A Nightingale for the Lonely Duke, page 11
‘It is quite beautiful, Miss Goodwin. We have a vast estate than runs for across much land. I always enjoyed riding whenever I was home.’
‘Do the rest of your family prefer York to London, my lord?’
‘My mother would indeed prefer London, however, I must admit, that I persuaded her to stay in York to give me a little time to educate Lady Tomlinson without her present. I doubt my argument will hold the Dowager back for long though, for of course, she is eager to see Lady Tomlinson finds herself a suitable husband. In fact, I have a suspicion that she will find a way to be here for the ball that I am organising shortly.’
‘A suspicion, my lord?’ Miss Goodwin smiled.
‘Well, it is hardly a suspicion,’ he confessed. ‘We are obviously in touch by letter.’
‘I am certain she will be proud of all you have achieved with Lady Tomlinson, so far.’
‘And yet, it is not I, who have achieved it, Miss Goodwin. I have you to thank for that. I do not know how you have such patience, for I do believe I would throw up my hands in despair.’
Miss Goodwin smiled widely at his gesticulating. ‘It is truly not that difficult, but I think it is different when one is coming from an objective position. Lady Tomlinson is not my sister, and if she were, perhaps, I would feel the same.’
‘Well, there are probably not even words to express my gratitude to you, Miss Goodwin. You are clearly a well-educated young lady and with your own impeccable manners, have shown Lady Tomlinson by example, how one is expected to behave. Clearly, your musical talents have also delighted my sister, and I cannot deny that your voice is unlike anything I have ever heard.’
Miss Goodwin suddenly blushed and Frederick immediately felt as though he had taken a step too far. ‘I do apologise, Miss Goodwin, I did not mean to embarrass you.’
‘Please, do not apologise, my lord. It is I who am grateful to you forgiving me this opportunity, for you do not know how much you have assisted myself and my family in our time of need.’
The blush seemed to fall away from her face, and a sadness replaced it. Clearly, those words brought back to her, her own dreadful experiences and by her expression of despair, her thoughts had now turned to memories that brought her woe. It saddened him to think of what she had experienced, yet he did not wish to see her so sad, nor for her to dwell upon her experiences. Perhaps, if he talked of something that she loved, it would distract her and bring the smile back to her soft and beautiful, face.
‘May I ask, Miss Goodwin, have you performed before? It is only that your voice is rather a wonderful talent and surely, it would bring much joy to other’s if they were to hear it.’
The blush quickly returned, yet Frederick did not apologise this time. It gave him a strange feeling deep down in his gut when he noticed how his compliments affected her, and he could not deny, that he gained some pleasure from her reaction.
‘I have not performed, my lord, for the opportunity has not yet arisen. I have however, attended performances, for I must confess my love of the opera. I went with my family when I was much younger and yet, the chance has not happened to come to me since. It would be a dream to be able to attend another opera, for their voices are so powerful, it feels as though you are being lifted right off your seat,’ she gushed enthusiastically.
‘Then you have just given me a rather superb idea, Miss Goodwin. Perhaps we can organise a trip to the opera, for it would be another rather fitting social experience for Lady Tomlinson. Do you think it would be suitable?’
‘I think it would be a very satisfactory experience for her, my lord,’ Miss Goodwin replied with an expression of delight.
‘I wonder, do you know any aria’s yourself, Miss Goodwin? It may be beneficial for you to perform such for Lady Tomlinson, so she will get a taste of what is to come.’
‘I do know several arias, my lord, though my favourite is one from Lucrezia Borgia.’
‘Ah, yes, I have heard of it. Would I be imposing if I asked you to sing it for me, Miss Goodwin?’
At first, she looked a little hesitant, yet it lasted only a second, before she smiled and nodded her agreement.
‘Of course, my lord.’
Lifting herself up to stand a little straighter, Miss Goodwin took in a deep breath and began the aria. He was already aware of the exquisiteness of her voice, but what took him by complete surprise as the words left her mouth, was that she sang the aria in Italian, exactly as it would be as the opera. Frederick had not been aware that she knew other languages, but then of course, he immediately thought back to the disclosure from Mr Guzman.
Whilst he had not mentioned the location of the regime that he had alluded to, there were not many at that time to choose from. As an aristocrat, it was likely she originated from France and yet, she did not have any accent. That could still be explained though, for perhaps either her mother or father may have been from England, or perhaps, her education had been given by and English tutor.
Frederick was soon distracted from his thoughts as he allowed the purity of her voice to wash over him, and he allowed himself to bathe in awe at her talent. Her voice reached notes that he had not heard outside of the theatre, and he could hardly believe that she had not been enrolled or snapped up by a company by now. He was losing himself in the feeling as it washed over him, when suddenly, the drawing room door opened.
