The Unsuitable Duke
Landing a Lord
Suzanna Medeiros
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
About the Author
Books by Suzanna Medeiros
Copyright © 2020 by Saozinha Medeiros
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THE UNSUITABLE DUKE
First Digital Edition: February 2020
First Print Edition: February 2020
Cover design © Kim Killion, The Killion Group, Inc.
Edited by Victory Editing
ebook ISBN: 9781988223117
Paperback ISBN: 9781988223124
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author.
To Emma and Faith. Because dreams do come true.
The Unsuitable Duke
An enemies-to-lovers romance.
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When they were children, Ellen Laughton considered the Duke of Castlefield her best friend. But when he learned their parents were hoping they'd marry one day, he did what any boy of twelve would do—he pushed her away.
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She’s been angry with him ever since.
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By the time Castlefield realized there was only one woman for him, Ellen was already betrothed to another. Now that she’s a widow and out of mourning, he is determined to win back her friendship and her heart.
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But when Ellen learns about the role he played in her husband’s death, will she be able to forgive Castlefield’s betrayal?
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Chapter 1
July 1807
The Duke of Castlefield scanned the glittering crowd from his position by the ornate garden doors. She was here, deuce take it. He could feel it in his bones.
For what felt like the hundredth time, his eyes swept over the women currently partnered on the ballroom floor before he started skimming over the guests gathered along the outer edges of the brightly lit room. But the stubborn bane of his existence remained hidden. The fact that everyone wore masks to conceal their identity wasn’t the impediment. He’d know Ellen anywhere. Which meant she was biding her time before making her presence known.
If he remained patient, she’d eventually reveal herself. She wouldn’t be able to resist the desire to harass him. He was counting on that now as he slipped through the open doors that led out to the gardens. He made his way to the far side of the balcony and turned to look out into the darkness. He wasn’t the only person outside that evening, but he was the only one who hadn’t sought a darkened corner for his meeting. He stood alone, light from the ballroom spilling out onto the balcony and making his figure visible. He did want to be found after all.
He didn’t have to wait long before he sensed movement to his left. Still, he continued to stare out at the lush greenery before him, his every instinct on high alert as she moved closer.
I have you now, he thought, resisting the urge to smile. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”
She moved into position beside him, taking up a similar stance. The scent of her light perfume wrapped around him. Despite the fact they both stood looking out at the gardens, he knew she wasn’t admiring the shrubs or the planters overflowing with roses. He had her complete attention.
“I was surprised to see you at my brother’s wedding.”
He glanced at her then, and she returned the gesture. Their gazes met. While he couldn’t see her face behind the white mask she wore, it was hard to miss the cold indifference in her light blue eyes. He vowed to change that. He’d waited long enough for her, and he was no longer a young man. “My closest friend finally weds, and you didn’t expect me to be there?”
She lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug but said nothing. She didn’t have to.
Her brother, Brantford, had told him he was marrying for expediency, but the fact that he’d chosen to attach himself to someone whose family had fallen into social ruin spoke volumes. His friend hadn’t said as much, but Castlefield could tell the woman in question meant something to him. More than Brantford wanted to admit. So Castlefield had agreed to stand at his friend’s side during the marriage ceremony and hadn’t pressed for details. He also hadn’t questioned how Brantford had known he was in town when he’d only just arrived in London. The man knew everything.
Indiscreet laughter floated up from the hidden pathways of the gardens. The music inside the ballroom spilled out onto the balcony and concealed most of the noise caused by the lovers meeting under the cover of darkness, but the sound was unmistakable.
The season was drawing to a close, and as always, society seemed almost desperate to wring every drop of enjoyment from the time that remained. Especially those who had yet to secure matches. Which meant he’d been the object of much attention over the past week as he prowled the various events, looking for Ellen.
She was staying with her brother, but now that Brantford had left town with his new wife, Castlefield knew she’d never accept a house call from him. So in order to see her, he’d had to attend the various balls and routs, waiting for her to decide to join the game. And that was problematic—although her attendance was much sought after, she rarely went out in public anymore. Indeed, she’d kept him waiting for the past week, but Castlefield had hoped tonight’s masquerade would provide the perfect backdrop for their meeting.
He forced his thoughts away from the reason for Ellen’s absence from society and turned to face her. She mirrored his movement.
