When he stepped out of his coach, the Knowles’ footman announced his arrival. The footman announced it again, but none of the Knowles was there to meet him.
“I am sorry, Your Grace,” the footman said, “I believe the young miss is in her garden.”
Warin frown a little and ordered, “Then, bring me to her.”
The footman led Warin to a path that led to the garden. He asked the footman if Regan truly loved gardening, and the servant confirmed it. Warin smiled. At least Regan was telling the truth about her love for gardening.
When they reached the garden, the footman announced Warin’s arrival.
“Your Grace,” Regan’s wide eyes showed her shock. “I did not know you were coming.”
“I was on my way home and thought I would stop,” Warin answered.
He looked at Regan for a long while. She was dressed like her servant. Her green dress was dirty and so were her hands. He remembered their conversation about blueberries and how she seemed so genuine towards him. But now, he wondered if this young lady was deceiving him.
“I want to invite you to a picnic in town today,” Warin said. “Are you free?”
Regan did not reply immediately, but Warin noticed the small smile on the corners of her lips.
“Yes, Your Grace. I would love to spend the day with you,” Regan replied.
Her reply filled his heart with happiness, but it was short-lived. The happiness was replaced by disappointment. He thought that Regan accepted his invitation to show the people of Derbyshire that she would be the next duchess. She was not having a picnic with him but with his title.
*****
“Madelene, I think the corset is too high and a bit thin,” Regan said as Madeline straightened the bodice of her dress.
She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress she chose was simple and fit for a trip to town, but the corset Madelene suggested pushed her bosom higher. Her lady’s maid refused to place a wooden stick in the middle of the bosom pocket.
“Trust me, Miss. His Grace will be attracted to you without that stiff stick,” Madelene replied. “Bosoms that move freely can be more inviting during walks.”
Regan gasped at her friend’s suggestion. The bodice of the gown was already lower than her usual dresses. She could not let her bosom jiggle as she walked or as she rode the coach.
“Give me the stick,” she ordered.
“No, Miss. You need to make him fall in love with you,” Madelene reminded her. “And no man can resist a good wiggly bosom during a coach ride.”
Regan felt her face burn as her lady’s maid continued to give her lessons about seducing a man. Madelene, though a couple of years younger than Regan, was married to James’s valet. She only stayed with the Knowles on account of her friendship with Regan.
“Enough!” Regan yelled. She inhaled deeply and said, “I am not going to seduce him. If he is to fall in love with me, then he must do it on his own.”
Regan walked out of her room. When she took a step on the staircase, she felt her healthy bosom shake. She blushed and quickly placed a hand on her chest.
Warin looked at her curiously. The duke hurried to the stairs and met with her. “Are you not well?” he asked. His eyes moved down to her chest.
Regan blushed even more.
“I am fine, Your Grace,” Regan said. She quickly put her hand down. She took a deep breath and thought, I should have worn that stick.
As they walked towards the couch, Regan became worried about her corset. She was afraid that Warin would notice how vulgar her clothes were. How would he react if he caught sight of her bosom? She shook her head. She should not have listened to her lady’s maid.
Worse, Madelene even suggested that she should pretend to trip as they walked and try to rub her chest on his arm or, if she dared, his chest. Mad Maddie, she thought, but her friend’s idea put a playful smile on her face.
“Are you sure you are well?”
Warin’s sincere worries made Regan smile happily. He had returned to being the same duke she chatted with at the betrothal ball. He looked at her more gently. Regan’s worries lessened and her wish to become his real bride grew stronger. She looked at Warin and smiled a little. With all the crazy ideas Madelene presented to her, she was going to follow only one. She was going to let the duke know how she truly felt about him.
