Chapter Seventeen
Sir Colt Lawrence
I placed my hand to my temples and tried to rid myself of a cursed headache.
It had been two days since the romp in the library.
I had been on pins and needles ever since.
Lord Kendrick had projected his usual devil-may-care self and attempted to treat our tryst as a lark.
I had reservations, and deep down, I sensed he did as well.
“Colt?” Lady Lillian knocked on the open door to my office. I glanced up and offered her a smile in greeting. She’d left soon after our encounter, and I hadn’t seen her since.
“Lady Lillian, this is a pleasant surprise.” And it was. If anyone understood what I was going through, it would be she.
“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you. You look rather involved.” Her knowing eyes saw right into my soul.
I waved her in and offered her the seat across from my desk. “I was, but I’m also ready for a break. After a while, the numbers seem to run together. How are the wedding plans?”
She blew a stray curl from her forehead and heaved an audible sigh. The navy skirt and matching military-style jacket with golden frogs accented her narrow waist. A visual of what the material hid played over in my mind. It had since I had the privilege to disrobe her.
“Between my mother and the duchess, I have barely had a second to put pen to paper. If I keep being pulled away to do fittings, choose music, or approve a guest list, I’ll never be able to put what I learned to paper.
” She plopped down in the chair and leaned back.
Sunlight streamed in from one of the stained glass windows and shadowed her face with a prism of color.
Her hair was a warm brown with shooting strands of gold intertwined in her curls.
“I can well imagine since I have been tasked with drafting said list. A wedding in the house of Alton is a major undertaking.” I resumed my seat and arched my neck, trying to rid myself of the kinks caused by leaning over a desk all day. “Once everything is aligned, it will be well worth it.”
“Yes, well, I have missed coming here and seeing both of you. Is my fiancé at home?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
“I’m afraid he isn’t. He is at the House of Lords.”
“I keep forgetting he is a duke and not simply an artist.” Lady Lillian bit her bottom lip, the full bottom lip I had kissed and wished to kiss again.
She was betrothed to Lord Kendrick, and although she and I shared some intimacies, kissing the duke’s fiancée seemed too bold to do without him present.
“Yes, he wears two hats. I have seen little of him either.” I had a feeling he was avoiding me. It didn’t surprise me. What happened between us changed things, and Lord Kendrick often needed time to reflect on his actions and how they affected others.
It pained me to think things might become strained between us.
For how long was up in the air. We had to work through exactly what our association was.
I would like to continue to be his lover, even after leaving his employ.
Marriage was also on my mind. I wasn’t averse to wooing a woman, especially one like Lady Lillian. She was easy to talk to.
“A pity. I rather enjoyed our, um, our discussions in the library.” A flush touched her cheeks, and she stared down at her feet, her voice going quiet.
“It was rather robust.” A grin formed at her reminder. If nothing else happened, I would forever recall how I had fulfilled a longtime fantasy with the man I loved and would always love. Even if he spurned me.
“I’m itching to get it on paper, but my mother ...” she trailed off and rested her elbows on the desk. “When I can’t write, it is like a dam of words becomes backed up in my mind. I’m itching to write them down. Can I burden you for paper and ink?”
I understood what she said because since we had discussed my book in the library, I had used every bit of free time I had to put pen to paper. “It would be my pleasure. I assume you can type.”
“I had a typewriter. My mother disapproved and had the typewriter removed. I hired a man to type my manuscript, but I cannot ask anyone to type the new material for me.” The blush returned as she stared at my clerk’s desk, which held a Hammond #2 Typewriter from New York.
“You will be the duchess soon. You can get another one for your personal use. Might I suggest finding a personal secretary for you? You will need someone to help you with the tremendous burden you will gain.” With my leaving, the duke and duchess would need extra staff to handle their private affairs.
“Oh dear, yet another issue to add to my list, but necessary. Do you know of anyone? An agency perhaps?” She fiddled with the pearl button on her cuff, ink stains gained from writing on the tip of her middle finger.
“I would prefer to hire someone intimate with the duke’s eccentricities.
Henry and his sister Karen to be precise.
