Chapter 6
Ishouldn’t have teased her like that.
The thought circled in Jeremy’s groggy head like divine justice, for he was the one who had barely slept the night before. He had not been as embarrassed as he perhaps should have been to find himself in the wrong room, the wrong bed, but he was uneasy about his conduct afterward.
There was just something about the Duchess—about Anna, as he had learned her name to be—that was difficult to resist, especially when she was in a temper. It stirred his desire to tame her, while also unleashing some of the beast inside him.
Right now, he needed to clear his head of her, which was how he came to be riding his horse through the unfamiliar landscape of his new home.
Pretty wildflower meadows were slowly budding into their imminent summer bloom, golden fields swayed in the late-spring breeze, and hills undulated toward a sunny horizon.
Beautiful, no doubt—yet no comparison to the wild, rugged, dramatic beauty of the home he had lost.
“Ahoy there!”
Jeremy’s head snapped toward the sound, annoyed by the intrusion of it. Emerging from beneath the low-slung boughs of a row of oaks that bordered the nearest meadow was another man on horseback, a cheery smile upon his face.
“Good day to ye,” Jeremy replied, with as much cordiality as he could muster on such a morning.
The man rode up to him, drawing alongside on a fine chestnut gelding. “And to you.” He smiled that irritatingly bright smile. “You must be the new Duke of Stonebridge, if I am not mistaken?”
“Aye, that’d be me.”
The man stuck out his hand in greeting. “I thought as much. You are the talk of the ton already. I am surprised you have not been called upon by half of the county yet. I, myself, thought I would take a morning ride to see if I could be of any assistance.”
“That’s not necessary.” Jeremy took the man’s hand and shook it. “Jeremy Bolt. Duke of Stonebridge.”
The man seemed delighted. “Colin Fitzgerald. Marquess of Belford.” He pointed toward a smudge, barely visible between two distant hills that reminded Jeremy rather abstractly of the shape of Anna’s breasts in that flimsy nightdress.
“That is my residence over there. Belford House. My door is always open, should you care to come by for tea or something stronger.”
“Splendid,” Jeremy mocked, in his best English accent.
But Colin was unfazed, exploding with rich laughter. “I suppose we Englishmen must seem rather strange to you, but I assure you, we are well-meaning.” He paused. “I heard you were a Scotsman, from somewhere near Aberdeen?”
“How did ye hear that?” Jeremy asked tightly, though he supposed he should have known that his presence in society would ignite curiosity.
“I cannot recall. Some gossip or other,” Colin replied. “A fine part of the world. I have enjoyed some excellent hunting up there. You simply cannot find stags of the same caliber in England.”
Despite himself, Jeremy softened a little. “I will not argue with ye there.”
He and Douglas had often spent hours, days even, stalking stags through the mountains and forests near McIver Castle. Even if they didn’t manage to bring any venison back, it never felt like time wasted; the brothers were never bored with each other, even after so many years of living together.
God, I miss him…
Douglas would have known how to deal with the duchess’s situation. He should have been the one gaining so much luck at once, instead of suffering such a tragic misfortune. And Jeremy couldn’t help but feel the cruel twist of that particular fate.
“If I may,” Colin began again, shifting in his saddle.
“What will become of the dowager now? It is a large, fine house, that cannot be denied, but I imagine it might begin to feel rather crowded once you have a wife of your own. If you had been closer to the family, I expect it would be different, but you are more or less strangers.”
After last night, I’d say we’re a little more than that, Jeremy mused, though he held his tongue. He did not need Colin spreading gossip that, in turn, would blaze through the ton like wildfire. It was bad enough that English society already seemed to know so much about him.
“We’re in the midst of finding a solution,” Jeremy said instead. “The townhouse in London might suit her better.”
He thought of what that maid had mentioned last night, about the other properties being in a state of disrepair. How long would it take to see at least one restored again? Would that be enough to satisfy her?
She already said she won’t leave Stonebridge. She won’t settle for anything less. And that was why he couldn’t just give her somewhere to live; he had to find another man to take her away, or she would forever be a problem for him.
“All alone?” Colin grimaced. “Heavens, I would not wish that upon any lady I know. I realize it is Mayfair, not Whitechapel, but it is not safe for a woman to be alone in such a vast city. Why, she would certainly become a target for thieves if they knew there was no gentleman in residence to protect her.”
“She’d have her staff,” Jeremy countered.
Colin pursed his lips. “Still, it would worry me to have such a sweet, pretty little thing surviving alone there. She does not have many connections, you see. There would be no one for her to rely upon.” He lowered his voice. “You know the whispers, do you not?”
“I don’t listen to idle gossip,” Jeremy replied sternly. He could not fathom any man who indulged in such things.
Colin shrugged. “It was only meant as a friendly warning, Your Grace. She is not… well favored in society, given the death of her husband. It was quite sudden, and though a physician confirmed there was nothing suspicious, just a gentleman with a weak heart like his forefathers, that sort of ill fortune has a way of sticking to a lady.”
Frustration bubbled in Jeremy’s chest as he listened, for if that was true about Anna’s reputation, it would assuredly hinder his plans to see her married off.
“But I suppose the London townhouse would be better than ending up on the streets, destitute and cast out,” Colin continued with a shrug.
“You would think that her family would rally around her, after such a sad upheaval, but her cousin is a wretched creature. Just awful. I played cards with him once at a gentlemen’s club in Soho, and that was bad enough. ”
“Her cousin?”