*****
Warin worried about Regan as the young lady continued to blush and hold on to her chest. He was about to ask her again when the coach passed a rocky road. His eyes were drawn to her bosom that swayed when the coach shifted. A low grunt escaped his lungs. A manly fever rushed all over him. He quickly looked away. His body felt excited. His heart beat faster, faster than it did when they had a chat in front of his father’s portrait. But his doubts grew even more. Was Regan that desperate that she had to wear a provocative dress?
A mischievous smile formed on his face. He tapped the side of the coach and ordered the coachman to bring them to their cottage near the river.
“I remembered that you like fishing,” he told Regan. “Today seems to be a great day to go.”
Regan’s face turned red. She looked at her dress and answered, “But, I am not properly dressed for fishing, Your Grace. And neither are you.”
“Do not worry about our clothes. The cottage is private. No one will laugh at us if we go fishing in these clothes.”
“Your private cottage?” Regan gasped. She looked hesitant.
Warin understood her hesitation. A woman should not be left alone with a man, especially in a private cottage. But, she was a desperate woman, he thought. She was willing to do anything to secure her title.
“We will not enter the cottage. We will stay on the riverside,” he convinced her.
Regan paused for a while. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Whatever you wish, Your Grace.” she replied.
Warin showed a half-excited grin. When the coach passed some rocky trail, his eyes moved to Regan’s chest again. His smile turned playful. Whatever I wish, huh?
Regan struggled to follow Warin. Her shoes were not meant for walking the rocky and slippery trail. She suspected that the duke was trying to irk her. She saw how the duke pressed his lips after they had a short chat. He must be discontented with her. Of course he would be, she concluded. The duke wanted to marry a beautiful woman, like Katherine, but he had to settle with a plain woman, like her.
Though her soles of her feet hurt, Regan continued to smile at Warin every time he turned to her. He pretended to care for her, but his lips curved a wicked smile.
“Should we cross the river?” Warin asked.
“Your Grace?” Regan was flustered with his invitation.
“We have a boat here. We could sail along the river if you like,” Warin told her.
She bit her lips and forced another smile. She nodded at the duke and he replied with another of his wicked smiles.
Warin led her to a small dock where a boat was tied. He jumped on the boat first. Regan hesitated to join him.
“Do not worry, Miss Regan. I do not have a habit of falling off boats,” Warin kidded.
The idea of sailing with the duke alone was romantic and tempting. But she was getting worried. The duke kept changing his plan. He invited her for a walk to the town, but they ended in a river. He proposed to go fishing, but he belatedly offered to go sailing with her. Regan was worried that his impulsiveness may lead to other things and that she would be too weak to resist them.
Warin offered his hand to her. He flashed a debonair smile. Once again, she was mesmerized. Her heart danced wildly and willingly surrendered to him. Before she could speak, her head already nodded.
Regan inhaled deeply and accepted the duke’s hand. When his hand touched hers, a tingling energy ran through her skin. Her knees wobbled and she lost her balance. Warin tried to catch her, but she fell on the wrong edge of the boat. The boat shifted to one side and capsized.
“Your Grace!” Regan called as soon as she emerged f
rom the water.
Warin rose from the other side of the capsized boat. He laughed hard. Regan froze when she saw him. He looked more handsome with his wet hair falling on the sides of his face. His lips turned darker. His genuine laugh made him more enchanting.
He looked at Regan, and his laugh deduced to a handsome smile. He submerged under the water again. Regan was about to call for him when he arose on her side.
“Y-your Grace,” she stuttered.
“Looks like you also have a habit of falling off the boat, Miss Regan,” he said with a smile.
“I apologize, Your Grace,” Regan replied while blushing.
Warin looked at Regan’s face. She remained beautiful even if her carefully braided hair was ruined. The water that dripped on her face glittered as the sun shone on them. He stopped smiling when he noticed that Regan’s lips were trembling. The water was cold and Regan was wearing flimsy clothing. He grabbed her hand and quickly assisted her to the banks.
