return the favor and come to tea at Gillingham tomorrow. I have friends staying with me and I want them to meet you. I think you’d like them very much. And you can stay for dinner, as well.”

  Ashlyn hesitated. “I hate to be away from the boys for so long.”

  “Isn’t tomorrow Saturday? A half-day?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “We only do studies in the morning. The boys are free the remainder of the day. I like to be nearby, though, in case I’m needed.”

  “Don’t you attend dinners with others in the neighborhood sometimes?”

  “Well, yes, though I don’t socialize much,” she said nervously, not wanting to be in this man’s company.

  And yet wishing to at the same time.

  “Then it’s settled. You’ll come to tea. Stay for dinner. I won’t take no for an answer, Lady Dunwood. After all, I am a duke. No one has the audacity to tell me no.”

  “You haven’t been a duke very long,” she reminded him.

  “No, but I was a colonel. At that rank, very few people told me what to do because there weren’t that many men above me. Becoming a duke hasn’t been much of a stretch,” he teased.

  When she hesitated, he said, “You don’t have a choice, my lady. I will send my carriage for you at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon. You will be ready and you will come to Gillingham. Am I clear?”

  Ashlyn resigned herself and said, “Very clear, Your Grace. I will see you for tea tomorrow afternoon.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ashlyn went downstairs, a valise in hand. She set it by the door and found Mrs. Clayton.

  “Remember that I won’t be back until after dinner tonight. Much later because I’m sure the duke and his guests will dine later than we do here.”

  The housekeeper smiled. “Don’t you worry about a thing, my lady. Mrs. George and I will see the boys fed.”

  “Mr. Butler is in charge, as usual, of making sure that they all get to bed at a decent hour,” she added.

  The students were divided into three bedrooms, with four boys sharing a room. Three of her staff saw that each room’s occupants accomplished their set tasks—washing faces and hands, brushing teeth, and dressing for bed. Mr. Butler, who was a favorite of all, went to each room and bid the pupils goodnight, then all candles were extinguished.

  “Go and enjoy yourself, my lady,” Mrs. Clayton urged. “You don’t get out nearly enough.”

  Ashlyn returned to the foyer. She shouldn’t be this nervous. She went to dinner in the neighborhood upon occasion, which is how she’d met the former duke and duchess, and had even attended a Christmas party last year at Viscount Martin’s residence. She also saw others at church every Sunday. Never had she been as agitated as she was now.

  It was all because of Gilford. He was far too good-looking for his own good. All the physical activity from his army days had honed his body to perfection, something that she should never have noticed in the first place. It was hard not to do so, however. She’d thought once he stopped wearing his uniform that he would revert from god-like status to appearing merely mortal. Yesterday, though, he’d appeared for the first time in the perfectly tailored clothes of a gentleman of his rank. Unfortunately, h
is tailcoat had done nothing to hide his broad shoulders and his buckskin breeches, tucked into polished Hessians, only emphasized his muscular thighs and calves.

  She wished she could have refused his invitation but hadn’t wanted to seem churlish. Curiosity, too, caused her to agree because she wondered what his friends were like. Before Gilford’s sudden arrival at his father’s funeral, Ashlyn had only heard his name mentioned twice in passing, as the Marquess of Medford. He’d been gone at war so long that he was rarely spoken about in the village. Now, though, the one-time army officer was the Duke of Gilford, the most powerful man in the county.

  And the best looking, by far.

  Pinching herself, she murmured, “Stop thinking about him,” under her breath. She would get through tea today and dinner tonight. She would be polite toward him but never directly address him. She planned to occupy her time by conversing with his friends instead. If she didn’t speak to Gilford, she wouldn’t have to look at him. And if she didn’t look at him, she prayed her insides would keep from turning to jelly. Already in thinking about him, she found it hard to breathe.

  The clock in the foyer chimed three. Ashlyn retrieved her case and opened the door. She saw the ducal coach coming to a stop in perfect timing. As she started toward it, the door flew open and out bounded the Duke of Gilford.