Colin nodded. “Benedict, Baron of Pembroke. Inherited when her father died. Truly, a beastly fellow, and it will do his sister no favors when she enters society in a few years.” He leaned in.
“As for the duchess’s plight, I had thought that I might step in and protect her…
and as it seems you are eager to find a solution, I could be the one to offer it. ”
The man wore a teasing smile, a glint in his blue eyes that made Jeremy want to punch him quite hard. But he was new here; it would be a pity to make enemies so soon after arriving.
Is that truly what society thinks of her? That she’s some omen of bad luck? He figured he might have a thing or two to say about that, considering his immense good fortune… although it had come at a steep cost. Too steep.
Nevertheless, he was beginning to understand why Anna was so desperate to remain where she was.
If society would not have her and her own family would not have her, and the townhouse was in disrepair, then it appeared she truly did have nowhere else to go.
Maybe she had tried to find another husband already and had been shunned for something she had no control over.
“I am sure she doesn’t need yer help,” Jeremy said coolly. “I am helping her.”
Colin laughed and put up his hands in a gesture of surrender, a knowing look upon his face.
“It was a jest, Your Grace. Just a jest. I have had more than a year to entice that beautiful creature and to offer her my assistance. As I am riding alone, a bachelor still, that ought to be evidence enough of my intentions.” He smiled.
“But, now that I have you here, what would you say to attending my masquerade?”
“A ball?” Jeremy’s insides twisted.
He hadn’t been eager to deal with English society at all, but he was even less inclined after what he had just heard about their treatment of Anna.
“Yes, at my residence,” Colin replied eagerly. “An invitation for you and Her Grace, to show I mean no harm. It is not often that someone new moves nearby, and the previous duke was not exactly… friendly, so forgive my enthusiasm.”
Jeremy considered the notion. If nothing else, it would be a chance to see how society really reacted to Anna, so he could modify his plans as needed. And if Beatrice arrived on time, she might appreciate the distraction. She had always relished the gatherings they had at McIver Castle.
Or, maybe, it will just serve as another reminder of what she has lost. His heart weighed heavily, still wondering if Beatrice and Sophie would come to Stonebridge at all.
“We’ll see,” Jeremy said at last.
But the Marquess seemed to hear certainty, as he clapped his hands together, startling his own horse.
“Excellent! Expect the formal invitations today. If I had known I would happen upon you on such a fine morning, I would have delivered them personally. But, no matter, they will arrive soon enough, and I shall look forward to seeing you both at my little gathering.”
Before Jeremy could correct the man, Colin steered his unnerved horse around and began riding away, calling back over his shoulder, “Farewell, Your Grace. It was nice to make your acquaintance!”
Jeremy watched him leave, wondering if it was a trait in the English to be so defiant of everything he said.
After another hour or so outside among the hills and woods, his head much clearer than when he had set out, Jeremy returned to the manor.
He approached from the south, riding quickly, sweeping away the last of his grim mood…
but as he reached the paddocks where several horses grazed, he slowed to a gentle stop.
In the distance, in what appeared to be a smaller paddock overgrown with wildflowers, was Anna. She was lying on the grass, with her lady’s maid seated nearby, as a swarm of furry creatures bounded, leaped, and clambered all over her.
He could hear her laughter, carried by the wind.
What on earth? He squinted to get a better look and realized that the furry creatures were goats. Baby ones, bleating and frolicking, lowering their heads as they practiced butting Anna… which only seemed to make her laugh harder, while she fought off their playful attacks.
Suddenly, she sat up, and the goats scattered. All but one, smaller than the rest, which she scooped into her arms. A strange feeling came over Jeremy as he watched her lavish kisses on that tiny creature, cradling it to her chest and pouring out all her affection.
He remembered how the soft skin on the back of her neck felt against his rough palm, and how her head had tilted back, inviting him to kiss her. He thought of his hesitation—how close he had come to closing that gap between them before the maid interrupted them.
And he thought of how she had pressed into his body as she slipped beneath the covers, unaware of his presence in the bed; the nudge of her backside a torment that had troubled him in his own room after he had found somewhere else to sleep.
It was impossible not to imagine how different things might have been if he had curved himself around her, pulled her against him, feeling the shape of her exquisite figure beneath that nightdress.
And she’d have scratched ye to ribbons if ye had. But, in his imagination, she was not trying to get away from him. Rather, she was pressing herself closer, stirring him up.
He shook his head to snap himself out of the thought, annoyed that she had such an effect on him. Annoyed that he wanted to punch Colin instead of simply accepting the idea of him taking Anna off his hands.
“Is everything well, Your Grace?” A vaguely familiar voice drew Jeremy’s attention away from Anna and her flock of goats, where he found the butler standing on the path toward the stables.
“Yes, just a slight complication,” Jeremy growled in reply, as he dismounted.
The butler dipped his head. “Anything I can assist you with?”
“No,” Jeremy said brusquely, taking hold of the reins and leading his stallion to the stables.
The butler followed, as if waiting for instructions, but Jeremy marched on without another word. He didn’t have a butler of his own, but right now, he had no reason to trust anyone working for Anna. Anything he said would almost certainly reach her, one way or another.
The sooner I marry her off, the better it’ll be for us all.
Perhaps this masquerade ball would present the ideal opportunity.