Anna knew that she must resist this temptation, and she knew that it would be easiest if the Duke never came to see her at all. Still, she could not help but hope that he would come. His interest in her the night before had felt truly magical, and she thought that it might break her heart to learn that it was only a fleeting attraction.
With so many thoughts rushing through her mind, Anna had still not decided what she ought to wear for the day. She realized that she must focus and make a choice so that she could carry on with her day, one way or another. In the end, she made the only choice that seemed reasonable, and put on her simple gray dress, and plain black leather shoes.
There was a small mirror on the wall above her dressing table, with a chipped, wooden frame. Anna studied her reflection in the mirror, noting that her face looked a bit drained, no doubt from lack of sleep. She combed her hair and arranged it in a neat bun at the nape of her neck, and then pinched her cheeks to bring a bit of color to her pale face.
If the Duke should come to see her, Anna thought that she looked perfectly presentable, and quite pretty with her now pink cheeks, but not as though she had gone to extra effort to impress him. If he did not come, then no one else would know that she was dressed for anything other than a normal day.
Anna did not know how much time she had wasted wondering what she ought to wear, but by the time she was dressed her stomach was rumbling with hunger. She went downstairs to the kitchen where she smelled the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread and Mrs. Hughes’s savory stew.
“Good morning, Anna,” Daisy said, brightly, when Anna entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the table with her sister, Lily, who was smiling warmly at Anna.
“Good morning,” Anna said, smiling at them as well, and feeling glad that Mrs. Hughes had such friendly lodgers.
“Mrs. Hughes said that you had an important party after your performance last night,” Lily said, her spoon clattering in her bowl of stew as she stirred it.
“Yes, we had a reception for some of the most generous patrons of the company,” Anna said, failing to keep a grin off of her face.
“You certainly look as though you enjoyed it,” Daisy said, raising an eyebrow at Anna, while Lily nodded enthusiastically at her sister’s observation.
“The party was quite a success,” Anna said simply, walking over to the hearth to scoop herself some stew from the large pot on the fire. In this position, with her back turned to Daisy and Lily, she took a moment to compose herself before returning to the table.
I must be careful not to grin like some foolish young girl, or I shall be the subject of gossip around the house.
“Well, that is good to hear,” Daisy said, looking quizzically at Anna as she came to join them at the table.
“Where is Mrs. Hughes?” Anna asked, looking around as though Mrs. Hughes might be hiding in the corner of the kitchen.
“Oh, she just stepped out to hang the washing out to dry,” Daisy said. “She will be back any minute now, I am sure.”
Anna was relieved to hear this, as she would need Mrs. Hughes to act as a chaperone if the Duke should call.
Although I am sure that he will not. Still, it is important to be prepared.
She supposed that, if necessary, she could ask Daisy or Lily to act as chaperone, but she did not think she could stand the thought of them overseeing her visit with the Duke.
Mrs. Hughes had the knack of a good chaperone for being present during a visit without allowing her presence to affect the interactions of the visitors. Anna had only experienced this a few times when Mr. Bamber had visited her at home to discuss various matters having to do with the ballet. But she was confident that it would be the same if she were visiting with a young, handsome gentleman.
As though she had been summoned by Anna’s thoughts of her, Mrs. Hughes entered the kitchen just then, her face flushed from the cold air in the back garden.
“Good morning, Anna,” she said with a grin. “Or I suppose that I ought to say good day—it is nearly noon.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Hughes,” Anna said, returning her grin. “I am getting rather a late start to the day. It is most unlike me, as you know.”
“Indeed, it is,” the landlady agreed, “but I dare say that you deserve a lie-in after all of your late night performances recently.”
“Hmm…” Anna sighed, taking a bite of her stew and allowing the warm, savory broth to chase the chill from her body. “Well, that is most kind of you to say, Mrs. Hughes. Though I think you deserve a bit of a lie-in yourself, and yet I see that you are up and hard at work.”
“No rest for the weary,” Mrs. Hughes said, chuckling to herself as she began to clear the dishes that Daisy and Lily had just been eating from.
“We can take those, Mrs. Hughes,” Lily said, casting a sharp look at her sister, who cleared her throat and nodded in agreement.
“Oh, thank you, dears,” Mrs. Hughes said with a sigh. She served herself a bowl of stew and sat down opposite Anna, who was still eating, as Lily and Daisy brought their dishes outside to clean them at the trough in the back garden.
She ate in silence for a few moments, seeming to savor sitting down just as much as eating her stew, and Anna smiled at her. After a time, Mrs. Hughes began to talk again.
“Now that the show is over, what will you do?” Mrs. Hughes asked.
“We will begin rehearsals for the next show in just a few weeks,”
Anna said, wanting to reassure her landlady that she would still have the means to pay her rent on time, though she was not sure whether Mrs. Hughes was actually concerned about this.
“I suppose that it will be nice to have some time off,” Mrs. Hughes said.