Castlefield took in her outfit—a violet evening dress that complemented her fair coloring and dared to hug her curves just a little too closely. She’d come prepared to make an impression, and she’d succeeded. “You look beautiful, as ever.”
Her eyes narrowed a fraction before she hid the telltale sign that she was annoyed. “I wasn’t aware you cared one way or the other for my appearance. I certainly don’t care for your opinion on the matter.”
He couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching in amusement. “I don’t believe that to be true.”
She turned away and looked out over the garden again. Muffled voices in the distance revealed that more than one couple were taking advantage of the darkness and lush greenery for a rendezvous. They’d be too busy with their own activities to pay attention to the two people standing a respectable distance from one another on the balcony.
“You’re free to believe whatever you desire.
Heaven knows, I could never change your mind about anything.”
“We’re not children any longer. Surely you can see past the actions of a callow youth.”
“No, of course not. Why should I care that my best friend told me he no longer had time for silly girls?”
“We were twelve when that happened. And in my defense, you’d put a snake in my bed the evening before.”
She allowed herself to smile then. “I must admit, that still amuses me. But you deserved it.”
He said nothing since they both knew why she’d acted out. Their parents had been friends, and being of an age, he and Ellen had grown up together and spent many summers at his family’s estate near Brighton. She hadn’t been happy when he’d started spending more time with her brother, who was two years younger. Once Brantford was old enough to be deemed interesting by Castlefield, they’d begun to exclude her from their adventures. He’d never told her what had precipitated that action. He’d overheard a conversation between their parents wherein they’d discussed their hopes that his and Ellen’s friendship would lead to a union when they were older. At the time, the very thought had horrified him, and so he’d pushed her away.
Ellen had made no bones about her displeasure with Castlefield and Brantford. But since she adored her younger brother, Castlefield had been the one to bear the brunt of that resentment.
But enough time had passed, and it was time to make his intentions known. “I’d like to propose that we begin anew.”
The look she gave him was inscrutable, and he wished he could see more of her face than just her eyes through the white mask. He suspected she was trying to discern whether he had any ulterior motives. She’d never trust that his words were sincere. She’d been through too much, especially during her marriage to Laughton, to ever take a man’s word at face value.
“Surely a man of your station can withstand a few rumors. While I find them vastly entertaining, I harbor no illusion they’ve done you any real harm.”
If he were trying to find a suitable bride, he’d disagree with that sentiment. The whispers about his debauchery served to keep most marriage-minded mamas at bay. Those who didn’t care about the rumors, whether because they wanted access to his sizable fortune or because the salacious on-dit intrigued them, weren’t of any interest to him for anything beyond a short-term liaison.
No, there was only one woman who’d held his interest for several years, and unfortunately it was the one standing before him now. The one who disliked him at best and who would no doubt hate him if she knew the truth about what he’d done.
But that didn’t mean he was willing to quit the field. It was time for Ellen to learn he was the only man who could make her happy. She’d never accept his courtship, but he’d known her long enough to know she couldn’t resist a challenge.
“I probably shouldn’t admit this, certainly not to you, but I’ve decided it’s time for me to settle down.”
Ellen tilted her head to the side. “I wasn’t aware you were courting anyone.”
He watched her closely as he replied. “I haven’t been, but that’s about to change.”
Ellen didn’t seem disturbed by his announcement. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this, but I have to admit to being curious about the woman in question. Surely it’s not someone attending the ball tonight?” She gave her head a small shake as though that thought displeased her.
“Actually, she is present tonight, but she isn’t aware of my interest. I’ll be announcing my intentions soon.”
“Just like that? And what do you expect will happen? That she’ll fall at your feet?” She gave a wry laugh. “Of course she will. There are no innocent young misses here tonight. You’ve probably already had half the women in that room.”
He took heart from her statement. It might just have been a simple observation, but he told himself the thought that he’d been with other women clearly annoyed her.
“Oh, I don’t expect it to go quite as smoothly as that. In fact, I believe I’ll have a devil of a time convincing her to accept my suit.”
Her brows rose at that. “This I will have to witness. I’ll just slip inside now and find a clear vantage point of the room. I don’t suppose you’ll give me a hint?”
