They climbed into the coach with Thomas sitting beside James and Mary Ann sitting opposite Thomas. When they had all settled in, James looked at them one after another before tapping the roof of the coach twice and just like that, their journey began.
It was well after dark by the time they got to the city. The sky was without stars and moon — total darkness. The only light Mary Ann saw during their journey came from two lamps; the one that was guiding the horses and the one placed outside. There was silence throughout the journey, although Thomas tried all he could to make her talk. She couldn’t bring herself to speak where the Duke was so she didn’t give much response. It was her first time in the town and she didn’t plan on acting modest about it. She looked through the window and everything she saw caught her attention. She would look at Thomas every once in a while, not missing the fact that he was staring at her.
Even without exchanging words, Mary Ann was happy to be in the same coach with Thomas.
“You don’t have to worry, you will get used to this and even get tired of it,” the Duke told her to which she nodded nervously in response.
They didn’t stop until about an hour later when they entered a fence through a large gate. He could hear Peter speaking with someone but couldn’t make out anything that was being said.
“Relax. We are home,” Thomas told her as he placed his hands on her bare knees.
She looked at him and her breathing began to slow down. She heard the gate open and the horses entered now walking slower than before into the large estate. Mary Ann didn’t need to put her head out through the window to see what was around. They passed by a large garden that had different shrubbery in the form of animals.
“I will take you to see it,” Thomas told her, hiding a smile.
Mary Ann could tell she was gaping at everything like a child, and that Thomas was amused by it, but she didn’t care. She continued with her sightseeing until they took a turn at a fountain that was beside a large statue of a man. She bent hoping to see it but it was too tall to be fully seen from inside the coach. The coach stopped but the Duke hit the roof like he did when they started the journey but this time once. Peter understood the command as he pulled the horses to start moving again. They continued their journey away from the manor before taking a turn just adjacent a maze. The horses were put to a halt after about five minutes.
“Welcome,” The Duke announced just as Thomas alighted from the coach. He squeezed her knee gently before getting out. Seconds later, he appeared beside the Duke. He opened the door for him and helped him climb down. He rushed back to Mary Ann’s side and helped her down.
“Can you wait here for me, please? I won’t be long.”
As he jogged back to the Duke, Mary Ann looked around and was amazed by the decorations around the manor. There was a fountain standing straight with layers of water cascading down upon one another. The night was cold and she folded her arms together with her hands under her armpit for warmth. They had long passed the statue of the man and she didn’t wander off too far. She checked for Peter to ask who the man was but his seat was vacant.
“Please forgive me for keeping you,” Thomas came from the shadows behind the coach and it made Mary Ann jump. “And my apologies for startling you,” he added his apology.
“No, it’s nothing,” she replied tiredly.
The long journey was already having effect on her, she yawned as Thomas helped pick her bag from the coach.
“I will take you inside now and you will be joined by someone to take you to the staff quarters where you will get a room of your own,” he explained as he held her hand as he walked up the stairs.
He didn’t let go until they were at the entrance, he held the door for her and smiled as they entered with her going first. Indoors was very bright with beautiful candlestands hung on the wall and even an elaborate looking candle holder dangling from the ceiling. The inside of the manor had almost the same scent as Thomas – lavender and rose. It looked nothing like the house they were coming from.
The furniture glistened as if they had just been polished. As she followed Thomas, she could see lots of sculpture and paintings on the floors and walls but they were walking too fast for her to look at any. Before she knew it, they passed through a poorly lit passageway before getting to a room at the end.
“Will you be comfortable staying here?” he asked.
“Do I have a choice?” she smiled tiredly.
“Don’t worry. You will be attended to very soon,” he promised.
Thomas looked at the entrance to be sure no one was coming, Mary Ann wanted to ask why he acted as such but she got a response immediately, with his action. He tried to hold her waist but she pushed back, looking at him then she drew closer to him.
“You will be all right,” he assured her again, he stared into her eyes for a couple of seconds, then took a peek at the bonnet. It had done a good job at covering her hair.
He took few steps backward as he turned to leave. Mary Ann sat on the soft sofa in the room with her reticule between her legs now.
“Here we go,” she said as she knew her life was about to change forever.
Chapter 17
As Thomas walked further away from the guest room where Mary Ann was waiting, he began to look around hoping not to be seen by many eyes. Just as he was about to take a turn through a passageway that led to his room, he heard gentle footsteps walking toward him. He quickly looked around to see if there was a place he could hide but none was present at the moment. He was still thinking on this when he heard James speak.
“Your Grace,” James bowed.
Thomas sighed in relief, grateful that it was only James.