“Yes, I suppose it will be,” Anna replied. “Though I expect I might feel quite bored given too much leisure time. Perhaps I shall go and visit my mother.”
Anna had not thought about visiting her mother until just now, but as soon as she said it, she realized that she really should. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and her mother was all alone at home.
And it will be good for me to get away from London and clear my head a bit.
When she had finished her stew and washed the bowl in the back garden, Anna returned back inside to find that Mrs. Hughes was no longer in the kitchen. She walked through the kitchen to the long, narrow hallway that led to the front door. Someone must have come to call, for she saw that Mrs. Hughes was about to open the door.
Anna’s breath caught in her throat and she placed one hand on the banister of the stairs to her right to steady herself. She did not know whether to be scared that the visitor would be the Duke of Yanborough, or scared that he would not be the Duke of Yanborough. Both possibilities seemed equally likely, and equally terrifying.
Chapter 21
Nathaniel stood nervously on the stoop of the boarding house, hesitating for just a moment before using the large brass knocker. He could not have said why he was feeling nervous. He had dealt with his mother and that had gone better than expected, surely that would be the hardest part of the day.
Still, he could not help but wonder whether Miss Conolly would be home, and whether she would consent to see him. Visiting her at the boarding house was highly unusual, and perhaps the landlady would object.
Why did I not think of these things before now?
It took only a few seconds to realize that he had come too far to turn back now, and in any event, he did not want to. If anyone had seen him walking up to the door, it would cause more gossip if they saw him leave again without even knocking. If Miss Conolly was not at home, or he was not allowed to see her, then he would simply have to be on his way.
And I suppose it will be better to find that out now than to wonder about it.
He waited several seconds after he knocked before the door was opened by a woman of about forty. She was tall, with a warm, friendly face.
“Good day, Mrs. …” Nathaniel said, realizing that he had not asked Miss Conolly for
her landlady’s name.
“Mrs. Hughes,” the woman said, not unkindly, “and good day to you too, sir…”
“I am Nathaniel Hawkins, Duke of Yanborough,” Nathaniel said. “I have come to see Miss Conolly. Is she receiving visitors today?”
“Oh. Welcome, Your Grace,” Mrs. Hughes said, curtseying somewhat stiffly.
She seemed slightly flustered at his appearance on her doorstep, and Nathaniel wondered whether Miss Conolly had told her that he might be coming to see her today. He was not sure whether it would be a better or worse sign if she had not. Nathaniel looked at the landlady expectantly.
Mrs. Hughes cleared her throat and seemed to come out of a moment of deep thought. “My apologies, Your Grace,” she said, sounding much more composed now. “Please do come in. I shall fetch Miss Conolly, if you would like to have a seat in the parlor.”
Mrs. Hughes stepped aside so that he could walk through the doorway, and Nathaniel’s eyes fell upon her. Miss Conolly looked quite different to how she had looked last night. She wore a simple gown of some gray fabric, and her fiery hair was pulled back tightly at the back of her head.
She wore no ornament of any kind, but Nathaniel thought that she looked just as beautiful as she had done in her moss green gown or on stage. She was standing at the far end of the hallway, with one hand outstretched to hold onto the bannister of the staircase beside her, as though she needed to steady herself.
Seeing her there, Nathaniel felt an urgent desire to run to her and hold her up, while simultaneously feeling rooted to the spot where he stood. Miss Conolly had been looking down at the floor, but after a few seconds she looked up and their eyes met. Nathaniel felt his heart beating in his chest, and wondered if the thumping sound was audible to anyone but him.
Nathaniel had to remind himself to take deep, steadying breaths and to relax his muscles, which had gone taut at the sight of Miss Conolly. He wanted nothing more than to stride across the room and take her in his arms. He imagined how her slim body would feel pressed against his own, his hands tracing the curves of her slim waist.
Suddenly he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly, and he was pulled out of his reverie. He could not have said how long he had stood there staring at Miss Conolly, but looking at Mrs. Hughes, he saw that it had been long enough to make her raise an eyebrow at him.
“Hmm…” Nathaniel said, clearing his own throat rather loudly. “My apologies, Mrs. Hughes. You were suggesting that I have a seat in the parlor, I think?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” she said, a slight smile playing on her lips as she looked back and forth between him and Miss Conolly. “Please follow me.”
Mrs. Hughes led him into a small parlor off the hallway, and offered to take his hat and coat while she went to fetch Miss Conolly. Nathaniel handed them to her, smiling sheepishly, and took a seat in a well-worn armchair beside the fireplace.
When Mrs. Hughes had gone to hang up his things, Nathaniel looked around the room. He thought that this must be a relatively large parlor for a boarding house, although he had never been to a boarding house before so he could not be entirely certain of the usual arrangements. The furniture in the room was all simple and well-worn, but the room was well appointed and meticulously clean.
