Duke of Thunder (Regency Gods #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

E leanor stepped aside to let the red-faced maid scurry past her. “I really don’t think chastising the poor girl over the state of the curtains was appropriate, Mama. It’s not like she was the one who hung them.”

“Well, just look at them!” Charlotte cried. “This one side hangs lower than the other. The Duke will think our house is sinking.”

Eleanor took a deep breath and commended herself on not rolling her eyes. “Doubtful, Mama. Besides, if he was one to pay attention to such matters, don’t you think he would have shown up sooner? It’s been a year since he inherited the title, and this is the first we’re seeing of him? I doubt he’ll care much about the state of anything.”

Charlotte continued her ministrations, tugging at the curtain, hoping to stretch the material out to even the sides. “Or it could have been the man was terribly busy with one of his many lucrative business dealings, and now, he has found the time to give us our appropriate attention. Everything must be perfect for his arrival.”

This time, Eleanor couldn’t stop the roll of her eyes. She felt it preposterous they were running themselves ragged preparing for a man who took his time coming to claim his title. And why was he coming now? It didn’t sit right with her. None of this did.

Charlotte stood with her hands on her hips. “There. I think that’s better.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. The curtains looked exactly the same as they did before her mother started fussing with them, but she was not going to tell her mother that.

Charlotte fluttered past Eleanor, on to her next issue. A chandelier that hasn’t been moved in years was, all of a sudden, casting an offending shadow across the hallway. Apparently, it had to be dealt with before the new Duke arrived.

Eleanor huffed out a breath and followed the sounds of her mother barking orders to their poor deaf butler. Old man Madden was currently standing precariously on a rickety ladder, reaching upwards, trying to move the chandelier to stop the shadow from appearing.

“Mama, do you think this is safe?” Eleanor came to stand next to her mother, both women peering up at the wobbly old man.

“What? Oh.” She waved off her daughter. “Of course it is. Madden has done this a thousand times, haven’t you, Madden?”

Eleanor peered up to the man, whose legs were making the ladder shake. Her hands were itching to reach out and steady it for the old man.

“No need to be concerned, Your Grace. I’ll fix it for you.”

Charlotte beamed. “See? He’s fine.”

Eleanor was about to point out that he obviously misunderstood her but thought better of it.

Charlotte turned towards her daughter and cast a judging eye over her.

Eleanor grew uneasy under her mother’s eye. “What?” Eleanor patted down her dress. “What’s wrong?”

Charlotte cocked her head to the side. “Do you always wear your hair like that?”

Eleanor touched her hair. “Mama! I take great pride in how I look, you know that.”

Charlotte let out a sigh as she brushed past her. “Oh, I know. I just want everything and everyone to look presentable.”

Eleanor pulled at her dress. “Are you saying I don’t look presentable?”

Charlotte shook her head. “No, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that I want everyone to be ready, and nothing can go wrong.”

Eleanor once again tugged at her dress.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” Tug. Tug. Tug.

“That.” Charlotte pointed at Eleanor’s waist. “Why are you pulling at your dress?” The color faded from Charlotte’s face. “Please don’t tell me your dress no longer fits. Oh Eleanor, you know money is tight right now, and we don’t have the means to buy more which is exactly why we need to be welcoming to the Duke. We need him more than he needs us.”

Eleanor held her hands, so she would stop pulling at the digging material. “No, Mama, the dress fits fine. I think Susan just pulled my corset a bit too tight this morning is all.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “That better be it. I swear I don’t know how we’ll get through this season with our current finances. And to think your sister comes up next season. We must count our blessing the Duke has decided to take us on.”

Eleanor snorted. “You make him sound like he is our savior and not just a man with money.”

Charlotte turned to a maid hiding behind the library door. The poor girl was standing stock-still, hoping not to be seen by Charlotte. “You there. Please go tell Mary to go to the study and make sure everything is in order for the Duke’s arrival. I assume he will want to settle into his study as soon as he arrives.”

Eleanor bristled. “He’ll be using Papa’s study?”

Charlotte shrugged, barely paying attention to her daughter as she moved the one chair, hoping to get the perfect angle off of the fireplace. “Of course, he is the Duke of Graynor now. Why wouldn’t he use the study?” Charlotte pushed the chair back to its original spot.

Eleanor absently tugged at her dress again. “I don’t know. I just assumed he would work somewhere else. That’s Papa’s study.”

Charlotte sighed. “I don’t want to sound crass, Eleanor, but it’s not like your father is using it. It is a study for the Duke of Graynor, and this afternoon, after a year of being empty, the Duke of Graynor’s study will once again be occupied by the Duke of Graynor.”

Eleanor took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in her ribs from the restriction of the corset. “I guess I didn’t connect that him coming here meant that he was truly the new Duke of Graynor.”

Charlotte looked up from the chair that she was pushing back and forth in front of the fireplace. “Eleanor, like it or not, this man received the title by official means through a distant relative of your father’s. He may be of common birth, but he worked his way up and is a self-made man. He has businesses all over England, and he is well known for being an intelligent, no-nonsense man. And if we want to continue living the life we live,” she shot Eleanor a pointed look, “we need him and his money.”

Eleanor dropped her eyes. It was on the tip of her tongue to question why her mother looked at her that way, but she knew why.

