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It was apparent from the way she narrowed her big brown eyes at him that she was aware he was referring to her marriage to the old Duke. He knew women like her and, since he had become the latest Duke of Skeffington, he had been introduced to too many for his liking here in England. Women had shunned his advances in the past, sighting his unimpressive fortune and lack of title. He had little use for such women like these now.
She raked a critical gaze over him. ‘How lucky for you that you now have the title of Duke. You will need that title of yours and your fortune if you hope to entice a woman to marry you. Your lack of charm certainly is not to your advantage.’
‘Perhaps we can have that tea now,’ Mrs Sommersby called out pleasantly from where she was patiently sitting on the sofa near the fireplace.
Why had he allowed the Duchess to distract him from leaving the room? It had only delayed her departure from his home.
‘Did someone mention tea?’
Simon turned away from the annoying Duchess to find his friend and business associate Adam Finley lounging against the door frame, openly assessing her with his eyes.
‘I thought I heard voices,’ Adam continued as he walked into the room.
Simon stepped between Adam and his female intruders. It was no wonder that his friend had become curious about what was taking Simon so long to fetch the small marble statue that he suggested would appeal to Lord Bollingbrooke. He only had to go into the Blue Drawing Room where it was stored, which was a few doors away from his study where the men had been meeting.
The last thing he wanted was to have Adam anywhere near these women. Worlds were colliding and this could be a disaster. While Mrs Sommersby appeared pleasant enough, the Duchess was everything that wasn’t. Her only redeeming quality was that she smelled nice when you were standing close to her. She was opinionated, nosy, and much too condescending for his taste. Not to mention that she measured a man’s worth by what was in his bank account. And while he could manage her probing questions with deflection, Adam’s mercurial nature made it hard to predict how he would react to her inquisition.
It was probably best to quickly introduce them and then leave the ladies to wait for their tea by themselves, since Adam had already walked around him and was making his way to the Duchess.
‘Your Grace,’ Simon addressed the woman who was openly eyeing Adam with an inquisitive brow, ‘may I introduce my friend, Mr Finley. Mr Finley, this is Elizabeth, the Duchess of Skeffington.’
The surprised look on Adam’s face was quickly replaced with a sly smile before he executed a bow. ‘Your Grace, your beauty has exceeded my expectations.’
She shifted her gaze from Adam to Simon and then back to Adam. ‘I assume this means that His Grace has been speaking of me or you would hold no expectations of me at all.’
Adam gave Simon an amused glance before showing off his charming smile to the Duchess. ‘Only in passing, I assure you, but he certainly did not do you justice when he described you.’
Of course he had. What more was there to say about her when Adam enquired after the reading of the will? She was rather tall for a woman, with dark hair and dark eyes. And she seemed to possess a sense of entitlement that grated on him. Simon thought he had been rather generous in his description.
The Duchess, however, was eyeing him as if he was something she had brought in on the bottom of her shoe from the stables.
‘Adam,’ he said, with a hint of chastisement as he pulled his friend away from the Duchess and over to her companion. ‘Mrs Sommersby, allow me to introduce you to Mr Finley. This is Mrs Sommersby, the Duchess’s aunt.’
‘It is a pleasure, Mrs Sommersby,’ Adam said with a bow as his attention became fixed on the woman’s cameo bracelet. ‘That is a stunning piece of jewellery. If I may be so bold, I believe I recall a bracelet similar to that one in Rundell, Bridge and Rundell not too long ago.’
‘I bought this recently at that very shop,’ she said, appearing pleasantly surprised by Adam’s admiration for her bracelet. ‘Do you go there often, Mr Finley? I must say I am astonished you remember it.’
‘That cameo is quite memorable with the details and the cut.’
‘Are you fond of jewellery, Mr Finley?’ the Duchess asked, approaching his side and looking down at the bracelet in question.
‘It is one of my many interests.’ Adam shifted his gaze away from the expensive-looking bracelet and gave a wolflike smile to the Duchess.
Her lips parted and she moved her hand to her chest. Whether she planned it or not she was now covering the emerald necklace she wore which decorated her neck. Simon needed to get Adam away from these women. He couldn’t bear to watch him try to flirt with the Duchess and wasn’t completely certain Adam wouldn’t try to convince the women that he could arrange to sell their jewellery and fetch them a decent price. The unpredictable comments that could flow from both Adam and the Duchess were not a good combination.
‘I believe you ladies were in need of tea.’
‘Yes, I believe we mentioned that a time or two,’ Mrs Sommersby replied.
‘Well, Mr Finley and I will leave you now and I will arrange for it.’
Adam practically pouted at him. ‘We are not staying for tea?’
‘We are not. We have matters to discuss and had been interrupted.’ He shot a pointed glance at the Duchess.
‘But I enjoy a good cup of tea in the afternoon.’
‘You can enjoy a cup of tea in my study.’ He turned to the ladies on the sofa. ‘I bid you both a fine journey to your next destination. I’m certain you won’t mind if I do not show you out myself when you are finished with your tea.’