“It is I who should...,”
His voice trailed when Regan had managed to climb out of the river. Her wet clothes clung to her body and showed her curves. She looked more alluring than any woman he had seen. His eyes moved to her lips. They were red and shivering, almost inviting him to slip his lips between them. His temperature rose and almost dried his wet clothes.
He walked closer to Regan. Her face turned rosier and she remained frozen in front of him. His eyes moved back and forth between her eyes and her lips. He brushed the hair that clung to her cheeks. A warm ragged breath escaped her mouth and landed on his arms. It awakened a fervor that he had never felt for any woman before.
Before Regan could close her mouth, he slipped his lips between them and kept them parted. His eyes leveled with her widened eyes. He stilled and just stared at her. Soon, her eyes slowly closed and her lips pressed gently onto his lips.
He smiled and continued to kiss her. She struggled to comply with his kisses for a while. Warin smiled proudly. It was obvious that it was Regan’s first kiss and he had claimed it. Her lips were soft and sweet. Her kisses were innocent and were not intended to impress him but soon, her trembling lips became warm with his passionate kisses.
Warin slipped his hands on Regan’s neck to keep her face closer to his. He was taken aback when he felt the young lady’s cold skin.
“I apologize,” he said as he pulled away from her lips.
Regan did not reply. Her eyes were still closed and she was lost in a dreamy state. When she realized what had happened between them, she panicked and took some steps back. One of her feet slipped on the edge of the riverbank.
Warin tried to grab her, but he was too late. The young lady fell to the river again. He laughed aloud as he rushed to assist her. When he offered his hand, she hesitated to take it.
“Hurry, Miss Regan or you may freeze to death,” he told her.
Regan frowned at him and took his hand. He pulled her up and pressed her close to his chest. She quickly pulled away.
Warin gazed at her innocent eyes and his heart started beating rapidly. Her sweet lips and innocent kisses threw away all his doubts about her. All he saw was an honest lady who he wanted by his side, mayhap, forever.
Chapter Eight
Regan was startled when Warin wrapped a quilt around her shoulders. He held her hands, blew on her palms and rubbed them to keep her warm. Her happiness made her face glow. She bit her lower lip and remembered the duke’s kisses. She blushed again.
“Are you still cold?” Warin worried.
Regan shook her head. “I am fine, Your Grace.” Her voice trembled, but due to excitement and not because of the cold.
“I apologize deeply,” the duke repeated. “We should have gone to town instead.”
Regan giggled. She raised an eyebrow at Warin and replied, “I am certain you wish otherwise, Your Grace.”
He looked at her with a playful smile. He brushed the little fringes on her forehead and planted a kiss. “And you do, too, Miss Regan.”
Regan was about to reply, but he suddenly slipped his lips between hers. She was surprised a little, but she instinctively replied to his kiss. The kiss was different from the first. Her lips were no longer trembling and she knew how to reply with his every touch.
Warin pulled away from her. She was lost within his kisses again. When she opened her eyes, the duke gave her a quick kiss again.
“My father would be furious if he discovered I was alone with you, Your Grace,” Regan whispered in between their kisses. “And in a secluded cottage.”
Warin stopped kissing her and caressed her face. He rubbed his thumb on her lips and answered, “You will be my wife in barely six weeks. It would not matter if I were alone with you before that.”
Regan’s face fell. Six weeks. She still had to wait for six weeks. A lot of things could happen within those weeks. Katherine could reappear before they were wed. Her eyes turned wet. She was not Warin’s true bride.
“Is something wrong?” Warin asked.
“I am not your bride, Your Grace,” Regan reminded him. She wiped her tears before she added, “Katherine is your bride.”
Warin stepped away from her. He paced around the room. Then, he returned to her side, caged her cheeks on his hands and said, “I will make you my bride. You will be my only bride.”
Regan tried to stop her tears, but they sprung heavily on her cheeks. Though the tears covered her vision, she could see the duke’s real feelings for her. The duke wanted her – no – he was in love with her, just as much as she was in love with him.