She was about to enter her third season out, and she has yet to find a worthy match. She’s had plenty of suitors, but none of them struck her as “the one.” Her mother was right, she was used to living a certain way with the freedom to turn down suitors she didn’t want.

She chewed on her bottom lip. That might no longer be the case. Without the Duke’s money, she might be finding herself in the position to be forced take a proposal she didn’t want.

“Now, enough of this. The Duke will arrive here any minute. Where are your sisters?”

Eleanor turned just as the two young girls in question appeared in the library’s doorway.

“Is he here, yet?” Sarah squealed as she fluttered in with a solemn Beatrice closely behind her. At just three years younger than Eleanor’s twenty years, Sarah was a romantic at heart and viewed the Duke’s arrival much differently than Eleanor. Whereas Eleanor didn’t trust the Duke, Sarah saw his arrival as exciting and more opportunities for scandal and gossip.

At fifteen, Beatrice cared more about her books than who was coming to dinner. Eleanor appreciated Beatrice’s nonchalance when it came to the Duke’s arrival. The girl simply didn’t care one way or another.

“He should arrive any moment. Now, come here; let me look at all of you.”

Charlotte fussed over each girl, smoothing out curls that laid perfectly fine or picking off imaginary lint from their dresses.

Eleanor stood in line, fidgeting with her corset as Charlotte fiddled with Eleanor’s bow that sat perfectly fine before her mother touched it.

“Eleanor, you must stop fiddling with your dress. You will wrinkle it.”

Sarah snickered. “Yes, Eleanor, we all must be presentable for the Duke,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

The girls giggled while Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Hush, Sarah. We must not talk like that in front of the Duke. We don’t want him thinking we’re…”

“Commoners?” Eleanor offered, knowing it was a slight towards the Duke, considering his upbringing.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “Not. Appropriate. Eleanor.”

Sarah straightened the bow in her hair. “I don’t care where he came from. He obviously knows what he’s doing and is a smart man—look at how wealthy he is. I wonder if he’s handsome.”

Eleanor laughed. “Sarah, I’m sure he’s much older than you.” Eleanor wrinkled her nose as a thought arose. “Has anyone ever actually seen him? He could be three times our age if he’s so well known in the business world. Plus, he’s the Duke of Graynor now; I don’t think any of us should be considering him as a potential match.”

Sarah waved her off. “The title was passed to him through marriage. There is no blood between us,” she said with a devilish grin. “Oh, and how much fun will the ball be? To think in just two days’ time, I’ll be dancing at a ball honoring a new duke.” She looked positively giddy as she spoke.

“I’m looking forward to the ball as well,” Beatrice chimed in from her seat in front of the fireplace. She was in the same chair Charlotte was moving before, and now that she was in it, Charlotte was eyeing it up again.

“You’re excited for a ball? You’re not even old enough to attend it,” Eleanor countered.

Beatrice offered a shrug as her mother tried pushing the chair to angle it off of the fireplace. “Mama said I can attend it since it’s in the Duke’s honor. I’m looking forward to seeing the show for myself.”

“Show, indeed,” Eleanor spat. “This is ridiculous. Mother, will you stop!”

Charlotte stood from her hunched position of trying to move the chair with Beatrice sitting in it.

“The chair is fine. We’re fine. Everything is fine. I find it preposterous that we are going out of our way to welcome a man who took more than a year to even acknowledge us. This feels like one big charade, and I don’t wish to take part in it.”

Eleanor took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Her hand flew up to her ribs. This corset was really too tight. If she wasn’t careful she might faint, and how embarrassing would that be.

“Well, you can sit out—more merriment for me then.” Sarah giggled.

Just then, the sounds of hooves and wheels halted outside their door. The Duke was here.

“Quick. He is here!” Charlotte rushed all three girls out of the library and out the front door. She had just enough time to give them each a quick once over before taking her spot at the door.

All four women stood with Madden, the elderly butler, and Mrs. Mac, the housekeeper, waiting for the carriage door to open.

Eleanor couldn’t help the nerves that bounced around her stomach. She could feel her cheeks flush and even a couple drops of perspiration rolled down her back. Goodness, was she this nervous to meet the man? She’s been dreading this day ever since her mother received word that he would take residence in their home.

But now that he was here, the unknown was too much for her to bear. Would he be kind? Would he solve their financial woes like her mother hoped? Would he marry her and her sisters off just to get rid of the burden he inherited?

The thoughts were too much for Eleanor. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing which was becoming harder to do.

She opened her eyes when she heard the creak of the carriage door.

Eleanor watched as a long muscular leg extended from the carriage, followed by a lean torso decked out in the finest coat London had to offer. Eleanor’s eyes continued their way up the man’s form to his face.

Blue eyes met hers, and she felt a wave of something roll through her. Nerves? Nausea? She couldn’t say.

The man stood fully outside the carriage and tilted his head as he took in the four women.

No one moved under his gaze. Even the nervous fidgeter Beatrice stood stock still.

When his eyes fell to Eleanor, she wanted to square her shoulders to show him she was not intimidated by his arrival. Instead, her head swam, and her knees buckled.

Her last thought as she fell was to curse Mary for tightening the corset too tightly. This was exactly what I was afraid of. Then her world went black.