Never Disrespect a Governess, page 9
“You are so kind, Your Grace,” a lady said, then giggled.
Amelia rolled her eyes. She sounded so childish. If she ever had the attention of a gentleman, she hoped she wouldn’t be a complete fool. Though she had learned something from the simpering woman. She was in the company of a duke. But the real question was—which one?
There were not too many available dukes. Her brother’s friend, the Duke of Graystone, had recently married. The other eligible duke, that she was aware of, she hadn’t even glimpsed at the ball, and doubted she would now. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for her to be noticed. The last thing she needed was to be caught in the middle of some sort of scandal.
“I am not kind,” the duke disagreed. “I only speak the truth.” He sighed. “However, I must insist you go back inside. If your husband finds you here, he’ll want to challenge me, and I fear, that won’t end well for either of us.”
Amelia smirked. He was a rogue—like her brother. She should be disgusted, but it only intrigued her more. Amelia had to know who it was, and if the lady was departing, perhaps she could catch a glimpse of the duke. She slid behind some foliage and hid. Once the lady walked past, she would crawl back out.
“If you insist,” the lady replied in a petulant tone. “I could have given you so much...pleasure.”
Amelia nearly choked. She definitely didn’t need to witness that.
“Another time,” he replied smoothly. “When we’re less likely to be caught.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” the lady said.
Silence greeted Amelia. She didn’t know what they were doing now, and she didn’t want to either. Footsteps echoed back to her, and she slid back farther into the foliage. After several moments, she slid out and promptly fell on her face. Amelia never claimed to have grace... She rolled over and sat on her backside. She blew out a breath to push her hair out of her face.
“Are you all right?” The duke was definitely still there. His tone was laced with amusement, and Amelia hated herself. Slowly, she turned her head and met his gaze. She sucked in a breath. Heavens, she’d never seen a more handsome man... And she thanked the good lord that there was enough moonlight to appreciate him.
He had blond hair streaked with gold. It was on the long side, and a stray strand fell over his forehead. The duke reached over and tucked it behind his ear. She wished she could have done that. Amelia wanted to reach out and touch him, to see if he was real. He had the most beautiful face. High chiseled cheekbones, plump, kissable lips, and his eyes...
She narrowed her gaze... Those eyes were mesmerizing. It was too dark to get an accurate look at the color, but if she had to guess, they were the color of good Scottish whiskey. Somehow, she would have to find a way to answer him. What had he asked her before, glancing at him stupefied her? Oh, that’s right...he wanted to know if she was all right. Was she? Amelia didn’t think she’d ever think clearly again when he was near. “I...” She swallowed hard. “I think I am.”
Drat. Amelia sounded like a bigger fool than the insipid lady from his tryst.
“You don’t sound certain,” he said. The duke held out his hand to her. “Let me help you.”
She placed her hand in his and frowned. The warmth from his touch spread through her and made her entire body come to life. Was this what it was like when a person fell in love? Surely that is what she felt. There was such a thing as love as first sight, and Amelia definitely had fallen hard.
Once she was on her feet, she brushed down her skirts. “No,” she told him. “I really am all right.” She should stop talking. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed to make it worse.
His lips twitched. “I won’t keep asking then.”
“Thank you,” she blurted out. “For your concern.”
“Think nothing of it.” He winked. She nearly gasped at his audacity. But she also liked it. Was he flirting with her? “I didn’t see you, and you didn’t see me.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Even if I did, I couldn’t tell anyone anything.”
“Why not?” He seemed confused. Amelia didn’t blame him. She didn’t seem to make much sense at the moment.
“I don’t know who you are,” she explained. “How would I tell anyone about you?”
He laughed. “I am the Duke of Darling,” he told her. “But I like you so you can call me Grant.”
The duke lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “Have a wonderful night, my lady.”
Then with those words he sauntered off, leaving Amelia a puddle of mush. She couldn’t move, and her only thought was... he’s perfect. “I didn’t tell him my name,” she whispered to herself. How ever, will he find me?
But as it turned out, that didn’t matter either. The Duke of Darling was a charmer, and to her knowledge, had never tried to find her. When they crossed paths, he seemed to look right through her, and Amelia feared if she had addressed him as Grant, he’d have been offended. That night had meant everything to her, but it had been meaningless to him. Sometimes love wasn’t meant to be returned, and she had learned a valuable lesson.
Never desire a duke...at least not the Duke of Darling. He seemed incapable of love.
Chapter 1
Ten years later…
Lady Amelia Halsey was firmly on the shelf. It was time for her to accept her fate. Spinsterhood was her future and, well, her present. No gentleman had offered for her in the nine seasons she’d presented herself before the ton. She would remain unmarried, and if she had to accept the truth, she should also be honest with herself. None of them had even tempted her—save one.
The Duke of Darling...
He was the most unattainable of them all. Every debutante launched each season hoped he would take notice of her and offer marriage. He noticed them long enough to dismiss them. The duke didn’t wish to marry, and the insipid young misses were most definitely not to his liking. Sometimes Amelia wondered if he even liked himself. He presented the world with a charming facade, but did he really feel anything?
