Chapter 1
I have seen the Duke of Ashden, and he is a proud and handsome man. I do not approve of his aloof manner. However, I have no choice but to seek him out — Anna’s journal entry.
Anna wiped her eyes with her sleeve and pulled her drenched black wool cloak tighter about her body, the pain in her side growing worse. She trudged forward, praying she was on the right path, and that she would find the manor before this downpour defeated her.
She had done what no respectable lady should do, every bone in her body was chilled, and she was on the verge of shedding the tears she promised she would never allow to fall. The sky flashed and thunder clapped in the distance, sending a quiver through her, but Anna continued up the steep winding road because her will to be freed was greater than her fear of a storm and whatever malady it might bring her.
Dawnton Hall appeared when she reached the highest point of the road, and the relief that expanded her chest nearly had her falling onto her knees. Her boots squelched the mud harder as her steps quickened, using the last of her strength to find solace.
Lightning flashed again, illuminating the magnificent monument before her but she was blind to all beauty at this time. Staggering to the massive wooden door, she raised a stiff gloved hand and pulled the brass knocker, then she leaned on the doorframe, shivering. At that same moment, a clock within the manor chimed, announcing the midnight hour.
For what felt like a long while, no one answered, and she was pushing herself upright to knock again when she heard the sound of a key turning in a lock. The door opened very slightly at first, amber light from within streaming out, then it widened and the butler appeared, distinguished by his livery.
“I have t-to see t-the Duke,” she said, her teeth chattering.
He took in her appearance as though he was determining her rank before he responded. “His Grace has retired for the evening, Ma’am. Please return in the morning.” Then he began to close the door.
Angered by the cold dismissal, she wedged her arm between the door and the frame. “I am Annelise Hampton. Daughter of B-baron Hampton, and I have walked f-for four hours in the rain!” She hated having to use her father’s name to gain influence but more would be at stake if she was not allowed inside.
The butler’s neat eyebrows furrowed as he hesitated, but then he gave a slight nod and opened the door wider, stepping away from it. “Please, come inside, Ma’am.” Anna stepped into a great hall, turning left to follow the butler into a receiving room while trailing mud. He set the candelabra on a table to light the small room.
“I will have some tea brought to help you warm, Ma’am. Please be seated.”
“And t-the Duke?” She glanced at the fine chairs in the room and decided that she had no wish to ruin them.
“His Grace has very strict orders. He is never to be disturbed once he has retired.”
Anna bit her lip and briefly closed her eyes.At least I am inside,she thought, but she could not be content with that. “I…I will assume all responsibility for the disturbance. Please w-wake him.”
“Ma’am—"
“You will be saving a life if you do!” she insisted.
Just then, footfalls sounded in the great hall, and her shoulders tensed as she hoped that it was the Duke. She ground her teeth when a man who was not the Duke appeared in the doorway. The butler whispered something to him before he took a step forward and addressed her.
“Mr. Bishop at your service, Ma’am. I am His Grace’s valet, and I can confirm that he will not be able to receive you at this time.”
Anna turned and carefully lowered herself into a chair, looking straight ahead instead of at them. “Then I will wait here until he is able to receive me,” she said.
Mr. Bishop and the butler exchanged some words before he said, “Please come to the drawing-room where there is a fire to warm you, Ma’am.”
It was no promise that she would see the Duke but it was a step in a good direction, and Anna was glad. Rising, she followed him out to the great hall and further into an exquisitely furnished drawing-room. Its warmth shrouded her, and for the first time in a very long while, she felt as though she could be safe.
The fire in the hearth beckoned, and she went to it, removing her sodden gloves and cloak. He bowed and left her alone. Holding her frozen fingers toward the warmth, she clenched her jaw and held herself together with considerable effort. She was close. Very.
A moment later, a maid walked in bearing a salver that she set on the table a short distance from where Anna stood. Then she curtsied and gestured at the drenched cloak on the floor. “May I take your cloak, Ma’am?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Anna moved to sit in the chair closest to the table and reached for the teapot, pouring some of the aromatic tea into a cup. Instead of remaining seated, she stood and returned to the fire, the large portrait of a woman that hung above the mantle catching her attention.
She was beautiful with soft blue eyes and lustrous chestnut hair. Anna supposed she was the late duchess, especially because of where the portrait was placed. Moving slowly away from the fireplace, she saw the duke on the other end of the room. His portrait, that is.
She walked and stopped in front of it, swallowing. His blue eyes regarded her coolly, and his strong mouth was pressed into an unamused line. He had dark blonde hair, and the artist had managed to capture the blue-deviled mien he always seemed to wear.
Anna had only seen him twice at a ball, but he had awed her on both occasions, not because he was impossibly handsome, but because of the authority he commanded. That authority was the reason she was here tonight, seeking sanctuary.
Please, she prayed as she gazed up at him, hoping that she had done right in coming here and that he would be able to help her.
Chapter 2