‘They are leaving?’ Adam asked over his shoulder as Simon practically dragged him towards the door.
‘They are.’
‘But didn’t they just arrive?’
‘This is a very short call.’
‘I see.’ Adam extricated himself from Simon’s hold and walked back towards the ladies. ‘It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope I have the opportunity to spend time with you both in the future. Perhaps I will see you here again.’
‘I hope not,’ Simon muttered, walking out of the room.
After a few minutes of what Simon believed to be bowing his farewells to the ladies, Adam sauntered into the hall where Simon was waiting for him.
‘She likes me,’ Adam said with an arrogant smile.
‘You think every woman likes you.’
He gave a careless shrug. ‘They all do. I speak their language.’ Adam followed him down the corridor towards Simon’s study.
‘And what language is that?’
‘The language of luxury goods—of fine jewellery and fashionable attire.’
‘I wasn’t aware you considered yourself an expert on women’s fashions.’
‘You pulled me away from them before I had the opportunity to compliment the Duchess on the Brussels lace on her gown.’
‘She can thank me the next time I see her if, in fact, I ever see her again. I can only hope that I don’t.’ Simon rolled his eyes as they walked into his study and he pulled the tapestry bell pull to call for a servant to arrange tea.
‘You didn’t mention she was a prime article.’
‘The Duchess? She is not that attractive.’
‘If one doesn’t like females with rich dark hair, fine features, radiant smooth skin, expressive large eyes and tempting curves, then I assume that’s true. I, on the other hand, find her stunning.’
‘You were in her presence all of five minutes. I assure you, she’s a vixen.’
‘You’re exaggerating. I didn’t find her at all shrewish.’
‘She barely said anything to you.’
‘Which means she was speechless because she was captivated by my charms. I tend to have that effect on women.’ He tugged on the cuff of his deep grey tailcoat.
‘You flatter yourself. You render them mute because they’re shocked that a man as transparent as you believes he has charm.’
‘I could have had an opportunity to prove you wrong, but you dragged me away from her and prevented us from enjoying a lovely cup of tea by the fire on this cold day.’
‘Since when do you enjoy sipping tea by the fire in the afternoon?’
‘Since there was an opportunity to have it with that delectable creature.’
‘Truly, she is not that attractive.’
‘Then you won’t mind if I return to the ladies, seeing as you have no designs on her.’
Adam started to walk back out of the study door, but Simon placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
‘I thought you wanted to leave soon to begin your journey to Portsmouth?’
‘Portsmouth is not far. I can postpone my departure for a little while longer. What is one more night in this idyllic home of yours?’
‘The ladies are not staying. They are leaving after they have their tea.’
‘Then why are they here?’
‘Just the thought of explaining it leaves me exhausted.’
A footman walked in and Simon arranged a tea tray to be delivered to the ladies, saving him from having to elaborate more about the persistent Duchess of Skeffington. He knew she wanted this house and he knew it had to be because of the income it would bring her. He had lived his life moving from relative to relative when he was a boy until his father arranged for him to join the navy when Simon was fifteen. Houses were just places to store your things and rest your head. He had never lived in one long enough to grow attached to any of them. The Duchess didn’t appear to be the sentimental type—however, it was apparent she enjoyed her wealth. It had to be the income that drew her to Stonehaven. Perhaps she assumed, if she stayed here long enough, he would just give her the house.
This estate was within a few hours’ drive to the port town of Portsmouth. Now he could ship the treasures he uncovered directly to this house. It saved in travel time and money, and this remote location kept his business hidden from potential thieves. He would never give up Stonehaven. Using this house was beneficial to his business.
‘Before we were interrupted, you expressed interest in seeing the statue I uncovered which will certainly pay Lord Bollingbrooke back for his investment in the excavation,’ Simon said to Adam. ‘Wait here. I’ll go and fetch it.’
‘That’s what you said the last time you left this room.’
‘If I am longer than ten minutes, you can always ring for tea to enjoy by this fire.’ He gave his friend a teasing look.
‘Tea by the fire isn’t quite the same without a tempting woman at your side.’
But it would be much more relaxing without the Duchess of Skeffington there to get Simon’s pulse racing with the agitation she had a habit of causing him. Luckily, she would be gone from this house soon and his life would return to the quiet and boring state it had been in here in England before he noticed her carriage pull up in his drive.
Or so he thought.
Chapter Three (#u9c7d5f07-a1ec-53fa-b007-7a685039553e)
Lizzy sat beside her aunt, staring into the blue Wedgwood teacup that was part of the set she had purchased shortly after her marriage, and was holding back her tears. He had changed her favourite room—the room she had spent many hours in entertaining family and friends. It was a room that she had taken great pains to decorate to her exact taste. She recalled trying four different paint colours before she settled on the soft white paint that complemented the gold crown mouldings that had once outlined the room. Those four walls held so many good memories of so many wonderful visits.