He glanced away but could feel her gaze wandering over his face, though his black domino covered enough of his features that she wouldn’t be able to see what he was thinking. He allowed a corner of his mouth to lift. “As it turns out, you don’t have to go anywhere.” He turned to meet her eyes again and lowered his voice. “She’s on the balcony.”
Any other woman would have gazed wildly about, unable to rein in her curiosity. But Ellen had long since mastered the art of restraint. Ever so casually, she shifted position until she was leaning against the balustrade. While holding herself still, she allowed her eyes to roam over the large lit area. They were still alone, and she turned back to face him with a small huff of annoyance.
“I should have known you were playing games. Is it even true that you have your sights set on some poor woman?”
“Oh, it’s definitely true. In fact, I’m looking at her right now.”
The way Ellen’s eyes widened in disbelief would have been comical if it didn’t cause more than a slight sting. He smiled and folded his arms across his chest, preparing for her verbal assault.
“I don’t find you amusing. Why don’t you go and harass some other woman?”
“If memory serves, you were the one who approached me.”
Her lips tightened a fraction as she struggled with her temper. “I’ll remedy that right now.”
Well, that had gone as disastrously as he’d expected. Fortunately, he wasn’t above using Ellen’s friendship with his sister to his benefit.
“Jane will be in town tomorrow.”
Ellen remained impassive for several seconds before saying, “It’s a little late, is it not?”
“She’s only staying for a few days before heading down to the estate in Sussex.”
“I’m sure she and Lord Eddings will have a pleasant time.” She gave him a brief curtsy, saying, “If you’ll excuse me, we’ve no doubt caused more than enough tongues to wag being out here alone. While that won’t hurt your reputation, I’d rather not have my name aligned with yours should anyone recognize me.”
He frowned at her cool dismissal. This was not how he’d expected his revelation to go. “She wants to repair your friendship.”
Ellen looked away, but from the stiff set of her jaw it was clear the news wasn’t welcome. Her reaction confused him more than a little. He knew very well why Jane had needed to distance herself from the woman she’d once considered an older sister, but he hadn’t realized just how hurt Ellen had been.
“I’m not sure we can be friends again.”
Her words were short, clipped. He was missing something. This was more than just Ellen feeling hurt because they were no longer close. The woman before him seemed angry. He was fairly certain she had no idea what had taken place a few years earlier. If she had, it wouldn’t be Jane with whom she was angry but him.
“Jane regrets the distance that has grown between you.”
Ellen laughed, a short bitter sound. “Does she also regret having an affair with my husband?”
“What?” The word exploded from him before he could hold it back. A quick glance told him they were still alone on the balcony and no one was watching them through the garden doors.
When he turned back to Ellen, the sheen of tears in her eyes was unmistakable. He wanted to strangle Laughton. It was a pity Ellen’s husband was already dead.
“Did Laughton tell you that?”
She gave a small nod, refusing to meet his eyes.
“And you believed him?”
“Not at first. But I went to see Jane, to warn her that Laughton was spreading rumors about her. I didn’t think it was possible. Oh, I know my husband was more than capable of carrying out an affair with someone I considered a sister. Jane had hard
ly been the first woman with whom he’d dallied. But I didn’t think it possible she would betray me in that way. I thought he was just striking out to hurt me.”
“Jane wasn’t having an affair with your husband.” He barely restrained himself from swearing.
“She refused to see me. That was all the confirmation I needed.”
He took her chin in his grip and guided her face back to him. She didn’t resist, and he could see the hurt swimming in her eyes. That she wasn’t trying to hide the emotion from him said more than words ever could about the depth of her pain.
“Jane was going through a very difficult time. She…” He had to struggle to keep his voice even as he continued. “She was carrying Hope at the time, and she almost lost her. The doctor had her on strict bed rest, and she didn’t want to see anyone. It was a dark time for her, and she could barely even look at me.”
“So she and Laughton…”
He gave his head a sharp shake. “Absolutely not. She… wasn’t comfortable around your husband. And as you said, she would never betray your friendship.”
“You can’t be certain—”
“Believe me, Ellen. There is nothing in this world about which I am more certain.”
They stood like that for several long moments. She seemed to realize he was stroking her cheek with his thumb almost at the same time he did. With a visible swallow, she took a step back, and he allowed his hand to fall to his side.
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