"Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t get caught in his house that day! That might have been rather embarrassing."
Constance tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "Yes – a blessed relief."
Chapter Six
Aweek after that rather strange re-entry into society, Ezra received a note in what he presumed was the Duchess’s hand, inviting him to a dinner party at Blackthorne Castle.
His initial reaction was to refuse it, as he had done every invitation in the last five years. But he rather felt that he couldn’t go back to seeing nobody, now that he had attended a ball. People would surely find that even stranger.
And he did like the Duke of Blackthorne – and his duchess seemed very pleasant. Dinner was certainly preferable to a ball, and perhaps that intriguing Lady Constance would be there. She clearly hated him, but he had no idea why. He had discovered she was an earl’s daughter herself, so it couldn’t be a matter of disliking his rank – or thinking all earls were the same, surely. And he had barely spoken two words to her before the dance, so how on earth could he have offended her?
It was a mystery he rather wished to solve.
Soames looked rather surprised when he was instructed to accept the invitation – especially when it was noted that the stay would be overnight. Although Blackthorne Castle wasn’t too far away, the coastal roads were narrow and could be dangerous to navigate in the dark.
It was a larger castle than Gracewood, so it wasn’t as though they were short on space. He wouldn’t have to be inclose quarters with anyone for long. The Duke and Duchess had children now, and he was not overly fond of noise – but they would surely be tucked away in the nursery and not of much bother to him.
He rode over, since he hated being cooped up in a carriage, and as always, marvelled at the natural beauty of the land – the rugged coastline, the sheer cliffs, the dark grey sea stretching endlessly into the distance. For a man with little interest in society but a love of the outdoors, Blackthorne Castle was quite possibly one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.
Without meaning to, his mind went to Lady Constance, who had said she was interested in castles. Had she seen this one? He presumed so, since she was apparently an old friend of the Duchess’s.
It wasn’t just the imposing walls or the arched windows that made the place impressive – it was the view. The castle towered over a sweeping beach, with its own private access and views of the ocean from almost every window. He had stayed there as a lad with his father, and later when the old Duke had hosted house parties and shooting weekends. But then the old Duke had died, and the current one – the man they had called ‘the Beast’ – had locked himself away from the world. No one had gone in or out of Blackthorne Castle.
Not until the present Duchess, at least.
He left his horse with the groom and brushed off his coat before making his way to the grand wooden door at the entrance. The butler opened it with a bow and showed him into the parlour, where the guests were gathering.
The Duchess smiled as though she were genuinely happy to see him – and once again, he found it almost impossible not to smile back. She was like sunshine; it was quite confounding. She made one feel warm, safe, and welcome, even though Ezra rarelyfelt any of those things. He supposed that was what had tempted the Beast from his lair when he had eventually decided to rejoin the world.
"Nathaniel is just finishing something in the library, and then he’ll be joining us," she said. "I don’t know if you know his cousin, Lord Aylesbury, and his wife?"
Ezra shook his head.
"I’ve not had the pleasure," he said.
"They’re staying with us for a few weeks, so it seemed the perfect time to have a dinner. We’ve invited a few other locals: Lady Penelope – the Duchess of Dunloch, I mean – I think you probably know her, and her husband, of course. And then Lady Constance, whom you met the other night."
Ezra felt his heart constrict. That was an odd reaction – but then, he did want to find out why the woman hated him so. He couldn’t very well come out and ask it, of course; that would look absurd.
"Have you known her long?" he asked conversationally.
"We met when I first came to Northumberland, four years ago," the Duchess said. "We both happened to be staying at the inn down in the village. She has an affinity for castles, you see – spends a lot of time exploring them. So of course, Northumberland is the natural place for her to visit. She was the one who first told me about Blackthorne Castle, actually," she added with a smile, just as Nathaniel, the duke, entered the room. "And the fearful duke who lived within."
???
They were sat next to each other at dinner. Of course they were. Constance wasn't sure why she was surprised. The Duchess had clearly had a gleam in her eye when the Earl had asked her to dance.
Well, she was chasing a wild goose there. The Earl had been supremely unpleasant to her, and considering he didn't even realise an apology was owed, she couldn't see things getting better.
"What a fine table you have tonight, Emma," Lord Aylesbury, the Duke's cousin, said. "And in the middle of the Season too, when you would expect the country to be empty!"
"We're honoured to have you all," the Duchess said. "And we're pleased that you also chose to be away from London during this busy time."
"Do you like London, Lady Constance?" the Earl asked.
"I suppose," Constance said. She reached for her glass of wine before continuing. "But I prefer to be in the countryside. London does not hold the same appeal."
"I quite agree."