” I had taken Henry into my confidence. Under the guise of needing my own secretary, I would train him to be Lord Kendrick’s, so the transition would be smooth when the time came.
The idea of my departure weighed on my shoulders.
Lord Kendrick would be a hard man to leave.
“Henry the pantomime, um, manservant and his sister, Karen?” she asked, head tilted to the side. There was no judgment in her stare, simply curiosity. It was refreshing to see her be open to what most would spurn out of hand. She rose even higher in my esteem.
“Henry’s a smart and ambitious man. Karen has been attending a college for women and speaks six different languages.
Both twins are accomplished, and their talents are wasted as domestics.
If you would like, I can arrange an interview.
” Like the misfits in Lord Kendrick’s employ, the twins were trying to make their way in the world.
The duke let his staff express themselves in a way that suited their personality. Henry could conform if necessary, and his talents were wasted in his current position.
“If you say the twins are good choices, I’ll accept your opinion. I’m not certain if I need two personal secretaries, however.” She tapped her finger against her chin and frowned.
Lady Lillian might have been raised in an earl’s household, but her father’s estate was minuscule compared to the Alton holdings.
“As the Duchess of Alton, you will need a team of people. Lady Helen has a personal secretary and two undersecretaries at Alton Hall,” I said, wincing at the pinched look that twisted her lips.
Her engagement was new, and she hadn’t been exposed to the full extent of her duties.
I was glad I could obtain her some assistance before the realities of her title sank in.
She blanched, her hand flying to her throat. “Oh dear, that many?”
“Yes, that many. I suggest sending Karen to Alton Hall to work under the tutelage of Lady Helen’s staff.
Henry can start his duties here.” It would give me enough time to hand over the small things I did for Lord Kendrick on a day-to-day basis.
I hated the subterfuge to both Lord Kendrick and Lady Lillian, but there was no help for it.
With a grave nod, she blew out a long breath.
“I would like him to start soon, but he must, well, he mustn’t wear his costume, and he has to talk instead of gesture.
I don’t think my family—especially the duchess will understand.
” She worried her lip and frowned. “Am I a horrible person to ask that of him?”
“No, you are not. He will be thrilled for the chance. Thank you,” I said.
I could hear voices outside my door, followed by a sharp knock. Alarm shot through me. Lady Lillian couldn’t be found in the house without an escort.
She held her hand to her mouth, terror making her eyes huge. “Oh, dear,” she whispered.
“Hide behind the desk. I’ll stop them from entering.”
With a nod, she rushed to do my bidding. I waited for her to crouch down before I strode to the door as another series of impatient knuckles hit the door. “Coming.” I opened the portal and was pushed to the side. “Gavin, what is the meaning of this?”
“Where is he?” he asked, his square jaw lifted. Gavin was a handsome man without any outward intelligence. He was volatile, rude, and lacking in manners.
“The duke is out on business. Can I assist you with anything?” What Lord Kendrick saw in him still baffled me. I disliked him with a passion. Perhaps it was jealousy or distrust of someone that self-involved.
“No, I must see Kendrick. When will he return?” he asked, staring down his perfect nose at me. He slapped his gloves against his palm, impatience stiffening his broad frame. “Well, when will he be back, man?”
Fury sent heat to my cheeks, and I had to tamp down a biting retort. “It is Lord Kendrick, and I don’t know. I’ll tell him you called, however.” I straightened to my full height and tried to keep my composure.
The slight rustling sound coming from behind my desk reminded me that Lady Lillian was still hiding.
“Come now, Colt. You are always privy to his whereabouts.” He rocked back on his polished heels and lifted one haughty brow. “I demand you tell me where he is.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’ll tell him you called.” I crossed my arms and approached him with determination. Lord Kendrick had brought him home a few months past. He was awful then, and he was awful now. Lord Kendrick had been too blinded by lust to see his true character.
He glared at me for a long moment before turning on his heel and storming from the room. I strode to the door and shut it with a soft click when I wanted to slam it shut. My chest tight, I exhaled.
“What an insufferable man!” Lady Lillian popped from behind the desk and straightened her slender walking skirt. Her color was high, outrage tightening her jaw.
“Yes, quite.”