  Bloody hell.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked sharply.

  He gave her a winning smile. The sun shone on his brown hair, lightening it somewhat. She had the urge to run her fingers through it, only causing her irritability to rise.

  “I’m coming to get you for tea,” he replied, closing the distance between them and taking the valise from her. He handed it a footman.

  “You told me you were sending your carriage,” she said petulantly.

  “And I did—with me in it. Don’t grumble so,” he said, trying to placate her.

  Knowing she sounded childish, she softened her tone. “I only meant that you shouldn’t have left your guests to fetch me. I could have ridden a few miles in a carriage by myself. In fact, I could easily have used my carriage to come to Gillingham. You didn’t need to send yours.”

  The duke took her hand and that familiar jolt rippled through her at the touch. “And deny myself the pleasure of your company? I think not.”

  Was he flirting with her?

  He helped her into the vehicle and she sank onto the luxurious cushion, a small ah escaping her lips. Much to her chagrin, he sat next to her, taking up most of the seat. Ashlyn scooted over but found he still dominated the space.

  Reaching for the door, he closed it and turned to her. “I heard that little sigh. It is a nice interior, if I must say so myself. I find I’m enjoying all of the little luxuries since I’ve returned to England. Hot water to shave with every morning. Clean, pressed clothes. Delicious meals seasoned with love and skill. And a soft pillow and feathered mattress that almost seem sinful.”

  She thought him referring to his bed was the height of ill manners, especially since they were alone. She bit her lip to keep from correcting him. He was a duke, one of the few in the realm, not some schoolboy for her to chastise. She didn’t want him to think her provoked.

  And aroused. Thinking of him naked in that bed.

  “You devoted a good number of years to His Majesty’s service,” she noted.

  “I did. So did my friends, whom you’ll soon meet.”

  “Tell me about them,” she urged, hoping that would distract her from the images in her head.

  “I met Gray and Burke on my first day at school. We were all seven years of age and away from home for the first time. We became inseparable, going to university together and then purchasing commissions as officers in the King’s Army.”

  “I know why you sold out. Why did they?”

  “Gray was the first to go. His brother and sister-in-law passed away, leaving three orphans behind. Gray went home to Gray Manor to become their guardian and see to the running of the estates for the new Earl of Crampton, who was but twelve. Unfortunately, the boy was sickly and passed away, making Gray the new earl.”

  “Where is his country estate?”

  “About eleven miles from Gillingham. He’s brought his wife, Charlotte, and their three children. The girls are his nieces and Viscount Warren, their son, is a few months shy of two years of age.”

  “And your other friend?”

  “Burke was a third son and as wild as they come. He lost an eye in the war and sold out soon after.”

  “How terrible!” Ashlyn exclaimed.

  “Burke wouldn’t think so. He returned and went to work for the War Office as a spy. That’s how he met Gemma, his wife. They’re mad for each other. Gray and Charlotte, too, are a love match. For bringing down a network of traitors within the government, the crown awarded Burke the title of Earl of Weston.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard of him but haven’t met him,” she said. “His estate is Westbrook, is it not?”

  “Yes. He’s only three miles to the west of me. All in all, it’s remarkable that the three of us wound up so close together in Kent, especially since neither Burke nor Gray ever expected to hold a title.” Gilford paused. “They’re good men and they’ve married even better women. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

  Ashlyn wondered why he would be so eager for her to meet his friends. Although she was a dowager countess, she didn’t necessarily run in the same social circles as he did. She accepted very few invitations, preferring to remain at Dunwood Academy with her boys. As a duke, he would be welcomed anywhere he went, his presence sought after to make events successful.