Nathaniel knew that his mother would be horrified to see him in a room such as this, sitting on a chair upholstered in cheap fabric worn down from years of use. He, on the other hand, thought that the room was more comfortable and inviting than any in his family’s country estate or London townhouse.
He imagined the residents of the boarding house gathering here in the evenings to talk or read by the fireside, and wondered what interesting lives they must lead. He could picture Miss Conolly sitting in this very chair, perhaps working on some needlepoint, or perhaps lounging on the loveseat reading a book.
I should quite like to lounge beside her.
Nathaniel was imagining himself on the love seat next to Miss Conolly, leaning in closer to see what she was reading. He imagined the warmth radiating out from her body, onto his. In his mind, he saw her biting her lower lip, and he leaned in to kiss her.
It was only a few seconds before this agonizing but delightful fantasy was interrupted by the real Miss Conolly and her landlady. Nathaniel thought that perhaps this was for the best as it would not do to let his mind wander much further down that path. He stood up to greet the two women who had just entered the room.
“Miss Conolly,” he said, his voice sounding huskier than usual in his own ears. “It is truly a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for receiving me.”
“Your Grace,” Miss Conolly said, curtseying gracefully to him. “It is I who ought to be thanking you. It is not every day that a ballerina receives a social call from a Duke, after all.”
“Well, now, have a seat, both of you,” Mrs. Hughes said from behind Miss Conolly. “May I offer you some tea?”
Nathaniel saw that Mrs. Hughes was carrying a large tray with a tea set and three cups on it. When she placed it on the small table in front of the loveseat, he could see that the tea set was quite old, and one of the cups was chipped, but that it had a lovely floral pattern painted on it that seemed to fit the cozy parlor perfectly.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hughes,” he said. “That would be lovely.”
“Yes, please, Mrs. Hughes,” Miss Conolly said. She walked over to the table as though to poor the tea herself, but Mrs. Hughes waved her away. She seemed to know exactly how Miss Conolly took her tea, but asked Nathaniel before adding milk and sugar to his cup. He noticed that she took the chipped cup for herself before retreating to the furthest corner of the room to sit.
Nathaniel had returned to the comfortable armchair by the fire after standing to greet Miss Conolly, and she had taken the chair opposite him, so that the right side of her face seemed to glow in the light of the hearth. The light from the fire reflected in her glossy red hair and the effect was quite mesmerizing. Nathaniel might have simply stared at her for hours on end, but he knew that he ought to say something.
“I really ought to congratulate you on such a spectacular performance this season, Miss Conolly,” he said finally.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Miss Conolly replied, with a shy smile. “You are really too kind.”
“I speak only the truth. I had never attended the ballet until this season, and I did not expect to enjoy it, but once I saw you on stage, I could not look away.”
“Why did you come to the ballet if you did not think that you would enjoy it?” Miss Conolly asked. Nathaniel could not tell if she had been offended by this statement, or was merely curious.
“Well, as you know, my mother is a patron of the company. She holds season tickets, but since my father died last year she has had no one to go with her, and I offered to accompany her instead.”
“I am very sorry to hear about your father, Your Grace,” Miss Conolly said, a look of genuine sympathy on her face.
“Thank you, Miss Conolly,” Nathaniel said, looking down for a moment at his hands. He had never been comfortable receiving the sympathy of others about his father’s death, not knowing what to say. There was something different about hearing this from Miss Conolly though, and he felt quite comfortable in talking with her.
“It has been difficult since he died,” Nathaniel said, looking into Miss Conolly’s eyes and seeing genuine concern reflected back at him. “My mother is very strong, but still, I feel that I must take care of her.”
“My father died when I was quite young,” Miss Conolly said. “It was only myself and my mother when I was growing up, so I have often felt something quite similar.”
“I am very sorry for your loss, Miss Conolly,” Nathaniel said.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I do not even remember him, so in some ways I think my loss may be easier to bear than yours.”
“Oh,” Nathaniel said, feeling quite shocked by this for some reason. He wondered whether it was true that this would make the loss easier to bear. �
��I suppose that might make it easier to bear the loss in some ways, but perhaps harder in other ways.”
“Yes, I suppose that is true,” Miss Conolly said. “I did always wonder about him when I was a little girl. My mother did not tell me much about him, and he had no other relations that I know of.”
“So you know nothing about him?” Nathaniel found this idea quite foreign. He had grown up studying his own family tree, and that of other aristocratic families. His mother had taught him that understanding the intricate connections between the members of the ton was at least as important as any subject he might learn at school. But he supposed that this was less true for commoners.
“Only what my mother has told me,” Miss Conolly said. “They were sweethearts from the time they were just little children, growing up together. He was an only child, and both of his parents died of a chill the winter that he was sixteen. He made his own way after that and married my mother a few years later. I was born about a year after they were married, and he died a year after that.”
The Art 0f Pleasuring A Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 16