“If you will excuse me,” the Duchess said in a tight voice, her hazel eyes blazing. “I think I hear something precious shattering thanks to the clumsiness of your… brutes.”
Without another word and with no reply to his suggestion, the beautiful woman turned on her heel and hurried away from Jeremy.
She couldn’t have known that he would enjoy her rear view just as much as her front, his gaze admiring the sway of her shapely hips and the way her walk made her dress move, accentuating a narrow waist and a perfect hourglass figure. She hitched her skirts to run away from him, revealing a glimpse of her ankle and a delicate stocking, igniting a desire to see more and to look higher.
But it was the nape of her neck that held his attention. There was something about that spot, that exposed skin, that never failed to provoke him. In truth, it filled him with an urge tobite, though he had never understood why… and her neck was particularly inviting.
Aye, she’d knee ye in yer nethers if ye even tried.A smirk graced his lips, though it soon became a frown as he watched her disappear into the manor.
He hadn’t expected the duchess to cause so much trouble. Last night, he had gone through the thick dossier of documents the solicitor had given him, searching for any mention of a dowager house. He figured that would be the simplest solution for everyone, only to find out that what had been the dowager house had been destroyed in a fire about thirty years earlier, and no one had bothered to rebuild it.
Nay matter. She’ll be gone soon enough.She was exquisite; she clearly knew how to run a household, had more than enough spirit to excite a man, and a figure and charisma that would make any man want to be close to her; it would not be difficult to find her a suitable replacement in marriage.
He didn’t know how old she was, but she didn’t look older than twenty to him and had no children, which many gentlemen would consider fortuitous. Few men wanted to raise another man’s progeny, even if it boded well regarding a woman’s fertility.
Aye, the lass will be another man’s problem once I have secured her a match.The thought prickled at the back of his mind, as he imagined some other man’s hands on the dramatic curve of her waist, some other man’s lips on the nape of her neck, some otherman’s clumsy fingertips unbuttoning her dress. His strange irritation was interrupted by one of his household’s maids, a valise in each hand.
“Yer Grace,” she said politely, her head bowed. “Where should I take yer personal belongings?”
He cast her a hard look. “What sort of question is that?” He shook his head, realizing he shouldn’t take his annoyance out on her. “The Duke’s chambers. If ye can’t find them, ask someone.”
“Of course, Yer Grace,” the maid mumbled in reply. “And… um… what about Her Ladyship and Miss Sophie’s things?”
Jeremy looked up at the manor, a stunning building made of rich golden sandstone, three stories tall with a flat roof adorned with sculptures that only a keen eye could see in detail. A needless, overt display of wealth, but beautiful nonetheless. It was a grand house, larger than the castle, with multitudes of rooms.
I wonder which one belongs to the Duchess.Although he intended to ensure she was safe and away from his home as soon as possible, he didn’t want to cause her additional distress by accidentally moving his sister-in-law into her bedchamber.
“Ask someone about a nursery for Sophie,” Jeremy replied. “There must be a suitable room in there somewhere. As for my sister-in-law, take her things to the largest guest chamber, one close to wherever the nursery might be.”
Beatrice and Sophie were due to arrive at the end of the week, the former having decided to spend a while at her mother’s house, until everything was more settled at Stonebridge. And though he dearly loved his niece, there was part of Jeremy that wished that Beatrice would just stay at her mother’s residence, for he couldn’t bear the reminder of their recent, shared grief.
Hecould manage well enough, keeping his sorrow in a locked box inside him, but Beatrice was not so silent about her grief. And Sophie, still too young to fully understand, kept asking for her Papa. Every time she did, it jiggled the lock on Jeremy’s emotions, prying at the hinges.
The maid dipped her head. “Very good, Yer Grace.”
As she shambled away, he didn’t stare like he had with Anna. The maid didn’t catch his eye at all, even though she was a pretty sort of lass. He knew several men among his staff kept an eye on her, but none would dare to pursue any woman working for him without a lass’s explicit permission. If any tried, they would lose their employment… and a hand.
A week until everyone is here,he mused.That ought to be more than enough time for me to tame the lady of the house.
Wrapped in a blanket against the night’s chill, Anna crept along the manor’s hallways, oblivious to the fact that summer was fast approaching. She strained to catch any hint of life; it wouldhardly suit her defiant image if one of the newcomers were to see the Duchess sneaking through her own corridors.
I wonder if this manor has ever been so full. Shehad tucked herself away in the lake house all day, away from the chaos, too overwhelmed by two households trying to cram together. But she thought of her beloved staff now, imaginingtheirdisgruntlement at suddenly having to share space in the servants’ quarters.
“How bad is it?” Anna whispered to Katherine, who had joined her in the lake house for most of the day. The maid was wary of strangers, anxious around too many people, and for good reason.
Katherine shrugged. “Not too bad, Your Grace. There weren’t so many of us to begin with, and the servants’ quarters were built with more staff in mind. The maids are complaining that it’s noisier, but no one has had to give up their room as of yet.” She paused. “As long as no more servants arrive, all should be well.”
Anna nodded. “And everyone is being cordial?”
“There’s something of a… language difficulty, but otherwise everyone is getting along well enough,” Katherine replied. “I think His Grace’s staff are just glad to have somewhere to stay, but the true test will come tomorrow, when everyone is trying to do their work at the same time.”
Anna had instructed her servants to be kind to the newcomers, although it had pained her to concede ground to Jeremy.However, it was not in her nature to punish others for one person’s actions, and it was not as if she had much choice in the matter. The only thing she could do was show kindness to those who had lost their home, even though she still did not know how their home had been lost.
“Shall I fetch your tea up to you?” Katherine asked as they reached the main staircase.
Anna nodded. “If enough people are awake, do you think I might have a bath drawn? Only if it is not an imposition. I feel I need to soak in hot water to wash away the insult of all of this.”
“Certainly, Your Grace,” Katherine said with a smile.