Now that the room didn’t even look the same, all of that was gone with the careless direction of Mr Simon Alexander. It was hard for her to think of him in terms of the Duke of Skeffington since physically he was so very different from her late husband, although he, too, could be infuriating, but in a completely different way.
‘Try drinking your tea before it gets cold,’ Aunt Clara suggested gently, patting her hand. ‘You will not find the answer to your troubles staring into that cup. A good cup of tea can help with many things, but I believe it works only when you drink it.’
Lizzy placed the cup and saucer on the table beside her. ‘It has lost its appeal seeing it in these cups.’
‘They are lovely cups. I recall going with you to buy them in London. I’ve always been partial to Wedgwood.’
‘They are his cups now.’ She didn’t even try to hide the despondent tone of her voice.
Not being able to look at the tea set any longer, Lizzy shifted her gaze to scan the new crown moulding that was painted a pale cream colour that matched the marble fireplace. What else had he decided to change? She got up and walked to the large windows that overlooked the back gardens. In the summer, they were breathtaking with a combination of manicured topiaries, water fountains and beds of roses. Now they were frozen in snow.
‘The house feels different,’ she said, staring bleakly out at the garden where she had spent many days enjoying peace and solitude in the sunshine.
Aunt Clara came up beside her and took her hand. ‘I know it is painful for you to adjust to all that has changed.’
‘My pain is all because of Mr Alexander. He changed this house. If he’d had the decency to remain in Sicily, he would have had no time to alter Stonehaven and this would still feel like home.’ It was his entire fault.
‘I’m not just referring to the changes in this house, Lizzy. In the past year you have become a widow. For months you had no notion of where you would be living. Your financial circumstances, while respectable, are not as grand as they once were. Charlotte is married to the man you wanted to marry and now Juliet is also married and in love. That is a lot of change in such a short time.’
‘What do my sisters’ marriages have to do with any of this?’
‘When Andrew married Charlotte it was very difficult for you. You couldn’t even go to their wedding and you refused to discuss your feelings with me or Juliet. You kept pushing us away when we would mention it. I know you now are speaking with Charlotte, but it has been six months since their wedding. I think it’s time we talked about it.’
‘They are married. I have come to accept that. What is there to say?’
‘Why did you have your heart set on Andrew? When Skeffington died, you said he was the only man who you could love and would make you happy. Why?’
‘It doesn’t matter why. He loves Charlotte and she loves him.’
It was obvious from her aunt’s expression that that explanation was not sufficient and she wasn’t going to let the matter rest until Lizzy bared more of her pain. She had come to accept her fate—she could talk about it a bit more now.
‘I understand that some people are meant to find love in this world and there are those of us who are not. Not everyone marries a man and finds a lifetime of happiness with him. Charlotte is fortunate she found love twice. I suppose when Lord Andrew married her, it reminded me that my future does not include a man who will love me. I thought he had cared for me, but I was wrong. He never had any feelings for me. I created that illusion in my head. I suppose believing in that for the past twelve years helped me through living in a loveless marriage. I could pretend there was a man out there in the world who was wishing I was his. But none of it was real. I know that now. I don’t blame Charlotte for what happened. He was never really mine. I want her to be happy and she is with him. But, in truth, I can’t help but wonder why her fate was to find two men to love her and my fate doesn’t include even one.’
‘Don’t say that. You are still young. You have many years ahead of you to meet a man who will love you.’
‘If there is one thing I’ve learned in life, it is that there is something about me that does not endear me to men. I don’t have striking green eyes like Charlotte, or her sweet disposition, and I’m not lively and spirited like Juliet. I am just me. There is nothing remarkable about me. Even before Skeffington bargained with Father for my hand, suitors were not sending me flowers or filling up my dance card. And as a widow, I know that I may not be able to have children. Heavens, how Skeffington would remind me of that fact while he was alive and even reduced my fortune and income because of it. I was not a desirable debutante and I will never be a desirable widow.’
‘Lizzy, you have a lot to offer a man.’
‘I will not marry some man just because he is in need of my money. If I cannot marry for love, then I will not marry at all. And we both know I am not the type of woman a man falls in love with. I’m just not.’
Aunt Clara placed her arm around Lizzy’s shoulders and the soft familiar scent of her rose perfume drifted on the air. ‘I was not referring to your money, Elizabeth.’
‘Everything is different now. The place that I considered home is no longer mine, nor its contents. That cup isn’t mine even though I was the one to pick it out for this house.’
‘Life isn’t always fair.’
‘It rarely is when you’re a woman.’
For months, she had been telling herself that everything would be fine. That she would find a way to get back some of what she felt was hers, like the use of this house. But now, standing in her favourite room at Stonehaven, with its new marble chimney piece and mouldings, she now saw that the world had gone on without her for these past few months and there was no going back to the way things were. It was too late for that. Nothing in her life would ever be the same. She was a creature of habit and moving forward through all this change was terrifying.