She had fallen madly in love with him a decade earlier. Amelia had been certain he would pay a call on her and court her. When he had kissed her palm...her heart had stopped for a whole second, to only restart at a rapid staccato. He was what she had been searching for. The reason for the constant balls and disappointments. Darling made it all worth it.
Until she realized their grand love was all in her head...
Then she picked up the pieces of her shattered heart and moved on. She went through the motions, but she stopped truly feeling or searching. Her search had ended, after all. The duke would never be hers, and she learned her lesson. Now it was time to do something with her life. Something that did not involve the Duke of Darling, or marriage to any man.
Teddy, the Viscountess of Carrolton, her brother’s wife, strolled into the room. She had her son, Remington by her side…his hand firmly in her grip. Remy had his mother’s golden blond hair and his father’s brown eyes. His features took after the Halsey family and his only feature from his mother was the shade of his hair. Amelia had no doubt he would easily fall into Ezra’s footsteps and be a handsome rogue one day. “There you are,” Teddy said, a little exasperated. “Your brother wishes to speak to you. He asked me to send you to his study.”
What did Ezra want? “I’ll go straightaway.” Amelia stood. Her brother rarely requested her presence. He was a wonderful brother that always supported her decisions, even if he could be overprotective at times.
“Before you go,” she said as she held out her hand. “Are you attending the masquerade at Graystone Manor tonight?”
The Duchess of Graystone was Teddy’s older sister, and the duke was one of Ezra’s oldest friends. Amelia enjoyed attending the balls or soirees the duchess held, but she was not certain she wished to attend a masquerade. She didn’t understand why the duchess held one every year. Amelia had been debating attending, but while she considered it, she still had a gown and mask made. “I don’t know.” She had to decide soon. “I’ll decide soon, I promise.”
Teddy blew out a breath and stared down at her seven-year-old son. “I am taking Remy with me. It is his governess’s day off.” She mumbled something under her breath, but Amelia couldn’t quite make out what she said. “Miss Benson needs a raise, and I plan on speaking to Ezra about it when we return. A governess isn’t paid nearly enough…” She pasted a smile on her face. “We will need to prepare for the ball then. I expect you will already be getting ready by then. You should go. It’ll be fun, and we all need some entertainment in our life.”
With those words, Teddy attempted to drag Remy out of the room. She gave up when he sat on the floor and refused to move. She leaned down, picked him up, and carried him from the sitting room. Amelia laughed. Her nephew was a stubborn little brat. Hopefully, he would grow out of that soon. Otherwise, Teddy might murder her only child.
Amelia left the sitting room and went to her brother’s study. She rapped her knuckles on the inside of the doorframe and waited for him to respond. He glanced up from some ledgers and motioned for her to come inside. She walked over to a chair near his desk and plopped down on it. Not very ladylike, but she stopped caring about such things three seasons ago.
Ezra closed the ledger and folded his hands on his desk. “We need to discuss your future.”
Her future? Amelia sat up straight and lifted a brow. “What about it?”
He sighed. “Do you wish to marry?”
She had at one point in time. Now though? Amelia shook her head. “I do not think marriage will be something I have in my life.” Not unless the Duke of Darling opened his eyes and realized they were meant for each other. Which was extremely unlikely.
“You have a considerable dowry,” he told her. “It is supposed to be used when you marry; however, I do not see why that should be its only use.”
Amelia’s interest was piqued. “What other use is there?” She had been feeling a little down earlier, and this conversation was doing wonders to brighten her mood.
“You could live with me and Teddy indefinitely,” he began. “You are always welcome here. Before I tell you what I am thinking you should know that.”
“Of course I do,” she said. Ezra would never turn her out. “And I love being here.”
He took a deep breath. “How would you feel if you had your own home? A cottage near the seaside.” Ezra held his hand up to stop her from talking. “Hear me out.”
“All right,” she said. “Go on.”
“Carrolton has several properties. One is a small cottage. It has enough space for you and one live-in servant or companion. Whichever you choose. You could live there and I’ll make your dowry available to you. The funds would be used at your discretion for whatever you might need. You would have control over your life. I’ll deed the property for your use for the entirety of your lifetime. At your death it would revert back to the estate.”
“So no more balls, soirees, or garden parties...” That sounded like a slice of heaven.
“No,” he said. “Not unless you choose to attend them. I’m sure there might be some planned around the area, and as a member of the gentry you might be invited.”
Amelia considered what Ezra had offered her. She could live in the country in peace, and never truly worry about what some member of the ton thought of her. She didn’t have to socialize at all if she didn’t wish to. “I would like that very much,” she told her brother. And she was going to attend that masquerade, after all. The Duke of Darling was sure to attend, and it would be her last night to be near him. While she was there, she might even be brave enough to speak to him, and if she could be enticing enough, perhaps steal a kiss, or something far more wicked.
“If that is what you want I’ll have my solicitor prepare the paperwork.” He smiled. “If you don’t find it to your liking, you can always return.”
She nodded. “That is good to know, but I don’t think it will be displeasing. Thank you.” She smiled at him. “For thinking of my needs.”
