“If you say so.”
Jane’s eyes softened. “I’ve missed you so much. I cannot express to you how happy I was to learn you’d be joining us today.”
Any lingering doubts Ellen might have had vanished in the face of her friend’s happiness. “We have a lot of time to make up.”
As promised, Hope fell asleep almost as soon as Castlefield paid the keeper who was to guide them on their tour. The girl opened her eyes when the lion roared but closed them again almost immediately, a contented smile on her face.
Jane glanced over at her brother, who stepped forward to take Hope from her arms.
Jane sighed. “Soon she won’t be content to be held and will be running everywhere, just like her brother.”
The two of them glanced at where Henry stood before the lion’s cage, his hand still firmly held by his nurse. He peppered the keeper with questions about what the animals ate and if anyone at the Tower had ever been attacked.
Castlefield moved to stand next to the small boy, ruffling his dark hair with his free hand. Hope slept in his arms, looking for all the world like she belonged there. At the domestic sight, Ellen’s heart squeezed with an emotion she refused to acknowledge.
“He’s very good with them.” She felt a twinge of guilt for spreading all those rumors about him. This was a man who should be wed. It was clear he’d make a wonderful father. Whether he’d also make a good husband… Well, she refused to dwell on those thoughts.
Whatever the future held, Ellen was certain of one thing. She would never again allow herself to be tied to a man who held absolute control over her. She’d made that mistake once, marrying for love when her younger brother had voiced doubts about Laughton’s suitability, and it would never happen again.
She and Jane fell into an easy camaraderie, their lifelong closeness doing much to ease the strain from the two-year rift in their friendship. And it was easier being near Castlefield with so many others present.
As they neared the end of their visit, Ellen wasn’t surprised to see her former nemesis hand Hope, who was now awake, to the nurse. Jane stepped forward to take Henry’s hand, preventing the boy from racing back to see the lions, which he’d proclaimed were his favorite. The only disappointment had been the fact that monkeys were no longer housed in the Tower.
Castlefield moved to her side to take Jane’s place.
The shift was seamless, and she wouldn’t have noticed their casual movements if her brother hadn’t trained her to be on alert to everything that was happening around her. She wouldn’t be surprised if Castlefield had planned this with his sister ahead of time. He’d made it clear when they’d last spoken that he intended to pursue her, and she’d been waiting for him to act on that declaration.
He bent and spoke quietly. At the low timbre of his voice so near to her ear, a strange emotion came over her. She refused to examine why that would be.
“It means the world to Jane that you agreed to accompany us today.”
She glanced at him, keeping her tone even. “Your presence wasn’t necessary for this visit.”
Castlefield raised a brow. “Who would have carried my adorable but surprisingly heavy niece if I hadn’t been here?”
Ellen allowed him to see her amusement at his feigned innocence. “You’re good with them. I wouldn’t have believed it.”
He gave her a searching stare. “Not all men are villains, Ellen.”
Uncomfortable, she looked away. “My experience has shown me that isn’t entirely true.”
He gave his head a small shake. “You haven’t been keeping company with the right crowd then. You remember how doting Jane’s husband was, and that certainly hasn’t changed since you last saw him. She’d tell you just how happy she is in her marriage, and she wouldn’t be doing so to save face.”
He was referring to her own marriage, of course, and annoyance flared as she remembered doing just that with him—pretending she was content with her situation—when he’d asked her a few years after she’d wed if she was happy. This conversation was becoming far too personal for her comfort, and she sought to put some emotional distance between them.
“Henry calls you Uncle Charles.”
A small vee formed between Castlefield’s brows. “What else would he call me?”
“Your Grace?”
Instead of being annoyed, Castlefield laughed. “That might have been how you were raised, but you know full well my parents never demanded such circumspect formality when we were en famille. Jane and I have continued that tradition, preferring the closeness that arises when one doesn’t demand their relatives treat them like strangers.”
“And Lord Eddings agrees?”
Castlefield smiled. “Eddings does whatever his wife wants.”
A pang of what Ellen could only assume was jealousy went through her at the matter-of-fact statement. She’d had to fight for every bit of consideration in her own marriage. When they were well and truly bound together, Laughton had ceased all pretense of caring about his wife’s desires. He’d barely cared about her physical well-being, after all.
A tense silence settled between them. Several seconds passed before Castlefield spoke.
“If memory serves, you used to call me Charles.”
Yes, she had. But then everything had changed. “We used to be friends.”
“I’d like to go back to that. I miss our friendship.”
His expression was so earnest, his words echoing a similar nostalgia she hadn’t even known existed within her. If only she could trust him. But too many years had passed, and she’d started too many rumors about his unsuitability to believe he only wanted friendship. If she were in his place, she’d want revenge, and what better way to attain it than to lull your enemy into a false sense of security?
“I’m not sure we can ever be friends again.”
“Ellen—”
She stopped and turned to face him. The others in their group continued on. When she was certain they were no longer close enough to hear, she spoke. “What exactly are you planning?”
