Prologue
Hardinge Manor, England
John Fawsley, Duke of Sommer stood alone in his late father’s study staring at the black-draped covered mirror.
The guests had all departed from the small services to his father who had been ruthless in whatever business dealings crossed his desk.
The duke had been laid to rest in the family cemetery and now a year of mourning would be observed.
John didn’t have many fond memories of his father and those that he did had usually involved his younger sister Clara.
He supposed the man had been tough on his only son knowing he would one day inherit the duchy.
As for Clara, their father had spoiled her to every extent possible.
She could have become a woman who turned her nose up at those less fortunate or who lacked the same amount of wealth.
But his darling sister had turned out to be a lady of whom any brother would be proud.
He pulled at the cravat at his neck, feeling as though the responsibilities that had been thrust upon him were like a noose.
If his father hadn’t died suddenly, the family would be planning his wedding to the woman who had become his sister’s best friend.
An arrangement that had been in the making since they were both young children.
When he’d grown older, John had continued to agree to see the lady to appease his mother.
He scowled at the thought of an arranged marriage to someone he had thought of like a younger sister…
no… that wasn’t exactly true anymore, if he was honest with himself.
The last several years he had watched the young girl bloom into an attractive young lady and even he hadn’t been completely immune to her charms.
But he had still been reluctant to form any sort of bond between them over the years.
And each time they met, he was haunted by her doe-eyed expression and the love she had for him shining in those hazel eyes.
The forced betrothal had always been a sore point with him and now, as a full-grown adult, he only wished to live his life on his own terms.
His childhood continued flashing before his eyes as grief overwhelmed him and he realized he now bore the full weight and responsibility of his younger sister.
And Annette…The required monthly meeting to allow him and the young lady time to get to know one another had often been met with silence.
After the appointed hour, Annette and Clara would run off to play together as young girls would do, sealing their friendship in a bond that would be hard to break.
And as John had grown into an adult, he had continued to perform his duty even after his mother had passed away five years ago.
But now with his father gone, he didn’t see any reason to continue the farce of the arrangement that would have still benefitted both families.
Annette would understand, wouldn’t she? It wasn’t as though they had a written contract to marry.
It had only been assumed that when the time came, John and Annette would eventually make things official.
Now, however, John was not ready to make anyone his duchess even after the required one-year mourning period was at an end.
A knock sounded at the door and his father’s butler—now his butler—opened the door. “My apologies for disturbing you, Your Grace, but Lady Saxton is waiting in the front parlor for an audience with you.”
Your Grace… bloody hell, that would take him a long while to remember he would no longer be addressed as the Marquess of Brome with a simple my lord. “Thank you, Darby. You can inform Lady Saxton I will be with her shortly.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Darby droned in a low monotone that didn’t hold the least bit of emotion.
Going to the mahogany desk that now belonged to him, John opened one of the drawers.
Pulling out a booklet, he penned the draft and looked at the sum.
Was it enough to break off a betrothal that had been formed for too many years to count?
No. He crumbled up the paper and threw on the floor before beginning to write again, adding more zeros to the next draft.
Satisfied, he knew this would be a sufficient amount for sending the young woman away with enough money to see her comfortable until she found a different suitor.
He left the study and made his way to the front parlor to finalize something that should have never begun.
John stood at the entryway and saw the lady pulling at the dark drapery to sneak a peek out the window.
Having only just been outside to see his father being buried, he knew the day was sunny and that, under normal circumstances, the bright sunlight would have filled this room, making it feel bright and airy.
It had been his mother’s favorite room in the manor, and it was a shame that everything had now been covered to observe mourning traditions.
The lady would have made a beautiful picture standing there with the sun shining upon her red hair, now covered in a black veil.
He must have made a sound, for Annette turned from the window, offering him a lovely smile that didn’t quite reach her hazel eyes. She had been crying most likely as much as Clara had been because she had also been fond of their father.
“John,” she whispered softly, coming over and taking his hands as she had done a thousand times in their past. She must have realized her mistake because she quickly sank down into a proper curtsey after letting go of his hands. “I mean, Your Grace. I am so sorry for your loss.”
“You are one of the few people who have called me by my given name. You may continue to do so,” he murmured as he ran his hand over the back of his neck. A sudden sense of dread about what he was about to do caused a moment of doubt to race across his mind.
“I’m not sure my brother would approve, given your new elevation in life,” she answered honestly.
“Brothers never do,” he said with a slight smile.
“I really am very sorry for your loss, Your… John.”
“My father’s passing is also your loss, Annette,” he said quietly. “I know how much he meant to you.”
“He was like a second father to me,” she confessed. “With both of our parents now gone from this world, it seems the four of us are all we have now.”
“Is your brother still here?” he asked wondering if the earl would be joining them.
She shook her head. “Edward went to see that our carriage was brought around. He thought it best to give you and Clara some time alone now that the services were over and your guests have left.”
“Perhaps we could have a moment for a private word together before his return,” he said, feeling the weight of the draft hidden inside his jacket.
“Of course, John. If there’s anything I can do to ease your mourning, all you have to do is ask,” she said with another one of those smiles that always seemed to brighten any room. Why was he only just now noticing how truly lovely she was?
He nodded before taking her hand and placing it in the crook of his arm and escorted her over to a settee.