Mr Stanley walked into the room, and waited for a second, though, it was clear for his reason for being there, for Harvey stepped into the room behind him. The first thing Frederick noted was the accusatory look that Harvey gave, as his eyes first looked over to Miss Goodwin, before he brought his glare to himself.
Clearly, Miss Goodwin noted, either by the tension that suddenly seemed to fill the room or realising the look that Harvey threw at the two of them, for she suddenly stopped singing in the middle of the aria.
‘Lord Richardson to see you, my lord,’ Mr Stanley eventually said, before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Harvey had already walked into the room without the announcement, yet Mr Stanley had felt the need to do what was expected of him.
‘Good day, my lord,’ Harvey said tightly. ‘I am surprised to find you in here, alone with Miss Goodwin. Where is Lady Tomlinson?’
Frederick suddenly felt an anger rise within him, given the accusatory tone of Harvey’s question. It was meant as a snide comment, yet he was hardly hiding his meaning. Who did he think he was, coming into his own home and accusing him of impropriety?
‘We were actually just waiting on Lady Tomlinson to return, Lord Richardson,’ Fredrick replied with a coldness to his tone. ‘I was not expecting to see you today, Lord Richardson, but perhaps now you are here, we can retire to my study.’
‘Yes, I think that might be a good idea, my lord.’ Harvey replied, turning and moving toward the door.
‘Thank you, Miss Goodwin. If I see Lady Tomlinson on my way to the study, I will send her directly to you.’
‘You are welcome, my lord,’ Miss Goodwin replied a little timidly. Her expression was one of concern, yet, she had little to concern herself about. She had done no wrong and neither had he. He was not about to let Harvey insinuate that anything other than two people conversing, had been going on before he had arrived.
Once in the study, Harvey settled himself into the chair that he usual sat in, whilst Frederick moved over to the drinks cabinet to pour them some refreshments.
‘I apologise for barging in on such a happy scene, Frederick,’ Harvey sneered, not sounding sorry at all.
‘I am offended at what you are attempting to imply, Harvey. I have already told you that Rebecca had left for only a moment. Miss Goodwin and I were merely passing time whilst awaiting her return. I cannot understand that you would make such an insinuation, for I have remained loyal to you and your family.’
‘In word, yes, perhaps you have, Frederick. Yet, I have to wonder, if you have been loyal in your heart.’
‘Of course, I have. When an agreement is made, it would neither be proper or right to break it. I have not done so and will not do so in the future.’
Harvey brought his glass to his lips but did not take his cold blue eyes from Frederick. He hated that he must explain himself to this man, for after all the suffering he had caused him over the years, he had no right to now judge him on his actions. Yet, whilst he had spoken of his commitment and of his loyalty, a part of him now wondered if it was himself he was lying to, as well as Harvey, for today had only deepened feelings that he ought not to have.
Chapter 13
The gown was rather beautiful with a delicate lace trimming around the neckline and sleeves. Alina had chosen an emerald green from Rebecca’s extensive collection of clearly expensive gowns, and once she tried it on, Rebecca had praised her immensely.
‘Oh, Miss Goodwin, you truly look divine. I am so pleased that you allowed Theresa to dress your hair, for she does mine every day, and she is quite adept at it,’ Rebecca gushed.
‘Yes.’ Alina smiled over at Theresa. ‘Thank you so much, Theresa, it looks quite lovely.’
‘You are welcome, Miss. I must admit, Lady Tomlinson is not wrong, for you do look quite the lady now, in all your finery.’
For a split second, a strange look was shared between Rebecca and Theresa, which entirely confused Alina. No more than a second later though, Rebecca’s smile returned and as she turned back to look at Alina, she jumped up and down on the spot in her usual excitable way.
‘I cannot wait to see what the opera is like. The way you have spoken of it, Miss Alina, it just sounds so magical.’
‘It is, my lady. Quite magical. I suppose, we ought to be making our way downstairs now, for I am certain the Duke of Griffinstead is waiting upon us.’
‘Yes, indeed, we must, for we cannot keep my brother waiting. Come, let us go.’
Theresa held the bedchamber door open for the women and Alina waited for Rebecca to lead the way. First and foremost, she was the lady of the house, and that was how things were supposed to be, yet it was not just that. Frankly, she nearly wanted to hide behind the younger woman when they descended downstairs to meet the Duke, for a sudden nervousness had come over her.