His smile was a sad one, and Ellen had to remind herself that her own husband had been a convincing actor. No one, least of all her, had had any inkling as to his true personality until after they’d wed.
“I never should have allowed you to marry Laughton.”
Ellen examined him closely for a few moments. “How much did my brother tell you about our marriage?” Almost as soon as she’d asked the question, she gave her head a sharp shake. “Never mind—I don’t want you to answer that. But we both know you had little choice in the matter. I thought myself madly in love with him, and my father approved the match. Nothing could have stopped it.”
It seemed as though Castlefield was about to discuss the matter further, but instead he changed the subject. “Let us put the past behind us. I’d like us to return to our former friendship. And then…” He took hold of one of her hands. “I wasn’t lying when I said I intend to court you.”
“Is that what today was all about? You’re using your family to get close to me? I assume you intend to make a laughingstock of me. Make me believe that you care for me and then toss me aside. What rumors would you spread about me then? Would I have the privilege of hearing myself referred to as the unwanted widow?”
Her anger was real. Instead of chagrin at being caught out, however, Castlefield straightened to his full height.
“I would never treat you in such a manner. Laughton might have been cruel, but I care too much about your feelings to ever mock you in such a way.”
She watched him carefully, expecting to see some crack in his demeanor. “Even though society calls you the unsuitable duke solely because of me?”
A corner of Castlefield’s mouth lifted in what appeared to be genuine amusement. “Funny thing that. The more rumors circulated about me, the more sought after I became in certain circles. Oh, the parents of all the young girls that are paraded about every year made sure to keep their daughters away from me, bu
t those women with a few years of experience…” He shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m very popular with widows. I’ve also had my share of invitations when various members of the ton found themselves alone because their husbands had gone hunting, but I’ve never been one to cuckold another man.”
He’d rendered her speechless. Never in a million years had she expected that some of the very rumors she thought she was fabricating were, in actuality, true. When he lifted his hand, it took every ounce of strength she possessed not to flinch. Her days of flinching before a raised fist were over. Besides, she soon realized that he wasn’t about to strike her. Instead, he seemed to caress her chin, and she realized that her mouth had dropped open.
She stepped back from him. “I am not one of those widows.”
“I know, which means you are all the more worthy of my attention. You always have been, and I regret that I ever made you think otherwise.”
Ellen shook her head. “My defenses are legendary. You should quit now and direct your attention elsewhere. If it helps in your quest to find a bride, you should know that I no longer intend to spread any rumors about you. Even if it turns out that most of them are true.”
“I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, and I know the same can be said of you.”
Their gazes met and held for several long moments, and Ellen found herself unsure what to say to this man who was staring down at her with dark intent. Fortunately, she received a reprieve in the form of one small, very rambunctious little boy.
“Uncle Charles, we’ve been waiting ages for you. Mama says we can have an ice at Gunter’s now, but we have to wait for you to join us.”
Castlefield laughed and ruffled his nephew’s hair again. “Far be it from me to come between my favorite nephew and his well-deserved treat for good behavior.” He took the boy’s hand and looked back at Ellen. “Will you be joining us?”
Ellen needed to retreat, so she shook her head. “Not today.”
“Another time then. Soon.”
He allowed Henry to drag him away, and Ellen followed. She noticed Jane’s curious expression but carefully steered the conversation back to some of the more exotic animals they’d seen during their tour of the menagerie. She took her leave when they crossed the bridge and left the Tower behind them.
Alone, as she told herself she preferred to be, she allowed the footman to help her into her waiting carriage and returned to her brother’s town house.
Chapter 4
The conversation she’d had with Castlefield weighed heavily on Ellen’s mind that evening and into the following morning, probably because she hated any reminder of her unhappy marriage. It shouldn’t bother her anymore—Laughton had died in a hunting accident two years ago. She’d followed the customary mourning period of one year, but secretly she’d been relieved to be free from her marriage. They’d been wed only ten years, but it had felt like a lifetime.
For the past year she’d been working with her brother, donning the disguise of an older woman and acting as a lady’s maid on several occasions when he needed someone to keep watch over women who were either under the Crown’s protection or under their scrutiny. Of course, Brantford had also made sure to place several footmen in those households to ensure her safety and that of her charges, but Ellen had practiced long and hard to be able to defend herself in most situations. That she’d once been totally powerless, completely under the power of her husband, was something she tried not to think about.
She hated being idle, but at the moment she found herself with little to do. Brantford and his new bride were away from London, following a lead that could prove her sister-in-law’s father hadn’t committed treason. Ellen hoped with all her heart that they’d find that proof. She liked Rose very much, and it would break the young woman’s heart if her father was hanged for the crime, especially since Rose was convinced he was innocent.
Her boredom as she waited for news from her brother had led her to bait Castlefield, arranging to run into him at the masquerade three days earlier. It was one of her favorite pastimes when they were both in town. But he’d turned the tables on her, putting her on the defensive, which was a situation that couldn’t be allowed to stand.