  The carriage began to slow and she realized they’d already arrived, an advantage to being so close to Gillingham. The duke guided her from the coach and escorted her inside, helping her remove her shawl and giving it to a footman. They went up the stairs and directly to the drawing room, where the two couples awaited them. All four rose as she and Gilford crossed the room to where they gathered around a fireplace. She noted the dowager duchess’ absence and remembered that Gilford mentioned that she’d gone to her brother’s for a visit.

  “Lady Dunwood, I’d like to introduce you to my dear friends.” He indicated the couple on his left. “This is Lord and Lady Crampton.”

  The earl had chestnut hair and startlingly blue eyes, while the countess had brown hair and vibrant green eyes. Both greeted her warmly.

  “And here are Lord and Lady Weston,” the duke continued.

  The earl wore a silk eyepatch of black over his right eye, the same color as his hair. His lone gray eye looked at her with interest. His wife had abundant auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes. She also looked to be with child.

  “I am pleased to meet you both,” Ashlyn said. “I see congratulations are due.”

  Lady Weston smiled and patted her belly. “Our first rascal will arrive sometime in June.”

  Ashlyn laughed. “And you already know it to be a rascal, whether boy or girl?”

  Lord Weston slipped an arm about his wife. “It’s a given if it’s a girl. My Gemma is very mischievous.”

  She swatted him playfully and told Ashlyn, “I would say the same about Burke. Any boy he had a hand in making will be a bit of a rogue.”

  “I’m hoping our first is a daughter,” Weston added. “I expect she’ll be a bit of a tyrant. The better to keep all of her brothers in line.”

  “If she is, she’ll learn from me how best to keep Nicholson men in their places,” the countess said.

  “You think you know how to do so?” her husband asked, his voice low and seductive.

  And then he kissed her soundly. Right there, in front of everyone.

  Ashlyn fought back the gasp and merely stared.

  Lord Crampton laughed and drew her attention away. “Those two are still practically newlyweds. They only wed last June. Wait until they’re an old married couple like us.” He pulled his wife close and gazed into her eyes. “How long, Miss Nott?”

 
“Two years and almost four months, Major,” she replied smartly.

  Then Lord Crampton kissed his wife, hard and swift. He broke the kiss and grinned shamelessly at her, like a naughty boy who’d been caught—and didn’t care in the least.

  Ashlyn felt her cheeks heating at these outrageous displays of affection. She’d never seen anyone kiss in public. She’d never even seen her own parents kiss in the privacy of their home. Kissing just wasn’t done in front of others. She was embarrassed to even be in the same room where it occurred. And yet it brought about a touch of jealousy. She’d never been close to Daniel in this way. Never really comfortable with him in the short time they’d known one another. None of the few kisses they’d shared had been infused with the bold passion that she’d just witnessed between these two couples.

  She sensed Gilford’s eyes on her. She met the duke’s gaze and he shrugged. “I told you. Both love matches. They’re quite hopeless.”

  He began laughing and the two pairs joined in. Somehow, Ashlyn felt herself swept up in their laughter. She glanced back at the duke’s friends wistfully, wishing she had friends such as these.

  Lady Weston took her hand. “I apologize for my husband’s outlandish behavior, Lady Dunwood, because he never will.”

  “And why should I?” Lord Weston asked playfully. “I’m never sorry for kissing my wife.”

  “Neither am I, Burke,” Lord Crampton chimed in. “Miss Nott has been embarrassed a time or two when I’ve done so in public but she gets over it quickly.”

  “Why do you refer to your wife as Miss Nott?” Ashlyn inquired.

  The earl gave her a devilish smile. “Because it was Miss Nott I fell madly in love with,” he said simply. “I like to think back to those days of tumbling headfirst into love with her.”

  “I was governess to his nieces, Harriet and Jane,” Lady Crampton explained. “When my father passed away, I was turned out from my own home by the new earl and had to make my way in the world.” She looked fondly at her husband. “Gray teases me about having a bit of the governess still in me.” She turned back to Ashlyn. “Reid tells us you run a local academy. I’d love to hear all about it.”