The last time she and the Duke had spent time together, was the day that Lord Richardson had arrived. It had been a rather tense moment when he had looked at the two of them as though he had caught them in some dreadful act of indiscretion in the drawing room, and she had become even more surprised that the visitor had spoken in such a way to the Duke.
Clearly, the Duke was not about to take his implication lightly and had defended their position of being alone in the room with good reason, and yet, Alina had still doubted there would be many others who would dare to speak to the Duke in such a manner.
Whilst she was well aware of their long family history, she would have at least expected Lord Richardson to treat the Duke with the respect he deserved and particularly in his own home. Perhaps there was something else between them, some ill blood or something that may have happened previously, for Alina could not imagine talking to any of her friends in such a way, and certainly not in front of an employee.
Before Lord Richardson’s arrival, of course, there had been a rather delightful atmosphere, for whilst at first, the discomfort of them being left alone was near palpable, it did not seem to take too long before they settled and spoke as two people who were more than contented with each other’s company. She had not been blind to notice either, his pleasure when she had begun to sing the aria for him, nor had she missed his slight surprise when she had sung it in its original language of Italian.
At first, she had felt a sudden self-consciousness, which she ordinarily would not have experienced, but it did not take much for her to attribute it to the fact that her feelings for the Duke were never far away from her awareness. Spending that small time together, had only enlightened her a little to the fact that he indeed, could also be light-hearted as well as disciplined and the time had allowed her to see a little bit more of his personality. At least until they were interrupted, that was.
Alina now followed Rebecca down the corridor, passing many doors of the many rooms of the manor as they went. As they approached the stairway, Rebecca took hold of her gown and was about to take her first step, when she suddenly turned around to face Alina, her face aghast.
‘Oh, Miss Alina, I am such a fool, for I have left my reticule on the dresser. Please, you go on ahead of me, I will fetch it and join you.’
Alina suddenly panicked, for she did not want to descend the stairs and have to meet the Duke alone. She was already nervous enough having to meet him dressed in such a way, with Rebecca by her side.
‘Please, my lady,’ Alina spoke quickly. ‘Let me run back and get it for you. It will only take me a moment.’
‘No, no.’ Rebecca dismissed her suggestion with a flip of her hand. ‘I do not mind. Besides, I do not know for certain, if it was the dresser that I have left it. You may take more time trying to search for it, Miss Alina. Truly, I will be quicker. Please, go downstairs and I will meet with you and my brother shortly.’
Rebecca waltzed past Alina without giving her a chance to argue further, and in another minute, had turned the corner of the corridor, heading back to her bedchamber. Alina, now left alone at the top of the stairs, was a little stunned at the thought of having to face the duke by herself. What was she to do? She did not want to keep the duke waiting, and if she remained at the top of the stairs, Rebecca would think there was something quite wrong with her if she returned to find her where she had left her.
Taking a deep breath, Alina chanted a mantra inside of her head. All will be well. All will be well. All will be well. It did not feel as though all would be well, yet she had little choice but to turn and take that first step and then keep on going until she reached the bottom. Not looking up, for fear of tripping over her gown, Alina descended the stairs, with one hand gripping the rail tightly and the other lifting her gown from underfoot.
Only when she reached the bottom of the stairs did she finally lift her gaze, and notice, with a skip of her heart, that the Duke was stood in the middle of the large entrance hall, watching her.
‘Good evening, my lord,’ Alina said a little breathlessly, bowing as she did so.
‘Good evening, Miss Goodwin. May I say, you are looking rather beautiful this evening.’
‘Thank you, my lord.’
The Duke was also looking rather handsome in a dress suit that tightly fitted to his clearly firm and strong body. Broad shoulders filled out his jacket and his perfect posture only highlighted the breadth of his chest. She could feel herself blush as she gazed upon his person, and yet could do little about it, the reddening of her cheeks was only exacerbated by the small movement at the side of his lips as he observed her.
Clearly, her blushing amused him, and given any other circumstances, she might have had some thoughts about it. Yet, at that very moment, her mind seemed to have erased itself of all the words she knew, for it appeared to be entirely blank, even inasmuch as she did not know what to say to continue the conversation.
Apparently, the Duke did and having waited a beat, proceeded once more to thank her for all her efforts.
‘I cannot express enough gratitude for all you have managed to do so far, Miss Goodwin. My sister is like a new woman, and I have you alone, to thank for that.’
‘Thank you, my lord. I too, am grateful that Lady Tomlinson is so eager to implement her lessons, for students such as those, make my work pleasurable.’
‘I could not help but notice, when you sang your aria, last week, that you sang in fluent Italian, Miss Goodwin. Were you tutored in such language?’
‘Yes, my lord. I was privileged to have a very extensive education.’