Once she was seated, he again had second doubts on what he was about to do, thinking now might not be the best time to set things straight between them.
But he didn’t want to marry anyone right now, let alone the lady who gazed at him with such affection. God, he hated to break her heart.
“Lady Saxton,” he began. Her eyes went wide in an expression of disbelief before a scowl formed on her brow.
“You never call me that,” she interrupted in a quaking voice as her brows drew together in a frown. “Unless I’ve done something to upset you.”
“You haven’t upset me,” he mumbled, at a loss on how to begin this discussion.
She squared her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “Then besides the obvious since we just witnessed your father’s burial, what is the matter that you would suddenly address me so formally?”
He reached inside his jacket and handed her the draft. “Perhaps this will explain things.”
She unfolded the paper and he watched as her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. Done reading, she held out the draft back toward him. “What is this?”
“Something to see you comfortably settled for an entire lifetime,” he muttered before running his fingers through his hair. “Consider this a settlement to end our association that had been arranged by our parents.”
She quickly rose to her feet. “Are you trying to buy me off?”
“If you want more, than I’m more than willing to offer you any amount you might wish, Lady Saxton. I’m only making an attempt to right a wrong forced on us from a young age. There is no further need to continue seeing one another when we won’t suit.”
She opened her mouth to reply and then snapped her lips shut and turned away, placing the draft on a nearby end table before walking over to the window.
He watched her take several deep breaths before turning back to face him.
“We had an arrangement that you more than willingly went along with, Your Grace,” she said through clenched teeth.
The sound of her formal address was far more upsetting than he thought it would be.
“I wouldn’t think you, after all these years and under the assumption that we would one day wed, would so easily dismiss me like I’m one of your paid servants. ”
“Lady Saxton… Annette… can’t you see that our monthly meetings were only for the benefit of our parents? Surely, you can see that breaking off what our parents set in place is the right course of action,” he said, trying to persuade her to see reason.
Or was it to convince himself?
He noticed the agony that flashed quickly across her features at his words before her emotions were replaced with something as indifferent as any queen might show the world.
She gave a deep sigh and looked above as though searching the heavens for assistance before she composed herself. “Is there someone else that holds your affection, John?” she asked quietly turning those hazel eyes to him as if attempting to pull the answer from his soul.
“Of course there isn’t anyone else. The truth is, I have no desire to marry anyone.”
“Not even me?” she inquired so softly he almost missed her words.
“You’re my sister’s best friend. Somehow, that in itself makes you forbidden and unsuitable,” he answered as he heard the front door open.
“Clara and I only became friends because of what began between you and me,” she reminded him as her brother came to stand in the entryway.
“Are you ready to go home, Annie?” Edward asked, looking between the pair. He seemed to recognize the tension in the air and his friendly demeanor changed. “Is something going on here that I should know about?” he asked in a stern tone.
“I’ll be out in just a moment, Eddie, if you’ll give his grace and me time to finish our discussion.”
Edward nodded before coming in to shake John’s hand. “I am sorry for your loss, Your Grace.”
“Thank you for coming.” John let go of the man’s hand. Once the earl had left, he returned his attention back toward the lady still standing near the window. He couldn’t miss the tears forming in her eyes.
“I always thought of you as an honorable man, John. But to do this… our parents would be highly disappointed,” she exclaimed and he could almost hear the memory of his mother’s own voice scolding him for being so callous.
“Can you honestly tell me you are not even the littlest bit relieved, Annette? We were only children when our parents constantly threw us together.” He watched her chin quiver, and he only just now understood just how deeply her feelings went.
“And we have been promised to one another ever since!” she said, shaking a finger in his direction. “Everyone is expecting us to marry and since you now hold your father’s title, you are even more than aware that even you must pick a wife.”
“One that isn’t forced upon me and only when I’m good and ready,” he fumed, wondering how this conversation could be turned around. She obviously still wanted the arrangement to continue but all he wanted to do was end it.
She heaved another heavy sigh as though coming to a conclusion.
He didn’t have long to wait for her response.
“Now is not the time to make such hasty decisions. We must wait to be married until you’re out of mourning.
Take time to mourn. When the mourning time is done, I’ll be here waiting for you.
I know you’ll do the honorable thing and continue what our parents desired.
A union between us, uniting our families. ”
He shook his head in denial. “Considering our association will now take another direction, perhaps it will be best from this point forward that we should only address one another formally.” He took a step forward and pointed to the generous draft he had offered with a sincere heart.
“I hope you’ll come to understand why I can’t marry you, Lady Saxton.
Please take those funds as my apology for my part in this whole mistake. ”
“What began between us was never a mistake. I truly believe that in time, and after your period of mourning is over, you’ll see reason as to why we still belong together.”
“My mind is made up, Lady Saxton. I will not marry you, nor will I marry anyone until I’m ready. Just take the damn money,” he grumbled irritably.
Annette crossed the room, grabbed a hold of the bank draft, and came to stand before John, her face contorted with anger. She shoved the paper into his chest. “You can keep your money, Your Grace. I never needed it in the first place. I’ll call again once your mourning is over.”
She walked past him holding her head high as though he hadn’t just upended her entire world. But he knew one thing for certain: she hated him right now and perhaps that was for the best. Six months or so weren’t going to change his mind where the lady was concerned.