“Mary Ann is in the guest room, but fetch me Emily, will you? Tell her it is urgent.” He made the instructions as he went by.
“Yes, Your Grace,” James responded. “Your bath is ready too.”
This pleased Thomas as he turned to look at James. While he wouldn’t want to admit it openly, he missed all his privileges. He wasn’t very keen on letting go of them again.
“Good, I will be expecting you once you get the steward to attend to Mary Ann,” he told him.
Just as they were about to walk in opposite direction of each other, Thomas called again. “You really did wonderfully,” he commended.
Before James could get a word out, Thomas had made the turn and was out of sight. The manor was half empty at the time. Most of the lower servants were back in their rooms and just a few of the high-level servants still roamed around the manor that late in the evening. As he opened his door, the warm smell of roasted chicken welcomed him.
He took off his clothes with every step he took closer to his bath. He touched the lavender-filled water with two of his fingers at first and was pleased to feel that the heat was bearable. He raised his naked body, one leg at a time into the bathtub but as the scent and touch of the flower hit him, he closed his eyes to the delightful feeling.
A part of his window was opened and he could see the stars and the large dark cloud that had smothered the moon. He smiled pleasurably easing the tension of the journey when the sudden desire of having Mary Ann in the tub with him came to fore.
He took a bite of the meal sitting by his side and he mistakenly spilled some of the wine he took from the chalice in his bathing water. This only reinforced his thoughts of Mary Ann. He looked sideways from the moon and began to imagine her undressing slowly with her back facing him in front of the large mirror in his room.
In his mind, he could see Mary Ann staring at him with a smile. He smiled too and his gaze caught her cleavage just like the time they were eating together at Creakys.
“Your Grace,” a voice interrupted.
He shut his eyes tighter, unwilling to let go of the sight of Mary Ann. But the voice persisted.
“Your Grace?”
He looked in the direction in which he saw Mary Ann one more time and discovered that she was gone. Something cold touched his shoulder.
“Is everything all right, Your Grace?” James asked, worried as usual.
“I am, I am. There is no need to be concerned.” He took the cloth from him.
He rose from the tub and wiped his body with the towel as he got out naked. He walked to his wardrobe and noticed James had laid new clothes out for him on the bed.
“Has Mary Ann been attended to?” he inquired as he pulled a shirt on over his trousers.
He brushed his hand with his fingers fervently before facing James.
“Yes, her maid is on her way to meet her as we speak,” he told Thomas who looked happy with the news.
“Is there something you aren’t telling me?” Thomas asked after seeing James fiddle with his fingernails, something he noticed he only did when something was bothering him.
“Emily looked a bit concerned about you,” he let out.
“Why?” he asked. “Where is she?”
“She is waiting for you outside as we speak,” James told him and it made Thomas frown.
“Let’s go meet her. I don’t want my mother worried for stealing her maid away the first night we arrived.”
James bowed as he hurried to get the door for Thomas. As he walked out, he thought of Mary Ann but seeing James walk past him pulled his mind back to the present world. As he walked down the stairs, he saw Emily; a middle-age woman whose wrinkled face was adorned with two visible frown lines on her forehead.
She wore a gown that covered her body up to her neck. Her auburn hair was packed under a large cream-colored cap that made her long neck more visible. She paced worriedly at the foot of the stairs and when she noticed the Duke’s approach, she rushed closer to it.
“Your Grace, I came as soon as your message was delivered. I hope all is well?”
“I am quite well,” Thomas responded as he touched her bent shoulder to acknowledge her. “If we will look past the ache, and my deep desire to sleep, I feel as strong as an ox.”
Thomas was the type that made jokes whenever and wherever he wanted, without caring if those around were his equal or subordinate. His servants always had an uneasy look when he displayed his nonchalant attitude to social construct, but they soon got used to it.
“How may I be of help?” Emily curtsied as she smiled giving appearance to her tobacco-stained teeth.
“We have a new servant.” He paused to see her reaction.
Emily’s face didn’t change. Her smile persisted as Thomas continued speaking.
“I will need you to show her around. Also, arrange a room for her, and a meal. The journey was a long one.”
“As you wish, Your Grace,” she replied. She glanced at James, something passing her eyes.
“Speak freely,” he ordered as he walked to the nearest bottle of wine.
James followed and helped him with a cup he poured it in.
“It is nothing. Is that all, Your Grace?” she inquired.
“Yes, that would be all,” he replied.
Just as she turned to leave Thomas spoke again.
“Make her feel comfortable here. I trust you on that,” he told her. “Also, there is no need to mention my name to her or tell her more than she asks.”
Emily frowned for a couple of seconds before smiling again.
“As you wish,” she said before leaving for the guest room.