“I’ll always do that. You are my sister. I have to look out for you.”
“Not all brothers feel that way,” she told him.
“Then they’re fools.” He grinned. “Now go rest. Don’t you have a masquerade tonight? You’ll want to be alert for it.”
He had no idea... She had plans for the night a sister should never discuss with her brother. Amelia nodded. “That I do. Enjoy your morning.” She planned on enjoying her evening. Amelia tilted her lips upward into a sly smile, and the Duke of Darling was at the center of it all.
Grant Barrett, the Duke of Darling, strolled into his library hoping to find it empty. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was as he had hoped. His mother usually stayed at Darling Abbey, the seat for the dukedom, but Grant preferred London. His manor was large enough for the both of them, but with his mother in residence, it seemed as if the walls closed in on him. She stifled his activities, and he hated when she questioned him.
Couldn’t a man do what he wanted without his mother breathing down his neck?
Apparently not... Grant went to the sidebar and poured a snifter of brandy. He rarely drank so early in the day, but sometimes a drink was necessary. He needed the fortification if he had to converse with his mother again. She’d been a harpy for days, and Grant was close to fleeing to the country. The only reason he hadn’t yet was the yearly masquerade. He didn’t want to miss it afterward, though he might consider rusticating. It might help save his sanity.
“Darling,” his mother called out.
She never used his given name. Ever since he came into the title, she had stopped calling him Grant. He was now Darling, and the title came first. Grant might be her son, but she didn’t see him as such. He was the duke, and the duke should be respected. Unless he wasn’t doing what the dukedom needed, and then it was her right to explain to him how he was neglecting his duties.
Grant took a deep breath. “Yes, mother.”
He didn’t take titles seriously or honorifics. Grant would not refer to her as the Dowager Duchess of Darling or as Her Grace. Something she hated, but he took great pleasure thwarting her on. She breezed into the room and stopped in front of him. The icy glare she flashed him would wither a lesser man. Grant was unaffected and barely restrained from rolling his eyes.
“We need to discuss the eligible young ladies this season.” Her tone was shrillish and grated his ears.
“I disagree,” he replied dryly. “That’s the last thing we need to discuss.’
“You need to find a wife. The dukedom needs an heir.”
He didn’t want a wife. All the eligible ladies were dull, and their incessant chatter drove him mad. If Grant had to marry, he wanted to actually like his wife. He needed a woman that would stir his interests, but so far, no lady had. His mother was right, though. He needed to marry and beget an heir; however, he didn’t understand the rush. He had plenty of time.
Grant sipped his brandy. “I’ll marry when I find the right woman.”
“You don’t have that luxury. You’re not as young as you think you are.” She waved her hand at him angrily. “Your father was only five years older than you when he died. Stop wasting time. I expect you to have a fiancee by the end of this season.”
“I’m making no promises.” He downed the rest of his brandy. It burned as it went down his throat. The more and more he thought about it, time in the country sounded better. If his mother wouldn’t leave, he definitely would. He would have to go some place his mother was unlikely to look for him, though. If he wanted peace, he’d have to disappear.
“If you don’t start to actively look I’ll ensure you don’t have many choices.” She lifted her lips up into a menacing smile. “You will get married, and have a child on the way by year’s end. I’ll ensure it happens.”
“Are you going to give me pointers in the bedroom next?” That was crass, but Grant hated being threatened. If she was going to throw down the gauntlet, then he would make her uncomfortable with her ultimatums.
“If I have to,” she retorted. “But from what I hear, you have plenty of skill there. Just make sure to shoot it where it’s meant to make a baby.”
Grant’s mouth fell open in shock. Good God, his mother had no boundaries where it came to his potential offspring. She flashed him a satisfied grin, then started toward the door. “Start looking tonight. I promise you won’t like it if I take control of the situation.” With those words she left the room, leaving Grant with much to consider.
* * *
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Excerpt: Forever My Earl
Ever Beloved One
Prologue
June 1804
The castle sat in the middle of rolling green hills. In the distance waves could be heard crashing on the shore of a nearby beach. Miss Hannah Knight had read about castles. In some ways this one lived up to her imagination. It was enormous in size, but it lacked a moat. She had really hoped she would be able to cross a real drawbridge like a medieval princess. Some dreams weren’t meant to happen. Honestly, how could she have believed the wilds of Kent would have lived up to her silly fantasies?
“How long will we be at Manchester Castle, Mama?” Hannah asked.
Lady Redding, her mother, smiled down at her. “A little over a fortnight poppet, I promised Lady Manchester we’d stay for a nice long visit. You’re one of her goddaughters and she hoped to have all three of you to herself for a time.”
Hannah nibbled on her lip in an unlady like manner. She’d only met Lady Manchester a few times when she was younger. This was her sixteenth summer and in a couple short years her mother promised she’d have her come out. She was too young to enter society yet. This was the conciliation her mother had given her—time spent with Lady Manchester in a real castle. So far she was mildly disappointed, but maybe the inside would make up for the lack of a drawbridge.