She found herself pacing through her brother’s town house that morning. Jane had mentioned she planned to visit, and Ellen found it impossible to sit still as she waited. Despite the fact she was looking forward to her friend’s visit, her thoughts centered on Castlefield’s motives for trying to convince her he wanted to court her. They’d needled one another for years, but her childhood friend had never been cruel. And yet the possibility he was telling her the truth seemed equally impossible to believe.
She’d just have to ask Jane her opinion on the matter. If Castlefield had changed, if he’d become the kind of man who would have no qualms about hurting a woman emotionally—the kind of man her husband had been—she needed to know. She was always guarded around men, especially if they showed an interest in her, but her past friendship with Castlefield was proving to be problematic. She found it impossible to believe he’d go to such lengths to get back at her for the rumors she’d spread about him, not when it was clear those rumors hadn’t hurt him in the least.
She’d wandered to the back of the house and was gazing out at the garden when the butler informed her that her guest had arrived. Ellen instructed him to bring refreshments and hurried to the drawing room. She’d seen Jane only yesterday, but they still had so much to catch up on.
Jane rose from her seat on the settee when Ellen swept into the room. Without a word, Ellen crossed over to her friend and gave her a quick but heartfelt hug.
Jane smiled at her when Ellen stepped back. “There are no children in our way today,” she said. “Now we can become properly reacquainted.”
Ellen waited for Jane to sit again before taking the seat next to her. The past still weighed heavily on her mind, and they needed to deal with the reason for the distance that had grown between them so they could move past it.
“I am sorry for doubting your friendship. What did Castlefield tell you?”
Jane stiffened and for a moment, and Ellen didn’t think she was going to reply.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jane gave her head a sharp shake. “I shouldn’t be surprised that Lord Laughton told you the two of us were having an affair. It isn’t true—”
Seeing her distress, Ellen rushed to reassure her. “I know. I should apologize for ever believing a word he had to say on the subject. He was so smug though, and when you wouldn’t see me I feared the worse. I never should have doubted you.”
Jane had looked away, and Ellen had the distinct impression she was missing something. Her friend’s next words made her stomach drop.
“Your husband did approach me, but I turned him away.”
Ellen reached for her Jane’s hand and squeezed it. “I know. You would never betray me in such a fashion. Laughton…” Ellen hesitated, not sure how much to share. In the end, she decided that the subject of her husband was best left in the past. “Well, suffice it to say that he wasn’t the best of husbands. I counted myself fortunate when he forgot all about me and moved on to other women. I’m not surprised he approached you. He made it a game to try to hurt me.”
“I can’t talk about this,” Jane said, pulling her hand out of Ellen’s grip and wrapping her arms around her midsection. “Shortly after he spoke to me, I had difficulty with my pregnancy…”
Her friend’s voice broke, and Ellen felt like a monster for bringing up that terrible time.
“Hope is a darling little girl,” she said, her voice soft. “I’ve always wanted a daughter. Of course, the best I can hope for now is that Brantford will have children so I can spoil my nieces and nephews. And if you’ll allow it, I’d love to go back to being Aunt Ellen to your children.”
Jane gave her a sly look, one that had Ellen tilting her head in question. “You could be Aunt Ellen in reality.”
Ellen forced a laugh at Jane’s st
atement. “Has Castlefield roped you into his charade that he’s attempting to woo me?”
Jane shook her head. “It isn’t a pretense, Ellen. He’s in earnest.”
Ellen was saved from replying when a footman arrived with tea and refreshments. She thanked the servant and lifted the pot to pour their tea. “You still take it with milk and sugar?”
Jane murmured her agreement and watched on in silence. Ellen was torn between wanting to change the subject and pressing Jane for the truth, but she couldn’t decide what she would do with the information. In the end, Jane decided the matter for her.
“Charles is ready to settle down, and I honestly believe he wants to do so with you.”
Ellen shook her head. “Your brother and I have too much negative history to make that possible. Besides, after my last marriage, I’m not likely to undertake another.”
Jane gave her a look that was filled with such sympathy, such understanding, Ellen began to wonder whether there were secrets in her own marriage. But her next words had her doubting those thoughts.
“If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you,” she said, reaching for Ellen’s hand. “I want you to be as happy as I am. You should give Charles a chance.”
Ellen searched her friend’s face and came to the realization that Jane was absolutely convinced such a match was possible. A pang of remorse settled like a lead weight on her chest. Perhaps, in another lifetime, if Laughton hadn’t been so cruel, she could have taken that chance. Heaven knew Castlefield was attractive, and the fact that her brother remained loyal to him spoke volumes. Brantford had always been a good judge of character. She should have heeded him when he expressed his displeasure about her betrothal to Laughton. Of course, she’d been young and had fancied herself in love, and that had been before Brantford had risen to his current position. She’d never imagined the man she was about to wed would raise a hand to her in anger.
Ellen decided to push aside all thoughts of men and concentrate on her rekindled friendship with the woman who had always been like a sister to her but would never become one in reality.
The Unsuitable Duke Page 3