“Do you think she will be able to do as I ask?” Thomas inquired as he drained the last few drops of wine into his throat.
“She has served for as long as I can remember under your mother,” he stated. “Your mother must trust her much for that, and so can you, Your Grace,” he told him in an assuring way.
Thomas nodded. He bade his butler goodnight as he began to climb up the stairs into his chamber.
“Do you know your way around?” Thomas asked one last time, his eyes now weary.
“Yes, I will do my best to avoid meeting Mary Ann until you are ready, Your Grace,” he replied showing he knew the true intent of the question.
“Thank you,” Thomas responded.
As he turned to leave, his mind became preoccupied with his short dream that was disturbed by James. While he could remember what was happening she couldn’t picture the naked image of Mary Ann that he had again.
Even without this, his mind swayed to the time he saw her cleavage, the feeling he had when he pulled her by waist and almost touched her buttocks.
Did she move her body against my groin?
He shut the door behind him. He had barely entered when James’ voice intruded into his mind.
“Until I’m ready?” he scoffed as he landed on his bed. “You have no faith in me, James.”
As much as he tried to not think about what James had insinuated, he found it near impossible. Keeping up the façade when he was on vacation in a place where no one knew him was easy, but as he laid with his face toward the roof in his dark room, he couldn’t help but wonder how he was going to keep up the lie.
Since he couldn’t sleep, he began to think of the things that might cause Mary Ann to know who he truly was. This made him stare out the window at the moon which was now shining with full glory. The stars outside were sparkling, and not even the dark cloud could cover them all. But as another cloud began to obscure the moon, so did Thomas begin to lose consciousness. He closed his eyes then woke with a start after some time before pulling the blanket over his head, as if to block the thought of anything out. As he did, he fell into a slumber again and this time, he slipped into dreamland without further ado.
Chapter 18
“Wake up, Mary Ann.” Emily’s voice pierced the through the closed door.
Mary Ann rolled comfortably on her bed as she slowly opened her eyes.
Where am I? What is this place? What am I doing here?
These were the questions that clouded her mind seconds after she woke up. The candle placed on a shelf beside her bed was already burning low and it made her only wonder more about where she was.
“Mary Ann, are you awake?” a voice called after a gentle tap on her door.
The knock brought back her senses and she brushed her eyes with the side of her finger.
“Yes, I will be right out,” she called to the voice.
“All right, I will return in a couple of minutes,” the voice gently responded.
Mary Ann sat on her bed, looking around with her mind not staying on a thing. She felt refreshed from the journey to the manor. She thought of Sam but consoled herself by telling herself he was happy that she now had a place where she could work and be tended to. Just as she was about to lay her head back in the bed, the knock came again.
“Are you ready?” the voice questioned urgently.
“Yes,” she stuttered rising from her bed and using her hands to put her hair in place – behind her ears.
Just as she went to rush out, her gaze caught a glimpse of a white cotton dress placed on the shelf beside her bed.
Oh no!
“I will be out in a minute,” she shouted back.
She undressed hastily, throwing her old clothes where she slept as she quickly dressed in the servant’s clothes she had been given before she retired. She checked herself with the small mirror on the shelf before pulling back her hair.
Perfect, she thought as she made her way to the door.
“You look like you’ve been fighting a horse,” the woman behind the door told her by the way of greeting.
“I feel much better than I look then,” Mary Ann responded, returning Emily’s smile.
Even though they just met, Emily was very friendly with her, her words coming out rapid-fire and often filled with sarcasm and jokes. They became friends in few minutes of speaking with each other.
“Are you ready to be shown around?” Emily questioned as she led the way.
It was then that Mary Ann remembered that Emily had promised to take her around before othe
r servants resumed the day’s work. She could barely keep her eyes open when she was offered dinner the previous night. Being tired and hungry by the time they arrived at the manor, Mary Ann jumped at the option. She gobbled the food noisily and was happy that Emily allowed her to be alone so as not to feel embarrassed by it. The broth was the sweetest she had ever tasted even though it was not as hot as she used to like it, each spoon made her salivate for more.
“Yes, I am,” she replied.
“When do I get to meet others?” she inquired as Emily took her back to the manor side. The servant’s quarter where she was staying was detached from the manor but it was only a few minutes’ walk inside. The sky already had its first glimpse of the sun, like a child hiding from her mother, it peeked out of the horizon with no cloud to stop its first set of rays from getting down to earth. The birds were still in their nest; most of them anyway. Some were already up taking their bath from the fountain that was still at Mary Ann’s eye range. She remembered the statue she saw when they entered the estate and vowed to go and see it the moment she had a chance.
A Fiery Duchess for the Dashing Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 13