She embraced the duke tightly and whispered, “I have always wanted to be your bride since I was twelve, Your Grace.”
Warin raised her head to meet his gaze. “Since you were twelve?” the duke asked.
“Since the first day I met you. And I fell in love with you again on the day of the betrothal ball,” Regan confessed.
Warin just stared at her for a while. A wide smile formed on his face. He placed the tip of his nose on her nose tip and admitted, “I believe, I fell in love with you on that night, too.”
“Your Grace?” Regan sobbed with joy.
Warin chuckled. He dropped on one of his knees. Regan stared at him curiously.
“It may be late or no longer needed,” Warin started. He took her hand and added, “But, Miss Regan, will you be my wife?”
Regan tried to control her sobs. She took a deep breath and answered, “I’d love to, Warin.”
Warin stood and caught her lips with his mouth. They shared a sweet kiss that sealed their true engagement. The sweet kisses deepened as they showed their passion to each other. The passionate kiss fueled their desire. And, the once innocent kisses lost their innocence as they let themselves share a true romance.
*****
Late Fall, Paris, 1815
Katherine lay on her small bed in Madam Revouz’s lodging home. She had been away for a month. The money she saved for the trip was almost gone. She wanted to write to her mother and ask for assistance, but she hesitated. She was not ready to go home.
Lady Patey, who offered her assistance while she was in Paris, was not helping her anymore. Lord Patey broke his promise and stopped sending his daughter her allowance. Lady Patey began working in coffee shops around town. Katherine did not want to work in such lowly places.
“How was your day?” Lady Patey asked as soon as she entered their room.
“Exhausting. There were no jobs fit for me.”
“The Rouge has a vacancy. Just because you work in a coffee shop does not mean you become a low class person,” Lady Patey told her. “After all, the people here do not care if we are nobles. Or in your case, betrothed to a noble.”
Katherine frowned. If she had known that her adventure with her friend would lead to such a hard life, she would have stayed and married the duke. She huffed loudly. She should be in Lady Luther’s usual Thursday ball in London. The women in the ball would have treated her with respect meant for a duchess. Instead, she was
in a filthy and small room and thinking how she could survive Paris for another month.
“I am no longer betrothed to a noble,” Katherine corrected Lady Patey.
“Are you certain?” Lady Patey said confidently. “My sister sent me a letter the other day. She said the Duke of Derbyshire is getting married next week to a Knowles.”
“How can he marry a Knowles? I am here in Paris.”
Lady Patey shrugged her head. “Perhaps they are making people believe that a wedding will happen. But then, the bride did not show up.”
“Can they do that?” Katherine murmured.
“Believe me, Darling, nobles would do anything to save face.” Lady Patey walked to the closet they shared. She was changing her clothes when she added, “Come to think of it, if you show up on the day of the wedding, you could still be the next Duchess of Derbyshire.”
Katherine was stunned by her friend’s suggestion. She clutched her skirt tightly. A chance to be a duchess again? Despite leaving the duke, she still had a chance to regain what was rightfully hers. A small smile formed on her lips. Being a duchess was better than being a free woman in Paris, she thought.
*****
Late Fall, London, 1815
Regan opened her eyes slowly. She rolled under her sheets with a wide smile on her face. In a few days, she would marry Warin. Their romantic date in the cottage did not become their last. After they shared their true feelings, they became open with each other. Warin stayed in Derbyshire for the rest of the season. They roamed around the shire like a normal betrothed couple. There were days that they retreated to the peaceful cottage. The cottage had become their haven and a silent witness to their profound romance.
“Thank God, you are awake,” Madelene said.
Regan blushed when she found her lady’s maid next to the bed. For the past few days, she had been sleeping longer. She did not want to leave her bed and would rather spend the morning daydreaming about her lover.
Regan rose from the bed. Madelene brought her a basin of water.
Historical Hearts Romance Collection Page 9